[Closed] Best value gaming console for 6yo?

The original Wii - dirt cheap, loads of games, and loads of fun for 6yr olds (and the rest of the family).

What the-muffin-man said

Wii's are by far the best for kids that age (and adults my age 😉 ). And can be had for peanuts nowadays

Mariocart is enough to justify it in itself. Or Rabbids go home....

[img] [/img]

Original Wii - lots of fun, kid friendly games, also backwards compatible with GameCube games, all of which can be picked up cheaply.

It's not a bad suggestion, but the original Wii was old fashioned when it was new and is largely obsolete now - it's replacement is the Wii U which hadn't proved popular and if you look back at the history of Consoles that often means a very short life-span so you might get a year out of a Wii, and not much longer out of a U.

Personally it would depend on budget, but I'd go for a PS4 or a Xbox One, yes they both cost a fortune - £350 or so - but the previous generation of PS3 and Xbox 360 first launched 8-9 years ago and games are still being released for both in the short-term, I suspect they'll have a 10 year life-span before they're completely obsolete.

You never know Jnr might be 14 before they start moaning about getting a new one 😉

My Lad is mad on Minecraft and has been for a while, it's very creative and aside from launching a few low-rez arrows at Creepers it's very kid friendly. (I don't mind it either 😉

I've got a vgc 500GB PS3 Super Slim (best version of the ps3), one controller and Gran Turismo 6 for £70 collected (Sheffield/Glos).

My kids had a wii from age 5, 8 and 11.
Last year they got a wii u.
Aside from minecraft, I don think the ps3/4 or Xbox offer much* to the younger audience.
The wii/wii u though, has loads for them.
And if you get a wii u, there are grown up games like splinter zone and need for speed, which run really well.
I'd go for a nintendo for a 6yo.
If you are interested, I could sell you our old wii and a handful of games to start you off. I'd need to check where we are with controllers tho as they were compatible with the wii u.

*happy to be proven wrong.

XBox 360 and PS3 are both good machines, but the games are geared to an older audience. The whole Wii system seems to be easier for younger kids to pick up.

And I'll be honest I used to play on my daughters Wii a damn sight more than I do her XBox 360.

If my kids are any guide, I'd get him an iPad.

Edit: said "him", could be a "her". Mine are...

if you go for the Wii i have many age suitable games - about 10 ish ??? at a guess that you can have for free. Some accessories as well- paddle i think wheel thing some other stuff. It is the best for young kids IME and i assume pretty cheap to get these days.

My son is 6 and he's pretty much grown out of the Wii that he played from around 3.5yrs old and much prefers the Xbox 360 he was given about 6 months ago (though he does still sometimes play wii games that he doesn't have on the Xbox - the older Skylandes for example).

You can get 360s for well under £100 now and games can be bought for £10 or less online or at Cash Converters, etc.

Another Wii vote here. Ours is going strong and still gets plenty of use, although there is now a PS3 alongside it. Mario and Lego games are great.

Get the Wii, both the console and games can be had cheap and the you can join in to add to the fun.

Just make sure you secure the controller with the wrist strap or you'll have a broken tv and furniture...

Another vote for the Wii, and the games work on the Wii U,something Microsoft and Sony could have paid attention to.

Wii with Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort and Mario Kart. I gave mine to my friends 5 year old and he loves it. It is now his life's ambition to beat all my high scores.

My 10 year old can now beat me on Mariocart

A sad sad day 😥

Does she not realise I honed those skills over years as a student

The wii is probably about right, just be aware(as far as I know) that it's not HD, so looks pretty terrible at 480p on a hi def screen.

I "think" an hdmi converter might upscale it a bit..

I'd opt for a tablet of some kind. Got my lad a Hudl when he was 6 and it's great for simple games. Good for car journeys, holidays etc too when you can fill it with movies.
Kids tire of games easily so having the option to download free/cheap games easily is a bonus.

The wii is probably about right, just be aware(as far as I know) that it's not HD, so looks pretty terrible at 480p on a hi def screen.

Will a 6 year old be bothered?

