My Husband Says We "Need" a Wii?

We have one and we all enjoy it. The boys like the sports they are 9 and 4 and the nickelodeon fit gets some energy out of them. I like the fit I use it for yoga. You can use it for Netflix (we don't) but it does get plenty of use and my kids only get a max of 30 min.

i can't say you need one, but they have things like the Fit, where you can exercise, and bowling and baseball games(though i prefer the real thing but it;s still nice). and i believe they have a yoga program as well. it would be nice to have but it's not a need. lol good luck

Nobody 'needs' a Wii. It's a video game. It's not a need.

However, we have one (it was a gift from my Mom), and my kids do use it, but not so much that we wouldn't be able to live without it. My kids are 7 and 4.

XBox with Kinnect blows Wii away in every category. Our Wii has not been used since. And my DH loves to stream movies on it. You will really love the movie streaming-esp since you don't have cable.

We love our Wii. There is instant netfilx streaming. So great. It doesn't cost any extra. The Wii comes with a few games which are easy to play. On a rainy day the 6 and 4 yr old can play golf or bowling while you hang out with your 2 yr old. We have the Eric Carle game for my 5 yr old which works on colors and alphabet and spelling. We use is for the streaming movies all the time. It isn't just movies there are loads of tv shows that we don't get on tv because we just have basic cable.
And I have the Wii fit so I do yoga, kick boxing and cardio workouts when the kids go to bed. I do not have time for the gym.
So we love it. But we do not have any actual "video games". Like the shooting zombies kind. I hate that stuff and if my husband wanted that I probably would hate it.

We love our Wii. My husband was against it at first then after hearing the boys ask for one and always wanting to go to my moms to play on hers he suggested we get one. My boys use it a lot in the winter wich is great for burnin energy. They were 7 and 4 when we got it. I got a Wii fit for christmas this year and it is fun and a work out. My now 5yo had trouble at first but now he is pro and can play any game we have.

We have the xBox (360 & kinnect)... and no cable (not even basic 12 stations). Being online costs us $20 a year and we have total access to netflix, zune (movie rentals) Hulu, ESPN, tons of other stuff, and of course all of our DVDs. One thing we absolutely love about the Kinnect is our *weather*. Our weather sucks. Pure and simple, it rains 8-10 months out of the year. Since getting the kinnect our furniture is in MUCH better shape, because it's not the 'indoor jungle gym' all the time. There's no remote to lose (or throw or break), no floor mats to buy. My H does yoga and pilates and personal training on it, kiddo does dance and sports stuff and games... it's like a virtual gym... and because it tracks your whole body one can't "cheat" (like my 8yo figured out how to in an hour on my sister's Wii).

Do we "need" it??? Heck no. Is it super useful? Absolutely.

We have Wii. It can be fun. And always comes in handy when the kids have a friend over expecting to swim and it rains on us. :(

My husband almost NEVER uses it. I rarely do. But our kids do cycle through it just like everything else. They will really be "into" playing MarioKart for 3 days. Then it is totally forgotten for a bit. Then they'll be skiing or sword fighting or playing Lego Batman or Indiana Jones for a couple of days. Then nada. Lately, it has been Just Dance (the machine plays songs and has a model do the moves, which you have to follow, and you earn points based on how well you are doing the moves). My daughter has really been into that lately.
My kids are almost 10 and almost 13. If you have a WiFi connection in your home, you can also use the Wii to play with other friends (in their homes on their own Wii's) some of the games, online. And you can send mssgs via the Wii to someone else's Wii. And, you can use it to stream instant Netflix to your TV. However, if his big reason is to stream Netflix, you can do that just by getting a WiFi Blu-Ray player that has the streaming features. They are a lot cheaper than buying a Wii (and all the accompanying accessories and games).
But does it cost extra to use the TV features? No. Depending on your home set-up, you may need to invest in some items to make it work, though.

My nephew is 8 and he LOVES playing Wii. My BIL/SIL use playing time as incentives for him to behave well at school and it works great.

oh. And my kids love making videos with their digital cameras and popping out the memory card and sticking it into the Wii. Then they can watch it on TV and draw on the images and things. They have loads of fun with that. They even watch them in reverse, lol.

I liked the wii, I LOVE the x-box 360. I never EVER use the play station. If you use netflix, you *should* get netflix for free on your wii or xbox if you bought one. We live for a while in an apartment and we didn't get cable, instead we just used netflix and watched shows off of there. We hardly ever send in to rent "regular" movies, but we CONSTANTLY use the instant streaming for TV shows and movies (when we are watching "TV", of course, which is up to 2 hours per day max). I like it better than cable, because I can pick and choose exactly what we are going to watch, with no commercials- anytime I want.

