With Christmas edging closer, those of you considering a next-generation games console may well need some help before you make that illustrious decision. And that’s where DS comes in, with a fully featured guide to the three main consoles on the market.

Over the next three days, we are going to take a look at each individual system, examining their good and bad points, what gamers can expect from the machine, the best Christmas games for the system and to round things off, we also mention some of the deals currently on offer by the major high street stores.

And on Friday, we will give our ultimate verdict on what games system to put under the Christmas tree.

Happy shopping!

See also: Wii and PS3


The Console
Launched December 2, 2005 in the UK, Microsoft was the first to market with its next-generation console system, released a full year ahead of Nintendo’s Wii console and almost two years ahead of Sony’s PS3.

Having been around for longer, there’s a superb range of games out for the Xbox 360 and its online play is the best of the three machines on the market.

For those gamers who would like to watch high-definition movies, HD rentals can be downloaded via the new Xbox Live Marketplace Video Store or discs can be played on a HD-DVD player, which is an optional extra costing £114.99.

Buying an Xbox 360 is quite a complicated issue as there are now four versions of the console available, as well as dozens of retailer-specific bundles on the market.

Firstly, there’s the Xbox 360 Arcade system, which replaced the original Core model and is the cheapest of the four at £199. This model was released on October 26 and is essentially a beginner’s console, perfect for youngers and casual gamers.

It features everything from the next model up, but there’s no built-in hard drive, hence the cheaper price, and there’s no headset or internet cables. It does include an HMDI output to allow you to hook the machine up to an HD-ready TV and it comes with a 256Mb memory card to allow for game saves. Without a hard drive, downloading and online play is out as is playing original Xbox games, but a separate hard drive can be bought at a later date (£69.99 for a 20Gb model), as can the internet cables, so the system is expandable.

The pack also comes with a single wireless controller and five games: PAC-MAN Championship Edition, Uno, Luxor 2, Boom Boom Rocket and Feeding Frenzy.

Next is the main Xbox 360 system, named Xbox 360 Pro (pictured above). Priced at £249.99, this Xbox 360 Premium replacement includes a 20Gb hard drive, HDMI port, a headset and cables for online play. This machine is sold as a standlone console, but retailers offer it with a range of games for various prices so it’s worth shopping around.

Microsoft released the Xbox 360 Elite console on August 24, which is basically their top-of-the-range system. Priced the same as the PlayStation 3 at £299.99, this one features a huge 120Gb hard drive, making it perfect for those who plan to download a lot.

There’s an HDMI port built-in and the pack comes complete with an HDMI cable, as well as a headset for online play, a one-month subscription to the Xbox Live gold service while the console itself features a unique black finish. As with the Pro edition, retailers are offering various ‘bundle’ deals to it’s a good idea to look around.

Finally, there is the Xbox 360 Halo 3 Limited Edition console, priced at £279.99. Styled in the Halo 3 colours, this console features a 20Gb hard drive, HDMI port, full online set-up including headset, exclusive Halo 3 content downloable from Xbox Live and a one-month subscription to the Xbox Live gold service.

Good Points
The Xbox 360 is the most well established of all the next-generation consoles and, therefore, it has the largest range of games on offer. Its wireless controller works well and its online service is unrivalled. There's also the optional HD-DVD drive allowing movie fans to watch films in HD quality, while the range of consoles on offer means there’s one to suit all pockets and tastes.

Bad Points
The Xbox 360 has suffered from technical problems, gaining a reputation for poor reliability and high failure rates, forcing Microsoft to extend its warranty to three years to cover consumer woes.

Since September, however, the firm has equipped all new consoles with the Falcon motherboard, featuring a revised design that contains the new 65nm central processor and cooling system. Microsoft claims this update will ensure hardware failures are a thing of the past.

Online
For those with a broadband connection, Xbox Live is free for silver members, but costs £39.99 a year to subscribe to the gold service, giving users full access to online play and downloadable new content such as trailers, demos of forthcoming games etc.

Sales
Up to Spring 2007, worldwide sales stood at 13.4 million units. Following the release of Halo 3 in North America, sales of the console really took off, selling 528,000 units in September compared to 501,000 Nintendo Wii’s during the same period.

Top Christmas Games
BioShock, Halo 3, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Assassin's Creed, Need for Speed: Prostreet, FIFA 08, Mass Effect and Half-Life 2: The Orange Box.

Current Deals
HMV is offering Need for Speed: Prostreet and Halo 3 for £15 when buying an Xbox Pro console for £249.99.

Game is selling the Xbox 360 Arcade bundle with Forza Motorsport 2 and Viva Pinata, as well as an additional wireless controller, for £209.99.

Currys is selling the Xbox 360 Pro console with Halo 3, Assassin's Creed and Virtua Fighter 5 for £279.

Gamestation has the Xbox 360 Elite console available with any game of your choice for £319.99.