War of Consoles

This holiday season will see a war among game consoles. Sony PlayStation 3 video game console will launch on Nov. 17 and will be available for a base price of $499. Nintendo will go live with next generation Wii on Nov. 19 and it will sell for $249. both will compete with Microsoft’s Xbox 360, which was launched last year and carries a price tag of $299.

Sony claims its computer hardware is the best giving its users an advantage in Web gaming—thus justifying the higher price.

Nintendo is upbeat about its innovative controller, which users wave or swing like a wand or racket, will give it an edge over its rivals. Users simply position the wand and use its buttons to send signals wirelessly to the main console.

Microsoft is hoping that its 'Xbox Live' network will be the key to their success in the online gaming space. 'Xbox Live' is an online service that enables Xbox 360 users to connect and play multiplayer games and participate in tournaments and carries an annual subscription fee of $50.

Apart from Web games, Sony and Microsoft will also battle on the next-generation DVD format front, in which Blu-ray and HD DVD are currently fighting for supremacy. Sony backs the Blu-ray format, and it said both the $499 edition and the $599 high-end version of PlayStation 3 will be capable of playing Blu-ray discs. Microsoft has thrown its support behind the Toshiba-developed HD-DVD format, offering Xbox 360 users an HD-DVD add-on drive for roughly $170.