Edit: wonders, not wanders.

How do the episodes work? Do you pay up front and then get the episodes free as they’re released?

If you’re looking for a retro catalog, the Wii’s downloadable selection beats the other two resoundingly. With that said, I’d consider a PS3 if you don’t already have a Blu Ray player as it serves as the best entertainment bridge of the three consoles currently on the market, and still has some retro games in it’s catalog (if not the impressive collection the Wii boasts).

Wow, that’s actually a really tough question. It’s true, the Wii has it all over the other systems as far as console emulation goes but, Rock Band of the Wii is far less polished than on the other systems. Plus, as the other systems appear to be getting stronger, the Wii is showing it’s technological short comings.

My PS3 get’s far more play than my 360 however, coming into Beatles Rock Band so late after release, you might have trouble finding the instruments at a reasonable price for that system. I stuck with my 360 version of the Rock Band series because I had the Stage Kit (which ended up not working with Beatles anyway).

As far as great downloadable titles, both the PS3 and 360 have great shared and exclusive titles, it’s sort of a wash. If you want to do online titles with a lot of people, go with the 360, if you want to play with fewer folks, PS3. I’ve also had better luck as a network media player with the PS3 although there is a 360 streaming server to share files from your Mac. The PS3 has the Blueray and you can find some inexpensive titles. For online plugged-in ness, I think the 360 has the edge there but, the Sony really does try to make their product ”do it all.”

My final advice would be to see if you can get the Beatles gear for the PS3 at a reasonable price and weigh what type of online experience you want. I’d suggest the Wii as a secondary system for the Virtual Console and first party titles but, wait for a price drop, it’s got to happen.

Thank you for your comments, guys. I’m almost settled for the PS3. The Blu-Ray and a couple of exclusive titles (Little Big Planet, Flower, Katamari Forever and The Last Guardian) sealed the deal.

Unfortunately the Beatles Rock Band Premium Bundle for the PS3 (with Sir Paul’s guitar and the drum kit) is 220€ in Amazon.co.uk, which is a little too much. I guess my planned reenactment of the Apple Corps rooftop concert will have to wait.

Regarding the Wii: I was looking at the Virtual Console titles available in Europe and, as a Mega Drive fan, it made the device very appealing, but at 200€ right now, it can wait.

So, I’m just going to wait for a good Holidays’ deal on the PS3 and on a TV. I guess I need to upgrade from my 14’’ tube television so I can enjoy these next-generation titles.

Until then, I’ll finish all my PS2 titles that I haven’t yet, including that Shadow of the Colossus last boss. That might take awhile.