Alrighty, it's almost time to start thinking about Christmas. Got a question for anyone who wouldn't mind helping me out. Trying to figure out which is the best one to go with, the Nintendo Wii or the Playstation 3? I know absolutely nothing about either one of them. I know my grandkids would love one but I'm not sure which is the better one to go with. Any help would greatly be appreciated.... THanks so much!!!!!!!
I say the Wii all the way. We bought our kids a Wii for Christmas this year it is tucked away in a closet hiding. For one the Wii is more interactive. you actually get up to play. Most games you cant sit down and do. There are a ton of games ranging in price from 50-20 brand new or if you have a gamestop in your area you can find then used for even less than 15. Also if they have a gamecube the Wii plays gamecube games and you can get Wii cards and go online to purchase retro games from the original nintendo days. AND ITS ONLY 250!!!! for the gaming system.
The playstation 3 is roughly 400 for the system and i have noticed the games for that system are less geared towards kids and more on the adult side. The the games are about the same price though 50-20 new. and the playstation 3 plays playstation 2 games and dvds. and cds. Not sure if the Wii does that. There doesnt seem to be as many games in general made for the PS3 but i hear they are working on getting more.
One bit of info nintendo has only one manufacture to makes its gaming systems which is why its sooo hard to get your hands on a Wii. Sony has multiple manufactures which makes them easier to get but also they have more software and technical problems.
Both systems require additional products to get the full effect on the games but having played both i prefer the Wii the whole family can get in on the fun and you get up and actually play instead of being a couch potato for hours.
Well we have both and I love them both!
The Wii is definitely interactive and now has games that help you lose weight/keep in shape. DH and I like to box. In real life he'd kick my a$$ seeing as how he's a black belt, but on the Wii, I always win! I also like the Wii because it IS a Nintendo, which means they have the Mario games.
We also have the PS 3 because we wanted a blu-ray DVD player. It's the best one on the market right now and, of course, you can still play games on it.
I think we have at least 4 gaming systems in our house. I think I married a giant child. What am I saying? All men are giant children.
If your kids like Mario and prefer something more interactive (or you prefer that they are more active) then I'd go for the Wii. It's also cheaper, so you can get more games and/or accessories with the gaming console.
Get the Wii if you can find it. We have it and our whole family loves it, even my MIL who doens't like video games thought it was fun.
Most games for it require movement, my kids really get into it more than they have to which is good.
My husband bought me a Wii Fit a few weeks ago and I have to fight both him and the children to get a turn. 
Thank you so much everyone. You've all been a great help. I noticed that there is a starter set that you can purchase for the Wii that has the dual charger, battery packs, wrist straps etc in it. Did everyone who owns a Wii have to buy this as well? I'm assuming that the Wii does not come with a charger or does it? Again, thanks so much for your help!!!!!
no it doesnt come with the charger...... technically you dont need it because the controllers also use batteries but it saves a lot of money in the end if you use the charger. Then you dont have to buy batteries.
Until we bought the charger we went through tons of batteries.
The system only comes with one remote and you can't play some of the two player games without a second remote.
The system can be used as is but there are a few extras that are really nice to have with it.
We just bought the Wii for my kids for Christmas and we were told by many who have it and those who know about it that it is excellent for young kids because of the interactive games for the whole family..The playstations are meant for older kids..teenagers and adults with many games promoting violence etc...plus you basiclly sit there and play with the controller only.I can't wait to see their faces on Christmas morning...and my hubby's of course!!!
We got our Wii last year for Christmas and I L-O-V-E it!!! My brother and SIL came down a couple weekends ago and my brother got so additcted that he immediately went out and got one. I got an email from him today about all these games that he has - its so much fun!!
He just got me the Wii Fit too, I can't find it in my area!! I can't wait until Saturday when he gets here with it!!
It is much cheaper that then PS3 and you can work up a sweat on some of those games on the Wii!!
Wii sports (comes with the Wii) is my favorite! We also have bar games and playground which are really fun. My daughter is 2 and we just got her the disney princess game, she can't play yet, but loves to watch daddy play. (Which is just too funny!! Big guy playing princess/fairy!)
My brother's son is 4 and he LOVES mario kart - he can't quite play by himself yet but plays with my brothers help.
I'm kinda cheap so we generally buy the "older" games, the ones that are under $40.
Wii is the way to go. We have one and I have to fight to play it. My 5 year old loves the Wii fit. The fit is mine and i have to fight with her to be able to use it.
We bought rechargeable batteries. I looked at the recharging station and decided against it since i would have to take the cover off the remote. I like the covers...easier to grab when working on the fit.
We love Raymond's Raving Rabbits 1 & 2. Mario Kart is also very fun. My nephew also loves Guitar Hero.
We have wii sports and wii play and some wierd dirt bike game. I personally love wii play (it comes with a remote, so you can add a remote and get a fun game at the same time).
We have a 1, 2, and 4 year old and the two older kids both can play some of the games on it. I like it and even my parents and in-laws (totally technologically challenged) love to play. I was shocked that my mom wanted to play cow-racing (that's on wii play). Every time we were done she'd want to play again--I haven't seen her laugh that hard in a long time.
