Playtesters say 'Wii' to console war question

SEATTLE - Is power more important…or innovation? Do beautiful graphics win the day…or ease of use and unique playing experiences?

And just how much cash are you willing to drop just to play the latest and greatest video games, anyway?

These are the questions game enthusiasts will begin answering Friday as the first of two brand new and much-anticipated game consoles begin arriving on store shelves.

Sony’s PlayStation 3 — launching Friday— is a muscular machine boasting heaps of cutting-edge technology, beefy processing power, the ability to produce stunning graphics…and a hefty price tag to boot.

Meanwhile, Nintendo’s Wii — launching Nov. 19 — places less emphasis on power and more emphasis on innovative and accessible game play. A slim, sleek piece of hardware, it comes packaged with groundbreaking motion-sensitive controllers and a lightweight price tag.

Nintendo believes that this little white machine will be a big hit with budget-conscious shoppers. Meanwhile Sony is betting that its big black box packed with its unsurpassed power and a multitude of features will convince consumers that the PS3 is money well spent rather than money down the hole.

Of course, both of these machines will have to take on the Xbox 360, a gaming console from Microsoft that’s been on the market for a year and offers a large library of games, plenty of power and a moderate price tag.

Which machine wins the battle for consumer bucks and gamer thumbs will be determined this holiday season and in the months after.

But for a sneak peak at how the console wars may unfold, we invited a group of six gamers — hardcore and casual players, adults and children — to spend some time with us, the Wii and the PS3.

After plowing through several hours of gaming and many boxes of pizza, the resounding favorite of our playtest was …drumroll please…the Wii.

The way of the Wii
The name given to Nintendo’s new gaming machine sounds like someone in the throes of an ecstatic moment…like someone gleefully shouting out the word, “Wheee!”

And that seems only appropriate. After all, Nintendo created the Wii with one thing in mind: having fun.

The Wii is a wee little thing, a gleaming white box that tips the scales at a mere 2.6 pounds and wears an equally slim price tag. For $250, it comes packaged with one Wii Remote and one attachable Nunchuk controller, both of which are motion sensitive. Additional controllers cost $40 for the Remote and $20 for the Nunchuk. The machine can take up to four remotes connected wirelessly via Bluetooth.

The Wii also comes packaged with “Wii Sports,” a collection of five sports games (tennis, baseball, boxing, bowling and golf) each of which makes excellent use of the new controllers’ functionality. Play the tennis game and you’ll swing the controller like you would a racket. Play the boxing game and you’ll hold each remote in your hands and throw real-live punches at your onscreen opponent.

Meanwhile, the Wii has 512 megabytes of internal flash memory, two USB 2.0 ports, a bay for an SD memory card and built-in Wi-Fi capability. It plays Wii games as well as GameCube games — a big plus — and has two slots for GameCube memory cards as well as four ports for classic GameCube controllers.

The Wii can also connect to Nintendo’s incredibly popular handheld DS and can access a free online service for surfing the internet and downloading games.

MORE FROM CONSOLE WARS

Console Wars Section Front

Nintendo plans to boost Wii production PlayStation 3 faces stiff competition in Europe And the winner of the console wars is ... PlayStation 3 likely missed sales target Thieves steal car — and coveted PS3 With consoles, it's all about the games Nintendo to replace 3.2M Wii straps Sony says PS3 shipments on target Nintendo Wii sales top Sony's PS3 Murder charge rescinded in PS3 shooting Console Wars Section Front   Add Console Wars headlines to your news reader: