Bit on the short side this month? Too lazy to walk to the shops? As long as your console is connected to the internet, there's a treasure trove of cheap (and even free) content worth downloading. Now that all three next-generation consoles have arrived, we thought we'd take a look at what's on offer, and which games are worth your time and money…

PS3 Network vs. Xbox Live Arcade vs. Virtual Console

PS3

How many games?
There are currently 13 games available to download and few concrete dates for more. So far there are no regular weekly releases planned. A recent update made it possible to play downloadable PSOne games on your PS3 as well as PSP. There are currently 12 PSOne games on the service.

What kind of games?
Alongside all-new, original games, Sony has also stated that Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 games will be available, plus classic PSOne titles.

Any freebies?
Demos of fully featured games are free, such as Ninja Gaiden Sigma. The downloads are massive and can take a good long while to complete. Trailers are available too.

Special features?
Extra downloadable content is dead certain, especially for Gran Turismo HD. Expect most games to have a leaderboard or rankings system too, so you can compare scores online. Then there's the recently announced Home.

Not so good for…
Choice. There’s just not enough there right now, plain and simple. In fact, there are only a handful of games worth checking out. Things will likely improve though.

GamesRadar says:
The weaker service of the three - but that’s only because it’s just come out. Expect the list of games to rise dramatically, both for original content and even old PSOne games.