Interactive console recommendation for 8 and 11 year old

[steph746]

I'm thinking about getting my kids their first gaming console. I'd like it to be interactive, but still have room to grow. By interactive, I am leaning towards the Wii U, but how would the xbox and playstation compare? xbox has the Kinnect and Playstation the Move? If I did decide to go with the Wii U, what sort of remotes would I need to purchase? It seems like there are so many options out there and I'm a bit overwhelmed. The Wii looks nice, but it seems a bit dated? Would I have to purchase a bunch of remotes? Are there any bundles out there that would include two controllers?

Thank you in advance for any assistance!

 

[Lil Frier]

By "interactive," I assume you mean motion controls. If so, you're kind of out of luck on all fronts. The Move never got much attention, and the Kinect died a pretty swift death. Nintendo stopped doing much with motion on the Wii U as it launched its biggest titles (Kart, Smash, Splatoon). There isn't a whole lot in the way of motion-based games anymore, except Just Dance. That's on basically any console. You might get them to enjoy something like Kinect Sports Rivals on XB1, but it had some pretty shoddy tracking in a couple of the minigames (soccer was the worst). Theere are the sporting games on Wii and Wii U as well, of course.

Also, if you're talking Wii, just get the Wii U, as it is backwards compatible. I've not seen a multi-controller bundle, and the Wii U comes with no MotionPlus controllers, just the tablet (which has motion built in, but isn't going to be useful in some of that stuff). So, you'd be talking 1 Kinect (can track multiple people) or a couple of the MotionPlus controllers. The Move, I wouldn't even consider it in the discussion for games with motion controls. Sony just never seemed to be trying that much (then again, neither did Microsoft, with the XB1).

I wish Kinect Disneyland Adventures had gotten a sequel on XB1. I thought that was a really cool game and concept, hurt by the terrible tracking of the first Kinect. The second version still has issues, but could have worked well with those games, IMO.

 

[steph746]

Thank you for your detailed reply. I was referring to motion consoles. I like the Wii actually. That system would work for a little while, but I'm not sure for how long It seems dated already. I thought the Wii U looked like a viable option because it could also play Wii games which would work for us now. But you are saying that there aren't really any new motion sensor games out for the Wii U. Besides the Wii controllers and the gamepad on the Wii U, are there any new motion game controllers or games out for the Wii U? If not, are there decent games that use "normal" controllers that would be popular with kjids/young adults?

 

[Sonikku]

The Wii U isn't worth it at this juncture for its asking price of $300. Xbone and PS4 can be had for less and they actually have huge libraries. We have a new Nintendo system like four months away if interested. Motion controls are basically dead at this point across the board unless you're talking VR.

 

[WhiteNoise]

My kids have a Wii U and though they enjoy it it is a pretty big expense to buy the system, and different controllers, plus wee U games never seem to go on sale so that Zelda game that released a couple of years ago at $59.99 is still selling for $59.99.

All in all the Wii U is a great console for kids and there are a good amount of games targeted at kids. I have not been too impressed with any of the consoles and their motion games but xbox gets my vote.

 

[nurturedhate]

The wii u is a great console for kids around that age, mine are 9 and 3 atm and they love it. The added bonus of them being able to play in on the tablet is nice if you only have one tv or one kid wants to do something else. However, the wii u is at the end of it's life and will be replaced by Nintendo's new console in March 2017, called Switch. I recently just picked up a ps4 pro and to be honest there isn't a large selection of games for younger children. I'd honestly see about getting a wii u at under $150 which is near impossible or waiting for Nintendo's new console to drop.