Forums >Off the Beaten Path>Gaming Console Recommendation, v.DEC2011
My young son is infatuated with the Indiana Jones Lego game, which he got to play a couple times on a friend's PlayStation 3. Christmas is coming, so I shopped the PS3. After my sticker shock, I discovered that game also is available for Wii, Xbox 360, and Nintendo DS.
So to those who have PlayStations, Xboxes, and Wii's: do you still use 'em, or did the novelty wear off? Do you play M-rated games, do your kids play games and whatnot, or both? If you had it all to do over ... ? And so on. Help me, Obi Wan, you're my only hope.
Oh yeah, and since my wife thought it'd be easy for me to find out: does anyone here own multiple gaming consoles and have the Indiana Jones Lego game for 2+ of those platforms? She'd like to know if there are differences in the game releases depending on platform.
"I want you to pray as if everything depends on it, but I want you to prepare yourself as if everything depends on you."
-- Dick LeBeau
We have had a Wii for about five years now. My son (now 10) still plays it as often as we let him, so the novelty hasn't worn off. To be fair, we limit his time on it and treat it as a reward (finishing homework, etc), which may be a contributing factor to the novelty not wearing off. We are actually planning to get an XBox this year - while the Wii is still fine (and especially so for my younger daughter, who is just now beginning to enjoy some of the simpler games), the big draw on the XBox was being able to use the XBox Live online play function for my son to play together with friends.
When we got the Wii, it was really the only choice if you had pretty young kids - PS and XBox had no motion-sensing technology and really focused on the hardcore gaming titles, compared to the Wii's out-of-the-box motion-sensing technology and younger-skewing / casual-skewing games - just the basic bowling game that came with the original system was a great game for my wife to enjoy with my son, and for him to also be able to play with his grandparents.
The gap between the systems is a lot narrower now, but there are still a couple of key differences. PS and XBox both provide HD video, while Wii does not. The PS has the ability out-of-the-box to also serve as a blu-ray DVD player, eliminating the need for an extra box hooked up to your TV (really the only plus in my mind for the PS3, although some would argue that it is the only "true" gaming system). Wii is the only place you are going to find a bunch of younger-skewing Nintendo-owned franchises like Mario and Zelda, although all three systems have a fair amount of "exclusives". I haven't tried the Kinect motion control on Xbox, but I hear that it rivals Wii (PS is still pretty far behind on the motion-control front).
Oh, and XBox just released a major software update to its system on Tuesday which provides much more TV content in the device - Microsoft is aiming at being the entertainment hub of the house with this release. It provides on-demand and cable-box-like features, and also allows for voice commands rather than just controller / remote commands.
Anyway, just some random, relatively unorganized thoughts on the matter.
rectumdamnnearkilledem
We have had a Wii for about five years now. My son (now 10) still plays it as often as we let him, so the novelty hasn't worn off. To be fair, we limit his time on it and treat it as a reward (finishing homework, etc), which may be a contributing factor to the novelty not wearing off.
What he/she said. Our son is almost 11 and we've had the Wii for 2 (or is it 3...?) years, now. He still loves it. And he LOVES the Lego Indiana Jones game. I think there are actually 2...maybe more. He was on a jag where that was the ONLY game he would play. And he was totally obsessed with the movies, too. He's been a LEGO geek since he first had a baby LEGO set, then Duplo, then inherited a bunch of his dad's childhood LEGO plus thousands (no joke) more pieces.
I sorta loathe LEGO, at this point. Gah. That shit hurts to step on.
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
Tomorrow will be worse
What wbudde said actually still holds, as far as I understand it. Wii is a good system for younger/casual gamers, while xbox and playstation have more mature content - i.e. they have the ability to run more complicated content, which is not to say younger players can't manage, since I have personally been killed many times by 8yr olds while playing online, but I'm not sure if I were in charge if I'd have a child under 15-ish playing at some of these war games. Graphics are surprisingly good, and games are extremely violent. Not to mention the fact that one of the best parts of the xbox, the online community, is also one of the worst for young kids, as there's nobody policing language, which can get somewhat colorful (and at times abusive) when playing at killing each other. That said, you can control for that by the games you buy for your kids: don't buy call of duty for an 8 year old, and he/she won't be playing it. Stick with sports games, racing, etc, which are also very good.
As far as the motion, I have the kinect for xbox and wouldn't buy it again. It's an excellent system, and while the camera-type setup prevents some of the lazy cheating that you can get away with on wii/PS3 (the controllers sense they're being moved, and have no idea whether the rest of you is moving or not, so you can stay seated and just swing your wrist), but the content isn't really there for it yet. Games that do exist though are pretty good for young kids, so maybe it's my age, but I'd be happier if there were more sports games (when Madden comes out with a version running on kinect, I'll be happy)
So there you have some more rambling...for a young kid I'd push the wii (and for the mario nostalgia, if you played when you were younger). If your kid is into sports and racing though, not so much war games, the graphics will be better on the other two systems and you won't need to worry as much about violence and online community language
Joggaholic
I have both the wii and ps3. My kid started playing the wii when she was 2.5 (mario kart) and she loved it. She also started playing the ps3 now that she's older (5). For younger kids, the wii is a better option for physical reasons. 1) The ps3 controller is very large for young kids and especially those with small hands, and they will not be able to easily manipulate all the control buttons and stick/pads. 2) For motion control, both the xbox and the ps3 rely on the cameras, and they don't work well with younger (short) kids, it is especially frustrating if in case multiple players with significantly different heights are involved (an adult with a kid). The wii controller never gave my kid any problem at all.
Edit: (Ugh, nevermind, I just reread your question and since your kid has already played with the PS3, he obviously did not run into the issues I mentioned)
Thanks, all. (And anyone else who wants to chime in, don't be shy!)
