Difference Between Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360

Nintendo Wii vs Microsoft Xbox 360

The console wars are ever present with every generation of consoles from the biggest names. With the 7th generation of consoles, Nintendo manage to move the focus into smart alternative controllers with the Wii. One of the main competitors of the Wii is the Xbox 360 from Microsoft and their main difference is the hardware. With a more powerful graphics engine and multicore CPU, it is undeniable that the Xbox 360 has much better hardware than the Wii. Even with storage, the Xbox 360 is still ahead as its removable hard drive allows for hundreds of gigabytes of storage for media while the Wii is pretty much limited to SD and SDHC memory cards.

The primary advantage of the Wii is its cost as it is significantly cheaper than the Xbox 360. Even at its low price, the Wii manages to incorporate the motion sensing technology that has made the Wii an undeniable success. The motion controllers, also known as WiiMotes, can be used to interact with the game. It can either be a tennis racket, a golf club, or even your own fists. In response to Nintendo’s WiiMotes, Microsoft created the Kinect as an add-on for the Xbox 360. You need to buy the Kinect separately and it adds to the price tag of owning an Xbox 360. On the bright side, the Kinect is far more superior to the Wiimote as it is a camera that looks at the motion of the player. It’s got both facial and voice recognition, which is helpful to identify individual players as it can track up to 6 players at a time.

The Xbox 360 is more of a hardcore gaming console with established titles like Halo.  It is suited for people who like to play a lot and those who tend to wait for new titles to come out. In contrast, the Wii is more focused on casual games that you play with friends. Most of the games of the Wii do not have complicated plots or mind bending puzzles. It’s most established titles, like Wii Sports, can be played by just about anyone and is more fun with more players participating.

Summary:

1. The Xbox 360 is a more powerful machine than the Wii
2. The Wii is much cheaper than the Xbox 360
3. The Wii has motion sensing controllers by default while the Xbox 360 has the Kinect
4. The Xbox 360 has more advanced functionalities than the Wii
5. The Xbox 360 is more of a hardcore console while the Wii is more on casual games