The True Cost of Console Ownership in 2009

[wraggster]

With the price of Wii Motion Plus bringing the cost of a full Wiimote to a whopping $80, we thought we'd reexamine the true cost of buying a console today. Which is truly the cheapest?

We're going to pretend we're either a family of four or an apartment that wants a system loaded up with four controllers. We'll assume you want to be able to recharge your controllers rather than wasting money on disposable batteries, and we'll pick the model of each console that we'd recommend to a family member asking us for advice. We'll also factor in the cost of 2 games, because nobody buys a console without a game.

So what's the true cost of going out and buying a system today? Let's find out.

Playstation 3
Cost of console: $400 (80GB)
Cost of 3 extra controllers: $43 x 3 = $129
Cost of charging station: $25
Cost of 2 games: $120
Cost of HDMI cable: $3

Total: $677

Wii
Cost of console: $250
Cost of 3 extra controllers: $36 x 3 = $108
Cost of 3 Nunchuks: $18 x 3 = $54
Cost of 4 Wii Motion Pluses: $20 x 4 = $80
Cost of charging station w/ 4 rechargeable batteries: $49
Cost of 2 games: $100
SD card: $12 (8GB)

Total: $653

Xbox 360
Cost of console: $300 (60GB)
Cost of 3 extra controllers: $37 x 3 = $111
Cost of 2 rechargeable batteries: $12 x 2 = $24
Cost of recharging station w/ 2 rechargeable batteries: $30
Cost of 2 games: $120
Cost of Xbox Live membership: $43 (13 months)

Total: $628

As you can see, the prices of all three consoles are incredibly close, and you can obviously fiddle with these configurations to change them. If you only want 2 controllers and are planning to only play Wii Sports, the Wii is still the cheapest, but a fully-loaded Xbox 360 with a year of Live is actually cheaper than the fully-loaded Wii (although it's the only console without WiFi, so add $80 if you really need that). And the PS3 is surprisingly close in price, thanks to its controllers having built-in batteries and its free online service. The Nintendo controller scheme really rockets it up in price, and it's pretty amazing that a Wii with 4 controllers is only $24 less than a PS3 with 4 controllers.

So really, it comes down to what you want in a console. But it's surprising to see that, in real-world prices, all three systems will set you back about the same amount, with the Xbox 360 being the cheapest of them all even when you factor in a monthly fee for online gaming.

http://i.gizmodo.com/5211540/the-tru...ership-in-2009

[mike_jmg]

It's really surprising that the price for all three fully loaded consoles is pretty close

I would add enough rechargeable batteries for each controller, that should be 8 not 4, but in the end it really comes down to the console you like the most.

In my case I got my 360 for half the retail price in my country, with a 20Gb Hard drive, one controller and a remote, even if it is one of the first models, it is still a fully functional Xbox 360 :thumbup:

At first I wanted a PS3, but with that opportunity and seeing most of the games I like are no longer exclusives, the choice was pretty obvious.

My friend who owns a PS3 is kinda pissed cause the games look the same on both consoles. He's like "How can games look the same if the PS3 uses Blu-ray discs, why use Blu-ray if the same game fits on an HD DVD". And I'm like "yeah"

[ndstal]

whered you get an 8gb sd for 12 dollars?

[ICE]

I am no where near an ethernet cable so no wifi is a deal breaker for me. That would tack on another $80 on the 360. Besides that I thought the usb ports on the front of the PS3 was for charging the remotes.. lol

[nomi]

I have a 360 and i don't think its the cheapest. You have consider the functions that each console gives.

The 360 does not offer blu ray
The 360 requires a $100 wifi

I think by adding the wifi ini the 360 you surpass and other console. I don't understand the reason behind no wifi or why it's a 100 dollars.

anyways, i like those numbers but you have to add in these little extra costs..

Cost of charging station: $25

Cost of HDMI cable: $3

You don't really need a charging station for the playstation 3 and why is there no HDMI price for 360!?
Also where do you get $3 HDMI cables? :S

[Darksaviour69]

The 360 requires a $100 wifi

not true if your xbox is right beside you router (like mine is)

[PoorKingz]

If 360 had builtin wifi like the PS3 and Wii, then I might have gotten it when I had the money. The wifi addon is expensive though.

[quzar]

not true if your xbox is right beside you router (like mine is)

Yes, but the idea is to make the three consoles as equal as possible. I call BS on the full motion addons. AFAIK the things aren't even out in the US and even when they are how many things will use them right away? You might as well list 4x classic controllers too since some games use them.

[Qmark]

Who the hell needs four controllers?

[mike_jmg]

whered you get an 8gb sd for 12 dollars?

Amazon comes to my mind

not true if your xbox is right beside you router (like mine is)

yeah mine too, not right beside, but close enough