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So, you’ve got some money to spend, or maybe your birthday is coming up soon, and you want a new console to waste hours of your life with.

There are plenty of great consoles to choose from these days, the only problem is deciding which one to get.

To help you out on this tough decision, here’s a brief outline of the pros and pitfalls of all the consoles that are currently available.

Microsoft X-Box

Or ’Bill’s big black box’. Well this certainly is the big bullyboy of the bunch.
Pros : The X-Box is an impressive piece of hardware. Its tech specs are the highest of any of the consoles available at the moment, allowing for some truly spectacular games.

It’s graphics and sound capabilities are currently unmatched by any other console. It has an internal modem, and potentially could become the definitive platform for on-line games.

It has an internal hard disk, allowing for bigger, more expansive games and fast loading times. Also allows for downloadable game updates. It has DVD capabilities. DVD playback is of a higher quality than the PS2. It has 4 controller ports.

You can play Halo on it, which makes it almost worth buying for that reason alone. There are some other great X-Box exclusive games on the way, including Unreal Championship.

The price has been reduced from £300 to £200. This is also potentially a bad thing (see below).

Pitfalls: It is very, very ugly, very big, and weighs a ton.
The controllers leave a lot to be desired, and seem to have been designed with only Halo in mind. Like the console itself, they are huge. Although a smaller version is due to be released. The triggers are a very good and well-implemented idea, though.

It is from Microsoft. This may or may not be a bad thing depending on your own personal politics and attitudes. Its internal architecture is pretty much that of a PC, so essentially it is just a PC in a box without a keyboard or mouse. If you are thinking of getting a high spec PC with a decent graphics card, or are upgrading the one you’ve got, then there is little point in getting an X-Box.

Although it is doing well in America, sales elsewhere have not been good, hence the price drop after only 5 weeks of being released. This is a drastic move, and was also done to try and compete with the cheaper Gamecube. In Japan, a vital market for console sales, the PS1 and even the discontinued Dreamcast are outselling it. Though fear not, Bill Gates has extremely deep pockets, and it is highly unlikely that the X-Box will ever go the way of the Dreamcast. The X-Box is here to stay.
You have to shell out another £30 to get a DVD remote in order to play DVD’s.

Sony Playstation 2

Old faithful, still going strong.
Pros: Has a massive back catalogue of fantastic games, far more than the newer consoles.

It has exclusive games like Metal Gear Solid 2 and the Tekken franchise, which make it a tempting prospect.

Already has a massive fanbase, meaning that most of your mates are more likely to have one of these than the other consoles.

Has the good old dual shock controllers, which are comfortable to use and suited to playing a broader selection of games than the X-Box or Gamecube ones.You can play all your old PS1 games on it.

Has DVD capabilities, which you can use straight away without having to buy something else.

Although it’s not exactly pretty, compared to the X-Box it’s slinky and sexy.

Pitfalls: Technically, the PS2 is already showing its age, and the PS3 is not as far off as you think. It only has two controller ports, meaning that you have to shell out for a 4-way adapter. DVD playback quality is noticeably inferior to the X-Box.

Nintendo Gamecube

The little fella. Packs quite a punch.
Pros: Perhaps the biggest thing going for this console is the fact that it has Nintendo games. Nintendo are arguably the most innovative and pioneering of all games developers. Their games will always be exclusive to Nintendo consoles, presuming that they don’t go the way of Sega, which at the moment seems unlikely.

Its design is quirky, and not to everyone’s taste, but it is innovative and compact. It certainly won’t take up too much space. Its tech specs outdo the PS2, yet fall short of the X-Box. However thus far, in terms of graphics, the GC has matched the X-Box admirably.

Nintendo have always been pioneers of controller design, and the CG pads are no exception. Again, not to everyone’s taste, but very innovative all the same.

It is by far the cheapest console. You should be able to pick up a console on its own for £130, although greedy retailers have been charging more. You can link it up to a GBA and swap game data.

Pitfalls: Has been accused of being a ’kids console’. A lot of Nintendo games would suggest this, i.e. Pokemon, but the recent acquisition of the Resident Evil franchise indicates otherwise. As mentioned earlier, the controllers won’t be to everyone’s taste.

They are well designed for playing many Nintendo titles, but may prove tricky for more generic games, like beat ’em ups and FPS.

The fact that the recent Resident Evil title Biohazard comes on two disks has raised concerns over the GC’s memory capacity.
Doesn’t have DVD playback capabilities.

Nintendo Gameboy Advance.

Nintendo’s little baby.
Pros: Its capabilities fall somewhere between the PS1 and the SNES. And it fits in your pocket!

You can play it anywhere. It doesn’t leave cables everywhere, and you don’t need to plug it into a TV.

Has loads of brilliant new titles, like Advance Wars, and also lots of old classics, like Mario Advance 2.
Has a 15-hour battery life.

You can pick one up for around £70. You can connect it to a GC.

Pitfalls: The screen! It’s far too dark. Seeing what’s going on can be extremely difficult unless you are directly under a good light source. Apparently a backlight wasn’t included to keep the battery life up.

Although if you go to www.tritonlabs.com, you can purchase a GBA afterburner frontlight kit. The results of this look amazing. And if you don’t fancy taking apart your GBA, then some companies are due to start an installation service.

The L and R buttons are a little too hard to reach properly for those with larger hands. Many of the games are just direct SNES ports, with little extra for your money.

Written by Chris Morgan

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