HTC
Community Newsletter: Q&A: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question.
- 12/14/07 4:30 PM
Nintendo wii
by Corkyf - 12/9/07 8:15 AM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I purchased the wii about 3 months ago at Wally-World. I have 6 Grandkids from 5-14. The only one who's not in love with it is the 5 year old granddaughter.......shes more into little girl stuff. I have an assortment of games for all ages & it seems the kids can always find one to their liking. The older ones like the "blood & gore" genre & the littler ones like the sports games like bowling, golf, baseball, etc.. They all like the Excite truck racing.
All in all a great system. I chose the wii after searching the reviews & found that the wii is a good choice for all ages, including old guys like myself.
One plus the wii has over the others is the physical activity aspect. It looks some kind of workout center as they punch, hit, kick, or whatever. The wii requires a good amount of physical activity to play a lot of the games.
Be prepared though, that like most systems, the lowest expense of a wii is the console. The games & accessories can add up to more than the console itself. In my own humble estimation if you give your kid a wii for Xmas he'll be pretty impressed.
dont get a wii
by perezrea - 12/9/07 9:10 AM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
i have an xbox 360 and a playstation 3 and they are MUCH better. first off the graphics for the wii are not good at all. while you say your 12 year old may not notice, when you compare it to an xbox 360, you can see the difference in a second. second the wii does not even have a DVD drive. while the other 2 systems both offer a next generation dvd system, this system does not even offer the base dvd system. third the game selection is not good for wii. there are not a whole lot of good games for wii. 360 is winning because they have a wide selection of good games. followed by ps3 because they have the same amount of games as wii but the graphics are the best out of the 3 systems. i am 16. when i was 12 i liked the kiddy games that the wii offers, and i soon grew out of it. i'm not predicting the future, but i would think that your son would grow out of the system very soon and then be begging you for one of the other two systems. I would say that you should get an xbox 360 arcade for your son. its 30 dollars more then a wii(only $280) and you get the systems, wireless controller, memory card and all the other stuff. basically if you buy that system all you have to do is buy a game and he is ready to play.
wii
by Corkyf - 12/9/07 10:13 AM In reply to: dont get a wii by perezreaYou are partially right. The graphics, action, sophistication are not on a level with the others. But all the reviews say the same thing : "wii is higher rated" strictly due to the game experience.
Now wii may not impress the hardcore gamer,but most of those buying the wii are not hard core gamers.
Cnet says it best: "It's strange, it's different, and it's not as powerful as its competitors, but the Nintendo Wii succeeds in its primary mission: it's fun to play."
For the average 12 YO a wii is a terrific choice as even mom & dad may join in the fun with Junior.
For the complete Cnet review go to http://reviews.cnet.com/consoles/nintendo-wii/4505-10109_7-31355104.html?tag=prod.txt.1
The Wii design is for any age
by jtodb - 12/9/07 9:40 AM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Nindento has actually designed the Wii with older gamers in mind with the goal of easy-to-use controllers and a lower price point than the competition. Nintendo has historically appealed primarly to younger gamers with the Mario and Pokemon franchises, but as the gaming population that grew up with Atari generation, the age and income of the average gamer is increasing. Sony discovered with the Playstation that there was a lot of money to be made by targeting these older gamers and the new PS3 and (MS) XBOX360 use more expensive technology in an effort to have the sharpest graphics abilities. Nintendo has been paying close attention to the market and decided that the best graphics arn't as important as fun, accessible games. Thus the Wii, which isn't as powerful of a system but focuses on innovative control and wide appeal. Although Nintendo themselves publishes many games, and has an excellant track record of quality, many games are from 3rd party publishers. With Nintendo taking the lead in sales, more and more 3rd party publishers are making Wii games. All that said, it's the game that appeals to a particular age group, not so much the game system. Therefore you want the system that will have the most variety of games availiable, and although out of the gate Nintendo has been a bit slow publishing games(as usual), the future is extremly good. Games are always focused on profitability and right now, Nintendo is the place to be as publishers are pushing to catch-up to the underestimated attraction of the Wii. I think your biggest problem will be finding a Wii for sale should you decide to buy one.
console wars
by mgalster - 12/9/07 11:15 AM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Rhonda,
First of all, congratulations on motivating your son to get good grades! Second of all, shame on you for giving all video game fanboys on cnet due cause to start yelling at each other about which system is better. Now let's get down to business.
