Microsoft's XBOX360 was released last month, and Sony's Playstation3 is coming out early next year. Having always been a PC Gamer, I'm naturally skeptic about making the switch to console. Moreover, the price of these systems is rather high when operating on a budget -- I need a computer anyway. It's probably a good move that both XBOX360 and PS3 are including additional media functionality to appeal to consumers.
Nevertheless, I find myself more jazzed about what is likely to be the cheapest of the next-gen consoles. I speak, of course, of the Nintendo Revolution (code name) --- Rumor has it that that Rev. will retail for under $200 or possibly as low as $99. The controller, which Nintendo has shown off a bit, looks like one of the most radical changes in gaming in the last 10 years. I've also heard that Rev. owners will be able to download and play retro game titles by connecting their Rev. to a broadband Internet connection. Do not underestimate the appeal of the classic game market... despite the graphics, there were just some GREAT games made for 8, 16, 64-bit systems. Which leads me to my final point about the Rev. Nintendo has understood that as cool as graphics can be, they're nothing without game-play. This is how Nintendo built successful franchise titles like Mario and Zelda. Some people bought the gamecube JUST to play the next Zelda game.
While I'm excited to see some of the graphically intensive titles that come out for XBOX360 and PS3 -- I really feel like the OUTSIDE THE BOX box will be the Nintendo Revolution -- Priced to own.
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