Let's look at the best deals for the consoles.
Black Wii - 200$
Comes with a wiimote and nunchuk, as well as both Wii Sports games, which will entertain you until you can scrounge up enough money for a quality titles like Brawl or Mario Galaxy. You also get Wii motion plus giving you access to playing Red Steel 2 and the upcoming Zelda title. And considering Wii games are loads cheaper than the other games for other consoles, the Wii is the best choice financially. However, you won't get glisteningly good graphics or a good online experience. The only thing that makes up for that is the Virtual Console service where you can download old Nintendo titles for reasonable prices (NES game =5$, SNES/Sega Genesis game= 8$, N64 game=10$)
The Wii itself has Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Resident Evil, and games for any gamer. Granted, there's not as many shooters as there should be, but the Wii is at the top when it comes to exclusive titles.
PS3 Slim 120GB -300$
I also own a PS3 and love it just as much as my Wii, though that may change with the four incredible Wii games coming out before the year is out. The PS3's online service is free, and you have access to moderately fun downloadable titles, as well as PS1 classics for great prices (6-10$ for PS1 games). It also has Trophies, which are the 360 equivalent of Achievements. Trophies give you a reason to 100% a game, and to show off to your other gamer friends. The amount of people online on the PS3 is smaller to the 360, but that really just means less 13 year olds spouting cuss words that they don't even know the meaning of.
The PS3 and 360 aren't that much different, but most of the arguments come down to which system has the better exclusive titles. If you want Ratchet and Clank, Metal Gear Solid 4, Infamous, and LittleBigPlanet, the PS3 is for you. If Halo and Gears of War are more your style, the 360 may be the better choice
Xbox 360 Elite - 400$ (I think)
Definitely the best 360 to date. With a very low failure rate and up-to-date hardware. I don't know much about the 360 because I don't own it. My friends tell me I should've got one. But having to pay for online would be a bitch. I think it was 50$ a year. And with games on the system being all about online play, you need to get up the cash. I won't say anything more about this system, but it wouldn't hurt to still consider it.
The way I see it, the Wii is your best choice. In this generation, getting the full video games experience requires a Wii and either a PS3 or 360. I went with Wii/PS3, and I couldn't be happier with my choice. The Wii supplies me with games that have great gameplay as well as older titles I wasn't around for, while the PS3 allows me to play good online games and collect trophies.
