Tell me about Wiis

[BlogOnTheTyne]

DS (soon to be 12) would like one for his birthday as 'all' his friends have them except him - which is probably true. He only had an iPod and no gaming devices.

I'm stuck in the Dark Ages and know nothing about gaming/gaming devices. Need advice about what to get him.

He will probably need something that allows for 3 to 4 people to play (sibling/friends).

Where should I buy a console? What 'package' should I get (he's not really into sports at all in RL but has expressed an interest in Wii sports?)? What games are available? Is there some obscure but really interesting Wii game that anyone has discovered that they'd highly recommend?

Are there updated versions of the Wii and if so, should I go for that or just a classic Wii?

What should I expect to pay?

Any advice much appreciated.

[BlogOnTheTyne]

...Oh and also, what's the difference between a Wii and Xbox and why would you buy one rather than the other?

[PedroPonyLikesCrisps]

Ok, a lot of questions there, but I'll do my best. There are three major players in the home console market, Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony. The current generation of consoles is coming to an end, Sony's Playstation 3 has been around since 2006 and has had a number of 'versions' which are essentially the same but have different amounts of internal memory and overall case size (amongst other things). Microsoft's Xbox 360 has been around since the end of 2005 and has been through similar versions to the PS3. Finally, Nintendo's Wii has also been around since 2006, although the inly update to it was the Wii Mini released last year. Why would you buy one over the other? Well, between the Xbox and the PS3, the types of games available are very similar, both have some exclusive titles, but the main difference is that the PS3 will play Bluray discs as well as DVDs. It's really down to personal preference. Personally I prefer the Playstation, possibly because I have had all 3 Playstations and I'm therefore a bit biased!

The Wii is different though, Nintendo produce (or licence out production of) many of their own games. They have a strong back catalogue of characters and games like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc, etc. The games tend to be a little more accessible to children as certainly the majority of Nintendo's own games tend to be cartoony. The Wii is a less powerful machine than its peers, but Nintendo excel with playability. They have produced some of the world's finest games in history regardless of graphical limitation or processing power. They are also very focussed on multiplayer gaming.

So, I think the Wii would definitely suit your requirements right now, especially as that's what's been asked for. In terms of packages, they tend to come as the console and one game. The most popular of these is probably Mario Kart (excellent game) and you can pick up a new console with game for around 130 pounds.

However, it is also worth considering the new generation. Sony are expected to release the PS4 this year and Microsoft the Xbox 720. But Nintendo have already made their move and the released the Wii U already. Essentially, everything I said about the Wii still counts with the Wii U except it has a new style touch screen controller which expands the way games can be played. As it's brand new, it's obviously more expensive with bundles coming in around he 300 or 350 mark. But I would expect the PS4 and Xbox 720 to be more than that at launch.

Bear in mind that consoles only tend to come with one controller, so if you are wanting to get four player gaming going then you'll need additional controllers to facilitate this.