Best system for a newbie?

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allvol123

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#1
So I am in my 40s and completely avoided the exploded gaming world of the past 10-15 years.

That said, I have 3 kids under the age of 10 and can admit I should not deprive them.

What is the best system for this situation?
 
#2
#2
I don't think you will go wrong with any of them. Wii U probably has more games for the younger kids though. But you would be fine if you went for one of the others also. The others probably have longer lasting appeal.
 
#3
#3
Any better for streaming movies and stuff? That is what the wife and I will get out of it.
 
#4
#4
Give_All_Vol said:
I don't think you will go wrong with any of them. Wii U probably has more games for the younger kids though. But you would be fine if you went for one of the others also. The others probably have longer lasting appeal.
Click to expand...

Agree. I have a 10 year old grandson that has "outgrown " his WII or thinks he has. There are a ton of good games available on the WII'S for younger kids.
 
#6
#6
I have owned all 3 of the next gen consoles.

Wii U: I enjoyed this this system a lot. You get the system, a game pad, and a controller with this. The gamepad is awesome. You can use it as a controller or you can actually play games on it. So you can play a game and watch tv at the same time or you can have the game system coming through the tv and use the game as a controller or just use a regular controller. I didn't have internet at the time when I had the Wii U so I don't know much about the streaming, but I know you can stream Netflix. The downfall to the Wii U and the reason why I traded it in towards my PS4, was that there aren't as many games that come out on the Wii like for the PS4 and X1.

PS4: by far my favorite next gen console and the one I actually have now. The graphics on this system are unbelievable. It loads up the game way faster than the X1. I like the controller better than the X1. This also streams apps but the X1 has more apps and is more gear towards that stuff than the PS4.

X1: the kinnect is pretty cool. They have a lot of free exercising apps that use the kinnect as well. Like P90, insanity, etc. (or they did when I had the X1) the graphics are nice on this too, but I prefer the PS4.

Wii U: more kid friendly games
PS4: best for gaming IMO
X1: better for media
 
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#7
#7
Basically what Stoked said.

I'd recommend the Wii U for your kids, plus it will play Wii games and you can get a ton of those games for very cheap now.
 
#8
#8
I've been out of gaming for a few years now, but I'll +1 what Stoked said. Nintendo always seems to be a solid choice if you have younger children.
 
#9
#9
allvol123 said:
Any better for streaming movies and stuff? That is what the wife and I will get out of it.
Click to expand...

The Xbox one is better for that. But all can do it. But are you planning on playing games or your kids? Because that would be the deciding factor IMO. The Wii U has more games for them and also a cheaper system. If you are an online gamer I wouldn't go with the Wii. But if you aren't going to play online, and your kids are the only one playing games then I would get the Wii U for sure.

My kids are 4 and 5 weeks old, so they obviously don't play games. I'm the only gamer, so the PS4/X1 was a better fit for me. I liked the media aspect for the X1. But perfered the gaming and controller on the ps4 so I sold my X1. All are great systems; Microsoft, Sony, and Nitendo have came a long ways. But all each have their perks. I hope I've been some help to you, if you have any other questions man, ask away.
 
#10
#10
I'd go with the Xbox One if you're looking for good streaming as well as gaming. Games are better on the PS4 but I think the X1 is better overall for gaming and media consumption. They recently added USB media playback so if you have videos on your computer you can play them on the console. Who knows when Sony will catch up to MS, they have promised it and several other updates but still haven't added a lot of features found on the X1 or even last gen systems. Plus, they've got a lot more media apps than the PS4 will ever get.

I say X1 for what you want out of the console. Also, I say the extra $100 for the kinect bundle is worth it. Your kids will probably have fun with that. Voice commands are pretty useful as well.
 
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#11
#11
Sith Vol said:
I'd go with the Xbox One if you're looking for good streaming as well as gaming. Games are better on the PS4 but I think the X1 is better overall for gaming and media consumption. They recently added USB media playback so if you have videos on your computer you can play them on the console. Who knows when Sony will catch up to MS, they have promised it and several other updates but still haven't added a lot of features found on the X1 or even last gen systems. Plus, they've got a lot more media apps than the PS4 will ever get.

I say X1 for what you want out of the console. Also, I say the extra $100 for the kinect bundle is worth it. Your kids will probably have fun with that. Voice commands are pretty useful as well.
Click to expand...

I agree with Sith and the others.
 