My husband is a "gamer" and a "computer nerd" and he was the day I married him. For us, these things are just a part of who we are, like I have to have art supplies, because I am an artist... his "thing" is gaming... and so part of our budget naturally includes these things. Of course, we would get rid of them if they were keeping us from paying our bills or something.

We have had pretty much every game system at some time. We got rid of the wii when the X-box 360 "kinect" accessories came out... so that we can do exercise games without having to hold a controller. Plus, the x-box has more "grown up" features in my opinion. My two year old can play some of the kids games with help... and she loves "kinectimals" and viva-pinata. I think she would have liked the wii... but she can't miss what she's never really known.

If you have a game system... it should be used in moderation. I love playing games with my husband and daughter, but they are an expense, so we try to get games that we can play and enjoy TOGETHER. I am easily irritated by any one person spending a long time "sucked into:" a video game, when we need family time... but some games are so fun when you can play them as a group (I love "scene it" and some of the dance and sport games for family "game parties")

If you like excercise videos... the systems are great for that. I was a wii-fit addict when my daughter was a newborn and I LOVED not having to invest in a bunch of exercise equipment of a gym membership. After I have this baby I plan to do "Zumba" and maybe one other fitness program via the x-box. So that is another "pro". I don't have to spend the amount of money I would going to a gym, and the convenience of the games make me NOT have any excuse to skip exercise.

The cons of course are that video games cost money, and they can be abused. The simple fix is to use you parental controls and set guidelines, just like you would with TV or anything else! Don't "vegetate" in front of the console for dinner, eat meals at the table together. Make time for plenty of outdoor activities and family fun... just like you would anyways.
Video games can be enriching, especially games with a lot of "strategy" and "puzzle solving" involved which could help your child with comprehension and mathematics skills... you just have to pick wisely!

Decide if it makes sense for your family... that is it. It sounds like your husband may want one for him? If you can afford it, why not? Sure, it's fair that he should have to "sell it" to you... but keep an open mind. Talk about what your concerns are with him, and be frank about how much you are willing to spend on games. It doesn't make sense to spend a few hundred dollars on a system, and then not be willing to buy a few games for it, and games run about $60 each... (but may be less if you buy used games, or trade games in as you go along) In my opinion, skiers spend about the same amount per year for a ski-pass (in my area), gym buffs spend the same for a gym membership, a sewing enthusiast or scrapbooker may spend the same on supplies for those hobbies... video games are just our "hobby"- and for us it works. Don't do it, if it isn't your family's "thing".

Good Luck!
-M.

OK just get it.
You will love it.
And my doctor just told me MOnday to play Wii if I can't walk outside because of the weather.
OH and once you start you won't want the kids on it. You'll be the one yelling My turn My turn!!

I am not really a video game person either and I guess nobody really "needs" a Wii but I have really enjoyed it. My kids were 5,7 and 9 when they got it for Christmas. We use it about once a week to stream movies. We also use it to do like a picture slide show when we have family over to show pictures. They have some really good games that are good for all ages so we do game night alot. We like just dance, wheel of fortune, pictionary, and family game night. I think its fun to have but not a necessity.

We love our Wii ~ we use it for games and working out. Wii fit is my favorite and right now my 7 and 3 y/o's favorite is Just Dance Kids. They do that for 30 min and they are sweating up a storm!!

No one NEEDS another video game. Can you afford it? Will it just be another distraction from family life? What do you need?

Blessings....

We've had one for 2+ years and it's a blast. Really. The kids are 13, 7 and 5. I liked that even back when we first got it, even the younger kids could use it. There are plenty of pre-school games that are nice alternative to watching TV on a rainy or cold day. We've never used it for anything other than gaming, so the idea that you would use other features but never play games is, IMO, a specious argument. I'm not a gadget girl either and have never been a gamer, but I definitely don't regret the Wii. Older relatives especially get a kick out of it - my friends have had a good time playing Rock Band, and my parents, ILs, GMIL, siblings all have their own Miis (that our kids made - some are not so flattering lol) and they like to come over and golf, bowl, box etc. with the kids.

1) what is your budget? Can you afford it?
2) what will he use it for? - gaming? Watching streamed movies from Netflix? Exercising?

You can also, go online with the Wii and get your e-mail etc. But your home needs to be networked with your computer etc.

