Christmas is upon us; prices are being slashed, games are being released and adverts are in your ear telling you what will make your children happy. A visit to your local game shop will be probably leave you with more questions than answers; “What games does he play?” “What do her friends have?” and the ever frustrating “What’s your budget?”

I’ll be posting a series of short articles talking about the various strengths and weaknesses of the two machines competing for your Christmas money. Cutting through the retail talk and high street lingo and giving you a simple, measured breakdown of the whys and hows of both and, hopefully, lead you into making the best decision for you or your loved ones this Christmas.

The first thing you’re bound to consider? The price of both machines – but even that requires a little bit of exploration.