Nintendo Wii vs Sony Playstation 3
vs Microsoft Xbox 360
The days when televisions were only used for watching broadcast programmes are long gone. In most homes they are now cabled up to a plethora of boxes, one of which is likely to be a games console.
If you’re about to join in the gaming trend for the first time or are upgrading an older console, the good news is that your main choices - Nintendo’s Wii (pronounced “we”), Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 - are all great pieces of equipment. There is also a wide range of games to choose from. Unfortunately, though, you can only play each game on the platform it was written for, so how do you choose which console is right for you?
We can help by comparing their features here so that you can make a more informed choice about which console to opt for:
First impressions
These games consoles are designed to sit alongside your television and are, therefore, likely to be on view a lot, if not all, of the time. So if you care how your TV looks, you’ll want a console that is well-designed too.
All three of these consoles can be laid down flat or stood vertically. The Nintendo Wii is by far the smallest and lightest of the three, but does have an external power adaptor, although it is a lot smaller than the huge one that comes with the Xbox 360 (the Xbox is renowned for being the noisiest console too). The PlayStation 3 doesn’t have an external power unit, so you can just plug it straight into the mains.
| Console | Size | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Wii | 216x44x159mm | 1.7kg |
| Sony PlayStation 3 | 325x99x274mm | 5kg |
| Microsoft Xbox 360 | 309x83x258mm | 4kg |
The PlayStation3 wins out on the design front, with a sleek black exterior, curved top and touch-sensitive power and eject buttons. The other two are functional, but less exciting to look at.
If colour matters to you, then at the time of writing the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Elite are your options if you want black, while the Wii was launched only wearing white, as were older, lower specification Xbox 360s. However, check the latest listings on PriceRunner as there’s every chance that alternative coloured versions will get launched, either as permanent additions to the range or as special editions.
The other aspect of the design that you should consider is the controller. Both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 come with ‘traditional’ gamepads, whereas Nintendo includes a controller that looks more like a television remote control (dubbed the “Wii-mote”). The idea is that, for many games, when you play you move it around like the piece of sports equipment or weapon that it’s emulating. Lovers of traditional style gamepads can buy a Classic Controller to plug into the Wii Remote to play some games, such as Virtual Console games, on the Wii. The Wii Remote also plugs into appropriately shaped gadgets that transform it into a steering wheel or gun-style controller.
This approach adds one more piece of equipment to the Wii setup and that’s a sensor bar that sits in front of, or on top of, your television and is connected into the console by a (long) cable. However, this sensor is very small and unobtrusive.
Back to topWhat’s in the box
A games console should come with everything you need to play in the box when you buy it. However, how you want to play dictates what you need and so you should check the specifications to see if you’ll need anything else from day one.
Specifications are subject to change and special bundles can be offered at any time. In general, though, what you get is the console, power adaptor (if required) and one controller. You should also get cables to connect up to your TV, although they don’t always include ones that let you make full use of the maximum graphics capabilities of your console and TV (more on this below). For example, no HDMI or component cables are included with the PlayStation 3 and the Wii doesn’t include component cables either. The Xbox 360 Elite does, however, ship with an HDMI cable (the older Xbox 360s don’t have HDMI sockets).
Other things you will find include a headset with the Xbox 360 Elite and, with the Wii, a nunchuk adaptor to extend the functionality of the Wii controller.
Back to topThe experience
Key to any gaming experience is what you see. In this respect the Wii falls far short of the other two systems in that they can both output graphics up to the maximum high definition TV standard of 1080p (see our TV Buying Guide for more on this) whereas the Wii has a maximum resolution of just 480p or 576i. Expect this to change, though, as Nintendo is unlikely not to improve this aspect of the Wii. In the meantime, you need to balance this shortcoming against some of the other positive aspects of the Wii, including the fact that it’s the cheapest of the three consoles here.
The other key differentiator when you play games is the controller. We’ve mentioned their design, but what also sets the Wii apart is the speaker and force-feedback module built into the Wii Remote which offers tactile and audio feedback. The PlayStation’s controller, on the other hand, uses a motion-sensing control that senses when it is tilted from side to side or forwards and backwards, a feature lacking in the Xbox 360 controllers.
Back to topWhat can I do with it?
There’s such a wide range of games around that it’s impossible to offer the most up-to-date comparison in a review like this. And they aren’t all shoot-em-ups either: who would ever have thought you could have a yoga videogame, for example!
You can find a list of the latest games for each console by using the relevant filters in the Games section of the PriceRunner website. Keep abreast of the news, too, by checking out each manufacturer’s website from time to time:
It’s also worth remembering that these consoles benefit from being the latest in a family, so the Wii is compatible with GameCube games (and controllers), the Xbox 360 will play most original Xbox games and the PlayStation will play some PS2 and PSOne games. So if you have an older console, bear this in mind.
Extensions to your gaming fun come in the form of multiplayer games. If you want to play alongside others in the same room, the Wii and Xbox 360 can support up to four wireless controllers at the same time while the PlayStation 3 can support up to seven via its built-in Bluetooth. Remember to budget for the cost of the extra controllers, though.
You can then take things further by going online to download games and play against others. Both the Wii and the PlayStation 3 include built-in WiFi for wireless Internet connections but you need to buy it as an add-on for the Xbox 360. As for what you can get online; well, this is an area where the three giants are fighting for your mindset, offering free and paid-for games and a variety of online services. Again, for the latest tempting offers, see each manufacturer’s website.
These consoles can do more than just play games, though. With their great graphics, it’s no surprise to find that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 can play high definition movies. The latter doubles up as a Blu-ray player out of the box (thus also playing DVDs and CDs) but the Xbox 360 is not as fully featured. It plays DVDs but needs an add-on to play HD DVDs. Both, though, can act as multimedia hubs, with various options to view photos and import and play music.
The Wii, on the other hand, can’t play DVDs or CDs at all. It does, though, have a built-in SD slot for storage and for viewing photos. But, again, you wouldn’t expect as many features for the lower price tag: this is a games console and doesn’t pretend to be anything else.
Back to topSummary of Differences between the Nintendo Wii, Sony Playstation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360
| Feature | Nintendo Wii | Sony PlayStation 3 | Microsoft Xbox 360 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sizes (mm) | 216x44x159 | 325x99x274 | 309x83x258 |
| Weight (kg) | 1.7 | 5 | 4 |
| Profile | Vertical or horizontal | Vertical or horizontal | Vertical or horizontal |
| Colour (when initially launched) | White | Black | Dependent on model |
| Standard controller | Looks like a TV remote control; includes small speaker and force-feedback module | Traditional gamepad design; includes motion-sensing control | Traditional gamepad design |
| Number of controllers supported | Four | Seven | Four |
| Graphics output | 480p or 576i | Up to 1080p (the maximum high definition TV standard) | Up to 1080p |
| Backwards compatibility) | Plays GameCube games | Plays some PS2 and PSOne games | Plays most original Xbox games |
| Plays DVDs? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Support for high definition formats | No | Includes HDMI socket; plays Blu-ray format discs as standard | Elite version includes HDMI socket; add-on available to play HD DVDs |
| WiFi | Yes | Yes | Add-on available |
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