One of the best things about the newest generation of video game consoles is that they can be connected to the Internet. This means that no matter where your friends are, if both of you have a console you can play any game that has online support. The three consoles of this generation are the Wii, the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360. Wii online gameplay is a great way to pass the time and connect with friends. Here’s how to set your console up for online gameplay and how it stacks up with the rest.

After you have your Wii out of the box and connected to the TV, you have to connect it to a cable or DSL Internet connection. Wii online gameplay has to be done over a broadband connection; anything else is too slow. Go to the right-hand side of the screen where it reads ‘Internet settings’ and connect with your broadband router by entering its name and connection password. After the console is connected, you’ll see a menu on the screen with a list of games available to play online. You can play Super Smash Brothers: Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, Animal Crossing or Call of Duty: World at War, among other Wii games. These are the most played, though. Most games offer two options for online play: Play with Friends or Play with Anyone. The former option requires that you and your friend exchange a 12-digit numerical code. This is called your Friend Code, and it’s the same with whatever game you play. Play with Anyone allows your Wii to connect randomly with anyone in the world. Sounds simple enough, right? And the best part is that it’s completely free. If you have the Wii already, there are no subscription fees or anything of the sort.

The other online system for playing video games is the Xbox Live network for the Xbox 360. It has a few more bells and whistles on it, such as a leaderboard and the ability to audio chat with players online. The downside to this is the yearly subscription fee of $50. That may not seem like much, but most people would likely prefer to spend the $50 on, say, another game.

The PS3 online gaming system, PlayStation Network, like the Wii, is completely free. It has many of the same features as Xbox Live. Also, PlayStation Network allows video chat with up to six people using the PS3’s webcam peripheral, the PlayStationEye.