With its built-in Wi-Fi and Web browser, the Sony PSP was one of the first game machines to truly embrace Internet play, and it has been a hit from the start. The PSP keeps adding capabilities too. With add-on memory cards for storage, you can play MP3s and view photos. The widescreen display and PS2-quality graphics also make it perfect for portable video, and you can watch live TV shows on your PSP via the Sony LocationFree wireles streaming TV system.

The Nintendo DS Lite can't match the PSP in multimedia features or video quality, with its smaller display, but it's half the price, making it an affordable and popular system for on-the-go gaming. Both the new slimmed-down DS Lite and original DS models offer backward compatibility with GameBoy Advance games, and have unique touch screens, as well as built-in Wi-Fi for online gaming. Nintendo is so keen on Wi-Fi that it even offers free access for DS owners at many popular hotspots, like McDonald's. You don't even have to set up your machine at most of these locations. The DS will automatically recognize and connect to the hotspot, all you have to do is play your online game. The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connect site has a hotspot directory and list of Wi-Fi-enabled games.

The Xbox 360 was the first game console out of the gate with high-definition video capabilities, and you can add on an HD-DVD drive for high-res movies and gaming. While Wi-Fi is not standard equipment, the 360 is heavily slanted toward online play via Xbox Live, and can be unwired with the optional USB Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter ($100). The Xbox 360 also supports streaming media from your Windows XP or Vista PC, so you can listen to your digital music library on your stereo system, or view photos and video on your home theater.

For high-def video lovers, the PlayStation 3 is where it's at. Incorporating a Blu-ray drive, full 1080p resolution, and an HDMI connector, the PS3 will be as popular with the adults for watching movies as the kids for playing games. This model also features 60GB of storage, built-in Wi-Fi, this third generation console is ready for high-definition online gaming. Sony also promises an online PlayStation world to rival that of Microsoft's Xbox Live. If you have the older PlayStation 2 equipped with an Ethernet port, you can unwire it with the Belkin Wireless G Ethernet Bridge.

Since its launch last fall, the Nintendo Wii has taken the gaming world by storm. It may lack the high-def prowess of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but a combination of comparatively low price, a unique motion-sensitive controller, and truly fun family-oriented games has created a broader audience for video games than ever before. The Wii features built-in Wi-Fi and widescreen video, and is backwards-compatible with Nintendo GameCube games and peripherals. If a Wii purchase is not yet in the cards, you can give your old GameCube new online life in the meantime by adding the Nintendo Broadband Adapter as well as an Ethernet-to-Wi-Fi network bridge like the Belkin Wireless G Ethernet Bridge.