Comparative Study of Video Gaming Systems

Your primary preference is a game genre, with your most preferred genre being Role-Playing. Several other genres that you are interested in are Action, Adventure, Platformers, and Strategy. Your only real restriction is a spending limit of $700 for your entire gaming setup. Other preferences that have been noted are the system’s Blu-Ray capabilities, and that the system targets a mature audience. The three most prominent video gaming systems on the market that fit your preferences are Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Nintendo’s Wii, and Sony’s Playstation The following criteria are being used to evaluate your options. Hardware Specifications. Games Offered. Target demographic. Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches. Movie-Playing Features The remaining contents of this comparative study will be organized into several sections. RESEARCH DATA will be presented organized first by option and then by evaluative criteria. Each of the evaluative criteria will be compared in the RESULTS section by showing the results for each option side-by-side. These results will be totaled and a final CONCLUSION will be made. Finally, I will make a RECOMMENDATION as to the most appropriate course of action.

Research Data Microsoft Xbox 360 Cost: $199. 99 – includes a 4GB console with built-in wi-fi, one wireless controller, A/V cables, and a one-month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold. Hardware Specification: The following table shows vital hardware specifications that are important to your gaming preferences. The following images show compiled game review scores by genre to show which console does best for several preferable genres. The results have been split into two types for each console. The lighter shaded color bars show the average score for all games for the specified system in that genre. The darker shaded color bars show the average score of just the top 5 best-scoring games in that genre for the specified system. Graph 1. 1: Role-Playing Games Bar Graph Graph 1. 2: Adventure Games Bar Graph Graph 1. 3: Platformer Games Bar Graph Target Demographic: The target demographic of the Xbox 360 is most easily identified and quantified by looking at the ESRB ratings of the most popular game titles. The following is a list of the number of Xbox 360 titles offered for each ESRB game rating. EVERYONE - 303 Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older.

Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. EVERYONE 10+ - 213 Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes. TEEN - 535 Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. MATURE - 491. Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for person ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and/or strong language.

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RATING PENDING

Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a game's release. ) Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches: The ten most common hardware malfunctions and glitches for the Xbox 360 are as follows:  3 red flashing lights, also known as “Red Ring of Death”. Open the tray and/or disc error messages. No video or only audio DVD laser replacement. White screen Most of these issues must be dealt with by professionals and will be costly. Self-repair is a possibility but is not recommended. Most systems run into issues eventually, but the Xbox runs into hardware problems more frequently than the other options. Movie-Playing Features: The Xbox 360 is capable of playing the following types of multimedia discs (list does not include Blu-Ray): * Xbox 360 Discs * Xbox 1 Discs * DVDs * CDs * DVD-R * DVD+R * DVD-RW * DVD+RW * CD-R CD-RW * Dual Discs Nintendo’s Wii Cost: $149. 99 – includes one remote controller, one nunchuck controller, one wheel controller, one sensor bar, and Mario Kart for Wii. Hardware Specification: The following table shows vital hardware specifications that are important to your gaming preferences. Games Offered: The following table shows how many Wii games are offered in your three most preferred genres.

Also, see the graphics and information in the section Microsoft’s Xbox 360 – Games Offered. Target Demographic: The target demographic of the Nintendo Wii is most easily identified and quantified by looking at the ESRB ratings of the most popular game titles. The following is a list of the number of Wii titles offered for each ESRB game rating. EVERYONE – 916 Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. EVERYONE 10+ - 355 Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.

Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. MATURE - 57 Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and/or strong language. RATING PENDING - 61 Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a game's release. ) Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches: Three common hardware malfunctions and Glitches for the Wii console are as follows:  Power Supply Issue. WiConnect 24 Issue. Dual-Layer Wii Disc Problem All of these minor issues are covered by warranty and do not occur on the same scale as other video gaming systems. The most common issue relating to the Wii system occurs when an excess of light interferes with the Wii Remote. Movie-Playing Features: The Nintendo Wii is only capable of playing Wii and GameCube discs and does not support the playing of DVD or Blu-ray Discs. Sony’s Playstation 3 Cost: $299. 99 – Includes access to the Playstation Network at no charge, 160GB hard drive, and one wireless controller. Hardware Specification: The following table shows vital hardware specifications that are important to your gaming preferences.

The following is a list of the number of Playstation 3 titles offered for each ESRB game rating. EVERYONE – 481 Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. EVERYONE 10+ - 186 Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes. TEEN - 529 Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. MATURE - 373 Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and/or strong language. RATING PENDING - 145 Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a game's release.

Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches:

The five most common Playstation 3 hardware malfunctions and glitches are as follows: * Yellow light of death (3 red light beeps) * Not reading games/blu-rays * No video * Stuck discs * No power Doing self-repair is very difficult on the Playstation 3 is highly discouraged. Most of these issues are not easy fixes and require the replacement of key components. Movie-Playing Features: The Playstation 3 is capable of playing the following types of multimedia discs (the list includes Blu-Ray): Playstation 1,2, and 3 Discs. Blu-ray Discs. DVDs.CDs * DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW DVD+RW, CD-R, CD-RW. Dual Discs RESULTS Comparing Costs The following table shows your three options with their prices and a ranking based on affordability.

