Wii vs XBox 360 vs Playstation- argh!!!

[rentayenta]

We have a Wii and everyone in our family loves to play it. Our family is myself, DW, DS13, DD12 and DD4. Everyone including our 4 year old loves to play it. My wife and both daughters NEVER played video games before and they love to play on the Wii. My father and mother even enjoy playing with DD4.

I would highly recommend the Wii for anyone. If we would have bought the Xbox 360 or PS3 it would never be used as often nor enjoyed by everyone the way the Wii is. You cannot go wrong with this system and the range of games it has is great for everyone.

Now if I could only beat DD4 just once in bowling!!!!

How cute that at 4 he can beat you! The Wii seems to be the best value and the family favorite!

If you're looking for a slightly cheaper game system before you invest in a more expensive one, I'd get a used PS2. The PS3 is the new version & is more expensive.


The Wiis are incredibly popular & difficult to find. I was able to get mine by a fluke of asking the worker at ToysRUs if they had any in stock & she told me they would be getting some on Sunday & they had just started opening an hour earlier so there probably wouldn't be a line. She was right.



I paid just over $300 for the Wii system with 1 controller (I also bought a 2-year protection plan). I am looking at buying 3 more double controllers (remote & nunchuk) & sleeves which I believe will probably cost me another $100 total. So, I will have spent over $400 for our Wii. However, it is a family gift so it ends up being about what we spend on each other at Christmas anyway.

AFA the handheld games (I'm assuming they want the Nintendo DS or DS Lite) $120 is not too bad. My DD wants one but she's currently happy with her brothers hand-me-down Gameboy SP so I think she can wait until her birthday. Again, sometimes you can find them on eBay for fairly inexpensive (under $100 used)
And, unfortunately, from your sig line, your kids appear to be at the age where their wants get more expensive.

Over $400? I knew that was coming! Their tastes are getting so expensive. We have one Gameboy Advanced that my DD hasn't played with in a year so maybe handing that down to my DS would work and then getting a Wii for the family as our family gift.

Can't believe we own them all, and play them all! Wii is everyone's current favorite.

I can't either but I admit it's making me want one now!

I really like the WII.. I've never been really good at getting my fingers to work with all the buttons on the other controllers. The WII is just plain fun once you get used to it.
The set is $250. That's one controller with nunchuk, wii sports and wireless internet.

Extra controllers are about $50-60 each (30-40 for the controller and 20 for nunchuk). If you dont use wireless internet, adapter to connect is about 30 IIRC.

I also bought rechargeable docks for my controllers.


I have a PS2 and 360. I dont play them a lot, and play the wii more then either (except for guitar hero for the ps2 and 360), but that's coming out for the WII so I can see the WII being my big time main soon.

I know a few people with the 360 and none of us have had ANY problems with them. Maybe it is an issue like a PP said, but I've heard more stories about the PS3 then anything. IMO from seeing the games for it, a lot of them are average looking at best. The nascar one looked like a low detail PC game when I saw it. Not impressed at all yet. The blu-ray player is nice, but I've read reviews where it's not exactly bulletproof either.

For a family, I HIGHLY suggest the WII. It's cheaper to start out and the games seem to be about $10 less then others also. Right now the selection of games for the WII isnt the best, but there are TONS of games coming out for the holiday season it appears..

My DS is wanting a game called Smash Brothers. It sounds intense but my girls assure me, it's fine. I doubt that we would start out with more than what the system comes with.

We LOVE our Wii!!! My entire family plays it, along w/ most of our neighborhood. On any given day, I can have upwards of 10 kids (4 of which belong to me) in my living room playing with the Wii. But, like the previous poster said, I would rather have them here than somewhere else where I wasn't sure what is going on. My dad even plays Tiger Woods Golf w/ DH and he is definitely not a gamer. The games are very active and diverse enough so there is something for everyone to enjoy. Just make sure they use the wrist band. Our first go almost had a controller go through our brand new big screen tv.

Also, you get to make your own Miis- the on screen player to look just like you. My kids have so much fun changing their looks.

