- Trustworthy trader on Ebay
- i would give 50-80 Euros atm for wii with a bunch of games and 2 controllers. For the accessory something like 10-15 Euros.
Imho, Wii is not worthy of its money. Would prefer much better a second hand xbox 360 or PS3 with games appropriate for kids. The price is the same and the quality much better.
Edit: For ages 4-9 i would also go for Wii. For older, PS2 or 3
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The Wii has access to some damn good exclusives, and has a greater focus on local gaming. It is actually the best choice.
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I agree with you. My brother has at his home and we play whenever i pay him a visit. It's just that i would prefer other consoles over it.
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Fair enough in preferring other consoles, I like my PS3 more. But considering the intended use for it, the Wii will have a greater collection of suitable titles. I can honestly name more quality child focused games for Wii than I can the PS3 or 360, ignoring shovelware.
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i was thinking more of local traders pages, but i'll check ebay. i'm not interested in consoles other than the wii. thanks for the advice. :)
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I think that value for money, the Wii is good. Kids don't really mind the lower res graphics and there are some enjoyable games.
That said, I think that the 360 + Kinect is a better choice. There are some enjoyable Kinect games / experiences (although I think that Microsoft screwed big time in not forcing devs to support controllers for menus in Kinect games), and quite a few controller based kid appropriate games. The Xbox controller tends to be more convenient than a Wiimote+Nunchuck combination.
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kinect has ONE game that does not have a equivalent on the WII(star wars), but almost every game on the WII has motion controls and is kid frendly
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Double Fine Action Theater / Kinect Party is a great activity for small kids, and has no equivalent on the Wii, nor is one possible.
In general, the Kinect has two main benefits over the Wii when it comes to motion based games: it doesn't require holding a controller, and it can track the entire body. (There's also the image thing, used in Kinect Party, but that's an exception to normal Kinect games.)
Other Kinect games I own:
Once Upon a Monster
Nickelodeon Dance
Marvel Avengers: The Battle for Earth
The Gunstringer
There are a couple other worthwhile Kinect games, plus I own a few others not listed (and not as good).
In general I'd say that Kinect is better than the Wii for movement games, but menu control using the Kinect is abysmal in most games (and the Xbox itself), and I wish more games would have gone the Kinect Party way and included controller support for menus.
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Can't really suggest a price, but something to be aware of is system models. There were three different models released.
- Original, with has ports for 4 Gamecube controllers and 2 Gamecube memory cards, can play Gamecube games and also use the controllers in certain Wii releases
- Update, which removed the Gamecube compatible ports and so can only play Wii games
- Mini, a downsized Update model which cut out a few other features (which are pointless now, since WiFi is gone).
If you can get the original model, then go for it. More options for games and controllers is useful.
I'm also happy to list off some games, both for children and for older players.
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oh I didn't know about the updated one, I've the original, but I've used it sooooo little :c
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i was aware of the 3 versions, but i can distinguish between the 1st and the 2nd. i'd say the original is worth only if the seller gives altogether some gamecube stuff, since i guess is costly (time and money wise) to get old gamecube hw and sw. also no idea which gamecube sw is really worthy, even if i'm sure there is.
about the mini, is the missing wifi worth? i don't want the kids to browse the internet or do stuff online, even if i could tolerate some multiplayer with remote friends under parental control.
your list is very much welcome, but please refrain from violent titles (like war or horror).
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The controller options are a better choice, even if you don't have them to start with.
The Mini removed access to WiFi, but the online gaming was already shut down, so that isn't as important. If you have any intentions of installing custom firmware (as well as piracy, this opens up homebrew software, region unlocking, and using older models as a DVD player), you might want to see if it is compatible with it.
Games that may be suitable for the younger players
A Boy and His Blob
de Blob
Kirby's Epic Yarn
The Munchables
PANGYA! Golf with Style
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Sonic Colors
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure
Also, if you ever believe you might try it yourself, please give Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon a look. It is my favourite release for the system, and well worth the purchase. A truly great game.
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Only time I used a Gamecube port was for a dance mat, and I never got that to work properly anyway. So I kind of discount them.
I haven't tried a Mini, but far as I can tell its main drawback is that it only supports composite video, and not component. Still, an Amazon review says it does support widescreen, which I was worried would be precluded by the use of composite.
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nice point. i'm probably going to use composite video (i guess the normal console box does not come with component video cables and i don't want to buy extra stuff) and a widescreen tv, so altogether with wifi not being really needed, i could go for a mini.
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Just be aware to image quality will not be as good, and you'll get an interlaced image instead of progressive. It's noticeable, in my experience. A third party composite cable is around €5 on eBay, and I think it's worth buying. Still, probably not a huge deal (it's not like the Wii is a graphics powerhouse or anything).
