Every week without fail a new thread appears with the title, "which console should i buy" or "which console is right for me". So with the aim of trying to help people decide for themselves here are the pro's and con's of each console. All prices are based on high street shops

PLEASE POST PRO'S AND CON'S AND I WILL ADD IT HERE (Keep it friendly)

PS3 80GB £299.99
PRO'S

extra controller duel shock 3 £34.99
friends lists/chat
Blu-ray and DVD player
internet browser
all logitec wheels compatable
wireless adapter built in
free on-line gaming
quiet
bluetooth
Gran Turismo
HOME
little big planet
PS3 TV £69.99
fast growing on-line community
change your gamer tag as many times as you want for free
you can add a massive hard drive (i.e) 350gig for £50 and it doesn't void the warranty

CON'S

very few PS3 only games
expensive

XBOX 360 ARCADE £129.99
XBOX 360 60GB £169.99
XBOX ELITE 120GB £229.99
PRO'S

extra controller wired £24.99, wireless £28.99, elite 32.99
Fanatec Porsche 911 turbo s wheel compatable
movie downloads
friends lists/chat
huge on-line community
3 year warranty
cheap
plays DVD's
Forza
PGR
GOW
HALO

CON'S

noisey
wireless adapter £60
xbox live £40 per year
reliability issues

WII £179.99
PRO'S

extra controller Nunchuk £14.99 Remote £29.99
can be played drunk or sober
wide variety of games
quiet
cheap
mario kart
WII FIT £69.99

CON'S

not a DVD player
not HD

Good idea for thread, I'll drop them a message on Website Feedback for sticky request.

The only bit I'd change from your list is the £40per year LIVE subscription... Don't see it as much of a drawback personally as that is what you will pay for just a single game nowadays!

Yeah, especialy with the lag issues being had lately!

You can add that to the CON's!

Only owning a Wii, I can't comment on others. But by far the best pro must be its intuitive game control.

For example, take bowling on Wii Sports. I set mine up on the big screen in the local boozer for an office party. It was great to see the 'old dears' that have never played on a console in their lives be able play alongside the 'young uns' and be equally competitive. The knockout tournament was won by a girl that refused to play at first "in case she looked silly"

I've no idea how the hell to get online on my Wii if that helps any..

Over say 5 years thats £200, more than enough to cover the cost of the cheapest xbox to the ps3.

Less than two years. Given the Gamecube, and the Nintendo 64 before that had a five year life, Sony's PS2 had a 6 year life, and even the original xbox a 4 year life, don't hold your breath.

Pulled from another thread by 'Nocebo'.

Sums it up perfectly!

"We own all three of the current gen consoles and all 3 have their pros & cons. All 3 get used daily. I don't really have an opinion on which is the best as to me they all do very different things, a bit like comparing a track-sg, a luxury limo and an SUV.

The Wii is good for getting non-gamer family members/friends involved who would are put off by the 360/PS3's "hardcore" image. I've had my granny playing bowling, the missus on the Wii-fit and my dad rocking out to The Stones on Guitar Hero. Downside for me is most of the games are too simplistic for experienced gamers and unless you've got a room full of drunk friends to enjoy it with, it's not much use really,

For online activity 360 wins hands down, no question. If a game is released that I know I will want to play online I will always buy it on the 360. The marketplace is a breeze to navigate and there's always new content added pretty much every day. The chunky, ergonomic man-sized controller of the 360 is a joy to use, way better than either of the other consoles. Apart from the fact that it eats batteries like they were going out of fashion.

What I don't like about the 360 is the feeling that you're constantly being ripped off by Microsoft. Comes with no built in wireless card, no internet browser, a monthly subscription fee to play online and lots of extra content for games that you have to buy, which should've come on the disc as part of the original game purchase. Just feels like they want to control your online "experience" and transactions too much. Also, if you enjoy screaming teenage yanks shouting and singing down your ear, get a 360.

As for the reliability, I've had RROD twice, that didn't bother me too much but the shocking level of incompetence displayed by Microsoft, or their agents, when dealing with my repairs was infuriating. They actually lost my console the first time, sent it back to the wrong address the second time, it was an absolute nightmare. It has taken a total of 8 weeks to get it repaired twice, compared to the 4 day turn around when my PS3 died on a Thursday courier turned up with the replacement when he came to collect the dead one on the following Monday.

The PS3 is the better all-round “home-entertainment” console. Built in Blu-Ray player, at that price point, is amazing value. Coupled with the built in wireless internet connectivity meaning I can surf the internet in the living room, on the big screen, without trudging upstairs to the spare bedroom, has now made the PS3 indispensable.

Its online service is totally free but the Playstation Store is frankly rubbish. Dated, clumsily designed and poorly configured it’s hard to find your way around and there’s very little worth downloading anyway. Hardly ever gets new content compared to Xbox marketplace, where you can actually rent movies!

The PS3 dual-shock controller is appalling too. Granted you don’t need to be constantly charging batteries up to stick in the damn thing but it’s way too small, brittle and light to be comfortable in a man’s hands and I’ve got pretty small hands for a bloke. Gets uncomfortable after a while and fingers tend to slip off the triggers.

So, to summarise, if you’re serious, get all three. If you’re only bothered about gaming and gaming alone, get the 360. If you can only afford one, I’d say get a PS3. It has some catching up to do with the 360 in terms of amount of software and online experience but it is the only console that can truly be described as next gen, IMO. Only buy a Wii if there are women or children in your household.

Phew!! Thanks for reading!"

This is exactly the kind of crap that this thread doesn't need.

What's the £200 for exactly? I'll give you the wireless adaptor (although personally I wouldn't dream of trying to game online over a wireless connection) although that will cost you £50. Still sat here scratching my head about what the other £150 could be.

Talking about stuff you don't get included, throw in a headset for the PS3, a HDMI lead, some of those trigger things, that's about £40.

Of course you'll play the subscription fee card, which at most will cost you £40 a year and can be found for around £25 a year if you shop around, that's about £2 a month, or less than one pint a month down your local. As good as the PS3 online service is now (and Burnout Paradise is the very best example of it) it still isn't quite as good as XBox live, which is why I'm happy paying £25 a year for the privilege.

This thread is the last place I think we should be offering biased opinions, you simply want a collection of facts about each console that isn't tarnished with fanboy crap.

Agreed.