#12
#12
Sith Vol said:
I'd go with the Xbox One if you're looking for good streaming as well as gaming. Games are better on the PS4 but I think the X1 is better overall for gaming and media consumption. They recently added USB media playback so if you have videos on your computer you can play them on the console. Who knows when Sony will catch up to MS, they have promised it and several other updates but still haven't added a lot of features found on the X1 or even last gen systems. Plus, they've got a lot more media apps than the PS4 will ever get.

I say X1 for what you want out of the console. Also, I say the extra $100 for the kinect bundle is worth it. Your kids will probably have fun with that. Voice commands are pretty useful as well.
Click to expand...

I agree with this but he'll have fun with the voice commands for about a week and then it gets annoying lol. His kids will enjoy though. Not sure what games there are for kids less than 10 on ps4 or x1 though?
 
#14
#14
Stoked said:
I have owned all 3 of the next gen consoles.

Wii U: I enjoyed this this system a lot. You get the system, a game pad, and a controller with this. The gamepad is awesome. You can use it as a controller or you can actually play games on it. So you can play a game and watch tv at the same time or you can have the game system coming through the tv and use the game as a controller or just use a regular controller. I didn't have internet at the time when I had the Wii U so I don't know much about the streaming, but I know you can stream Netflix. The downfall to the Wii U and the reason why I traded it in towards my PS4, was that there aren't as many games that come out on the Wii like for the PS4 and X1.

PS4: by far my favorite next gen console and the one I actually have now. The graphics on this system are unbelievable. It loads up the game way faster than the X1. I like the controller better than the X1. This also streams apps but the X1 has more apps and is more gear towards that stuff than the PS4.

X1: the kinnect is pretty cool. They have a lot of free exercising apps that use the kinnect as well. Like P90, insanity, etc. (or they did when I had the X1) the graphics are nice on this too, but I prefer the PS4.

Wii U: more kid friendly games
PS4: best for gaming IMO
X1: better for media
Click to expand...


Thank you. Great info.
 
#15
#15
allvol123 said:
So I am in my 40s and completely avoided the exploded gaming world of the past 10-15 years.

That said, I have 3 kids under the age of 10 and can admit I should not deprive them.

What is the best system for this situation?
Click to expand...

I have all 3 new systems. Here is my opinion on all 3...

Wii-U:

Pros:

1.) The biggest advantage of the Wii-U is that most of it's games are family friendly. With 3 kids under the age of 10, this is definitely something to consider. I have a 4 year old and he LOVES Mario Kart. He also likes to watch me play Zelda Wind Waker HD and Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze.

2.) Also the Nintendo licensed games are considered among some of the best in the industry (Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, etc). You will probably have more games on the Wii-U that the whole family can enjoy together.

3.) The Wii-U is 100% backwards compatible with Wii games. So considering the Wii library, the WII-U has a much larger pool of games to draw from than the other two consoles.

4.) Online is free. You don't have to pay a network fee to play online games on Wii-U.


Cons:

1.) It's the least powerful system of the 3 current consoles. That's not to say games can't look great, as Mario Kart, Zelda Windwaker HD, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, etc all look beautiful. But from a pure horsepower perspective, the other 2 systems totally outclass it.

2.) There's not a lot of 3rd party support for the platform, which means Nintendo relies very heavily on it's own in-house development studios to make games. The problem with this is that Wii-U owners are forced to wait a VERY long time in-between major game releases.

3.) There's not much of an online component to the Wii-U. While online play can certainly be had, the Wii-U platform doesn't provide as much of an online "community" feeling as the X1 and PS4 does.

4.) It's JUST a gaming machine. There are no multi-media features to be had on Wii-U other than You Tube. No Blu Ray or DVD playback, no media streaming, no Netflix, no Amazon Prime, (CORRECTION!! The Wii U DOES have Netflix and Amazon Prime support). etc.

5.) The Wii-U isn't doing very well sales wise, so there's always that possibility that Nintendo will be looking to pull the plug on Wii-U support and release it's successor much sooner than the other 2 platforms.


Xbox One:

Pros:

1.) Great multi-media machine. MS has done a really good job of creating a total media ecosystem with the Xbox One. The TV integration is very slick and the Xbox One offers several multi-media options not yet found on the other two consoles (MP3 playback, DLNA, snap features, ESPN app, NFL app, You Tube app, etc) along with other services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Crackle, etc. It also has Blu Ray and DVD playback capability.

2.) Xbox Live is an excellent network service. Despite the yearly fee, Live is a tremendous online service that provides a great community feeling among Xbox gamers. For the most part, online play on Xbox One is terrific. Plus with "Games With Gold" (2 free games per month) that adds even more value to the service.

