Which gaming system...

[warneckutz]

Here is the thing...I completely disagree.
There is going to be absolutely no need for the larger harddrive for the people using it. They are kids, not hardcore gamers in the least. It would be a waste, IMO.

I've stayed away from playstation for years because they seem to try to appeal to more of the "you can use it for anything" crowd. If you want something that will play DVDs better, that would probably be your choice, but PERSONALLY, I would say to get the better system, thats cheaper, and invest in a cheap DVD player if you need another one.

Xbox is going to be more fun for them if they get into gaming a little bit. I have played the Wii at my parents, and though there are a few fun games, I PERSONALLY think that the system gets old fast. The uniqueness wears off and I would personally prefer better games than the "interactiveness". That being said, I haven't tried that Wii Fit that my parents got, and that looks like it could be a good time (and a little bit of a workout).

My breakdown:
PS3: Good DVD player, but not the best for what it is "made for".
Wii: Good family system if you find enough fun stuff to keep yourselves interested. I think one of the better games I've played was the sports game that came with it. Simple, basic, but you can keep playing to improve your scores.
Xbox 360: This gets my choice. It has the graphics, it has the games, and your kids have played it before and, I assume, you know they like it. Especially since you want to get longevity out of it...this has something for everyone for the most part. The only thing with hoping for longevity, is that you know each of these companies is going to come out with new systems at some point, and the old ones become all but obsolete.
(oh, and like I said, you don't need the fanciest version of the 360 if that's what you go with. I don't foresee you going over the 20GB space that the "basic" system has. )

I had the 20 Gig system, with all the updates for the games (additional maps and such), it helped fill that drive up ASAP.

 

[RareBreed]

I was just implying that I am not planning on buying system after system as they get older when I said that I wanted it to last 10 yrs. I don't need a fancy version of any of them because none of us in my family are very hi-tech people so being able to do this and that with it is not important in my decision. I just want something my family (kids and adults) can play video games on.

Heck if it were up to me, I'd go get my Atari from my mom's house and play that! Gaming has come a looong way from that and we're just getting started with where it will go next. Simplicity works well for our family.

 

[theArtistFormerlyKnownAs]

I had the 20 Gig system, with all the updates for the games (additional maps and such), it helped fill that drive up ASAP.

Well, the easy way to settle this then is to ask...
RareBreed. Do you plan to connect this console to the internet?
One more thought is, though, how many games do you have War? If you're getting updated files for 25 games, then yeah..I could see that taking up a good bit of space And how much of those updates were paid updates, like maps, and how many were free? Sounds to me like RB isn't going to be planning to pay extra for stuff like more maps :shrug:
Just my impression.

 

[Beta84]

I voted Wii. I like my Xbox360 more, but if it's for the whole family then the Wii is probably the best family system. Plus, if it's for the entire family and you aren't necessarily good with video games, then the Wii is the most user friendly for parents.

PS2 would be a waste of your time. Cross that one off immediately. PS3 would be good if you want a blue-ray DVD player and a gaming system. Xbox360 is good for some of the games it has (same with PS3, both have some different games available).

If user friendliness isn't a big deal (aka if you don't necessarily NEED to get the Wii), then look at what games you might like and make a decision based on that. All of the systems have their perks and they're all pretty good choices.

 

[Chainsaw Slayer]

I have an xbox 360 and Wii. The xbox 360 gets the most play time and has the best game selection by far. Wii sports is fun but other than that I don't play any other games on the Wii.

 

[RareBreed]

Well, the easy way to settle this then is to ask...
RareBreed. Do you plan to connect this console to the internet?
One more thought is, though, how many games do you have War? If you're getting updated files for 25 games, then yeah..I could see that taking up a good bit of space And how much of those updates were paid updates, like maps, and how many were free? Sounds to me like RB isn't going to be planning to pay extra for stuff like more maps :shrug:
Just my impression.

No, not planning on using it for anything more than video games. Not hooking it up to the Internet or anything.

 

[butterfly08]

I voted for the Wii. It's a good game system for the whole family and it's a little more interactive, so you're not just sitting there pushing buttons. It's also cool because you can download games from Nintendo 64, SNES,NES, etc.

 

[lbreder]

I know I will play the wii with the kids. I love the mario games and the actioon ones too. Im serously thinking of getting the wii fit. I keep hearing from people that it really works you out. We bought the wii and a game that came with an extra controller and all that was around 350 (give or take). This game is the FAMILY'S big gift for christmas.

 

[theArtistFormerlyKnownAs]

No, not planning on using it for anything more than video games. Not hooking it up to the Internet or anything.

Then I would definitely say, if you get a 360, you're fine getting the Basic one
BUT...

I know I will play the wii with the kids. I love the mario games and the actioon ones too. Im serously thinking of getting the wii fit. I keep hearing from people that it really works you out. We bought the wii and a game that came with an extra controller and all that was around 350 (give or take). This game is the FAMILY'S big gift for christmas.

I have to agree with the couple people that have said the Wii may be the better option for the family. Idk, its so hard for me to say that because I know I personally like the 360 more, but the Wii is definitely fun and might even be better for folks who don't play videogames as much as me (or, that I used to..not so much now )

 

[RareBreed]

Then I would definitely say, if you get a 360, you're fine getting the Basic one
BUT...



