XBOX360 Rocks

Nintendo Wii vs. Microsoft XBOX360

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 at 11:28 and is filed under General Information, Interesting Facts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

After much usage of each console, we believe that we can compare both consoles and you can see which one works for you.

We will do our best to give you a hopefully completely unbiased perspective. While we did as much research in addition to what we already know from our experience, we are only humans, and are prone to errors just like everyone else. Please let us know if we make a factual error.

So, let us break this down!

THE PRICE

Wii

Wii has one configuration for sale… the console that comes with a Wii Remote and the extremely popular & fun Wii Sports for $250. It comes with a built in 512 megabyte flash drive and wireless networking capabilities built into the system. Not to mention a San Disk card slot. SWEET!

Here is what they don’t tell you… It comes with a Wii Remote. That is all fine and dandy. However, that is, essentailly, just HALF of one controller. The main attachment you will need is the nunchuk, which almost every single game requires. That is $20. A 2nd Wii Remote is $40. You will eventually want a Classic Controller, that is $20.

So, lets add up…
$250 for the Wii System +
$40 for the 2nd Wii Remote +
$40 for 2 nunchuks +
$20 for 1 Classic Controller.

You got $350. $330 if you take off the Classic Controller.

New released games are at $50 unless they come with an expensive accessory (e.g. Wii Fit is $80).

XBOX360

They have several configurations for sale. The cheapest being the Arcade system for $200 which comes with 1 controller, a 256 megabyte memory card, and recently it has came with an Arcade game pack (featuring Pac-Man Championship Edition) and Sega Superstars Tennis.

However, a 2nd controller is $50. A wireless network adapter is $100 (biggest fucking ripoff in gaming history, to be honest). You could go ethernet, but that really isn’t convenient for most people. A wired headset to communicate with online gamers is $20 ($60 if you want to go wireless). $60 for a 20 gig hard drive.

So, let us add this up…
$200 for an arcade system +
$100 for the Wireless networking adapter +
$50 for the 2nd controller +
$20 for the wired headset +
$60 for the 20 gig hard drive

That adds up to $430.

If you get the “Pro” configuration for $300, you get a 60 gig hard drive and a wired headset. So let us look at this:

$300 for a pro system.
$100 for the Wireless Networking adapter.
$50 for the 2nd controller

That adds up to $450. Wow…

Now, let us take a look at their Elite configuration. It is $400. It is a nice shiny black system. Oooo… blaaaack. It has a 120 gig hard drive and a wired headset.

$400 for the elite system
$100 for the wireless networking adapter
$50 for the 2nd controller.

That adds up to $550!

Also, most new released games are at $60. Damn.

Graphics

XBOX360

If you have an HDTV, get ready the ultimate experience.

If you have a CRT TV, you are going to run into a few issues. Namely… it seems as if the game developers assume that everyone has a big expensive TV or that their gamers are kids that sit 3 inches from the TV screen. So, txt can be pretty hard to read, at times. Plus, a lot of the games for the system are darker, so its harder to see what is going on.

I have a 32 inch TV purchased two years ago too, so it is not like I have a 19 year old TV which the color is going out from the 1980s.

Yeah, I plan on getting with the times someday once we actually get the money.

As for the audio, all games are Dolby Digital 5.1 compatable. In other words… AWESOME if you have a Dolby Digital 5.1 system. If you don’t, then it won’t make much of a difference to you.

Wii

The Wii was built to be economical system to purchase, so they didn’t do much to up the processing power. Nintendo wanted to focus on changing the way we play games rather than just creating a system

If you have a CRT, the Wii is perfect. The text is actually readable. The graphics are bright and vibrant. It is definitely the ultimate experience for you.

If you have an HDTV, the only output that’s going to look remotely okay is 480p, which means you’re going to need to buy some new output cables. You’re also going to have to mess around with your settings on you TV to make sure it doesn’t look blurry.

The Wii is Dolby Pro Logic II-capable. This isn’t exactly state of the art, but it is better than the days of Atari.

Wii

Nintendo basically got it right the first time in terms of reliability. They always get it right on the first try. But, that’s how Nintendo has always been. The updates that have been made to the system software has been to improve the functionality of the Wii, not put band-aid on problems.

XBOX360

Come on, this is Microsoft we are talking about here. We know their reputation.

