Xbox 360 w/ kinect for Christmas?

[Jey12]

I'm not what you'd call game savy. I never could figure out the controller past the super nintendo. Too many buttons. We have the Wii, because the controller looked easier, and it looked like a better system to have when DD was 3. This year she's 5, and will turn 6 soon after the holidays. I have been banging my head against the wall trying to figure out a main Christmas gift for her and DH and I got to talking about the Xbox w/ the kinect. She plays it over at a friend's house and loves the Kinectimals game and has been talking non stop about the new Disneyland Adventures game coming out next week. I have to admit this game alone is a big selling point for us too. I have no doubt the game system will get use, along with the Wii. DH is excited at the thought of being able to play Madden Football again, he never liked how it played on the Wii. I can't figure it out, so I can't say there's a difference. I have a few questions about the Xbox though....

1. Is it a system appropriate for a 6 year old? I don't plan on buying her Halo or anything like that, but are there enough games that are geared for her age group, and will the controls be easy enough for her to figure out and enjoy the games? I know I'm a lost cause.

2. What is the Xbox live gold about? It looks like you pay microsoft $56 or so a year to be able to play online with other players, and use your netflix accounts to stream through the console. Is that right? Is there anything else to it? We can do all of that now on the Wii for no additional charge. I can stream netflix, hulu plus and amazon prime (if I decided to) with our blue ray player. So my question is, would the xbox live gold membership even be worth it for us? While I do think it's cool to be able to talk to my Xbox and ask it to show me a movie and then play it, I just don't think it's $56 cool.

 

[foltzy]

The X-box is appropriate for a 6 year old. I have a 4 and 6 year old and we've had the system for a long time now (I can't remember when we bought but I want to say 2007 or 2008). There are many age appropriate games. My kids love for x-box Viva Pinata, they love rock band though we watch what songs they play. We have a game called Beautiful Kalamari that they enjoy. For kinects we have kinectimals, the adventure game that comes with it.

Jury is still out on if it's worth it for the x-box live or not. My husband has a subscription mostly because he plays with his friends online. You can stream netflix which we find easier to do on the x-box than the wii but it might be because we had it for the x-box first.

We also buy x-box points and download games from xbox.com for the game. We have bought more songs for rock band and my husband just bought fruit ninja for the kids to play a few months ago.

The entire family loves it. Next up is Just Dance Kids for DD it's what she really wants. I love how the kinect really gets you moving.

 

[Jey12]

The X-box is appropriate for a 6 year old. I have a 4 and 6 year old and we've had the system for a long time now (I can't remember when we bought but I want to say 2007 or 2008). There are many age appropriate games. My kids love for x-box Viva Pinata, they love rock band though we watch what songs they play. We have a game called Beautiful Kalamari that they enjoy. For kinects we have kinectimals, the adventure game that comes with it.

Jury is still out on if it's worth it for the x-box live or not. My husband has a subscription mostly because he plays with his friends online. You can stream netflix which we find easier to do on the x-box than the wii but it might be because we had it for the x-box first.

We also buy x-box points and download games from xbox.com for the game. We have bought more songs for rock band and my husband just bought fruit ninja for the kids to play a few months ago.

The entire family loves it. Next up is Just Dance Kids for DD it's what she really wants. I love how the kinect really gets you moving.

Thank you so much. I figured xbox would be fine for DD, and I'm sure I can figure out the controller at least enough so she can beat me at the games. I don't know what my mental block is past 4 buttons on one but I sure have one. Thanks for the game suggestions. Being able to get up and move is one of the reasons we bought and love the Wii. DD has 3 of the Just Dance games, and she adores the Wii fit for kids with the nickelodeon characters. Do you like Fruit Ninjas? We are looking at getting a console now and saving it until Christmas, but waiting until Black Friday to get the kinect part. Target has one for $99 that comes with the Adventures game, plus a card to download Gunslinger and Fruit Ninjas, and then they've also added on Wipeout 2 to this bundle. Plus I believe there's a free month of xbox live so I guess we can at least test drive it before committing to buy.

 

[foltzy]

We all love fruit ninja. They tell me they're making fruit salad. The entire point of the game is that you are the blades and you chop through the fruit while avoiding the bombs. The kids have so much fun with it. They really enjoy playing against each other too.

