Hey Ben, I was with you for a while… but then you started your own spin. My biggest beef with the author is that he seemed to really struggle to come up with pros and cons which were unique to each system.
<br>
So “Amazing HD Audiovisuals” (IMO) applies to both the PS3 and the 360, but not the Wii. I’m not sure why he’d give that bullet point to one HD gaming system and not the other. Ditto “Doubles as digital entertainment hub”. Both the 360 and PS3 serve admirably in that capacity.

There is yet to be a game released on both formats that looks better on the PS3.
See, this is where I start to find fault with your comments…you’re doing the same thing as the author. Absolutely agree that most dual-platform titles look better on the 360, but that’s not an absolute.
Best value/cost for HD fans? - You could buy an xbox 360 AND a standalone Toshiba HD-DVD player for less than a PS3
Cheapest 360 is $280 (the Arcade pack) and it doesn’t include a hard drive, so you’ll either have to buy a hard drive (and what a rip-off they are…$180 for 120 gigs?), or extra memory units to take full advantage of all the 360 has to offer ($30 for 64 megs of storage; the Arcade pack comes with 1, downloadable games can be up to 50 megs each). The cheapest PS3 is $400. So unless you catch one of those blow-out specials for a 720P HD DVD player, and are happy with a gimped 360, this isn’t true. You’re exaggerating a bit.
The latest PS3 and I believe the only one currently available, lost most of its backwards compatability when Sony removed the PS2 chip to cut costs.

The 40 gig has no BC, the 80 gig has full PS1 and partial PS2 BC. It *is* confusing, and I’ve yet to see a definitive list. But as with 360 BC with the original XBox, we can expect Sony to continue to increase the numbers of PS2 titles that are BC on the 80 gig PS3.
Going back to the original article, under the 360, “Last-gen default disc format ” isn’t really a con in my opinion, and as you say, I’m not sure what he means about upgrade costs, unless he’s talking about add-ons like the HD DVD drive or the Wireless Adapter?

Looking at the Wii, “Fun for all ages” is the most toothless “Pro” I’ve ever read… isn’t that what they said about the Slinky?

And I really cringed when he listed “Pain” as an example of downloadable PS3 titles. It’s such strange and twisted little game. Why not mention the superb Super Stardust HD, or Everyday Shooter, or the fact that you can buy Warhawk as a d/lable title? At the same time, he mentions “demo games” for the 360 but doesn’t touch on the excellent XBox Live Arcade titles, including some greats from the web updated for HD (I’m thinking of Bejeweled, Luxor and the like).

And the biggest, worst offense: “Super Mario Galaxy and Wii Play are sure to bring out the wide-eyed kid in us all.”  Super Mario Galaxy? Sure, I’m with you there. Not my cup of tea but I know its been very well received. But Wii Play? I’ve yet to hear of anyone who really likes Wii Play. The only reason to buy it was that fact that it came with a Wii Remote, and when it first came out, Wii Remotes were back ordered everywhere. Folks, please, if you do manage to score a Wii, skip Wii Play. It’s a huge disappointment. Maybe he was thinking of the packed-in Wii Sports, which is, IMO the most fun you’ll have with the Wii.

I always find it strange when non-gamers write articles on games machines, they always read like a composite from the press releases of each manufacturer.  The article is so incorrect that for example simply just off the top of my head I can list so many things wrong;

The Xbox 360 is 1080p (not that it would matter at all over 1080i with current TV’s).

Amazing HD Audiovisuals for the PS3? - The Xbox 360 consistently scores higher on graphics capabilities due to the PS3’s shared video memory - There is yet to be a game released on both formats that looks better on the
PS3. Additionally the xbox360 has the best looking games full stop, Gears of war is still the best looking next gen game anyones seen.

Best value/cost for HD fans? - You could buy an xbox 360 AND a standalone Toshiba HD-DVD player for less than a PS3 - This comment makes no sense, and reads like something from a sony brochure.  Just because standalone Blu-Ray players are priced outrageously expensive, doesnt make a slightly less expensive alternative “best value”.  What if I told you that there was a ferrari made from Ford parts for half the cost of a normal ferrari (but twice the cost of the exact same ford), would that be a bargain?

Compatability with PS2, PSOne titles? - The latest PS3 and I believe the only one currently available, lost most of its backwards compatability when Sony removed the PS2 chip to cut costs. 

On the positive for Sony, size and weight aren’t really a negative, its not a handheld machine, it sits underneath your TV, why would its weight matter in any way at all?

I’ll have to finish with a question on the xbox 360 negatives “Any upgrades will cost you?” - WHat does that mean?.  I get firmware upgrades every 6 months and have never paid anything for them.  Besides what ‘upgrades’ are free on the other systems exactly?