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In the past, the labour of trying to decide which gamesconsole to buy was a vastly different affair to how things are today. Thingswere so much easier back then, don't you think?

Sony PlayStation or Sega Dreamcast? Was that even a realchoice? PlayStation 2 or Microsoft Xbox? Again, that was a no-brainer wasn't it?

But PlayStation 3 v Nintendo Wii v Xbox 360? Now there's atough one for you. It's a case of unbridled future-proof power and dynamism,versus pure no-holds-barred family fun, versus sheer power and a plethora offantastic games. So which one to choose?

If you listen to the masses, the Nintendo Wii is definitely the one to get. It's outselling the other two consoles by such a margin it's almost embarrassing. But then this isn't really much of a help because human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn fromthe experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparentdisinclination to do so.

Fanboys have it easy

Things are a lot easier for the fanboys, of course. Afterall, those committed-types perceive their favourite brand of gaming to be thebest, and that's that, end of story.

But the fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravitywell, on the surface of a gas-covered planet orbiting a nuclear fireball 90million miles away and think this to be normal, is obviously some indication ofhow skewed our perception tends to be.

So for the rest of us 'normal' people, what games consoleshould we buy?

You'd have thought a year ago that the PlayStation 3 wouldbe the dominant force in 2007 gaming. But this has turned out not to be thecase. In fact if you trawl through the web, it's actually quite hard to findany neutral person saying anything positive about the PS3 at all. That's onehell of a turn-around.

PS3 power

It's expensive, and there are no decent games for it. Thoseare the main complaints. And while the promise of more games does make it amore attractive purchase for the future, if it looks like a duck, and quackslike a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a smallaquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands, right?

So what about the Xbox 360? It's sold almost 12 millionunits worldwide so far, so it's pretty popular. And there are many brilliantgames available for it. But what of all these hardware failures that we'rehearing about? It's costing Microsoft a billion dollars to fix all those brokenXbox 360s. They're overheating and breaking and many people are starting to getannoyed by the console's apparent complete lack of reliability.

Can you trust that when you buy a 360 you'll get one thatisn't destined to fail?

Xbox system failure

And as for the Nintendo Wii, it's the only console which isyet to have blotted its copy book with any serious black marks. It is what isit. It does exactly what it says on the tin. And it's just so fun to play with.

But then, the graphics are a bit rubbish. And when it comesdown to it, the good games available for it are severely limited in number.

None of the three are perfect. They all have their problems just like they all have their merits. So let's go back to basics.

In short:

Nintendo Wii: It's cheap. It's extremely original and fun toplay. It's great to play with in large groups and there are plenty of titlesavailable that don't involve spilling the blood of your peers. A great option for the here-and-now gamer. Ideal for 30-minute lighthearted gaming sessions every now and then. If you don't careabout future-proofing and you just want to have some fun, this is for you.

Microsoft Xbox 360: It's mid-market in terms of price.Cheaper than PS3 and more expensive than the Wii. But for the money you get alot of power and the great graphics that come with it. And you've got a massivelibrary of great games available (and yeah, some bad ones too).

It's an all-rounder and looks like a pretty attractiveoption. It's very powerful, so it won't be outdated for a long time yet. Whatmore could you ask for?

Sony PlayStation 3: Arguably the most powerful console evercreated by man. It includes Blu-ray HD disc playback and has enormous potentialfor the future. But it's currently enormously expensive and there are no greatgames available for it yet.

If you don't mind about having to wait a while before you canstart playing good games, this is the one for you. But make no mistake, thatprice tag will come down at some point. And you have to wonder if it's worth payingall that money for a console that will be cheaper in the future, and before thereare even any good games available.