I can't remember how old your kids are, but my youngest was 3 when we got ours last Christmas and he was able to play with it on most games.

We did have to stand in line to get it, though. And we just bought 1 extra controller and nunchuck - which makes 2 total. This worked for a while until we were able to find/ get 2 more. The sleeves are not "must- haves" to play the games. They just distinguish one remote from the others.

Hope this helps!

That's cool that they can change their Miis, cute marketing name too! I will have them hold on to the remotes as ours would be hooked up upstairs in the loft on the big screen too. Thanks for the tips!

Edit- it says my post count is too low to post links, so I'm going to delete the w w w. stuff, just add that in

The Original MSRP on the Wii is $249.99. That includes: Nintendo Wii system (system, Wii remote controller, nunchuck, stand, sensor and Wii Sports game, WiFi, Gamecube game backwards compatible). Most Wii games support up to 4-players at once. Nintendo products usually come with a 1 year warranty from them, but the system is so reliable I don't think it's necessary for any extended warranty plans that the stores sell. However that does give some people peace of mind. The system has 512MB of built in memory to save games to. That isn't as much as the competition but trust me, the game saves are so small that it would be a considerable amount of time before an SD memory card would be needed, so do yourself a favor and skip that for a while (probably a couple years, if ever lol). The Wii also has a "Virtual Console", that you can buy Wii Points cards at any old Walmart, and spend the points online on the Virtual Console to download oldschool Nintendo, Super Nintendo, N64 etc games. Downloading content like this is how most people fill up the systems memory, not from actual game saves.

An additional Wii Remote Control (Wiimote ) is $39.99 gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=802561

An additional Nunchuck is $19.99 gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=802562

A great deal that I reccomend is WiiPlay. It's a game bundled with a Wiimote for $49.99 gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=230004

So if you can find one, you can get the system bundle at $249.99 + Say the Wii Play bundle at $49.99 + A nunchuck for $19.99 = $320 + tax and you have yourself a Wii with two games and two controls.

Sites to check out:
thewiire.com/
thetanooki.com/
nintendo.com/home
wii.ign.com/

There's an enormous amount of games out for the Wii already. And some are already on budget lists at under $25. Theres an extremely healthy selection in the $25-$50 range.

Feel free to ask or PM me any more questions and I'll do my best to get you steered in the right direction.

Thank you SO much for the info. $350 give or take doesn't sound all that bad when it's for all 3 kids. It will be cheaper than 3 Nintendo hand held systems! I am going to take you up on asking more questions via PM as soon as I bring this up again with DH. I am sure he'll have lots.

 

[all4fun]

We bought a Wii about a month ago and love it. DS4 also loves it and it is so user friendly. I am the non-video game person and I even like playing it so that says something.

I don't know if it's been mentioned but we just received an email form Nintendo that they are now selling the Wii-motes WITH the Sleeve since they have found it helps protect the remote a little better (in case it's dropped). I'm not sure if they are increasing the price of the remotes to include the cost of the sleeve or not. They also sent us some free wrist straps with locking clips on them (to keep them tight on the wrist) - dh filled out an online form for that one I think. I have been impressed with their customer service and so far we haven't had any problems with the system.

 

[romac]

We bought a Wii about a month ago and love it. DS4 also loves it and it is so user friendly. I am the non-video game person and I even like playing it so that says something.

I don't know if it's been mentioned but we just received an email form Nintendo that they are now selling the Wii-motes WITH the Sleeve since they have found it helps protect the remote a little better (in case it's dropped). I'm not sure if they are increasing the price of the remotes to include the cost of the sleeve or not. They also sent us some free wrist straps with locking clips on them (to keep them tight on the wrist) - dh filled out an online form for that one I think. I have been impressed with their customer service and so far we haven't had any problems with the system.

As far as I know they aren't changing the price. You can also get on Nintendo's site and order up to 4 of the sleeves for 100%free, free shipping and everything, if you bought a Wii before they started shipping the sleeves. All you need is to register your Wii and order em.

