Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
by Ben Silverman
The fees stack up after your initial purchase.
When San Jose Mercury News columnist Chris O'Brien bought a Wii for Christmas, he figured he was doing his family a favor.
But after staring into the financial black hole of extra controllers, spare batteries and pricey peripherals, he balked, returning the system the very next day.
It's a fairly common tech-wary tale: enticed by a sexy price drop, you pick up a cool new piece of gear only to discover that you still need twelve things to get it to work correctly. Want to get it online? You'll need an adapter. Want to hook it up to your TV? You'll need new cables. The razor is cheap, but those blades can make you bankrupt.
But while we sympathize with O'Brien's plight (which incurred the wrath of many, many gamers), his monetary freakout only targets Nintendo's popular console. The fact is, all three home gaming systems pack extra costs. If you don’t know what you're getting yourself into, you can, like O'Brien, quickly get yourself into trouble.
So before you plunk down a couple hundred on a new system, make sure you can afford to get it up to speed, too.
NOTE: We're not including the cost of buying any games, and all prices listed below are the official, pre-tax MSRPs from their respective manufacturers. You can certainly get better deals out there if you look around a bit.
Wii
Retail price: $200
The world's best-selling game console is also the easiest for consumers to wrap their heads around. Forget the kooky bundles or various versions of the other consoles: you want a Wii, you pay two hundred bucks and you get a Wii.
Except you only get one controller, and since you probably bought it to play with family and friends, you're going to need at least one more ($50). O'Brien's battery concern is legit, as the Wii remotes can suck up a lot of juice pretty quickly. A cheap solution? Get a pack of rechargeable AA batteries with a decent battery charger (about $30). You'll save money in the long run.
If you want to get it online and have a wireless home network, you're in luck: the Wii comes with built-in Wifi, and setting up an online account is free and easy. If your home is on a wired network, however, things get tricky. The Wii is the only home console to NOT include a built-in Ethernet port, which means to connect it to your network, you'll need to purchase the Wii LAN Adapter for an extra $25. You'll also need enough Ethernet cable to get the thing hooked up to your router, which, as O'Brien points out, could be sitting behind a plant in the kitchen. The good news is that standard CAT-5 cable isn’t notably expensive; $10 should cover it, though you probably have some lying around the house that will do just fine.
There are a few other potential costs -- you'll want some extra memory cards in case you end up buying tons of downloadable games -- but for the most part, you're now ready to play the Wii.
Real price:
Wireless network: $200 + $50 + $30 = $280
Wired network: $200 + $50 + $30 + $25 + $10 = $315
Xbox 360
Retail price: $300 (Elite model)
We know, we know: there's a cheaper Xbox 360 out there in the Arcade model ($199). But it doesn’t come with a hard drive, and since the 360 is all about being online, you'll definitely want one. If you buy an Arcade, you'll need to fork over a whopping $150 for a new 120 GB drive, which comes standard in the $299 Elite model. 'Nuff said.
Well, almost. Even if you buy the right Xbox, you'll still need a few upgrades to get it working properly. First and foremost? Xbox Live is one of the system's coolest features, so get that sucker online, pronto. In terms of networking, the 360 is the opposite of the Wii, sporting an Ethernet port but no built-in Wifi. However, it also comes with 6' of CAT-5 networking cable; while that might not be long enough to wrap around the house, at least it's in there.
Dying to go wireless? Bad news: it's prohibitively (and inexplicably) pricey. The new official Xbox 360 Wireless-N adapter costs a clinically insane $99, while the cheaper, older model will set you back $80. Tech-savvy types can go for broke with more affordable third-party solutions, but there's no guarantee those will work and Microsoft won’t help you out if they don’t.
Either way, you're now online...sort of. To get the most out of Xbox Live -- and by most, we mean the ability to play games with and against other people online -- you'll need an Xbox Live Gold account ($50/year). It's the only console to charge for the ability to play with others online. Crazy, but it is what it is.
