WII U vs Xbox w/Kinect

[reneed]

Is anyone planning on getting it? We have a WII now and DS has asked for either the WII U or an Xbox but I'm not sure which is better. I like that the old Wii games can be used with the new system, Xbox would need all new games but I like the motion part of it. I;m such a dummy with this stuff and so is DH. My son is 6 so he just likes whatever has a better commercial at this point. Any suggestions?
TIA!

[larig]

We have a wii and got a kinect last Xmas. It has really been a bust for us. I am planning to sell our gently used one and maybe get a U

[BillK]

For 6yo - anything Nintendo will have more age appropriate games. Xbox has some good games for younger ones but not nearly as many as Nintendo - or the franchises like Mario, Kirby, Pokemon etc like Nintendo has.

We have a Wii, Xbox 360 w/Kinect and PS3 with the Eye & Move controllers. My boys still prefer the Wii. I obviously favor the Xbox 360 and PS3.

I'll most likely buy a WiiU once it's been out a while and the verdict is in - since I'm a gaming junkie.

[reneed]

I played with the kinect at best buy and it didn't seem as sensitive as I would expect it to be. I thought ds would be frustrated. Maybe I should look at the Wii u. Anything I should know for anyone that understands the system? LOL

[Mikey0709]

I asked the same question not long ago. Same here - we have a Wii... and the guy at gamestop told me stick with Wii for younger kids especially. We also have TOO much invested in games I think.

I missed the pre-sales and pre-order of Wii U EVERYWHERE.... i'm on a waiting list at gamestop. Apparently gamestop, Best buy, etc were all given 100,000 for pre-orders, and they all closed out in a few days.\

I'm wondering what it will be like once it comes out later this month.... and whether there will be great availability, or the impossible to find holiday gift.....

[reneed]

Aren't there some sites we can use that will tell us when they become available?
I can't for the life of me remember which but I know I used them with the leap pad last year

[larig]

I played with the kinect at best buy and it didn't seem as sensitive as I would expect it to be. I thought ds would be frustrated. Maybe I should look at the Wii u. Anything I should know for anyone that understands the system? LOL

This was why it is so unpopular at our house. DH and I get annoyed with it.

[kristac]

We have an xbox (no kinect) but I think Wii is definitively more family friendly.

[ellies mom]

We have both and the girls really prefer the Wii. It is just too hard for them to stay in area where the Kinect device can see them and register them correctly. We took it down when we painted the living room and never put it back up. No one has missed it. They have recently started playing with the X-box more but haven't asked about the Kinect games.

[BillK]

We have both and the girls really prefer the Wii. It is just too hard for them to stay in area where the Kinect device can see them and register them correctly. We took it down when we painted the living room and never put it back up. No one has missed it. They have recently started playing with the X-box more but haven't asked about the Kinect games.

I bought a roll of blue painters tape and put it on the floor area the Kinect reads - helped the boys a LOT with staying in the assigned area.

[brittone2]

My kids enjoy the Kinect. It took time for them to learn to play. THey had played wii before at friends' homes, but once they caught onto kinect and we got it set up more optimally for our room (I forget but I think being high or low within the recommended range is better than being closer to the mid way point?? Something like that) it was helpful. DD is small for her age so at age 5-5.5 it was tougher for her to use (it didn't always recognize her movements, etc.) but in the last 6 months no issues.

We don't own a Wii though, so I can't really compare.

I like that we don't have to buy special controllers and so forth.

[hillview]

we have the xbox kinect and it was a total waste. NEVER ever gets used.

[ellies mom]

I bought a roll of blue painters tape and put it on the floor area the Kinect reads - helped the boys a LOT with staying in the assigned area.

That is a pretty brilliant idea.

[klwa]

A gamer friend (works part time in a game store, too) told me that he encouraged people to get the Wii over the Kinect & that he was really looking forward to getting the Wii U.

[wildfire]

We have a Kinect and it gets good use. I use it for working out and playing Dance Central 3 for cardio. I also find stuff like Fruit Ninja is a lot of fun and really gets me moving. We also have some kids games that they like. DD1 just turned 5 and she can play games on her own with a little bit of guidance on what to "click" (she LOOOOOOVES Kinectimals). DD2 just turned 3 and she has a little more trouble, but does get into it. For her we have the "Once Upon a Monster" that she plays with me until she loses interest and the Sesame Street TV, which is interactive Sesame Street episodes that both girls enjoy. Sometimes the Kinect does lose track of her, but usually because she sits down on the floor or wanders off for a bit. I do adjust the tracking to "see" lower down if she's playing.

We have a Kinect mat that goes onto the floor and has circles that show where to stand for single player and two player. I find that helps a lot, I can say "Stand on the red dot" and have them be in the right place. Otherwise they tend to move forward too much. We also got better sensitivity when I moved the sensor to the top of the TV rather than down low. Painter's tape would be cheaper, although the mat wasn't very expensive and works well on the carpeting.

But we already had an Xbox and a lot of games and I didn't want a new gaming system. I love being controller free. And I'll be getting a tablet (Surface RT) in December so I'll be able to use SmartGlass.

[mom2khj]

We had a Wii for a few years and got the Xbox with Kinect last year as a family gift. Wii definitely has more child-geared games, but Kinect definitely gets played a LOT more in our house, even by the kids.

DD1 prefers the Xbox most of the time.
DD2 who wasn't all too interested in the Wii and tends to get frustrated with it easily, is a little more willing/less frustrated on the Xbox, but still not all that interested.
DS is too young, LOL.
DH much prefers the Xbox and his sports games that he can play with family online.

The other features (Netflix, etc.) are way better on the Xbox as well.

I haven't really investigated the Wii U all that much as it's not something on our list for this year since we just got the Xbox.

[almostmom]

Thanks for starting this post - I was having this exact same dilemma. Our Wii isn't working anymore for some reason, and DS really wants Wii U for xmas. I had decided on that since we already have Wii games, and this thread confirms that choice!

But now I'm nervous - I didn't realize I should have already ordered it! I figured I could buy it when it came out...

Any suggestions on how I should go about getting one for the holidays? Will Costco have it?

Thanks--