I'm not!

njee20 - Member
The wii is probably about right, just be aware(as far as I know) that it's not HD, so looks pretty terrible at 480p on a hi def screen.
Will a 6 year old be bothered?

I'm not!

Wii for a 6 year old on a budget would be a great choice. Wii U if you want to splash out a bit more. We upgraded to a Wii U this year and it is a massive improvement in graphics etc, but I'm not sure a 6 year old is going to care. Games are fun for both and loads available for that age group. PS4 would be massive overkill IMO for that age group. All current consoles will be technically obsolete in a few years, so I wouldn't worry about that too much.

isto - Member

Wii with Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort and Mario Kart. I gave mine to my friends 5 year old and he loves it. It is now his life's ambition to beat all my high scores.

The wii is probably about right, just be aware(as far as I know) that it's not HD, so looks pretty terrible at 480p on a hi def screen.

I "think" an hdmi converter might upscale it a bit..

It actually looks okay if you use the component output option. Not that a 6 year old will be bothered. The thing with the Wii is that it always focused on gameplay and fun rather than graphics performance. Wii Sports was just epic for small kids to play and the low res graphics don't affect the gameplay at all.

I'd opt for a tablet of some kind.

We made that mistake with our first daughter. Had to "lose" it in the end as she was getting addicted (aged about 3 at the time). No way is she having another electronic nanny. At least with the TV based consoles you can limit their exposure more appropriately.

We upgraded to a WiiU last Christmas. I got a really good deal from Amazon's Black Friday sale, I think it was under £200 with three games included. My 9 year old son loves it, his favourites seem to be Mario Kart 8, Lego City Undercvoer and Disney Infinity 2.0. Super Mario World is pretty good to. For kids it is a really good console, the Nintendo games are really good to play. The console is a huge step forward from the Wii, for whatever reason Nintendo just didn't market it properly when it was first launched.

I'd suggest a Wii.

We have one gathering dust as our 6 & 9 year olds aren't really interested I games at all. I was well into the original Playstation and PS2 as a mid but can't be arsed now so they certainly don't get any encouragement from me and Mum.

Having said that if they expressed an interest in gaming I'd look at something. The whole idea of young kids playing CoD and all that really bothers me too and the more retro fun aspect of the Wii appeals.

From my crude perspective a Wii (or variant) is ideal for youngish kids to play fund games on whilst the playstation and Xboxes work for older kids, those who want what their mates have and of course parents who want to crack open their own games after the kids are in bed.

The console is a huge step forward from the Wii, for whatever reason Nintendo just didn't market it properly when it was first launched.

Isn't it just! Having read some of the negative hype after launch we upgraded anyway and it was a pleasant surprise. Nintendo seem to have got their act together now though and many of the games get excellent reviews. It really is a great console and the new controller is excellent too with the secondary display.

[shameless opportunist]
I have a Wii console, fit board, 2 controllers, Guitar Hero (plus guitar), Mario Kart, Zelda Twighlight Princess, Zelda Skyward Sword, Wii Sports and Wii Play; £50 collected (Warwickshire).
[/shameless opportunist]

Thks all - plenty to think about (although the Wii sounds fairly unanimous).

Nintendo need to learn about launches.
Rule #1: Launch with a ground-breaking Mario game and a game that introduces the new console features (i.e. Wii Sports - 2D Mario and Nintendoland weren't strong enough).
Rule #2: Follow up with Mario Kart 6 months later
Rule #3: Christmas after launch, release a new Zelda game.

If only they could make the games fast enough!

Mine are at this very moment playing one their 360 on Disney infinity... They are 6 and 8 and love it, can be costly for extra controllers etc but the games are good.

Wii.

Got to laugh when they're stripped down to their pants, working away on the the boxing or running (Mario Olympics 2012 gets a lot of use in our house). Gives a chance for a bit of exercise when it's dark and wet outside.

Mario Kart - use the cheat sheets. "How do you find the short cuts dad?"

I "think" an hdmi converter might upscale it a bit..

I spoke about this on the recent TV thread, but you can't "upscale" detail tha isn't there. It's not Bladerunner.

