Console Gift Guide
When choosing a console as a gift for someone else, the selection needs to be considered carefully. Whilst most of the top three consoles share a lot of games and features, there are certain important aspects that also set them apart. To help you out a little, we've made a quick guide to buying that all important console.
Whilst the starting cost of the console can be daunting, that's just the beginning of it! Game prices are quite hefty too, with playstation 3 and Xbox 360 games costing around £40 on release.The Wii offers games slightly cheaper, but tends to utilize a number of add-ons and inclusive packs that can add to the base price. Unlike other consoles, the Wii is quite dependant on this additional hardware, with some games requiring a whole new set of equipment/controllers.
What type of a gamer is the recipient? Would they prefer games geared towards the fun and cute? Or do they prefer to dismember aliens on war torn planets? Generally speaking, the Wii is geared towards the former, as Nintendo have always prided themselves on being the family friendly company. This isn't to say that mature content isn't available to the Wii, it's just on a smaller scale. Playstation and Xbox are happy to cater for those that like a bit of violence in the mix.
Is the recipient a fan of any particular developer of company? If he has experience with games on older Nintendo systems, the games on Wii like Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Mario Galaxy, and Metroid Prime 3 may be familiar and fun. However, Xbox 360 have arguably the best selection of games, with games such as Halo and Gears of War being exclusive to that console.
Online access, content and play is available to all these consoles. Most additional and downloadable content comes a small cost. However, whereas gaming online with the Playstation 3 is completely free, the Xbox requires a subscription fee which is renewed every few months. Over time this charge can start to mount up, and seems ludicrous when compared to the Playstation equivalent which is free of charge.
To wrap it up, a careplan is probably a wise choice, despite the extra cost. Xbox 360 in particular has been plagued with bugs and breakdowns since its release, and has become somewhat infamous in that area. You don't want to spend all that money on a shiney new console just to have it break down on you do you!
