XBox 360 vs. PS3 vs. Wii

The video game console wars have simmered a bit since the holidays, so I thought it was time to compare each of them and see who's winning.

First, the basics. As you may have read in my previous post, Sony comes equipped with Blu-Ray drives and Microsoft equips the XBox 360 with HD-DVDs (for an extra price). As it stands right now, the Wii supports neither, though rumor has it it will also be packaged with an HD-DVD player soon.

When it comes to the tech specs, the Wii packs less punch than the 360 and PS3. The former's processing power is about 1/6 that of the other two. It also has less graphics power, less RAM, slower read times, less memory and lower digital video output. So why is the Wii competitive at all? Because of its controller.

The creators of the Wii designed a new way to play video games. Players can use the Wii Remote (thankfully they changed the name from the original Wiimote), the Nunchuk, the classic controller or the light zapper.

The other two spent more time beefing up their graphics and processing. The PS3 barely edges out the XBox 360 in categories such as CPU speed, memory and others.

Game selection then becomes important. Many are still being worked on, some still without release dates. Franchise games for all three (e.g. Mario for Nintendo, Final Fantasy for Sony or Halo for Microsoft) will also determine who buys a system.

And who is buying these systems? As of the middle of this month, here are the totals.
XBox 360: 4.5+ million units in the United States
PS3: 687,000+ units in the United States
Wii: 1.25+ million units in North America
Bear in mind, the XBox launched long before the other two, and they price differently. XBox 360 Premium is $400, Playstation 3 Premium is $600 and the Wii is about $450 (quantities are scarce).

My verdict: It all depends on you. Sorry to be so vague on this one, but if you're a graphics fan, the Wii isn't your system. If you're a casual gamer, then it might be. If you love Final Fantasy, the choice if obvious. Just don't make it lightly. You're dropping hundreds of dollars on a way to not do homework/do chores/spend time with your loving family.

Windows Vista

Microsoft will launch Windows Vista on Tuesday. Do you need it?

The short answer: probably not. At least, not right away.

That's not to say it's not a great new operating system. Check out some of the new features:

• Look and Feel - Windows has a clean, sleek look called Aero. Windows are semi-transparent, and looks similar to Mac OS X. It also features a new tool called Flip 3D which allows you to browse your open programs and documents in a 3D card-shuffling way. Windows Desktop Search also allows you to browse your computer much more accurately. Finally, Windows includes new "Gadgets," tiny programs that provide quick access to the weather, time, calculator and other mini-tools.
  
• Updated Windows programs - Microsoft Mail, Movie Maker, Paint and many other standard Windows programs have gotten facelifts and are built with new features. Among the coolest is that WordPad can now take dictation, allowing you to talk to your PC and have it write for you.
  
• Security - Microsoft has had a real problem with hackers trying to sabotage and hijack its software. With every release, the company claims its most secure version, only to release many fixes later. This time is no exception.
  
• Audio and Video - Microsoft is also putting plenty of effort into making Windows more graphics intensive. Mac OS has always given Windows a run for its money in the video department, but time will tell whether Vista can put OS X to shame. As mentioned above, Vista has also incorporated speech recognition.
  
• Networking - Vista has rebuilt its wireless networking capabilities, making the "connections" easier to enable and more stable.
  
• There are lots of other improvements, but it would take all day to list them. If you'd like to read up on more on them, check out Microsoft's Vista site or Wikipedia's list.

So do you need it? The better question is can you handle it? It's a really system-intense operating system, and odds are, unless you bought your computer within the last six months, Vista will drag. You can find out if your PC is tough enough with the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor.

If you've got enough muscle in your machine for it, the next question is, which Vista do you need?
There are three editions for the non-business user:

• Vista Home Basic - $99 (upgrade)/$199 (full), doesn't include the new look and feel
  
• Vista Home Premium - $159 (upgrade)/$239 (full)
  
• Vista Ultimate - $259 (upgrade)/$399 (full)

Don't get the Basic edition. It's missing most of the cool stuff, even if it is less intense on your computer. Home Premium will work for most average home PC users, unless you plan on recording TV on your computer. In that case, you'll need the Ultimate edition.

So, if your computer is new enough and you don't mind shelling out roughly $200 for the new version, Windows Vista is a good investment.

Nerds are pretty much in agreement on its greatness. The New York Times/CNET gave it a 7.8 out of 10, and PC World gives 15 reasons to upgrade.
But Wired is joining the anti-Vista minority, stating that "you don't need Vista now."

