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Community Newsletter: Q&A: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question.
- 12/14/07 4:30 PM
To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question.
by Lee Koo (ADMIN) - 12/14/07 4:30 PM
Question:
My 12-year-old son has been begging my husband and I for a
Nintendo Wii this entire year. And as part of an agreement
with him, we said we would consider it, only if he received
good grades in school. So far he has been keeping up his end
of the bargain. Christmas is approaching fast and we would
like to buy one of these for him, but when I spoke to my
brother-in-law, he threw me a curve ball saying that he may
quickly grow out of the Wii and should consider buying him a
Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 instead. He says that while the Wii
is fun, the game titles are less mainstream for the
adolescences and more for younger ones and the older
generation. I don't pay much attention to this gaming stuff,
but this is of a concern for us. I know my son wants one, but
is the Wii a right fit for him or should I take my
brother-in-law's advice and consider a PlayStation or Xbox
where it may not be so susceptible to sitting there to
collect dust after a while? What are the differences? I
also have heard many people also say the Wii is fun for all
ages and while that sounds great, the game console would be for my son. Please help me out in this dilemma.
Submitted by Rhonda E.
If you have any advice or recommendations for Rhoda, please click on the reply link and post away. Please keep this discussion civil and on topic to the question above, as this is not a console war debate. Thank you!
Get him a Wii
by vorlonken - 12/7/07 6:57 PM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You agreed to get him a Wii. Don't ruin the gift by getting him something else. Answering your question doesn't require any technical discussion, only philosophical clarity.
To Wii or Not to Wii
by Comp geek - 12/14/07 8:24 PM In reply to: Get him a Wii by vorlonkenI have a wii and i like it and if you promised him one get him one
(NT) absolutely!
by kenschube - 12/15/07 5:44 AM In reply to: Get him a Wii by vorlonkenTo Wii or not to Wii....
by irishspirit7 - 12/15/07 11:33 AM In reply to: (NT) absolutely! by kenschubeI would have to say first of all, good job to your son for keeping his grades up, thats awesome! Second, its great that you are taking the time to think this through and ask for feedback from others.
As for what I would do..I am a mom and a grandmother and I would absolutely buy the Wii. I will say, as many others have said, they are HARD to find. There are quite a few on Ebay, I even have one on Ebay right now. Other than that I heard one place is giving raincheck certificates that you can put under the tree. Good luck with your decision and have a wonderful Christmas!
katiesirish7
Get him a Wii since you promised him one...
by Cooltruth - 1/5/08 6:13 AM In reply to: Get him a Wii by vorlonkenYou made a deal with him that you'd get him a Wii if he kept his grades up. He has been keeping up his end of the deal if his report cards are coming home with decent grades. You should keep up your end & get him his Wii for Christmas (if you can find one) I hear they're popular which tends to make things scarce around Christmas. Buy him one after Christmas if they aren't available to buy now. Not holding up your end of the deal could work against you the next time you're wanting to make some sort of deal with him.
Wii or not to Wii that is the question
by spk61a - 12/7/07 7:13 PM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Rhonda having sons myself you can't go wrong with purchasing a Wii over a playstation or Xbox360 the title may be a little soft but for the money it make more since and you said yourself it is family fun and it can stand on it own with the games that they have now for all ages... Just one thing about the Wii Hard to come by!!!!
Wii For Christmas?
by ljayinanc - 12/7/07 7:34 PM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Your brother-in-law's advice is thoughtful, but consider your agreement especially with your son's efforts toward getting the Wii. I imagine any new game system on Christmas day will be exciting, but will there be a little disappointment if what he worked for is not there? If surprise is not a factor, you may want to ask your son how he feels about the substitute. Keep in mind Wii is in short supply again this year.
Buy a Wii
by cdnjay - 12/7/07 7:50 PM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Rhonda,
The problem your relative is referencing was caused by game developers not believing the Nintendo Wii was going to be popular when it was released last year in combination with Nintendo's failure to appeal to the non-kiddie crowd in years past. Since then, the Wii has done what no one thought could ever have been possible and is now racing towards the position of most popular console.
Due to this surprising popularity, game developers have changed their tune and are now promising to bring more games to the Wii, including the varied choices that have so far been unavailable.
I would suggest that you stick with your son's wishes and purchase him a Nintendo Wii. It will be able to provide for him the varied choices he might ask for in years to come but perhaps even more to the point, because of the large differences between the Wii and the other console's, your son could very well be hugely disappointed if he receives anything but a Wii...