To start, if your son has been asking for a Wii all year, he probably knows what he wants. My guess is that he's played it at friends' houses and the like. If he didn't seem so singular in his focus, I'd say that your brother in law might have a case. But again, this is just a guess.
Nintendo has fought the reputation of "kiddie games" ever since they took the blood out of mortal kombat on the Super Nintendo back in the early 90s. While this may or may not be a fair assessment, the Wii sports the titles Manhunt 2 and the aforementioned Mortal Kombat with plenty of blood and gore. However, it is true that Xbox 360 and PS3 tend to appeal to more "mature" gamers as many of their games are focused on violence and destruction. The most typical genres of games on these systems are first- and third-person shooters, as evidenced by hit titles like Halo 3, Resistance: Fall of Man, and Gears of War. Of course, it is possible to find other games on these systems (and it's possible to find these genres on the Wii). Also leading to Nintendo's reputation of "kids games" is the fact that in the past two generations of systems, third parties (video game developers not associated with nintendo) have made very few games relative to the other competing consoles of the day. While the reasons for this are complex, what you should know is that this is changing for Nintendo now due to the overwhelming popularity of the Wii. What this means is that video game developers other than nintendo will be making games for the Wii which generally means a wider array of themes and genres will be hitting the market in the next few years, which means that those who don't immediately "give up" on the system will probably have a diverse array of games to choose from, not "less mainstream games for adolescents." It also makes it very unlikely that he'll outgrow it.
There are a few more things you should know before making your decision. PS3 and Xbox 360 are far more sophisticated pieces of technology (hence the higher price point) and are designed to be used as more than just a gaming console. They have features like playing high-definition movies and streaming music from your home computer. In short, they can function as a mini-home media center. The Wii, while it has extra abilities, like tracking news and weather and basic photo-viewing/editing, it is primarily a console for video gaming.
In the modern age of video games, online play is a main focus. All three consoles have online capabilities. Xbox 360 has what's considered the premier online experience through their Live service. However, for full capabilities, you must purchase a yearly subscription to the service which runs about $60. PS3 and Wii's service are free, and while they will eventually build up to a service similar to Live, they are currently in a lesser-developed state. However, the Wii service is the most restrictive overall, as it limits communication between players who don't know each other. (People you are familiar with can be registered as "friends.") While this can interfere with gameplay in games where team communication is essential, it also prevents players from hearing racist, bigoted, homophobic, and generally rude language. This, of course, is another trade-off that has led to Nintendo having a "kiddie" reputation.
The other common reason for owning an Xbox 360 or PS3 over a Wii is high-definition. If you have an HDTV, these games can be absolutely mindblowing. However, if you have a standard-def TV, you lose out on this key feature. Of course, if you DO have a standard-def TV, it tends to make your Wii look worse, just like how standard-def TV looks worse on an HDTV than a standard-def TV. If this is the case for you, most certainly invest in Wii component cables which allow for progressive-scan output, but Wii is still far weaker in the graphics department.
Sadly, if you haven't yet bought your son a Wii, you're in trouble. While the other two systems are in relative abundance, the Wii tends to sell out literally 10 minutes after coming into stock. People are lining up outside retailers at 3am (or even overnight!) on Sundays in hopes of getting one. You can use ebay, but systems there are going for $350+ before shipping, therefore eliminating any price differential between the Wii and the other "next-gen" systems. Your best bet might be to order a "bundle" from websites like walmart.com and return items that you don't wish to keep. If you're looking for a Wii online, it helps to have a tracker like www.wiitracker.com to watch stock.
Hope that helps!
