Attention PriceScope Gamers. Need help!

[DIAMOND*QUEST]

My teenage son has a last minute Christmas gift request. He wants a new game system and guitar hero. Please advise me on the best system and why. I''m not a gamer, so I am clueless. Thanks in advance!

 

[girlie-girl]

The Nintendo Wii is what most of the kids want these days. It's the newest gaming system on the market, so that's pretty much why they want it. They have all ranges of games, from younger children to adult. There are also a bunch of family type games that you could play together as well as some that are geared toward providing a bit of exercise whilst you play. They're not cheap, but they're all the rage.

 

[fieryred33143]

I say get a PS2.

They''re cheaper and it plays guitar hero perfectly fine.

If you''re ok with spending more, I''ve played guitar hero on the Wii and on PS3. Both did the job well.

I love guitar hero btw LOL

 

[bebe]

Isn''t a Wii very difficult to find these days?

 

[DIAMOND*QUEST]

He already has the PS2 so I was thinking xbox 360 or PS3. Seem to be more reasonably priced as a bundle with Guitar Hero. Anybody know how xbox compares to PS3? The Wii system is a little too pricey since this gift wasn''t in the Christmas budget. Walmart will ship a Wii or other system to your nearest store for free. I''m headed to Best Buy today as I just can''t stand to do business with Walmart. Thanks for the replies thus far and hope to hear more.

 

[fieryred33143]

I personally don''t like xbox, but then again I''m a playstation person. I love PS3. The graphics are

. Plus since he already has a PS2, he can still play all of his old games as opposed to having to buy a whole new set of games for the xbox.

 

[robbie3982]

This is Robbie''s DH.

Guitar Hero can be found for any of the systems, so really it comes down to two things: how much you are willing to spend and what kind of games you want. I''ve included some of the exclusive games for each system so if your son has mentioned any of those games as ones he is interested in you will be able to find the matching console.

Nintendo Wii - The Wii is $200 but is in high demand and probably difficult to find at this stage. Most of the games you are going to find here are going to be geared for a younger audience. It doesn''t have high definition like the PS3 or the Xbox 360, but as I mentioned before it is extremely popular. Some of the exclusive games here include Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros Brawl.

Microsoft Xbox 360 - The Xbox 360 has models ranging from $200-$400, with the differences between the models being mainly hard drive capacity. The ''Arcade'' model is the cheapest at $200 but doesn''t come with a hard drive so you can''t download movies or games without buying and additional hard drive. The Xbox 360 has a large catalog of games that are popular with teens. Most of them are shooters like Call of Duty and Gears of War. Most of these popular games are rated Mature so if your teen is closer to 12 than 20 you might want to take this into account. There is also an online fee associated with the Xbox 360 that is required for your son to play games online. I think it is $50 a year or something. The also recently partnered with Netflix so you can download movies to the Xbox360 and watch them. The Xbox 360 also has a high rate of failure. Microsoft has taken steps to improve the warranty and provide methods for you to send back the defective console and get a new one, but there have been a really large number of people who have gone through more than 1 system. Some of the exclusive games for this system include Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Halo 3.

Playstation 3 - The PS3 is the most expensive at $400 but it has some advantages. Not only does it play high definition games, but it is also one of, if not the best, Bluray disc players. So if you have a high definition TV, the PS3 is perfect for playing high definition movies and games. It also has online gameplay for free. Playstation has always appealed to a wide audience, so I would say that the PS3 has the widest range of titles. It has something for everyone. You can also download games and movies from the Playstation Network and watch them on your PS3. Some of the exclusive games for this system include Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2, Motorstorm 2.

So if summary:
Wii is the cheapest option but is geared mainly for an audience younger than your son and is probably the hardest to find right now.

Xbox 360 is really popular with teens, but has a high failure rate and online fees for the Xbox Live Gold membership.

Playstation 3 is the most expensive, but appeals to a wide audience with it''s games and has plenty of other features the other two don''t (like the built-in Bluray player for high def movies).