So anyway, that's my vote. 
I have mario galaxy, super paper mario, some fishing game, rayman ravin rabbids, the cooking game, ultimate alliance, and a bunch of others. We have both systems and we use them both quite frequently. They both have there ups and downs but for children I recommend the wii. It is really interactive. (Just make sure they wear the straps!)We don't have kids, but I do have a nephew who is hooked on the PS3, but I think their games are more for adults. Those grand theft auto games are not meant for anyone under 18 IMHO. A good idea before you start to purchase games is to rent them. That's what we do and it's better for us because we know whether or not we'll want to play again or not. I have noticed that a lot of the PS3 games can be finished in a day or two, where as the wii may take a couple of weeks. I certainly would rather pay $50 for a game I will play more than once than $60 to beat in one day. The Wii is better for me and hubby likes the PS3. We share sometimes
Ok I asked hubby, PS 3 is blueray and you can do a lot more on it and it has more games. The wii has alot of features, games are a little more expensive and a little limited. PS3 is more expensive and if you are on a budget go for the wii. I personally love the wii it is the best video game I have played in a long time. I love the wii sports and cant wait to get wii fitness. I stood in line at 7:30 in the morning waiting for kmart to open in the dead of winter just to get a wii. Its the best thing ever and my 4 year old daugeter loves it. Man can she bowl! 
We got our Wii last October. I never though that I would like a video game system, but when my brother in law showed up at our family get together with one, my husband was thrilled to go out and buy one. My personal opinion is that Wii has much better game selection than PS3, but it depends what you're looking for. Wii seems to have something for every age level and every interest. My favorite games are Wii sports, Smarty Pants (trivia came), Kabooki, Guitar Hero, and Mario & Sonic at the Olympics. You can also download alot of smaller games for it. I was thrilled to play Super Mario Bros again!!!
Just a side note: Never play DVDs on a playstation. It ruins the systems. I have had 2 PS go to crap within a year each because of this. I didn't know why at the time, but it has to do with the fact that when you play games the disc does not continusely spin. Unlike DVDs that spin the whole time. It's really hard on the system. I don't know as much about the PS3, but I know it's true with PS1 and PS2.
Just a side note: Never play DVDs on a playstation. It ruins the systems. I have had 2 PS go to crap within a year each because of this. I didn't know why at the time, but it has to do with the fact that when you play games the disc does not continusely spin. Unlike DVDs that spin the whole time. It's really hard on the system. I don't know as much about the PS3, but I know it's true with PS1 and PS2.
That is actually not true at all for the PS3. It is apparently one of the best blu-ray DVD players on the market. We like ours. I've never put a DVD in my PS1 (don't have a PS2), but now that you've said that I definitely won't!
We have both the Wii and PS3 and the good thing about the PS3 is that is plays the PS2 games and it also plays movies and Blu-Ray discs...its a bit on the pricey side for the 80G which some stores have discontinued we paid almost $500 and the Wii is good for exercising and getting sore lol, its also very reasonable in price and the whole family loves it.
Thanks again everyone. I did find a Wii the other day at Costco. They had just received a shipment in and I grabbed one. The next day, they were all gone. It comes with all the things with the unit as well as a Smash Brothers game, extra remote controller and another kind of controller. I got it all for 369.00. I'm so excited. I know my grandkids are gonna love it..... Thanks so much for all your help!!
I'm so glad that you found one!!
I went to Walmart the other day and was looking at the Wii games and noticed that they had like 15 Wii systems - when I went back a couple days later they were all gone!
The last time I was at Costco they had just gotten in a shipment too and by the time we checked out they were gone.
Its amazing how fast they go!
I got my Wii Fit this weekend! L-O-V-E it!!! Totally recommend for anyone who wants to loose weight with very low impact exercises.
Those things sell like hotcakes everywhere. They are in demand right now. It took us months to find one and i'm talking going on line and everything and they were all sold out. We started checking from December 2007 and we finally found one in May 2008.
So congrats on your Nintendo Wii, your grandkids are going to love it and love you even more!!!
I love the Wii as well. We've got Wii sports, wii fit, super paper mario. mario kart, a Diego game for the 3 year old and now have the new starwars game (got it yesterday)
I love wii sports and wii fit. They're both fun. Mario kart is really fun also. I have yet to try out the starwars game but it looks interesting. You use the wiimote to move the lightsaber around. Looks cool 
I looked for the Wii Fit yesterday and can't find it anywhere. I looked on Costco and Sam's website and they don't even have them to order. I did manage to pick up a few accessories and got the game Active Life Outdoor Challenge. It looked like it would be fun. So, does the Wii Fit really give you a workout?
So, does the Wii Fit really give you a workout?
Yes, maybe not gym quality but you can't do it sitting on your butt. It lets you know how much time you've spent doing the activities too so you can keep track of your workout time. I've had several soaks in a hot tub to make my muscles feel better after spending a long time on it.
Depending on which activities you do and how long you're on will determine how much of a workout you get.
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