Hardware Guide 1 - Should you be getting PS3, Xbox 360 or Nintendo Revolution?

Get ready for the forthcoming next-generation consoles. As you know, their release dates are just around the corner. So it remains a question: Just which console should you be getting?

PlayStation 3

Estimated release date: June 2006 (Japan and in my country), ???????? (US and the EU)

This console has the highest specifications of the three. It is jam-packed with all the things needed to play those very demanding games. However, there is a downside. It will be available for twice as much as the Xbox 360 during its launch date. The thing that sets it apart from other consoles is that it uses blu-ray discs. Put that aside, games that are going to be PS3-only are, perhaps, decreasing. The creator of the Final Fantasy series is crossing over to Xbox 360, anyway. So don't expect too many PS3 exclusive titles coming out. If you are a die-hard PS fan, and if you have the financial power, you may get it.

Xbox 360

Estimated release date: Christmas 2005 (US), January 2006 (countries near to US), March 2006 - officially released, price less than $1000 (my country) Christmas 2005 - imports from US, price more than $1000 (my country)

The slim console will be so much better than the first Xbox, which people deem as big, fat and bulky. Its specification will not be as high as PS3 but higher than Nintendo Revolution. But still, it will be able to play demanding games like Quake 4 and Call of Duty 2. The Xbox 360 can also play games made for the first Xbox. In my view, Xbox 360 and Xbox have more good gaming titles than the PS family. Just look at the released game: Doom 3, Battlefield 2, Pariah, Dead or Alive series, they are all Xbox-exclusive titles and Half-Life 2 is going to be released on Xbox or Xbox 360 too. Why isn't Doom 3 released for PS2? That's what I'm saying, Xbox has better titles than PS2 and it's going to continue this way with the next-generation consoles. Also, Xbox 360's price is less costly than PS3. I will be getting the Xbox 360. How about you?

Nintendo Revolution

Estimated release date: ?????

It has the lowest specification of the three but if you are a Mario fan, you may want to get it because Mario games are an exclusive to Nintendo. The Nintendo Revolution is the successor to the Nintendo Gamecube. I wouldn't recommend you to buy this console, although it will most likely be cheaper than PS3 and Xbox 360. Unless you are a fan of the mostly cartoonish games released for Gamecube, you will not be buying Revolution. I have heard than its controller are quite special in a way but I don't know for sure because I don't have the images. For now, Nintendo is keeping it mouth closed for this console. Very little information on it. Wait for further notice.

* Estimated released date may be sunject to change.