Wii answer
by deaths_little_helper - 12/9/07 11:24 AM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have a Wii, and i originally baught it for my wife. She and I are big game players, and enjoy the play time together when I get home from work. The advantage of the Wii, is there are less button combinations to remember, and it's a lower price. While it is true that some of the big-name games are only for the PS3 and X-Box 360, these games are also usually rated M or T (Mature, or Teen) which means you may or may not end up buying him the games he wants for those two systems. while those games won't appear on the Wii, some of the other games he will want, like the major sports titles (Maddon, MLB, and such) will be just as good, if not better because of the controller configuration.
Not that the Wii is perfect, it doesn't have a lot of online multiplayer games like the other two systems do (the x-box made it's name as an online multiplayer platform, and the PS3 has put in a huge effort) However, the X-box 360 requires a paid account to get online and play, while the Wii and PS3 don't cost money to get on. All three systems allow you to buy things online, so that may be something you look to block off.
The Wii also won't be able to play movies. X-Box 360 will play DVD's, and CD's and the PS3 is a Blue-Ray player, for less than half the cost of the Blue-Ray only players (PS3 costs as low as 300-400, and a Blue-Ray only player is about 800-1000)
Really it comes down to how many more Christmas' he's going to be asking for these systems...the fact that he's not asking for a 500 dollar system at the age he's at, you should be thankful!! I say get him the Wii now, and let his friends' parents get him the more expensive systems...he may grow out of gaming all together, so decide now how much you want to spend on the holiday
Recap:
Wii = good game set, missing the Mature titles
X-Box 360 = Paid online account, and more mature titles
PS3 = Blue Ray disc player, free online game play, mature titles, and a large internal hard drive...
Your brother-in-law is both right and wrong:
by lostinlodos - 12/9/07 12:50 PM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
In the general sense of things; probably the best way to break down the majority of games you can buy in a store by target group is like this:
Nintendo Wii: 0-12, 40+
Sony PS3: 12-30 and those who want/need BluRay
Sony PSP: 18-34
Xbox 360: 12-30 and those who want/need HD-DVD
Nintendo DS: 0-100 but has a limited playability.
That's based on various statements from the companies. That said; none of it is always the case.
Based on content:
Your brother-in-law is correct in that you're probably more future safe in the 360 or the PS3 as they both have HD video players (the 360 as an add-on, the PS3 built in). Though for the teen audience; the Wii has one major thing going for it; the Virtual library. With Nintendo's Virtual Console (VC) connection you can gain access to games from other systems of the past, including some very rare titles that may be of interest later on.
Systems with games available are the original Nintendo, the Super Nintendo, N64, SEGA Genesis, SEGA Mega Drive, Turbo Grafx-16, Turbo Grafx CD, PC Engine, Neo Geo/Neo Geo CD. In the future (over the next year) they will also open up the library to MSX, Commodore Business Machines (both the C64 and C128),PC-FX, SEGA CD, SEGA 32X and for 2009there have been rumors of releases from the SEGA Saturn and SEGA Dream Cast becoming available. Nintendo has stated that they will eventually offer the entire library for each system they cover. Virtual games currently run $5 to $10 each and with the newer systems becoming available over the next two years the price will top out at $15.
Beyond that while Nintendo does focus on the younger and older audience; they in no way ignore the teen, adult audience. The lesser amount of action, sci-fi and RPG games available on the shelves is off-set by the library of emulated VC games. VC games can be paid for on the Shopping service and are downloaded directly to the system.
Stepping beyond the HD features of the 360 and PS3, the 360's big selling point is the online service. Microsoft's LIVE service (monthly subscription) is (for better or worse) regarded as the best centralized online service for games. If your son shows interest in playing with other people, and you have a high-speed (non-restricted) internet connection, you'll find the 360 shines in that regard. Microsoft also has a tendency to lean towards real-time action/strategy games and war simulations. That said; there are two big red flag issues for the 360 that should be carefully considered when making a final choice. First is that the 360 is NOT fully backwards compatible with the XBOX unit. Only about 200 games work with the 360 from the older unit. Second, various magazines and news blogs have in their own way all declared the 360 to be the most post-purchase challenged system in video game history. There is no way of knowing just what your system will do 6 months to a year from now, and no easy way to tell when you pick up the box at the store when the enclosed unit was manufactured. Some systems are prone to over-heating. Some power supplies/adapters do the same. Many systems freeze up and lock (the red ring of death) permanently without a foreseeable reason. To their credit; Microsoft does replace systems that get sick or die if you have sent in the registration card that was included in the box; but that could mean weeks, or even months without a system while waiting for the replacement unit to come.
