Nintendo Wii

Nintendo Wii's biggest and most obvious appeal is the ability to use its motion sensing controller to play Nintendo Wii specific games. Nintendo Wii's release lineup includes the highly anticipated Legend of Zelda, Twilight Princess and the addictive pack in party game Wii Sports, as well as a variety of more traditional third party titles (many of which have been enhanced to use the Wiimote control). But while you're waiting for some more innovative Wii titles to arrive, there will still be plenty of games to play.

Nintendo Wii is fully backward compatible with the Nintendo GameCube and includes four built-in GameCube controller ports and two GameCube memory card slots for gamers who want to enjoy their last gen games. To play those older games, you'll need at least one GC controller (best choice : the wireless WaveBird) and (if you want to save your progress) a memory card. Truth be told, though, the list of truly great GameCube titles is short and sweet.

If Nintendo Wii and GameCube games aren't enough, Nintendo Wii also features Nintendo's Virtual Console, a library of games from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super NES, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and Turbografix 16 systems. Games can be purchased and downloaded over Nintendo's online Wii Store, where they are stored on Nintendo Wii's system memory or SD card.

Virtual Console game purchases are tied to the Wii's network ID, so you can't pop your Virtual Console games onto an SD card and take them over to play them on a friend's Wii. On the bright side, Nintendo is pledging that already purchased games can be downloaded again free if you accidentally lose or delete your data. Games are purchased with Wii Points, which can be purchased via credit card or gift card (100 Wii Points equals one U.S. dollar) the system is essentially identical to Microsoft's tried and true Xbox Live Marketplace (Sony's fledgling PlayStation store will denominate purchases in real currency, but is functionally the same).

NES games will cost the equivalent of $5 (500 points), Turbografix 16 games $6, Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis games $8, and Nintendo 64 games $10. While Nintendo Wii's controller is very advanced and innovative, its processing power is not. The system uses a more powerful version of the Nintendo GameCube's processor, and it doesn't have nearly as much polygon pushing power as the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3.

While Microsoft's and Sony's consoles support high definition outputs of up to 1080p, Nintendo Wii can hit only the GameCube's ceiling of 480p, and even that mode can't be used with the Wii's included composite A/V cables. (Most if not all of the Wii's games will, however, be optimized for wide screen TVs.) Nintendo Wii also lacks advanced surround sound, instead sticking with the GameCube's Dolby Pro-Logic II matrixed surround (based on a stereo signal, not native 5.1). In other words, if you're looking for state of the art eye candy, you're going to want to opt for the PS3 or the Xbox 360 either of which will take a significantly larger chunk of your bank account.

Is the Wii worth picking up? It all depends on what you're looking for. If you've been clamoring for an all purpose next generation multimedia box with blinding HD graphics, Nintendo Wii will be a disappointment. But Nintendo didn't intend to compete in that arena anyway Nintendo Wii is focused squarely on delivering fun and innovative gameplay, leaving Sony and Microsoft to battle it out at the high end.

The Wiimote and its motion sensing, pseudo virtual reality controls are the biggest draws of the console, and its online capabilities, Wii Channels, Virtual Console, and GameCube backward compatibility are just a thick, sweet layer of icing on an already tasty cake. Likewise, Nintendo Wii is the only home console that lets you play games featuring nostalgic Nintendo only franchises such as Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. With a price tag of just $250 far less than those of its competitors and the included Wii Sports disc that provides mindless fun out of the box, Nintendo Wii won't disappoint.

Nintendo DSi

Nintendo DSi is the third iteration of the DS, which was originally released in November 2004. In June 2006, the company refreshed the system in the form of the DS Lite, which dramatically changed the device's overall design and vastly improved screen performance. Rumors of a second redesign proved to be a reality when Nintendo announced the most recent, and what we believe to be the final rehash of the system, Nintendo DSi. This upgrade adds two small resolution cameras to the portable, slightly larger screens, and an SD card slot.

The Game Boy Advance slot found in both previous versions has been removed. While current DS Lite owners may want to think twice about upgrading, Nintendo DSi does offer plenty of innovative media features and online functionality that may warrant a purchase. Those who still have the original DS should definitely consider the step up as well but if you've been holding out on a DS purchase up until now, Nintendo DSi is certainly the way go. If you own or have held a DS Lite, the first thing you'll notice about Nintendo DSi is its sturdiness.

It definitely feels more robust than Nintendo DSi Lite. That said, you'll find it isn't any heavier as both weigh just under half a pound. While Nintendo DSi Lite is coated in a shinny plastic, Nintendo DSi is covered in a matte, almost rubberized outer layer. While we didn't scuff it up during our testing, it appears this covering will be more prone to such cosmetic scratches. Size wise, Nintendo DSi is only about 4 millimeters thinner than the Lite and just 5 millimeters wider.

Side by side, you won't notice much of a different in appearance. The two LED lights found on the right hinge of the Lite are gone, replaced by a set of three on the left hinge of Nintendo DSi. They're also labeled this time around, with symbols for power, charging, and Wi-Fi activity. Every button on the system has been changed as Nintendo has opted for buttons that click more, as opposed to the softer experience had with the Lite. The X, A, B, and Y buttons aren't as deep, thus they require less of a pressing motion. The same can be said for the L and R rear buttons, too they are now much more springy, and require much less of an effort to engage.

