There's a lot of debate over which of the newest generation of gaming consoles is the best...many people prefer the graphics of the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360, while others prefer the interactivity of Nintendo's Wii. After dabbling with all three platforms, I have to go with the Wii for it's all around gaming experience. The graphics aren't as up to date as the PS3 or new Xbox, but considering you will NOT be sitting down when you play this (it's not possible-it would drive you crazy to not be standing up), you REALLY get into this system and it'll be difficult to put it on pause to do the things you're supposed to be doing. Let's start this count down....
10)
Price. The Wii is considerably cheaper than it's Sony and Microsoft counterparts, a bare bones console and controller runs $250 or so. The Playstation3 is either $399 or $499 depending on the version, and the Xbox 360 is currently starting at $270, and the price goes up from there.
9)
Entertaining. If you're a person who likes to host parties, the Wii is a great way to make sure everyone's having fun. You can play with up to 4 players and its interactivity keeps everyone interested.
8)
Customizable. The Wii is extremely customizable, either as a do-it-yourself project or you can send it in to numerous companies who will do the modding for you. Although questionable for legal reasons, you can add a chip to let you play burned DVDs with tons of media on them-I have a friend who fits tons of movies, video clips, and MP3s on his Wii and enjoys this media all the time. You will have to find a special screwdriver to take the console apart, if you chose to go that route.
7)
Built in Wi-Fi. Included with every Wii is some great Wi-Fi connectivity. I've read many reviews, and survey says: it hooks up flawlessly with any hot spot. This makes it easy for you to network your gaming system with your computer system, which brings us to #6.
6)
YouTube viewing. You can easily watch YouTube videos on your TV with the Wii. The videos come through in no worse shape than YouTube's viewing format, which makes the Wii extremely multi-purpose.
5)
Great Workout. Sure, you get a good workout with Dance Dance Revolution, and if you really get into Guitar Hero you can feel the burn, but every game for the Wii is interactive-getting you off the couch. You can't be a lazy gamer with the Wii-it just doesn't work. Don't get me wrong, I own DDR for the regular old Xbox and Guitar Hero 1 and 2 for the PS2, and I've been known to break a sweat in those games, but Wii really gets the job done in this category.
5.1)
Included Games. This really could be part of #5, because the games that come with every Wii are some of the best, including Tennis, Bowling, Golf, and Baseball. You get a good workout in playing any of these games, and they're fun. You can even get little attachments for your WiiMote to make it look more like the equipment for the sport you're playing (tennis racket, baseball bat, etc.)
4)
Envy. Your friends will be jealous, and they'll want one. Why do you think I love the thing so much?
3)
No More Loneliness. Not only will your friends be jealous, but they'll be over at your place constantly...which could be a good or bad thing. I just found out a good friend of mine has had a Wii for a while, and I'm fairly certain she was keeping this from me just so I didn't become a permanent fixture at her apartment.
2)
Backwards Compatibility. Like the other next generation platforms, the Wii plays it's previous consoles' (Nintendo GameCube) but you can also go play games from your favorite '90s consoles, the NES and Super Nintendo. This feature alone makes the Wii a great investment in my opinion. You can also plug in the GameCube controller to use for these games (you don't have to use the WiiMote or Nunchuck Controller for all games)
1)
Mii Characters. This list has definitely not gone in order of importance or greatness, as this isn't my favorite feature, but it's pretty sweet none-the-less. My friend Ryan has his whole family and wife's family designed as a character for his Wii, and they all look fairly similar to their real life counterparts. I've seen other people make dead-on Mii characters of Weird Al, Charlie Brown, Albert Einstein, and Darth Vader. If you decide to get a Wii, don't overlook this feature.
Hopefully this list helps you decide between a 360/PS3/Wii, if it has we have done our part to sway you. We have (unfortunately) not been paid by Nintendo for this ultra sweet list, so don't think we're being cheeseball salesmen or anything. Please note: we are NOT above taking bribes to talk up your product, so if you need any publicity, let us know :-).
