The Combatants: Xbox 360 vs PS3

The weapons: Gears of War (Xbox 360), Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3), Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360), MotorStorm (PS3)

The trash talk: "The Xbox 360 is more of an Xbox 1.5 than a next generation console." - Ken "father of the PlayStation" Kutaragi

"In the HD Era, we are going to deliver the Zen of gaming. Next generation games will combine unprecedented audio and visual experiences to create worlds that are beyond real and they'll deliver storylines and game play so compelling that it will feel like living a lucid dream." – Microsoft Executive VP Peter Moore

Above: If you don't understand this video... good for you, honestly

The battle: When you're throwing hundreds of bucks on a video game system, very few people enjoy the luxury of dual-console ownership. And with the stakes raised, more and more gamers feel forced to choose sides. The Xbox 360 came first and had a solid year to bulk up before the PS3 launched, amid all its shortage problems and distasteful price point. But it's still anybody's game. Once upon a time, VHS looked like Betamax was going to kick its ass.

With escalation waiting in the wings, we're sad to see quote-machine Ken Kutaragi stepping down at Sony, when he's been the very definition of crazy-ass corporate braggadocio. Peter Moore has toned his schtick down in recent months (perhaps those lucid dreams no longer keep him awake), but he's clearly not afraid of a war of words.

And that's where the console wars really take place. Today, every CEO quote is posted online, mined for hidden meanings; every marketing campaign hyper-criticized; every slam is celebrated. Gamers who enjoy 360 and PS3 exist; they're just not grabbing the headlines, and those warm, fuzzy gamers certainly do not dominate online discussion forums, where skirmishes between camps break out hourly. With more gaming information outlets and more ways for gamers to communicate that ever, we've got more ways to disagree, and at much higher volumes. Welcome to the age of gaming information saturation - and the decades of hatred that come with it.

The spoiler: Nintendo's Wii. Fad or fabulous? Too early to call, but Nintendo's selling them as fast as they can make them, and it emphasizes fun over raw power. Better still, both Sony and Microsoft's talking heads have sung its praises, in a blatant and kinda funny attempt to split the vote. What if it works?

The victor: Let us know.