Cons:

1.) The biggest disadvantage to the Xbox IMO is it doesn't have nearly as many platform-defining exclusives as the other 2 systems. While Halo and Forza Racing are both great series, that's kind of all they have in terms of in-house AAA exclusives on the system. MS did recently secure exclusivity for the Gears of War franchise and they acquired the company Mojang (makers of Minecraft) so we'll see what comes of those series. However for the most part, MS relies much more heavily on 3rd party support for games than the other 2 platforms.

2.) The power of the Xbox One, while greater than the Wii-U, isn't as substantial as the PS4. It sits directly in the middle of the 3 systems in terms of performance. Again, that's not to say games don't look great on the X1 because they do. However there are several titles that the X1 cannot push to full 1080p resolution like it can on PS4. It may not be a big deal to you but it is to some and it's a disadvantage I had to list.

PS4:

Pros:

1.) It's the most powerful system of the current generation. While the performance of the PS4 and Xbox One are close, the PS4 has more capability overall and can push many games to full 1080p resolution where the other systems can't. The PS4 totally smokes the Wii-U in terms of performance.

2.) Games wise, I think the PS4 strikes the best balance between great in-house exclusives and 3rd party gaming support. For me, I think the PlayStation platform is home to some of the greatest gaming franchises of all time (God of War, Gran Turismo, Uncharted, The Last of Us, Little Big Planet, Killzone, Infamous, MLB The Show, Wipeout, Resogun, Motorstorm, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, etc) and it also has the lion's share of 3rd party support.

Cons:

1.) It's multimedia capability isn't as substantial as it is on Xbox One. Right now the PS4 does not support MP3/CD playback (though this is coming). It does not support media streaming (though this is coming). It does not have some of the apps that the Xbox One has such as ESPN, You Tube (though this is coming), and NFL. It DOES support Netflix, Amazon Prime, Crackle, etc but overall the Xbox One is home to more multi-media services.

2.) Sony's PSN Network isn't as good as Xbox Live. It's fine most of the time and it's making strides but Live is just better. Xbox get's system updates much quicker than PS4 does. Live seems more stable as PSN always seems to go down more, some times for maintenance, other times because they have server issues. This was much more forgiving last generation as PSN was free. Now Sony is charging users for it for online play and there are still issues.

Summary:

Of the 3 systems, the PS4 is my favorite. Mostly because I care more about gaming than I do the multi-media stuff, I prefer the PS4 controller over the other two, and I have just always preferred the games on PlayStation platforms since the original PlayStation. But honestly, you couldn't go wrong with either the X1 or the PS4.

I would caution you about the Wii-U though. While I like it, I'm glad it's not the only system I own because if it was I would get extremely frustrated with having to wait so long between game releases. The system is home to some fantastic games for sure, but the fact remains that the Wii-U is struggling to move units and I fear that Nintendo's long term support for it just won't be there.
 
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#16
#16
Thanks for another good write up.

I do think the gaming is mostly for the kids but do believe the wife and I want some multimedia use from this thing.

I am starting to think the Wii is the least attractive option.
 
#17
#17
allvol123 said:
Thanks for another good write up.

I do think the gaming is mostly for the kids but do believe the wife and I want some multimedia use from this thing.

I am starting to think the Wii is the least attractive option.
Click to expand...

Yeah I agree with you. I've been telling people that the Wii-U is a great "companion" console but it would be terrible if it were my ONLY console. It just doesn't do enough to satisfy all my entertainment needs and game releases are too infrequent. I would be majorly frustrated if I only had the Wii-U.
 
#18
#18
Brave Volunteer said:
I have all 3 new systems. Here is my opinion on all 3...

Wii-U:

Pros:

1.) The biggest advantage of the Wii-U is that most of it's games are family friendly. With 3 kids under the age of 10, this is definitely something to consider. I have a 4 year old and he LOVES Mario Kart. He also likes to watch me play Zelda Wind Waker HD and Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze.

2.) Also the Nintendo licensed games are considered among some of the best in the industry (Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, etc). You will probably have more games on the Wii-U that the whole family can enjoy together.

3.) The Wii-U is 100% backwards compatible with Wii games. So considering the Wii library, the WII-U has a much larger pool of games to draw from than the other two consoles.

4.) Online is free. You don't have to pay a network fee to play online games on Wii-U.


Cons:

1.) It's the least powerful system of the 3 current consoles. That's not to say games can't look great, as Mario Kart, Zelda Windwaker HD, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, etc all look beautiful. But from a pure horsepower perspective, the other 2 systems totally outclass it.

2.) There's not a lot of 3rd party support for the platform, which means Nintendo relies very heavily on it's own in-house development studios to make games. The problem with this is that Wii-U owners are forced to wait a VERY long time in-between major game releases.

