Shop for consoles

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.4 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: The latest PS3 slims down to its smallest size ever while retaining everything we like -- and a few things we don't -- about the PlayStation 3 gaming console. Read review

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.6 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 101 reviews

The Bottom Line: Though the new Xbox 360 certainly addresses most of the concerns we've had with the versions before it, we don't think it warrants a purchase if you already own an Xbox 360 in working order with an HDMI-out port and a hard drive. Read review

Specs: Microsoft Xbox 360 - Game console, DVD, Matte black, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.2 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 40 reviews

The Bottom Line: Overall, the PlayStation Vita is the most advanced portable gaming system ever made. While the price is deceiving because of a hidden cost, gamers are getting an impressively complete package right out of the gate. A healthy launch lineup is sure to provide something for every kind of gamer, and a large selection of digital downloads is available right now. Read review

Specs: Sony PlayStation Vita - Handheld game console, PlayStation Vita card, Flash memory card, Data path width=, ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore, 960 x 544

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.0 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 9 reviews

The Bottom Line: Despite some clever dual-screen gaming mechanics, the Wii U's lack of compelling exclusive software and an overall unpolished user experience make it tough to recommend in its current state. Read review

Specs: Nintendo Wii U - Game console, Nintendo Wii disc, Nintendo Wii U disc, IBM, Black

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.7 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 178 reviews

The Bottom Line: With a smaller design, more energy-efficient operation, lower price tag, and built-in Blu-ray and multimedia capabilities, the PS3 Slim delivers a compelling package for an affordable price. Read review

Specs: - Game console, IBM, 256 MB, Charcoal black

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.7 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 35 reviews

The Bottom Line: With a smaller design, more energy-efficient operation, lower price tag, and built-in Blu-ray and multimedia capabilities, the PS3 Slim delivers a compelling package for an affordable price. Read review

Specs: Sony PlayStation 3 - Game console, Blu-ray, IBM Cell Broadband Engine, Charcoal black

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.5 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 1219 reviews

The Bottom Line: With its extensive digital media features, a superior online service, and an excellent game library, the Xbox 360 remains the game console to beat. Read review

Specs: Microsoft Xbox 360 - Game console, DVD, IBM PowerPC 3 cores 3.2 GHz, 512 MB ( 512 MB ) GDDR3 SDRAM - Integrated, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 11 reviews

Specs: Microsoft Xbox 360 S - Game console, DVD, 512 MB, Matte black, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.2 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: Overall, the PlayStation Vita is the most advanced portable gaming system ever made. While the price is deceiving because of a hidden cost, gamers are getting an impressively complete package right out of the gate. A healthy launch lineup is sure to provide something for every kind of gamer, and a large selection of digital downloads is available right now. Read review

Specs: - Handheld game console, Sony PlayStation Vita 3G, PlayStation Vita card, Flash memory card, ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.7 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 157 reviews

The Bottom Line: Sony's slimmed-down, network-ready PS2 is a welcome update to the world's most popular video game console. Read review

Specs: Sony PlayStation 2 - Game console, DVD, Toshiba & Sony Emotion Engine 294.9 MHz, 32 MB RDRAM (RAMBUS), - Integrated, Charcoal black, 1280 x 1024, 32-bit color

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 2 reviews

Specs: Microsoft Xbox 360 S - Game console, DVD, Matte black, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.5 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 80 reviews

The Bottom Line: Now that Blu-ray has become the pre-eminent high-definition standard for discs, the Xbox 360 has yet to support it, but it still remains an excellent game console with a superior game library and online experience. Read review

Specs: Microsoft Xbox 360 - Game console, DVD, IBM PowerPC 3 cores 3.2 GHz, 512 MB ( 512 MB ) GDDR3 SDRAM - Integrated, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.5 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 109 reviews

The Bottom Line: While Sony has cut a few corners to get its entry-level PlayStation 3 below $400, it's still a great game console and Blu-ray player for the money--so long as you can live without backward compatibility for PS2 games. Read review

