Well, the time is coming once more: Chirstmas. Time is moving on, and so is the world – though whether the world is moving forward or backward is another matter for a later post.

Now, onto the matter in hand. This Christmas, there will already be one ‘next-generation’ gaming console released here in the UK; the Xbox 360™. Then after that, the Playstation 3 and then the Nintendo Revolution. There’s been much hype about all the consoles but, so far, not as much as for Microsoft’s new Xbox.

This really isn’t surprising because firstly, it’s the first to be released (on December 2nd) and, secondly, money really is no object to Microsoft and so can go all out on marketing. [Just off-topic: there's a nice article over at 1up.com about how the Xbox 360™ is like the Dreamcast - but different because the 360 will actually be popular and sell. Click here.] Firstly, from the perspecitve of a web developer and designer, the Xbox 360™ website is very, very nice. It works in Internet Explorer as well as Mozilla Firefox and Opera – quite an amazing feat for Microsoft for something not free! I’ve always liked Microsoft’s marketing schemes since I first saw an advert on TV for Windows XP. But, as Nintendo knows only so well, marketing is not everything. The opinions and views on the previous console contributes a lot to whether or not a new console will sell, and how well it sells. Microsoft’s first console (excluding the PC), the Xbox, was a great success with many game developers supporting the console and providing a range of games that equalled the game library of the Playstation 2. The success of the Xbox will ensure high expectations and will make the Xbox 360™ a hit on release day. When news of Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo’s next consoles were released I automatically knew what I wanted to get: the Nintendo Revolution – I love Nintendo. But, as time has gone by, I’m now heading towards the Xbox 360™ door, but with one arm still holding onto the Revolution door handle. Why? Microsoft’s console looks the part, has some specifications that even the most serious PC gamer would drool over.

Moving on to the console with the logo with the font from the Spiderman movies. Sony has been in the market since around 1996/7, I think, and has been dominant ever since. I can remember my first console, which was a Sega Megadrive, which I replaced with a brand new Playstation. I was mesmorised by the ‘amazing’ graphics with pixels the size of a small pea. Then, I sold that on eBay for £35 – a pretty good price – and bought a brand new, shiney and small Nintendo Gamecube. Yes, it took me around a year to realise that I’d wasted £70 on an under-supported and under-developed gaming console. But, for some reason, it made my like Nintendo even more. Anyway, where was I… ahh yes, the Playstation 3. The Playstation 2 exceeded any expectations set by Playstation fans and, even though it competed against Microsoft’s beefed newcomer, it stormed the market and set records for selling out in the UK, and Europe. The Playstation 3 has been in my ‘bad’ column since I saw the design of it. I cannot, and will not play games on a fururistic bread bin that should really say ‘Spider Man 3′ instead of ‘Playstation 3′ on the case. Also, the controller looks like it should be on a bike, and not connected to a gaming console. And, as you’ll see later, the technical side to it doesn’t bode too well for it either.

Now, onto the third and final console. As I said earlier on, I’ve always been a big Nintendo fan and will, somewhat, always try to be. But, since the details of the Nintendo Revolution have started to trickle out, my enthusiasm has diminished. At first, I was excited as anything and dismissed the opinion that the technical side was everything to a console. The design of the Revolution is amazing and it appeals to almost every sense a human can have. Although the technical side of the console hasn’t been released yet, some details have and, to be frank, they dissappoint me a lot. One such let down was the fact that Nintendo’s new console was not going to support High Definition output. HD technology is really starting to catch on, and by the time the console is released, it will be left behind in that department. This is much like the Nintendo Gamecube not supporting the playback of DVDs or CDs – this is where the Gamecube lost out, amongst other things. Thankfully, the game disks for this console will be of normal size, unlike the Gamecube, which means there will be more game developers supporting this console. Nintendo needs to make real ties with developers such as EA, Codemasters and Ubisoft to create a wider game library so Nintendo fans can actually play games that don’t include any references to Mario or Wario. And, the final straw for me I think was the decision for Nintendo to change the universal design of a home console’s controller. I’m currently undecided on this decision by Nintendo, but, I’d love to test it anyway. I’m sure they’ll also be creating a ‘normal’ controller for it as a back-up plan if the ‘remote’ idea goes horribly wrong.

Well, I’m now going to focus on the technical sides of the Xbox 360™ and the Playstation 3. Not using the statistics published by Microsoft against the PS3, it still shows the that Xbox still has a slight upper hand in the specifications department, compared to the PS3. The Xbox boasts pretty impressive specifications and I’m sure will live up to the hype surrounding it. The only point where the PS3 beats the Xbox, enough to notice, is in the floating point performance – even Microsoft’s tests admitted this information.

On design, I would say that the Xbox 360™ would come first. It’s customisable, quite small, and actually quite sleek. The next would be the Nintendo Revolution. It’s sleek, shiney and has a nicely placed neon light as well as a nice stand. It comes in different colours as well. Then, there’s the Playstation 3. I’m trying not to be biased but, as I said earlier, it does really look like a futuristic bread bin. All expansion ports are located on one side and it seems to bulky and cluttered, for my liking anyway.

Well, I hope that you’ve been enlightened. Don’t forget to comment with your thoughts. And remember, if you want an Xbox 360™ by Christmas, pre-order it now because it’s released here on December 2nd! Keep an open-mind and keep your reciepts…

P.S: I know I promised cheese, so here’s a link to satisfy your interest: talk about cheesey!