Appropriate Video Game Systems for Your Family

Pros: Supports playback of many media types, Internet browser, connects to PSP for sharing of media, Blu-ray player, no subscription needed for online gaming.

Cons: Not as many games for younger players, expensive, no backwards compatibility.

Console Systems: Microsoft Xbox 360 Review

Considered to be the "middle of the road" console, the Xbox 360 was the first of the current generation consoles to reach the market. Early models were plagued with the "Red Ring of Death" issue where the motherboard would overheat, causing system failure and many warranty issues. This flaw has since been mostly fixed in the new models, although some reports do still arise.

The game library still heavily favors mature titles, namely FPS games and sports, although there are many more family-friendly platform adventure titles as well. One of the notable "everyone" games the system supports is the popular multiplayer online trivia battle, "1 vs. 100".

Just like the PS3, the 360 allows for media playback of photos, video and MP3s, as well as connectivity to Microsoft's Zune media player. The Xbox Marketplace allows for game content and media downloads and also interfaces with Facebook and Twitter. Xbox Live, the online service, costs $50 for 12 months if you want the Gold membership that allows online multiplayer. The console itself ranges from $200 - $400 depending on bundles and hard drive size, with games normally $50-60.

Pros: More family-friendly titles, average prices, large library of titles with some backwards compatibility, good multiplayer features, ability to instantly stream Netflix Instant.

Cons: Hardware warranty issues, fee to play online.