Getting my kids a new console - which one?

Which console for my kids?

  • Wii U

    Votes: 73 61.3%

  • PS4

    Votes: 21 17.6%

  • XB1

    Votes: 22 18.5%

  • Other

    Votes: 3 2.5%
  • Total voters
    119
DejaWiz

DejaWiz

Fully [H]
Joined
Apr 15, 2005
Messages
21,825
Situation: my three kids (all under the age of 10) are still chugging along on an old Wii. I'm going to be getting them the Disney Infinity 2.0 system and a console, and I'm a bit torn on which one to get. They are limited to RPG's, racing/flying/space sims, and adventure/fantasy type games. No CoD warfare type games. This is going to be for them and them only - I have not been a console player since the Atari days when there wasn't a choice for the superior PC platform (yes, I am one of those PC master race types and damn proud of it).


Xbox One - seems to be the best of the bunch for diversity of games they are allowed to play.

Wii U - as I understand it, Nintendo is being really stupid with their licensing and there is a severe lack of games for this platform.

PS4 - I'm not a fan of Sony (haven't bought a Sony product in over 25 years). Seems to have close to the same amount of allowable games as the XB1.

Again, the primary focus is for the Disney Infinity 2.0 system. My youngest is my 6 yr old son and the XB1 controller seems to fit his hands the best out of them all, so that is another factor...we visited some stores over the weekend and demoed all three consoles.

Anything else I should take in to consideration before finalizing a choice of console?
 
I'd go for the Wii U, especially if you're looking at the console for younger players. While there's a severe lack of games for older kids/teenagers, their younger/family titles are pretty plentiful. As for the controller the Wii U Pro pad has a similar feel to a 360 controller, so he might be more comfortable with it.

Super Mario games, Disney Infinity 2.0, Lego games - yeah, the Wii U platform has the titles younger players would enjoy.

Oh, another factor to consider is the backwards compatibilty that the Wii U has for Wii software (not to mention all of the peripherals, Wii-motes, sensor bar, etc).
 
Voted Wii U for the same reason mentioned previously
 
Wii-U.

You can use all the Wii games they already have. All the accessories will work and you won't have to buy extra controllers.

You have access to the greatest library for their age. Microsoft and Sony cater more to the upper teens/adults, especially this early in their console life. While they don't have the third party support that the other consoles have, the Wii U still has a large library especially for their age.
 
SeymourGore said:
I'd go for the Wii U, especially if you're looking at the console for younger players. While there's a severe lack of games for older kids/teenagers, their younger/family titles are pretty plentiful. As for the controller the Wii U Pro pad has a similar feel to a 360 controller, so he might be more comfortable with it.

Super Mario games, Disney Infinity 2.0, Lego games - yeah, the Wii U platform has the titles younger players would enjoy.

Oh, another factor to consider is the backwards compatibilty that the Wii U has for Wii software (not to mention all of the peripherals, Wii-motes, sensor bar, etc).
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/thread
 
Wii-U by far. I feel sorry for your wallet when they hear about amiibos though. :D
 
Awhile ago i would have said the Wii-U, but my brother was in almost a similar situation. He had 2 kids under 10, and 2 kids over 10, oldest is 13. He got them the Wii-U shortly after it came out and has found that it doesn't have a lot of game support, especially for the games their kids are playing now. Plus most of their friends have XB1 or 360. So he ended up getting a 360 as well. Now the kids almost all exclusively use the 360. My vote would be for the XB1, that is what I went with and mostly because that is the direction most of my friends and family are going. That and the PS had way too many problems for me.
 
Wii U hands down you want family time with the kiddies and experiences they can enjoy together the 360/ps3/x1/ps4 all have the same software problem the wii u does but the games are for a more adult audience
 
