WTF?! » Fun Factor » Entertainment Avenue

[thekid65]

As I'm sure there's been a similar thread in the past.

Here's the deal, every year we do a family gift thing for Christmas, and we've narrowed it down to 2 choices.

#1. PS3 I like the fact that the graphics will be incredible, much better than my PS2, and the fact that it's got blue ray, and we need a new DVD player..so we'd be killing two birds with one stone.

#2. Wii This would probably be a lot more fun for my daughter, and perhaps she'd be a little more active in the winter on that, as opposed to a PS3 (where's she'd pretty much just be sitting in a chair).

So, what I'm asking WTF-ers is, if you had a choice.. what would it be.. and are there any positives/negatives I'm missing to either system? What about game costs for the Wii? What can I expect to pay? And will I need an entire room to store all the accessories for the games? I've also heard that there are pauses during gameplay in the Wii, which you dont have in the PS3 (my wife was talking to a salesperson at the store about both systems)

Anyone out there have both systems?

Edit: I've also heard that theyre arent a lot of kid-friendly games for the PS3..and that PS2 games wont play on it?

[Avidity]

How old is your daughter?

If she's pretty young, then the Wii would be a wiser choice as many of its games are harmless fun. The Wii isn't as competitive and it has "health" games like the Wii Fit as well as other games currently being developed.

I don't know much about the PS3 except that it has raw power and is oddly expensive in comparison to its rivals if you want a worth-while console. PS3 can but not always are compatible to PS2 games. You have to buy a higher model of PS3 for it to be reverse-compatible.

[thekid65]

She's 11...and yeah, the kid-friendly thing is a big deal. But, so is the desire for the Blue-Ray. The one my wife was looking at (PS3) wasnt too bad, $399, but I'm not sure if that model plays the older games or not. I spose I'll need to research that.

[steelasp]

I haven't played the PS3 yet, but I have a Wii. I've always been a die hard Nintendo fan, so maybe I'm biased, but I'm pretty happy with my purchase. I wasn't prepared to drop 400 bucks on a video game system, so the price had an impact on my decision. Nintendo, as they have always done, gears the Wii towards kids, both in the system design, and games they release. Games run from 20 something to 50 something dollars.

The basic package only comes with one controller, and one nunchuck. A new controller costs about 35 bucks, but if you buy Wii play, you get a controller, and a handfull of fun mini games for 45 dollars.

I like that the Wii can play game cube games, but you have to have a game cube controller for that. I also like that you can download games for older systems right onto the Wii hard drive, and play them. Again, for some of them, you need a game cube controller, or the "classic controller" accessory for the Wii.

That's all I got.

[Jung]

The Wii wins hands down for kid-friendly games, but it's sort of a gimmick. Most games just don't feel right when played by flailing your arms all over the place - but the ones that were designed around the controls (largely limited to Nintendo titles) play fairly well.

Quote:

I don't know much about the PS3 except that it has raw power and is oddly expensive in comparison to its rivals if you want a worth-while console.

When you factor in the cost of a decent BluRay player ($300+), which he is, it's actually not that bad. It's also pretty much the best BluRay player on the market due to the processing power. (I went through 5 different top-of-the-line players from Samsung, Sony, LG and Pioneer before settling on the PS3, and I couldn't be happier.)

Quote:

PS3 can but not always are compatible to PS2 games. You have to buy a higher model of PS3 for it to be reverse-compatible.

The newest versions have backwards compatibility removed. The only version that has full hardware compatibility (via the PS2 hardware) is the 60GB version - which is still available, but often more expensive than the new 160GB version. (I paid $700 for mine ). Depending on whether you care about consolidation or not, it may be cheaper to buy an 80GB and a slim PS2.

[dustinzgirl]

 Quote: Originally Posted by thekid65

She's 11...and yeah, the kid-friendly thing is a big deal. But, so is the desire for the Blue-Ray. The one my wife was looking at (PS3) wasnt too bad, $399, but I'm not sure if that model plays the older games or not. I spose I'll need to research that.

Get the Wii. It is so much fun for everyone. I wish we would have gotten one last Christmas instead of the 360! You guys can all play together.

[thekid65]

 Quote: Originally Posted by dustinzgirl

Get the Wii. It is so much fun for everyone. I wish we would have gotten one last Christmas instead of the 360! You guys can all play together.

Yeah, that was part of the thought process, as it's a "family gift", it would be something all 3 of us could do.

