Please help me pick out a game system!

[Minnie]

Okay here's the story......

DS (15) has a PS2 at home and as games are getting more difficult to find I'm highly considering purchasing a different system for Xmas as gaming is one of his favorite activities.

I considered the Wii as I like the interactive component of the system, but he has a Wii at his grandparents so I'm not sure it's the best system for home. And the system is in his bedroom where he doesn't have a lot of room for the sports type stuff. However, the Wii Fit is fun and something I would use some at home so it stays on the list.

Another issue is that we live in the sticks so we don't have high speed access in the house except for a laptop connect card so the system won't be used on the internet. Also, he has a "regular" tv in his bedroom so the HD features of the new system won't be used.....

So with all of that.... which system would you buy????

 

[tinkerlisa]

We had that same problem! We ended up going with the Wii! I had tried out a few of them(thanks to my bro's gaming addiction!) and we decided that the Wii was our best choice. Other systems games I have noticed are more for older children and teenagers. I don't know how old your son is but mine is 6 and the Wii had more choices for games for his age!

 

[Eeyoresfriend]

He's 15, if you get him a Wii, chances are he'll get bored with it within a year. I would suggest an XBox 360 20gb. That way he can play sports games, racing games, etc. Plus when his friends come over they can play with him.

XBox is great b/c it looks good in SD, and if he decides to upgrade his TV when he gets older it's ready for HD. Most boys I see are talking about playing the 360, and with teens that work at my store play the 360 more than a PS3. They say there are more games out there for it, and there's not as many for PS3. Most of the people that own a PS3 (me included) use it for the Blu-ray player, and sometimes play games.

Plus finding a 360 is going to be a lot easier than finding a Wii.

 

[Disney_Angel]

We had that same problem! We ended up going with the Wii! I had tried out a few of them(thanks to my bro's gaming addiction!) and we decided that the Wii was our best choice. Other systems games I have noticed are more for older children and teenagers. I don't know how old your son is but mine is 6 and the Wii had more choices for games for his age!

Thanks this is very helpful...I was just going to ask about this age group!

 

[KayLuvsMickey]

I would normally recommend the PS3 because the graphics are so great. (cool games too) However, without a high def TV, I don't even know that it would be worth it. That being said, my boys LOVE their WII. All the kids in the neighborhood love to come play it!

 

[tabrizia]

I'd say at 15 an xbox360 or ps3 would be the way to go. We have a Wii and the games just aren't that great for DH and me, it rarely gets used. We also have two xbox360s because there are so many games that appeal to both of us that we both wanted our own system for when we wanted to play and other one was on the xbox. There are a ton of casual games (those these are on the marketplace so you may not get them if you don't have internet access) and there are a ton of other games suitable for all ages and levels of interest. The games tend to be of a higher quality (at least that is our feeling) then most of the Wii games we've gotten. The ps3 is also nice from what I've heard and has some decent games as well. The xbox360 has the most variety in their game library since they have been out longer, but both the ps3 and xbox360 have a lot of good games available that are a lot of fun for someone that enjoys gaming, I find that the Wii has far fewer.

You really don't need internet access for any of the systems, though it does let you get to each game systems marketplace area which may have more casual games.

 

[princessmom29]

Another vote for xbox 360 here. Odds are a 15 year old is going to have little long term interest in a Wii. The games ar for the most part what I would call "cutsie" and not something to hold th interest of the average 15 year old for long.

 

[wlwilliams9]

Definitely, a 15 year old boy is going to want an XBox 360 over a Wii. The games and online community are geared more for that age group and older....like my 34 year old DH!

 

[Minnie]

Thank you for all the opinions so far.... Please keep them coming

BTW - If this makes a difference we are considering an HDTV purchase (we have Dish Network) though not many channels are in HD.

My main concern with buying the XBOX 360 rather than the PS3 is the likelyhood of another new system coming out and making the 360 obsolete quickly.... Any rumors of this??? Seems like the PS3 might be useful a little longer??????

Oh and if it helps any.... DS is 15 and doesn't care for sports games (well other than the Wii ones at his grandparents). So NFL, NBA, ect won't be games he'd look at. He is more interested in fantasy, history, cartoon, mystery style games.

Thanks!

 

[princessmom29]

Thank you for all the opinions so far.... Please keep them coming

BTW - If this makes a difference we are considering an HDTV purchase (we have Dish Network) though not many channels are in HD.

My main concern with buying the XBOX 360 rather than the PS3 is the likelyhood of another new system coming out and making the 360 obsolete quickly.... Any rumors of this??? Seems like the PS3 might be useful a little longer??????

Oh and if it helps any.... DS is 15 and doesn't care for sports games (well other than the Wii ones at his grandparents). So NFL, NBA, ect won't be games he'd look at. He is more interested in fantasy, history style games.