I have to agree with the couple people that have said the Wii may be the better option for the family. Idk, its so hard for me to say that because I know I personally like the 360 more, but the Wii is definitely fun and might even be better for folks who don't play videogames as much as me (or, that I used to..not so much now )

So... I guess it's between the 360 and the Wii now. My only concern with getting the Wii is that it will throw a complete monkey wrench in my oldest son's attitude because he's never mentioned the Wii. He's only mentionedthe PS3 and 360 and that is based on what game they are advertising on TV that he may want. He is the type of person who feels the need to be good/perfect at something the moment he tries it. He fails miserably and will come completely unglued. Granted, nothing the threat of "the belt" won't cure in a heart-beat.

I don't want to ruin the surprise of getting the game since he's wanted it for atleast 2 yrs. I will check out both this week-end.

Also, I am sure that the majority of play will be from the kids. My husband and I playing will be once in awhile type situation. Maybe my husband will play more but probably not me.

 

[theArtistFormerlyKnownAs]

So... I guess it's between the 360 and the Wii now. My only concern with getting the Wii is that it will throw a complete monkey wrench in my oldest son's attitude because he's never mentioned the Wii. He's only mentionedthe PS3 and 360 and that is based on what game they are advertising on TV that he may want. He is the type of person who feels the need to be good/perfect at something the moment he tries it. He fails miserably and will come completely unglued. Granted, nothing the threat of "the belt" won't cure in a heart-beat.

I don't want to ruin the surprise of getting the game since he's wanted it for atleast 2 yrs. I will check out both this week-end.

Also, I am sure that the majority of play will be from the kids. My husband and I playing will be once in awhile type situation. Maybe my husband will play more but probably not me.

According to this post, my vote definitely goes for the 360. If oldest is probably going to be the most into it anyway, then I don't see a reason to get something that he might not even enjoy that much.
but you never know...so it is an interesting decision

 

[RareBreed]

According to this post, my vote definitely goes for the 360. If oldest is probably going to be the most into it anyway, then I don't see a reason to get something that he might not even enjoy that much.
but you never know...so it is an interesting decision

I've thought about it and I've made my decision..........



















I'm going with the 360!! Only because both my kids have played it many times and are familar with how it works. Plus realistically, my husband and I won't play that often so why spend the extra $$$ (half of which is the oldest's because he knows that's the only way he'll actually finally get something if he offers to help pay for it).

Thanks to everyone for their opinions.

 

[warneckutz]

I've thought about it and I've made my decision..........


I'm going with the 360!! Only because both my kids have played it many times and are familar with how it works. Plus realistically, my husband and I won't play that often so why spend the extra $$$ (half of which is the oldest's because he knows that's the only way he'll actually finally get something if he offers to help pay for it).

Thanks to everyone for their opinions.

FYI - they have a 20Gb system for $259.99

OR you can get the 60Gb system with the LEGO Indiana Jones and Kung-Fu Panda for $299.99

 

[Beta84]

360 is a great system. Be sure to get them Halo 3 and/or Gears of War 1/2 (both fighting/shooting games). Great games that are only for that system. If you only get the generic games that are on any system, you'd be wasting your time.

But as I say that, I'm a big fan of the football games (NCAA and Madden) that are on any system

 

[RareBreed]

360 is a great system. Be sure to get them Halo 3 and/or Gears of War 1/2 (both fighting/shooting games). Great games that are only for that system. If you only get the generic games that are on any system, you'd be wasting your time.

But as I say that, I'm a big fan of the football games (NCAA and Madden) that are on any system

Both are too young for those types of games right now.

 

[RareBreed]

FYI - they have a 20Gb system for $259.99

OR you can get the 60Gb system with the LEGO Indiana Jones and Kung-Fu Panda for $299.99

Ok. I'm going shopping this week-end.

 

[Beta84]

Both are too young for those types of games right now.

how old? and what kind of games was your son looking at? they might be available on multiple systems (a majority of them are)

 

[RareBreed]

how old? and what kind of games was your son looking at? they might be available on multiple systems (a majority of them are)

One will be 8 in Jan and the other is 4 (bday is in April). They are more into race car type games and monster trucks.

 

[Chainsaw Slayer]

Get the 360 your oldest son will not be happy with the Wii.

The 360 has all of the major games kids want to paly. Halo 3, Gears of War, Need for Speed exc.

Keep in mind a lot of new games that come out are not offered on the Wii. Most of them are available for the PS3 and xbox 360 only.

 

[migtig]

I bought the giant a wii for his birthday. It's very involved, requires a lot more effort than a standard gaming system and he's not lost interest in yet. He loses interest quick. There's silly easy games, there's harder games, there's adult games, and almost every game out there is nowadays made in a wii version as well. The giant's been playing golf like crazy on the wii. Plus there's all of the shoot-em-ups out there as well and he has the gun to plug in to the remote. The wii is so interactive that we spent hours one day just exploring the wii community. You can also use it as a family message board, for email, to upload pictures, to surf the web. My co-worker has little kids (one preschool and the other 1st grade) and he said his preschooler beats him at bowling and it's like a night out for the family without going out. Plus the wii has lots of bundles and accessory packs you can pick up to keep growing with it.

I looked at getting the PS3 and after weighing all the pros and cons, I decided long term it wasn't the best investment. The xbox is fun, but usually only for older kids and adults and pro gamer types. There isn't a lot of choices for little ones. Plus for all of those, everybody sits there on the couch not moving. To me that's not only a good way to kill time, but brain cells as well. I figured as adults if we were in front of the tv playing a video game, we might as well be up and moving as well.

However, if you want a wii in time for x-mas, you need to get busy. I order the giant's a month before his b-day and it came in the week after.