I love my box: The 360 monologues

Spending time with all three next-gen systems only further convinced me that I made the right decision in purchasing an Xbox 360.\nFrankly, it seems like the best bang for your buck.\nAdmittedly, the PS3 version of "Madden 07" did look a tad bit better, but not worth shelling out an additional $100-$200 for the system. Bring out a true killer-app PS3-exclusive in a couple years though that really shows the graphical difference between the two.\nStill, nothing on the PS3 looks as good "Gears of War" on the 360.\nAnd for some weird reason the new Dualshake controller feels kind of flimsy compared to the weightier Xbox 360 wireless controller.\nThe Nintendo Wii was more of a mixed bag than I expected. On the one hand, "Wii Sports" (included with the Wii) is a definite system seller. \nThe few minutes I had in the bowling and home run derby games were some of the most fun I have had playing a piece of software in years. For that experience alone I will be trading in my Gamecube and getting a Wii as soon as I can find one.\nOn the other hand, "Call of Duty 3" was a complete mess. The Wii-mote seemed completely out of whack with what I was trying to do and I couldn't get past one lowly Nazi without taking heavy damage.\nIf this is a sign of how more traditional games are going to work on the Wii, it's a little troubling. At least it looks like Nintendo will continue to put out great first-party games though.\nBut the IDS staff didn't even get to try out the best feature of the Xbox 360 when we gathered together - Xbox Live.\nMicrosoft easily has the best online service. Finding and adding friends is a breeze (if you want to add me, my gamertag is Fryburg84), as is browsing and purchasing new content. On top of that, almost every game takes advantage of Xbox Live, whether it be with a simple leaderboard, full-fledged multiplayer modes or new goodies to download to extend the life of an older game.\nPlus, every premium console comes with a headset for voice communication (which can be a good or a bad thing depending on how well you deal hearing 13-year-olds scream profanity at you for owning them in "Perfect Dark Zero"), and few games I've played have any lag.\nOn top of that, Microsoft has instituted an achievement system that encourages players to squeeze every last ounce of fun out of a game, if for nothing more than online bragging rights.\nXbox Live is literally light-years ahead of the PS3 (which doesn't have nearly enough content to download) and the Wii (which has some great old games to download, but no online multiplayer as of yet).\nAnd while those two services might be free, $7.99 per month or $50 per year is a small price to pay for what Microsoft has to offer.