Video Game Systems have come a long way since the days of Space Invaders and Pac-Man. The games today are much more photo realistic, immersive and complex. Outside of the gameplay the consoles that play the games have also become much more connected and integrated into our lives as they become multimedia hubs of entertainment in our living rooms, basements and home theatres. Now that I think about it, gaming has never been an inexpensive hobby, but times have changed and the video game industry has moved into the next-generation, which means more game developers are creating games that have an emphasis on cutting edge graphics and surround sound.
These days if you really want to enjoy the max a video game has to offer then you need to make sure your game console is connected to a high definition television. You see companies like Microsoft are making a ton of high-definition games for their
Xbox 360 video game console. In addition to a hi-def television you will want to make sure you have a good surround sound system so that you can get the most of the audio effects that have really become almost as important as the game itself. A great looking video game with horrible sound will only be a major turnoff.
Outside of the gaming experience the
Microsoft Xbox 360 and the
Sony PS3 systems have the ability to play movies in high-definition. To play hi-def movies they both use different formats. The Sony PS3 has its own format called Blu-ray and it comes as a standard feature with the PS3. The
Microsoft Xbox 360 can play standard DVD movies but if you want to watch hi-def movies on the
Xbox 360 you'll have to buy the $200 attachment that plays the HD-DVD format.
Notice I haven't even mentioned the
Nintendo Wii. It's not that I have anything against the Wii or that I am biased against it. In fact, just the opposite, I love the
Nintendo Wii. The
Wii is great for all ages 4-94 enjoy playing this system and parents like a game system that has kids off the sofa and doing some exercise. But the
Wii's wasn't built to take advantage of hi-defintion, its video maxes out at 480p resolution while the other systems max out at 1080p. The Wii wasn't really developed for hi-def tv systems more than it was developed to be a new way of playing games.
Here's how the two consoles measure up:Xbox 360Sony PS3Parental Peace of MindAll the systems now offer parental control features. The built-in parental controls let adults set the system to play only games or movies of a certain rating and lock their selection with a PIN code. On all my tests the Parental Controls default setting is "OFF" which means that the consoles will allow all content to be played unless you change the settings. Lastly, each video game has a rating just like the movies which will help you make sure your kids are playing age-appropriate games.
Mario Armstrong is a technology talk show host, writer, consultant and public speaker that explores how technology impacts the way we work, live and play. He is heard on NPR, XM radio and seen on WMAR-ABC2 TV. More online at: www.MarioArmstrong.com. 