My son's grade-school age and has only played the IJLego thing maybe twice, both times with on the PS3 of a bossy kid. Not sure how much time my guy actually got on the thing, but he didn't complain about not being able to control his on-screen dude. I guess his hands are big enough for the PS3.
I may take him down to Best Buy and let him fondle the electronics. I'm tossing around the idea of getting a cheap MP3 player for his school commute anyway. And Daddy can always use a little something-something ...
We have all three - purchased at different times based on unique titles and for various reasons.
Xbox360 first for our 'serious' gaming.
PS3 for the Blu-ray and titles such as Little Big Planet and Resistance
Wii for the novelty factor of the more interactive style, out of curiosity, and for Wii Fit, Mario Kart, Mario Galaxy etc.
Generalizing and rehashing what's already been covered ...
... Xbox360 and PS3 have higher resolution and a bigger graphics engine, but dependent on the game that may not be important. If Dad wants to slay zombies, relive real and imagined military campaigns, race cars in HD, then either of these choices is equal and superior to the Wii.
Wii is more focused on the casual gamer and gives more interactivity (i.e. waving your arms around) without add-ons and less cost than the other two.
PS3 has Blu-ray ... a useful bonus if the device is going to be in the family room connected to a HD TV and you don't already have a Blu-ray player.
Xbox360 greatest advantage is its superior collaborative play with Xbox Live. Unless he has buddies on Live that probably won't be a factor. Wii and PS3 support online play to a lesser extent.
The process is the goal.
Men heap together the mistakes of their lives, and create a monster they call Destiny.
I think we're down to PS3 v. Wii at this point. Tough call -- the PS3 has Blu-ray (which we don't have), better graphics, and the ability to be interesting to Dad as well as Son ... but the Wii has a much lower price. Grrr.
Depending on the games you want to get, the price of the hardware will not be a significant factor after a while. For both the wii and the ps3, new games are always expensive (~$50), but I have noticed that the ps3 games come down in price significantly faster. The hit ps3 games can get into the $20 bin within a year, whereas the "good" wii games (many of the nintendo titles like Mario Kart) stays expensive for a much longer time. So the ps3 is not that expensive if you don't need to always get the latest and greatest stuff.
Game pricing is an important point as that can quickly dwarf the initial cost of the console if you are buying many.
Dependent on usage, a subscription service (such as Gamefly or Gamerang), or ad-hoc rental, may work well. The majority of the games we purchase are just the ones with very high replay value over many months - i.e. collaborative, plus a few keepers.
What he/she said. Our son is almost 11 and we've had the Wii for 2 (or is it 3...?) years, now. He still loves it. And he LOVES the Lego Indiana Jones game. I think there are actually 2...maybe more. He was on a jag where that was the ONLY game he would play. And he was totally obsessed with the movies, too. He's been a LEGO geek since he first had a baby LEGO set, then Duplo, then inherited a bunch of his dad's childhood LEGO plus thousands (no joke) more pieces. I sorta loathe LEGO, at this point. Gah. That shit hurts to step on.
"He", for what it's worth...
I'm glad I'm not the only one - my 10-year-old is in the same camp regading Legos...they are ALL OVER my basement, and I am ALWAYS stepping on them - ouch! When he gets tired of Madden on Wii he switches over to the Lego Star Wars game (they are "#1" and "#1a" on his favorites list).
Anyway, back to the OP - my suggestion (if that means anything) is to go for the Wii - it will still be plenty interesting to you while being the easiest for your young child to start on. I think the only way you would be disappointed in it is if you really wanted to get serious about the more intense games. I played a lot of video games when I was a kid, and I can see the performance/video difference between Wii and PS/XBox, and if I were 19 it would probably be enough to prevent me from ever using a Wii. But, I'm not 19...and as a dad, I think the experience with the Wii overall is better.
...And really, if you don't have a Blu-Ray player already in the house, then how are you really going to miss the video performance? Not that I am throwing stones - I don't have Blu-Ray either (I do have HD, and I never watch TV anymore unless the show is in HD). When Blu-Ray first came out, the PS price point of $300 was really appealing because that was less than the price of most Blu-Ray players - the PS seemed like a bargain then. Now, you can get a Blu-Ray player for under $100, so really, I would suggest leaving the Blu-Ray piece out of the decision. My brother bought a PS for that reason - he has a 9-year-old and a 6-year old, and now the PS is only used to watch Blu-Ray discs - when he and/or his kids play video games, they use the Wii.
I agree with the WII, had it for about 4 years now the even though my girls are a little older (15 and 13) the Wii still gets used. Mario Kart is a big hit and they enjoy super mario brothers.
I don't know anything about video games, and because of that, I like Wii much better than XBox.
I have 2 kids, and my wife and I are able to play the Wii with the kids. Otherwise, we're watching them do their stuff on the other consoles without any ability or desire to figure out whether to hit "A", "B", "X", "Y", "Green", "Yellow", "Blue", ... Too many buttons on the dang thing for me to figure out....
So, Clive, if you have any intention of playing with your kids, and you currently don't play or have any desire to play much, consider the Wii.
If you grew up a PS junkie, and love to play games, consider all the other options.
My oldest (18) uses the XBox frequently, and my youngest (8) mostly uses the Wii.
Yesterday, my wife beat all of us during a round of bowling!
Brian
Life Goals:
#1: Do what I can do
#2: Enjoy life
I've got a 360 and a wii. I don't have any kids, so I can only talk about my experience. Personally, I think the wii is garbage. The are so many games on it that are only meant to keep you entertained for a few minutes. Nintendo is about the only company making games for it worth playing. The 360, on the other hand, offers me much more bang for my buck. I like killing zombies and playing war games.