The PS3 and 360 are both places to stream or download and watch movies, music and games while your Wii wasn't ever intended to do this.

Sony's machine decided the next movie format war by making Blu-ray — with a player part of every console — the clear winner. But that battle might already be passe because downloading or streaming movies and televisions is pretty easy on both machines, making the act of putting any sorft of disc in a machine now becoming a thing of the past.

Netflix users can now stream thousands of movies directly to the 360 at no additional cost and Sony recently multiplied its available rentals and for-sale movies, available in regular or high definition mode. If you buy a Sony film it will also be viewable from the handheld PSP for one cost.

Music is also available on both formats and will become easier and more common on both. Each company wants to position its console as the portal you use not just to play games but enjoy all kinds of media.

Microsoft just revamped the whole look and feel of its interface with player icons that are surprisingly Wii-like. Meanwhile the Wii offers little of those extra features but delivers a control system that doesn't intimidate anybody. It also carries the perception of being less expensive with the cheapest Xbox version priced $50 less and the 20GB hard-drive version at a $50 higher pricepoint.

Downloading games

For the same reasons, Sony and Microsoft are able to sell games online. These games are usually less expensive, often retro and range from worthless to amazing. Microsoft has the edge here with a better interface and success than Sony both in playing store-purchased games online and providing desired content with its Xbox Live, but Sony has made big strides in the last six months and each company seeks to improve itself constantly. For now, this is Microsoft's command niche, but PS3 owners will probably feel plenty satisfied with how things stand and more improvements on the way.

Handheld consoles