Since the Xbox 360 was first released, the question of whether or not it was a good buy, something that would compete with and overtake its competition, the Playstation 3 and Wii, has loomed over gamers’ heads. Is it worth the price tag? It was impossible to know at first, but in the months since then, it has become more and more clear how things might turn out, with the final release of the PS3 and Wii consoles and the release of some of the Xbox 360’s biggest and most anticipated titles.
Price

Right now, the 360 doesn’t win in the price department, but only because the weaker, smaller Wii console is an obviously cheaper choice. When comparing the two heavy-duty consoles, the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, two machines that almost directly compete in technical specs, the Xbox 360 is the clear winner. With a price point of $299 and $399, depending on the package you get, you’re looking at a $200 savings over the Playstation 3. How did Microsoft make their machine so much cheaper? They kept their heavy featured HD DVD drive separate and offered it as a peripheral instead. Sony’s Bluray Drive is already included with the Playstation 3, and accounts for a huge chunk of its cost.
Features

The Xbox 360 in the technical department is a machine with a lot of horsepower. Not quite as powerful as the Playstation 3, it has still demonstrated incredibly performance that outdistances its opponents so far by a mile. In time though, as Sony’s development teams gets used to the new machine, we’ll likely see that the Xbox 360 is a slightly weaker offering. The inclusion of such features as Live service, HDMI support, and all the standards of the next generation like wireless controllers and massive internal hard drives make the 360 a solid machine, so far better utilized than its competitors. While the Wii offers a variety of interesting and creative features, in terms of sheer power in its specs, the Xbox 360 is much better.
Game Library

This is where the Xbox 360 takes the lead right now. With a full year’s head start over its competition, it has the benefit of a much larger library of games to choose from, with titles like Gears of War and upcoming greats like Bioshock and Mass Effect. They could have done a lot better with major releases to coincide with the other consoles’ launch and a library that would have buried new consoles in the coming year, but as it stands neither the Playstation 3 nor the Nintendo Wii has more than one or two solid title worth buying at the moment. In the downloadable content arena, the Wii definitely manages to take honors though, purely on the strength of Nintendo’s classic first party titles.

The Xbox 360 is a solid choice, worthy of a purchase for anyone considering a next generation console right now. While it doesn’t have the fun factor that Nintendo’s been touting with its Wii, or the potential of a machine like the Playstation 3 (which so far is still running on potential), it has solid titles and a set release calendar that will make this summer a great time to own one.