Expert: Russell - 11/2/2008

Question
QUESTION: I purchased the Nintendo Wii recently, and although I consider it fairly inexpensive, I don't think it is that bad at all. A lot of people play Play Station 3. Is that system that much better? And how is speed and efficiency of a system measured these days?

ANSWER: Each system has their pros and cons. The Nintendo Wii is the most affordable system out, many people don't have $400-$500 to spend on a system. The Wii also uses the Wii remote instead of a regular controller, so you can have more fun playing the games. The Wii also has a great selection of games to choose from. The Wii has many games such as Mario Party 8 that the whole family can enjoy, so its more family oriented. You can also download many different classic games from many different systems online.

The Playstation 3 has a Blue Ray player, so you can have the convenience of having a game console and a Blue Ray player in one. This is one reason why the Playstation three is so expensive. A stand alone Blue Ray player is typically around $250-$400. The games are geared towards the adult audience. The graphics are equivalent to the Xbox 360.  Each person has their personal preference, so just because a system has graphics and speed, doesn't mean its the best one.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well for online playing with Wii I would expect graphics and speed would be important. How does both the speed and graphics of Wii compare to play station 3? What measurements do they use?

Answer
The Nintendo Wii has a resolution of 480p, and the PS3 has a resolution of 1080p, which is considered full HD quality. To get the fullest resolution possible for the PS3, you need a 1080p TV set. The Wii internet plays at a decent speed when playing games, but if you browse the Internet or the Wii Shop channel, it may take a while to load. As long as you got a good connection, both systems should play without any interference. .