About a year ago the whole of the US was tickled pink with the launch of two new console systems. Nintendo’s Wii and the Playstation 3 were launching mere weeks between each other. They would join the year old XBox 360 in the chase for control of the console gaming market for next-generation system. There are a lot of hype, a few muggings, and great expectations. Now that we are a year into the competition, how have things panned out?

Microsoft intended to get a head start on the competition by rushing the XBox 360 to market a full year before it’s competitors. While it did have some stumbles along the way, it did establish the foothold needed to grow. Being helped by it’s HDMI interface to HDTVs, it’s very strong online product called XBox LIVE, and a solid set of games it has established itself as a force to deal with. However it is also receiving criticism for not being backwards compatible with the original Xbox titles. New titles are their strong suit with a lot of the major game developers on board and producing a consistent string of hits.

PS3 was poised to be the big winner this time around if it had built on it’s successes of the PS2 release. However, Sony did what Sony always does and gave consumers more than what they wanted. Their decision to include a Blu-Ray player was solid for their movies division but directly affected the price making the units cost $500 to $700 on initial launch. This put the unit out of reach of most of the gaming community. Adding in features like a media center, web browser, and direct connection to the PSP is very nice but ultimately doesn’t speak to the gaming system. Most hardcore gamers already have a media center of some sort so Sony didn’t need to give them another one.

Finally, the lack of titles at launch ultimately hurts this system. We will leave the issue of the price increase of the games from $40 to $60 per title aside and just look at the complete lack of games other than cross platform titles. No one is really taking advantage of this system from a game development perspective and the lack of units sold will still have people questioning if it is worth it. One thing the system gets right is interoperability with things other than games. Blu-Ray movies are gorgeous and this unit is the primary reason why Blu-Ray titles are selling better than other High Def formats. Downloads of previews, games and music from Sony’s website is flawless and welcomed. It’s functionality as a media center leaves much to be desired but if you own a PSP, then you world got a whole lot brighter with the ability to switch back and forth between portable gaming and console. In the end, this unit is really geared for movie buffs and Sony loyalist who will get the most out of it by staying withing Sony’s line of products.

Nintendo was the dark horse with the Wii when it launched. Many people scoffed when Nintendo announced the system and that they would not be selling it for a loss like Sony and Microsoft do. What happened was nothing less than a phenomenon. Wii redesigned the way we play games by getting us involved in the action instead of passively playing it. This made the system incredibly easy to set up, learn, and use. That’s what gaming is all about. Having fun and PLAYING a game. The Wii does this and does it well.

The system does lack in titles just like the PS3 but the titles that are out are so engaging that their replay value is incredibly high. This has kept the demands for the console so high that several merchants still have sold out stock of the Wii. As soon as a new shipment arrives, they are gone. What the Wii does is just tap into you ability to have fun playing a game. While the 360 and PS3 go for the more intelligent gamer, Nintendo is happy to produce good puzzles and fun games for groups to share. It works for them, they do it well, and the public is responding.

If you look at the numbers, it is compelling. The folks at NextGen Wars are trying to keep track of the total number of units sold. They confirm what many suspected. XBox’s year lead and their solid online connection is keeping them in the lead at 11, 607,321 units sold so far. It’s the Wii that comes in next at 11,185,377. PS3 is lagging behind at 4,641,119. That breaks down to 42% XBox, 41% Wii, and 17% PS3.

As time goes on, the game titles will determine which console will be deemed the winner. Wii has a very strong hold on this but major releases like Rock Band and Guitar Hero III will surely give XBox and PS3 a boost. Sony has also gone into agreements with several MMORPs to bring a console version of their games to the PS3. Microsoft is strengthening their download service and LIVE game play for added features. While there is no clear winner yet, there are definitely some front runners.