Even the select and start buttons have gotten a similar treatment we found them especially difficult to press with Nintendo DSi Lite. Moving along to the D-pad, we experienced the same sort of click responsiveness. The DS Lite's D-pad, a carbon copy of the one found on a Wii remote, was a bit looser. The power button has been moved to the bottom left of the lower touch screen. A long tap will power the device on and off, while a short tap (when Nintendo DSi is on) with give you a soft reset, something you could not do on any other DS.

Microphone placement remains the same, although the internal camera is now centered with the mic just to its right. Nintendo DSi's two screens are noticeably larger, especially when switching back and forth between systems. That said, we could not really detect huge improvements in overall brightness and color performance. The unit's two stereo speakers, located on either side of the top screen, seem to have been lowered about half an inch. On the outside of Nintendo DSi you'll find a few more noticeable changes.

First off, the Game Boy Advance slot has been removed, so fans of that handheld platform are out of luck. While we believe this omission helped shrink the device's thickness, we wish it had survived the update. We'd gladly give up the 4 millimeters to be able to play any Game Boy Advance game. The headphone jack remains in the same spot, but the volume slider found on the Lite's front left edge has been moved and converted into a push button format on the left side.

We'll agree with the movement of the controls, but we definitely prefer a slider as opposed to buttons. It's much easier to mute the device by sliding your thumb compared with holding down a button for a few seconds. The device's SD card slot is located on the right edge. As mentioned earlier, Nintendo DSi has two 0.3 megapixel cameras : one located on the inner hinge, the other on the outside front cover. A pink LED light glows when the outer camera is active. The outer casing also abandons the vertical square DS logo modeled in the plastic found on the DS Lite. The included stylus is mounted in the same rear location as the DS Lite, and Nintendo supplies you with a spare.

Sony PSP 3000

Sony PSP 3000 has the same slim dimensions (2.81 inches high by 6.63 inches wide by 0.63 inch deep) and lighter weight (just over 7 ounces or 200 grams with the battery, game disc, and Memory Stick on board) as its predecessor. The 4.3 inch LCD wide screen remains, and it's been tweaked. Sony says the new screen now delivers better color reproduction, reduced glare, and reduced "ghosting" on high motion scenes. When compared with the 2000, Sony PSP 3000 3000 does, indeed, deliver better color vibrancy (you can toggle between "wide" and "standard" color in the options to see the difference).

As for glare reduction we didn't find there to be a huge difference. Don't expect to play in direct sunlight, for instance. But you might have better luck with fewer distractions from indoor light sources. But in its effort to deal with the ghosting issue, Sony's cure may have been worse than the disease. By increasing the screen's refresh rate, the new PSP seems to introduce a variety of video artifacts onto the screen. They appear as scanlines or jaggies, as if the image is interlaced.

They're more apparent in high motion scenes in games and videos but that's most of the content on the PSP. The silver version of Sony PSP 3000 has a matte finish, as compared with the shiny piano black finish of the black one. As a result, the silver body is immune to fingerprints and smudges that so easily show up on the black one. Unfortunately, the screen is identical on both smooth and shiny and it remains a magnet for fingerprints.

As mentioned above, the lack of a clamshell design (as seen on the Nintendo DS and DSi) makes investing in a case as much a necessity for the PSP as it is for an iPod or iPhone. Aside from a few very minor cosmetic differences, button layout on Sony PSP 3000 is basically identical to the previous PSP as well. The screen is bordered by controls on its left, right, and bottom side, plus two shoulder buttons along the top edge. The button layout is based on the classic PlayStation controller layout the four way directional pad on the left, square, triangle, cross, and circle keys on the right so anyone who's used a Sony console over the last decade should be able to pick up and play.

The bottom left of the front face also houses an analog thumb stick, for more precise movement. (A second thumbstick on the right, mimicking the design of the PlayStation controller, would've been a welcome addition.) More mundane media controls line the bottom of the screen select, start, volume, brightness, and a "home" button. (Some of them are shaped a bit differently than the previous model, and the "home" button now brandishes the PlayStation emblem.) New to Sony PSP 3000 is the built-in microphone, located just below the screen.

It can be used for online communication, be it within a game or for the PSP's built-in Skype application. The advantage of having the mic integrated into the body is that you can use it with any standard pair of headphones. By contrast, Sony PSP 2000 required a special headset for communicating online. Sony PSP 3000 is designed to play games and movies off something called UMDs Universal Media Discs.

We're not sure where Sony got the "universal" part of the name, because the PSP is the only device that plays them. They're sort of a cross between a mini CD and an old MiniDisc, and they only hold about 2.2GB of data. They load into a snap open door on the PSP's backside. Sony seems to be moving the PSP to more of a downloadable model for games and video (see the PlayStation Store section, below), so we wouldn't be surprised to see the UMD become more of a legacy medium for the PSP.