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Wii U. The game available and coming for it, aren't just for younger players either. They're just fun games, plain and simple. They don't have as much in the way of military games, and that doesn't appear to be a concern anyway. For quality of released games though, there's not a better console. They work out of the box. I have four kids. Three of which are 10, 7, and 4. They absolutely love the Wii U. We also still play several Wii games on it too. Wind Waker, Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8 etc. are all top notch. This is inevitable. You will eventually sit down and play something with them, and realize you're having fun. If you then decide you want something a bit more grown-up (if a bit ludicrous... :D ) grab yourself a copy of Bayonetta 2. Excellent game. Not really for the sub-10 crowd though I'd wager. There are more high quality games for it than the other systems especially for your age range. Plus, there are plenty of really good indie games for it like Trine, Shovel Knight, etc. that are inexpensive, easy to grab in the eshop, and are great for kids and adults alike. Also, and this is great in your situation. Should you need the TV for something else, they can play on the game pad. Even for Wii games. It's a little cramped being so small, but the gamepad has sensors in it that work with the Wiimotes. I've played Twilight Princess like this a few times when the TV was in use.
 
Comixbooks said:
I'm the only vote for the PS4 =)

Not a fan of the Wii U controller
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Not trying to make you a convert at all, but truly curious. Have you spent much time with it? Especially with a game that makes good use of it like Wind Waker (for map and inventory?) I think it's amazing, and even surprisingly comfortable for its form-factor. Truly just a discussion point, not trying to bash your comment.

Also, as a simple counterpoint, Wiimotes and the Pro controller are viable alternatives in most cases.
 
I have a 7yo kid who doesn't own but has played with every console except the XB1 from friends/family.

The one he likes the best is the PS4, worst is WiiU. Actually he likes the Wii better.

If your kids are into nintendo exclusives then by all means go with the WiiU, but I bet that your older kid will get tired of it fast.

I'd keep the Wii and get a PS4.
 
Maybe even regardless of age, when my friends are over we only use the WiiU. Not that they don't exist, but I can't think of anything I'd play with multiple people in my house, with the other new consoles. It's either Mario kart 8 or Super Smash Bros for now. I have every this, and last gen console fwiw : Wii/360/PS3/WiiU/X1/PS4. I think if you want them to play together, or would consider it a benefit, WiiU is a solid choice. There is enough games, which is all that matters.
 
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Wii U or even consider an Xbox 360. I got my kids disney infinity for the xbox 360. You say your son the XB1 controller fit him the best, the 360 controller shouldn't be too far off. Plus you can get the 360 cheap.
Have you tried the Wii U pro controller? Its a similar form factor, but I think its slightly larger then the XB1 controller.
 
Yeah, when I have friends over it's even time between Steam and the Wii U and emulated classics. There are other options in the house, but they don't get visited much. My son who is the oldest (14) has an XB1 because he love 2K sports games. Otherwise even he gets more use out of Steam and the Wii U.
 
I have all systems except the Xbox One. My 4 and 10yo play the wii u more than anything. Mainly because its a little easier for the youngest. The fact that she can play on the gamepad while my son is playing ps3 was a big seller for me.
She does need help in some things, but loves it. It plays all my old wii games so far, and works fine with my wii controllers. Not the wii plus (or whatever its called i forget)

I do love my ps4. I get the 4yo in there and we play lego marvel too.
 
I can vouch for the WiiMotion Plus controllers working. We play Skyward Sword using them, and the kids play one of the Wii Games thingies where you skip rocks and stuff with them.
 
I've got all of the consoles and the WiiU is the one I play the most. Most of the high profile games on the other two are also on the PC.
I barely even turn the PS4 and Xbone on, but games like Smash, Mario Kart, Hyrule Warriors, Wind Waker HD, etc. have been compelling if not amazing.
Plus, those games are great for kids, too.
 
WiiU. When people come over its always MK 8 and Smash.
No-one cares that I have a PS4.... Amiibos and Smash will be the ruin of you lol
 
No but toys r us had a great deal on Black Friday, 3 amiibos for $30 + free shipping.... Actually now that I remember, my fourth one was free with smash, also from toys r us. I got Mario, Link, Samus and Donkey Kong
 
:D was joking about addiction. I was actually looking at them myself the other day, but didn't end up grabbing any.
 
J3RK said:
I can vouch for the WiiMotion Plus controllers working. We play Skyward Sword using them, and the kids play one of the Wii Games thingies where you skip rocks and stuff with them.
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I guess i worded that wrong. I meant that my old controllers work. The regular wii ones. I have teh plus attachment on one of them and it works great.
 
