School me on consoles

[Draft Dodger]

out of the blue yesterday, the wife suggested instead of exchanging gifts this christmas, we buy a console. once I got over that shocking bombshell, I realize I know absolutely nothing about the current state of the console wars. so spell it out for me...

I guess my first thought is the PS3...but that sounds a) way too expensive and b) like it maybe has some kinks to be worked out? Is it even an option to just buy the PS2 now and wait until next year on the 3?

Wii? we have 2 young kids, so this might be attractive. Actually, the more I think about it, these seems like it might be a good way to go...

360? I guess I'd really have to have someone sell me on this before I went this route.

[albionmoonlight]

Others know a lot more than me, but the Wii seems attractive for several reasons:

1.) Good for kids (which you have)

2.) Easier for non-gamers to enjoy. Don't have to learn 36 button combinations just to get your character to move. (I assume your wife is a non gamer)

3.) Seems to be a heck of a lot cheaper than PS3 or X360.

4.) You can go old-school and download Mario Bros. and whatnot and show them to your kids.

edit--5.) I have been underwhelmed by what I have read about the 360 and the PS3, both in terms of games available and overheating issues and whatnot.

[AgustusM]

as an owner of the 360 and original xbox I will add my 2 cents - the original xbox has been worth every penny and in today's market comes pretty cheaply.

the 360 on the other hand has been one of the biggest wastes of money. game after game come out (at least in the sports genre which is pretty much the only games I play) and the "current" gen games are more complete and feature rich then the "next" gen model. the only thing the 360 has over the others is better graphics and even that is debatable since every player in say Madden looks like a steroid monster. I am blown away at how much is left out of the new games.

I spent well over 1,000 all told on the 360 and I and my kids rarely play it, it has basically become and expensive DVD player - the original xbox my kids still play all the time.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Just to throw an opinion out there -- others will be more informed than I am -- I'd say that you're probably best off with the PS2 or the Wii. The Wii will be a new system, so there probably won't be a huge selection of games out there by Christmas, but I'm sure there would be enough games for the whole family to enjoy for a while. As for the PS2, I personally can't stand the controller, but it's got an absolutely massive game library, especially when you add in all the PS1 games that you can play on it. For the money you'd spend on a PS3 console alone, you could get a PS2 and literally two dozen games (inexpensive games, anyway). The PS2 isn't going anywhere just yet, so you could buy it, play it, and still get the PS3 in a year or whenever.

I'm going to guess that a 360 really wouldn't be your thing here. There are very, very few games for young kids, and you may want to get your feet wet by buying a console that has games for under $40. To this point, almost every XBox 360 game has been released with a $59.99 price tag. There have been some for less, but the majority of them are coming out around $60, and it's really hard to spend that kind of money unless you do some research and know what you're getting.

The Wii is a good choice, and so is the PS2. The Wii will be new and will probably have games for the whole family to play together. I imagine that it also won't be terribly expensive. The PS2 will give you tons of games to play, and you'll be getting a really good value. To me, the hard part would be figuring out which PS2 games to buy, just because there are so damn many of them.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Latching on to AgustusM's thought, the original XBox is an option, also. Personally, I like the XBox over the PS2 because of the (usually) better graphics and better controller (personal preference there). Also, the XBox has a hard drive built in, so you probably don't need to worry about memory cards at all. I don't really think there are that many games (at least not XBox exclusives) that appeal to young children, though, so that's why I didn't mention it before.

[Ksyrup]

I just started a thread on this issue a couple of weeks ago. In addition to what is posted here, the responses to my thread may be of some help.

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=52886&highlight=console

[Draft Dodger]

I'm about to dive into ksyrup's thread (thanks), but 2 quick q's - will ps3 play ps2 and ps1 games? and I forgot my other question

[spleen1015]

I think you son is at the right age where the Wii would probably be the best option for this round of consoles. He'll be at an age the entire time that he can play a lot of the games. The PS3 will be something for him later in the life cycle, I think.

Nintendo puts a lot of effort into games that are more child/family oriented, Mario Party being one example.

[spleen1015]

I'm about to dive into ksyrup's thread (thanks), but 2 quick q's - will ps3 play ps2 and ps1 games? and I forgot my other question

Yes it will.

[Draft Dodger]

oh, I remember - is it still easy to find ps2 games? (see, I really am dumb about this)

[FrogMan]

I just started a thread on this issue a couple of weeks ago. In addition to what is posted here, the responses to my thread may be of some help.

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=52886&highlight=console

Draft Dodger's introduction here, your thread, and the fact I started one about the Gamecube last Fall (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=44604&highlight=gamecube) make me smile.

"Hey look at those old dudes who have no clue what's happening in the console world" :)

FM

[Ksyrup]

oh, I remember - is it still easy to find ps2 games? (see, I really am dumb about this)

Yes. And a bunch of the older ones are $20 or less.

[spleen1015]

oh, I remember - is it still easy to find ps2 games? (see, I really am dumb about this)

Oh yeah. The PS2 is the far and away winner of the current gen wars. You will be able to find games for a long time.

[Draft Dodger]

I had forgotten about guitar hero...that might make my decision for me

[Ksyrup]

Draft Dodger's introduction here, your thread, and the fact I started one about the Gamecube last Fall (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=44604&highlight=gamecube) make me smile.

"Hey look at hose old dudes who have no clue what's happening in the console world" :)

FM

No kidding. I'm not joking, either. The last time I touched a console was in my sophomore or junior year of college, when 3 of us split the cost of a Nintendo just so we could buy some college football game that had just come out. We thought it was cool because you could play any team, create your own schedule, and it had a top 20 poll that determined the bowl seeds. I don't even remember what it was called, but we were addicted to it for about a year. That game seems so simplistic now, but it was tons of fun.

After that...fast forward to 2006 and Guitar Hero!

[FrogMan]

oh, I remember - is it still easy to find ps2 games? (see, I really am dumb about this)

go to the electronics department of your local Wal-Mart and take a look at the humongous bargain bin. It's full of PS2 and original Xbox games selling for very cheap. That's in addition to all the used games you can find at places like EB Games...

Don't remember how old your son it, but my 9yo kiddo is having a great time with his Gamecube so I agree that the Wii would be a great choice, if a bit more pricey of course...

FM

[FrogMan]

No kidding. I'm not joking, either. The last time I touched a console was in my sophomore or junior year of college, when 3 of us split the cost of a Nintendo just so we could buy some college football game that had just come out. We thought it was cool because you could play any team, create your own schedule, and it had a top 20 poll that determined the bowl seeds. I don't even remember what it was called, but we were addicted to it for about a year. That game seems so simplistic now, but it was tons of fun.


well, read my thread, I got you beat. I had to go back to my dear old Intellivision to find me playing any kind of console type games. Now that was old school... :)

But seriously, if not for our kids, we probably would all still be happy with playing on our computers, heh :)

FM

[stevew]

I'd either get the ps2 or the Wii, just cause it has gamecube backwards compatability.

Hell, you could even buy a ps2 and a Gamecube for the Wii price, and have at least 2 more years of solid gaming probably.

[Terps]

I think the Wii sounds like your best bet, especially since it will be able to play the whole GameCube library and the ability to download the NES, SNES, and N64 games.

[Bee]

Do you have a HDTV?

edit: sorry, that sounded like a jbmagic comment...

If you don't have an HDTV, I would forget about the 360 and the PS3. If you do have a HDTV, then it's a tougher choice IMO.