Thanks,
Jason
My 25-yo son bought one ... I'm 61 and we play together ...
by DKspokane - 12/7/07 7:54 PM In reply to: To Wii or not to Wii? That is the question. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
and when my other boys and the granddaughters come over, we ALL play! It may be for your son, but it's great to make it a family thing, too! The games are designed for interaction and are NOT the blow'em'ups of the XBox, but the games are fun, and believe me, you can work up a sweat!
Forget the Playstation3. It plays ONLY Playstation3 games. To play any of the older ones means you have to buy the Playstation2 console! You can actually buy a Gamecube controller and then the Wii will play ALL of the old games, too.
The 3D-graphics of the XBox are awesome. Those on the Wii are very good. Our son who has an XBOX360 has sent in back for repairs THREE TIMES NOW! They have covered that under warranty so far. The Wii has gotten a LOT of action and has NEVER crashed.
In addition, the Wii has WiFi built in and goes online for weather and news and interaction with other Wii players online and on the Internet. The XBox requires an additional piece ($150) to do anything like that.
In my opinion, the Wii is an incredible value for a Game Machine. And it also allows group play rather than isolated individual or online play.
Bottom Line: get the Wii for your 12-yo - and yourself - and their friends. Sony got it right. You won't be disappointed and neither will your son. Good luck finding one, now! Oh. Add at least one more controller, though.
I messed up...
by DKspokane - 12/8/07 10:39 AM In reply to: My 25-yo son bought one ... I'm 61 and we play together ... by DKspokane... the Wii is a Nintendo - NOT Sony. Other than that, I stand by my comments.
Wii - Sony
by stevenhs - 12/24/07 12:40 AM In reply to: I messed up... by DKspokaneSorry didn't see your correction. But I believe you may be mistaken on the on-line playabilty of Xbox360 and PS3. Are you sure that on-line play is a $150 addition? I don't think so. HD-DVD is an add-on for Xbox that is about $150, which you may be thinking of. But it is not even an option for the Wii.
The PlayStation Dose Too Play the Older Games!
by TurnThePage - 12/14/07 7:05 PM In reply to: My 25-yo son bought one ... I'm 61 and we play together ... by DKspokaneYou are NOt being Totally Correct. Depends on Which PlayStation you get, If you get hte Less Costly PlayStation, with the 40 Gig Hardrive now insted of the now 80 Gig. (When they First came out a Year ago it was only in one Flavor a 60 gig Version.
Now there is a 40 and 80 Gig Hard-Drive Versions. The 40 WILL NOT play Older Playstation 2 Games, Which the 80 and the 60 Gig Hard-Drive Versions will.
It is a Nice System on Both Accounts.
Yet I do Agree! YOu made a Deal. Be the Parent, Show You keep your Word! Get him the Wii. You will not Regreat it! YOu'll Like most of us, Have so much fun end up getting the Others Anyway!
Inaccuracy about the PS3
by mtaylor733 - 12/14/07 8:03 PM In reply to: My 25-yo son bought one ... I'm 61 and we play together ... by DKspokaneActually, that is overall great advice but I wanted to let you know about an inaccuracy.
The PS3 is not backward compatible only with the 40 gig models. They are no longer producing the 20 gig. The 60 gig and 80 gig are fully backward compatable.
Still I agree the kid should get the Wii. I've played it and want one myself but for the time being we have the other systems.
A few clarifications:
by merlin11221 - 12/15/07 7:36 AM In reply to: My 25-yo son bought one ... I'm 61 and we play together ... by DKspokaneThe PS3 is backwards compatible, although not all titles will play.
The 360 is also, and there is a game compatability list on XBOX.com.
The wireless on any system requires a wireless network setup in your house, don't consider this if your house is wired with cat5 like mine.
The XBOX 360 wireless adapter is only $60 now. (used to be $100)
The Wii requires a lan adapter ($20) to connect to a wired network such as mine, an interesting twist no one seems to know before buying a Wii. I had to order mine off the internet so my first two weeks with the Wii were without internet conectivity.
True, the 360 has way more shooters, but both systems are fun. You can't get a much better shooter than Bioshock or Gears, imho.
I also had to send in my 360, and my racing wheel for repairs!!!
We had a party and were watching a movie. People were playing 360 on my computer monitor, and later a couple of people wanted to play Wii on the big screen. Both systems were used a lot that night and we also have a pool table.
On all 3 you can download, for a price, older titles and homebrew/independent titles.
The Wii is an incredible value, but so are the 360 and PS3 if you look at what the system has to offer. A PS3 could be a gift for YOU as well if you have an HDTV and any interest in renting BluRay movies. HD DVD is nice on the 360 as well and they are rentable with Blockbuster's online service.
Lots of opinions, I'm sorry.
Hope the info helps...
Joe Schneider
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