AfterTek

It was supposed to an simple choice for video-game players this holiday season, nothing more than a flip of the coin: The 3 or the Wii? But then it became complicated. Sony isn’t going to deliver nearly enough PlayStation 3s to meet demand (just 400,000 in North America by Christmas, millions short of demand). Nintendo’s energetic Wii (pronounced “wee”) is only slightly easier to find. And then Microsoft made it a tough choice by ensuring the Xbox 360 is plentiful with the largest library of games.

That all depends on your interests, your abilities and, perhaps most importantly, your budget. “The PS3 looks great, but $600?” said Ben Lerner, Best Buy’s video-game expert in Phoenix. “The Wii’s graphics aren’t nearly as good, but at $250 it’s relatively affordable. The 360 is priced between the two but real easy to find. Each has something going for it.”

That’s why before buying, know what you want in a video-game system, said John Davison, editorial director of 1UP Network, an online site that offers gaming news and reviews. The PS3 and 360 pursue the hard-core gamer with the latest graphics and online play, he said. Nintendo, however, has taken aim at the casual gamers or those who have never played a video game, offering a system that’s easy to learn.

“They’ll all sell very well,” Davison said. “These companies have proven themselves, and the games are getting better and better.” It may come down to compatibility with older games. The PS3 plays PlayStation 2 and PS One games, while the Wii is compatible with Nintendo GameCube games. The 360 plays most Xbox games. Loyalty, Davison said, will play a part in any decision.

“Nintendo players are fanatics and will stick to Nintendo systems no matter what,” he said. “But people with the PS2 and Xbox are going to take that into account before buying a new system.”