Until recently, gaming was a small and relatively insignificant segment of the entertainment industry in India. In the past few years, however, some of the biggest names in the industry – such as Microsoft and Sony – finally acknowledged that the country is a lucrative market for their hardware, and set up operations here. It’s a great thing since we don’t have to rely on the unstable gray market for our console gaming necessities; but on the flip side, with so many options open to the novice gamer, things can get rather confusing.

So if you’re planning to ride the console gaming wagon with the rest of us and have no clue what console to pick, we shall help you with just that by telling you all you need to know before you make your decision. This article is part of Tech 2.0’s Beginner’s Week; click here for the rest of the articles.

The Contenders

Xbox360
Our first contender is Microsoft’s second-generation console: the Xbox360. It was the first current-gen gaming hardware to hit the Indian market, so it has a stronger grip compared to its competition. While its predecessor, the Xbox, was on the losing side of the last console war, it seems the folk at Microsoft have learned a lot from their mistakes, and really put their ass into gear this time around.

PlayStation 3
Sony’s got two generations of PlayStations behind it, both of which were highly successful. The PlayStation 3 is one of the most powerful pieces of hardware out there, but due to its unique architecture it’s taken a while for developers to fully understand its potential. Despite of the PS3's weak start, it’s catching up fast in the console race.

Nintendo Wii
Sadly, the most unique of the three consoles – the Nintendo Wii – hasn’t been released in India officially, so you’ll have to rely on the gray market to hook up with this console. The Wii does not have the raw graphical or processing power of the PS3 or the Xbox360, but it makes up for this with its motion controls and offbeat games that appeal to people of all ages and from all walks of life.

Now that I’ve introduced you the three contenders, let me lay down all the factors that might affect your decision, starting with the most important – the price.

Price
Xbox360
Pro Unit – Rs 27,750
Core Unit – Rs 19,990 (Ideally stay clear of this!)
Bear in mind that the Xbox360 comes equipped with only one controller, so if you wish to play with someone else on the same console, you’ll have to buy another. The wired controller is priced at Rs 2,150, while the wireless one costs Rs 2,840. Ensure that you have a High Definition LCD or Plasma TV to enjoy your Xbox360, because if you’re planning on playing it on a standard definition television set, you might as well not buy it.

PlayStation 3 (40GB) – Rs 24,990
The PlayStation 3 comes with only one controller and no HDMI cable. The extra controller (SIXAXIS) costs Rs.2,490 while an HDMI cable costs about Rs 1,200. As with the Xbox360, you might as well not buy a PS3 if you don’t have a High Definition television.

Wii (Gray Market) – Rs 17,500 (Subject to change!)
The Wii comes with only one controller and the spare comes for about Rs 3,000. The console doesn’t require a HDTV to enjoy it.



Availability
Xbox360
The Pro unit of the Xbox 360 is available through most major consumer electronics retailers across the country. The Core unit, on the other hand, has been phased out of production; it’s available only till stock lasts.

PlayStation 3
The PS3 is available at all major retailers too, but word is that they’ve almost run out of stock. If stock runs out before the next big shipment, the console might become scarce in the market.

Wii
Since the Wii’s available only in the gray market, retailers keep running out of stock from time to time. Also, not every retailer in the gray market has one, so you might have a tough time finding one.

Library
Xbox360
Since the Xbox360 had a head start, it has the maximum number of titles released in the country so far (around 86), a good number of which are exclusive to this platform. Apart from the games available in retail, you can also buy many ‘Xbox Live Arcade’ titles from their online store. New games are priced at either Rs 2,499 or Rs 1,999 (EA), while some of the older titles are available for Rs 1,499.

PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 has roughly half the number of titles the Xbox360 does (about 40). Just like the Xbox Live Arcade games, the PlayStation Network has casual games, but not as many as the Xbox360. On the other hand, the PlayStation has one of the best casual games I’ve ever played, called Pain. New titles are priced at either Rs 2,799 or Rs 2,499, while older ones are available at Rs 1,499 (EA) or Rs 1,799.

Wii
Most of the units available in the gray market are modded to play pirated games, which are available for as little as Rs 150. Not recommended.