Which console for the kids for Christmas - Wii or Kinect?

spiki

spiki

spiki

Associate
Joined
18 Oct 2005
Posts
917
Was thinking of getting this for the family, but primarily the kids, as a wee surprise on Christmas day but really stuck as to what would be the most suitable.

My two eldest girls are 5 and 8. On one hand the Wii has the Mario series which they have played on the DS and they like the look of the new Donkey Kong.

However, I feel the Kinect might be a better long term buy and I would probably get a bundle with the animals game and Sonic to start with. They like singing and dancing games too. Not really interested in it for my needs as I much prefer my PC for that (BF BC2 etc).

Any thoughts/advice, particularly from parents of young kids, as this would be their first proper console?

Thanks
 
Wii, far more variety atm, cheaper & I think it will have more games suitable for young girls even in the long run.
 
First off you can't go wrong with either but I favour Kinect. I have 2 daughters and and we had a Wii a year or so ago but sold it through lack of use. Kinect is new and with Kinect ID (logs you in through face recognition) and voice control it feels very futuristic and games can be up and running very quickly.

My eldest, a 6 year old is loving it. Kinectimals, Kinect Adventures, Dance Central and Kinect Sports are all firm favourites in our house and are now being played almost nightly. We also all really like Lips (Xbox Singstar) and this can be picked up quite cheap now.
I liked the demo for Sonic but I've read a lot of not so favourable things about it and I'm happy with what we've got for now. I still might pick it up though!

The only thing with Kinect is make sure you have a fair bit of room to jump about.
 
I have young kids with a Wii and Kinect, The Wii has not been touched in over a year but since getting Kinect at launch they cant keep off it neither can i lol.

Not to many games out right now but come early next year there will be and as above make sure you have enough space in your living room 8ft back and 8ft wide for 2 player games.

Games we have are Kinect Adventures Kinect sports and Dance central also there are a few demos of other games to try on marketplace.
 
I know some of you are saying the Wii hasn't been touched in years but don't you wonder if that will also happen with the Kinect once the "New, Shiny" wears off?
I'm guessing that's what happened with the Wii? Our Wii still gets a little use when my Mrs wants to play a Mario game, but on the whole the newness wore off.
The only reason the Xbox is used is because I play it, I think that even if we did get Kinect it would wear off and then I'd be left playing the normal games as I do now.
 
spiki said:
Was thinking of getting this for the family, but primarily the kids, as a wee surprise on Christmas day but really stuck as to what would be the most suitable.

My two eldest girls are 5 and 8. On one hand the Wii has the Mario series which they have played on the DS and they like the look of the new Donkey Kong.

However, I feel the Kinect might be a better long term buy and I would probably get a bundle with the animals game and Sonic to start with. They like singing and dancing games too. Not really interested in it for my needs as I much prefer my PC for that (BF BC2 etc).

Any thoughts/advice, particularly from parents of young kids, as this would be their first proper console?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Kinect is selling very well. It is a lot more detailed than the Wii and is great fun to use.

Just to make sure that you understand, in the section in bold, you say that this will be their first proper console. Kinect is not a console, but an add-on to the Xbox 360.
 
Kinect, without a shadow of a doubt. My wii barely gets switched on, but since getting Kinect over the weekend it's been played pretty much solidly. Of course this may be down to the 'new toy' factor, but it's just so much nicer to use than the wii. As somebody mentioned it feels very futuristic and 'Minority Report'. I had a nerdgasm the first time I controlled the dash with my hands :o

As for the games, Kinect Adventures is huge fun. After coming from the wii it takes a while to get your head around moving your entire body, literally running from side to side and jumping like an idiot, and it takes picture as you are doing so :D

My wife and daughter love Dance Central, and all my kids are loving Kinectimals.

One thing to be aware of is you need a LOT of room, a minimum of 6ft between you and the sensor is a must.
 
I know a lot of people are saying Kinect without a doubt, and not the wii because its not used anymore. But are you sure its not down to new toy syndrome??

I'm pretty sure the Wii was showered with praise on first release also.

That said I'd get kinect anyways. Not because of the motion control, But because once new toy syndrome wears off. You'll still have a fully functioning Xbox 360 to fall back on. :)
 
Senture said:
Kinect is selling very well. It is a lot more detailed than the Wii and is great fun to use.

