Many Parents may have heard the term “Console Wars” either from their children or in Radio, TV or on the Web. But what really is this war all about? And why do our kids care?

“Console Wars” is a term widely used by mainstream and enthusiast media to refer to periods of intense competition for market shares between video game console manufacturers. The winners of these “wars” are debated based on different standards: market penetration and financial success and the fierce loyalty and numbers of the fans of the system’s games.

Although a “Console War” can be thought of as a battle between competing console manufacturers, much of the controversy and notoriety is associated with the supporters of each console (e.g. our kids), who often pledge loyalty to a console even before its release and engage in intense arguments over the merits of their chosen console.

………PlayStation 3……………Nintendo Wii…………….Xbox360………

The current generation war is between the new consoles of Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo: the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii respectively. The Xbox 360 was the first console to be released in this generation, followed by the PlayStation 3 and the Wii nearly a year later. All three consoles have had major shortages both at their launches and directly afterwards, with the Xbox 360’s continuing for months after release and Wii’s still continuing; the PlayStation 3 saw high demand for its first week of release, but did not continue -possibly due to the high price point and lack of software.

………Nintendo DS……………..Sony PSP………

Nintendo and Sony originally denied competing with each other with their handheld products, it was widely believed that a new handheld war had begun with the releases of the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable (PSP) in late 2004 and early 2005, respectively. Today Sony’s PSP is widely regarded as a failure, while Nintendo’s DS continues to be the best selling gaming device worldwide.

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