Game System for 10 and 15 Yr Old Boys

Updated on December 13, 2010
B.R. asks from Milwaukee, WI
14 answers

The boys have a ps2, but it's definitely had it's use and time to replace it. I say we should get them a wii. Husband says xbox 360, but then we talked to a sales rep at the mall, and now he wants to get them a ps3.
Pros of wii are the movement--the 15 yr old is diabetic and the 10 year old on the heavier side, plus games are more family friendly. Pros of the ps3 are the games from the ps2 would work on it and it has online gaming and blue ray.

What do you think?

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So What Happened?

Well, I think we are leaning toward the ps3. Your advice has been very, very helpful--thank you so much!

Featured Answers

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M.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

My nephews play with their xbox 360 24/7 - and that is the only problem with it - they don't hardly play sports anymore

2 moms found this helpful

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K.M.

answers from Chicago on

Ok, I own a PS3 and use it quite often, we just got the Move for the PS3 and it makes it just like the Wii, but we also just bought a Wii for our son, mostly so we can have our PS3 more often! I like the PS3 however most of the games are more adult, daddy may want it for him more than for the kids but it also depends on what types of games are allowed in the house. I personally am pretty open but only after daddy and I play first! The online access on all systems can be limited/monitored but really any kid with half a brain cell could probably hack into it if they really wanted. I would say to get both if you can and buy used. PS3 and Wii (not an Xbox person myself) are awesome systems and you just might find yourself picking it up too! I like the aspect of the PS3 allowing you to store music and pictures on it as well there is a program that allows you to aide in research for medical diseases (my hunny set that up) so bonus for me we are doing good as well. Plus you can download tons of games for free to try before you buy and you can buy a lot of games with out going to a store! If you look at the types of games you would like to purchase and look at the availability on the systems you will have a better answer.
IGN.com is a good place for reviews on games and the people at gamestop have ALWAYS been helpful to me, they are my "other husbands" lol.

One more thing, online Xbox you have to pay to play ... PS3 is free with some features you can purchase for like 60/year ... Wii has limited online play. You may want to see what other family members that the kids might "link up" with to play online have. I love bonding with my nephew over the PS3!

1 mom found this helpful
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S.G.

answers from Jacksonville on

We have a Wii and a PS3 and I would say the Wii is more of a family game system. There are plenty of games that get you up and moving (Just Dance, Active) and some where you have up to 4 people play board games like Sorry (Family Game night). There are some action type games for the Wii but they don't have the graphic quality like the PS3 will have. You can get online with games like Mario Cart and play other people around the world.

If your boys are into the sports/shooting/racing games, the then PS3 is the way to go. There is a new thing out for the PS3 that looks similar to the Wii as it gets you moving but I don't know anything more about it. It is also a Blue Ray player and gets online. There are several different memory sizes on these and some of them will play PS2 games and some won't so double check before you buy. We bought ours when they first came out and got the highest memory (I think an 80g) so it plays the PS2 but our friend got the 40g and his won't.

My kids are 4 and 10 and love the Wii!

Good luck!
S.

1 mom found this helpful

L.O.

answers from Minneapolis on

We went through the same issue last year. We did get the Wii and if it wasn't for my 4 year old who LOVES the Wii, I would probably sell it. Wii is the only gaming unit I have played and do enjoy it but really don't have time to play unless I am spending time with my little guy.
Now this year we are upgrading my 12 year olds PS2. He definitely wants XBox and that is just because he has friends with different systems and likes the XBox the most.
Oh...and as far as movement with the Wii...my kids play many or most of the games just sitting. Lol!

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K.V.

answers from Madison on

My son loves his xbox 360. I however, hate it. My son is addicted to his games. He has become more verbally aggressive, bossy, and his grades have fallen. If we punish him by taking away the xbox, he refuses to take part in family life in any way. I regret the day that game came into our home. Normally, our son is a sweet, respectful and well adjusted (but shy)young man. But when he is playing his games, he changes. Be very careful with your gaming choice. I wish we had stayed with the wii.

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L.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

I have 3 nephews aged 11 to 16. They were bored with their Wii and traded it in for an Xbox 360.

We have a Wii and I think it is more appropriate for younger kids, or casual gamers. Most I know got a Wii because of the novelty, but then went with other systems when they realized that the graphics on the Wii aren't the best and the games are pretty simple.

The Xbox and the PS3 can be upgraded to work like the Wii with the motion sensing. I'd personally go with the ps3.

