Wii vs. PS3

[prov1900]

I am sure this has been asked a dozen times and is probably going to result in a Ford vs Chevy, Vex vs Marcum style debate, but I am looking to get a game system for the "kids" for Christmas.

What are the highpoints/lowpoints of each?

[MinnesotaTony]

We don't have a PS3, but if it helps at all I can discuss the Wii as opposed to the xbox 360.

The Wii is a great "family fun" or "party" type system - really fun for getting a few people together and playing games. Depending on how old the kids are, it can be great, too.. For instance, 3-4 year olds can play the Wii with you - great on a rainy day.

The xbox 360 (which I believe is more similar to the ps3, but can't guarantee) is more of a teen/adult system with more single-player type games (action, role-playing, first-person shooter, etc.) than the Wii. Also, the xbox 360 doubles as a home entertainment system, allowing you to play DVDs (which the Wii does not, as I understand it). Finally, xbox 360 also allows streaming of some movies through netflix (with subscriptions) which is really neat. I think the ps3 has similar type games to the xbox and plays DVDs and blue-ray. Not sure about streaming videos of any kind.

Hope that helps! Have fun -

Tony

[prov1900]

Thanks Tony. My kids are pretty young, 4-6 years old. My last game system was a Playstation (1) so it has been a long time since I have looked into these.

[mrfish1991]

If your kids are 4 and 6, I would go with the Wii. The controls are easier to use and the games are more user-friendly at that age but will not be boring for you to play with them. The wii has games appropriate for all ages from young to old and will be a fun system for years to come.

[jeffreyd]

I would go with the Wii also as I have both the Wii and ps 3. while the games on the Wii are more animated or not shoot em up type like ps3 games, the whole family can participate with the wii. My in laws have one, and when we are there rather than sitting around watching tv, we bowl or play tennis or whatever we feel like. My in law bowl every night just to get up and do something.

We also have the fitness board for the Wii and let me tell you that if anyone thinks that it wont work your tail off, you have not been doing it right. Sorry for long thought but for kids that young you cant go wrong with the Wii. Have fun, the price is coming down on them too.

[CJH]

Yep, WII is geared towards family small children. PS3 & XBox 360 are for more mature gaming.

[prov1900]

I see there are some hunting/fishing/war games for the Wii. Anyone have experience with these?

[LwnmwnMan2]

Wii and PS3 here as well. Go with the Wii.

[zamboni]

Wii and PS3 here as well. Go with the Wii.

Agreed. we have both and the 6 year old has been banned from the PS3

[jwhjr]

Definitely the Wii for 4-6 yr olds.

[traveler]

We have older daughters, 11 and 16, and we all enjoy the Wii alot, as do the kids when they have friends over. My wife and I even stay up and play Wii golf after the kids go to bed:) Really the Wii is meant to be an "active" system, where I see a typical PS3/X-box as being a traditional sitdown and veg type of system, one i don't even want in the house. Get the Wii and play with your kids! It's a great compromise for those days when you can't be out fishing:)

[jeffreyd]

the hunting fishing games are good for kids, actually i enjoy them too so i would say yes.

[Swimbait2009]

I have all three systems and I'll give you my opinions on them all.

XBOX 360:

This is the system that we (3 male roommates aged 22-29) use almost exclusively. We play A LOT of sports games and Xbox really has the advantage there. The online interface is by far the best of the three as well if this is something you may be into. It's priced in the middle of the three.

PS3:

We use this the least of any of the systems, but that's not because it's a bad machine. I buy all my single-player games on this system because the High Definition capability is better with the TV that I have. I also like the Blu-Ray capability, but this shouldn't be used as a make-or-break category since it's been proven that Blu-Ray is not THAT much more impressive than DVD unless you really have your "theater" set up for optimum viewing (which is different than game playing). This system is also the most expensive of the three.

Wii:

This is definitely the more kid-friendly system. Nintendo has only recently licensed games with the more adult ratings, so there is a plethora of games aimed at the younger audience. Hunting games are going to be way better on the Wii since the system is built around their "light bar sensor" and infrared remotes. Any game with a gun peripheral is going to be an afterthought on the Xbox or PS3, while it's exactly what the Wii is geared towards. It's also the cheapest of the pack which is never a bad thing.

Just a note on the pricing of the systems...you can choose a different bundle and make the PS3 cheaper than a fully loaded Xbox, but if you compare the systems with similar packages my above price points are valid.

For the kids I would recommend the Wii hands-down. It used to be tough to find them in stores (not sure if that's still true), so I would check the local stores and find out what sort of time frame it would be to get one in your hands. Hope they enjoy it!

[McGurk]

In laws just bought a wii system last weekend; plenty out there. DO NOT, I repeat; DO NOT wait for the Christmas season to buy it or any games, or any system for that matter.

[dan z]

no matter how dumb I look playing the kids games game party (1) or (2). wii sports wii play wii resorts just to name a few I will never stop playing them they are fun! I think the (wii) branded games are great for kids 3 and up. the fit system is fun also. lost some weight and had fun doing it. once I lost a few pounds and had the game mastered it has been tough to do.

the GF and her kid and I play wii almost every weekend and we even go to other peoples places to have wii parties.

