Help choosing a games console

herman2811

I'm thinking about buying a games console, and have a shortlist of a PS3, PSP, Xbox or Wii (if available!).

Essenitally I'm not sure what to go for.... I'm not overly concerned with the quality of graphics, I'd just like addictive gameplay, and ideally the ability to go online and play against other gamers from around the world (for free).

So:

Which consoles can you play online with?
Do they charge for this?
I see there are several Xbox versions... what are the differences between them? (eg I've seen a good offer on a Xbox Pro).
Is a 2MB broadband connection ok for online gaming?

Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks

Red_Rose_Exile

I'd just like addictive gameplay

For FPS games, it would have to be Xbox

For driving games the PS3

For cost and fun factor, the Wii

2 mb is ok, but you may see some lag if you have other people connected to t'internet on your network

brig001

2Mb broadband is fine for online game play, but there are more important factors than maximum speed. Contention ratio and whether or not your ISP prioritises different types of traffic on its networks play a much bigger part. Most cheap ISPs give online gaming the lowest priority, so at busy times, you could get a large delay.

For out and out fun with friends, the Wii is the one to go for, the others suit single player "serious" gaming better as the previous poster said.

grim168

Xbox live you have to pay for. The ps3 is free. There are more people on xbox live but the ps3 is catching up and there are always people to play. The ps3 has wifi built in but i think you need a wireless add on for the xbox. We've only just got our wii. Our ps3 is a serious games machine but the wii is great for family play.

herman2811

Can you play online with the Wii and PSP for free?

Red_Rose_Exile

Wii, PS3 and PSP online are free

Blacksheep1979

Wii is fun but for serious games would say xbox - far more games and far more people online (even if you do have to pay)

C_Ronaldo

Ive got a 360 and its good, theres some good quality games out at the minute, theres call of duty 4, halo 3, mass effect, project gotham 4 if you like racing games, xbox live you pay for but its a maximum of £40 for a yearly subscription or £4.99 if you wnat to buy the odd month here and there or if you dont have £40 to spend in one go, you can download movies and demos of up and coming games,

do you not know anyone with a console that you could try out to see if you like it,

Riq

I know not one serious gamer that has JUST a Wii, they all have a 360 or a PS3 aswell as it's good for a bit of fun, but the novelty soon wears off when you are on your own.

I have a 360 and it has some real killer games on it. PS3 doesn't have any real must have titles yet.

Online 360 costs £5 a month or you can buy 12months for £36 or so. PS3 is free online but the console is that little bit more expensive.

If you want online I would not get a Wii as you are very limited with the games. 360 & PS3 are the way to go.

Idiophreak

Yeah, without going into detail (and turning this into another sony vs microsoft thread), the 360's the way to go.

In terms of the different versions there's:

CORE - the old bottom-of-the-range. No hard disk, no accessories. Wired controller.

ARCADE - the new bottom-of-the-range. No hard disk, 256mb memory card instead. HDMI output.

PREMIUM - the old top-of-the range - 20gb hard disk, wireless controller, wirless headset.

PRO - the new middle-of-the-range - 20gb hard disk, wireless controller, wireless headset, HDMI output.

ELITE - new top-of-the-range. 120gb hard disk. Black. (although note that a lot of the accessories are available in white as standard...)

HALO - the halo 3 special edition, as PRO, but in dodgy green colour

Generally, if you don't want to download much in the way of films/music to the console, I'd say the PRO represent the best bang:buck ratio.

mr_flibble

Hi,

I too am hoping that this doesn't turn into one of those my system is better than yours topics.

I love my PS3 but I think you'd find one of the 360's suit your needs better.

The xbox live system is more mature and well regarded by gamers everywhere. But you do need to pay for it. There is free internet play on the PS3 but by all accounts it's no where near as well established, this may change in time.

Your broadband link is fine for gaming, it's latency not sheer bandwidth that's important there.

Hope this helps narrow down your choices.

Kel.