Xbox 360 vs. PlayStation 3 vs. Nintendo Wii: A Technical Comparison

Xbox 360 vs. PlayStation 3 vs. Nintendo Wii

It's the battle of the ages, played out with a new generation of hardware that, for the first time, appears to leave all but the most high-end gaming PCs in the dust. Opinions about Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 vary, but it's pretty clear that both devices kick serious butt from a technical perspective. Looking over the specifications, and listening to representatives of both companies, however, I've come away with a few general thoughts.

From a pure processing standpoint, the PS3 appears to beat the Xbox 360, but the first generation PS3 games are not graphically superior to anything that's available on the Xbox 360. The PS3 has a few advantages, however. For example, it's mostly compatible with the millions of existing PlayStation (PS1) and PlayStation 2 (PS2) titles, which is a huge plus (in US and Japan only: European PS3 units lack a compatibility chip, making them far less compatible with previous generation games).

Xbox 360, however, drops the bomb on the PS3 in a few important categories as well. It's HD Media Center Extender experience blows away anything Sony offers on the PS3, and it supports live and recorded HDTV over your home network, along with TV show and movie downloads. Its device connectivity--including direct support for Apple iPod and Sony PSP devices--is top notch. And the hugely compelling Xbox Live service gets even better with Xbox 360. Sony has nothing like it: On the PS3, games are isolated islands of connectivity, allowing gamers only to communicate with others in the same games. Finally, Microsoft took away one of Sony's biggest advantages when it announced a free 1080p upgrade for all existing Xbox 360 units.

And then there's the Nintendo Wii. Nintendo's next-generation console eschews technical prowess for a truly innovative new hand controller system that includes two devices, a remote controller that can double as a classic NES-type controller for older games, and a Nunchuk, which plugs into the Remote Controller and provide additonal functionality. The Remote Controller is wireless and provides gamers with a degree of motion and freedom that is simply unavailable on either the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3: For example, to swing a golf club in Wii Sports, which is bundled with the console, you literally swing the remote controller as if it were a golf club. To hit a baseball, you swing the controller like a bat. This system is much less expensive than Microsoft's and Sony's offerings, and it is much more appealing for kids of all ages. It is also much less compelling to traditional gamers.

Looking for more information? Check out my showcase, Choosing a Video Game System, in which I describe each system in a bit more depth and provide some advice for those looking into these consoles.

No matter what your perpective, this is an interesting battle to watch. Here are the facts, and only the facts:

Pricing (US)
	Xbox 360	PlayStation 3	Wii
Low-end model	$279 (Xbox 360 Core System)	n/a	n/a
Mainstream model	$349 (Xbox 360)	$499 (PlayStation 3 60-GB)	$249
High-end model	$449 (Xbox 360 Elite)	$599 (PlayStation 3 80-GB)	n/a

Microprocessor
Feature	Xbox 360	PlayStation 3	Wii
Processor type	3.2 GHz PowerPC with 3 dual-threaded processor cores	3.2 GHz Cell processor with 7 single-threaded synergistic processing units cores (not directly comparable to Xbox 360 processor cores)	729 MHz IBM Broadway processor with 5 execution units

Graphics processor
Feature	Xbox 360	PlayStation 3	Wii
GPU Type	ATI-based custom processor	NVIDIA-based RSX "Reality Synthesizer"	ATI Hollywood processor
Clock speed	500 MHz	550 MHz	243 MHz
Video RAM	Up to 512 MB GDDR3 system RAM (700 MHz) plus 10 MB embedded DRAM (eDRAM) frame buffer	256MB GDDR3 (700MHz)	24 MB of system RAM (486 MHz) plus 3 MB of embedded DRAM (eDRAM)
Video memory bandwidth	21.6 GBps to system RAM; 256 GBps to eDRAM	22.4 GBps	3.9 GBps

Video
Feature	Xbox 360	PlayStation 3	Wii
Native video resolutions	16:9 widescreen 720p, 1080i, 1080p (will downsample to standard definition)	480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p (will downsample to standard definition)	853 x 480 (480p) in widescreen or 4:3 aspect ratio
Component HDTV output	Yes	Yes	No (But supports 480p EDTV via optional component cables)
HDMI output	Yes (Except Xbox 360 Core)	Yes	No
Video cables included	Core model includes composite only. Mainstream model includes both composite and component. Elite model includes HDMI cables as well as composite and component.	Composite only	Composite only

Audio
Feature	Xbox 360	PlayStation 3	Wii
Analog sound output	Dolby Pro-Logic II	Stereo	Dolby Pro-Logic II
Digital sound output	5.1-channel Dolby Digital	5.1-channel Dolby Digital (HDMI), 7.1-channel LPCM	n/a
Number of voices	Software-based, limited only by CPU and memory	Hardware based: 320 compressed channels; software based: limited only by CPU and memory	Hardware DSP with 64+ channels

System memory
Feature	Xbox 360	PlayStation 3	Wii
Main System RAM	512 MB GDDR3 RAM (700 MHz), shared with GPU	256 MB XDR RAM (3.2GHz)	64 MB GDDR3 RAM
Memory bandwidth	22.4 GBps	25.6 GBps	1.9 GBps

