Video games have come a long way since the 1950-70s. But the general idea is still there, we still use some sort of gaming device, whether it be some a video game console, or even a handheld video game device such as a Gameboy. It's still all the same, virtual entertainment. In 2004, there were two major breakthroughs in handheld video game technology. With the release of Nintendo's DS (DS) and Sony with its Playstation Portable (PSP). The Nintendo DS, stylish with dual screens, the lower display is overlaid with a pressure-sensitive touch screen, also featuring stereo speakers and microphone. You can also play online with other DS players. It has built in Wi-Fi to connect to a wireless network. Surprisingly, the DS's top selling video game is a virtual dog simulation, called Nintendog. Players can interact with a virtual puppy with the DS's touch screen and microphone. Players can pet, walk, and wash the dog, and can also create voice commands which the virtual dog understands, provided the dog is trained correctly =). On March 2, 2006 Nintendo released a lighter, smaller, brighter version of the DS, the Nintendo DS Lite. Which has already sold 17.33 million units worldwide, constantly running out of stock in Japan. Both DS versions combine have sold 36.8 million units worldwide as of Dec 06, with plenty of life left, the DS is certainly a winner for Nintendo.

Sony's PSP is also an extremely popular, sleek, complex device. With the ability to not only play video games, but also listen to music, view digital photos, watch movies, and surf the internet to boost. Incredibly stylish with its 16:9 widescreen LCD display, the PSP is quite the 'looker'. Similar to the DS, the PSP can connect to a wireless network, allowing the PSP to of course surf the web, but also multiplayer with other PSP owners around the world. The PSP has sold an impressive 24.70 million units as of Dec 06.

Of course video games aren't limited to just video game consoles and handhelds. One of the longest running video game platforms would have to be the good old PC. The PC is the leading video game production device, unlike consoles; PCs aren't limited by processing power, as PCs are always getting faster and faster. Some of best video games have been released on PC, such as Counter-Strike. Which was made by a company known as Valve, it was first released in 1996, Counter-Strike is a tactical based first-person shooter; it consists of two sides, the Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists. Teams win by either planting/defusing a bomb or Defeating/Rescuing Hostages, or simply eliminating the opposite force. Counter-Strike has now grown into three different versions, the first Counter-Strike or known as Counter-Strike 1.6, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, and finally Counter-Strike: Source. Statistics from May 2006 show that the whole Counter-Strike series is the most played first-person shooter to date, with 200,000 players playing Counter-Strike at any given time. These players clock up to over 4.5 billion minutes of gameplay every month!

Another extremely popular online game would have to be World of Warcraft (WoW). Which was developed by Blizzard Entertainment, it was released late 2004. WoW is a Massively-Multiplayer Online (MMO). Players start off as 'Level 1' and must advance all the way to Level 60. In order to do so, they must fight a variety of strange creatures, to obtain items, armour and weapons, make friends with other WoW players, and hopefully reach Level 60. Incredibly the game sold 240,000 copies within its first 24 hours on the market. There were so many players and so few servers for them to play on; players were forced into queues before playing. Blizzard had no choice but to limit the sales of its game, while they tried to get more servers online! As of March 2007, WoW has 8.5 million players worldwide; there are also 500,000 players online at any given time. WoW is truly taking the real world into the virtual one.

Although PC gaming appears to be taking the video games industry by storm. There is still plenty of video game console action. After the success of the Xbox, Microsoft decided they were going to be King this time around, by releasing their console one whole year earlier than Sony and Nintendo.Late 2005 saw the release of their next generation console, The Xbox 360 (360). Microsoft had big plans to release the 360 in a number of countries as soon as they could. But since they only began mass production 69 days before launch, Microsoft was unable to meet the demands by customers in North America and Europe. Therefore gamers who got the chance to buy a 360, brought more than one; selling the others on eBay for ridiculously high prices, some well over $2000 American. By the end of 2005, the 360 had sold 1.5 million units worldwide. Since the release of the 360, there have been problems after problems. Within minutes of purchase, some customers were complaining about their 360 popping up strange errors, glitches, overheating, and even their game DVD discs being scratched by their 360 DVD drive! One man has even tried to sue Microsoft "...Accuses Microsoft of rushing to market a flawed system to ensure it beat competitors Sony and Nintendo to the punch." Although the 360 has had a very rocky start, all of these problems have been treated to a replacement. As of Dec 06 the 360 has sold 10.4 million units worldwide.