 

[pooh101]

OP--Did you say $99 for an xbox 360??? I'm definitely not game savvy either, but have been hunting down the best price for my son's main Christmas gift. I checked the Target website and didn't see one for $99. Cheapest I found was Black Friday Target $130 and I'm pretty sure it includes Kinect, but I won't be able to brave the crowds. Could you point me in the right direction for the $99 one. Thanks.

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

Walmart also has the kinect bundle for 99.96 also but that does not include the xbox 360 it is for and existing game console. Amazon had the best price for it today in their lightning deal they had it for 299.99 but you got a 100 dollar credit. Walmart has the it on their website right now in special deals for the 299 but on friday it will be 199 these prices are for the 4gb. My dd purchased the the 250 last year and recently he told me he was happy he got the bigger one b/c we have almost exceeded the 4 and we don't do much on it at all. We also got a free year xbox live w/ a game that he purchased in january of this year. We do stream netflix alot on it but we also enjoy the games the new disneyland game is on our list as well as the sesame street once upon a monster and just dance three (we have one and two on the wii), we are considering carnival games b/c we like it for the wii, and family game night 4. The current list of games we have game party in motion, kinect adventures, joy ride, and my dh has a few games for the xbox that are not for the kinect.

 

[katman2540]

one other point to mention with streaming netflix. The xbox can stream in hi-def and the wii can not. you would see a major difference in teh picture quality if you have a high def tv.

 

[Terry36]

Walmart also has the kinect bundle for 99.96 also but that does not include the xbox 360 it is for and existing game console. Amazon had the best price for it today in their lightning deal they had it for 299.99 but you got a 100 dollar credit. Walmart has the it on their website right now in special deals for the 299 but on friday it will be 199 these prices are for the 4gb. My dd purchased the the 250 last year and recently he told me he was happy he got the bigger one b/c we have almost exceeded the 4 and we don't do much on it at all. We also got a free year xbox live w/ a game that he purchased in january of this year. We do stream netflix alot on it but we also enjoy the games the new disneyland game is on our list as well as the sesame street once upon a monster and just dance three (we have one and two on the wii), we are considering carnival games b/c we like it for the wii, and family game night 4. The current list of games we have game party in motion, kinect adventures, joy ride, and my dh has a few games for the xbox that are not for the kinect.

This is why I am gearing towards the 250GB for my DD as well...unfortunately I do not see that on sale in any of BF ads. Only the 4GB...

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

This is why I am gearing towards the 250GB for my DD as well...unfortunately I do not see that on sale in any of BF ads. Only the 4GB...

Yeah the I know I am kind of surprised to not see it and I am not really seeing at all. I did just look at gamestops website and while the games I don't think are great or even appropriate for my girls if you know someone or sold them they have the 250 console for 299.99 and a 60 gift card that you could use towards the purchase of the kinect. I just looked at walmarts website b/c in the online special section you can choose between the two but you have to add 100 to the 250, however yesterday the 4 was 299 which made the 250 399 now the 4 is 328 and the 250 is 428 and I just went back to look and that the xbox bundle is not available at this time.

ETA~Terry, I just realized who it was I was replying to,lol, its been a while since I have seen you on the boards I mostly stay in the families section, how are you!

 

[MAD4EEYORE]

The best deal I have seen on Xbox is at Walmart. They have it for 199 and you get a 50 gift card it includes the Kinect. Target has it for 139 without the kinect and the kinect for 99 with a wipeout game. Both deals are for black friday but you have to decide if it's worth it. Sometimes you can find just as good of a deal if not better closer to Christmas.

 

[Terry36]

Yeah the I know I am kind of surprised to not see it and I am not really seeing at all. I did just look at gamestops website and while the games I don't think are great or even appropriate for my girls if you know someone or sold them they have the 250 console for 299.99 and a 60 gift card that you could use towards the purchase of the kinect. I just looked at walmarts website b/c in the online special section you can choose between the two but you have to add 100 to the 250, however yesterday the 4 was 299 which made the 250 399 now the 4 is 328 and the 250 is 428 and I just went back to look and that the xbox bundle is not available at this time.

