Just over six months have passed since the start of the war waged by the Nintendo Wii, Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360, which together comprise the seventh generation of video game consoles.

If you have yet to purchase a system - and aren't packing the cash to purchase all three - you already know that the decision doesn't come easy. But it does boil down to a simple question: What do you want out of your system?

If top-notch graphics are the key to your gaming heart, you may want to nudge the Wii off your list. As compared to the 3.2 gigahertz processors packed by the 360 and PS3, the Wii is powered by a measly 729 megahertz. Its visual quality is a step above the GameCube, but far from the pristine environments and fluid characters that can be portrayed on the Wii's peers.

If game play places high on your priority list, the Wii is worth much more consideration.

The revolutionary spirit of the motion-sensitive Wiimote has been spoken for by anecdotes about lapsed gamers whose fondness for playing it rekindled. Then there are the technophobic aunts and grandfathers who busted a gut with a round of Wii Bowling. And the pictures of Wiimotes lodged in 58-inch flat screens are worth a thousand words about the players' zeal for their systems.

What has received less attention, however, is the PlayStation 3's Sixaxis controller, which also allows the player to guide their character, car or aircraft by moving it along six axis (hence the name).

However, the Sixaxis lacks both the pointing sensor of the Wiimote and, currently, vibration capabilities. Sony has suggested that the latter shortcoming will be fixed in the near future, but the ability to aim your controller like a rifle - at, for instance, the monsters of “Resident Evil 4” - will remain a Wii exclusive.

If the games themselves are what determine your system preference, once again the biggest battle line is drawn between the Wii and its competitors. Longtime Nintendo loyalists won't decide to buy a Wii; Mario, Link and Donkey Kong will decide for them.

The slow sales of the PlayStation 3 present a risk to game publishers eyeing an exclusive release. “Devil May Cry” and “Guitar Hero” could only be enjoyed on a PlayStation 2 because the system was so successful that the publisher earned enough in spite of the exclusivity. But the next installments of these franchises will see their first releases on other systems in order to spread out the investment.

PlayStation 3 owners can still take pleasure in having “God of War III” and “Final Fantasy XIII” - both sequels to hallmark titles - all to themselves. Current best-seller “Resistance: Fall of Man,” a first-person shooter, has attracted not only stellar reviews but one of the first major controversies of the current console wars. The Church of England has threatened to sue Sony for the game's “photo-realistic” depiction of the Manchester Cathedral as a battleground where British soldiers wipe out a swarm of parasitic aliens.

Fans of shooters should also flock to the Xbox 360, where “Gears of War” has emerged as the current flagship title and “Halo 3” will likely soar to the same level of popularity when it is released Sept. 25. Players will also enjoy the opportunity to firefight with friends or cross-country foes via Xbox Live, the most sophisticated of the consoles' online services by virtue of its skill ranking systems and sheer network size.

While the cheaper Xbox 360 ($300 for the Core System; $480 for the Elite System) may seem to make a better choice than the $600 PlayStation 3, there is a heightened risk in hanging your hat on the Microsoft console. Some consumer Web sites estimate the system's failure rate to reach as high as 30 percent, while Microsoft claims the figure to fall within the industry standard of 4 to 6 percent.

Spend a few minutes on any gaming message board and you'll likely find a slew of “buyer beware” stories about Xbox 360 system malfunctions, which are signaled by a circular red light on the console known as the “Red Ring of Death.”

Owners of failed 360s are then often forced through a recovery process that includes $140 replacement costs and lost content downloaded - for a price - to the broken machines through the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The risks and rewards of each console are many, and all deserve consideration. But the distinct needs of each gamer - and the ability of each machine to meet them - will dictate which one wins the console wars.

Staff writer David Wilcox reviews video games for The Citizen. He can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net