The PS3 is probably the most complete, and extensive system available at this time. The newer games are top-of-the-line in terms of graphics and sound. The built in BluRay player allows fun for the whole family with movie rentals and purchases. The PS3 has its largest following in sports and Roll-playing (RPG) games. PS3 also has online games as well. Though the Sony approach to online gaming is decentralized; it's also totally free, as apposed to the monthly fees charged for LIVE. The PS3 is also about 99% backwards compatible with PS2 games, and estimated (with downloadable updates) to be about 80% compatible with PlayStation games. That gives the PS3 the largest current library to chose from (though the Wii with the VC will eventually surpass it). The biggest set-back for the PS3 is the price of the unit.
The PSP unit is a great way to play games on the go, and have a portable movie/music player as well. Though it's probably a bad choice for younger users because it's extremely fragile, and does not yet have a substantial library of titles.
Choice and Price:
The PS3 is probably the best option (and most expensive) at the moment for those who want instant gratification, and future-proof investment. The system in its best form will run $500-$600 for the unit, $30 for an extra controller, $40 for extra cables and adapters and about $50 per game for new games. New and used PS2 games range from $1-$40 and new/used PS games run from free - $10 (excluding the rare titles).
The Wii will over time have the largest library using the virtual counsel. If you son is content to play games that are fun, and not necessarily have the latest game available, he can stay busy with games of days past playing hundreds, then thousands of games for less than $15 each. The unit is now well below $200 (or even $100) from some dealers with the extra Wii-mote about $20, the classic controller from $10-$20, extra cables for about $20. The games run $15-$50 and the VC games from $5-$10 now and -$15 over the next year. The Wii can also play GameCube games that run from $1-$50 as well.
The 360 is probably the riskiest choice at the moment. The system runs between $150-$350 depending on the package and dealer. An extra controller will run about $30 with cables at $30-$50 and games from $20-$60. Xbox games run $1-$50.
The PSP is still in the $200 range as is the various packages for the Nintendo DS. Both are solely portable systems and easy to lose or break.
If you're willing to spend on the PS3; it would be my choice at the immediate moment just for adding a family BluRay player as well, and having a working library of over 1200 games to chose from.
If the price of a complete unit package for the PS3 is to high; and you want to chose between the Wii and the 360; I'd chose the Wii just because you still don't know quite what you are going to get with the 360, and the wait for repair and replacement may be to much for some people to deal with reasonably. The VC is an amazing addition to the realm of video games and that, against the instability of the 360, makes the Wii win out in my book.
WII
by Wylma - 12/9/07 1:11 PM In reply to: Your brother-in-law is both right and wrong: by lostinlodosIf you promised a WII for your son if his grades got better and he did that, then how could you even think about going against your word.How will he trust you in the future if you let him down now. I think he is the one to say what he really wants so why can't he be the one to decide. Boys at that age know what they want.
Give him the best Christmas he's ever had. You'll have no regrets then later on.
Wylma
Grow out of a Wii? NEVER!
by abraggins - 12/9/07 2:06 PM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I am in my 50's and love our Wii. We play on our 47" LCD FlatScreen and graphics are phenomenal. My 24 year old son also loves his Wii. People who say the X-box or PS is better don't own a Wii. If you get one, you, too will fall in love. Finally a game system that you can play with your children and sometimes even beat them at.
nnietendo wii
by angellica71 - 12/9/07 6:18 PM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
i have had been a gamin gjunky for a long time, i have an xbox, xbox 360, playstation 3, and also a gamecube and also a wii. the nice thing about the wii is it will also play gamecube games also. i cannot sat that about the playstation 3, it is a whole different format than a the ps2 was the 360 will play xbox games providing you have the kernal from xbox live to play it though. but i see nothing wrong with the wii system for your son. i have enjoyed the wii a lot more than any of the other systems besides halo3 on the 360. i hope this helps.
are you serious?
by damore111 - 12/10/07 4:11 AM In reply to: nnietendo wii by angellica71the PS3 is backwards compatible with almost every game on the PlayStation line-up, neither the xBox or Wii can do that.
