Ok, time has almost come to retire the Wii, and whilst my son wants the Wii U (so he can play Mario Kart etc), I'm not convinced
I've looked at a couple of comparison, and this one sums up the specs versus the 3 pretty well here
So, what's everyone's thoughts on what I should get my son for Xmas ?
If I had a 7 y/o kid I'd get them a Wii U. Nintendo's main target audience is largely family orientated and I think they're good at it. Zelda should be out next year. WOo!
It's simple, I know all the cool kids will have PS4, xbox one will be the minority and the wii U for the simple minded.
I recommend the wii U, because he is only 7! It's cheaper also.
Wii-U is for the Simple minded
Xbone games are only shooting, driving, and sports
Kay.
While PS people are designing satellites for NASA while shooting, driving, and sports?
If you saw my games library made up of mostly 18-28 dollar games, plus a stack of incredible masterpieces of gaming (wind waker, donkey kong, super mario 3d world, new super mario wii u, pikmin 3, mario kart 8) would you change your mind?
I bought both the xbone and ps4 and have 2 games each for them, and of them, only Forza 5 would be appropriate for a 7 y.o.
Remember all the wii games are playable on your wii u. Every single one. Your progress will be transferred between systems, you can then pass on or sell the wii. But don't give away the controllers or accessories, they all work with your wii u.
Choosing your child's console based on specs is like buying your child a Digimon instead of a Pokemon because it has more pixels or something. You're missing the point entirely.
All of the controllers work but only the newer motion plus work on many of the games.
I also have a WiiU and PS4. I own around 15 games on the PS4 and around the same on the WiiU. The WiiU games barely get played and give me buyers remorse. I've bought pretty much all of the big titles except DK as it would be too difficult for the kids to play on their own or with me. My kids often ignore the WiiU in favor of the PS3 or nagging me to play my PS4. They are 7yo and 6yo.
too difficult for the kids
So, like how all games from our childhoods used to be. But we soldiered through it! Yeah. Screw you Castlevania!
get him a football and make him do sports. That's what i'll be doing with my kids :-)
i dont remember him saying that by playing wii they never go outside. dont assume gamers sit inside all day. some do. but im pretty sure every kid has a football. at least i think they do
I have both 7 and 9 yr old boys.
We have XBox 360, PS3 and Wii U.
All used heaps when first bought and then interest tapered off.
Minecraft (pc and ipad) is the current favourite.
In your household, and every household.
I got a Wii U as a birthday present and it's been an absolute blast!
Great for local coop and friends come over to play it all the time. Nintendo games are child friendly so you don't have to worry about that stuff. It's also really cool having the TV duplicated on the pad so you can watch TV/movies while your kid plays Mario Kart online.
Oh and MK8 is AWESOME. Well worth it, and new content for it is on the way.
The other consoles are more powerful, but the library is a year behind. No games really worth buying for it yet. It'll be a different story NEXT Christmas.
Definitely the Wii U.
I haven't had as much fun with my family as I have with the Wii U. Nintendo is unrivalled when it comes to this, particularly with younger kids, as the controls & games are easy to master (especially compared to the others), and the games are great clean fun.
If you want to play with your son the Wii U is where it's at. Donkey Kong is a great coop game and Mario Kart is great for many.
Going by pretty much every report and review I've seen DK is known as a ridiculously tough platformer. It's not really one for 7yo.
Actually, a 7y/o will have more skill and time to beat it than an adult would.
Tropical Freeze has a gentler difficulty curve, catered towards kids a bit more. Dixie is basically Platforming Jesus.
Mario Kart is a fun game, and your son seems to enjoy nintendo
Games that are probably fun for a 7 year
Older:
Mario Party, Donkey Kong, Nintendoland, Mario 3DWorld, Super Mario Bros
New/Upcoming:
Mario Kart, Smash Brothers 4, Splatoon, Zelda Hyrule Warriors
Also he can still play his Wii games on the WiiU as well, so no having to changes the wires at the back. WiiU is moreso focused on family games or local coop so being able to enjoy them with you or his friends is a plus.
