So which of these two games systems is better? It had been a much anticipated wait, but finally both of these consoles have arrived. The Sony PlayStation 3 was the first to arrive on November 17th, with the Nintendo Wii only two days later, on the 19th. Which one should you buy? Who had the most successful launch? Read on to discover the answers!

Units available at Launch -

Sony PlayStation 3:

After many notable delays and production problems, Sony was finally able to release its PlayStation 3 console in order to meet the Christmas rush; Well not quite. Sony was indeed able to release its system; however this shipment numbers were nowhere near what was expected. It was estimated that only 500,000 units arrived up to the end of the year. This made it very difficult for anyone hoping to get their hands on a PS3 for Christmas last year.

Nintendo Wii:

In view of the extremely popularity of the Wii, it has still been difficult to get your hands on one at the moment. However, Nintendo planned to ship over four million units worldwide by the end of 2006. This was easily able to dwarfs the efforts of Sony with it Playstation 3 numbering at 500,000 units. A continues supply of Wii consoles are being shipped on a weekly basis to retailers in order to make it easier to get a Wii with each passing week.

This Topics Winner: Wii

Games to Play -

Sony PlayStation 3:

When it comes to the current crop of games for the PS3, it is generally thought that there are not really any special games worth getting at the moment. I have had the pleasure of playing the PS3 and most if its games. The most impressive games at presents seems to be Resistance: Fall of Man. There is no doubt that better games will be making their way onto the system, but there is no point in holding your breath for them. Games such as Metal Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy 13 are not expected to arrive until late 2007 or early 2008

Nintendo Wii:

For the first time in its history, Nintendo released a Zelda game at the consoles launch. There is not doubt that this launch title is the best game available on the Wii. In fact, it is widely believed to be the best ever Zelda game. Another point to take into consideration is the variety of games that are available. Nintendo and its third-party developers have covered all the bases. No matter your preference, sports games or shooting games, there is plenty to choose from.

This Topics Winner: Wii

Graphics:

Sony PlayStation 3:

There is not really any doubt as to who is going to win this contest. Although, the first crop of games to arrive do not even come close to realizing the full potential of the Playstation 3 in terms of graphics, the current games are still much prettier than those of the Wii.

Nintendo Wii:

As Nintendo has now taken a different approach for this generation console, it is less concerned about graphics. Although this certainly does not mean that the games look bad. You certainly will not get anyway near the same level of realism that you would get on the PS3 or Xbox 360. To get an ideal of its capabilities, the graphical power of the Wii is a little stronger than that of the original Xbox.

This Topics Winner: PlayStation 3

Retail Price:

Sony PlayStation 3:

There is two different version of the PlayStation 3. You have the choice of the $499.99 version or the $599.99 version. No, I did not make any typos with the prices. Although both systems are similar, the more expensive version comes with, among other things, a larger hard drive. It is expected that over 80% of the PlayStation 3 consoles delivered will be the $599.99 version. All this tends to make the $499.99 version fairly obsolete. Both versions have the ability to play Blu-Ray DVD discs. One remote and all necessary cable are included within the box.

Nintendo Wii:

The current retail price of the Nintendo Wii stands at $249.99. Included in the box are: the Wii games console, Wii Sports (a game featuring 5 different sports), the regular Wii-remote, as well as the nun-chuk attachment, and all necessary cables and adapters.

This Topics Winner: Wii

Overall Final Score: Nintendo Wii = 3 vs. Sony PlayStation 3 = 1

The Final Verdict:

At the present time the Wii is the obvious choice for all gamers right now. The cheap price, excellent launch games, and fantastic innovation make it the console of choice right now.