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PS3 and Wii create a new playing field

Microsoft's Xbox 360 has had the market to itself for a year, but the arrival of Sony's PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii will reshape the game.

CNET staff
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CNET staff
6 min read

Microsoft sings a new Zune

Microsoft's Xbox 360 has had the next-generation console market to itself for a year, but the arrival of Sony's PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii will reshape the game.

Previous Coverage | TalkBack

Latest news

Nintendo to bring 2 million Wiis to U.S. by year's end

Want a Nintendo Wii? Looks like you probably won't have to break a bottle over someone's head to get one.
November 20, 2006

Next-gen console war off and running

reporter's notebook

With the release of Nintendo's Wii hot on the PS3's heels, the game market now has all three big-name competitors.
Photos: Lining up for the Wii in L.A.
November 19, 2006

It's all fun and games at NYC's Wii launch

reporter's notebook

Nintendo and Toys 'R' Us collaborate for a remarkably smooth launch as Wii fans--or were they Zelda fans?--gather for goodies.
Photos: Wii takes over Times Square
Video: Wii takes Manhattan
November 19, 2006

Putting PlayStation 3 through the paces

CNET review

The console's swanky design and bevy of features, including a Blu-ray drive, make the console hard to resist--even at $600.
November 17, 2006

PlayStation 3 comes to San Francisco

reporter's notebook

Hours after a star-studded kickoff in New York, Sony brought its long-awaited video game console to the West Coast.
November 17, 2006

PS3 gets a New York welcome

reporter's notebook

Fans who waited for 72 hours for the gaming console are finally treated to it--and a party, too.
November 16, 2006

PlayStation 3 generation has begun

blog

Sony's West Coast launch of its new video game console is an event straight out of Hollywood.
November 16, 2006

Where have all the PS3s gone?

blog

Sony promised that everyone in line in San Francisco would be able to buy a console, but things aren't adding up.
November 16, 2006

The PlayStation 3s arrive

blog

A Sony executive shouts the four words that hundreds of PlayStation fans lined up to hear: "Here they are, guys."
November 16, 2006

$500 for place in PS3 line?

blog

At least one person believes gamers will pay handsomely for a wristband guaranteeing the right to buy the new game console.
November 16, 2006

Is Sony eating hundreds of dollars on each PS3?

Game console might cost $499, but it's got $806 worth of parts and manufacturing behind it, research firm says.
November 16, 2006

Early bird to get the PS3, then resell it

reporter's notebook

In the line for Sony's new console, just try to find anyone waiting to play it, not put it on eBay.
eBay rules no deterrent for PS3 and Wii sellers
November 16, 2006

For Sony, the PS3 is about more than gaming

The Japanese electronics giant has had a rough year, but the new console could be a key to turning things around.
Photos: Midnight vigil in NYC
November 16, 2006

Pining for PS3 on streets of N.Y.

Fans in Manhattan show up to wait in line 80 hours in advance, only to be told they'll have to come back later.
Photos: PS3 mania in Manhattan
November 14, 2006

GameStop won't get enough PS3s to fill preorders

Retailer's launch allocations aren't expected to cover original reservations; employees asked to wait until second shipment to buy.
November 14, 2006

Game on: PS3, Wii finally hitting stores

The Xbox 360 has had the market to itself for a year, but the arrival of the PS3 and the Wii will reshape the game.
November 13, 2006

In Tokyo, PS3 launch cures few of fever

The hard-core and hearty get new Sony consoles, but most gamers are left out in the cold and go home empty-handed.
Photos: Long, wet wait for PS3 November 13, 2006

Hands on the Wii

reporter's notebook

CNET News.com takes Nintendo's forthcoming Wii video game console for a test spin. And likes it.
October 17, 2006

A Nintendo surprise? Mais Wii!

perspective

Nintendo is reaping the sort of public relations bonanza we've come to associate with the likes of a Steve Jobs product demo.
November 10, 2006

PlayStation 3 shines in prelaunch test

reporter's notebook

Sony rolls out the red carpet for journalists and analysts a month before the game console's launch.
Photos: PS3 in basic black
October 20, 2006

Xbox Live cues up TV, movie downloads

New feature appears to be Microsoft's latest attempt to colonize the living room.
Photos: More Xbox Live entertainment
November 6, 2006

Previous coverage

PlayStation 3 component prices: Why so high?

