hile certainly featuring innovative gameplay and sophisticated graphics capabilities, this most recent generation of consoles will likely be remembered most for embracing the online world. To be fair, it was a path cleared by others. PC owners have been playing games online since modems were still a novelty. A modem was available for Nintendo’s Famicom system, enabling users to view game tips and weather reports, though such functionality never made it to the NES in America. The XBAND let Super Nintendo and Genesis owners play a handful of games against online opponents. The Sega Channel was an early experiment in downloadable content, starting in 1994 and ending three years later.

Still, with the exception of the PC, online functionality has been more of a curiosity than a selling point. Until now. Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii all support online gaming in one way or another—right out of the box. This generation of gaming is enjoying an unprecedented degree of connectivity. In this feature, we’ll take a look at each of the systems’ online presence, with a focus on games and downloadable content. Keep in mind that two of the systems featured are relative newcomers to the online front, so their content may not be quite as exhaustive at this point in time. Without further ado, let’s check out the systems.

Xbox Live is the current granddaddy on the console front, debuting in the middle of November 2002. The original service gave players plenty of chances to shout profanity (with awesome voice masking, to boot) at strangers during games, but little in the way of downloadable content. When the Xbox 360 launched, it was accompanied with a revitalized Live service. Microsoft has stressed the importance of connectivity during the 360’s launch and, more recently, during the 2007 Consumer Electronic Show. If Microsoft’s goal is to get people to use their 360s as media centerpieces, they’re certainly heading in the right direction. Whether or not people actually take advantage of this functionality remains to be seen. What is known is the services popularity—according to Microsoft, the service boasts more than 5 million users.

So what can gamers expect from Xbox Live? As of this writing, there are 43 downloadable games on Xbox Live Arcade. New games usually hit the service every Wednesday. In this case, new doesn’t necessarily mean new. A fair number of those titles have been seen before on other systems or formats. The popular card game Uno makes an appearance on the service, for example. Arcade classics such as Frogger and Ms. Pac-Man have also made their way to the console, though they usually include exclusive new features such as online rankings and updated graphics. Players are able to download demos of the games before purchasing the titles.

Users purchase content using Microsoft Points. Eighty Microsoft Points are worth roughly $1. Xbox Live Arcade games vary in price from 400 to 1,200 points. Points can be added to an Xbox Live account through the Xbox Live interface via credit card or by purchasing prepaid cards from retailers.

Aside from its age, Xbox Live stands apart from its competitors with its membership levels. Users can be one of two levels: silver and gold. Silver users can create a user ID, or Gamertag, purchase games and content, and send and receive messages. Silver membership is free. If you have an Xbox and an Ethernet cable, you, too, can be a silver member. If you’re interested in playing against other people online, you’re going to have to pony up some cash. Gold membership, from $7.99 per month or $49.99 for a year, lets users enjoy online multiplayer games, send and receive player feedback, and gain access to new content before silver members.

Xbox Live users can download other media from the Xbox Live Marketplace, as well. There are currently 65 full-length movies available for download—some available in 720p HD. As with games, movies vary in price, too, depending on how new it is and whether or not it’s in HD. For example, Superman Returns is available for 320 Microsoft Points in standard definition and 480 points for the 720p version. Older movies typically cost 240 points. More than 73 different TV shows are available, with almost every one featuring at least one complete season. Shows are as varied as recent offerings from Comedy Central to classic episodes of the Twilight Zone. Individual episodes are usually about 160 points.

Even with all the hype about downloading movies, Xbox Live hasn’t forgotten its roots. There are more than 80 game trailers available for viewing, giving players a chance to see what they’re in for before plunking down cash for a new game. Xbox Live also offers a handful of video walkthroughs, with play-by-play strategies for Xbox 360 titles.

One of the highlights about Xbox Live is its interface. It’s relatively clean and, more importantly, it works well. If a game needs a patch or has an update, the system will automatically alert you when the game is inserted. When a friend goes online, you can receive an alert. You can even chat with people while playing separate games. There’s also a very real sense of community. The Gamertag concept is pretty slick. That name follows players around, making it a breeze to add friends or block obnoxious users. Players can also give feedback to other players, providing incentives, however slight, for others to act like relatively civilized humans. Players can chat via headsets or get up close and personal with the Xbox Live Vision camera. Sometimes, people get far too close and way too personal--but that’s an entirely different issue.

So what’s the bottom line? Xbox Live Arcade offers a good number of games, but the roster still falls short of the “50 by the end of 2006” promised by Microsoft’s Major Nelson. Unfortunately, for every Geometry Wars or Uno, there are a couple of stinkers. Too many of the early Arcade titles looked, felt and played exactly like what they were: rushed ports of Internet browser-based games. Fortunately, the quality seems to be increasing, though with only a few new games every month, it may take a while for the overall quality to catch up. Discriminating players should be sure to try demos before impulsively mashing the “buy” button.