Ok Gaiden, I' ll tell you what I know about all the next-gen consoles and hopefully that' ll help you out.
Note that much of what I' ll mention is still speculation but I' m only mentioning the stuff that' s likely to turn up.
Xbox 360 The good stuff +It' s relatively cheap, $399 for a premium package which includes all the extras you need.
+The controller is very comfortable and the amount of buttons and their placements are near perfect. I personally feel that the GCN controller is more comfortable but overall the buttons on the 360 pad works better. It' s wireless and has built-in force feedback as standard too.
+Good amount of great titles already released and tons of AAA titles on the way starting this year.
+Xbox Live online play. A service that' s been tested for a long time on the Xbox has now reached the point where it is near the perfect online console experience.
+Other online services like Xbox Live Arcade and the marketplace.
+Very powerful graphics, in fact, the 360' s GPU is supposed to be better than the PS3' s.
+Smart technological solutions which allow easier development of games which leads to more 3rd party support and more polished titles.
+Great multimedia machine that can connect to Windows Media Center/Vista
+HD-console
+Very stylish design with customisable face plates.
+It' s out NOW and has been for a while so you' ll have lots of people to play with.
+Great dashboard.
+Microsoft have lots of money they can waste so you' re guarantied that they' ll make sure you get everything you need.
+Lots of great 3rd party exclusives on the way and some 1st party titles too are making sure you' ll get experiences you won' t get with other consoles.
+The Core package is upgradable so you can make it into a premium package with time.
+The 360 keeps getting more and more support. One example is GTA4 not being PS3 exclusive.
+HD-DVD add-on to be released in the future. A 360 + HD-DVD add-on will be cheaper than a PS3.
+In the future it' ll have a camera and it appears we' ll be able to play Eye-Toy kind of games.
+Microsoft usually delivers on what they promise.
+Backwards compatible
The bad stuff -Questionable quality after several reports of disc-scratching, overheating and freezing.
-No motion sensing controller (if you' re into that stuff).
-Same kind of gameplay as previous generations, only better.
-No HD-DVD included.
-Future HD-DVD will not be used for games.
-You have to pay to play online.
-Not very popular in Japan.
-No special connectivity with handhelds.
-It' s big (not as big as the PS3 though)
-The brand is still not as strong as the PS brand which could have negative effects on the mainstream audience.
-No Virtua Fighter 5
-Backwards compatibility is made through emulation and that has caused some problems. It also takes time to make all the old games compatible.
PS3 Much is still speculation as everything isn' t decided yet but as I said I' ll mention the stuff we' re likely to see.
The good stuff +Built-in Blu-ray player (if you' re into HD movies or gaming this is great)
+Wireless controllers with popular design (Dual Shock).
+Innovation with Eye-Toy and motion-sensing controller (not as good as the Wii-mote though) and I expect more to come.
+Strong brand which guaranties the PS3 at least some success.
+PSP connectivity
+Xbox Live rip-off with even more features such as ability to buy music and movies.
+Free online multiplay.
+HD-console.
+Lots of great and popular franchises we saw on the PS2 will appear on the PS3.
+Even though it' ll cost a lot the PS3 has lots of value (Blu-ray).
+Biggest 3rd party support and good 1st party support.
+Powerful graphics.
+Works as a multimedia hub if you like that stuff.
+Virtua Fighter 5
+Huge support in Japan (if you prefer japanese games).
+Backwards compatible with every PS game ever made.
+Sony has great focus on 3rd party developers which gives them a better chance compared to 3rd party titles on Nintendo' s consoles where they have to compete against Nintendo' s AAA titles.
+Mainstream image, people won' t consider you a gamer nerd if you buy it. Maybe you' ll be considered a spoiled stupid brat but that' s another story.
+Parallell dual analog stick setup (if you like that).
+Sony steals ideas so you can be pretty sure you' ll get most of what the competitors can offer.
+Standard HDD' s allow you customize the PS3 to suit your own needs. Other things are also supposed to be customisable (" the PS3 is a computer" /K.K.).
The bad stuff -Cost lots of money ($599). Sure it' s got value but are you sure it' s worth it for you?