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https://www.gamestop.it/Wii/Games/31783/nintendo-wii-mini-rossa
there should be even a small warranty on used consoles :o
Edit: 1 year warranty confirmed.
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i'm aware that retail shops sell every now and then refurbished models. i guess that the missing extra controllers and bunch of games could be compensated by the extra warranty, so i'll check that.
btw, does the wii have known hw problems? i saw sometimes the cd drive fails...
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In my experience the drives dont fail but depending on usage hours the lasers do wear out, but if your handy and not afraid of it, 'fixing' them is an easy job, you just have to adjust the pot to increase the voltage to the laser, its a 3 minute job, and only requires a jewelers screwdriver and ideally a multimeter though you can do it without one.
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The steering wheel isn't worth any extra $, assuming it never evolved past the one included with first racing games on the Wii. It's just a plastic housing that the remote sits in. Fit board might be neat. Don't know how old the kids are, but maybe consider Rock Band / Guitar Hero accessories, although those games are typically better on other platforms, from what I hear. (The only console I've ever owned is a Wii, unless you count a grayscale Gameboy or pre-NES things.)
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i guess the wheels are like the ones you talk about. i guess that if some mario karts game comes in the bunch, a couple wheels will be useful. the kids are <10. not considering rock band and the such, i have real musical instruments home and they are learning them. let alone rocksmith ;P
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Even better! As a real guitarist myself, Rocksmith pleasantly surprised me. :)
As a person who has only software-based drums though, Rock Band (RB Beatles specifically had a more in-depth drum training) was surprisingly decent for trying to get better at that part without buying an actual drum kit. No velocity sensitivity in that kit though, and it doesn't register as a MIDI device on PC (registers as a controller).
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Here's a suggestion, why not use dolphin in PC?
I use my PC as a Wii console. You don't need a generally beefy computer for this, unless you want to crank those settings up.
I spent ~20$ for the USB sensor bar, 60$ for 4 genuine refurbished controllers w/ motion+ and nunchuck, 20$ for 2 recharging pods + rechargable battery.
Setting up dolphin, and advanced configuration for each game will be tedious, but once you set it up, it's going to work like a regular wii.
The latest game that I have is Just Dance 2015 and it is working perfectly, even connects to online multiplayer.
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thanks for the suggestion but i'm looking for a "it just works" experience and separated by pc gear. anyway it's good to know it exists:)
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I've done this before. Thread guide how to do these
I bought a USB version one and it works.
Dumping it is slow though, around 1.2 hours per disc. Dumping will be faster if you have your own wii console.
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Dolphin has online again? I know it connected to the legfit Niontendo online service for a while right before it shutdown. Are they running some kind of privcate server for it now?
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Wii is GREAT for kids, got one for mine. Consider games like New Super Mario Bros, the Just Dances (theres some kid versions too, i have nickelodeons, but my girls preffer the grown up versions (ages 6 and 11)), Wii Sports and Wii Sport Resort.
Grab a Wiimote for each kid + one for yourself ( ;) ), preffer the wiimote with the already built motion plus (http://www.xconsoles.com/product_images/b/530/wii_controller_white__53821_zoom.jpg) , way better than having the attachable motion plus (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71NAYQd4jEL._SL1500_.jpg) later - youll pay a bit more per wiimote, but its more responsible/precise and less bulky/lighter than wiimote with the attachable one (some games require MP, others use it as optional)
I'd rather using it in a console than having my kids use both my computer and TV to play.
Any other questions drop me a line :)
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i had no idea of the wiimote and motion plus addon stuff. i checked the links to understand how to distinghish between them, it looks like it is pretty meaningful to go with the wiimote ones.
speaking of controllers, i noticed that most of the offers have x controllers and x-1 nunchuks. why? i guess you need a nunchuk per controller.
also about controllers: do the not original ones work good or better stick with the original ones?
the just dance games look really nice, i checked with my kids the youtube videos and even like that they are really amusing. i'm curious about the singing titles, from what i understand you need a special micro for them.
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Some games only require a Wiimote, and not a nunchuck. Not many titles, but still some of them.
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very few titles need more than 2 nunchucks, two motion plus controllers/add ons are nice
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About the controllers, i'd go with the motion plus ones only.
Most games I play with my kids dont use a nunchuck at all - I have 4 motes with 4 nunchucks, but I dont think I've ever used the 4 of em at once
About the originals/not originals, I didnt like the "rubber protection" on the non-original wiimote (I have one of em) - wouldnt buy again cause of that, but well, it does work pretty well. Bout the nunchucks, 3 out of my 4 are non originals, and you couldnt tell the difference.
