Nintendo Wii U
The
Nintendo Wii U
is the first "next-generation" console, but in terms of power, it's
about on par with the
Xbox 360 and
PlayStation 3. The big sell with the
Wii U is its gamepad, which features a 6.2-inch touch screen and a
plethora of tablet-like features beyond the standard physical or motion
controls. It's pretty pricey at $299.99 for the Basic Set, which
includes the console with 8GB of storage and a gamepad, or $349.99 for
the Deluxe Set, which offers 32GB of storage and adds a charging cradle
for the gamepad and a copy of Nintendo Land.
The Wii U can access Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video,
YouTube, and even show Web pages either on your HDTV or on the gamepad.
Its real entertainment value will be seen at the end of the year when
Nintendo launches TVii, a media service that aggregates live TV, DVR
video on your TiVo set-top box, and online services together and offers
social networking features while watching.
The Gaming ExperienceFor a new system, the Wii U
has a compelling library thanks to a handful of long-awaited
cross-platform titles and a scattering of interesting exclusives.
Nintendo's New Super Mario Bros. U is the system's first-party AAA
title, and Nintendo Land offers varied and entertaining minigames. The
latter comes with the Deluxe Set for the Wii U, so depending on the
system you purchase you could get it as a pack-in. Nintendo also plans
to release Game & Wario, Wii Fit U, and Pikmin 3 in the system's
six-month "launch window."
For third-party games, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Batman: Arkham
City: Armored Edition, and Assassin's Creed 3 all have full-fledged
ports on the Wii U, with additional features for the Wii U gamepad.
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge is a much-needed upgrade to the mediocre
Ninja Gaiden 3 released last year on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and
ZombiU offers survival horror you can't get on the other systems.
Buy or Wait: Buy, if you can snag the Deluxe Set.
The Basic Set is easier to find, but the Deluxe Set is the better deal.
For just $50 more, it has four times the onboard storage, a game
(Nintendo Land), a charging cradle, and stands for both the gamepad and
the console.
Sony PlayStation 3
If you don't already have a Blu-ray player or want a system with lots of non-gaming entertainment features, the
PlayStation 3
is your best choice. It not only plays Blu-ray discs and lets you
stream your own content from a PC, it also has tons of video services
available through the XrossMediaBar (XMB) interface. The PS3 can play
videos up to 1080p, and can access Hulu Plus, Netflix, and other
streaming-video services. The PS3 has recently been redesigned to offer
more storage in a smaller size, though the top-loading drive seems like a
step back from the slot-loading drive in the previous versions. Still,
considering its
$249.99 price tag with a 250GB hard drive (or
$299.99 for a 500GB hard drive version), it's a tempting package even before you
get into the games.
The Gaming Experience
The games themselves are
many and varied. With the availability of most major releases, a large
number of console exclusives, and high-definition remakes, the scales
are tipped just slightly in the PS3's favor when it comes to the best
titles. Games like Uncharted, Gran Tourismo, and LittleBigPlanet are
excellent on the PS3, and remake compilations of the Sly Cooper, Metal
Gear Solid, Prince of Persia, and Team Ico games mean last-gen classics
feel new again.
Top-notch games are aplenty on the PlayStation platform.
When it comes to motion-controlled gaming, Microsoft reigns supreme with its controller-free Kinect for Xbox 360. Sony's answer to motion control, the PlayStation Move,
offers a Wii-like wand-based interface that uses the PlayStation Eye
camera accessory and a sensor-filled controller with a lit ball to track
movement. The Move hasn't caught on like the Wii or Microsoft's Kinect,
and Move integration outside of a few gimmicky games is a novelty.
The PlayStation 3 uses Sony's PlayStation Network online service, and despite
a few notable security issues,
it stands as a top-notch system. PSN lets gamers keep track of their
friends, download games, and access online services easily. It's free,
but if you want discounts on games and a selection of free games every
month, you can pay $50 a year for a PlayStation Plus subscription.
Buy or Wait? Buy. Sony has yet to formally announce
the next PlayStation, and while the company is likely developing it, we
probably won't hear word about a PlayStation 4 until at least halfway
through 2013. The PlayStation 3 just got a hardware upgrade with even
more storage for around the same price as the previous version, so it's a
solid deal. If you want a flexible game system with a huge title
library and excellent media features, pick up a PlayStation 3. There's
no reason to wait.