So steelasp, how's the actual game play of the Wii...smooth? The salesman made it sound to my wife that there were pauses and such?

Interesting Jung, that you say it's hands down the best Blue-Ray player...as thats a major part of the decision too.

Damn, I'm probably still gonna be torn after all this advice. Thanks for the thoughts though, I appreciate it.

[Darklight]

to hell with kid friendly.. i love the Wii for its activeness.. the control is easier then hell... in some cases I would like a bit more sensitivity like in boxing or motion requirement like in Golf(since you only need to flick it a bit to get it to power drive) but otherwise it rules.. and especially for kids.. my son is a Wii-aholic... he's 8.. alot of the games are geared with kids in mind.. even the games geared for adults have a kid feel at times.. like my son beat Prince of Persia: Rival Swords... he also finished out mario galaxy. but mario galaxy is still fun and challenging for adults.. same with PoP and the Legend of Zelda is epic....

im sick of all button control systems.. thier a dime a dozen... and you just get more and more buttons.. fuck the controllers now got more buttons then you got fingers... I really gave in after PS1... to me that was the last button system that felt natural... I got no problem with the rest of the system.. a PS3 does have holy shit level graphics and that is awesome..

In the end I would have sex with someone who would join up PS3 level graphics with the greatness of the Wii control... It would be great if they would also make some more games geared specifically for age groups... most of the Wii games seems a bit rudementary at times.. like Resident evil gives you queues to do some moves occasionally almost like its playing for you... I'd like to see games with more realistic gestures to preform moves. I would say the super infinate lives thing has to stop but games are so long anymore if you had only 3 it would suck....

[thekid65]

Which brings to question...the games for adults. Although I dont play a whole helluva lot.... I'm pretty much a FPS guy. And a bit concerned that my choices will be extremely limited.

[Darklight]

 Quote: Originally Posted by thekid65

Which brings to question...the games for adults. Although I dont play a whole helluva lot.... I'm pretty much a FPS guy. And a bit concerned that my choices will be extremely limited.

actually the FPS market for the Wii has real potential.. just play Medal of Honor... to try and make it work better they also have a gun adapter thing for the controller.. it only works for game that require the Wiimote only but it helps.. but the point at the screen interface of the controller works like a light gun.. the nunchuck gives you the move around control... a bit of practice and its easier then you ever had with WASD and space...

[eyeknow]

 Quote: Originally Posted by Jung

The Wii wins hands down for kid-friendly games...

The newest versions have backwards compatibility removed. The only version that has full hardware compatibility (via the PS2 hardware) is the 60GB version - which is still available, but often more expensive than the new 160GB version. (I paid $700 for mine ). Depending on whether you care about consolidation or not, it may be cheaper to buy an 80GB and a slim PS2.

If you are naughty, have skills, and don't care about the warranty you can upgrade the Hard Drive

[steelasp]

 Quote: Originally Posted by thekid65

Yeah, that was part of the thought process, as it's a "family gift", it would be something all 3 of us could do.

So steelasp, how's the actual game play of the Wii...smooth? The salesman made it sound to my wife that there were pauses and such?

Interesting Jung, that you say it's hands down the best Blue-Ray player...as thats a major part of the decision too.

Damn, I'm probably still gonna be torn after all this advice. Thanks for the thoughts though, I appreciate it.

All the games I have played have run very smoothly. I have never experienced any lag or choppiness. Some games have some annoying load time in certain places, but I think every system is going to have that to some extent. I agree with Darklight about the sensitivity of the controls in Wii Sports. It's sometimes difficult to get your character to throw a punch in boxing, and golf is really annoyingly sensitive, but tennis and bowling work great. I'm sure if you got a game dedicated golf or boxing, the control would be better. Games where you use the controller as a pointer are really easy to control, and fun to play.

 Quote: Originally Posted by Darklight

actually the FPS market for the Wii has real potential.. just play Medal of Honor... to try and make it work better they also have a gun adapter thing for the controller.. it only works for game that require the Wiimote only but it helps.. but the point at the screen interface of the controller works like a light gun.. the nunchuck gives you the move around control... a bit of practice and its easier then you ever had with WASD and space...

I saw one of those gun adapters online today, that has a spot for the nunchuck too. It's sort of rifle shaped, instead of pistol shaped
http://www.amazon.com/Wii-Zapper-Lin...7231796&sr=1-7