BEST OPTION: All Because you have already identified that your spending limit is $700 for a gaming setup, none of these options go against your cost preference. Cost is not a preventative factor in purchasing a video gaming system based on this information. However, if you decide that you would like to readjust your spending limit given the substantial difference between your limit and the prices of the systems, the Wii is your best option. Comparing Hardware Specifications The table below lists the hardware specifications for each option, and also includes the online capabilities of each system and their respective networks.

BEST OPTION: Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Because your preference is to play online Role-Playing Games, the focus of the hardware specification criterion has to be online capabilities. When it comes to online game-play, Xbox 360 has the technical specifications to make it the best option. One of the most important specifications in a system is its processor speed. The Xbox 360 boasts a 3. 2 GHz PowerPC Tri-Core Xenon processor, which is the same speed as the Playstation 3, but far superior to the Wii. When it comes to intense online gameplay with potentially dozens of other players, it is important to have a processor that can keep up. To keep the whole system running smoothly and minimize lag time, it is also important to have a substantial amount of RAM. The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 have 512 MB of RAM, while the Wii only has 256 MB.

At this point, the Xbox and Playstation 3 are nearly equal in terms of specifications that lean toward online gaming. What really pushes the Xbox 360 in the lead is their network: Xbox Live. As of 2011, Xbox Live has over 30 million users worldwide. Most of the games that are played on the Xbox Live network are geared toward your gaming preference of Role-Playing and Adventure games. However, due to the massive size of the network and the sheer number of users, even a less popular category like Strategy is available for multi-player gaming. According to Michael McNeilly, an experienced Xbox 360 online gamer, “There is really nothing like the Xbox Live network out there. The network for PS3 is okay, but it isn’t nearly as big and has a lot of bugs that still haven’t been worked out. ” Michael Mcneilly has played all of the other systems extensively, but due to his love for online gaming, he chose the Xbox 360. Ralph Jones, an avid Wii owner, and player explained to me that he really has no need to play online. He mostly enjoys the physical nature of the Wii’s gameplay and doubts that the Wii is even capable of serious online gaming.

According to Kyle Johnson, an avid gamer and owner of all three options, the Wii is not a competitive option in terms of online gaming. When asked about the Playstation 3 and its online gaming community, Kyle explained that there is a reason that the Playstation Network does not have a subscription fee. It is not adequate when compared to Xbox Live, and the number of users sometimes makes it hard to play the less popular games online. Clearly, the Xbox 360 offers the best of both worlds. It has a massive online gaming community and also boasts a powerful 3. GHz processor. With processor speed and RAM that are equal to the Playstation 3 and far superior to the Wii, the Xbox Live community is what gives the Xbox 360 the top-ranking and makes it the best option in terms of hardware specification.

BEST OPTION: Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Based on the averages found for all five relevant genres, the Xbox 360 is the best option for the Games Offered criterion. Even though the Playstation 3 has a slightly higher total number of Role-Playing Games available for sale, it does not outweigh the fact that the Xbox 360 scored significantly higher on overall game-review scores. It is generally more important to have higher-rated games than a greater quantity of lower-rated games. For this reason, the Xbox 360 is the best choice for the Games Offered criterion. Comparing Target Demographics Table 1. 11 displays your three options and the total number of ratings received for each rating category out of all games available for each system.

BEST OPTION: Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Based on all of the games available for each gaming system, the Xbox 360 has the most games with ratings in the Mature and Teen categories. Since you, Pascal, are an adult and prefer the types of games that are most commonly rated Teen and Mature, the Xbox 360 gets the top rank for the Target Demographic criterion. Sony’s Playstation 3 comes in second with a comparable number of games in the Teen and Mature rating categories, but they are not quite as high as the Xbox 360. Nintendo’s Wii has the least number of ratings in each of those categories. The Wii has a staggeringly low number of games in the Mature category at 57, and roughly 150 fewer games in the Teen category than the Xbox 360 and Playstation.

This makes it clear that the Xbox 360 is geared toward an adult audience, and will likely have more games that suit the preferences of an adult. The Playstation 3 is a close second, but still offers significantly fewer games in the Mature category. The Wii seems to be geared toward a younger, less mature audience, and will likely have the least number of games that will fit your preferences. With all of this considered, it is clear that the Xbox 360 is the best option for the Target Demographic criterion. Comparing Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches Table 1. 11 shows all of the common hardware malfunctions and glitches for each option. This table also assigns a ranking (1 being the system with the overall least severe hardware problems relative to the other options). Table 1. 12: Comparing Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches | Options| Microsoft’s Xbox 360| Nintendo’s Wii| Sony’s Playstation 3| Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches| *Complete System Crash – “Red Ring of Death”*Basic Hardware Failure (eg. DVD tray and laser failure)| *Power Supply Issue*WiConnect24 Issue*Dual-Layer Wi Disc Failure| *Complete System Crash –“Yellow Lights of Death”. Ranking. BEST OPTION: Nintendo’s Wii Based on this table and other research, I have identified Nintendo’s Wii as your best option for the Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches criterion. Even though the Wii does run into problems occasionally, they are rarely as severe as they are with the other options.