Microsoft is not the only one out to get the King position this time. In late 2006 Nintendo released the Nintendo Wii (Wii), Wii pronounced "We" not "Will". While the name sounds somewhat strange, especially if you're French, the name does have some science behind it. The two 'ii' look like the controller or the Wii-Mote as it's called, and the overall Wii (We) sounds as if we're all playing together. Nintendo's entire idea for this console is to be user friendly for everyone, so anyone can play. Most console controllers nowadays typically have too many buttons, therefore scares away people who have never played video games before. Just think, when was the last time you had your Mum play video games? Since the launch of the Wii, there have been a number of reports of retirees enjoying the Wii, and even a Cruise Ship has had one installed. What makes the Wii so easy to play? The console and the controller has built-in motion sensor technology, therefore it can pick up your movements and apply them to the game. Suppose you're playing a first-person shooter, all you have to do is point and shoot, same applies to tennis or baseball, line it up and swing. Unlike the mistakes made with the Gamecube, Nintendo had a couple of good games lined up ready to go at launch. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has been said by many to be possibly the best launch title ever. Another launch title bundled with the console was Wii Sports; which is a basic collection of tennis, baseball and golf, bowling and boxing games. The Wii to date has sold 4.81 Million units worldwide and the demand is very high.

Will Sony win again? That's a big question everyone is asking. Early November saw the release of the Playstation 3 (PS3) in Japan. Demand was high on launch day for the PS3 and has sold fairy well. Selling just over 1 million units in its first four months on the market. The biggest reason why sales aren't shooting out of the roof is the price. The PS3 costs $500 American compared to the Wii which is $250 American. Why are the prices so high? Well Sony wants the PS3 to be 'future-proof'. With its impressive Blu-Ray Optical Drive that will read Blu-Ray discs, which can hold from 25Gbs up to 50Gbs a disc. A very big jump from normal DVD discs that only hold 4.7Gbs, which Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii have. Another key feature of this 'future-proof' scheme is the PS3 has, is have a 'cell microprocessor', which is clocked at 3.2Ghz. This cell microprocessor is designed to work very effectively with its Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). But there is one major draw back to this Cell Proessor is it looks be very hard to code for compared to Microsoft's Xbox 360. Another reason why sales of the PS3 aren't the best they could be, would be a lack of good games. Resistance: Fall of Man was the only reason to grab a PS3 on launch day. Almost every other launch title for the PS3 failed horribly. Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire is an perfect example. Gundam looked amazing in its teaser trailers before launch, but once the game was released, game reviewers were in for a shock. Gundam looked more like a last generation PS2 game, let alone a high definition PS3 game. There was a nice surprise though for Sony fans who pre-orderd a PS3 in London, 100 lucky gamers not only recived their pre-orderd PS3 but also a FREE 46inch Sony TV and a Taxi Ride home to boost, so they woundn't get mugged.

The PS3 controller seems to be the biggest work in progress for the PS3. At E3 2005 they showcased a 'boomerang" like controller. With a very poor reaction from the public, at E3 2006 Sony showcased the final version of its controller. Which looks an awful lot like a PS2 Dualshock 2 controller! But there's one major difference, like Nintendo it contains motion-senor technology. Although it's nowhere near the same as Nintendo's. Mainly because you can only control the movements of a person, vehicle or a flying ship as shown in Warhawk. It's also missing the rumble feature, as it would interfere with the motion-senor. But in recent months Sony has been 'suggesting' that they might bring the rumble back to the controller. Good controller or not, they have some impressive games coming exclusive to the PS3, including: Metal Gear Solid 4, Tekken 6, Killzone PS3, Gran Turismo HD, Heavenly Sword and Final Fantasy XIII.