As a decadent sort of guy, with money to burn (or access to credit cards) I own two out of three of these systems, the shiny Playstation 3 and the luminous Xbox 360 Elite. Once the money from the ebay sale of my Kidney comes through I shall be purchasing the Wii to, which I have been experiencing via a friend.

Now, if you're in the position of packing away your dusty PS2 and Xbox and looking to lay cash down for a new console I have a definite idea of which to go for. But what would this type of article be without a lengthy build up?

I could throw stats at you all day about what's under the hood but I think the right tac to take is the experience itself. The games. The way it looks in your living room and prompts cries of 'oooh' and indeed 'ahhh'.

The Wii is deeply fun and very accessible to young and old alike. Those adverts pushing the family angle of the Wii are actually not just clever manipulation of mum and dad weary from their childrens constant demand for a games console. It really is the family entertainment system. And it's physical which really plays against the idea of the gamer sitting motionless in a bean bag occasionally twitching a thumb and reaching for another fizzy drink. I would not advise playing Wii Sports with anything in hand. An over enthusiastic lob during a Tennis match will result in breakages and spillages.

On to the Playstation 3. One VERY large credit card bill softened by a friends store discount and Sony's new toy was mine. Bwahahaaha! It looks the business. But it's expensive. It's graphics are tears to the eyes beautiful. But's it's expensive. People will nod in approval and then gasp at, yes, the expensiveness of it all. I'm not biggin up the fact I own it, more bemoaning my inability to wait till the price dropped. I personally feel that we are lacking enough good games to make the price worth it. There are some incredible games on it. Try The Darkness - but don't expect family based yucks unless the little one's dig evisceration. I think with the PS3 it's the potential that makes it worth while. The roster of games coming up are mouth-watering. Metal Gear. Grand Theft Auto. Devil May Cry 4. It's all about this year with the PS3 and they have dropped the 60GB system in favour of a smaller memory to make it easier on the pocket.

And now, to the XBOX 360. You may have guessed, it's a case of saving the best for last. Quite frankly, it's the games. The machine itself looks great with a slight resemblance to a PC tower but I curvy one at that. The Elite version is in black and makes my PS3 look chubby. The power 'brick' that comes with it is strategically hidden behind the PS3 as it's quite intrusive. But, back to the games. From the fluffy animal bashing of 'Viva Pinata' and Brightly coloured changelling thrills of 'Kameo', to the superb underwater city of 'Bioshock' and the balls out gun fighting of 'Halo 3' your looking at a winner in my book. A winner because it's ahead of the game, maybe, but a winner none the less. The online community is very vibrant, much more than the PS3's. It feels, well, communal and present.

The 360 is priced well. My 360 Elite cost £299.00. However, the pheripherals such as controller chargers and network adapters whack that price up. But of course, extra's can be bought over time.

So, that's my two cents. Ask again in a year and it may be different but right now the 360 is the way to go.