Wii U would get my vote, more 'family' games than the "big two" and is much more modern than the Wii which, which innovative in a lot of ways, was still fundamentally crap at launch.

Wii for a 6 year old

...but if anyone has a xbox 360 slim in top condition, i need one for my son 😀

wii emulator (dolphin) + controler + IR emitter. IF you have a pc to use as media pc already this could be < £20

http://www.dolphin-emulator.com/

Wii.

Got to laugh when they're stripped down to their pants, working away on the the boxing or running (Mario Olympics 2012 gets a lot of use in our house). Gives a chance for a bit of exercise when it's dark and wet outside.

Mario Kart - use the cheat sheets. "How do you find the short cuts dad?"

My daughter laughed at me when I flailed around for hours beating all the various 'characters' at table tennis in Wii Sports Resort. Great fun. The cycle race is a laugh as well - if you sprint too much you 'bonk' and lose horribly.

Cougar - Moderator
Wii U would get my vote, more 'family' games than the "big two" and is much more modern than the Wii which, which innovative in a lot of ways, was still fundamentally crap at launch.

How so?

The Game Cube compatibility and the control system means it's been used far, far more than I expected it would.
The Motion Plus should have been there from the start, granted, but it wasn't too shabby without.

I still think Nintendo have the gameplay thing nailed.
Yep, paid up Miyamoto fanboi - he raised the bar so high.
They seem pretty determined to carry on in the same manner with much of the new stuff.

The limitations of the hardware haven't really bothered me - the arrival of the Wii coincided with me having a lot less time to spend gaming on my own and enabled me to enjoy some quality screen time with the family.
We had three generations playing Wii Sports/Island with the family over the past few years.

And Resi with the Wii controllers is just a much better, more immersive experience.

No Wii U yet, but I usually buy secondhand a couple of years after launch anyway.

Xbox 360 is the request from our young lad, mainly due to minecraft. There seem to be various versions, 4gb, 250gb etc, can anyone enlighten me as to the differences between them? Cheers

Xbox 360 is the request from our young lad, mainly due to minecraft. There seem to be various versions, 4gb, 250gb etc, can anyone enlighten me as to the differences between them? Cheers

Only difference is storage space. In addition to saved games, you can install games on the hard drive, which can make load times faster/slightly improve performance, plus if you're planning on buying any games digitally off the store, they'll be installed on the machine. If you're connecting to Xbox Live (the online service) though, you can save stuff to the cloud.

You need a 250gb really, the 4gb is not enough for a lot of game updates.

Get more storage if you can - you can save the games to hard drive which makes the box a lot quieter.

Or you can do what I've done (20GB hard drive) and plug in two 32Gb USB sticks which gives enough space more several games (games are 4-8GB ish)

How so?

The Game Cube compatibility and the control system means it's been used far, far more than I expected it would.
The Motion Plus should have been there from the start, granted, but it wasn't too shabby without.

I already have a GameCube (great console for its time), if I want to play GC games I don't need a Wii.

At launch the Wii had the WiiMotion controller, which was a revolution in and of itself (but still crap until they fixed it with the Plus, what it should've been in the first place) and accoutrements like the Balance Board secured another niche. Technically it's weak compared to its peers, it's not in the same league as the 360 and PS3.

There are exceptions, but the platform is awash with "party games" and "family games" and at that it excels. We've got one at work and it's killed many a 'fifteen minutes left of our lunch hour' with a couple of rounds of bowling. It's a brilliant laugh with four controllers and a few mates, plying Mario Kart or some such. But the novelty of endless Ravin' Rabbids / Mario Party 37 titles quickly wears off. We've got one at home on long-term loan after my OH wanted one for ages, we played it for about a week and it's not been switched on since.

As a second console it's ace, and as a first console for kids it's an ideal choice (until the Wii U came along and did more of the same, better). But there won't be many people looking at Nintendo / Sony / Microsoft and going "yup, that's the one for me."

4gb, 250gb etc, can anyone enlighten me as to the differences between them?

As others have said, avoid the 4Gb console. You'll only need to add storage later, and it'll cost a fair bit more to do it afterwards.