ETA~Terry, I just realized who it was I was replying to,lol, its been a while since I have seen you on the boards I mostly stay in the families section, how are you!

I'm well, how are you? Yes I have been MIA for a while. Me and the NOLA gang correspond on FB now more than the DIS.

ETA ~ I just noticed that Gamestop has the 250 GB on sale for $299 but it has the HALO and FABLE games...neither of which interests us. GEEZ

 

[TEK224]

Does the difference in size (4gb vs 250 gb) matter only if you are saving game play or in the acgtual game operation?

I have a Wii and play it occassionally (when I have free time), but normally don't save games when I play them. I start fresh each time, so wondering if the 4 gb would be ok for me.

 

[snowy76]

DS 5 loves our Xbox. He plays all the Lego games and some of the downloadable "arcade" games. We downloaded the demo for Disney Universe and apparently we'll be getting that game from Santa LOL.

I'm still weighing the Walmart and Target offers - not sure which we'll go for just yet, but the Kinect is definitely on our list. DS is just NOT into using a Wii remote but I think he'll love the hands-free aspect of the Kinect. The full price Kinect (w/o the console) is regularly $150. We have a 250G console but DH wants to get the 4G bundle at Walmart on BF, so that we can stream Netflix and play some DVDs and games in our room on the 4G while we hook up the Kinect to the 250G downstairs.

 

[flakypuff]

I have a few coupons for $25.00 off when you purchase the kinex part and the just dance game pm me and i will send them out

 

[Jey12]

OP--Did you say $99 for an xbox 360??? I'm definitely not game savvy either, but have been hunting down the best price for my son's main Christmas gift. I checked the Target website and didn't see one for $99. Cheapest I found was Black Friday Target $130 and I'm pretty sure it includes Kinect, but I won't be able to brave the crowds. Could you point me in the right direction for the $99 one. Thanks.

Hi there. Sorry I meant the Kinect part was $99. I think we're going to wait and see if Amazon has a good deal on the xbox console w/o the kinect prior to Black Friday. Right now it's $199 with a $50 credit towards furture purchases. I don't mind the crowds at all! I love Black Friday, it's been a tradition of ours, even DH comes along now, for about 10 years. I'm crazy, I know. Honestly though, while all of my friends are fighting the non stop crowds from Thanksgiving until Christmas, because they wanted to avoid black friday, I'm sitting at home, wrapping presents and enjoying free time. My experience is that the majority of people in the black friday crowds know we're crazy and it's always been a fairly good group of people that try to be as polite as they can be. With so many stores opening at 10pm this year I'm worried that's going to change.

Walmart also has the kinect bundle for 99.96 also but that does not include the xbox 360 it is for and existing game console. Amazon had the best price for it today in their lightning deal they had it for 299.99 but you got a 100 dollar credit. Walmart has the it on their website right now in special deals for the 299 but on friday it will be 199 these prices are for the 4gb. My dd purchased the the 250 last year and recently he told me he was happy he got the bigger one b/c we have almost exceeded the 4 and we don't do much on it at all. We also got a free year xbox live w/ a game that he purchased in january of this year. We do stream netflix alot on it but we also enjoy the games the new disneyland game is on our list as well as the sesame street once upon a monster and just dance three (we have one and two on the wii), we are considering carnival games b/c we like it for the wii, and family game night 4. The current list of games we have game party in motion, kinect adventures, joy ride, and my dh has a few games for the xbox that are not for the kinect.

Ugh! I completely missed that lightening deal! I just added the amazon deals app to my phone so I don't miss another one! Thanks for the game tips! We have a pretty decent selection on the Wii, but I really think DD will enjoy not having to mess with the controller for the kinect games. She beats me on Just Dance and all she does is sit there and wiggle the controller. LOL. We loved the Wii fit board and the games that went with it, but I think nintendo really dropped the ball by not letting you have more than one fit board going on a game at a time. We would have loved being able to race each other in skiing or other games like that. This is another reason the kinect appeals to us so much.

I've been planning my black friday attack. If only Toys R us would put theirs up! So far Walmart does have the best deal on the 4gb system with $199 and a $50 giftcard. My concern is Walmart always seems to have a very limited quantity on items like this for BF. The sale starts at 10pm and I really don't want to get into line that morning just for this game system. I love BF, but I'm not that crazy about it. I want some Turkey before I shop!

