September 24th, 2008 by john 
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I have a question for all you gamers out there. I am thinking about buying a game system for Christmas. I am from the Atari generation. Pac-man. Space Invaders. Asteroids. Missile Command. Pitfall. I wore out at least a dozen joy sticks in my day. I dabbled with the Nintendo in the 90’s (with my son), but am unfamiliar with today’s systems.
PS3, XBox 360 or Wii
I am looking at the PS3, XBox 360 and the Wii. My teenage daughter and two young nephews would be the primary players, although I will probably be right there with them. 
All three seem to be fairly pricey, so I am trying to do my homework and make the best choice. Anyone have any thoughts on the best system? Your input would be greatly appreciated!
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My name is John.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Definitely, the Wii.
My cousins ranging from ages 6 to 20 and myself(21) all can play and have a great time. Most of the games are simple and intuitive with a short learning curve.
It is a reasonably priced gaming console that suits everyone and keeps them physically active.
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John reply on September 25th, 2008 10:41 pm:
Simon – thanks for the input. I like the idea of he interactive games. Sounds much more interesting, not to mention more healthy than sitting on the couch playing traditional games.
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We all love the Wii. Everybody gets involved. I play tennis with my kids and they play golf with their dad. I love the fact that some games make the kids get up and move. You should see my 4 yr old play boxing. LOL
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John reply on September 25th, 2008 10:43 pm:
Babette, I like the “Everybody gets involved”. I am definitely leaning towards the Wii!
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I would say the Wii because along with all the games that are out there for the system they now have the ability to download all the “old school” games from years past. Best all around system in my book
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John reply on September 25th, 2008 10:44 pm:
Jennifer, I was not aware you have the ability to download the old school games….that’s freakin cool! Thanks for the heads up!
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I can give you a warning about the 360. We have three of them in the house and 2 of them are not working. After researching on the net we found out that this is a big problem with the 360. Although they are being fixed for free, it is still very frustrating when you spend that amount of money on something and it breaks within 6 mos.
We have 4 different systems and the kids like them all for different reasons. We usually buy a new system when a game comes out that is just on that system. What you might want to do is find a forum for gamers like the one at gamespot – these guys really play a lot and can probably answer your questions.
Do you have specific games you want to play? Check out which systems they are on.
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John reply on September 25th, 2008 10:46 pm:
Sheila – 4 systems, WOW! Thanks for the heads up on the problems with the 360. I don’t have any particular games in mind…but I will be looking into the available games. Thanks.
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I wish I knew. My husband and daughter play games on the computer but I have not had a game system since the atari (I loved it). I loved Galaxa (I think that is what it was called) and asteroids, frogger and of course pac man. I hope you enjoy your new system!
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John reply on September 25th, 2008 10:49 pm:
Heidi – Another old school Atari fan! I spent way too many hours in front of those games! Frogger, loved that one too!
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I’m going to have to say that I like the PS3. The games are great and its a Blu-ray player, and that makes it worth the price to me.
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John reply on September 25th, 2008 10:50 pm:
Flipper – Yes, my son told me about the Blu-ray player. That’s a compelling argument for the PS3….decisions, decisions!
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Can’t go wrong with a Wii. They are just plain fun for seriously all ages. The new Mario Cart is a must!
Like flipper said though, PS3 is also a Blu-Ray. Definitely impressive. I’d the 360 would be ideal only if you were a devout Halo player.
In addition to whatever you get, you should look into getting an old Atari (if you don’t still have yours). The oldest console I have is my Super NES, and many times it’s almost more fun to play the old games that really take you back.
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John reply on September 25th, 2008 10:53 pm:
Blake, yeah, I heard that Mario Cart is way cool. I have seen a box advertised that is supposed to have all the old Atari games. Maybe, I will check it out. Thanks!
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so we have a playstation 3, but besides karaoke i haven’t a clue what else it can do. you’d have to ask my girls. oh yeah, it does play a mean dvd with its blu-ray technology.
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John reply on September 25th, 2008 11:35 pm:
ssgreylord – I didn’t realize the PS3 would do karaoke. Cool! I really would like to have the Blu-ray capability….thanks!
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Wow I love all three systems John. My brother owns all three but for kids I got to go with the Wii but Playstation 3 is incredible and the blue ray is fantastic.
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John reply on September 25th, 2008 11:38 pm:
Thanks Tim, the Wii seems to be the box of choice….followed by the PS3. It’s going to be a tough decision!
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Hi John,
My son likes the PS3 and the Blu-ray player. He thinks the Wii will be the top seller though. I’m not much of a game player myself, but my kids like to play. Whatever you decide, I’m sure your family will have lots of fun playing.
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I haven’t tried xbox and wii, we always go for the PS. we dont have yet PS3 ,and still with PS2.
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I’m for PS3, maybe because i play it every day and the Pro evolution soccer is my favorite game, or maybe because it is she best
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PS3 rules!
i hate wii because everybody compares it with PS :S how can you compare something witch have graphic like gameboy with PS 
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