In the past decade we have seen gaming go from a joy stick with pong, to a controller that looks like it can drive your car. It is also evident the technology that is available to us. Gamers can tell you first hand the leaps in technology that we have made. I want to talk to you about the consoles that are on the market today.

I want to start out with the PlayStation 3. Sony has been around for a long time and they have been in the video game business for a while as well. They are the creators of the "PlayStation." The picture to the right is the PlayStation 3. Like the name describes, it is the 3rd installment in the PlayStation family. But this system does more than just play games. The "PS3" can be hooked up to the Internet and used like a computer. Since you can hook it up to the Internet, you can also play your friends online via the PS3. (They must have the same game to play.) Another awesome feature about the PS3 is it is a BluRay player. It will play all your BluRay movies. The memory in the PS3 ranges from 40 - 80. Of course the higher memory, the higher the cost. Over all a good system and the cheapest form of BluRay.



Next up is the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360, or 360, is made by Microsoft. The Xbox in general has not been out that long, but has made a big impact on the gaming industry. The 360 is the 2nd installment of the Xbox. This system has been made popular thanks to the "Halo Trilogy." Like the PS3, you can play your friends online. (They must have the game to play with you.) But unfortunately, the 360 cannot browse the Internet. The 360 plays games and DVDs only. At one point, Microsoft was making HDDVD players for the 360, but the HDDVD era has come and gone. The 360 is a great system. It is also cheaper than the PS3. You have 3 choices to chose from when purchasing a 360: The cheapest system is around $199 for the Core System (no hard drive), the next system is $299 (with 60GB hard drive), and the Elite System is around $388 (with 120GB hard drive). Overall great system.



The last system I want to discuss is the Nintendo Wii. When Nintendo made the Wii, they had the family in mind. This system requires more then just sitting on your couch. This is an interactive gaming console that requires you to move the Wii Remote More body action than thumb action. The Wii has some pretty cool features as well. The Wii has a built in wireless adapter for those who have wireless Internet. Just like the PS3, you can browse the Internet. Some of the popular games for the Wii are Mario Cart and Wii Fit (which was sold out in most stores for Christmas). The Wii has built in memory (I am unsure of the amount) and it has a slot for a SD card. An SD card is what you digital camera uses to store pictures. It is the cheapest all around system at $249. The controllers are cheaper and the games are cheaper. If you are looking to involve you entire family, no matter the age, then the Wii is what you want.

All of these systems are good. I currently own a Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii and I enjoy playing both of them. If you have a child or a teenager that has been begging you for a new gaming console, I hope this helped you out. Once again, Happy New Year and happy gaming.