PS3 Informer

The Best Value Console

Prices have dropped across the board on all 3 consoles. The Wii went down $50, the PS3 went down $100 while the Xbox went down to $70. But which of these consoles give you the most bang for your buck? Which system is the best value in town? Let's take a look.

The Wii

Starting with the Wii, it comes with the standard console, one motion controller and one nunchuck attachment, as well as Wii Sports. Not a bad deal for $199.99. But unlike the other two systems where games can be played single or multiplayer, the Wii is unique for its reliance on a party atmosphere of competitive/co-op gameplay, which makes it absolutely necessary to buy another set of controllers, if not three. Wii remote costs $39.99 and nunchuck is $19.99 ($59.98 total). Add in Wii motion plus ($19.99) for both controllers and that's another $39.98. Add in a Wii Charge Station for your remotes for another $30. Total costs for the Wii system for two players is $330. Still it's a pretty good value but only as a dedicated game system. If you want multi-media entertainment, only PS3 and Xbox 360 offer those features.

PS3 Slim

Now onto PS3 Slim. The 120 GB system costs $299.99 but comes with just about everything you need for playing straight out of the box. It includes built in wi-fi, Blu-Ray player, rechargeable controller with charge cable, and free networking service, The only thing it lacks is an hdmi and ethernet cable, but those can be bought for cheap over at monoprice. Total price after cables is $310.

Xbox 360 Elite

Microsoft looks like a great value but only on the surface. Their latest package -- Xbox 360 Elite Winter 2009 Lego Batman / Pure Bundle -- comes with 2 games, DVD player, and a 120 GB HD and costs $300. But unless you want to buy batteries for your controller every week, you'll go the rechargeable battery route and fork over another 20 bucks for the Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit. If you actually want it to work as a rechargeable controller, better spring for the $30 Quick Charge Kit because it takes about 10 hours to trickle charge through the Play & Charge cable -- a cable so slow at its job, you'll stayed tethered for days waiting for a full charge. At that point, mind as well call it a wired controller. Wi-fi? Forget it unless you have another $100 bucks to sink. And at $100 all you get is wireless-g. Rumor has it that a wireless-n adapter is on the way though. Total purchase price for a functional wireless next-gen system -- $430. Factor in Xbox LIVE and the total balloons to $480.

The Verdict

The numbers are in. All said and done, all three systems cost around $300-400 after accessories. Although the Wii is a great dedicated system for gaming, the other two systems nudge it out of the way when you compare the sheer versatility and functionality of those systems (HD gaming and streaming media content) versus price paid. But there is a clear winner among the remaining two. For a competitive full-featured HD entertainment media system, the best choice and best value is the PS3 Slim.