My vote is for the wii

[DTro]

I would also suggest a WII for the kids.

Great review above for the 3 systems and I agree with everything said. I purchased a WII a while back and it was returned in 2 days. Going from an XBOX 360 to that was like going from a Viper to a Volt and I just couldn’t get used to it.

[CJH]

Two points to counter SB's assessment of the consoles. According to the breakdown's I have seen, the 360 is more expensive with similar accessories than the PS3. Also, it has a 45% failure rate. That being said, there are more better quality games for it than the PS3.

The Wii is overpriced for the processing power it has, but the packaging/design has lead to the popularity and the price they have been able to charge. (It was $250 and recently dropped to $199)

[Swimbait2009]

Two points to counter SB's assessment of the consoles. According to the breakdown's I have seen, the 360 is more expensive with similar accessories than the PS3. Also, it has a 45% failure rate. That being said, there are more better quality games for it than the PS3.

The Wii is overpriced for the processing power it has, but the packaging/design has lead to the popularity and the price they have been able to charge. (It was $250 and recently dropped to $199)

In regards to the failure rate, that has to do with the system overheating. You're absolutely right that there is a design flaw there. I have had two systems in my household (one of mine and one of my roommates') that failed. In both cases, however, Microsoft replaced them quickly and without question. Not sure if that's still their policy though. While the flaw is there, there are a couple of things you can do to make sure that it doesn't happen: don't put the console inside an entertainment center, and don't leave it on when not being played. The latter probably makes sense to most people, but my roommate complained that his console had overheated after he fell asleep playing something and woke up to the "red ring of death". I told him he was an [PoorWordUsage] for leaving it on, but I guess it's all a matter of perspective. It stinks that you can't put it in an entertainment center in its stock form, but they also make an intercooler that should help this problem. I didn't want to buy an extra piece for an already pricey machine, so I decided to leave it out of the cabinet.

What the Wii lacks in processing power, it makes up for in interface. The wireless remotes and IR-sensor bar are very unique and you don't have to be able to manage 10 buttons on a controller like you do with xBox and PS3. All the systems are probably over-priced, but sales aren't exactly sluggish either.

[zamboni]

The Wii's online play works better than my PS3's, believe it or not. And both are free. The 360 costs money every month to play online, I am not a fan of that. You pay alot of money for any of the consoles, plus you pay for internet- you shouldn't have to pay for a third thing to enjoy it.

[Swimbait2009]

Yeah I've also noticed that the PS3's wireless connection is pretty unstable. My consoles sit side by side, and the PS3 drops the connection way more often than the other two. As far as paying for the service, yeah it stinks, but you do get quality for your money...the xBox online experience is by far the best.

[CJH]

FYI ~ PS3 announced Netflix streaming this morning, didn't get the details.

[Deitz Dittrich]

This has been a fun thread to read.. I have a PS2, and have been thinking of upgrading to a PS3, and it doesnt hurt that our DVD player in the bedroom just died..

but now I am looking at the Xbox as well.. Still leaning towards the PS3. I really only play sports games(Racing as well).. I cant do the shoot em up 3D games.. I end up puking violently after about 10 mins.. Kinda sucks!.. LOL

[DTro]

I can tell you this, there are some awesome features to the 360 networking deal. There is software out there called “PlayOn” (I think that is the name). With this simple download, you can stream all kinds of things through your Xbox, Hulu, YouTube, BItTorrents etc. It really is a media center.

I’ve never had a hard time paying for the “Live” service. It’s stable and predictable. Basically, I know it will be there working great when I want to play. I think the price could be reduced a little bit though, but $5/Mo isn’t bad.

I’ve been taking advantage of the NetFlix streaming recently and that is nice too.

Blue Ray is cool on the PS3, but streaming video will eventually obsolete everything else.

None of this is really pertinent to the original question though, and I still think a WII is the best fit.

[Swimbait2009]

This has been a fun thread to read.. I have a PS2, and have been thinking of upgrading to a PS3, and it doesnt hurt that our DVD player in the bedroom just died..

but now I am looking at the Xbox as well.. Still leaning towards the PS3. I really only play sports games(Racing as well).. I cant do the shoot em up 3D games.. I end up puking violently after about 10 mins.. Kinda sucks!.. LOL

If you're into sports games, I think the xBox is the way to go. There are LOADS of people that play online, so you can keep things interesting for a long time, plus I think the controllers are more comfortable and laid-out for sports better. That being said, PS3 is the king for racing games. They have the best licenses with the car companies and if you ask me, Gran Turismo is still the gold standard in console racing.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Another thing to do.

Walk into a Best Buy, Gamestop, place that sells ALOT of games.

I was in Best Buy today and could not believe the selection of games there are for the Wii now.

I had to buy "Where's Waldo" for my 7 year old, he's completely into it right now.

If you go to one of these stores, just look at the titles that are available. You can see how many titles are geared towards your kids' age group.