I'll play it, but mostly as a family time game with 2-4 players (usually 4). (I HUGELY prefer PC games over gaming systems. I mostly enjoy MMORPGs with mouse and keyboard.)

I'm also weighing the cost of the systems.

The XBox 360 Kinect intrigues me, but here's the breakdown:

Wii + Balance Board = ~$250 on sale
360 + larger HDD + Kinect = ~$400

So the 360 is more expensive, but I think it may serve us longer, plus I could upgrade a little at a time. Nothing says either of these has to be an "all at once" purchase, so the initial outset for either system is about the same.

Honestly, the controller issue is a big one for me. My kids have just gotten used to the Gamecube controllers. I'm not sure about having to teach them to play LEGO Batman with a wand...

You can still find arcade unit around for $150 and then just add a cheap usb stick for memory. Then buy the kinect only bundle. That would be $300 vs. $400.

Cool, I'll look for that.

The Wii looks fine on my 50" Plasma. The looks are not the issue - the issue are the damn controls. I hate the Wii because of the controls. That said, I have a Wii for the Nintendo properties. For example, Kirby's Epic Yarn comes out on Sunday and it was a blast AND it's controls did not suck (no force waggle BS) AND it's co-op. Previous to that from a family party perspective, Boom Blox (both games) were a lot of fun to play and the controls did not get in the way.

If the system is mainly for them - I would get a Wii. The system is cheaper, has better hardware (from a breaking perspective) has cheaper games, and the games themselves are more suited to that age group.

Now if you were interested in playing along with them (like the Lego games co-op) more or you wanted something you could play as well(w/o them), I would recommend a 360

You don't need a big HD -- totally unnecessary unless you plan to d/l a TON of content. You'll find Arcade deals at Dell or Amazon as Xmas nears too.

Personally, I'd wait on Kinect as well. I don't see it selling well and I've yet to see a killer app for it. So if it does stagger out the gate there's a good chance you'll get it for 33% cheaper a few months into 2011. Just my opinion.

But like Squidget said, the Wii looks fine on my 65" HDTV... however, it's always in 4:3 ratio and that bums me out a bit.

Why not set it to 16:9?

i only play my wii for big games (mario, zelda) but i don't think it looks all that bad on an hdtv. it certainly doesn't look as good as an xbox or ps3, but you aren't getting graphically intensive games on wii.

I bought a Wii about three years ago.
I bought a 360 about 2.5 years ago.

The 360 has been used almost every day since then.
The Wii hasn't been turned on in a month, and that was when my boy wanted to vote. (He just turned 8).

The Wii was great for a while - anyone who came over was able to play Wii Sports, and there are some great games on it (Super Mario Galaxy 1/2, Super Paper Mario, Resident Evil 4). But waving the wand gets old before too long, for anyone above age 6, and probably some kids below that age.

If you're getting it solely for them, it might be worth it. It is cheaper, and lots of kids are happy with playing the same 2 or 3 games over and over and over again. If you want to play, I would prod you toward a 360 (or PS3, though I dont have lots of experience with it.) There's lots of great titles, for adults, families, and kids, on the 360. Plus you have access to even more cheap games on XBLA and Indie Games, many of which are simpler and less visually distracting than most disk games (and thus perhaps more suitable for littlies). As long as the Wii has been around, there are still many games that don't really benefit from the Wiimote, and actually are more frustrating to play than a controller based version.

Almost forgot...if you plan on downloading any games, definitely forget the Wii. It ties the DLC to your system and not your account so if your Wii breaks down and you have to get a different Wii, be prepared to lose it all or pay a fee to Nintendo. And if you want to sell your Wii, all that stuff goes bye-bye with the system.

Yeah, the Wii looks cruddy even on my 22 inch LCD. There are tons of age appropriate games for your kids, especially when you factor in XBLA and Indy games. Of course, it will be on your head to work out what's appropriate and what's not but you're probably already doing that with all their other media.

Edit: Just to add, there are cool Indy games for a buck that are fun just to mess around with. Overall, you would probably spend less with a 360 purchase than a Wii.

Cuz I'm stupid and didn't know you could do that

Just a follow-up for anyone who cares...

I decided in the end to go with an XBox 360. The ease of controls really pushed me over the edge, plus another friend of mine, like some of you, has both units and finds his kids, even the younger ones, quickly prefer the XBox 360.

It also helped that I found I can get all the games my kids really love for the 360: The Lego games, Sonic All Stars (like MarioKart), some party games, and Star Wars. I'll miss not having the Mario games, but long run, I think this will be a better choice for our needs.

I appreciate everyone's help!

The Wiimote is harder than the 10 buton, 2 analog stick + d-pad xbox controler?

I don't think you made a bad choice at all as I LOVE my 360 and think it is the cheaper and better option long term, but that just struck me as funny.

Well, here's what I mean: For Lego Star Wars, you use the remote's d-pad and just 2-3 of the buttons. Pretty straight-forward for a 5-year-old. On the Wii, it's the same amount of buttons, but a bit more awkward to hold and control. (At least so I've been told by someone with kids, both systems, and the same game on both systems.)

Finding your cursor and trying to keep it on the screen to select something, especially with the cursors of 3 other players floating around, can be a total pain in the ass in my experience. Something that uses just the twin sticks, like Geometry Wars, is a lot easier than a lot of Wii stuff IMO.

I own all three consoles, but the game my kids (6 and 9) like the most is Little Big Planet on the PS3.

with the component cables and running in 480p the wii doesn't look THAT bad on an HDTV. With the included composite cable though it's pretty fuzzy.

i have a 5 yr old daughter and 2 yr old son and was thinking about getting the new red Wii for them for xmas but i think i might just get the kinect for my 360-my daughter would be content with Kinectimals for the time being

Yeah my girlfriend told me she wants a Wii for Christmas...basically only for Mario games, so I'm getting the new Red one that comes with Super Mario World. I personally would have bought a 360 if it was my choice, but I rarely play anything anymore, so I don't really care. Plus our little boy can play in the near future. I want him exposed to as much Mario as possible.

There's just gotta be a better way to phrase that...

Some hands on experience with Luigi?