Microsoft Xbox 360
While
it lacks Blu-ray disc playback like the PS3 offers, Microsoft's console
is just as formidable a gaming platform and almost as handy an
entertainment system. The Xbox 360 also features Netflix and other
streaming services, a huge library of videos on Xbox Live, and it's a
handy DVD player if you're not quite ready to bump up to high-definition
optical media. The
Xbox 360
comes in 4GB (
$216.99) and 250GB (
$249.96) flavors, depending on
whether you want to use the system as only a game and streaming media
system or as a home media hub. Kinect-bundle versions are available for
$100 more each, and holiday bundles trim about $50 off of each version
with included games, if you pick them up in time.
The Gaming Experience
Like the PS3, the Xbox 360
has tons of cross-platform titles in its library, plus a solid crop of
system exclusives. The Halo and Gears of War games are only available on
the Xbox 360, as are Fable 2 and 3 and the Forza Motorsport and Project
Gotham Racing franchises. Beside Halo Combat Anniversary and a few
other remade titles, though, the PlayStation 3 has the edge on high
definition remakes and classic game compilations.
The Xbox 360's motion control system, Kinect, goes beyond PlayStation
Move and the Wii. While the other two systems use wand-like
controllers, Kinect relies entirely on its depth-sensing camera system
and your voice to control the system. It measures where you are in the
room, maps out your movements, and lets you dance, fight, jump, and run
without touching a single piece of plastic. Like the Playstation Move,
Kinect doesn't have too many titles available, and while it's unique and
innovative, it lacks a specific "killer app" that makes it a must-buy
system. Unless, of course, you like dancing. If that's the case, the
Dance Central series is the best example of the Kinect at its most
entertaining.
Xbox Live stands as the oldest online game service for consoles still
running, and it's still top-notch. Xbox Live is free and lets you
access the Xbox Live Arcade game library and buy and rent movies. Xbox
Gold is $60 per year, and it offers much more functionality, with online
gameplay, streaming media, discounts on games, and even video chat with
Kinect.
Buy or Wait? Buy, especially if you want motion
controls. The Kinect isn't perfect, but it's one of the more
interesting, unique interfaces we've seen in a game system yet.
Microsoft hasn't yet announced a new Xbox system, and since it's still
pushing Kinect and adding new features to the Xbox 360 Dashboard, it
likely won't pump out a new Xbox within the next year. We might see the
company tease a new Xbox at the E3 gaming conference next summer.
Also read
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The Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL have
replaced the Nintendo DS and DSi as the big name portable game systems
with two screens. It features a 3D screen you can use without glasses
that works surprisingly well, more power than the DS and DSi,
and an analog thumbstick for better control. It launched with a $250
price tag, but Nintendo cut that price down to $169, making it a much
more reasonable purchase. The 3DS can play games like Kingdom Hearts:
Dream Drop Distance, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, and Super Mario 3D Land,
plus it can play any DS or DSi game, so there's already a huge library
of great games.
The $249 (Wi-Fi only) Sony PlayStation Vita
is the most powerful gaming handheld currently available, offering
graphical performance far better than the 3DS, with games like
Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Persona 4 Golden looking stunning on the
handheld's 5-inch OLED touch screen. It also features dual analog thumb
sticks for shooters and other action games, and a $299 3G version lets
you stay connected anywhere with an AT&T data plan. The only caveat
is the storage; the PlayStation Vita uses an expensive, proprietary
memory card format, so be prepared to spend an extra $60 for a 16GB
card.
You
don't have to get a dedicated game console if you want to play games on
the go. If you have a smartphone or tablet, there are already thousands
of games available in the Apple App Store and the Android Play app
store. Many of these games are deep and lengthy, but the majority are
casual, like Angry Birds and Bejeweled. Depending on how much you want
to game, you might not find the satisfying and varied experience that
you get with dedicated game consoles and gaming handhelds. The mobile
game field has exploded in the past couple of years, but for overall
quality of experience (and the ability to play with physical controls on
a screen much larger than your mobile device), a game console or PC is a
much richer experience.
Your
computer can play plenty of games, even if you don't have a high-end
system. New releases are available for top-of-the-line PCs, but every
computer can run PC gaming classics. The best thing is you don't have to
go anywhere to buy these games. Our roundup of 