Cougar - Moderator
Technically it's weak compared to its peers, it's not in the same league as the 360 and PS3.

I agree.
But technical performance, to me, is a straw man, only useful if it makes things more fun and enhances the gameplay.

IMO, most developers concentrate on the shallow technical aspects at the expense of immersive, satisfying, gameplay.
Because it's easier and cheaper to do so.

Just as it's easy to spec a bike with all the bells and whistles without giving a thought to how it rides or makes you feel.

There are exceptions, but the platform is awash with "party games" and "family games" and at that it excels. We've got one at work and it's killed many a 'fifteen minutes left of our lunch hour' with a couple of rounds of bowling. It's a brilliant laugh with four controllers and a few mates, plying Mario Kart or some such. But the novelty of endless Ravin' Rabbids / Mario Party 37 titles quickly wears off. We've got one at home on long-term loan after my OH wanted one for ages, we played it for about a week and it's not been switched on since.

That's a shame.

Looking at my Wii games I can see many that have provided depth and satisfaction beyond the majority of titles I've bought for other, technically superior consoles.
Mario Galaxy, the Zelda games, Metroid, etc.

And if you're only playing Sports Resort for short blasts, you really are missing out.
The island flyover has taken up more of my time than almost anything since TT Superbikes on the PS2.
🙂

I do love other manufacturers - I think my (recently broken, must get another) Dreamcast was perfect for the kind of short blasts you describe - still nothing better.
But no real epics - Shenmue, in retrospect, isn't the breakthrough it first appeared to be.
Phantasy Star Online (I've only the UK version) was a waste, but Chu Chu Rocket was amazing.
Imagine if it had been an online, multiplayer Bomberman?

Ico & TT Superbikes on the PS2 proved Sony had a soul, but were rare exceptions in a sea of bland sequels and shoot 'em up conformity.

I've recently been given a PS3 by my son in law.
Bought quite a few games, but they all feel like graphically enhanced versions of the original PS1 titles.
There's little soul to them, apart from GT6, which is just amazing.

I missed the last copy of EDGE, which listed the best titles of the previous (PS3) generation.
I'd love to have a list of them if anyone has a copy.
I've not really bought game magazines since SuperPlay, meant to pick up this one but it slipped my mind.

Very interesting thread btw.

But technical performance is a straw man, only useful if it makes things more fun, enhances the gameplay.

Absolutely. My first platform was a ZX Spectrum, let us not forget.

But I stand by what I said. It's not true of all titles of course; I've got Mario Galaxy and it's ace, but they're the exception rather than the rule IMHO. Standout titles for the 360 for me have been Red Dead Redemption and Tomb Raider, there's nothing (I'm aware of) on the Wii which comes close, but plenty of other 360 / PS3 titles of a similar calibre. I'd heartily recommend both for your PS3. Heavy Rain and The Last of Us would be on my list if I had a PS3 too. Epic storytelling games with outstanding characters, I've not seen anything on the Wii come close. If there are platform-exclusive Wii titles in that vein I'd love to know.

Granted this is my view as (arguably) an adult, and we've thread-drifted from the OP's six year old. (-:

A recent trip to GAME, a £50.00 gift voucher and a helpful employee means I have s/h copies of Red Dead, Drake's Deception, Hitman, Arkham Asylum, F1 2013 & Dirt 3.
Only played the racers so far, but have high hopes of the others.

🙂

My PS3 came with various versions of CoD, Battlefield & FIFA.
They're ok, but don't really do it for me.
Prefer GoldenEye & Sensible Soccer so far.
😀

Very pleasantly surprised by Guitar Hero, great party game & SKATE 3 might just turn out to be a bit of an epic.

Was also looking at getting a kids console. Whats the differennce between the 8gb and 32gb Wii U?? Does the 8gb rapidly run out of disk space?

Whats the differennce between the 8gb and 32gb Wii U??

24Gb. HTH.

Was also looking at getting a kids console. Whats the differennce between the 8gb and 32gb Wii U?? Does the 8gb rapidly run out of disk space?

