This Christmas is going to see the biggest ever battle between console manufacturers desperate to convince you their system is the best. Nigel Burton looks at the contenders and gives it to you straight.

PLAYSTATION 2

Things looked much trickier for Sony last Christmas. Early software hadn't lived up to (admittedly unrealistic) expectations, DVD playback wasn't up to much and two more powerful consoles were on the horizon.

How different things seem 12 months later. The lacklustre software has been replaced by some corking new titles that really push the PS2 hardware to its limits, DVD players are now cheap enough not to worry about the facility in the games machine and both Microsoft and Nintendo have troubles of their own.

A PS2 will probably be the most expensive console to buy this Christmas. Despite that, it will certainly outsell either Xbox or Gamecube. Why? Because it's a brand everyone trusts.

PS2 offers the biggest range of software, a range of classic titles at low prices and the largest choice of peripherals.

If you want a particular type of game the chances are that you will find it in the PS2 library.

Anyone who remembers the agony of Dreamcast ownership will be reassured by the Sony machine's dominance - this is one console that will be overflowing with new software titles for years to come.

PROS: Massive number of games, older platinum software is £19.99, plays DVDs if you are desperate, lots of upgrade potential.

CONS: More expensive than more accomplished rivals, greater danger of granny buying you an iffy game for Christmas, graphics aren't as good as Xbox nor Cube, that DVD playback still suffers lip-synch problems and you can't playback through an RGB SCART lead.

BEST GAMES THIS CHRISTMAS: GTA Vice City, The Getaway Pro Evolution Soccer 2.

MICROSOFT Xbox

For awhile back there it seemed as though Xbox could land Microsoft with almighty amounts of egg on its face.

First there was the botched launch. The console was good but it was too expensive and, after an initial flurry of games, software dried up far too quickly.

Then there was the terrible reception in Japan. Some gamers took an irrational delight in hating the Xbox. It scratched discs, they claimed, it was too big, they said, and the controller was so heavy it could break your wrists (it couldn't).

All of this has now been overcome. The disc scratching hoo-ha was nothing more than poisonous publicity, the box is big because it's filled with more than fresh air and the controller is now available in a smaller version.

Xbox has an awful lot going for it.

The system is immensely powerful. It has twice the punch of a PS2 and some games for the system are graphically a generation ahead of the Sony machine. It also has an in-built hard drive so expensive memory cards are a thing of the past; you can also rip your favourite tunes to your Box and enjoy your own choice of background music.

The Box is also broadband ready - something that will become more important next year when Microsoft and Sony go head-to-head on-line.

It's also cheaper than the PS2 which is technically inferior.

That software line-up is looking a lot stronger now. The games line-up seems to be edging ahead of the Gamecube. If it does Microsoft should be able to wrap up second place to the PS2 within the next year.

PROS: Sheer muscle, has some great games, broadband ready, built in hard disk, plays DVD with a greater degree of conviction than PS2, cheaper than a PS2.

CONS: Is Microsoft already looking forward to Xbox 2?

BEST GAMES THIS CHRISTMAS: Halo, Championship Manager, Splinter Cell

NINTENDO GAMECUBE

It all looked so good six months ago.

The Gamecube launched in Europe at a hyper aggressive price (£129) that rocked Sony and Microsoft. The launch games were generally of a very high quality and big developers like Electronic Arts fell over each other to evangelise the console for being easy to get to grips with.

But with Christmas looming things aren't quite so rosy.

The Cube's price advantage has been eroded, the first party software is great but sparse and, most important of all, the forward release schedule is looking bare compared to both Nintendo's key rivals.

Owners who went through the same thing with the N64 will feel a strange sense of history repeating itself.

Nintendo has traditionally treated its European fans with indifference and, sometimes, distain. It can't afford to do that in 2002 not with both Sony and Microsoft only too happy to snap up disillusioned custom.

Last time there was a three-way fight for console dominance Nintendo came out OK. Then it had the most powerful hardware (N64) and one exclusive killer app (Super Mario 64) that made the console worth buying. Also, one of its two rivals (Sega) was already feeling the heat.

But Microsoft is no Sega. It has the money to stay in the game no matter what the cost.

Nor does Nintendo have the technological upper hand. Specs-wise the Cube falls neatly between the PS2 and the Xbox in performance terms.

It's still the cheapest but will that be enough without a large library of games? Unless Nintendo shapes up it could be game over by this time next year.

PROS: Cheap, excellent first party game titles, Nintendo continues to innovate.

CONS: Not enough games, no DVD playback, cute looks makes the Cube look like a kid's toy.

BEST GAMES THIS CHRISTMAS: Super Mario Sunshine, Resident Evil, Eternal Darkness, Star Fox Adventures.

SONY Psone

Available for pocket money prices nowadays the old PlayStation has been repackaged as a kind of "My first games console" by Sony.

The back catalogue library of software is still vast and much of it is available at low, low prices. With a back catalogue that includes Resident Evils 1 - 3, Gran Turismo, TOCA, Colin McRae and Command and Conquer there is still plenty for a novice to enjoy here.

PROS: Masses of software, cheap as chips, nifty TV screen available.

CONS: Graphics looking a bit ropey nowadays, new software titles rarer than hens' teeth.

Published: 06/12/2002