In the beginning, Microsoft got cheap and invested in some cheap soldering which would soften up when people would use their systems for several hours at a time. Lots of motherboards were fried.

They have businesses CENTERED around fixing Xbox 360s. Some people are making big bucks.

The latest chipset they released allegedly fixes all of the problems. But really, it took them 2 years? And how do we know that there isn’t something wrong with this chipset?

Wii

Here is the good news, it is absolutely 100% free. It even comes built in with wireless functionality.

I haven’t ran into hardly any lag in the games I play online and most of the people you play against are very friendly. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve burned away in Dr. Mario Online Rx.

Here is the bad news… FRIEND CODES. It wouldn’t be so bad if your numerical friend code was your universal username for Wii’s online service. But that isn’t the case. Instead, every single damn game has a Friend Code. Mario Kart has a friend code. Super Smash Brothers has a friend code. Tetris Party has a friend code. It just keeps going on. I probably have around 20 friend codes by now! You have to exchange each one for each game.

Why do they do this? Nintendo claims its for children’s safety from harrassment, which doesn’t make any sense to me at all because wouldn’t it more safe to play with people you know rather than people you don’t? Not to mention that the Wii already has parental controls? If anyone can point me to a link where an XBox Live Gamertag compromised someone’s safety, I will STFU
instantly.

However, playing online with random people is still fun… although you’re likely to get some less honorable people who cheat or disconnect before you actually win a game so they can keep their stats up. I call “BULLSHIT!”

XBOX360

The good news… Unlike the Wii, all you generally need is ONE username… that is your GamerTag that you set up when you setup the console to begin with. Adding friends is easy and the majority of XBox 360 owners are online.

The interface for signing up for XBox Live is very slick. The network is great with no more lag than you would normally find in online gaming.

With your friends, you are likely get more people who actually play by the rules. After all, you know where they live!

The bad news… it is going to cost you some $. First… if you want to go wireless… an Xbox 360 Wireless adapter is going to run you $100! There are workarounds, but you have to be savvy to do so.

Not only that, butXbox Live actually charges you anywhere in the neighborhood of around $50 a year to play games online for a “Gold” membership. Not only that, but that is just for ONE username! So, if you and someone else you live with wanted to have separate usernames so you can track your achievements and what not, you’re going need to shell out more money. You could still share a username, but that kind defeats some of the purpose. Not only that but there is a good percentage of achievements in games that have to be unlocked by playing online.

You can still get a free silver membership. It allows you to have friends lists, chat with friends, and download content, but no playing games online. DAMN. Oh yeah, and no streaming Netflix either.

Wii

A common misconception amongst hardcore gamers is that the Wii doesn’t have enough games for the hardcore gamer.

I’m here to tell you right now that is total fucking bullshit.

What the problem actually is that there aren’t nearly as many “mature” games. The blood content shouldn’t mean shit to an actual hardcore gamer.

Now, I will admit there are a lot of titles geared towards the casual gamer… A LOT OF TITLES. Lot of bullshit titles like Cooking Mama tend to overshadow the great games for the system. Thanks, in part, to the success of Wii Sports, there are several cash-in attempts on it. The only one of those attempts that was both actually playable and actually sold semi-well was Carnival Games. As for the rest, thankfully, a lot of those BOMBED BIG TIME over the holidays.

THE Games to Get – Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Mario Strikers Charged, Super Paper Mario, Wario Land: Shake It, Wii Sports, Resident Evil 4, and Wii Fit

Games You Probably Haven’t Heard Of But Are AWESOME – Boom Blox, de Blob, Okami, Trauma Center: New Blood, MLB Power Pros 2009, WarioWare: Smooth Moves, Samba de Amigo, and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.

Avoid - Wii Sports clones and “Mini Game Collections.”

Upcoming Titles to Look Forward To: Punch-Out!!, Sin and Punishment 2, Excitebots: Trick Racing, Boom Blox Bash Party, The Conduit, TMNT Smash-Up, Wii Sports Resort, and lots more.

XBOX360

If you are a hardcore gamer, this game should have plenty of titles. Whether you are a fighting game buff (Virtual Fighter 5 and Street Fighter IV), a FPS fanatic (BioShock, Halo 3), a MMORPG person (Fable II, FFXI), a survival horror nut (Dead Rising, Resident Evil 5), Racing game guy (Project Gotham, Burnout), Sports (Madden, Skate), or what have you, the 360 has got you covered.