Playing older titles...
by clsmith - 12/10/07 6:28 AM In reply to: are you serious? by damore111The Wii can play the Game Cube games as is and it can download older games to it's Virtual Console as well.
Don't listen to others - Get a Nintendo Wii if you can!
by papakevin - 12/9/07 7:00 PM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Rhonda - Don't worry about what others say, get the Nintendo Wii. I'm a 39 year old male with a 12 year old son, and I own both a Nintendo Wii and a Playstation 3.
Yes, the Playstation 3 is ultra cool, can play BlueRay DVDs, and can do a million other things, but the play of the Nintendo Wii with the revolutionary controllers is still amazing. Whenever I have my friends over to watch football or play cards, they still want to play the Nintendo Wii during halftime. Yes, the games are basic, but the interactivity is fun in groups and gameplay is very easy and can be picked up by anyone. I'll bet if you get one, you'll find yourself and your friends playing with this game as much as your son. (Not something you would be doing with a Playstation 3 or an XBox 360.)
The XBox 360 or Playstation 3 boxes do offer many more game options, but they are also more violent and are more one-player in nature. They offer playable options via their networks (head-to-head play), but to me, I'd rather have my son (or daugther) actively engaged in something, vs sitting on a couch in isolation.
Both the Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii have an Internet option, so if you have a wireless network at your home, you can get on the internet and check out places like YouTube, etc.
Hope this helps. Happy Holidays!
-Kevin (Louisville, KY)
It might be a good idea to reconsider about the wii
by damore111 - 12/9/07 8:00 PM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Rhonda, you said you did not pay attention to the gaming world so I will keep this very simple and although I have a PS3 I will try and stay as un-biased as possible. Your brother-in-law raises a good point in saying that the Wii's game line-up is more focused on the younger and older generation, but it misses the 14-20 year old group. So the xBox 360 and the PlayStation 3 are both in a fierce battle to capture that group.
The xBox 360 is a popular system with a large popular game line-up behind it. The 360 also boasts an impressive online game play system called xBox Live where your son can go multi-player against friends, among other things. Overall this is an impressive and popular system with great games, the best online game-play so far and may multi-media capabilities.
The PlayStation 3 is a impressive multi-media system with a game line-up that is larger than the 360's because of it's ability to play PS1 and PS2 games, but the next generation games are not as good as the 360's(remember that the 360 is a year older than the PS3). This system is really a High Definition media center that can store pictures, movies, music and access these on other computers on your home network as well, also it can play Blu-ray discs (high definition dvds). Although its online gaming isn't as good as the 360's Sony is working on a system that will give you a similar if not better (theres my bias coming out) online experience. Basically the PS3 is extremely capable media entertainment and gaming platform that has not yet reached it's full potential, but in a few years will be on par and likely beyond the capability's of the 360 (darn bias).
So yes your son will outgrow the Wii and you should consider the 360 or PS3 but that choice is in your hands, good luck and Merry Christmas.
Best Wishes,
Taylor
Wii for a 12 Year Old
by johns_heidi - 12/9/07 8:34 PM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I've played the Wii and so has my 13 year old. She currently has a Playstation II. She wants to make the switch for Christmas. From what I've seen and heard about the Wii is that they seem less violent and they are fun for ALL ages. The great part about this is that you won't have to worry about the games your son is playing and you may actually want to play many of the games with him!
Additionally, I don't get the feel that the Wii is quite as addicting as the more traditional gaming systems. I don't mean that the system will be collecting dust come February 1st, I just mean that the kids might actually be able to shut the system off and go outside to play once in awhile. That's the other perk I see with the Wii systems, they actually have to get up off the couch to play!
Good luck! If you're actually able to find the system this close to Christmas- could you please let me know? I haven't been able to get my hands on one. Only ones I can find are in the bundles and they're priced over $600. I just want the basic system that is advertised everywhere out here for $250.
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