NOTE: This does not determine which console is "best." That is a stupid argument to make, because it will always be based purely on opinion and personal preference. It only answers the "console war," which is an equally stupid argument because you can't argue with facts, as will be evidenced by the following...

I thought I would repost what I said on a console war thread here, in hopes that I may stop yet another retarded fanboy argument. Ehem, here we go, the indisputable FACTS about a number of factors and logical predictions based on said FACTS. Enjoy:

"Sales: The centerpiece of the "console war." All other factors are essentially just another means to this end. Obviously, whoever has the most sales at the end of the generation wins the "console war." No ifs, ands, or buts. You can make whatever excuses you want ("but that's just because it's cheaper!"), but them's the rules of business.

This is, since we're somewhat early into this generation, obviously the category most likely to fluctuate. That being said, the current standings (and noticeable probable trends) are:

1. Nintendo
While Sony does get some major golf claps for putting up a good fight, Nintendo is still THE dominant force in portable gaming. In addition, the Wii is outselling both other home consoles, and it's only gaining more momentum as time goes on. Unless there's a sudden overnight worldwide disillusionment with the fancy motion controls and casual gameplay, it's looking like this is Nintendo's generation to win.

2. Microsoft
Some might argue that its year head-start explains some of its high sales. Well, yeah, probably, but you can't really hold that against it. Thanks to somewhat ugly system failure numbers (for the record, my 360 still works fine) among other things, the sales momentum of the Xbox cooled down, though I think you'll see a boost back up for it (and probably PS3 as well) when GTA IV comes out.

3. Sony
Hubris. Sony's tragic flaw in this generation. They (and lots of other people, for that matter) believed that the PlayStation brand name alone would drive people to spend $600 (the price has since been lowered) on a video game console. They were wrong. The PS3 is now in a distant third. It's certainly not too late to catch up, but Sony has a lot of ground to cover.

First-Party Tentpoles: Ever since the Princess started being in another castle, console manufacturers realized that singular games could sell systems. When the competition started to branch out, soon every company was scrambling to get in-house developers to make the next worldwide sensation. Now, I'm going to be completely objective here. These rankings are based on number of tentpoles, strength in sales, and (slightly open to interpretation) effect on the pop cultural landscape. Trust me, I hate Halo just as much as you do.

1. Tie: Nintendo/Microsoft
No company does first-party quite like Nintendo, and already, the Wii has shown an impressive amount of sales power and quantity in its tentpole lineup (fanboy note: they're also fucking masterpieces). The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Mario Galaxy, and, perhaps even more so than the other two combined, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, are not simply games to their fans: they're cultural events. Which brings us to Microsoft.

Only two words are needed: Halo 3. Love it or hate it, nothing in the history of video games has blown as massive a crater in mainstream pop culture. In its opening weekend, it sold more copies than any Hollywood movie sold tickets, something they were quick to acknowledge in placing the blame for their poor box office receipts. The media coverage was massive. They even made a special brand of Mountain Dew in honor of the game. For a console manufacturer, it simply cannot get any better than this. Halo 3 sold 360's by the bucketload.

2. Sony
Sony tried something different at the beginning of this generation, which was to try out brand new concepts and franchises instead of leaning on the old and reliable. A very commendable effort, but ultimately one that didn't bode too well for Sony. Games like Resistance and Uncharted sold well, but they can hardly be considered "tentpoles." So far, the only classic franchise to make an appearance on the PS3 in a big way is Ratchet and Clank. What it lacks in high quantity in the present, though, Sony might be able to make up for in potential, with numerous PS3 incarnations of Sony franchises probably being made at this moment, such as the inevitable God of War III.

Exclusive Third-Party Support: In this day and age, third party games have pretty much stolen the spotlight for everyone but Nintendo. However, the time of system exclusivity is rapidly coming to an end, as greater profits are to be reaped from multiple console releases. However, the tradition of exclusivity still exists, and is still very important. Here we go:

1. Microsoft
Microsoft almost has a monopoly on third-party support (considering this is a CONSOLE war, thus making PC not count as another system). The buzziest of buzz-worthy games all seem to appear solely on the Xbox 360, from BioShock to Mass Effect to exclusive downloadable content in GTA IV. I doubt that MS can hold onto this for long, though, given the rise in porting.

2. Sony
Sony's biggest games have always been exclusive third-party releases, but at the moment...nothing really jumps out at me. However, the near future holds great promise for the PS3, as Metal Gear Solid 4 and the next installment of Final Fantasy are sure to be system-sellers. This generation has not been kind to Sony, though, and the vast majority of its former exclusives have now gone completely multi-console (GTA, Devil May Cry, etc).

3. Nintendo
As always, though perhaps even worse than ever now, Nintendo's third-party support is laughable. It is probably the Wii's biggest problem right now. Can this stop its momentum? Probably not, since it hasn't done that before, but this is definitely Nintendo's biggest weakness.

Online Functionality/Additional Features: Ever since last generation, people have been buying not merely game systems, but entire home entertainment devices. Now, it could be a deciding factor for some. Let's see here:

1. Sony
While the differences between the actual online services of MS and Sony are largely superficial, Sony wins out for the spread of features, with everything from the practical to the ridiculous (I'm looking at you, Home). Also, when it comes to watching movies, Sony won out by backing Blu-ray.

2. Microsoft
Xbox Live is as solid and easy to use as it always was, and now MS has some new tricks up its sleeve to enhance the entertainment-center-ness of its system. The XLA is great for shining spotlights on independent developers (such as a company you may have heard of called The Behemoth), and the Xbox-PC link-up system is quite useful. However, Sony beats MS out in sheer number of features, plus Microsoft picked the wrong format.

3. Nintendo
Online support. Nintendo's second-biggest problem. They're working on it, finally, but they're still generations behind the other two companies. In addition, the Wii's extra features are much less useful and much less cohesive than those on the other two systems. Yeah, the Miis are cute, but...c'mon. What the Wii does have going for it, though, is a fully functional Web browser and a little thing called the Virtual Console (fanboy note: greatest fucking feature of all time).

Well, there you have it. While a little opinion seeps into that last one, I gave the win to the company I personally like the least, so I figure it balances out. Anyway, to reiterate; the current standings:

1. Nintendo
2. Microsoft
3. Sony

That is not disputable. Nintendo's won the first battle...but they have a long way to go to win the war."

Now please...shut the hell up.