We have a Wii. It was a gift. We like it. Our kids like it. We watch streamed movies and tv shows on it, via Netflix. The kids play games on it. Exercising too. We have the balance board etc. You can also do sports on it like Tennis and Baseball, and boxing etc.

If you want to stream movies on it, say via Netflix, you need to be a member/have a subscription for it. Then it is free to stream movies.

Now, MY suggestion would be: if HE wants it, instead of putting it on the Christmas List... why don't he just buy it HIMSELF? And everything else that is needed for it???? Then that is HIS purchase. He can save money for it. But realize, that the family will use it to, and he has to be able to 'share' it, just like a child should.

My kids are 4 and 8. They like to play games on it.

Now, if your Husband is into "gaming"... then well, the Xbox is better for that. And you can stream movies on it too, via Netflix.

good luck,
Susan

LOve it! !!! Its better than NEtfex, I have teens now, so we also have play staion, Now we have the xbox-360. OK! with this system we got the Kenet!!! Now I dont play video games But the Kenet is AWESOME!! nO REMOTES , It moves on your body action.. So its great exersise!!! Check it out!

I was never into video games and still am not, even after having a Wii. I still find it annoying. Our son played with it maybe six months and then wanted a DS. It's a hassle to change from TV to Wii, so it's a happy day not to have to deal with it.

Just an FYI that the Wii is being discontinued (announced within the past week), so I wouldn't invest in one.

Don't do it! Quality family time will go down as costs will go up.

my kids love it!!! I was never a gamer. I sure have come to like it though too..we had to replace ours this past christmas!!! it has helped my oldest with coordination and has got him to be able to sit and focus on something for longer then ten minutes. Just make sure you limit how long they sit and play. He gets an hour on...then about four hours off...he has leveled out on how much he needs to play...it really is not an issue to try and get him off of it now cause he knows another time he can get right back on it!!!

We have a Wii my son is 11 and my twins are 5. My twins have been playing it for over a year. We all love it! I don't do the streaming with movies or anything through the Wii, that is what we have the Playstation 3 for (also is a blueray player). I'm a techie, I have an iTouch and I'm trying to convince my husband to get me an iPhone (right now I have a blackberry and I use it SO MUCH).

I would love to have one. We would have so much fun as a family bowling, playing tennis, dancing like Michael Jackson! We already go real bowling but its expensive and smokey in a bowling alley. And we already have Michael Jackson danceathons. But I think it would a lot of fun for us to do family games together. I like the idea of the kid games. It keeps them moving and active, not sitting like slugs in front of a traditional game. And I would love love love to have the wii Fit. But.......it's expensive and you have to buy all the cords and accessories and controllers and games.
I've decided to wait. They are coming out with a new one soon, so, I'm thinking once they do, I should be able to get a lof of that stuff used at a gaming store.

Personally, I don't think the Wii is a very good gaming interface (My son agrees with me -- he's studying Computer Science and Video Game Development, and is quite the gaming aficionado). It's not nearly as responsive as other gaming systems and injuries have been associated with the atypical positions you sometimes have to contort your arm into to complete an action. If you're going to get anything (and I can fully understand why you don't want to!) I would go for a PS3. It's a far more established system and has a much wider breadth of games available, especially educational type games for small children. It's also a Blue-Ray player, which is becoming the dominant technology, and will add dimension to the quality of even your standard CDs. You can also hook it into Netflix directly to download videos on demand to your TV (although this service has been unavailable for almost 2 weeks now because of a major break-in to the Sony servers). In addition, you can use it to play music and surf the internet.

Although I used to be a pretty avid gamer, I just don't have the time anymore. I played mostly when working out on a recumbent exercise bicycle, but now use an elliptical, so my hands aren't free to use the controller. We use the system almost exclusively for watching DVDs (including my favorite workout DVDs) and instant play movies from Netflix (as well as some great downloadable aerobics programs), and love it for this feature alone. You can usually find really good bundles on these systems (especially at Costco) starting around Thanksgiving time, and the PS3 actually costs a lot less than most good Blue-Ray players.

BTW, with your high speed internet connection, you can also download Netflix movies direct to your husband's computer. If you have a TV made within the last 10 years, you should be able to connect the computer to the TV as a second monitor via USB or RS232 cable, and hook in sound through the headphone port. (Works great for internet TV sites like hulu, too!)