No one is yet stating that Vista isn't a great OS. Instead, all the reservations people seem to have are about it being too potent for most computers, and certain issues it has with anti-virus programs.

My verdict: Upgrade when you get your next computer

Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD

Even for a tech-minded guy like me, I get easily confused on this debate. What is the difference between these two DVD technologies? Big companies are throwing lots of time and money behind two competing formats: Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.

And there are lots of important technical differences. There are transfer rates, audio and video codecs and video systems. But what's it all mean?

First, how they differ from the DVDs you currently have on your shelf. The new formats have noticeably better video and audio qualities, hold more video and audio, can play them back with better performance and will hold content that you can really show off on your hot new HDTV.

So what's the difference between the two? Simply put, Blu-Ray is the better quality format. It holds almost twice as much data and video and plays it back at a better quality than HD-DVD. To put it in perspective, a typical Blu-Ray DVD can hold almost six times the video of a regular DVD and almost twice the video of an HD-DVD.

So what's the big deal? Blu-Ray is better, so it will win out, right?
Well, not necessarily.

The debate comes in over cost. More companies (Toshiba, NEC, Microsoft, Intel) have put their weight behind HD-DVD than they have for Blu-Ray (Sony). This is because anyone who wants to put their products on Blu-Ray will need to purchase new facilities to do so. And they pass the cost onto you, the consumer, to the tune of roughly $5-10 more per disc. This also means that the players themselves will cost considerably more, too (roughly $500 vs. $1,000-$1,800).

After reviewing these facts, some of you may be getting flashbacks to the Betamax vs. VHS battle of twenty years ago. In many ways, it's very similar, with some already predicting defeat for Blu-Ray (and Sony).

So who will win? Frankly, it's still too early to tell. One major determining factor is the recent release of the newest generation of video game consoles this winter. Sony, backers of Blu-Ray, put out PlayStation 3. Microsoft, backers of HD-DVD, put out XBox 360. The Consumer Electronics Show this year saw the battle raging on, though some are predicting it is in the final throes.

Either way, consumers will get better quality DVDs. There's no question that these formats are leaps and bounds beyond traditional DVDs. The only questions left are over quality and cost. And millions of high-tech companies' dollars are on the line to answer them.

Tech Talk:

Blu-Ray	HD-DVD
Sponsor: Sony	Sponsors: Toshiba, NEC, Microsoft, Intel
Backing studios: Paramount, Warner Bros.	Backing studios: New Line, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros.
Capacity: 50 GB (dual layer), 23 hours of standard definition content, 9 hours of high definition content	Capacity: 30 GB (dual layer), 13.8 hours of standard definition content, 5.4 hours of high-definition content
Video formats: MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264	Video formats: MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264
Audio formats: Dolby Digital (AC-3), PCM, DTS	Audio formats: Dolby Digital (AC-3), PCM, DTS
Audio quality: 640 kb/s	Audio quality: 448 kb/s
Region codes: 3	Region codes: 0

iPhone

For the first entry of nerds2words, I'm taking a look at Apple's newest launch, the iPhone.

So far, the press has treated it with the typical excitement. But what's the big deal?

Well here's what it's got to offer:

• Bright, wide, rotatable color touch-screen
  
• An iPod that can hold about 1,000 or 2,000 songs (depending on the version you get)
  
• All the features of a regular cell phone, including speaker phone, text messaging, conference calling and a high-end camera
  
• Wireless internet, e-mail and mapping
  
• Price: $499 or $599, depending on the model

So, big question: who cares?
Even at the minimum, the iPhone will run you half a grand. Now, the technology is sound, as is most all of Apple's products. It's flashy, it works great, it'll hold as many songs as the biggest economy iPod.

But if you've got a cell phone and an iPod (or some other MP3 player), the biggest advantage you'll have is instead of carrying around two five ounce products, you'll have one. Granted, the combination makes things simpler. For example, you're going out to meet friends at a new restaurant. You can call them to get the address and time to meet, get driving directions, read a review of the restaurant, all while checking out the newest Killers album.

Of course, all this could be done without an iPhone, between your existing iPod and Internet-enabled phone. And you could have that $500, some of which could be spent at the restaurant.

My verdict: Hang on to your money. When the iPhone can provide you with features that are not available anywhere else, then maybe you should consider dropping a paycheck on it, no matter how sleek it is.