Console Wars (Xbox 360 Vs PS3 Vs Wii) - Who's Winning?

I am writing this from the perspective of a Brit who grew up in the eighties, with Mario and Zelda, and do not profess to be an industry expert. What I am is a fan who has spent a lot of money and a lot of hours with a lot of games consoles, so hopefully I do represent their target market and can give an insight from the point of view of the sheep getting fleeced.

Everyone has heard of the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii. Those are the current generation of video game consoles fighting it out for supremacy of the video games market. They are the products of industry heavyweights Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo respectively. First of all, let's have a quick look at all the consoles.

The Nintendo Wii came out at about the same time as the PS3 (so in joint 2nd place after the Xbox 360). It's cheap to make, cheap to buy, and seems to be the highest earner of all 3 consoles. All the time we see signs in the shops saying the Wii is out of stock, even though it came out 2 years ago. The key Nintendo strategy is to focus on fun games that can attract the highest audience (so therefore appeal to female players as well), and steer clear of the graphics power battle. Its killer app is motion detection, giving it a sublimely innovative edge over everything else in the entertainment industry.

The Playstation 3 is Sony's latest console after the phenomenal success of its Playstation and PS2. It is the biggest, sleekest and (apparently) most powerful console out there. It's all about graphics power, blu-ray and high definition.

The Xbox 360 is Microsoft's second attempt at the video games market. From what I've read, the first Xbox was intended by Microsoft really to be the gateway into the market, so they were prepared to pour as much money as needed just to get a foothold. Their real weapon was always going to be the Xbox 360. Well, it certainly seems like they've ticked most of the conventional (and tediously obvious) goals: First to market, very powerful, most games.

So how can we define the winning parameters? If it's money, then surely the Wii is the most profitable. But that would be a very short-term view. The underlying intention of Sony and MS is to put a device in our living rooms that's a doorway to other future revenue streams. That's obviously going to be multimedia content, so downloadable movies, social networking, e-shopping, etc...

The PS3 can play Blu-Ray movies and is supposed to be the most powerful, but now it's been here for a while, and the games don't seem to look any better than they do on Xbox 360. It costs £300 compared to £130 for the cheapest Xbox 360, which is a massive difference. It doesn't have all that many games and I'm kinda fed up with the same controller as on the original Playstation. It's still cool though, and is probably the most prestigious of all 3.

The Xbox 360 was released at least a year before the others. That gave it a big advantage, however they cut corners and have had to pay however many billions to replace faulty hardware (the "3 rings of death"). It's not a beautiful machine and it can't do anything special.

But we're talking about games here. These are gaming machines and it's all about the games. Nintendo have once again teased us to no end and then delivered very little but a small trickle. The PS3 spaceship has landed and then tried to invade with a fleet of underwhelming 3rd party titles, then a second wave of games that also come out on its main rival. The Xbox 360 is likely to break down on you, it's ugly as sin and is made by the most staunchingly uncool company but damn it, it's cheap and there are so many good games on it. I am surprised that the graphics on PS3 games don't look noticeably better than on Xbox 360, and although that may change with time as developers learn to master the machine, by then Microsoft may have released a new console anyway.

They have poured a riverload of cash into it, marketed it every which way possible and poached as many top developers as they could. For that, they probably have the best value console out there with the best games. There may be no killer app, it may not be the best, but in my view the Xbox 360 has won this battle. Nintendo may decide to actually try to bring out enough games to fulfil the Wii's enormous potential, although from all past experience that will not happen (they seem too reliant on Shigeru Miyamoto, and there's only 1 of him). Sony seem to have gotten obsessed, or turned to the dark side along the way, or something. I'm not going to spend time thinking of a way for them to win this, but they'd better hurry up because in a couple of years it will be time for a new generation to emerge, whether they like it or not.

I am the founder of Ciollo.com, where you can ask for anything, and have others bid to provide this item or service for you. The site is worldwide and completely free of charge. As long as you can agree on a price, the limit really is your imagination.

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Fun Games Online - Free and Paid

When playing fun games online it is important to remember that they are only one aspect of life and it is important not to be consumed by them. Nevertheless playing games online is becoming a part of everyday life for many people and for them it becomes a question of what fun games online can they get for free and what games are worth paying for. Free is best but paid is better.

Many fun games online are a part of a membership site. Basic membership is typically free for the most basic games and they are fun to try especially when you are first trying to find out if you want to spend your time and money playing these online games. To really get into it though it is very worthwhile to pay a price enabling one to enter into more exciting and rewarding experiences that results from being a premium member.

In free games the tools that are used in your fun online games are really basic. Games involving action or greater graphics are considerably more complex requiring tools capable of handling these complexities. Free games require a player to use more of their own imagination which may be good for the mind but does not flare the imagination, as much as paid games. Although free games might take certain skills, skills and creativity are developed more by playing paid games. Take games of warfare for example, they may have weapons that are very simple but they do not provide the same opportunities of beating the computer or some other real life contender or fellow player. The bottom line is that paid games provide higher quality fun online games.