If you are a casual gamer, be prepared to basically not be interested in most of the gaming library. That’s not to say there is absolutely nothing for you, its just not

Also, if you don’t like First Person Shooters or any time of games played from the first person perspective, that eliminates a good portion of many of Xbox 360’s premiere titles.

THE Games to Get – Gears of War 2, Dead Rising, Resident Evil 5, Halo 3, Dead Space, Grand Theft Auto IV, Fallout III, Fable II, BioShock, Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Mass Effect 2, BioShock 2 and Street Fighter IV

Games You Probably Haven’t Heard Of But Are AWESOME – Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, Viva Pinata, Virtual Fighter 5 Online, and Banjo & Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

Avoid - The majority of licensed titles. The majority of games that have a busty female on the cover (excluding the DOA series). The majority of sports games not by EA or 2k Games.

Upcoming Titles to Look Forward To: Final Fantasy XIII, Tekken 6, Wolfenstein.

Wii

There is only a handful of games that have downloadable content. I can probably name most of them off the top of my head too… Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero: Metallica, Rock Band 2, Samba De Amigo, and the upcoming Boom Blox Bash Party are some of the few meager titles with additional downloadable content. Some games will let you send your created levels to other Wii users like the original Boom Blox and Super Smash Brors Brawl. Outside of that… not all that much in terms of DLC.

XBOX 360

Lots of games have downloadable content. Yeah, that was vague, but let us just say that even freakin’ UNO has downloadable content. Without a doubt, Xbox 360. No contest.

Wii

The Nintendo Wii comes backwards compatable with the Nintendo GameCube built into the system and works great. Granted, you will need a GameCube controller and a Memory card, but it is compatable. The GameCube is easily one of the most underrated video gaming consoles of all time. If you can get your hands on some titles, seriously check out Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. It is one of my favorite games EVER.

Plus, all of the Resident Evil games from Zero to 4 are available for the GameCube. Can’t go wrong there!

XBOX360

The Xbox 360 is backwards compatable with MOST Xbox titles. You will need a hard drive and be able to download an update, but it is there. I was never a huge fan of the Xbox library but there still is something for everyone.

Wii:

- With all the accessories you need to get started to play with 2 players, iti s about $330 ($350 with Classic Controller accessory)
- Most new games are $50.
- Graphics are perfect for your CRT TV…. but require some tinkering for to look decent on your HDTV.
- Online is FREE. It is wireless right out of the box. However, it is hindered by 1000s of “Friend Codes” for “security reasons.”
- The gaming library you can get at the store has some classic games such as Zelda, Mario Kart, and Smash Brothers, but you have to sift through a lot of crap, whether you are a hardcore gamer or a casual gamer.
- The selection of games that you can download is fantastic.
- Not much in the way of additional downloadable content. If you are a DLC fiend, PASS.
- Backwards compatibility with the GameCube is built into the system, and this means you can play some great games from the excellent library.
- Very innovative system with motion detecting, the balance board, and Miis. It changes the way you play, but there are a lot of instances where motion controls are just “tacked on” to the game.

XBOX360:

- With all the accessories you need to get started to play with 2 players, it is about $430.
- Most new games are $60.
- Graphics are perfect for your HDTV…. but there are some visibility issues on a CRT.
- One username to rule them all with Xbox Live! However, it is going to cost you some $$$ no matter how you look at it.
- The gaming library has lots of great games for the hardcore gamer. If you are a casual gamer, just stick to what you can download online on the XBox Marketplace.
- The games you can download onlinie have some good hardcore games, but the majority are geared towards the casual gamer.
- Xbox 360 is the king of downloadable content. New content is coming out each week. Even fucking UNO has downloadable content.
- Backwards compatability with the original Xbox can be downloaded. I wasn’t really into that library of games, but there are some decent ones in there.
- While it is essentially just a really powerful video game console, a lot of the innovation lies in your GamerTag. However, if that’s not your thing, then don’t look here for anything new because the rest has been essentially been done before.

Either way, anyone would be pleased with whatever console they purchase. However, if you look at listed above, you need to know what is important to you as the consumer and gamer, then make your informed decision.