Storage
Feature	Xbox 360	PlayStation 3	Wii
Optical drive	12X dual-layer DVD; HD DVD drive offered as $179 add-on (for movies only).	Blu-Ray	Proprietary optical drive
Supported optical formats	Xbox DVD, DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, WMA CD, MP3 CD, and JPEG Photo CD (HD DVD supported with optional HD DVD drive).	BD, BD-ROM, Blu-ray Disc, CD, CD-DA, CD-DA (ROM), CD-R, CD-RW, DualDisc (audio side), DualDisc (DVD side), DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-ROM, DVD-RW, PlayStation 2 DVD-ROM, PlayStation 3 BD-ROM, PlayStation 3 DVD-ROM, PlayStation CD-ROM, PlayStation2 CD-ROM, SACD HD, and SACD Hybrid (CD layer).	Wii discs (both 4.7 GB single layer and 8.5 GB dual layer), Nintendo GameCube discs. Not DVD compatible.
Hard drive	Core System: No Xbox 360: 20 GB removable hard drive Elite: 120 GB removable hard drive	60 GB or 80 GB replaceable hard drive.	No. (Does include 512 MB of internal flash memory for storing saved games, downloaded games, and other data).
External hard drive support	Yes, but limited to media playback only.	Yes	No
Memory card ports	2 Xbox 360 Memory Unit ports (64 MB or 512 MB).	Flash memory card reader (supports Memory Stick, Compact Flash and SD/MMC).	1 SD card slot, 2 GameCube memory card ports.
USB 2.0 ports	3	4	2

Networking
Feature	Xbox 360	PlayStation 3	Wii
Ethernet	1 port (100 Mbs)	1 port (1 Gbps)	No; optional with USB-based add-on.
Wireless networking	No. 802.11g is optional ($100) on all models.	Bluetooth 2.0, Bluetooth controller interface, Wi-Fi.	Integrated Wi-Fi for networking and Internet access; Bluetooth 2.0 for controllers.
Online service	Pervasive online experience through Xbox Live Silver (free), Xbox Live Gold; includes ability to download full-length movies and TV shows, many in HD format.	Free PlayStation Network with micropayment system; includes a Web browser. Individual game makers can choose to charge for online services.	Wii Network online service includes online shopping, Web browsing, messaging, and other features.

Multimedia features
Feature	Xbox 360	PlayStation 3	Wii
Full Media Center Extender 2.0 experience	Yes	No	No
Live and recorded TV support (including HDTV)	Yes	No	No
Supports streaming video from PCs	Yes	Yes	No
Supports streaming audio from PCs	Yes	Yes	No
Supports streaming photo slideshows from PCs	Yes	Yes	No
Plays content from portable media players, including iPod and Sony PSP, and with digital cameras	Yes	Yes	No
Displays content from portable storage devices	Yes	Yes	Photos, MPEG and Quicktime movies, and MP3 music files from SD storage only.
Displays content from console on portable devices	No	Yes. Content from PS3 can be used on PSP using Remote Play feature.	No
Plays DVD movies	Yes	Yes	No
Upscales DVD movies to HD resolutions, including 1080p	Yes	Yes, but only on HDMI compatible TVs.	No
Supports next-generation DVD formats	No. Can play HD DVD movies with optional add-on.	Yes. Blu-Ray drive included with console.	No
Includes integrated TV show and movie download service	Yes, with both HD and standard definition content.	No	No

Controllers
Feature	Xbox 360	PlayStation 3	Wii
Number of supported controllers	4 wireless (plus 3 wired controllers via USB), controllers will work with Windows PCs as well. Controllers feature removable AA batteries and can be replaced with removable rechargeable battery packs.	7 wireless and/or wired controllers total. PS3 controller does not feature a removable battery.	4 wireless Remote Controllers. Also supports Nunchuk add-on controller (attaches to Remote Controller and for many Wii games) Wii Classic Controller (also attaches to remote controller; for older, downloadable games), and up to four legacy GameCube controllers.
Rumble functionality	Yes	No	Yes
Motion sensor functionality	No	Yes	Yes
USB keyboard support	Yes	Yes	Yes

Compatibility
Feature	Xbox 360	PlayStation 3	Wii
Compatible with previous generation games	Partial compatibility with original Xbox titles. (Only some original Xbox titles work, more are being added slowly over time.)	80-GB versions of the console sold worldwide and all PS3 consoles sold in Europe offer just partial compatibility with PlayStation and PS2 titles. 60-GB PS3 versions sold in US and Japan feature near-complete compatiblity with PS and PS2 games.	Plays all GameCube game titles (but doesn't include GameCube controller or memory card); Nintendo offers some downloadable versions of Nintendo NES, SNES, and N64 titles, as well as NEC TurboGrafix-16 and Sega Genseis titles, for $5 to $10 each via online service.
Improves legacy game experience	Yes. Original Xbox games are upscaled to HDTV resolutions and some games (like Halo 2) are graphically improved.	Yes. Original PlayStation and PS2 games are upscaled to full 1080p quality.	Downloadable N64 games offer enhanced graphics quality.
Integration with portable game systems	No	Yes. PS3 can integrate with PSP devices using Remote Play feature.	Yes. Wii can integrate with Nintendo DS devices.
Can play against PC-based gamers	Yes, however, only one game, Shadowrun, currently offers this functionality.	No, however, one game, Unreal Tournament 3, will add this feature in the future.	No
Integration with PC-based instant messaging systems	Yes, with Windows Live Messenger.	No	No

Source: http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/xbox360_ps3_wii.asp