All of the problems listed for the Wii are covered by warranty and are not worthy of complete system replacement. Alternatively, the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 both commonly run into full system crashes, which render the system unusable. Kyle Johnson, an avid gamer and owner of all three options, has never run into a problem with his Wii but has experienced full system crashes on both his Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The only reason the Xbox 360 is ranked higher than the Playstation 3 is that self-repair on the Playstation 3 is strongly discouraged. Kyle Johnson and Michael McNeilly have both performed minor repairs on their Xbox 360’s, but have never dared to open up their Playstation 3’s. With all things considered, Nintendo’s Wii is the best option for the Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches criterion. Comparing Movie-Playing Features Table 1. 13 below shows all of the media discs played by each option, and whether or not that option satisfies your preference of having a built-in Blu-Ray player.

BEST OPTION: Sony’s Playstation 3 Based on the media discs that each option offers, Sony’s Playstation 3 is the obvious choice for the top rank in the Movie-Playing Features criterion. The Playstation 3 is capable of playing both DVDs and Blu-Rays, while the Xbox 360 is only capable of playing DVDs. The Nintendo Wii, however, cannot even play DVDs. Because you have identified that you prefer a video gaming system that has a built-in Blu-Ray player, Playstation 3 is the best option for the Movie-Playing Features criterion. CONCLUSIONS lists the rankings of each of the six evaluative criteria used throughout this report. In order to come to an overall conclusion as to which option to select, I have assigned reversed point values to the previously determined rankings. If, for instance, an option received a ranking of 1, it would be valued a 3. A ranking of 2 receives a value of 2, and a ranking of 3 is valued a 1. The total number of points will be shown at the bottom of the table along with the final ranking. The video gaming system with the highest number of points will be ranked as 1 and will be your best option.

Table 1. 14:

RECOMMENDATIONS

It has been determined that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is the best option, and I would like to recommend to you several retailers where it is available for purchase. The price is universal when bought new but may vary depending on bundling and other promotions. I have prepared a table showing three popular retailers, the nearest location, and the price of the Xbox 360 4GB system. Throughout my research, I began to realize that the final outcome would depend heavily on how much any criterion was valued. Based on your personal preferences, the best choice is the Xbox 360. However, if you decided that you valued having a Blu-Ray player above everything else, then the Playstation 3 would be the best option. If you decided that the only way to play Role-Playing Games was to use a remote and a nunchuck, then the Wii would be the best choice. It all depends on the valuing of any particular criterion. If you are interested in doing further research, the bibliography lists all sources used. My personal interviewees may be available if you would like to ask them questions, and all of my other sources have a variety of useful and reliable information. Based on everything I have learned from this report and my personal experience with the system, I believe that the Xbox 360 is the best choice for a video gaming system.

Reference

1. The console at Nintendo - Wii. " Nintendo Wii Console. Web. 07 Aug. 2011.
2. Doree, Phil. "3 Common Wii Technical Problems. " Associated Content from Yahoo! - Associated content. com. Web. 04 Aug. 2011.
3. "ESRB Ratings Guide and Definitions. " Entertainment Software Rating Board. Web. 04 Aug. 2011.
4. "How to Fix Common Xbox 360 Problems: Same Day Repairs, Low Prices. " Same-day Xbox Repair. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Johnson, Kyle. Owns All Three Options, Personal interview. 29 July 2011.
5. Jones, Ralph. Wii Owner, Personal interview. 30 July 2011.
6. McNeilly, Michael. Xbox 360 Owner, Personal Interview. 0 July 2011. "Microsoft Xbox 360 Slim Specs (4GB) - Consoles - CNET Reviews. " Product Reviews - Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews; More - CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011.
7. "Nintendo Wii Specs (original, Wii Sports Bundle) - Consoles - CNET Reviews. " Product Reviews - Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews; More - CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011.
8. "PlayStation 3 - 160 GB System. " PlayStation - PS3. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. "Playstation 3 Search - GameStop. " Games for PS3. Web. 04 Aug. 2011.
9. "Sony PlayStation 3 Slim Specs (160GB) - Consoles - CNET Reviews. Product Reviews - Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews & More - CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011.
10. Towell Justin, Games Radar UK, “Which console does best and worst in each genre? ” 09 Aug. 2011.

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