I own a PS3 and would highly recommend it, but I tried to keep this recommendation unbiased. If you are planning to get or already own a high def TV and want to make the jump to Bluray, then the PS3 is the only choice. I think the PS3 has the longest lifespan of the 3 consoles but again it is the most expensive.

Bottom line, get an Xbox 360 if your son has mentioned any of the exclusive games like Gears of War or Halo. But remember you will be paying $50 a year for him to play online and if you go with the $200 Arcade model he will probably want a hard drive which is going to run you about $100. If he hasn''t mentioned any games to you and $400 is not too much, I would go with the PS3.

Hope that helps.

 

[asudesigner]

I would ask him what all of his friends have, Everyone I know has an xbox 360 so we all play together online. If you get a 360 arcade you can upgrade the hard drive for 20 dollars at this link.

www.xboxstorageupgrade.com

The graphics on PS3 are better and blu-ray is nice. But if you don't have a hi def tv, it doesn't matter.

And, you can't play PS2 games on the PS3!

 

[fieryred33143]

Yay for Robbie''s DH

 

[DIAMOND*QUEST]

Thanks Robbie''s DH! I didn''t realize the PS3 was the most expensive till I looked around online after posting the question. Thanks for your information and analysis, I really appreciate it. I think the PS3 is going to be the better value in the long run. We''ve had our PS2 since it first entered the scene and we''ve never had any problems with it. We''ve taken it on many vacations from beach houses to hotels and it has proven to be quite durable. lol

On a side note: I''m mainly a lurker here, but Robbie seems to be such a sweet person. She is always helpful to others and is such a positive influence on Price Scope! Cheers to you both!

 

[geckodani]

I was going to suggest the PS3 as well, just based on the BluRay.

Robbie''s DH summed it up beautifully!

PS3 will also play all of the PS2 games, which the XBOX 360 will not (a lot of the original XBOX games are not playable on the 360

).

 

[~*Alexis*~]

Go Robbie''s DH!!!!

My vote is either for the PS3 or the Wii.....you can find the Wii if you look closely and call EVERY DAY to game stop and ask when their truck comes in..then you can be there when they open and you can get one.

 

[Tuckins1]

I vote for Wii, but that''s just because I have it and I love it so!!!

 

[robbie3982]

Awe, thanks for the compliment, Diamond*Quest

. Video games are DH''s thing so when I saw the thread I knew he''d be able to give an excellent analysis.

 

[mia1181]

Robbie your DH chiming in was absolutely adorable and put a

on my face. Awwww!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Hmm..I am voting for Wii because it rocks and XBOX 360 for graphics if that matters more. If you think he''s more into tons of game options and higher quality graphics on some games (e.g. Force Unleashed supposedly looks better on the XBOX) then go for the XBOX..but if he''s more into the games out for the Wii and being patient for tons of new ones while having abilities you don''t have on the 360 (don''t believe Force Unleashed for the 360 has duel mode like the Wii does), then I vote Wii. Not a PS3 fan. Can''t go wrong with either of these two! XBOX also has Halo..*swoon*

 

[DIAMOND*QUEST]

Thanks again to all the responses. I purchased the PS3 with Guitar Hero bundle. Will be delivered to my front door by next week. Yippee, my Christmas shopping is FINISHED!

 

[anangel]

Just a note, I hope I''m not too late, but since you were/are or have purchase a PS3, just thought I''d let you know I saw GameStop was giving away $50 gift cards with the purchase of the 160 gig model.
BTW, I have a PS3 and LOVE it! It makes a great Blu Ray player too- just buy the media remote and HDMI cable so you can watch your movies in 1080p

 

[bensbride]

My FI has an xbox360 and I''ve only ever played Guitar Hero on 360. I''m certainly not really into gaming, but I found it fun and easy to play. I now use the 360 almost exclusively for watching Netflix instant movies.