Any persuasive arguments that the Wii U and PS4 be as viable as the XB1 in 3-5 years when the PS5, XB1.2, and Wii U2 emerge? (successor names purely guessed/parodied)

I'm not into buying a new console for my kids the moment they hit the market...as should be evident by the fact they are still using a Wii.

Just seems there is still a metric fuck-ton of games and accessories for the XB360 still while the PS3 and Wii have almost nothing.

PS- they do have their own Haswell-based computer I built for them with dedicated Steam, UPlay, and Origin accounts so they are certainly not limited to console-only for games and entertainment. Because, well, I rule as a dad.
 
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D1RTYD1Z619 said:
You must hate your kids. Build them a PC.
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Maybe they already have one. My kids each have a laptop. My son is about to build his first gaming desktop with parts I got him for xmas. We still love our supplementary Nintendo games though. Also, with a Wii U, Steam games can be played on the TV, while my youngest plays on the Wii U gamepad.

You'd have to hate your kids to not have both. :D :p
 
DejaWiz said:
Any persuasive arguments that the Wii U and PS4 be as viable as the XB1 in 3-5 years when the PS5, XB1.2, and Wii U2 emerge? (successor names purely guessed/parodied)
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Who knows about that specifically, but one thing I'd be willing to guess is that the Wii Not U will be backward compatible. On the other hand, maybe not. Even if it were a different architecture though, I could see it having that ability, and still syncing up to previous controllers and such.

Who knows if Sony will still be around at that point, though I imagine if they aren't, the successful games division will at least be spun/sold off.

MS is always a solid bet as far as company longevity, but they do change their minds on things a lot, and I could even see them going full-cloud at that point. I've heard some rumblings of that nature anyway.

I think more than any time in console history, things are very much up in the air for the next iteration. Small devices are catching up power-wise, cloud tech is maturing, PCs keep making large resurgences, people keep shifting around to various mobile platforms, etc. etc. This actually makes me think Nintendo is the most likely to still release something half-traditional.

*head starts spinning*

Stick with the PC I guess. :D
 
DejaWiz said:
Wii U - as I understand it, Nintendo is being really stupid with their licensing and there is a severe lack of games for this platform.
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Maybe two years ago. Now they have some excellent Wii U exclusive games. The Wii U is finally coming into it's own, and is an excellent console for families. And with games like Bayonetta 2 and games with online multiplayer, it's even excellent for people without families.
 
I chose Nintendo. I wouldn't bother with xbone or ps4 for their current needs. If tastes change, go ps4 for better multiplats.
 
Having all 3 current Gen consoles I'd recommend d the wiiu, xbox 1, then the ps4. No one other than my nephew is remotely interested in the ps4 but everyone wants to play the Wii u and x1 when they come over.

The Wii U get a the most play time hands down from the kids and adults alike. A lot of just plain fun family games on it
 
Talked to my kids about which one they really want the most. All three of them answered XB1. I asked why, and they said it's because all of their friends from school as well as in our neighborhood have an XB. After reading all the good feedback about the Wii U, I was seriously considering getting one, but looks like my kids unanimous vote for the XB1 wins.

At least I know they'll use it because "everyone else has one". Last thing I want is to dump $300+ on a Wii U and they hardly use it.

Thanks for all the votes and replies, everyone! MUCH appreciated!
 
just be sure to buy age appropriate games, otherwise your kids might be hearing some unsavory language over the xbox live.

i voted for wii u though, super mario 3d world, mario kart 8, smash and skylanders has been in HEAVY rotation with my 6 and 4 year olds since the 25th
 
DejaWiz said:
Talked to my kids about which one they really want the most. All three of them answered XB1. I asked why, and they said it's because all of their friends from school as well as in our neighborhood have an XB. After reading all the good feedback about the Wii U, I was seriously considering getting one, but looks like my kids unanimous vote for the XB1 wins.

At least I know they'll use it because "everyone else has one". Last thing I want is to dump $300+ on a Wii U and they hardly use it.

Thanks for all the votes and replies, everyone! MUCH appreciated!
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No problem, my kid went the 360 route back in the day for the same reason, his friends had one. The nice thing about the XBox ecosystem is that they do have excellent parental controls (limit voice chat to friends only, friend request blocks, etc).
 
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