It’s probably reasonable to suggest that all of the big three games consoles – Sony’s PS3, the Microsoft Xbox and the Nintendo Wii – all have their own strong points. Individual gamers will have their own personal favourites and it’s a futile exercise to try to convince them that one of the other consoles is better, or even equally good.

Many family homes today will have more than one, and it’s not out of the question that they may have all three, games consoles. Not to mention the various mobile consoles like the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS. It’s quite common these days for games consoles to also see use as blu-ray disc or DVD players.

However, ignoring the almost pointless discussion regarding which console is “best”, it’s probably reasonable to suggest that the Nintendo Wii is the most sociable of the three available consoles. Whereas the PS3 and Xbox are more often than not found in teenager’s bedrooms, the Wii is just as likely to be found in the family living room. The Wii is less powerful than the other two consoles and has much less detailed graphics – more cartoon like as a rule. Even so, it is more often the Wii that can be found wired up to the big flat-screen TV in the living room.

Part of the reason for this is the fact that the Wii’s motion sensitive controller means that, even though the graphics are simpler, it’s harder to follow the action on a small screen TV when you’re jumping around like a lunatic. The other thing is that it’s easier and more intuitive to pick up how to play games on the Wii. Even adults can do it – so it’s easier for all members of the family to join in the fun.

One of the consequences of all that jumping about when playing Wii games is that more space is required to play the Wii than the other consoles. This also makes the living room a more attractive choice than the typical teenage bedroom, where you would be tripping over discarded clothes, half eaten pizzas and empty juice bottles. The physical side of playing games on the Wii is a good thing. It means that there’s a certain amount of exercise involved when playing Wii games. Mind you, you should be careful and take it easy at first. It’s all too easy to wake up with a sore arm or stiff legs after an evening playing Wii Sports for the first time.

The fact that so many Wii consoles can be found in living rooms could explain the success of the black Wii. Nintendo went to the dark side and released a black Wii console in Japan in the summer of 2009. It was released in Europe just before Christmas 2009. It turned out to be an extremely popular choice with many gamers – possibly because it matches the TV, the cable box, the DVD player etc. – better than the white version.