by Sean Gregory

Since its release in 2006, Sony's PlayStation 3 has turned the video gaming world on its side.

In late 2005, Microsoft released a new line of next-generation gaming consoles: the Xbox 360. This console was an instant hit with gamers everywhere, sporting a built-in HD DVD player and the already popular Xbox Live. In addition, it showcased the next step in video game graphics with three 64-bit PowerPC cores, which was claimed to be “the highest core speed” available. The 360 dominated the market for a good half-year, beating out all other consoles on the market.

But, as with all good rivalries, Sony was planning to take on Microsoft’s giant. In late 2006, Sony released its 3rd generation in the PlayStation family: PlayStation 3. Stores were sold out of these systems immediately, and any hope of having one for the 2006 Christmas season was lost.  Within its sleek, black coating, the PlayStation 3 held the Cell processor, boasting a 4GHz speed, as well as a Blu-Ray player. Being a die-hard Sony fan, I was thoroughly crushed to find not one PS3 in a any store windows days before Christmas. It was not until late Christmas morning that I would finally find a brand new PlayStation 3 sitting way back under the tree. With both of these systems setting the market on fire, one battle turned into two: PS3 vs 360, and HD DVD vs Blu-Ray.

As these systems began to become available again, gamers who enjoyed online play leaned towards the 360 and Xbox Live over Sony’s PlayStation Network, or PSN. Xbox Live had been popular with the original Xbox, so it was only fitting for online play to focus around Live. Many gamers prefer Live over PSN, even though they must pay for the service, while PSN was, and is still, free. The only real differences are fairly minor, but players who like a universal friend’s list still beat out PSN. Gamers who enjoy slightly better graphics (for the most part) opted for the PS3, even with a significantly higher price tag ranging from $399-499. Being the poor teenage that I am, PSN has more overall appeal to me, above Xbox Live.

Turning to the High Definition war, these two formats (Blu-ray and HD DVD) fighting for the top spot bring back memories of the VHS/Betamax war, now over 2 decades old. Within the past year, we have seen Blu-Ray sign several major companies including Warner Brothers, Lionsgate, Walt Disney and 20th Century Fox. And as of now, it seems that Blu-ray has won the formatting war, which in turn represents an interesting challenge for Microsoft and Xbox 360. More people are tempted to buy the PlayStation 3 for use as a game console, but also has a handy Blu-ray player. HD DVD has died out, and so did part of the Xbox 360.

So now the question remains: Will Microsoft hold off its opponent, Sony, by being a stand-alone game console, or will the PlayStation’s gaming/Blu-ray double threat prevail? The second half of 2010 is sure to be a year of surprising technology, both gaming and modern, and there may even be a surprise or two along the way.