Playstation 3 (PS3)

Sony Playstation - a tough market

After dominating the last two generations of gaming in the early 2000s with the Playstation and Playstation 2, Sony have found themselves in the unfamiliar 'last position' behind the Xbox 360 and the runaway Nintendo Wii in the current battle for game console supremacy. Why the slip? The Sony Playstation is a great gaming system, for sure. But Sony was late to market, exorbitantly expensive at launch (A$1000) and failed to secure enough Ëœmust have exclusive titles in the early months.

Playstation 3 rebirth

This has been changing in the last 12 months, with increased software support, a massive price drop at the controversial expense of backwards compatibility (the ability to play PS2 and PS1 games on the console) and a very recent redesign, the PS3Slim (retailing at $500).

PS3 technology

While the console has been overshadowed by the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii in terms of sales, there is no mistaking that it is certainly not overshadowed when it comes to the technology inside the box. Apart from having a built in Blu-ray player - which displays games in the highest picture and sound quality and allows you to play Blu-ray DVDs - the PS3 has numerous impressive features that make it highly versatile and take game playing to a place it has never been before.

Gaming is about more than just playing the latest titles. There are now many more options open to users. The Playstation 3 is a prime example of this. Take for example it's version of the XrossMediaBar, which gives you the option of choosing from nine categories: Users, Settings, Photo, Music, Video, Game, Network, PlayStation Network, and Friends. This means you can explore photos, manage user profiles, play movies and music; it also allows you to be able to attach a storage device such as USB, Flash card or optical disc. You can use these devices to copy audio tracks or to play files from them.

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Sony Playstation Portable (PSP)

PSP's big leap

The PSP was Sony's first foray into the handheld gaming market, released after the Nintendo DS, and with that system squarely in its sights. Flashy, bold, sleek and sexy, it was a very impressive piece of tech when it launched in 2005. Initial sales were good off the back of the 'wow' factor, greater computing power, and some genuinely cool games, but a subsequent lack of support software-wise has seen sales slow considerably.

Feature packed handheld device

The Playstation Portable features a glorious widescreen display (just be careful not to scratch it), a mini USB port, wi-fi, proprietary MD drive (Universal Media Disc) and a memory card slot. The PSP is compatible with the Playstation gaming consoles (PS3), meaning you can download and play PS1 games on it. The PSP unit also has a fully functioning - but notoriously clunky - internet browser, an analogue control nub, and the XMB (cross media bar), which is the same user interface as featured in the PS3.

PSP revisions and improvements

Since the initial successful launch of the PSP, the system has had two major revisions. The PSP Slim and Lite " released in 2007 " featured (obviously) a slimmer and significantly lighter design, with enhanced features including USB charging, a doubling of the RAM and a noticeably brighter screen.

Less than a year later, additional features, including a microphone and improved video-out options, were added, and the unit named the PSP-3000. These enhancements have made the device smaller and lighter and faster, while still maintaining the kick-arse screen which the device is revered amongst gamers for.

PSP games and more!

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Wii Revolution

The Nintendo Wii has revolutionised video game consoles and the way people play games. No longer the domain of dextrous geeks playing first-person shooting games with hand-held controls of ever-increasing complexity; video games are now accessible to virtually everyone.

The Nintendo Wii's revolutionary motion control, recently improved with the addition of Wii Motion Plus, means that games can be played by gamers using natural movements. Take a swing and you'll hit the ball!

Other peripherals have also been a huge success, including a balance board shipped with 'lifestyle' game WiiFit, which allows people to exercise while playing games. Could this be the answer to the childhood obesity epidemic?!

Cube to Wii - console games success

Many were suspicious when Nintendo announced the release of it's new console. Then codenamed 'Revolution', the Wii had many hurdles to overcome; not least of them being Nintendo's own plummeting reputation in the gaming market.

After the disastrous reception to and sales of the GameCube (which saw many pundits predicting the 'Revolution' (as the Wii was then known) would be Nintendo's last foray into the home console market), Nintendo stunned everybody by unveiling the Wii Motion Controller at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show. It marked a radical rethink of traditional video game control methods.

However, even with the (suspiciously gameplay-free) videos that Nintendo pumped out in the lead-up to the console's release creating decent hype, most people thought the console would be a total flop. They were just a little bit wrong. It is the current leader in terms of sales this generation, almost double its nearest competitor.

New and old favourite video games

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XBox 360

The Xbox 360 made a splash - and got a jump on its competitors - when it was released in November 2005. The Xbox 360 is Microsoft's second foray into the lurative console market, after launching the original Xbox in 2001.

Known as the first of the 'seventh generation' of video game consoles (alongside the Sony Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii), the Xbox revolutionised gameplay by offering high-definition (HD) graphics, which combined with the ability to play games online against opponents anywhere in the world (known as Xbox Live). It launched about a year earlier than its main rivals.

Xbox Live goes online big time

The Xbox 360 "as with its predecessor" comes with Xbox Live, a fully integrated online service, and the best in the market. For around A$80 a year, subscribers get the premium 'Gold' service. 'Silver' membership is free (and severely limited). Xbox Live offers downloads of 'try-before-you-buy' game demos, a series of XBox Originals, a superb 'AArcade' service (smaller, downloadable games not generally available in retail stores), integrated 'friends' lists and online leaderboards.

Recently the system has expanded (following Sony Playstation 3's lead) to offer full retail games as digital downloads. Pricing of these has been inconsistent and controversial so far.

Xbox 360 features

With the release of the Xbox 360, wireless controllers became a console standard for the first time. The Xbox 360 Elite comes with a 120GB hard drive, while the entry-level Xbox 360 Arcade features 512MB Flash memory. For most gamers, the larger hard drive memory is essential to get the most out of the system. The Xbox 360 features exceptional high-definition (HD) gaming and an in-built DVD player

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