3.) There's not much of an online component to the Wii-U. While online play can certainly be had, the Wii-U platform doesn't provide as much of an online "community" feeling as the X1 and PS4 does.

4.) It's JUST a gaming machine. There are no multi-media features to be had on Wii-U other than You Tube. No Blu Ray or DVD playback, no media streaming, no Netflix, no Amazon Prime, etc.

5.) The Wii-U isn't doing very well sales wise, so there's always that possibility that Nintendo will be looking to pull the plug on Wii-U support and release it's successor much sooner than the other 2 platforms.


Xbox One:

Pros:

1.) Great multi-media machine. MS has done a really good job of creating a total media ecosystem with the Xbox One. The TV integration is very slick and the Xbox One offers several multi-media options not yet found on the other two consoles (MP3 playback, DLNA, snap features, ESPN app, NFL app, You Tube app, etc) along with other services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Crackle, etc. It also has Blu Ray and DVD playback capability.

2.) Xbox Live is an excellent network service. Despite the yearly fee, Live is a tremendous online service that provides a great community feeling among Xbox gamers. For the most part, online play on Xbox One is terrific. Plus with "Games With Gold" (2 free games per month) that adds even more value to the service.

Cons:

1.) The biggest disadvantage to the Xbox IMO is it doesn't have nearly as many platform-defining exclusives as the other 2 systems. While Halo and Forza Racing are both great series, that's kind of all they have in terms of in-house AAA exclusives on the system. MS did recently secure exclusivity for the Gears of War franchise and they acquired the company Mojang (makers of Minecraft) so we'll see what comes of those series. However for the most part, MS relies much more heavily on 3rd party support for games than the other 2 platforms.

2.) The power of the Xbox One, while greater than the Wii-U, isn't as substantial as the PS4. It sits directly in the middle of the 3 systems in terms of performance. Again, that's not to say games don't look great on the X1 because they do. However there are several titles that the X1 cannot push to full 1080p resolution like it can on PS4. It may not be a big deal to you but it is to some and it's a disadvantage I had to list.

PS4:

Pros:

1.) It's the most powerful system of the current generation. While the performance of the PS4 and Xbox One are close, the PS4 has more capability overall and can push many games to full 1080p resolution where the other systems can't. The PS4 totally smokes the Wii-U in terms of performance.

2.) Games wise, I think the PS4 strikes the best balance between great in-house exclusives and 3rd party gaming support. For me, I think the PlayStation platform is home to some of the greatest gaming franchises of all time (God of War, Gran Turismo, Uncharted, The Last of Us, Little Big Planet, Killzone, Infamous, MLB The Show, Wipeout, Resogun, Motorstorm, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, etc) and it also has the lion's share of 3rd party support.

Cons:

1.) It's multimedia capability isn't as substantial as it is on Xbox One. Right now the PS4 does not support MP3/CD playback (though this is coming). It does not support media streaming (though this is coming). It does not have some of the apps that the Xbox One has such as ESPN, You Tube (though this is coming), and NFL. It DOES support Netflix, Amazon Prime, Crackle, etc but overall the Xbox One is home to more multi-media services.

2.) Sony's PSN Network isn't as good as Xbox Live. It's fine most of the time and it's making strides but Live is just better. Xbox get's system updates much quicker than PS4 does. Live seems more stable as PSN always seems to go down more, some times for maintenance, other times because they have server issues. This was much more forgiving last generation as PSN was free. Now Sony is charging users for it for online play and there are still issues.

Summary:

Of the 3 systems, the PS4 is my favorite. Mostly because I care more about gaming than I do the multi-media stuff, I prefer the PS4 controller over the other two, and I have just always preferred the games on PlayStation platforms since the original PlayStation. But honestly, you couldn't go wrong with either the X1 or the PS4.

I would caution you about the Wii-U though. While I like it, I'm glad it's not the only system I own because if it was I would get extremely frustrated with having to wait so long between game releases. The system is home to some fantastic games for sure, but the fact remains that the Wii-U is struggling to move units and I fear that Nintendo's long term support for it just won't be there.
Click to expand...

Good write up!
 
#19
#19
Excellent review, Brave.

I think if you're a big Nintendo fan who grew up on a SNES, 64, etc and all those Nintendo exclusive franchises, then the Wii U is a great choice, but if you're not that big of a fanatic of their exclusives then I say that's eliminated. You're gonna get bored playing "kiddie" games all the time. If you're even half interested in Battlefield, COD, more mature games, then you're out of luck with the Wii U.