Nintendo is a quality company with quality service, I can't say enough good things about them

 

[cruiserkaren]

I agree with the pp's. I don't see how you can go wrong with a Wii. Fun for the whole family!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

We all love the Wii! Great for the whole family, lots of cool games, my boys (6 and 8) love to play it together and when their friends come over its a huge hit! But I have to say that for DS8 nothing really compares to his love of PS2. He is a true gamer and loves games like Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, which you can't get for Wii. Also my boys have DS's, and I don't know how we'd live without those. Great for the car, for long drives, for waiting in restaurants, for going to each other sports practices, trips to Grandmas, and just for a rainy day at home. I admit I play DS quite a bit when the kids are at school. I have a slight obsession with Animal Crossing.

 

[Gillian]

Our family gift for Christmas this year is a Wii. I bought the basic system , Wii play & an extra nunchuck. Grandma is giving the kids (4&7) Mario Party 8. I ordered Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (not sure of exact name) from DD's preschool Scholastic flyer also.

If we didn't already have Zelda Twilight Princess for Gamecube, I'd get that because DH & DS like to play it together.

I think/hope Grandma is getting Guitar Hero III for DH for the Wii. She said she would but has to actually order it!

I don't think that's too much to spend for Christmas for the family. I am getting some small gifts for DD 4 (legos, a Care Bear, maybe little pet shop for her stocking), and Webkinz for both. We'll actually be away for Christmas, so I have to figure out what I'm going to do about that (bring it with us to open then, open before, wait until after?).

 

[Gillian]

I admit I play DS quite a bit when the kids are at school. I have a slight obsession with Animal Crossing.

I think there should be a club for parents addicted to Animal Crossing! I could be a charter member!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Our family gift for Christmas this year is a Wii. I bought the basic system , Wii play & an extra nunchuck. Grandma is giving the kids (4&7) Mario Party 8. I ordered Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (not sure of exact name) from DD's preschool Scholastic flyer also.

If we didn't already have Zelda Twilight Princess for Gamecube, I'd get that because DH & DS like to play it together.

I think/hope Grandma is getting Guitar Hero III for DH for the Wii. She said she would but has to actually order it!

I don't think that's too much to spend for Christmas for the family. I am getting some small gifts for DD 4 (legos, a Care Bear, maybe little pet shop for her stocking), and Webkinz for both. We'll actually be away for Christmas, so I have to figure out what I'm going to do about that (bring it with us to open then, open before, wait until after?).

They'll love Mario Party 8 and Monkey Ball. Those are both really fun Wii games, and great for their ages. My kids also love Sonic and the Secret Rings and Pokemon Battle Revolution for Wii. My favorites are Big Brain Academy and Harry Potter 5. DS8 just got Mario Strikers Charge the other day and is really enjoying that one. But DS6 says its too hard for him. His favorite is definitely Disney's Cars.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I think there should be a club for parents addicted to Animal Crossing! I could be a charter member!

Dude, I am right there with you! I just changed my hairstyle again this morning while the kids were getting ready for school. And I love collecting furniture and stuff for my museum! My dinosaurs and fish are almost complete, and I'm probably halfway done with insects.

 

[Gillian]

At the moment I am working on our Pokedex

 

[xipetotec]

Late to the party, but as an avid gamer and the brother of an Uber gamer, AND father of 3 kids 9, 12 and 14, here's my 2 cents:

From a gaming standpoint, I truly love the XBOX 360. It's technologically sound, it's got great game support ( i.e. many great games and quite a few exclusives ). amazing options for online play ( not that I personally play online ). It's all around a great console and good investment.

That being said, the WII is an a good console that appeals to "the masses" it's got games for little kids. it's got games for big kids. I've seen people who are just not into video games all that much play this one. It gets you up and moving too, which is a plus. It may not have the HIGH LEVEL of technology the other two new generation consoles have, but it's got great ideas and the motion sensor controllers really make for a new experience. that being said, for us, it was a novelty and after the first month of owning one, we really haven't played with it much and have been back at the Xbox.

