Games Console Buying Guide

There are many different games consoles on the market today, and they range in price greatly. From handheld consoles to state of the art interactive, wireless consoles, there is one out there to suit everyone and every budget.

There are a few things to consider when looking to buy a games console such as price, the kind of games you wish to play, where you will use it, and interactivity.

Games consoles range from approximately £100 for a handheld and up to £300 for a regular console. The price of games range too, from approximately £15 for an older title up to £40 for a new release. It is also worth knowing that some games retailers do a trade-in scheme for used games.

There are many different types of games available for all kinds of interest, ranging from car racing to cooking, pet care to warfare. Some games consoles now offer interactive play in which you can connect and play against others from all over the world. Games are now played in high definition quality too, to give gamers the best quality graphics ever. Where you choose to use your games console depends on which type you should choose. If you intend to use it whilst travelling, a handheld console is the best choice. If you will only use the games console at home, then a base unit is best.

The games consoles available are:

PlayStation 2 - This games console has been around for 10 years and up until 2009 has reached sales of over 140 million, making it the best selling games console to date. The PS2 can also play CD's and DVD's and reads a memory card to playback saved game status. Online multiplayer gaming is available with the PS2 through a broadband internet connection. It is provided with a controller and two USB ports for connectivity. An Eye Toy is also available for the PS2 which, like a webcam, can take still photos and also detects movements for interactive gameplay.

PlayStation 3 - Successor to the PS2, the PS3 was first released in 2006 and has reached sales of 35.7 million as of March 2010. The PS3 offers wireless online gaming, along with the PlayStation Network where you can download games, see previews and trailers of new games and much more. The PS3 also offers multimedia capabilities, Blu-ray playback and PSP connectivity. The PlayStation 3 Slim was introduced in 2009 which brought a new Playstation logo.

Nintendo Wii - The Nintendo Wii delivered a revolutionary style of gameplay with screen interactivity and a wireless controller. The Wii was introduced in 2006 and has since enjoyed unit sales of 71 million. It has brought family fun to many household thanks to its multiplayer modes and wireless flexibility. It also has its fitness benefits, as rather than sitting down to play, many of the games require a standing position as a movement detector sits above the TV and detects movement from the wireless hand controller. Real movement is required for most games on the Wii, such as golf, which requires a swing and tennis, which also requires a swing movement. The Nintendo Wii also features WiiConnect24 which allows it to receive messages and updates over the internet while in standby.

Xbox 360 - The Xbox 360 was launched in 2005 and has reached sales of 40 million units. The Xbox 360 offers the Xbox Live service which lets gamers play online, along with allowing game downloads, trailers, TV shows, music and movies. It also allows for media streaming from Netflix and Sky TV for example. The new version of the Xbox 360, the Xbox 360 S, has just been launched in the US, and will ship in Europe in July 2010. This version offers a larger storage capacity, it is smaller and quieter, it has a removeable internal hard disk drive, five USB 2.0 ports and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. The power and eject buttons are touch sensitive this time and a glossy finish completes the design.

Nintendo DS - There are many variations of the Ninendo DS. These are the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DSi XL and soon to be launched is the Nintendo 3DS. All Nintendo DS are available in a range of colours. The first version of the Nintendo DS Lite was launched in 2005 and has since sold over 128 million units, combined of all versions. The best selling game for the DS is Nintendogs and New Super Mario Bros. The size of the DS is perfect as a travel companion and offers portable gameplay wherever you are. It has dual screens, one for stylus touch screen play and the other for display. The DSi comes with a built-in camera, the DSi XL is the same but a larger version, and the 3DS will be 3D capable for 3 dimensional gameplay.

PlayStation Portable (PSP) - The PSP was first launched in 2004 and provides a similar gaming experience to the Nintendo DS, but uses directional buttons instead of a stylus. It has a large screen, multimedia capabilities, and connectivity with the PS3, the Internet and other PSPs. The PSP Go was introduced as an updated version of the PSP offering gamers a lighter and smaller handheld with a sliding screen. It also has a 16GB internal memory for storing games, videos, photos etc. This memory can be extended by up to 32GB with a Memory Stick Micro flash card.

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