A Toy for grownups - Which Console is best?

I抦 a sucker for cool toys. Most men are. We essentially carry our childhood obsessions into adulthood and they manifest themselves into a desire to own luxurious, cool and sometimes frivolous gadgetry. Over the years I have built myself a massive collection of mobile phones, digital cameras, kitchen tools and video game consoles. Of these, the video game consoles are my greatest passion. I love to play games. I want to be immersed in the latest title, unable to blink until I have completed the final stage or attained the greatest high score. I know that I am not unusual. My hobby is a global phenomenon and millions of man-children around the world challenge me nightly to online battles. It抯 truly amazing.

I own an Xbox 360 at home. This is one of the three consoles fighting for financial supremacy and a place in the hearts of millions of gamers worldwide. The Xbox 360 launched in November of 2005, a full year before Sony and Nintendo抯 efforts. This keen marketing ploy helped to cement Microsoft抯 console as the obvious and dominant leader. Exactly a year later, the Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii began their strong-handed attack on the console market. These two consoles were released literally a week apart from each other and the fallout of three next-generation consoles made the public berserk. For the first time since Nintendo and Sega fought back in the 90抯, a real console war had begun and the victor would be the most unlikely console of them all.

Console fanboys (the moniker the internet had chosen for them) ranted on popular video game forums for months before their favourite console was even released. How fast was it? What would it look like? What games would it have? Who would have the best online play and which console would be the cheapest? The questions raged on for months. Speculation and bickering was cast aside and replaced with facts, images and videos demonstrating what each console could do. Depending on which console you fancied, a certain social status was cast onto you. The Xbox 360 owners were the hardcore gaming crowd. The 360抯 superior Xbox live multiplayer module ensured smooth online gaming and combined with lush, Full HD (High definition)graphics; a virtual revolution in gaming had begun. The PS3 was the polar opposite of the 360. A 憄oser?console with an insanely high price point of $699, it alienated many first time console owners. The PS3抯 justification was to include a massive 80gig hard drive and exclusive Blu-Ray player. When the PS3 launched, it did not include any game which would drive sales. This left the PS3 to sadly flounder until averaging out with the Xbox 360, a full 2 years later. Sony抯 only hope is to keep pushing its?0 year console lifespan?sales pitch and hope for better results in the decade to come.

The Nintendo Wii is the smallest in size, weakest in terms of processing and graphics, most family friendly of all the consoles and amazingly, the current market leader. Nintendo floundered for decades after their last successful console. The Super Nintendo beat the Sega Genesis early on in the 90抯. But as Sony gained a massive foothold in the gaming market, Nintendo抯 Gamecube and N64 could barely make enough sales to cover their losses. The Playstation was a household name and Nintendo machines were labelled as children抯 toys, unable to break into the mature gamer demographic. Enter the Wii. Motion Sensitive controllers meant that anyone could now join in on the fun, without having to learn complicated controls. The Wii was targeted at families and having fun. In the short life span of the Wii, more Nintendo consoles have been sold despite Microsoft抯 360 having double the shelf life of the other consoles. The war, for now is being won by the casual gamer.

I chose my console based on the type of games I prefer to play. I enjoy first-person shooters and the 360 has a massive catalogue of action games which suit my 慼ardcore?sensibilities to a tee. In a couple of years when money is no longer an object for me, I will purchase both the PS3 and the Wii, to ascertain what my friends rave on about. I am no devoted fanboy and have owned every major console since the 90抯 as I am a fan of every manufacturer. But for now, I will continue to fight the good fight on my wonderful white Xbox, safe in the knowledge that its 憁eagre?five year lifespan will continue to produce the best games money can buy.