-Very difficult to develop for according to many developers which could mean less support and unpolished titles.
-Sony lies a lot so you can expect that much of what you' re looking forward to will be cancelled/downgraded/false/" misinterpreted" . Sony showed us the Killzone and Motorstorm demos at E3 2005 and gave us the impression that that was how the games would look. It turns out it was completely false.
-Sony' s consoles have shown lack of quality in the past and with all the fancy technology in the PS3 it' s likely to turn out... with some hardware flaws.
-If the Blu-ray doesn' t become the next format standard then you' ll lose the money you thought you saved on the Blu-ray.
-The graphics will definitely be less impressive than the 360' s in the first years.
-Sony has little expericence with software and online services so it' s hard to see how their online services can match Microsoft' s.
-It will be huge. Bigger than the 360.
-Unless Sony finds some magic cooling system (which will cost too much) the PS3 will be very noisy with lots of fans and airholes.
-The motion-sensing technology isn' t adapted to the design of the Dual Shock and isn' t very planned so in the end it might turn out as a gimmick. It' s pretty much a 3rd analog stick.
-The Cell and the RSX are hyped and overrated. The PS3 is powerful but not adapted for videogames which in the end makes the 360 more powerful in that area.
-The " Core Pack" (also known as the " retard pack" ) is not upgradable to Premium condition.
-Blu-ray and high development costs will probably make games very expensive, especially in comparison with the 360' s titles that' s been out for a while and now sees price cuts.
-Some people hate the parallell analog stick setup.
-Practically NO games at launch day.
-SCE is running out of money.
-Right now it looks like there will be no built-in force feedback as standard in the official PS3-pads.
Wii The good stuff +Incredible innovation.
+Very small console (smallest home console ever?) with sleek iPod-ish design.
+The Wii is very silent and consumes very little power.
+The controller is wireless with built-in force feedback that is innovative, fun, well designed, and can get an unlimited amount of add-ons in the future.
+If you want to play games in a traditional style we have the classic controller which is some sort of Dual Shock SNES-pad hybrid.
+Virtual Console and GCN compatibility. In other words, backwards compatibility with every Nintendo console game ever made.
+Support from other old consoles as well. Mega Drive being an example.
+Connect24, your Wii will stay connected all the time to make sure your games never gets boring.
+Online is important this time. Internet browsing, online multiplayer, and downloadable content is just some of all the things you' ll get with the Wii.
+Great 1st party support (best ever?) with most of Nintendo' s AAA franshises appearing.
+Great 3rd party support and it seems the support is getting bigger and bigger.
+Nintendo DS connectivity.
+Greatest launch line-up ever with Nintendo' s three biggest franshises as launch titles: Super Mario, Metroid Prime and The Legend of Zelda. And lots of other titles of course! +The most anticipated console in Japan right now according to a couple of surveys.
+Cool disc slots.
+Very cheap. The price isn' t set yet but Nintendo will definitely sell it for less than all competitors (below $250 is guarantied).
+Cheap games as development costs are low.
+Easy to develop for as it' s very familiar (pretty much a Gamecube) which will result in very polished titles and lots of support from smaller developers.
+Expected to see good sales which means lots of buddies to play with.
+The innovative design and the non-gamer approach means that you can play your Wii with anyone. Ever played a videogame with your mom?
+Free online play (probably)
+Nintendo' s never failing quality.
+Nintendo usually delivers on what they promise, and so far they' ve promised alot.
+We' ll probably get a messaging service in the future.
The bad stuff -You have to put a sensor bar on top of your TV.
-No HD support.
-Relatively dated graphics.
-Probably no HDD.
-No multimedia capabilities (if you' re into that stuff).
-Risk of using the Wii-mote in a gimmicky fashion.
-No next-gen DVD support (HD-DVD/Blu-ray)
-Some think Nintendo is for kids
I' ve probably forgotten some +' s and -' s for each console but I' ll update as I remember/you remind me of them.
So, after reading that, how do you feel? (tired of course
).
Personally, I' m getting the Wii. Then I' ll wait and see which of 360/PS3 gets the best exclusive titles.
< Message edited by ginjirou -- 22 Jun 06 18:24:52 >