[iq160plus]

My kids have been saving up and they have a few hundred and want to buy a gaming system.  They will be 8 and 10 years old very soon.  I do not want to start any wars here with people taking sides. I am looking for opinions on what game system to let them purchase. 

 

They will never play any FPS's, nor will they have any PAID online subscriptions to any multiplayer games. Downloadable games is a possibility. They will also be getting one of the guitar/drum/singing games and equipment.

 

Should I wait for Next Gen or something now.  They are familiar with all current systems.  They will be playing games rated for all ages only, and may play some RPG's.  I have little experience with any of them.  I literally played on a Playstation 1 once and once on a WII.  We have a 50 inch flat screen if that matters so we do have HD 1080p with any necessary inputs (HDMI of course.

 
Audio capabilities is of no concern to me as they will have to turn it down most of the time

 

My big concern is having durable media because of their age since they  are unreliable at putting games back in cases. 

 

There are way too many gaming sites around.  Besides, I value the opinions of people at head-fi.

 
Ask me any questions if you need to.
Thanks in advance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sridhar3]

Little kids = Wii

 

[Happy Camper]

The Wii is being discounted as the new release is scheduled in June.

 

 

[kn19h7]

8 and 10 years old are fairly enough to get started on proper RPG/SLG/RTS imo..

 

[Roller]

The Wii would be a logical suggestion, but the thing is that all 3 current gaming console systems have the same reliability when it comes to the games themselves. The Wii is indeed the gaming system recommended for kids, but there's more versatility on more "mature" systems like PS3 or Xbox 360.

 

[stevenswall]

As far as durability goes, when Nintendo erroneously stopped using cartriges, durable media ceased to exist. I do not think that any of the discs are more durable than the others, only that the xBox is notorious among my friends for shredding discs. As far as the console itseld goes, the Wii seems to be the most durable. I have pulled the one I play on off of a 4 ft stand onto a hardwood floor playing a Gamecube disc, and the game continued to play
 

 

[ssavage]

Just wondering, why dont you let them play any fps? 

 

[Thecoolguy]

You could wait for the new Nintendo console, which is being announced at E3 this June.
 

 

[marvin]

Wii. It's the best home system for family friendly fare, plus has plenty of great splitscreen gaming.
 
Next best option is a pair of Nintendo DSi (DS Lites break hinges too easily). There's a great back catalog of games there too, with some "deeper" strategy and RPG gaming experiences that the Wii doesn't provide. Civilization, Age of Empires, Advance Wars, Might and Magic, etc. all provide E rated experiences with good depth. It's also been around long enough that plenty of used games are available for < $15.
 
I wouldn't worry about next gen systems. There's more than enough back catalog for any current system that will provide years of entertainment. I'd skip the X360 and PS3 also, not much family friendly fare there that isn't already on the Wii and you'd be missing out on all of the great Nintendo exclusives.

 

[revolink24]

Watch out for the upcoming price drop to $150 on the Wii.

 

[Eric_C]

If you're considering current gen, and have ruled the Wii out (due to it being phased out, really), then you're left with Xbox 360 and PS3.
 
Are you concerned about them playing games online? Gamers on either network can have very colourful language that you may not be comfortable exposing your kids to.
In that case, the Xbox 360 would be better--you must pay to play online, so your kids won't have access to that. Additionally, the Xbox Live network has a great many games for purchase via download; you can buy "Arcade" games that are cheaper than full retail titles and often support 2-player co-op on the same screen, or you can buy full Xbox 360 titles (limited collection, mind you) that are stored on the hard disk. 
 
Games stored on the hard disk should get around your concern about the kids' unreliability at putting media back into boxes.
 
Lastly, Xbox 360 also has the Kinect, for motion sensing games. It's not a perfect technology, being somewhat inaccurate and requiring a fairly large amount of space, and the compatible games being few for now, but it might be a fun diversion for your kids and their friends. Controller-less motion control is also quite, quite cool.
 
A PS3 has arguably better graphics and Blu-Ray capability, but what with the PlayStation Network being hacked recently, and the fact that this is a console just for your kids, it may not be the wiser option.

 

[cifani090]

Are they boys or girls? I'd get a PS3 if they were boys, but that is when ypu do have to understand as a parent if its not the Wii, they will be using it 24/7 and will be very hard to get them off of it when their 14/15+. The Wii is very family oriented, and the Xbox and PS3 are boy friendly as they will play it all day long. 

 

[Kirosia]

If you get a Wii, considering purchasing second-hand. I bought mine with two nunchucks, two remotes, and two classic controllers for $110. (Though my Dad accidentally threw half of them away...)

 

[Uncle Erik]

Go vintage. Try an Atari 2600 or an Intellivision.

 

[Griffinhart]

PS3 has the largest library of RPGs, if I remember correctly. X360 is more of an action gamer's console, especially when you consider its flagship titles and controller's layout. Wii... has games that could be considered fun, depending on your tastes and attention span. (Really, the only game I own for the Wii is Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and in hindsight, I should've just gotten it for the GameCube; only other game I'd remotely want is Monster Hunter Tri, but since I have a PSP, I just imported MH Portable 3rd.)
 
Or skip all that, and get them computers! /pcelitist
 
-- Griffinhart