Just to make sure that you understand, in the section in bold, you say that this will be their first proper console. Kinect is not a console, but an add-on to the Xbox 360.
Click to expand...

Thanks Centure - I do realise its an add-on. I've been gaming since the pong days & have played most of the main consoles. I'm not really interested in it for myself but want something that they will enjoy & is fun.
 
ive only got a daughter just turned 3yr old but ive just got move for her and the wife and its great i can understand if you dont have a ps3 as this is going to cost a lot for a full setup but she loves start the party and eyepet.

out of the 2 ive only had a wii but ive just sold it to fund move, other then a couple of party games i dont think the youngest will get too much out of it but i think the 8yr old will love it.

Kinect on the other hand ive only had a handful of goes on and if im honest i wasnt all that impressed with the responce time and general quality of the games.
i have only tried a few times though and only on a couple of games but i still feel the lack of a controller is a big downfall, even if it isnt essential i cant see why they didnt include some sort of small hand held controller like the move navigation controller as it seems to work with larger gestures like waving hands not wiggling a finger to activate it. personally i wouldnt be surprised if a navigation controller is released at some point.... or even better the wonderglove 2 kinect edition :D

edit: i missed off my choice (as if it wasnt obvious) it would be for the move as you get yourself a great console and media device, but if cost or you just dont want to give sony your cash then i would reccomend the wii as it has some great games but you need to dig through a lot of tripe to find them
 
Last edited:
Thanks very much for the feedback everyone. Leaning towards the Wii, with the choice of games and more attractive price.
 
I've got a 4 and 6 year old, and all 3 motion platforms in the house,

After 2+ weeks, I'd expect the novelty of Kinect would have worn off, but they still prefer this to the Wii, the engaging aspect of of the games is something the Wii just doesn't have, and it very much caters for the smaller kids as well. It's the way it engages with the player that makes Kinect stand out IMO, as mentioned, it recognises the person, logs them in, and the whole 1:1 mimicking of your body in game seems to add something really good to the experience.

On top of that, obviously there are some good 'normal' 360 games that they also like to play, Trials HD is an absolute favourite of my 4 year old lad, he's bike mad.

When it comes to the Wii (Still fine IMO), you probably want to net a second hand bargain, as buying new can work out more expensive then you think, you only get 1 controller (wiimote), if you want a full 2 player experience (as you will do), add on another £45 for a second Wiimote+ and Nunchuk, then if you want more 'fitness' options, the Wii Fit costs a fair chunk etc.. but I've seen second hand deals with 3 controller sets + wii fit for under £125..
 
Demon said:
I've got a 4 and 6 year old, and all 3 motion platforms in the house,

After 2+ weeks, I'd expect the novelty of Kinect would have worn off, but they still prefer this to the Wii, the engaging aspect of of the games is something the Wii just doesn't have, and it very much caters for the smaller kids as well. It's the way it engages with the player that makes Kinect stand out IMO, as mentioned, it recognises the person, logs them in, and the whole 1:1 mimicking of your body in game seems to add something really good to the experience.

On top of that, obviously there are some good 'normal' 360 games that they also like to play, Trials HD is an absolute favourite of my 4 year old lad, he's bike mad.

When it comes to the Wii (Still fine IMO), you probably want to net a second hand bargain, as buying new can work out more expensive then you think, you only get 1 controller (wiimote), if you want a full 2 player experience (as you will do), add on another £45 for a second Wiimote+ and Nunchuk, then if you want more 'fitness' options, the Wii Fit costs a fair chunk etc.. but I've seen second hand deals with 3 controller sets + wii fit for under £125..
Click to expand...

Thanks for those lots of very good points. I had been looking at the red Wii plus DK Returns and an extra controller but now its back to square one! Time to shop around for best xbox + kinect bundle!!
 
spiki said:
Thanks for those lots of very good points. I had been looking at the red Wii plus DK Returns and an extra controller but now its back to square one! Time to shop around for best xbox + kinect bundle!!
Click to expand...

I think a 4GB 's' Kinect bundle would be fine for you. It comes with built in wireless, a wireless controller and if it's mainly for family Kinect games you don't really need the extra HD space had from the 250GB version.

Also remember you can also add a USB memory stick these days if you do run short.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom