I have recently bought myself one of the next gen consoles. I was faced with a difficult choice between the powerful PS3, renowned Xbox 360 and the ingenious Wii. However with the right questions asked and with the right mind, it became a lot clearer. The following are what I feel and what I found important before I parted with my hard earned cash.

Before you start to consider which console to choose, set yourself a spending limit. This can be quite useful in eliminating what you can’t actually afford to run. An initial limit for the console should be set, along with the consideration of the things you’ll need to keep your gaming experience alive. Look at each console individually to give yourself an idea of what to expect:

Playstation 3

The initial console is the highest priced of the three, but you should look at what you get for the money. It’s not just a console, its one of the cheapest Blueray players around at the moment as well.

The network for online play is free, no subscriptions, just free!

The games are priced around the same as the Xbox’s, in some cases a couple of pence more, however if you know where to look you can get a bargain.

The wireless is built in, so you don’t need to worry about adapters.

There’s no HDMI lead included with PS3 packages, so you’ll have to take that into consideration if you want one.

Xbox 360

Depending on the package, depends on what you get with it. You have to think and decide what you want or need for your gaming preferences.

All models however don’t come with a wireless adapter, so if you’re too far from your router, you’ll have to fork out a little extra.

Unfortunately Xbox live, the Xbox’s online network has a cost per month or year, depending on the subscription you want, however the network itself is of better quality and most preferred to that of Playstation network.

The Arcade model doesn’t offer a hard drive, headset, component, HDMI capabilities or internet connectivity cable. This is reflective with the price and may prove perfect for an introduction, but you’ll be missing out on most of the perks that the majority come to love with the Xbox 360.

The Premium models comes with everything mentioned with the basic model apart from the HDMI capabilities, this is reflected in the price.

The Elite model comes with a larger hard drive and everything you need, bar the wireless adapter of course.

The controllers also need a mention, not only do you get one controller in the box, and additional ones aren’t cheap, they are rechargeable (ingenious as it saves buying batteries) but you have to buy the rechargeable battery pack separately.

Wii

The Wii is the cheapest of the three initially. The games however are close to that of the PS3 and Xbox 360; there are though, a lot more budget games available to help lighten the blow on your funds.

The Wii comes with a standard controller and nun chuck, which is all well and good if you bought this console for just yourself and no one else ever could play on it with you! But the Wii is made to be a family and friendly console, where you can compete and work together, so additional controllers will probably be needed, and they don’t come cheap either.

If you would like to experience the Wii fit and additional unique aspects of the Wii like the family trainer, then you must bear in mind the cost of the equipment.

Check before you buy what each console can do, and what it may have the capability to do in the future. The PS3 has Blueray, which as you know has won the format war against HD DVD, which has favoured the PS3 immensely. It also has a web browser that can prove useful to some people, especially knowing that you can plug a normal computer keyboard and mouse into the front for ease of browsing. If you own a PSP then the PS3 can work in harmony with it, with remote play.

The Xbox can utilise Messenger and you can also play music from the hard drive or from your laptops hard drive wirelessly, through playing all of your games.

Each console has its own limits when it comes to backwards compatibility. The Wii can play the GameCube games, with slots for the cards and controllers. The Xbox 360 can play most of the old Xbox games, but you’ll have to check which ones. The PS3 on the other hand is dependant on the model that you buy, check the specifications on the console before you buy. Of course this is if you’re interested in playing some of your old classics on your new machines.

I have myself, came across some very handy advice from a fan boy. They are fantastic at pointing out everything that’s great and so super with their beloved machine. But of course they are way too biased for you to make your decision on. Not only do they slag every slight niggle with the competitors, they are never honest with their own machine. They could have had 3 replacement consoles, 2 electrocutions from the controllers and a complementary dead bat in the box when they bought it, and they would still say their console is so perfect. I must admit they can be quite useful, if you’re doing some starter recon work on consoles, you can find out what each console can do very well, and what the stereotypical common problems are with the others they don’t like.

Talking to the people who own and play on all three consoles can help make up your mind. They will point out all the pros and cons, and even give you advice of where to buy. Their advice can be fair as they would try and get each console to do the same thing, as in having them all wireless. This will aid in adding up the costs.

Everybody has different tastes, and it’s the same with games. You can have the first person shooter fans or the sports fans. Take into consideration the types of games that are and will soon become available. The Xbox 360 and PS3 are very similar with their platform of games, with the slight variation in exclusive title that may sway your decision. The Wii on the other hand is a completely different format, it concentrate more on the fun aspect then shear power, so great for parties, kids and even grandparents. When choosing your console, choose the one with the games your most likely going to play, ones that suits your tastes. You don’t want it wasting away with your electronic collection.

Check what the people who already own one think. Check reviews and ask people who have one (not a fan boy) to see what the common problems are. If there are a few, check what has been done to resolve them and what services you’re entitled to? Also check when these problems occur, are they usually outside the initial guarantee, if so look into additional cover for a longer period of time.

Have a look into the consoles past, as in the predecessors, such as the GameCube, PS2 and the Xbox. Have they improved their mistakes? Did they have a good collection of games then? Likely hood is that some old classic you loved may have a sequel coming.

See where they are heading. The PS3 guys are saying that the PS3 is here for another 7 years, or so they say. While the Xbox has been out for a while already, is it too old in console years that another one may be released soon, (one with a Blueray player for example).

The Xbox 360 and PS3 have cleverly designed a system where the software is constantly adapting to suit the customer. This is an advantage when it comes to ageing of the console.

The best way of getting an idea of which one to choose is to try them yourself. Get a feel of the console and the controllers, try a few games and see which one takes your fancy. Make sure that you’re fair though, and use all the top models of each or the cheapest models. And try them on the same television with preferably a similar lead.

Weigh up the pros and cons on each console, make a list or a table, so you can see what each one has to offer, put in the different models and all the prices for each to give yourself a better idea of what your going to buy.

Nothing worth buying should be rushed, especially if you’re a teen wanting to buy the next gen console on your paper round money. Once you’ve chosen your console, you should search high and low for the best possible price and deal, get the most for your money, but don’t go for so called good bargains that contain a load of stuff you don’t need or already have! Try price comparison websites and check out the major retailers to see what they have to offer. Best of all if you find two really close deals, try and play them against each other to get the little extras, you should never be afraid to haggle with the high street, believe it or not, some places will try a little harder to get your custom. After all it is your money you’re parting with.