I'm trying to decide today if I shouldn't go buy the system at Toys R Us? It's $199 for the 4gb w/o the kinect and you get a $50 giftcard, and I can use that on BF. Or if I should enjoy my day at home and buy the one on Amazon for $199 with the $50 giftcard. We would use that giftcard to buy the Disneyland Adventures game on Amazon. Then skip Walmart on BF, because usually I hear in the news about someone being trampled to death at Walmart on BF. Go to Target, who has a much better plan of action for shoppers, at least in my area and grab the kinect bundle for $99. I figure with Wipeout 2, Gunsliger and Fruit Ninja's included w/ the kinect on BF I'd only be losing $30 by doing it this way and avoid Walmart. Trampled to death vs. $30.....and yes I'm still trying to decide.

I have a few coupons for $25.00 off when you purchase the kinex part and the just dance game pm me and i will send them out

Sent you a PM. Thank you for the wonderful offer! Even if I'm too late to claim one, it's still a very nice offer! I want to get Just Dance for the kinect for DD's birthday. It's soon after Christmas so we usually do all Santa and bday shopping at the same time. I know she'd really love this game if she didn't have to mess with the controller. She already loves it with the controller.

I still have a question on the 4gb vs the 250gb. First I can't believe they have systems with that huge of a difference? If we get the the 4gb, I understand that the system has USB ports? I have several 32gb and 16gb flash drives just sitting around my house. I used to use these to back up photographs but now I've gotten an external hard drive I really don't have much use for these. Can't I just plug the 32gb flash drives into the usb ports and use them as extended memory? Much like we've done using a SD card on the Wii. Or am I missing something? I don't see us playing high memory games such as Halo or anything with this system. We might download a few arcade type of games, but even on the Wii we only have about 10 games downloaded. Mostly the older Super Mario and Zelda games so they didn't take up too much room at all on the SD card on the Wii.

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

Does the difference in size (4gb vs 250 gb) matter only if you are saving game play or in the acgtual game operation?

I have a Wii and play it occassionally (when I have free time), but normally don't save games when I play them. I start fresh each time, so wondering if the 4 gb would be ok for me.

I'm well, how are you? Yes I have been MIA for a while. Me and the NOLA gang correspond on FB now more than the DIS.

ETA ~ I just noticed that Gamestop has the 250 GB on sale for $299 but it has the HALO and FABLE games...neither of which interests us. GEEZ

I saw that last night too, I thought I posted it but who knows lol, I would check w/ them to find out what their trade in value is on those two games un opened and check ebay or craigslist between what you could get for them plus the 60 you could put that towards the kinect which gamestop may have as a bundle as well. I have been trying to find their black friday ad as well.

 

[flakypuff]

. Got a few pms I will send out your coupons monday I will post when they are gone

 

[Terry36]

Look what's listed in Best Buy's circular this week...I may get this; at least you get 2 games and gift card. I'm not sure if I'll find a better deal than this. http://bestbuy.shoplocal.com/bestbuy/default.aspx?action=entryflash&ref=30&loc=KW-3861&s_kwcid=TC|8063|%2Bbest%20%2Bbuy%20weekly%20ad||S|b|8579640759

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

Look what's listed in Best Buy's circular this week...I may get this; at least you get 2 games and gift card. I'm not sure if I'll find a better deal than this. http://bestbuy.shoplocal.com/bestbuy/default.aspx?action=entryflash&ref=30&loc=KW-3861&s_kwcid=TC|8063|%2Bbest%20%2Bbuy%20weekly%20ad||S|b|8579640759

wow that's a great deal better than what walmart had last week and this week it was up to 428 and no gift card either time. plus they have a game bundle for disneyland and disney universe if you buy the two together you get a $20 gc. I plan on getting these games and they have a gc w/ shark pro steam mop so thank you posting this.

 

[Terry36]

wow that's a great deal better than what walmart had last week and this week it was up to 428 and no gift card either time. plus they have a game bundle for disneyland and disney universe if you buy the two together you get a $20 gc. I plan on getting these games and they have a gc w/ shark pro steam mop so thank you posting this.

You betcha.