Wii or xbox with motion...

S1976

Hi,

Not sure if I am in the right place here, but really need some advice on what to buy my 7 year old twin daughters this year. Originally I said a wii but with so many add on bits I'm confused, I hear dance, wheels, sports extra controllers etc and now this xbox with motion sensor thing has confused me even more :eek: so I was wondering if anyone cound give me some advice as to the best route I should take. I have the figure of about £200 in my mind sort of £100 each and this is going to be there main present. I'm very good with PC's and Laptops - but not having owned a games console for about 15 years I'm really at a loss! If anyone can help I would much appreciate ideas. Thank you.

callistris

The Wii imo is the best machine out there for motion control as every software release is based around the use of it so it works very well.

The Xbox Kinect is good at first, but only has a limited amount of games that are any good with it, so soon becomes un-used. I bought it for my nephew last xmas, two weeks after xmas he was back using his controller based games:(



http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004ZI8SQ6/ref=asc_df_B004ZI8SQ64826062?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&!!!!!googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B004ZI8SQ6

Above is white console with wii wheel mario kart and wii remote plus for £109 or buy an extra wii remote and wii wheel so you have 2 of each controller for £146

For that kind of money you would only get an xbox console and still have kinect to buy afterwards as packages are over £200

boxst

Look at the range of games available and see what suits. I personally am not that fond of the Wii and after the novelty wore off it sits under the TV. The xBox gets used more as a media center as well as playing games. We do have Kinect and that is also a novelty although some of the games are starting to take more advantage of it.

The latest Forza 4 for example will track your head movements and move the camera appropriately.

Steve

EchoLocation

For 7yr old girls I'd say the Wii is more suitable. As it's getting near the end of it's 'lifespan' it, and it's games, should also be a fair bit cheaper than an XBox with Kinect. The games will also be more suitable for their age range. Don't worry about 'add-ons' for the Wii, they're irrelevant, the main controller consists of a remote and and nunchuck (thumbstick), that's all you need for any game - though obviously you'd need to buy a second pair for 2 players. But that's it, only the Balance Board is the other required controller, but there's very few games that need it. The 'wheel' is not required as you can use the normal controllers and the tennis racket, baseball bat etc extensions are entirely for (pointless) aesthetic purposes only. There is something called 'motion plus' for the Wii which is an add-on to make the remote more accurate, there are also very few games that require this - though the ones that do usually come with it anyway. If you are buying a Wii and extra controllers as new this will be built in anyway.

The XBox Kinect is different to the Wii as it there is no controller, it's essentially a motion camera that tracks body gesture and movement. It'll certainly be more that the £200 you had in mind. If it were teenage boys then maybe it'd be the better option, but not in this case.

You might want to also look at the Playstation Move, which is essentially the same as the Wii, although that'll also be far more expensive.

Yes, both the Xbox and Playstation will act as media centres and also allow online play, but do you really need that for 7 year olds?

Go with the Wii, you'll get a lot more for your money. The latest bundle on Amazon is £114.99 (with the 2 Wii Sports games), also allow for an second pair of controllers ~£40, then maybe have a look for a few second hand games that might be suitable and there's your £200.

S1976

Thank you

I think I will go for the Wii after reading the comments above - I thought you had to have different add on's for different games - like the wheel for the driving/racing games etc but if you can use the remote and nunchuck thing all the better lol I agree the thought of cheaper games may swing it and seen as they are only 7... They have mentioned some dance game they want/seen advertised for the console .... I guess that's another journey lol

Thank you once again for the advice

EchoLocation

The newer released games may not necessarily be that much cheaper, but there's a good few years of second hand games out there for next to nothing.

I've seen adverts for Just Dance 3, that may be what they've seen. You may want to find out if they have a preference for a particular console as you don't want to spend £200 on a disappointment.

Just one thing that I neglected to mention, the XBox and Playstation are both a fair bit more powerful, so the quality of graphics on the Wii will not be as good. But I think this is a redundant point - particularly for 7 year olds - as it's all about the fun and games. Also, just so you're aware, the Wii will not act as a DVD player.

I think the Wii has probably another year left before it's superseeded by a newer machine, the Xbox 360 and Playstation3 maybe 2 years left. So it might work out as a nice stop gap for a couple of years before they get a bit older and start wanting the latest fashionable things.

S1976

Hi thank you again, and yes it is dance 3 they have no preference with console - they don't know the differences yet, so I think that's a good thing hehe - I found a package deal but deleted the post with link in as I wasn't sure of the web-site after reviewing it, think I will stick with Amazon as linked above, but will check out game etc also add extra remotes, buy the Just dance 3 and then let them choose some extra games after xmas lol

Zumba looks fun - might have to sly that one on for myself lol

Bikertov

For your age of children, I think the Wii is ideal - better than the Xbox or Playstation IMHO. It has a very good range of fun, family games.

As has been said, don't worry about the controller add-ons. They are basically just bits of plastic that make the controllers look like steering wheels, golf clubs etc. If you really want them, you can get similar from the Poundshop, but they do not add any functionality.

Do get at least a second Wii remote and nunchuck, to allow for 2 people to play at the same time. Loads of games around suitable for 7 year old girls (and boys) and loads available second-hand too - just make sure they are not scratched, and come with the manuals. Having said that, if there is a game you want, have a good search around on the web, and you can normally get it for a good deal somewhere.

Don't worry about it not playing DVD's - you can get a basic DVD player for £20. Graphic quality is also not an issue, as you are not going to be playing the latest shoot-em-ups etc. I run mine on a 42" TV with no issues.

You can also watch BBC iPlayer on the Wii, so when they are bored, they can watch all sorts - CBeebies, CBBC etc.

Pricing is very good at the moment as others have said, with a Wii costing a touch more than £100. Get a bundle with Wii Sports AND Wii Sports Resort (with 'motion plus'). Don't pay any extra for a black or red one, as they do exactly the same as a white one.

DCFC79

S1976 wrote: »

Hi thank you again, and yes it is dance 3 they have no preference with console - they don't know the differences yet, so I think that's a good thing hehe - I found a package deal but deleted the post with link in as I wasn't sure of the web-site after reviewing it, think I will stick with Amazon as linked above, but will check out game etc also add extra remotes, buy the Just dance 3 and then let them choose some extra games after xmas lol

Zumba looks fun - might have to sly that one on for myself lol

If buying from amazon dont forget nectar points or quidco if no nectar card

DCFC79

EchoLocation wrote: »

Just one thing that I neglected to mention, the XBox and Playstation are both a fair bit more powerful, so the quality of graphics on the Wii will not be as good. But I think this is a redundant point - particularly for 7 year olds - as it's all about the fun and games. Also, just so you're aware, the Wii will not act as a DVD player.

the wii is meant to be less graphics intense(some kids arent bothered about that as they enjoy the games) than the xbox and ps3 plus its cheaper to sell as less to it in terms of size etc

EchoLocation

DCFC79 wrote: »

the wii is meant to be less graphics intense(some kids arent bothered about that as they enjoy the games) than the xbox and ps3 plus its cheaper to sell as less to it in terms of size etc

Personally I think the Wii is capable of some great graphics, I only mention it because I know how fickle many kids can be about having the latest and best looking things.

I would hope that 7 is too young for them to care about polygon counts, texture mapping or being able to see the facial details of the hooker they have just bludgeoned to death!