If you are going to remain with free fun online games it is important to appreciate their limitations because it can become very frustrating indeed to want to gain that extra buzz and not to have it forth coming. On the other hand if you want to enter into paid fun online games understand how much you will be paying and very importantly provide yourself with a budget. Also be aware of how the account is structured. Find out if you will be paying for your fun online games as a single purchase or are you mistakenly getting yourself into a monthly service, which in themselves are very beneficial. Monthly services are great if you want to spend the extra money required to obtain a lot of games within a restricted time period.

Fun online games can be very exciting. Many can even teach you to be a better person in the process. Adventure games though imaginary can have many impacts on your real life. They can make you the person you want to be and develop skills that you want to achieve. Most and best of all it can fill in those lonely hours or those times that are less productive and needing a cap up. Free or paid you will enjoy fun online games.

Amanda King is an affiliate marketer who provides opportunities to access the best available fun games online. Visit her games website for more information and a range of games and articles.

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PSP Console Sale - Where to Find the Best Bargains!

In the current gloomy economic climate, if you happen to find yourself looking for a PSP console for sale, whether it be as a present for somebody else or for yourself, you really should be asking yourself where you could find a genuine PSP console sale, with lots of cheap PSP systems available. But is there such a thing as a cheap PSP?

The short answer is yes, you should be able to find a genuinely cheap PSP simply by thinking outside the box a bit and avoiding the major retail stores, especially in the run up to Christmas.

With millions of PSP consoles having been sold over the past few years, there is no doubt that the product is tried and tested and extremely successful and popular. However, the shrinking economy as well as competition from other gaming systems for market share should play right into the hands of those who have not yet acquired a PSP console, but are now in the market for one.

So if you want to buy a cheap PSP console, your timing is just about spot on - for the following reasons: Firstly, those who rush out and buy anything new on the gaming front bought their PSP a long time ago, as have those who sat back and waited to see what all the fuss was about. Having satisfied themselves that the PSP was a good buy, they have already bought one at whatever price the merchant was asking.

So now we have a badly mauled economy and a tried and tested product that is having to compete in a tight market place. That is a recipe for bargain prices.However, as we all know, it's not often that one can bargain with the manager of your local retail store over prices, especially if the store is part of a national or international chain.

So how does one find great PSP console deals? The obvious thing to do then when looking for bargain, is to find a PSP for sale online, and especially on a big auction site like eBay where prices are more flexible and you have a huge range of PSP consoles listed for sale by keen sellers.

Whatever your reason for wanting to buy a PSP console, you owe it to yourself to find a genuine PSP console sale online and educate yourself with PSP News!

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Xbox 360 2 Red Lights Error - Causes and Measures

A heavy Xbox 360 user, at some point of time comes across a phenomenon called the 2 red lights error. The sign of it happening is breaking video output or graphics getting stuck on a screen. This is mostly followed by the fan making more noise than usual and over heating with 2 red lights flashing on the console. 2 red lights are mainly a sign of damaged graphic card or any damaged hardware, for that matter within the console. This is in simple words caused by over heating.

This problem is pretty common but can turn out to be a mess if you do not really know what's happening. Let me give you a few tips on how to avoid this situation in the first place.

• Keep the console in a well ventilated area.
• Do not wrap the console in a towel or any other cloth.
• Try to keep the console free from dust as much as possible, especially the side and back vents.

Normally, if you keep the console clean and pay attention to the heat, it will work fine. However, in case you come across the 2 red lights, there are measures which can save your Xbox at the cost of some money and time.

• Microsoft will repair the console free of cost if it is still under warranty. If it is not, you may have to shell out $100 - $200 to get it repaired. It may also take up to 5 weeks for you to play those games again.
• There are repair manuals available online and in stores which provide you detailed and step by step instructions to repair it on your own. You don't really need to be a technician to do it and also it can be done with the help of some basic hand tools.
• Manuals in form of videos are also available which can be more explanatory and easy to follow.

So as we have seen, it is simple to be away from the 2 red lights error and equally simple to mend it. I hope the above measures will help you in having trouble free and uninterrupted gaming sessions.

To Fix 2 Red Lights is not a problem at all, so long as you have quality resources. Read the repair guide here, and you will know how to fix the 2 Red Lights. This quality step-step instructions guide found here will help you crack the Xbox 360 2 Red Lights error with ease, which will ensure you can start enjoying gaming rather easily.

Click Here to visit Xbox 360 2 Red Lights Repair guide.

Robert Macmillan has been related to the Electronics and gaming industry for the last 7 years, during which he has repaired a lot of XBOX360 consoles, about 121 of them, and counting still.

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