Which console is best for me? Magic Price Comparison

1. How much do you want to spend?
2. Who will be playing it?
3. What games are you most interested in?

The top three games consoles of the moment are the Nintendo Wii, the Sony Playstation 3 and Microsft's Xbox 360. At the moment it stands that the Wii is the cheapest costing around £159.93, the Xbox360 is second cheapest at around £185.93 and the most expensive is the PS3 at around £239.99.

Nintendo Wii

In December 2009 the Nintendo Wii broke the record for the best selling console in the US. As of March 2010, it leads in sales over the PS3 and the Xbox 360 - perhaps because of the consoles lower cost and almost definitely because of the broader demographic that the console appeals to.

The Nintendo Wii includes wireless Wii remotes or 'Wiimotes' that are paired with a Nunchuk controller. The Wii uses accelerometers and infrared detection to sense its position in 3D space when pointed at the LEDs situated within the Sensor Bar which you place above or below your television. Activity is encouraged, as the Sensor Bar picks up how you swing, point and tilt the remote. Wii Motionplus is an expansion device for the original remote controller that allows for accurate complex motion to be understood. WiiConnect24 enables the Wii to receive messages and updates over the internet while in standby mode.

"The Nintendo Wii prides itself on being fun for all the family"

With the fantastic multiplayer games available such as Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, and the add-ons such as the Balance Board it certainly is a console that can be used by everyone. The Nintendo Wii will forever be associated with children, largely due to the colourful and bright characters which Nintendo produce and due to the childlike nature of the games themselves. Still, if you're after a fun-for-all, active gaming experience then the Nintendo Wii could be for you. Don't forget - the Wii is backward compatible with Nintendo GameCube Software, so dig up all your old games and have a play!

Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 offers much more than a standard games console- it's clear that Microsoft are on the move to combine both computing and gaming within this powerful machine. It can be used as a media extender to stream music and movies from your PC and provides support for full HD, 1080p video output.

Available in 2 configurations, the Arcade features an internal 512 MB memory chip and the Elite features a 120GB hard drive and a matte black finish and uses wired and wireless controllers. You can buy faceplates to customise your console, a webcam for video chatting, dance mats, memory cards and there are four sizes of hard drives available - 20GB, 60GB, 120GB and 250GB.

"Xbox Live allows gamers to compete online, download arcade games, demos, trailers, TV shows and movies straight to your console."

There is an exciting new add-on peripheral by the name of Project Natal set to be released in 2010. This will enable gamers to control and interact with their console without the use of a controller! Instead you will control by gestures, spoken commands or presented objects and images.

If you're looking for a powerful machine that features more hardcore games then the Xbox 360 is for you. Microsoft has successfully made a strong and important console with plenty to look forward to in the future.

Playstation 3

Sony's PlayStation 3 is the most expensive of the three consoles and was the first Blu-ray 2.0 compliant player on the market. The console includes a standard hard drive, high definition blu-ray optical drive, HD video output, wireless controllers and wireless networking.

There are number of accessories available for the PS3 including the PlayStation Eye Camera which is a web came device. The slim model features an upgradeable 120GB or 250GB hard drive, is smaller, lighter and consumes less power than earlier models and looks pretty darn swish!

"The upcoming PlayStation Move is an exciting new motion-sensing game controller platform."

It uses the PlayStation Eye to track the wand's position (sound familiar?) and inertial sensors in the wand to detect its motion.

Although it is the most expensive console to buy you must remember that you're getting a Blu-ray player as well as a games machine. The PS3 can play pictures, videos and will allow you to stream them to your PS3 remotely.

So, have you chosen yet?

When considering one of the three games consoles take a look at what games they have to offer and to know what type of games you want to play. It's important to find the right console for you and remember to consider the cost of all the extra paraphernalia that you will need in the long run. It is also good idea to keep track of the exciting new developments that geniuses at Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft have up their sleeves in the future as this could effect your decision. Have fun!