He's seven - do you want even more exposure to sex and violence for a couple more years?No PS4 or that other thing that's one less avenue - let him watch telly and surf the net if he doesn't want just fun.
No exposure to sex and violence so browse the internet? What could go wrong?
why not get the original wii
kid is 7, he aint gonna know the difference between a old console or new yet
its dead cheap and you can prolly pick up around 50 games and the console (second hand) for the same price as a wiiU!!
once he 10 he'll prolly want a ps4/xbox 1
time has almost come to retire the Wii, and whilst my son wants the Wii U
Already has the old one. Plus new console plays old games.
A) Dat readin' ability. The very first sentence states OP already has a Wii. I am pretty sure the kid will be able to tell the difference between a new console, and one he already has.
B) Once he's 10 and wants a ps4 or an Xbone, which is 3 years from now, those consoles might be reasonably priced, or they could ACTUALLY HAVE GAMES (what a crazy thought, right?), so I think OP would be open to buying him one these in the future.
I mean. I may be pro-Nintendo, but even I still think that restricting someone to a wii/wiiu and nothing else for the entire generation would be pretty cruel.
my bad, missed the first line
but I still reckon a 7 year old cant tell the difference! maybe i'm getting old lol
I would agree on getting the ps4 and xbox later, it'll drop in price and get more age appropriate games
PS4 for $400 is still not reasonably priced? whats wrong with you?
Maybe it's because I buy a videogame console for videogames. With none currently existing on either console (I would count Infamous, but I'm not a big Infamous fan, unfortunately), the console still needs more time before it can graduate from being a $400 glorified DVD player.
Hearing about Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis System being nerfed on the PS3 and Xbox360 has improved my interest. But 2 games aren't a catalog.
400 is reasonable, but 400 bucks gift for a 7 year old kid o.O
whats next a iphone for next Christmas when he wants a phone!
"kid is 7, he aint gonna know the difference between a old console or new yet"
How many 7 years old do you know? They arent as stupid as you think buddy
How have you not been banned from this site.
Well the poll says it all really….. the OP hasnt even been replying to this thread, he must be out looking for a WiiU.
You're correct …. am about to redeem some QFF points for a Wii U based on the comments & poll results
heck, I've even ordered a game already based on this post
At that Age the kid should be in the park you lazy parent.
Let us know what you son thinks of your choice!
People need to stop criticizing the OP's parenting ability & choices. The OP didn't ask you to tell them how much of a horrible parent they are for buying their kid a video game console.
One thing I would say if you buy a Nintendo console (which you might already know having owned a Wii) is that games, at least first party ones which is why we buy Ninty consoles, rarely come down in price. You will never find the Marios, Zeldas, Donkey Kongs, etc. in the bargain bin for $10. Even second hand/trade-ins usually have pretty high prices.
Get sn original WII, brand new for $99, add a $60 portable HDD, google Homebrew Channel, do some downloading and for $159 you have a cool system with heaps of games. Youll have one very happy kid.
Given the OP says "Ok, time has almost come to retire the Wii" I'm not sure that buying another Wii will quite solve his problems.
Note that the Homebrew Channel can be added to the vWii component of a Wii U too if you're so inclined.
WiiU is your answer. It is a very good console, not the most powerful one but very fun! WiiU is my fav console this gen!
That's coz it's the only console in this gen. The other two are DVD players.
PC: My nieces were online with FaceBook from an early age, don't know about SAFE chat-rooms, but there might be some. Also education experiences are available, that can't be got from a console.
Wii's are more child-orientated. Less violent content. Don't worry about whether it's the latest console. Save your money for more games etc.
Keep activity in the lounge room so social interaction still happens.
Is he any good at playing them? Some kids like to watch the champions play. (Maybe you?)
Is he also into ANGRY BIRDS? My nephew really liked this from a young age (5 YO), until his parents worked out he was making purchases on the mobile phone for this, because he made all the free levels.
Read the above suggestions from everyone, but try to put aside allegiances.