Now the playstation 3... I really wanted to like this one. I liked the PS2, we were one of the first people to own a PS2 back when. Not to mention, considering the target audience one THIS board, PS2 was the console that had Kingdom Hearts. However... PS3 is good "technologically" ... but I don't know if it's through Sony's bad marketing or what. but the game support just doesn't sem to be there. Yeah it supports all PS2 games from before. And there are some next gen games that are on ALL platforms. But there are very few "PS3 Exclusives" and right now, it's the most expensive console. The gaming community as a whole has been lukewarm on this one. It's got the power and ability. but just doesn't have the backing it needs to really excel imho. The one really good thing it has going for it is the fact that it does have a BluRay player built in. Which is good. But for an additional 130$ or so, you can make your XBOX360 an HD-DVD player too. kinda steals some of the thunder. ( again ).

Of course, this is my opinion, and I've seen some people who really like the PS3. But for my 2 cents. if you want someting really global that will appeal to all kids of all ages, get the Wii ( it's also the least expensive ). If you want just a GREAT gaming platform all around, get the XBOX 360.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

My oldest wants an Xbox360 but I am resistant to the idea. Since he already has a PS2, Wii, and a DS I really don't want to start collecting games on yet another new system. And I really haven't seen many good kids games for Xbox anyway. If we buy another system I think I'd lean towards PS3 mainly because we can use all our PS2 games on it. But for now it's too expensive and there really aren't any good PS3 games for kids either.

 

[rentayenta]

We bought a Wii about a month ago and love it. DS4 also loves it and it is so user friendly. I am the non-video game person and I even like playing it so that says something.

I don't know if it's been mentioned but we just received an email form Nintendo that they are now selling the Wii-motes WITH the Sleeve since they have found it helps protect the remote a little better (in case it's dropped). I'm not sure if they are increasing the price of the remotes to include the cost of the sleeve or not. They also sent us some free wrist straps with locking clips on them (to keep them tight on the wrist) - dh filled out an online form for that one I think. I have been impressed with their customer service and so far we haven't had any problems with the system.

I have read that you must have the sleeves as it stops the remote from flying into the tv?

As far as I know they aren't changing the price. You can also get on Nintendo's site and order up to 4 of the sleeves for 100%free, free shipping and everything, if you bought a Wii before they started shipping the sleeves. All you need is to register your Wii and order em.

Nintendo is a quality company with quality service, I can't say enough good things about them

Can I order the Wii from the Nintendo site?????? That would be great especially if they have free shipping!

I agree with the pp's. I don't see how you can go wrong with a Wii. Fun for the whole family!

That seems to be the general view! I really do trust what other parents and gamers say.

We all love the Wii! Great for the whole family, lots of cool games, my boys (6 and 8) love to play it together and when their friends come over its a huge hit! But I have to say that for DS8 nothing really compares to his love of PS2. He is a true gamer and loves games like Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, which you can't get for Wii. Also my boys have DS's, and I don't know how we'd live without those. Great for the car, for long drives, for waiting in restaurants, for going to each other sports practices, trips to Grandmas, and just for a rainy day at home. I admit I play DS quite a bit when the kids are at school. I have a slight obsession with Animal Crossing.

I am really looking forward to owning a Wii now!

Our family gift for Christmas this year is a Wii. I bought the basic system , Wii play & an extra nunchuck. Grandma is giving the kids (4&7) Mario Party 8. I ordered Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (not sure of exact name) from DD's preschool Scholastic flyer also.

If we didn't already have Zelda Twilight Princess for Gamecube, I'd get that because DH & DS like to play it together.

I think/hope Grandma is getting Guitar Hero III for DH for the Wii. She said she would but has to actually order it!

I don't think that's too much to spend for Christmas for the family. I am getting some small gifts for DD 4 (legos, a Care Bear, maybe little pet shop for her stocking), and Webkinz for both. We'll actually be away for Christmas, so I have to figure out what I'm going to do about that (bring it with us to open then, open before, wait until after?).

The more I read I realize that it's really not that much to spend!

