Console gaming has never been better. From Blu-ray drives to motion sensitive controls, current generation systems offer never-before-seen gaming hardware features. Better still, the diversity of games on store shelves, which range from brain trainers and music simulators to innovative action/adventures and incredibly realistic shooters, makes the libraries of previous consoles seem like one-trick ponies.

But nothing is perfect. Even as I marvel at the wonders of modern living room gaming I find myself constantly running into exasperating issues. Here are three peeves for each of the major consoles that make geysers of steam erupt from my ears.

Xbox 360

1. No internal wi-fi. Even the $279 Wii, which hardly even has any online games, comes with internal wireless. Adding insult to injury is the ridiculous price of Microsoft's wireless network adapter: $100. I refuse to buy one on principle.

2. The price of Xbox Live. It's far and away the best online service yet created for a console, providing a great community, stable gaming, and fun features like Gamer Achievements, and I understand the costs involved in the maintenance of such a robust system. However, now that Xbox Live has more than 10 million members (and is raking in more than half a billion bucks annually, based on Xbox Live's $70 yearly subscription fee) it's time for Microsoft to dial down the price and prove to its user base that it has the scruples not to milk them like a massive herd of cash cows.

3. The deafening cooling fan. Fully revved, it sounds like a fighter plane in a steep dive. The 360 fan completely overpowers softer sound effects and voices—especially in environments that don't permit players to crank the volume. I suffer through it for games, but I never use my 360 to watch movies or listen to music—which bodes badly for Microsoft's dream of making its console an all-purpose living room entertainment machine.

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