About the singing, i heard you can use any USB mike, but that didnt work for me (not sure why). Just dance 2014 and newers are pretty cool, you can sing and dance :)
Incase you want some other cheap add-ons, i've got a pack (4) of wheelies ( http://www.vgblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/02/WiiWheel.jpg ) for mario kart and 2 guns ( http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/wii_zapper_3.jpg ) for shooters like the resident evils dirty cheep out of a china site - theyre just plastic cases with a slot for the controller, so no problem buying em anywhere.
The guitar hero bundles pretty cool too, but a little more costly, comes with 2 guitars (technically a guitar and a bass), drums and the microphone, thats heaps of fun :) Just make sure youre buying the guitars with the Wiimote slot, thats the good one for wii ( http://site.rctoyz.com/GAMES_Wii_FS19098_2.jpg ) :)
Any other question, fell free to drop me a line :)
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I paid 50$ for mine with 2 wiimotes/nunchucks a couple games and some accessories, i think a steering wheel, bat, etc oh and a wiifit board
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also nomorerack.com has wiimote charger stand on sale for 7$, i just got one for my kids. the things eat batteries like a fat kid eats oreos
totally worth it
And i wouldnt consider discussing piracy here, but i grabbed a 1tb external hdd for mine for like 79$ you figure out why.
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thanks for all the advices but the last one.
since steam and other experiences, i don't pirate any kind of sw and i don't want the kids to pirate as well. i want them to have what they can buy and have the money they earned. full stop.
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While I'm personally against piracy myself, one thing you might be unaware of is the 'Nintendo tax', where even poorly treated pre owned copies with nothing more than a cracked disc can still sell for more than the release price. Its why my Nintendo collections never reach triple digits like my other systems.
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i see. luckily enough we live in a sunny country and i prefer them to be playing football outside and have a few h of videogaming just in those odd days when it's rainy. no collecting needed ;P
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Still, its worth mentioning if you wanted them owning something like Mario.
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Even putting the piracy aside, there is alot of legit homebrew for the wii as well. Which requires you to mod it first, really easy, a computer and sd card is all thats needed. http://wiibrew.org/wiki/List_of_all_homebrew
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Wii would be a great console if it's for the kids. To me, a Wii is more of a casual kids console. I can't help you with much, but a second hand Wii shouldn't cost that much anymore.
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Yes, it is a great console for kids.
Plug it in and start playing.
Perfect console for kids or newcomers.
Great games.
Great ease of use.
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Wii is the perfect console for families & a great entry into gaming ^.^.
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As a side note, if you ever plan on playing any of the Super Smash Bros games, you have to get the original Wii. Playing with wiimotes doesn't do justice to the games at all.
-J
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i don't understand. the original wii comes with wiimotes. do you mean getting the legacy controllers from gamecube?
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Old GameCube Controllers work fine on Wii, but just for selected titles or GC games
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This ^, Super Smash Bros Brawl is one of them. It can be played with with the wiimotes and nunchuk but the old GC controllers are hands down the best controllers you can have for that game.
-J
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- dont buy any non nintendo brand controllers
- wii wheels are way over rated
- any mario game is good ( okay there copy/pasted but you havent played them)
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Ok, so yesterday I bought a Wii, my first console in decades, well, my first console at all (I've been always computer biased, since my vic-20).
Thanks to all those who contributed with info and hints :-)
For the curious, what I got (for 80€) is a Wii mini, 4 wiimotes, 2 nunchuck, 2 classics, 2 steering wheels, 2 micros and 7 games: Super Mario Bros, Mario Karts, Sports, Monopoly, Zumba 2 and a couple of singing titles. All this from a guy in the neighbourhood, no shipping, no money transfer, live check of all the stuff, no hassle.
My children are hyped and I'm ok too ;-)
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That sounds like an awesome deal. Great find and your kids are going to have tons of fun, along with yourself. The Wii is a great console.
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For sure, I need one more advice.
My kid needs a football game urgently. I saw I can find for dirt cheap Fifa 08-12 and Pes 08-12.
Which one should I chose?
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I am considering to buy a second hand Wii console for a couple of kids. I'm thinking of 2 controllers and a bunch of games, as an option with some accessory like steering wheels or fit board. The console seems adequate for their age and cheap enough these days, but I don't know it very well.
What should I consider for making a good buy? What is a good target price (for southern Europe)? Is around 60-70€ a fair price?
Anyway I'm not interested in any other model of console, please focus on Wii. I appreciate your advice!
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