I am a wii owner after many years of not having a console. I am just over 25 and i am considering buying a 360 or a PS3. Though the PS3 is too expensive at the moment. Then again i am just not really a "hardcore" gamer. There are aspects of this artical that trouble me in that it really is a oversimplification of the reasons why people buy a console. Some of the aspects that you seem to brush over.
You say "prices are an ever changing thing". Reality: I would not buy a PS3 until it is under 400 euor and it is currently at over 600 euor (800 dollars in ireland). The PS3 will clearly not go down by 200 euro for a long time( I reckon over 2 years).
PS3 and 360 can do everything that the Wii is doing. But what the wii is doing is a philosophy, that they have committed to at the price of graphics. If PS3 and 360 follow suite before there prices come down they will get hammered. If i buy a pS3 it will be for resistance or motorstorm or halo not for any other reason!!! I would like to own gears of war so 360 does seem to be very attractive to me now.
I am really looking forward to mario galaxy, super smash brothers and Metroid. These are games that are first party games are something that PS3 and 360 don't do and can't do. Though in terms of Metroid they can make games like them. PS3 and 360 have a style and identity and if they are going to sell machines at 600 euro need to highlight this not to try and copy other systems.
I think what you are saying does have points, in that graphics do matter to an extent. But they need to improve at a rate that means the console can be sold at a price for people who want to play games and not to ultrahardcore users. I also think spending so much on the development of a game may stop developers from taking risks and be more likely to use a formula. But then i may be proved wrong. I have tried to be objective but i really have to be critical of your artical in that it is wholly focused on the graphics issue which is to ps3's strenght and swipped away other aspects which it wasn't. I think about 3 years the ps3 will start to make inroads but then you have to wonder if the other two consoles are not thinking about their next generation. If it can get its price down fast enough, i might consider getting one and i hope you enjoy your time on it while i scrounge the money and hold off for a few years at least :).
