-- Winda Benedetti";
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Games_Holiday2007_GameHardware[i-1].body = "
Wii
It’s been a year since the wee little Wii hit store shelves and once again, Nintendo’s innovative and family-friendly console is the season’s must-have holiday gift. And like last year, it’s nearly impossible to find on store shelves.
No, the Wii doesn’t offer the technical pyrotechnics that some of the other game machines boast (no high-def visuals, only 512 megabytes of internal flash memory). But with its moderate price tag ($249.99) and its motion-sensitive control scheme, the top-selling Wii has not only wowed seasoned gamers with its unique and immersive gameplay but it has wooed casual and non-gamers into the fold by offering a more intuitive way to interact with the digital worlds on screen.
For those stymied by the lack of Wiis in stores, Nintendo has partnered with GameStop to offer “rain checks” for the hard-to-find machines.";
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Games_Holiday2007_GameHardware[i-1].body = "
PlayStation 3 (80-gigbyte hard drive)
It’s been a tough first year for the much-anticipated PS3, which has regularly lagged behind the Wii and the Xbox 360 in monthly sales and doesn’t yet boast a truly killer library of games. Still though, this is a fantastically muscular machine (the graphics output here is spectacular) that includes a Blu-ray high-def DVD player as part of the package. (You have to buy a HD-DVD player separate for the Xbox 360.)
Like the Xbox 360, the PS3 isn’t the family machine that the Wii is. But it is home to some great exclusive games like “Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction,” “Folklore” and “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.” Sony has dropped the price of the pricey PS3 by $100. This version of the machine – with the 80 gigabyte hard drive – runs $499 and comes packaged with the game “MotorStorm.”";
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Games_Holiday2007_GameHardware[i-1].body = "
PlayStation 3 (40-gigabyte hard drive)
For those looking for a more a wallet-friendly version of the PS3, for $399 you can get a Sony machine with a smaller 40-gigabyte hard drive. In addition to the smaller drive, this PS3 cannot play the older PS2 but it still boasts the Blu-ray DVD player and comes bundled with a Blue-ray copy of the “Spiderman 3” movie.";
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Games_Holiday2007_GameHardware[i-1].body = "
PlayStation 2
The hard-working PS2 was first launched in 2000 and yet, all these years later, it still remains a very viable game machine. Those looking for a budget-priced gaming gift can buy the older Sony system for a cool $129.99 and can do so knowing that while this machine can't deliver the graphical fireworks the PS3 and Xbox 360 can it does have a truly vast library of games to choose from. More impressively, the PS2 is home to some of this year’s best games – “God of War 2” and “Odin Sphere” among them.";
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Games_Holiday2007_GameHardware[i-1].body = "
Xbox 360 (standard version)
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 may be the oldest of the three next-generation machines, but it’s still got a whole lot of power under its hood (it delivers beautiful high-def graphics and has a beefy processor to keep things running fast and smooth). Meanwhile, it also boasts the most robust library of top-tier games of any of the new machines. Though it can’t match the Wii in offering up family-friendly fare, killer exclusives such as “Halo 3” and “Bioshock” make it more than competitive with the PS3. The Xbox 360 also provides access to the excellent Xbox Live online gaming system.
(MSNBC is a joint Microsoft – NBC Universal venture.)
It’s worth noting that reports of Xbox 360 hardware failures (known as “the red ring of death”) prompted Microsoft earlier this year to offer a 3-year warranty with its machines (as compared to the 1-year warranties for the Wii and PS3). Microsoft dropped the price for this version of the machine by $50. For $349 the standard Xbox 360 comes with a 20-gigabyte hard drive and is packaged with a copy of “Forza Motorsport 2” and “Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.”";
Games_Holiday2007_GameHardware[i++] = new Array("","Xbox 360 Elite","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/Dec/071213/Brill_GameConsole/Xbox360Elite.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Microsoft", "273", "181", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Games_Holiday2007_GameHardware[i-1].body = "
Xbox 360 Elite
For the hardcore gamer in your household, this brawny version of the Xbox 360 is the way to go. Priced at $449, it comes with a whopping 120-gigabyte hard drive (the biggest drive of all the machines), an HDMI output and an HDMI cable. And like the standard Xbox 360, it too is packaged with “Forza Motorsport 2” and “Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.”";
Games_Holiday2007_GameHardware[i++] = new Array("","Xbox 360 Arcade","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/Dec/071213/Brill_GameConsole/Xbox360Arcade.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Microsoft", "273", "408", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Games_Holiday2007_GameHardware[i-1].body = "
Xbox 360 Arcade
It’s no secret that the Xbox 360 hasn’t exactly been viewed as the most family-friendly game machine. In an attempt to reach the younger and casual players in the house, Microsoft has put together this $279 package, which comes with a 256-megabyte memory unit (a hard drive must be bought separately) and five Xbox Live Arcade games.
Xbox Live Arcade, with its old-school arcade games and casual puzzle games, has been the one thing that has helped make the Xbox 360 appeal to a wider audience. With the Xbox 360 Arcade package, the machine comes bundled with five popular Live Arcade games – “Pac-Man Championship Edition,\" \"Uno,\" \"Luxor 2,\" \"Boom Boom Rocket\" and \"Feeding Frenzy.”";
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Games_Holiday2007_GameHardware[i-1].body = "
Nintendo DS
With its two screens, touch controls and voice activation, the Nintendo DS is the mobile device to own if you want to take advantage of some of the most creative handheld games ever to hit the market. And for a price of $129.99, this little machine is a great gaming value.
Like the Wii, the DS has proven popular both with gamers and non-gamers. Its touch screen offers players a unique way to interact with their games. And with this year’s diverse lineup of truly stellar DS games – “Brain Age 2,” “Pokemon Diamond & Pearl,” “Contra 4” and “The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass” among them – there’s something for everyone in the household to play. ";
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Games_Holiday2007_GameHardware[i-1].body = "
PlayStation Portable
This fall, Sony released a newly designed version of its portable gaming machine. This streamlined PSP has gone on a diet – it’s 19 percent slimmer and 33 percent lighter. It also has more system memory (64 megabytes) and a new video-out capability so it can be plugged into a TV for some big-screen play.
Though the PSP has struggled to compete with the DS in terms of building a roster of truly unique games, the PSP has a beautiful, large screen and is home to some solid titles (be sure to check out “Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow” and “Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters”). It’s also a great machine for taking ports of favorite PS2 games on the road (check out “Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness” and “Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions”).
Tell us: Are you buying a video game machine this holiday? If so, which one?";
// END editorial data