With the launch of the Playstation 3 just around the corner, the format war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD is about to jump up a notch. The integrated Blu-Ray player in the Playstation 3 is expected to be a major driving force for the Blu-Ray camp, creating an immediate install base of thousands of...

Superb image quality; Elegant design; Simple to install; Easy to Use; Low cost

Nothing to speak of

e were fascinated to compare Microsoft and Apple set-top philosophies. Based on looks, the Xbox 360 loses out immediately; it's like a desktop PC from the 1990s, and yes, appearances matter if it's going to live in your living room.

Versatile connection options to TV; CD and DVD playback; removable hard drive; good integration of media capabilities into a ‘gaming' console

Ethernet connection; requires third-party application for iTunes support; it's ugly; hilariously large mains power brick; noisy fan

I chose the Microsoft Xbox 360 as my next gaming system because of the superior selection of games in HD and the easy to use Dashboard interface. The Xbox 360 also offers excellent online gaming and communications via Xbox Live.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 has been voted the best games console by technology fans. It fought off competition from Sony's PlayStation Portable and Nintendo's DS Lite to scoop the prize. About 5000 readers of gadget magazine T3 nominated their favourite appliances for the reader awards.

I want this thing. But It'll ruin me! I'll have to eat stale bread and drink water for a month if I get this and Forza 2.

Our PCW Rating for this product reflects its performance, price, features, and design as an HD DVD player, not as a gaming machine.

HD DVD Player has 192MB of storage to speed access; Inexpensive

No HDMI output; Disappointing

I've been a racing fan since I first sat in the backseat of a friend's modified 5.0 Mustang in high school and since then I've done a lot of racing myself. I've owned several performance cars and driven all of them to their limits.

Games and movies collide, again, this time in high-def. Microsoft's Xbox 360 HD DVD player is targeted specifically at the owners of the Xbox 360 gaming console-or those on the fence about purchasing one. It's an affordable way to bring HD DVD into your existing multimedia system.

In every generation one video game console stands out as a leap forward in gaming. In the last generation it was the Playstation 2 which came to market, obliterating the Sega Dreamcast and revolutionizing the home entertainment market by making DVD the fastest growing medium in history.

Sexy Design; Incredible power; Music streaming and integration; Great controller

Some unsupported file formats; No HD-DVD drive; no non-MSC support; average launch line up

I've been playing on the 360 basically nonstop since I've received the system, taking only short breaks to work and/or sleep. There's a lot to like about the system, from the generational leap in graphical quality to the flexibility and choice that the Marketplace gets you.