If there is one truth in the world of gaming, it is that every gamer has a preference in which console they use. If there was no opinion either way, the manufacturers would not put so much effort into the design, performance and marketing of their gaming systems. The three biggest rivals currently competing for the lion’s share of the gaming world are the Sony PS3, the Nintendo Wii and the Microsoft Xbox. The Xbox has a huge fan base claiming it’s the best: is this true?

The Xbox 360 came to the arena prepared to leave a lasting mark and to make sure the world knew that the second Xbox was going to hold its own against any and all competition. Sony already had the Playstation 1 and the Playstation 2 on the market, with development for Playstation 3 underway. Unfortunately for Sony, Microsoft beat them to the release date and contained fewer bugs.

The Nintendo Wii, released long after the 360, has sold roughly two thirds as many units worldwide than Microsoft’s console was able to sell. As for the third outing for the Playstation brand, well that’s just embarrassing just about everybody. Either way, Microsoft and Sony keep referring to each other as competition but claim the Wii isn’t something they consider competition. That means Microsoft gets to brag about being the best. But how is that so? The Xbox 360 is a gaming console and the Wii is a gaming console. How do these things not count as competition?

Games designed in house by Nintendo make their platform stand out, so maybe it’s just the 3rd party designers who simply can’t figure out how to make the best of the Wii’s system. That really doesn’t matter from a consumer standpoint though. Whether Wii has untapped potential or not, the bottom line is that a lot of the best games just aren’t there.

The PS3 is a great gaming machine but does not have the speed, capacity and support that the Xbox 360 possesses. Don’t get me wrong: the PS3 is a great gaming machine with incredible graphics and an extensive game library. However, the Xbox 360 simply has more power and versatility than the PS3.

Whether it was the fault of the Wii or the fact that people just didn’t want it, the PS 3 didn’t sell well. This means less people are using it which means a lot of the gaming experience that the Xbox 360 and PS 3 are built around are simply better with the former. With the online gaming world, for instance, would you rather play the games amongst a fan base of 30 million people with the Xbox, or less than 15 million with the PS 3?

Until there comes a time when there is a clear-cut, winning console in the gaming world, there is always going to be personal opinions as to what machine is better. It may be just a slight difference of better suited controllers or it might be the colors that encase the machine. Any way you look at it, gaming comes down to a choice.

Hardcore games will always argue the pros and cons of the various systems. But if you’re a fan of the Xbox 360, you can find out more at Gizmos, Gadgets and Toys.

Tags: electronics, gaming consoles, gaming systems, video games, xbox, Xbox 360