Which video game console is better: PlayStation 3 or Wii?

Wii

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by Maxwell Payne

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Since both of these consoles have come out there has been a
raging debate as to which console is better. While it is hard
to exactly say which one is better since each gamer expects
different things and has different needs, I will be defending
the Nintendo Wii as a better game console and I'll be looking
at a few factors that make both systems an awesome addition to
any gamer's living room. Also if you are considering one over
the other, this article will be mostly in non-technical terms
so you can make an informed decision regardless of your level
of technical knowledge.

In order to compare these two new and cutting edge we need to
take a look at a few areas through which to compare the
Nintendo Wii to the Playstation 3 and support the reasoning
that the Wii is overall better. These areas include appeal,
pricing, hardware, innovativeness, level of skill
required(ie.- Ease of use and easy learning curve), and amount
of games available.

Appeal- Both systems were highly anticipated and both appealed
to a variety of gamers. However while the Playstation 3
appealed to hard-core gamers and technology loving people with
amazing raw computing power and graphics; the Wii seems to
appeal to a wide variety of users. Hard-core gamers have
indicated that the Wii is simply a fun way to take a break
from the more serious nature of Playstation 3 multi player
games. Casual gamers and even those who never played video
games before seem to feel that the Wii is fun and entertaining.

Pricing - The Playstation 3 comes with two models, one with a
smaller 30gb hard drive and one with a 60gb hard drive. Prices
range between $499 and $699 depending on where you buy. The
Wii comes with one price which seems to be about $250 dollars.
The PS3 comes with the unit and a controller while the Wii
comes with a controller and a game cd containing 5 sports
based games. Clearly price wise the Wii wins here.

Hardware- The Playstation 3 boasts some amazing technology
including 8 processors (4 dual core), a built in hard drive,
and mind blowing graphics. Some people have said that the PS3
technology is so advanced that the gaming industry is no where
near close to maximizing the potential and use of the system.
The Wii on the other hand offers no hard drive and basic
graphics and 1 processor, however the controllers can store
user data so you can take your controller to a friend's house
and play on their Wii with your Mii (your character).

Innovatio n- The Playstation 3 is a powerhouse plain and
simple. But it's technology has proved to be too ahead of it's
time. Developers can't even begin to use all the power and
technology available and the technology proved to be so costly
that Sony admitted it was taking a loss to bring the PS3 to
market. Some sources indicated it cost Sony around 800 dollars
to make each unit and of course that was too high for
consumers to pay.

While the PS3 sticks to basic controller and
button controls and interacting, the Wii surprised everybody
with revolutionary technology for gaming. Each Wii controller
is two pieces, a knunchuck and a controller. The controller
can be used as a standard controller for classic games. Most
of the games use movement to play, that is the controllers
have built in sensors including a gyroscope so that a player's
movements control the character on the screen. For example in
Wii bowling a player moves in the natural bowling movement and
the screen action mimics this. This changes the industry and
gaming a lot. Sony took the tried and true path, more power
and more graphics while Nintendo reinvented gaming with motion sensitive controls and more interaction in a video game then ever before.

Level of Skill- In this area both require a basic knowledge of consoles in order to set up and begin playing on them. Both systems also come with instructions and most games come with a list of controls on how to operate in the game. Since most Playstation 3 games are geared towards more serious gamers, their games tend to require a higher level of game playing and game knowledge whereas the Wii is pretty much a plug in and go kind of system. Most games on the Wii are simple and based on the concept of less is more. Simple games such as Wii Bowling take intuitive human movements and behavior and apply them to a video game. The Wii also includes a tutorial section on it's main CD to help new users learn how to use the controllers and understand how their games will be played; Sony does not have this. That said, the Wii may have an easier learning curve then the PS3.

Amount of Games Available- Nintendo tends to make many of its own games whereas Sony almost always outsources its game making. Sony launched the Playstation 3 with many more available or coming soon titles then the Wii but Nintendo countered by offering a 5 in 1 game cd to get users started and soon after began releasing more titles. Developers complain that the PS3 software and system is too advanced and while offering unlimited programming potential, takes longer to program games for. Both systems offer a decent amount of games but backwards compatibility is a big thing in video game consoles. That is many systems today can play games that used to run on their older counterparts.

For the Playstation 3 it was natural for Sony to make the Playstation 3 play all PS1 and PS2 games but system glitches and problems had many users unable to play many PS2 games on the system and even less if any of the PS1 games. For the Wii Nintendo uses regular sized CDs for its games much like Sony, but as a bonus was able to develop the Wii to also play all Gamecube games which use a smaller CD format. In this case, the Wii's movement technology is not usable with Gamecube era games but a few Gamecube controller jacks are made available so users can play their Gamecube games on the system. For now though this may be one area that the PS3 wins in, if only because once the glitches are all fixed, PS3 owners will have access to 3 system generations worth of games to play.

As for system availability, not only has Sony taken a loss by producing and selling the Playstation 3, Nintendo shipped over a million Wii systems out upon launch, Sony cutback and was unable to produce even a fraction of the systems that consumer demand was clamoring for. Both systems were hard to find initially, but Nintendo continued steady production of the Wii while Sony lagged behind.

So there you have it, a look at some important areas in which the PS3 and Wii can be compared by. If you take all these areas and look at them in the big picture you can see that the Nintendo Wii is the winner. Still wondering why? Simple. While hard-core gamers will always exist, the market these days for video games is broad and diverse. Even casual or non-gamers want to play video games from time to time and Nintendo realized this. After all look at the success of other movement based games in arcades such as Dance Dance Revolution. The Playstation 3 is loaded with technology that is ahead of it's time, technology the user pays for but does not have full access to yet. Obviously hard-core gamers will flock to the Playstation 3, but the Wii offers a package that is fun, innovative, inexpensive, and enjoyable. After all as the creator of the Wii believes that video games should be fun entertainment and for most gamers, the Wii is the new system to own and with a low price tag many will be able to do just that.

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