Specs: Sony PlayStation 3 - Game console, Blu-ray, Cell Broadband Engine, 256 MB - Integrated, Black, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.7 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 142 reviews

The Bottom Line: Even though PS2 backward compatibility has been dropped from this version, the 80GB PS3 is still a superb Blu-ray player and high-definition game console. Read review

Specs: Sony PlayStation 3 - Game console, Flash memory card, Blu-ray, Cell Broadband Engine, 256 MB - Integrated, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.7 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: With a smaller design, more energy-efficient operation, lower price tag, and built-in Blu-ray and multimedia capabilities, the PS3 Slim delivers a compelling package for an affordable price. Read review

Specs: Sony PlayStation 3 - Game console, Blu-ray, IBM Cell Broadband Engine, 256 MB XDRAM - Integrated, Charcoal black, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 436 reviews

The Bottom Line: The most affordable of the current game systems, the Nintendo GameCube offers great graphics and good performance but few extras. Read review

Specs: Nintendo GameCube - Game console, Nintendo GAMECUBE disc, IBM PowerPC "Gekko" 485 MHz, 24 KB 1T-SRAM - Integrated, Black, 32-bit color

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.7 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 5.0 stars out of 7 reviews

The Bottom Line: With a smaller design, more energy-efficient operation, lower price tag, and built-in Blu-ray and multimedia capabilities, the PS3 Slim delivers a compelling package for an affordable price. Read review

Specs: Sony PlayStation 3 Move Bundle - Game console, Blu-ray, IBM Cell Broadband Engine, 256 MB XDRAM - Integrated, Charcoal black, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.0 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 3 reviews

The Bottom Line: Despite some clever dual-screen gaming mechanics, the Wii U's lack of compelling exclusive software and an overall unpolished user experience make it tough to recommend in its current state. Read review

Specs: Nintendo Wii U - Game console, Nintendo Wii U disc, Nintendo Wii disc, IBM, White

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.4 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 1 review

The Bottom Line: The latest PS3 slims down to its smallest size ever while retaining everything we like -- and a few things we don't -- about the PlayStation 3 gaming console. Read review

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 1 review

Specs: Microsoft Xbox 360 250 GB S Console - Game console, DVD, Glossy black, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.7 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 5.0 stars out of 2 reviews

The Bottom Line: With a smaller design, more energy-efficient operation, lower price tag, and built-in Blu-ray and multimedia capabilities, the PS3 Slim delivers a compelling package for an affordable price. Read review

Specs: Sony PlayStation 3 Slim - Game console, Blu-ray, IBM Cell Broadband Engine, 256 MB XDRAM - Integrated, Charcoal black, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: For families and lovers of casual games, the even more affordable Wii still represents the best console bundle value in terms of dollars spent, but it's also the system that's first on deck to be outdated. With the announcement of the Wii U, the Wii is a declining console. Still, its sizable and often unique back library of games is still worth playing. Read review

Specs: Nintendo Wii - Game console, Flash memory card, Nintendo Wii disc, Nintendo GAMECUBE disc, IBM PowerPC, Black

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 3 reviews

The Bottom Line: For families and lovers of casual games, the still-affordable Wii represents the best console bundle value of the holiday season in terms of dollars spent; however, the Wii's getting long in the tooth, and other game consoles offer more entertainment options and functionality for their higher price tags. Read review

Specs: Nintendo Wii Sports Resort Pak - Game console, Nintendo Wii disc, Nintendo GAMECUBE disc, Flash memory card, IBM PowerPC, Black

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 22 reviews

Specs: Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade - Game console, DVD, IBM PowerPC 3 cores 3.2 GHz, 512 MB ( 512 MB ) GDDR3 SDRAM - Integrated, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 5.0 stars out of 1 review

Specs: Microsoft Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo: Reach Bundle - Game console, DVD, Glossy black, 1920 x 1080