Page 0: Page 1: Sony Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii? Both consoles have their own thing going as Microsoft Xbox 360 gets ready to welcome the competition. The Sony Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii are currently the darlings of the video game industry. The much anticipated gaming consoles are launching in North America soon—November 17th and 19th respectively—to a receptive audience, particularly for Sony. The PS3 launched in Tokyo, Japan November 10th, easily selling out the allotted 100,000 units, leaving many fans disappointed. The minimum price in Canada will be $549.00 and $499.00 in the United States—not exactly small change. The Wii, with its unique controller system and kid-friendly games, takes a different approach. Listed at $279.95 CAD, it’s a much more affordable system that offers its fair share of mainstream games, while tapping the popular worlds of Mario and Zelda. Nintendo recently announced multimedia giant Disney is onboard to make games for its DS handheld system as well as for the Wii. This can only further establish its grip on the youth market as Disney has a vast assortment of characters to introduce at the console level. Both seem to be focusing intently on their spectrum of their market. Let’s take a closer look at the details. Gran Turismo HD (working title) can run in glorious full HD 1080p60 (1920 x 1080) @ 60 FPS. Urban warfare is the name of the game in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6: Las Vegas 40 Canada’s #1 Urban Newsmag FIVE Page 2: T he Nintendo Wii is scheduled to be released November 19th in North America at an approximate price of $279.95 CDN or $249.99 U.S. The Wii is decidedly different compared to the other two consoles. The console is much smaller than its competitors are with a slot loading drive that accepts standard DVD media and smaller 8-inch Nintendo GameCube discs. Nintendo says the Wii will be backwards compatible with the GameCube and most of its hardware. And then there is the controller. According to Nintendo, “the wireless Wii remote controller is a multifunctional device that is limited only by the game designer’s imagination. In a tennis game, it serves as your racket you swing with your arm. In a driving game, it serves as your steering wheel. For first-person shooters, the remote acts as your weapon that you point at an enemy. The list of potential uses goes on and on.” When rotated, the wand can be used as a classic NES game pad. Furthermore, combined with the sensory bar, gun pointing abilities can be utilized up to five metres away from the bar. Up to four controllers can be connected to each other at one time wirelessly via Bluetooth. The Wii’s hardware specs are not as sexy as the PS3’s, but they certainly get the job done. Although hardware specification details have not been released in abundance, it is rumoured to have 512MB of flash memory. Two USB ports are located in the back and Dolby Pro Logic II sound quality is available. An important issue here is that HD resolution is not supported. The Wii is being marketed to the younger crowd who will more likely gravitate to the many Mario-based titles that will eventually be offered. At least 27 games will be available at launch including The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Wii Sports (bundled with the Wii), Call of Duty 3, and Ubisoft’s Red Steel. The Virtual Console is Nintendo’s answer to Xbox Live Arcade, which allows users to download games for many other Nintendo consoles for “Wii points,” which can be bought and redeemed for games. Finally, the Wii can connect wirelessly to the Nintendo DS. So, if you are a Nintendo fan or are looking for a console for the younger tots, the Wii can provide the best of both worlds with many grownup titles in its arsenal in addition to the exclusive worlds of Mario, Donkey Kong and Zelda. Canada’s #1 Urban Newsmag FIVE 41 Page 3: