Christmas console war!

The future
With Nintendo continuing to use all their ingenuity and creativity to make amazing new experiences, the far future is looking great. The near future isn't as pretty - after Mario Galaxy there's not much in terms of big brand names. The console will continue to sell well, however, especially with Wii Music and Wii Fit just around the corner as more 'new' gamers are lured in, but these aren't hardcore game experiences. The good news is that the online service will just go from strength to strength with the Check Mii Out and Gift Giving Channel as well as the wonderful WiiWare option that will allow you to download completely new games as opposed to the retro classics you get on the Virtual Console at the moment.

What's to love:
+ Innovative approach - a completely new way of interacting with games
+ Price
+ Attractive to people who haven't played games before
+ Social gaming aspect, particularly games like Wii Sports
+ Amazing exclusive game line up including Mario, Zelda and Metroid
+ Good online service - particularly Virtual Console for getting classic games

What's to hate:
- No conventional games with conventional controls
- Graphically inferior to the PS3 and 360, and it's not High Def
- Not a multimedia machine - won't play DVDs or MP3s
- Most limited online service for multiplayer gaming
- 512 MB of memory - not much room to store downloads and no hard drive

Verdict
The Wii is an incredible new experience unlike anything seen before in gaming. It's fantastic at luring in non-gamers. So if you're tired of the usual types of games, want something different or are after a console the whole household can play, the Wii is for you.

It's the console for you if:
+ You just have to play Mario and Zelda
+ You like playing in your front room with friends
+ You're tired of the regular types of games and want something new