Late to the party, but as an avid gamer and the brother of an Uber gamer, AND father of 3 kids 9, 12 and 14, here's my 2 cents:

From a gaming standpoint, I truly love the XBOX 360. It's technologically sound, it's got great game support ( i.e. many great games and quite a few exclusives ). amazing options for online play ( not that I personally play online ). It's all around a great console and good investment.

That being said, the WII is an a good console that appeals to "the masses" it's got games for little kids. it's got games for big kids. I've seen people who are just not into video games all that much play this one. It gets you up and moving too, which is a plus. It may not have the HIGH LEVEL of technology the other two new generation consoles have, but it's got great ideas and the motion sensor controllers really make for a new experience. that being said, for us, it was a novelty and after the first month of owning one, we really haven't played with it much and have been back at the Xbox.

Now the playstation 3... I really wanted to like this one. I liked the PS2, we were one of the first people to own a PS2 back when. Not to mention, considering the target audience one THIS board, PS2 was the console that had Kingdom Hearts. However... PS3 is good "technologically" ... but I don't know if it's through Sony's bad marketing or what. but the game support just doesn't sem to be there. Yeah it supports all PS2 games from before. And there are some next gen games that are on ALL platforms. But there are very few "PS3 Exclusives" and right now, it's the most expensive console. The gaming community as a whole has been lukewarm on this one. It's got the power and ability. but just doesn't have the backing it needs to really excel imho. The one really good thing it has going for it is the fact that it does have a BluRay player built in. Which is good. But for an additional 130$ or so, you can make your XBOX360 an HD-DVD player too. kinda steals some of the thunder. ( again ).

Of course, this is my opinion, and I've seen some people who really like the PS3. But for my 2 cents. if you want someting really global that will appeal to all kids of all ages, get the Wii ( it's also the least expensive ). If you want just a GREAT gaming platform all around, get the XBOX 360.

I am SO leaning towards the Wii. Now I have to research where to get one.

My oldest wants an Xbox360 but I am resistant to the idea. Since he already has a PS2, Wii, and a DS I really don't want to start collecting games on yet another new system. And I really haven't seen many good kids games for Xbox anyway. If we buy another system I think I'd lean towards PS3 mainly because we can use all our PS2 games on it. But for now it's too expensive and there really aren't any good PS3 games for kids either.

Wow, I can't believe that you have that many systems!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I am hoping I can gain some insights on the game systems.

My kids currently have the original PS1 that was given to them last year because a friend of ours got a new system. It has been fine but because it's so old, they don't sell games for it anymore. We have not had any other systems except for a V-Smile, which is more educational then gamey.

I am looking for opinions that you all can provide. Also any pros or cons about having a game system in general.

We have all three of these game sytems and the Wii is the one that gets the most use by far. My kids range in age from 2-16. It is probably the only game system that me and my DH will play also. We like that for a lot of these games the kids have to get off their butts. The Mario games are also a draw for the kids as they are big Mario Party and Paper Mario fans. DS likes playing golf and DH likes to play poker. DD likes the Dance Dance Revolution (great exercise BTW), youngest DS likes Happy Feet and I am partial to the plain old bowling game that comes with the system.

Personally, I was never a big X-Box fan and that is one my oldest DS insisted on getting...only for it to collect major dust about 6 months after we purchased it. IMO X-box is geared more for teens and adults than young kids. My DH may have used it more than my son. Playstation...depends which one you are talking about 2 or 3? I wouldn't spend the money to buy the PS3 (but that is me and my pocketbook) and PS2 is soon to be relegated to the dinosaurs where I'm sure it will be hard to find games for-right now is fine, but ours doesn't see too much action these days and I can't even recall when we last bought a game for it. I think it mostly functions as a dvd player in my oldest DS's room.

Now I have not read all the responses, but I did see something mentioned about the flying Wiimotes. We did get the straps, but to tell you the truth, we never had an issue with them flying anywhere, let alone into the tv....but I suppose if you have a very excited player, it could happen. We have yet to use the straps on ours.