The 360 differs from the Wii in another significant way: it supports hi-def visuals with your HDTV. Though the standard AV cables packed in the box will get you up and running, you won't be taking advantage of your awesome TV until you grab something burlier, like an HDMI cable ($15 -- remember: cheap HDMI cables are just as good as pricy ones).
And lest we forget, if you want to play with a friend in the same house, you'll need an extra controller ($50) and -- you guessed it -- rechargeable batteries ($30). But here's a tip: if you only plan on using that second controller for occasional shindigs, skip the wireless and grab a regular old wired one for $40.
Real price:
Wireless network: $300 + $100 + $50 + $15 + $40 = $505
Wired network: $300 + $50 + $15 + $40 = $405
Playstation 3
Retail price: $300
Courtesy of that awesome price drop, Sony's Blu-Ray beast is no longer priced out of the market. In fact, it comes packed with enough standard features to make its hidden fees seem downright reasonable.
Let's start with the controllers. Yes, you'll need an extra one ($50) if you want to play with friends, but forget the spare batteries, because every PS3 controller comes with built-in batteries that can be recharged through the system's USB ports and included cables. Smart and easy.
The PS3's online setup is a combination of the other consoles, sporting both built-in wifi and an Ethernet port. But unlike the Xbox 360, online play won't cost you a dime. Hey, this is looking pretty good!
Speaking of which, you'll definitely want to hook up the Blu-Ray-capable system to your HDTV, and that means grabbing an HDMI cable ($15). Yes, it works just fine with the included AV cables, but that's not how Blu-Ray was meant to be enjoyed.
And oddly, that's about it. If you're scared of hidden costs, the PS3 might well be the way to go.
Real price: $300 + $50 + $15 = $365
Sticker shock: Gaming's hidden fees - Plugged In - Yahoo! Games
Amazing Microsoft can still get away with all those overpriced proprietary add-ons. Their console division reminds me of Apple lol.
The fees stack up after your initial purchase.
When San Jose Mercury News columnist Chris O'Brien bought a Wii for Christmas, he figured he was doing his family a favor.
But after staring into the financial black hole of extra controllers, spare batteries and pricey peripherals, he balked, returning the system the very next day.
It's a fairly common tech-wary tale: enticed by a sexy price drop, you pick up a cool new piece of gear only to discover that you still need twelve things to get it to work correctly. Want to get it online? You'll need an adapter. Want to hook it up to your TV? You'll need new cables. The razor is cheap, but those blades can make you bankrupt.
But while we sympathize with O'Brien's plight (which incurred the wrath of many, many gamers), his monetary freakout only targets Nintendo's popular console. The fact is, all three home gaming systems pack extra costs. If you don’t know what you're getting yourself into, you can, like O'Brien, quickly get yourself into trouble.
So before you plunk down a couple hundred on a new system, make sure you can afford to get it up to speed, too.
NOTE: We're not including the cost of buying any games, and all prices listed below are the official, pre-tax MSRPs from their respective manufacturers. You can certainly get better deals out there if you look around a bit.
Wii
Retail price: $200
The world's best-selling game console is also the easiest for consumers to wrap their heads around. Forget the kooky bundles or various versions of the other consoles: you want a Wii, you pay two hundred bucks and you get a Wii.
Except you only get one controller, and since you probably bought it to play with family and friends, you're going to need at least one more ($50). O'Brien's battery concern is legit, as the Wii remotes can suck up a lot of juice pretty quickly. A cheap solution? Get a pack of rechargeable AA batteries with a decent battery charger (about $30). You'll save money in the long run.
