Console Wars is today a widely recognised phrase referring to the un-tracked battle between major video game consoles, which typically occurs every four or five years when a new 'generation' of games consoles are released by the industry leaders, which today are Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo - in no particular order.

The history of console wars is by no means brief, with the first of note being competed way back in the early 1980's between the Intellivision and the Colecovision, and by all accounts, the Colecovision came out on top in that particular head-to-head selling half a million units, largely thanks to it's licensing of popular arcade games from the time. If a video games console sold half a million units today, though, it would be a complete failure and would perhaps even go by un-noticed by the developed world's hordes of gaming enthusiasts.

The growth of the video games industry has been so rapid that the top consoles of today, the XBox 360, Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii sell in multiple-millions across the world - with the main video gaming markets being North America, Japan, Europe and Australia.

Microsoft, despite being new-boys in the video game console market with the XBox 360 being only their second venture into it, have already established a firm fanbase of millions all over the world thanks to the success of the original XBox console. One of the main features that the XBox introduced to the console games market was the first online gaming community with any real feeling of value. XBox Live, the online gaming service of the XBox and now the XBox 360 too, was far superior to the Playstation Network - the Playstation 2 equivalent online service.

Microsoft of course have no lack of funds, and they gave the launch of the XBox console and indeed the XBox 360 console a huge kickstart by securing exclusive titles which proved a huge success. Notably games from the Grand Theft Auto and Halo games series.

The Playstation 3, although very powerful, has so far been living off the reputation established by the Playstation and Playstation 2, as it brings nothing to the industry which the XBox 360 and Nintendo Wii don't offer also. Metal Gear Solid 4 alone, has infact been a major selling point of the console for many gamers - as it's not available on the XBox 360 or Nintendo Wii consoles.

The Nintendo Wii is without doubt the most refreshing addition to the video games industry for quite some time, bringing a new perspective into gaming that has never before been explored, and it aims to get a stranglehold on the growing audience of lifestyle-aware gamers. Ultimately the Nintendo Wii gets gamers moving with it's new motion sensitive control system and thanks to the many peripherals which the controller connects to, the possibilities that open up to you within Nintendo Wii games seem endless.

The only real exclusive titles worth mentioning to the Nintendo Wii, as with previous consoles, are those starring the companies legendary gaming mascot, Mario, such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart Wii.

The difference in graphical power behind the XBox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii consoles is minimal and the game support for all three consoles is like never before ensuring all three have thrived alongside one another and continue to do so. There will be no clear winner in the current console war, as unlike in those gone by, most gamers find themselves loving two of the major consoles, if not all three! It's no longer a "fan-boy" industry where everyone has their favourite, which can only be good news for the future of video gaming which has already grown at a faster rate than ever before in recent years.