Thanks!

There are many of these type games available on bot xbox 360 and PS3 We are not big on sports games either. Mostly RPG and strategy.

 

[tripplanner]

My vote would be for a xbox 360. My son is 14 and it's really the most popular system among his friends. They do carry a wii around from house to house. I find that they play it for a short period of time and then spend the majority of time on the xbox.

I would ask your son - it could be different in your area.

 

[karen l]

My youngest DS (13) loves his xbox360. We also have a Wii & a PS2 - he uses the Xbox most often. There are alot of games available & he & his friends really enjoy it. The Wii is great but there aren't many games for teens
yet. Also, this would give him a change from the Wii at his grandparents.
Good luck deciding!

 

[bdoyledimou]

My family is a gaming family, and we have multiple units of all three systems.

For a 15 year old that doesn't have ready access to the internet, i would highly recommend the 360.

The 360 has the larger game library, and all games that are cross platform (available on two or more systems) look better on the 360 as the games are built on this system then ported to the others for the most part.
It has better Standard definition support as well.

The PS3 is a great system for ONLINE games, and most of the exclusives make this clear. The 360 is also the current leader in the RPG space..

 

[tabrizia]

Thank you for all the opinions so far.... Please keep them coming

BTW - If this makes a difference we are considering an HDTV purchase (we have Dish Network) though not many channels are in HD.

My main concern with buying the XBOX 360 rather than the PS3 is the likelyhood of another new system coming out and making the 360 obsolete quickly.... Any rumors of this??? Seems like the PS3 might be useful a little longer??????

Oh and if it helps any.... DS is 15 and doesn't care for sports games (well other than the Wii ones at his grandparents). So NFL, NBA, ect won't be games he'd look at. He is more interested in fantasy, history, cartoon, mystery style games.

Thanks!

DH and I are both big fantasy and history and even cartoon and anime (at least in video games) type people the Xbox360 has a ton for this demographic. In fact we have never bought a sports game yet, I think we've gone through 30+ or so 360 games so far (we buy them and then trade them in to buy new ones at gamestop once we beat them), we still have 10 or so of our favorites at home too since a lot of them are very replayable as well.

 

[h518may]

Xbox 360

The 360 has a better selection of games no matter what kind of game you play. We have a 360 and a PS3, never play sports games, but most of our games are on 360. And even the ones on PS3 only a few are not available on 360.

And for the system being around a while, there are no rumors of new systems yet.

Another selling point on the 360 is that the price was just cut on all there systems. So the 360 is about a $100 cheaper then before.

 

[Tiffany_MommyOf3]

We have a Wii, PS2, PS3, PSP, DS Lite, and apparently the only thing we are lacking is an Xbox 360. We are going to get it though because the game selection for PS3 SUCKS.

wii - we love it! Hubby & I love it, my 5 yr old and 3 yr old love it. my 2 yr old still doesn't get it though LOL

PS2 - good but old LOL - the kids like the games though

PS3 - we love the graphics and the blu-ray but without hd, i don't think it would be worth it. It's games suck! If we could use PS2 games on the PS3, it would have been PERFECT lol

PSP - great but handheld

DS Lite - LOVE this - perfect for even my 2 yr old because the pen makes it easier to understand instead of why buttons do this or that LOL - but its portable too

 

[Eeyoresfriend]

Thank you for all the opinions so far.... Please keep them coming

BTW - If this makes a difference we are considering an HDTV purchase (we have Dish Network) though not many channels are in HD.

My main concern with buying the XBOX 360 rather than the PS3 is the likelyhood of another new system coming out and making the 360 obsolete quickly.... Any rumors of this??? Seems like the PS3 might be useful a little longer??????

Oh and if it helps any.... DS is 15 and doesn't care for sports games (well other than the Wii ones at his grandparents). So NFL, NBA, ect won't be games he'd look at. He is more interested in fantasy, history, cartoon, mystery style games.

Thanks!

They are available on both systems. I play RPG games and there are some games coming out this year that will only be available on XBox 360. I'm in the industry and haven't heard of anything just yet that is going to replace the 360.

As far as getting an HDTV, both syste,s play in HD if you want them to. They both do 1080p it's really all about the games themselves. There are a lot more on te 360, BUT if you want the capability of having family movie night in HD, then the PS3 is better b/c it's also a Blu-Ray player.

 

[melancholywings]

Hands down 360. It is an amazing system. We have all but the Ps3, and the 360 is such a better gaming system with a great and diverse library. They do have their problems but come with a warrenty for I believe 3 years.

 

[Tanzanite]

Hi i would buy the xbox make sure you get a added warranty .We have had ours in for repair 2 times in less than 2 yrs. We also have the Wii but my son plays xbox much more.