Using that same logic Wii games shouldn't be scored higher just because Nintendo didn't put the most advanced hardware in the system either. They should all be recieving 6's and 7's in Graphics.
No, that's a different logic. The Wii has different values as it has different abilities. You can't compare it to machines that are more powerful (whether they're more pricey or not). PS3 and XB360 are running the same games with the same assets and same general look. If XB360 renders a screen that gets a graphics rating of 9, PS3 rendering exactly the same screen should also score the same score, a 9. You can't say PS3 only scores an 8 because though it looks just as good as XB360, it costs $100 more for the BRD playback and built-in browser.
Machines should be measured by their performance, and not their price.
These are gaming consoles.
No, they're entertinament devices. The idea of a straight games console is dead. There isn't a single machine in this new gen that
only does games. Even Nintendo have given up on the mantra of 'we're only interested in games,' offering photo browsing, internet browsing, optional movie playback, and other non-gaming apps like Pictochat etc. in their 'games machines'. All of them incorporate multi-entertainment options. Every box you buy, you buy with a host of non-gaming functions that factor into it's price and value. If you're only buying a console for games, it's for
you to decide the price of the console versus the worth of the games, not the magazines. The cost of the machines should only influence the value-for-games of the hardware reviews. eg. Give XB360 9/10 and PS3 7/10 as value for money for playing games. Then rate the games for what the games are, so identical games on the two platforms get the same results (until the platform's abilities are better known to compare to). For those wanting to decide which machine to buy, they want to know the games are identical yet the price of the machine is different, so they can decide if the differences like BRD player included are worth the extra money. If you lower the game scores, it makes it look like the more expensive console offers an inferior game experience when in fact it's identical (when scores aren't decreased for system price, and where the games
are the same) and that's a false impression. In this case, if PS3 offers exactly the same game experience as XB360, and adds BRD, some people will think that's worth the extra money. If they're told the games are inferior due to lower scores, they may think otherwise, and you're not allowing them to make up their own mind based on accurate information.