I'll say go with the X1. I think it has all that you really need. If you're a hardcore gamer who wants the best "looking" games and like really in-depth, single player games then go with the PS4. But to me, the X1 has the most room to grow. The monthly updates have all added great features and its light years better than the system was back at launch last November.

Also, imo, nothing beats Xbox Live. It's the premium online gaming service. I've owned both and have said before that I like my PS4 better for gaming, but I've had weekly problems with PSN, whether it's the PSN store or just game lobbies, but I've never had one with the X1 or with my 360 last gen. X1 was built to be you're "all-in-one" system. The TV integration is fabulous. The app selection is big and continues to grow. The "Snap" feature is very useful if you wanna play a game yet also watch whatever's on tv.

With the PS4 and X1 I think it mainly comes down to exclusives. The PS4 has Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and soon YouTube. It has your main multimedia needs but not WatchESPN, if that matters it all. So, my two cents...Xbox One.
 
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#20
#20
Sith Vol said:
Excellent review, Brave.

I think if you're a big Nintendo fan who grew up on a SNES, 64, etc and all those Nintendo exclusive franchises, then the Wii U is a great choice, but if you're not that big of a fanatic of their exclusives then I say that's eliminated. You're gonna get bored playing "kiddie" games all the time. If you're even half interested in Battlefield, COD, more mature games, then you're out of luck with the Wii U.

I'll say go with the X1. I think it has all that you really need. If you're a hardcore gamer who wants the best "looking" games and like really in-depth, single player games then go with the PS4. But to me, the X1 has the most room to grow. The monthly updates have all added great features and its light years better than the system was back at launch last November.

Also, imo, nothing beats Xbox Live. It's the premium online gaming service. I've owned both and have said before that I like my PS4 better for gaming, but I've had weekly problems with PSN, whether it's the PSN store or just game lobbies, but I've never had one with the X1 or with my 360 last gen. X1 was built to be you're "all-in-one" system. The TV integration is fabulous. The app selection is big and continues to grow. The "Snap" feature is very useful if you wanna play a game yet also watch whatever's on tv.

With the PS4 and X1 I think it mainly comes down to exclusives. The PS4 has Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and soon YouTube. It has your main multimedia needs but not WatchESPN, if that matters it all. So, my two cents...Xbox One.
Click to expand...

This is the only part of your post I disagree with Sith. The reason being, the main advantage X1 has over PS4 for now is it's multimedia functionality and apps. This is an area the PS4 has PLENTY of room to grow. These things can always be added and improved upon and I truly believe PSN will continue to get better.

However the advantages that PS4 has over X1 cannot be so easily overcome. For one, the hardware is what it is. No amount of optimization in the world can change the fact that from a hardware perspective, the PS4 is just better and 1 year, 2 years, 5 years from now that will still be the case. Also, Playstation's in-house gaming development community is just better than X1's. And while MS can certainly continue to strengthen itself in this area, it usually takes years and years of talent acquisition and development to make this happen. It won't be overnight, that's for sure.

So again, while both systems are great and do certain things better than the other, I feel that PS4's deficiencies are the ones that will be the easiest to overcome and grow.
 
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#21
#21
Good write up Brave...I didn't know the Wii U didn't have Netflix. When I had my Wii U I didn't have internet so I just kind of assumed it did. Thanks for clearing it up for me.

To the OP...it seems like it is down to the X1 and Wii U. If you want gaming for your kids the clear choice would be getting the Wii U. If you aren't going to be playing any games look into getting a Google Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku etc... A Roku can do everything the X1 can do multimedia wise except play Blu Ray.

I'll do some math for you. The Wii U is $299 and the Roku is $99...the X1 is $499 with the kinnect. So you can get the Wii U + Roku for $100 less and meet everyone's needs. Your kids will have a gaming system for them, your wife and you will have a multimedia device with a ton of apps and you won't even have to share a tv if you don't want too. Your kids are happy, your wife is happy, which means you are happy bro lol.
 
#22
#22
If you have any apple devices (iphone, iPad, Mac, etc) I'd suggest getting an Apple TV instead of the Roku. Both are $100.
 
#23
#23
The Wii u has Netflix and Amazon prime. I would just ask the oldest kid what he wants and get that. Between the xbone and ps4 either will do what you and your wife want. The two systems are very comparable.
 
#24
#24
Give_All_Vol said:
I don't think you will go wrong with any of them. Wii U probably has more games for the younger kids though. But you would be fine if you went for one of the others also. The others probably have longer lasting appeal.
Click to expand...

Heck I'll probably get a Wii U for Smash Bros and Hyrule Warriors.
 
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