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How to Choose and Buy a Games Console

Video games are one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world, and millions of games consoles are sold each year.

The popularity of games consoles means that console manufacturers such as Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are continually developing new consoles using the latest technology to stay ahead of each other in the market place.

As a result, knowing which games console to choose can be difficult, whether you are buying a games console for the first time, buying one as a present for someone else, or simply looking to upgrade your current games console.

So we've prepared the following guide to the sort of things you should be looking for when choosing and buying a games console to help you find your way around the market-place.

How to Choose a Games Console

There are a number of questions that you need to ask yourself before choosing a games console to make sure that you buy the right games console for you. Here are some of the things you will need to consider when making your choice.

Choosing a Games Console – Handheld or Home Consoles

One of the first decisions you will need to make when looking for a games console is whether or not you want a games console which will mainly be used at home, or whether you want a portable handheld games console.

Brands of games consoles designed mainly for home use include: Microsoft XBox, Microsoft XBox 360, Sony PlayStation 2 and Sony PlayStation 3. Many of these are still fairly portable, but they aren't specifically designed for use when travelling.

Brands of handheld games consoles include: Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Game Boy Micro, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Gizmondo and Nokia N-Gage.

You can find out more about the different types of console available in our Types of Games Console section.

Choosing a Games Console – Size and Design

If you want to buy a games console which will mainly be used at home, you may want to compare the sizes and designs of the consoles available to make sure that they are suitable for your living room.

Most games consoles nowadays are extremely compact and come in a range of colours, so you should be able to find something suitable whatever your tastes.

If you are looking for a handheld games console, you'll need something that you can fit in a trouser pocket or bag easily and is light to carry, so compare the sizes of each type of handheld console before buying.

You can find out more about the sizes, designs and colours of different types of games consoles in our Types of Games Console section.

Choosing a Games Console – Graphics and Sound

The quality of the graphics and sound on a games console is one of the most important factors which will affect your game play and enjoyment of your games console, whether you are playing on a games console at home or on a handheld games console.

Some of the more recently developed games consoles are designed to be wired up to home cinema equipment so that you can enjoy the effect of listening to the soundtracks of your games in Dolby Digital or Digital Theatre Systems (DTS) sound. Future expected games consoles such as the PlayStation 3, are likely to be specifically designed to fit in with the boom in High Definition TV, so if you are planning to get an HDTV you might want to buy a games console to go with it.

You can find out more about the digital and audio abilities of different types of games consoles in our Types of Games Console section.

Choosing a Games Console – Choice of Games

Another important thing to think about when you are choosing your games console is the range of games available for each console.

Established games consoles tend to offer a huge number of games while consoles which have only just been launched are likely to offer you less choice.

However, many games consoles now offer backwards compatibility. This means that you can play games designed for the earlier models of games console made by the same company on the new console.

PlayStation 2 consoles, for example, allow you to play PlayStation One games on them, and it is rumoured that you'll be able to play both PlayStation 2 and original PlayStation games on the new PlayStation 3 console.

Similarly, you can play XBox games on Microsoft's XBox 360, and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance SP has been designed to allow you to play every Game Boy game ever released!

If you are thinking of upgrading to a newer games console, then you might want to consider buying a console which lets you play your old games on it. However, you might have a friend or family member with a compatible games console to the one you are looking at buying, meaning that you can share games and reduce the cost.

You can find out more about the different type of games offered for each console in our Types of Game Console section and on our Games page.

Choosing a Games Console – Network Gaming

Network gaming is one of the most popular ways to play video games, as this means that you can play against other gamers - locally using a local wireless connector or globally via an internet broadband connector.

If you want to play against players across the world, then it's important that you check that the console you are considering offers you this facility.

You can find out more about the network gaming capabilities of different games consoles in our Types of Games Console section.

Choosing a Games Console – Accessories

It's also worth considering which types of accessories you would like to get with your games console – if you want to use cameras like the Sony Eye Toy, for example, you need to make sure that you can get them for the games console that you are looking at. Our Types of Game Console section will tell you more about the types of accessory you can use with each type of console. You can look at some of the specific accessories on the market in our Accessories section.

Choosing a Games Console – Budget

Even when you've taken all of these factors into consideration, your choice of games console is going to be largely down to your budget. The latest models of games console can cost up to £400, but don't despair if that's out of your price range.

Many types of games console have dropped dramatically in price since they were launched, and you can get some great deals if you shop around.

One of the best ways to save money on games consoles is to look for console bundle deals – these consist of a games console together with a selection of games and/or accessories at a far cheaper price than you would be paying if you bought each item separately.

Buying a Games Console – Online Deals

By ordering online, you can also sometimes get special internet offers from different games console shops. For information about where to start looking for great deals on consoles visit our Top Sites section, where you will find details of some of the best sites around, together with details of what they offer, their postage and packaging costs and their refunds policies.