"As Microsoft unleashes its Xbox 360, gamers face a difficult decision - whether to buy the new machine or wait for the next gen consoles from Sony and Nintendo. Three game journalists present the case for their console of choice.

MICROSOFT XBOX 360
Microsoft's 360 is sleeker than the original Xbox

Xbox 360 is the first console to take advantage of the new high definition standard. All games made for the console will run in this new widescreen graphical format which, if you have the correct screen, is the biggest leap forward for games graphics since the first home 3D games in 1995.

Even those without a high def screen will notice a considerable step up in graphical prowess for the games they play on Xbox 360.

This is most notably in the tiny details that helps make games seem real - spectators faces in the crowds of sports games, for instance, or the stitching on the leather upholstery of one of the supercars in Project Gotham Racing.

However, graphics are only one of the areas of gaming that the extra power of Xbox 360 will revolutionise.

The main difference between Xbox 360 and other next generation consoles is the fact that it is designed to be a completely connected experience; from simple things like wireless controllers and wireless internet connectivity, to the killer feature of the Xbox 360 world, Xbox Live." [more]

"SONY PLAYSTATION 3
The PlayStation 3 could be in the shops in Japan by the spring

Six months ago I snuck into work just before midnight to meet several like-minded colleagues. The reason we were there was to watch PlayStation 3 being unveiled live on the net.

Those of us huddled excitedly around the screen were ready to see, and more importantly, play something new. The display of raw power that followed was little short of astonishing.

Here, finally, was a games machine capable of pumping out the kind of eye-watering visuals you would normally associate with high-end special effects used in movies.

To get a real idea of just how powerful the PlayStation 3 is you need to speak to a developer working on the system.

Chris Keegan is technical director at Climax. He says that if the PS3 existed in 1998, it would have been the most powerful super-computer in the world.

He reckons the PS3 is roughly 250 times more powerful in raw processing terms than PS2.

But computing power counts for nothing without the support of software publishers." [more]

"NINTENDO REVOLUTION
The Revolution is due to go on sale sometime next year

Nintendo's Revolution is undoubtedly the most exciting console of the three next generation machines.

While the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 can offer improved graphics and sound, Nintendo, with their amazing new controller, are promising to change the way you actually play games forever.

The Revolution controller may look like a TV remote but, with its built-in motion-sensor, it is perhaps the most radical innovation in console history.

Players will hold the new freehand unit in one hand and control the action onscreen by pointing it at their television and waving it around.

So, instead of pressing the A button to, say, kill an enemy with a sword, you can make slashing movements with the controller and your actions will be replicated on the screen.

This can only improve your playing experience, offering levels of interactivity that have so far only been realised through basic PlayStation 2 EyeToy games and Nintendo's own wonderful handheld, the DS." [more]