ds or wii?

[phil_the_moose]

Hi. Sorry if this is a daft question, I realise they're different types of console but I would appreciate some advice on the pros and cons of the DS and the Wii.
We've got a PS2 which we don't use much and I'm looking to buy a console that we could use occasionally as a family. None of us are really game mad, but there are some that look fun to do together - for instance the brain training on the DS and the multi sports on the Wii. We've got a 7 year old who's only just got Crash Bandicoot sussed on the ps2, so as you can see we're not going to go for any complicated games and we're not looking for any fighting games to be honest.
Any pointers or advice gratefully received.
Cheers, Moose.

[G a f f e r]

Hi Moose.

At the risk of sounding facetious, I would honestly say "get both" , but if you're going for strictly one or t'other, I would go for......


Wii = great family games. No need to huddle in a bunch to see the screen. Unlikely to get damaged/dropped by the littlun.

DS = great family games. Portable, so can even play it in the garden. Very cheap at only ~£100. Cheaper games too.

On balance, I'd go for the Wii first. Even if you just stick with the bundled Wii Sports, it's packed with 5 great mini games and, despite the "proper" titles being released throughout 2007, Wii Sports was still my most played game of the year.

After using it during 2008, later on I would then consider a DS (e.g. next Xmas) as an "extra" handheld to have around.....but I think the Wii will do fine on it's own initially .

Starter games for the Wii that everyone will love would be:

Wii Sports (included)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (lots of family orientated mini games)
Mario Party 8 (another family orientated bunch of mini-games)
WarioWare Smooth Moves (I hated this but MANY people absolutely love it - dozens if ultra-mini games here)

worth a cheap 2nd hand punt (£10-£15) = Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (not as good as the above, but worth it all the same especially at the 2nd hand (and even "on sale") prices I've seen it at recently - the game is over 1 year old).

[phil_the_moose]

Thanks for taking the time to write all that Gaffer, I appreciate the effort - and the info!
Cheers, Moose.

[Dan81]

got to be the wii for family use.

[DarrenHull]

go for the wii first, but get a ds as well. I think they have some cool things lined up for the 2 of them together. Plus the DS has the coolest version of guitar hero I've seen yet - check it out: http://uk.ds.ign.com/articles/860/860511p1.html