Yeah the 8Gb version does run out of disk space very quickly. But you can plug in an external usb disk drive, so not a show-stopper. Also depends if you prefer to buy game disks or download them directly from Nintendo. If the latter then I would go with the bigger storage. Either way you can upgrade either with an external drive, which are not expensive these days.

FWIW I went with the 8Gb version and haven't bothered to add an external drive yet - I prefer to have the games on disk anyway.

Cougar - Moderator
Whats the differennce between the 8gb and 32gb Wii U??
24Gb. HTH.

No Wii U yet

If you liked the Wii, you will definitely appreciate the Wii U. It retains all the strong gameplay aspects of the original and of course adds the lush HD graphics some titles deserve. The new controller with additional screen is also a lot more useful than I ever imagined it would be. It's a really strong console for family gaming and now gathering momentum following its poor launch.

Our 5 year old loves Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze (me too actually despite never being a big platform gamer) and is looking forward to the Lego Movie game for Christmas - having loved the film.

if you want my honest advice don't do it. the worst thing i ever did was buy one for my boy, i hate it, he spends his time playing on that idiot box and not getting off his ass and into the real world.

just had this arrive in my inbox

http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/product_detail/15262/

Just enter the PROMO code wiki99 in the shopping basket
you will see the price reduce to JUST £65.95 plus delivery.
Hurry they won't last long at this price.

Sorely tempted if I hadnt bought the hudl2 last week 😉

Technically it's weak compared to its peers, it's not in the same league as the 360 and PS3.

Sure, but the original Wii was never about tech prowess - it's almost like they deliberately made it retro to prove a point that good gameplay is not about flashy processors and tech specs. But it was certainly ground breaking in terms of bringing fun, accessible gaming back into the family living room rather than the confines of spotty teenagers bedrooms.

Wii U just makes it a more flexible platform for all round gaming and it has probably suffered as a result of being pitched more directly against Sony and MS. But it's still a great console in its own right.

he spends his time playing on that idiot box and not getting off his ass and into the real world.

Who's fault is that? You know where the off button is!

if you want my honest advice don't do it. the worst thing i ever did was buy one for my boy, i hate it, he spends his time playing on that idiot box and not getting off his ass and into the real world.

Who's fault is that? I actually agree with you, but nothing wrong with computer gaming with strictly limited access. I also encourage the more educational games - puzzle solving etc involved. Probably better than staring at the TV.

But yeah, no substitute for getting outside when it's not pissing down and pitch black.

On days like this, when the weather is truly grim, that the wii comes in to it's own. We've got loads of games, but we always end up back at Wii Sports. We've all had a round of golf, and the girls (7 and 10) are presently very noisily and enthusiastically ten pin bowling.

Another thing I'd forgotten about the wii was the constantly tweaking of your mii character to allow for new haircuts etc (them, not me, obviously 🙂

The Wii is also very easy to 'modify'... 😉

Currently having a Mario Bros session with the 4yo. Very satisfying before I head up to the garage to fettle some reba's

The Wii is also very easy to 'modify'...

Is it? Have they given up trying to defeat all the various exploits now (says man with wii unupdated since 2010 and Hard Drive full of games)...

WiiU for 3d Mario, Super Mario WiiU, Mario Kart, Lego City, Smash Bros WiiU (out next week)

Next year you've got Yoshi, Kirby and hopefully Zelda U.

Backwards compatible with wii, so a vast library of classic games. Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2, Original Rabbids game (any Rabbids game) Wii Sport,

For Dad you've got Zelda Windwaker HD, Bayonetta 1&2 (the only place to get 2) Hyrule Warriors. Tap into the Virtual Console and enjoy the old Snes games.

And the Amiibo figures are about to drain your spending money. If they release a pokemon game (a proper rpg one) that includes them, we are all screwed. "Gotta buy them all"

martinhutch - Member

The Wii is also very easy to 'modify'...

Is it? Have they given up trying to defeat all the various exploits now (says man with wii unupdated since 2010 and Hard Drive full of games)...

I think they gave up. Homebrew installers were stuck at a certain firmware version for ages but now I think it can be done on any version.
It is handy being able to back the games onto HDD, saves looking for the discs all of the time... 😀