The downside of these systems is that it's not just the "razor" that costs, it's the razor blades that really get you! Games can cost anywhere from $30 - $60 or more new, and $10 - $50 used. They can be addictive and real time wasters. There are some great inexpensive games available, but it's easier to get cheap games for play on the computer (especially through gaming engines like Steam). One of my favorite games for the PS3, though, is "Flow", which is totally zen and great for zoning out and really relaxing to. One feature that is really kind of cool, though, is that the system can be used to play multi-player games interactively over the internet. I would often find my son playing games with other players from all over the world, and talking to them through the PS3 (at no additional cost) using a Bluetooth earpiece.

I started getting educational computer games for my son when he was in first grade. Since they were already around, my daughter started playing them at about age 3 or 4. There used to be great software available that taught reading, math, science, reasoning, and history in really fun and engaging ways, but I don't know what's available now. My kids learned a tremendous amount from these games and I think they really helped them forge ahead in school during the elementary school years. I would play them with my kids to add insight and to help (but only if they really needed it). Some of their favorites included Treasure Mountain, Operation Neptune (math), Reader Rabbit (reading), Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego (history), Logical Trip of the Zoombinis (logic and reasoning), and The Incredible Machine (creativity and problem solving) and The Incredible Mind of Dr. Brain (science, creativity and problem solving). I have to say, I was totally blown away when my daughter was studying AP World History in 10th grade, and was able to use some of the information she had learned from the Carmen Sandiego game she had played at age 8 on the fly to respond to one of the test questions! It was on a period of Japanese history that they hadn't studied in class, and she ended up getting a 5 (top score) on the test.

I finally broke down and let my son buy a used Nintendo system (yeah, it was that long ago!) from some friends when he was 11, and then he earned the money and traded in the Nintendo to buy a PlayStation about a year later. I strongly regulated game play to no more than a 1/2 hour/day (including for myself), and with only software that was age appropriate until he was 15, at which time I would allow up to an hour if all homework and chores where done. At this point I also allowed him to get T (teen) rated games, since my daughter was also old enough that I didn't have to worry about it if she played the games, too. I've never been a big fan of the violence in some of these games, but I have to say that many of them are incredibly good brain teasers. If you get the right games, I think they can really be terrific for developing heightened reasoning and problem-solving skills. Some of the group game play is highly interactive and can be great for parties.

I'll sell you ours CHEAP. Wii-:) never use it.

Oh you found the right person here. :) We have two Wiis, the first one I camped out all night to get the first year they were out. After three years it stopped reading the disks but we kept it for the games that were already downloaded. My kids play with it a lot and there are games for every age.

Our latest purchase was the Xbox360 with Kinect. Then I had to mess up my leg so I haven't played with it yet. It is actually fun to watch the kids play on it. My ten year old has the animal game. She will spend hours playing, cleaning, and training that cat. I wish she would clean her room mind you. :p Actually it is a powerful enough game that I could get her to clean her room in five minutes with the threat to take it away.

I guess what I am saying is I believe the Xbox is going to take game time away from the Wii, it really is a better interface, ya know.

I never use it for anything but games, either of them. You can use the Wii for Netflix but it doesn't save you any money. You may be able to store movies in the Wii but I am not sure. You will also have to buy a lot of memory cards for the Wii. If I remember correctly it takes SD cards and you don't have to buy the Nintendo brand. I am pretty sure you can't watch live TV on the Wii. Actually not sure if you can on the Xbox either. Really I think those features are put on there because they don't cost anything to the merchants and it gives guys new excuses to buy the darn things. I don't know a soul who uses them for anything but games.

I heard on the radio today that they are dropping them down to $150 this weekend, which probably means they are going to come out with a newer version soon. My sister got one, but under the condition that at least one night a week they have family time on the Wii. She loves familly time. They play dancing and singing games and the whole family loves it. Also with family time on the Wii, her kids are not allowed to have friends over. It is strictly family.

We use it only for games but we LOVE it! I'll bet you will too. You just need to set & keep guidelines for how much time the kids play Wii.

And it's just a rumor that it's being discontinued. Marketing hype. They have warehouses full of them. Trying to drive up demand.

we needed the wii. winters in NY last 14 months :)
We got it for Christmas. my kids are 6. they would play on it 24/7 if we allowed them. depends on the games. get age appropriate games and be thankful for it during wintertime.

Just a couple of thoughts. In my experience, it's important to pick games that are easy enough for children. Otherwise, they get frustrated and it's no fun. They get upset and then they are constantly asking for help to figure out the game. I look at my children's time with shows or games as a break for me. I don't want to be dealing with a crying child because they are so frustrated.

The other thing is that you have to limit their use of the game. Kids can play for hours and I truly don't feel it's good for them. They get into a trance-like state after playing for too long and so i would suggest setting a timer.