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C.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

I think it depends on the games you want to play. My 11-year-old loves the Wii and my 14-year-old loves PS3. The PS3 is supposedly the best for sports games, which is what my 14 year old plays. Most of his friends play Call of Duty (COD) on XBox, but my boys aren't allowed to play COD or other military or M-rated games. My son has no interest in an XBox because he says they are always "breaking down." Wii is great for the Mario games and games generally for the younger set.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

The only thing that xBox360 can't do is BluRay... and that's coming out soon.

Kinnect does the full body interactive games, xBoxLive has all the online schtuff plus downloadable games ranging from the original super mario brothers to Assassin's Creed. Family game night has everything from connect4 to Risk to chess. There are hundreds, if not thousands of downloadable games. And the family settings are fantastic. For my 8yo I can completely control which games he can view, demo, download, play, set time limits, lock him out, allow total or limited access, block other's voices or allow them, block or allow chat to varying degrees (like allow chat from friends only, and I have to approve his friend's list, so it stays limited to people he knows in real life)... all without messing with mine or my husband's profiles and access. So I can set his to any E games, and manually override to allow him access to individual M games (like Halo). Passwords also keep everyone's profiles from being gotten into *except* parents have overrides on the kids' accounts. And those are just tip of the iceberg. The customizability is excellent. Then there are the other "extras" that come along... like streaming netflix, playing DVD's, hooking your laptop up to it and streaming direct, music, etc. As I said... the only thing it can't do is BluRay... but they should be out come spring or summer at the latest according to hawk sites. Some thought by xmas, but not with Kinnect so new. And Kinnect is AMAZING. I'll take it over Wii any day of the week, and I really liked Wii. My sis, though, has spent over a grand on all the "things" that go with the wii (different controllers, different mats, etc.)... Kinnect is just a singe piece of equipment that ranges from 99-200.

So for ME I'd be on the fence between xBox & PS3. PS3 for using all your old games and BluRay... xBox for all the reasons above + Kinnect.

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A.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

We have a Wii and my 14 yo son has been campaining for a PS3. I agree that the Wii is great for younger kids. My 3 and 5 yo sons love the Wii but the 14 yo hardly plays anymore. If we get a new system it will be the PS3 because of the fact of having to pay to play online with the Xbox. I have also heard there are many issues with the xbox system breaking down.

All of the systems have pros and cons it's just figuring out what works best for your family. Good luck!

M.L.

answers from Houston on

We much prefer the xbox 360. still plenty of family friendly games, and they have the kinect which is really fun and still will be good for your heavier child to get active. Kinect is like the wii... but better b/c you don't have to use controls and it's not outdated like the wii is. Xbox 360 also has great online gaming, netflix streaming, you can upload your music/photos...

Xbox360 doesn't have blue ray, but you can still use it as a dvd player and good quality as well.

My husband is a major gamer and has played both the xbox360 and ps3 and wii, we much prefer the xbox360, better graphics, less glitchy, more game options than the ps3 and the kinect (the xbox360 add on) is way better than the wii.

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V.E.

answers from Minneapolis on

Might want to check the facts about playing ps2 games on the ps3. When we were looking to upgrade to the 3 from the 2 we every review we read and info from the company said that the ps3 CAN NOT play ps2 games.

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R..

answers from Chattanooga on

Personally, I like the Wii... BUT if you get down to XB360 or PS3, definitely go PS3. I worked at a video game store, and the xbx has had soo many issues! First there were the defective units, then the units that trashed the games... Some units still will put the 'ring of death' on the game that renders it useless at the slightest bump. I remember when the two systems came out, all the hard-core gamers would come in and 'compare' the two... PS3 definitely won over the masses there. PS3 has cooler games (IMO), the blu-ray, online capabilities, AND you could get the 'move' games to encourage the active gameplay. :)

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K.S.

answers from Rochester on

We have a Wii and 2 Xbox 360s...we use the 360 SO much more than the Wii! The only reason we still have the Wii is because Grandpa and Grandma like to play it when they come over! As far as movement goes, like others have posted, there is the Kinect for Xbox. I just bought an Xbox with the Kinect for $400, and it comes with a game. Kinect is nice because you don't need controllers, whereas with the Wii, the unit usually comes with just one controller and additional controllers aren't cheap! (But neither are Xbox ones.) Don't know much about PS3, but like others have posted, you might wanna check to make sure your PS2 games are compatible. Just my two cents....

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C.F.

answers from Sheboygan on

I have a 12year old boy and a 15 year old boy they both love the xbox 360, they have played all of the game systems and have owned most of them as well. This one is by far their favorite with xbox live and the games that they like.

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