I think the thing to consider most is what types of games your kids like to play and of course, what suits your finances and your own taste. We never sought out to purchase the Wii, but a relative was crazy enough to stand in line the day they came out and picked up an extra, which she offered to us at her cost. The selling point for me was that it forced the kids to be active and not just sit on the couch.

 

[rentayenta]

We have all three of these game sytems and the Wii is the one that gets the most use by far. My kids range in age from 2-16. It is probably the only game system that me and my DH will play also. We like that for a lot of these games the kids have to get off their butts. The Mario games are also a draw for the kids as they are big Mario Party and Paper Mario fans. DS likes playing golf and DH likes to play poker. DD likes the Dance Dance Revolution (great exercise BTW), youngest DS likes Happy Feet and I am partial to the plain old bowling game that comes with the system.

Personally, I was never a big X-Box fan and that is one my oldest DS insisted on getting...only for it to collect major dust about 6 months after we purchased it. IMO X-box is geared more for teens and adults than young kids. My DH may have used it more than my son. Playstation...depends which one you are talking about 2 or 3? I wouldn't spend the money to buy the PS3 (but that is me and my pocketbook) and PS2 is soon to be relegated to the dinosaurs where I'm sure it will be hard to find games for-right now is fine, but ours doesn't see too much action these days and I can't even recall when we last bought a game for it. I think it mostly functions as a dvd player in my oldest DS's room.

Now I have not read all the responses, but I did see something mentioned about the flying Wiimotes. We did get the straps, but to tell you the truth, we never had an issue with them flying anywhere, let alone into the tv....but I suppose if you have a very excited player, it could happen. We have yet to use the straps on ours.

I think the thing to consider most is what types of games your kids like to play and of course, what suits your finances and your own taste. We never sought out to purchase the Wii, but a relative was crazy enough to stand in line the day they came out and picked up an extra, which she offered to us at her cost. The selling point for me was that it forced the kids to be active and not just sit on the couch.

I am sold on the Wii now and guess what? I have been ALL over the internet and cannot find one except for on ebay and for some reason I am not in the mood to pay double what one would cost in the store.

Any ideas?

 

[dburg30]

I am sold on the Wii now and guess what? I have been ALL over the internet and cannot find one except for on ebay and for some reason I am not in the mood to pay double what one would cost in the store.

Any ideas?

Check local targets and Walmarts, best-buys and circuit cities.. ebgames, gamestop etc etc..

keep an eye on www.wiitracker.com RIGHT NOW they show circuitcity.com having some at 250.. but that can change by the minute..

GOOD LUCK you will find one at 250, just keep trying It took me about 10 days - 2 weeks of solid looking..

I cant remember if you had a time frame or not. Or maybe you can snag one from circuitcity.com now!

 

[dburg30]

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/prod...&linkid=j13774590k9470&affiliateid=k9470&mid= the direct link to CC that has it.. or this link if that one doesnt work http://wiitracker.com/redirect.php?id=104
.. hopefully one will


DOH, cc seems to be having issues with their site right now.. I cant add anything to a cart


EDIT**** Well it appears that even though the one page shows them available if you go thru cc's site normally, ie: clicking video games, clicking wii, looking that way it shows sold out .

Also check sears.com as they release some every so often..

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I am sold on the Wii now and guess what? I have been ALL over the internet and cannot find one except for on ebay and for some reason I am not in the mood to pay double what one would cost in the store.

Any ideas?

You may want to try EBGames or GameStop online. Both are offering the new Wii Bundle pack that comes out on Halloween. It includes the system as well as WiiPlay, Mario Party 8 and Super Paper Mario. I realize not everyone is a Mario fan...but if you or your kids are, it is worth it.

 

[rentayenta]

I found one at Sam's Club online! I used my FIL's membership and scored one for $249 plus $8 in shipping which I would have easily spent in gas driving all over.


for everyone's help!


I went to Curcuit City online and they were sold out but anyone looking Sam's online has them!


Now onto finding extra controllers thingies.

 

[rentayenta]

double post!