If you want to get it online and have a wireless home network, you're in luck: the Wii comes with built-in Wifi, and setting up an online account is free and easy. If your home is on a wired network, however, things get tricky. The Wii is the only home console to NOT include a built-in Ethernet port, which means to connect it to your network, you'll need to purchase the Wii LAN Adapter for an extra $25. You'll also need enough Ethernet cable to get the thing hooked up to your router, which, as O'Brien points out, could be sitting behind a plant in the kitchen. The good news is that standard CAT-5 cable isn’t notably expensive; $10 should cover it, though you probably have some lying around the house that will do just fine.
There are a few other potential costs -- you'll want some extra memory cards in case you end up buying tons of downloadable games -- but for the most part, you're now ready to play the Wii.
Real price:
Wireless network: $200 + $50 + $30 = $280
Wired network: $200 + $50 + $30 + $25 + $10 = $315
Xbox 360
Retail price: $300 (Elite model)
We know, we know: there's a cheaper Xbox 360 out there in the Arcade model ($199). But it doesn’t come with a hard drive, and since the 360 is all about being online, you'll definitely want one. If you buy an Arcade, you'll need to fork over a whopping $150 for a new 120 GB drive, which comes standard in the $299 Elite model. 'Nuff said.
Well, almost. Even if you buy the right Xbox, you'll still need a few upgrades to get it working properly. First and foremost? Xbox Live is one of the system's coolest features, so get that sucker online, pronto. In terms of networking, the 360 is the opposite of the Wii, sporting an Ethernet port but no built-in Wifi. However, it also comes with 6' of CAT-5 networking cable; while that might not be long enough to wrap around the house, at least it's in there.
Dying to go wireless? Bad news: it's prohibitively (and inexplicably) pricey. The new official Xbox 360 Wireless-N adapter costs a clinically insane $99, while the cheaper, older model will set you back $80. Tech-savvy types can go for broke with more affordable third-party solutions, but there's no guarantee those will work and Microsoft won’t help you out if they don’t.
Either way, you're now online...sort of. To get the most out of Xbox Live -- and by most, we mean the ability to play games with and against other people online -- you'll need an Xbox Live Gold account ($50/year). It's the only console to charge for the ability to play with others online. Crazy, but it is what it is.
The 360 differs from the Wii in another significant way: it supports hi-def visuals with your HDTV. Though the standard AV cables packed in the box will get you up and running, you won't be taking advantage of your awesome TV until you grab something burlier, like an HDMI cable ($15 -- remember: cheap HDMI cables are just as good as pricy ones).
And lest we forget, if you want to play with a friend in the same house, you'll need an extra controller ($50) and -- you guessed it -- rechargeable batteries ($30). But here's a tip: if you only plan on using that second controller for occasional shindigs, skip the wireless and grab a regular old wired one for $40.
Real price:
Wireless network: $300 + $100 + $50 + $15 + $40 = $505
Wired network: $300 + $50 + $15 + $40 = $405
Playstation 3
Retail price: $300
Courtesy of that awesome price drop, Sony's Blu-Ray beast is no longer priced out of the market. In fact, it comes packed with enough standard features to make its hidden fees seem downright reasonable.
Let's start with the controllers. Yes, you'll need an extra one ($50) if you want to play with friends, but forget the spare batteries, because every PS3 controller comes with built-in batteries that can be recharged through the system's USB ports and included cables. Smart and easy.
The PS3's online setup is a combination of the other consoles, sporting both built-in wifi and an Ethernet port. But unlike the Xbox 360, online play won't cost you a dime. Hey, this is looking pretty good!
Speaking of which, you'll definitely want to hook up the Blu-Ray-capable system to your HDTV, and that means grabbing an HDMI cable ($15). Yes, it works just fine with the included AV cables, but that's not how Blu-Ray was meant to be enjoyed.
And oddly, that's about it. If you're scared of hidden costs, the PS3 might well be the way to go.
Real price: $300 + $50 + $15 = $365
Sticker shock: Gaming's hidden fees - Plugged In - Yahoo! Games
Amazing Microsoft can still get away with all those overpriced proprietary add-ons. Their console division reminds me of Apple lol.