No one knows exactly how much it'll cost to put a PS3 together, but Sony might take a hit on each box sold.
February 23, 2006

Nintendo shows off Wii controller

But at press event before E3, company says pricing talk would divert attention from console's game roster.
May 9, 2006

Reality check on Xbox 360

It didn't take long for some gamers to start griping about the new consoles. But just how widespread are the problems?
November 29, 2005

The Xbox 360 rush is on

Microsoft kicks off the Xbox 360 era with three trucks loaded to the rafters with the next-generation consoles at its special launch event in the Mojave desert.
Photos: Zero Hour for Xbox 360
Photos: Countdown to Xbox 360
November 20, 2005

Xbox 360 makes desert debut

More than 2,000 gamers descended on the Mojave Desert for the official Xbox 360 launch party.
November 20, 2005

Photos

Lining up for the Wii in L.A.
Roughly 1,000 eager fans line up in Los Angeles to get their hands on the Nintendo Wii.
November 19, 2006

Wii takes over Times Square
New Yorkers line up to get their hands on the new Nintendo console.
November 19, 2006

PS3's West Coast debut
Weary but determined, PlayStation 3 customers in San Francisco finally get their hands on the console.
November 17, 2006

Manhattan's PS3 launch party
After three days of waiting, fans got to mingle with the press, industry insiders and the occasional celebrity.
November 17, 2006

Queuing up in San Francisco
Hundreds in San Francisco camp out at Sony store downtown, hoping to get their hands on a PS3.
November 16, 2006

Fanatics keep midnight vigil in NYC
With 24 hours to go, hundreds of PlayStation fans line up at SonyStyle in midtown Manhattan.
November 16, 2006

PS3 mania in Manhattan
A full 72 hours before the console's release, fans line up in the rain.
November 14, 2006

Japan's long, wet wait for PS3s
Long lines formed before dawn and diehards waited in the rain even though there weren't enough PlayStation 3s to go around.
November 13, 2006

PS3 in basic black
With the launch of the new PlayStation just a month away, Sony revs up its marketing machine.
October 20, 2006

Nintendo shoots for older players
Best known for Game Boy, "Mario" and "Pokemon" for younger kids, Nintendo is using brain games to hook older players.
June 23, 2006

Nintendo Wii swings into action
Nintendo says the price of its console will be under $250--putting heat on Xbox 360 and PS3.
May 25, 2006

Videos

Wii takes Manhattan
CNET.com's Rich DeMuro goes to the NYC launch event for Nintendo's machine in the early hours on Sunday.
November 19, 2006

The first buyers of the PS3
CNET.com's Molly Wood hears from both hard-core gamers and budding entrepreneurs.
November 17, 2006

In line for the PS3
At the San Francisco Metreon, CNET's Veronica Belmont talks to hopeful gamers about what they're looking forward to.
November 16, 2006

PS3, Wii previews
CNET News.com's Neha Tiwari talked to gamers and industry insiders about the next-generation consoles.
November 11, 2006

Nintendo Wii rumor check
Nintendo's president tells CNET's Rich DeMuro there will be no secret announcement before the Wii launches.
November 7, 2006

PS3 preview in Manhattan
CNET's Rich DeMuro gets hands-on with Sony's next-generation game console. Here's what he saw.
November 2, 2006

Console put through its paces
CNET's Veronica Belmont puts Nintendo's Wii under close scrutiny. How does it compare with other consoles?
October 26, 2006

How to play games on the 'Wii'
Nintendo showed off Wii titles like the new Legend of Zelda at a pre-E3 press briefing.
May 9, 2006

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