I'm thinking of buying a 360 or Wii

[NES_Rules]

Well, I've decided to finally join the current generation of gaming. I know I don't want a PS3 but I'm unsure if I want a 360 or Wii. 360 has some great games and I like the traditional controller, but the Wii is so much cheaper (systems and games) and I want Mario. So, which one do you guys think I should get?
If I go for the 360 (which is the one I'm leaning toward) which version should I get? I don't even know which versions are out there anymore. Should I look for a used one? I've seen a couple on Craigslist, what's a good price for a used one?

[Arrrhalomynn]

If you absolutely want Mario, you don't really have an option; go for the Wii.

I don't have a Wii, so I won't say anything about that, but I do have an XBOX 360. I think it's a pretty cool machine, with some great games, but nearly none of them are platform exclusive. If you have a good pc, check how many of the 360 games are exclusives and if it's still worth it.

[phoenix1967]

If you absolutely want Mario, you don't really have an option; go for the Wii.

If all you want to do is play Mario-themed games, then I agree, the Wii is your console.
 

...I do have an XBOX 360. I think it's a pretty cool machine, with some great games, but nearly none of them are platform exclusive. If you have a good pc, check how many of the 360 games are exclusives and if it's still worth it.

Top platform exclusives for the 360:
Mass Effect
Halo 3
Crackdown
Dead Rising
Dead or Alive 4
Forza Motorsport 2
and coming soon: Ninja Gaiden 2, Fable 2, Too Human, and others

On the 360 and PC:
Bioshock
Gears of War
Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2
Call of Duty 4
Lost Planet
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements

Top-list multiplatform titles on 360:
Guitar Hero 2 and 3
Rock Band
Assassin's Creed
Virtua Fighter 5
Half Life-The Orange Box

Some additional games coming to the 360 in 2008:
Borderlands, Fallout 3, Prototype, GTA4, Devil May Cry 4, Lost Odyssey (exclusive), Soul Calibur 4, Star Wars- the Force Unleashed, Fracture, Mercenaries 2, Halo Wars (exclusive), Far Cry 2, Dead Island, and although unannounced Guitar Hero 4 and Rock Band 2 are likely.

There's also a multitude of XBox Live Arcade titles to consider.

If you get a 360, the 20gb Premium edition is a solid choice. If you're concerned about storage capacity because you feel you'd download movies and/or a LOT of other content the 120gb Elite would be better for you. I'd steer clear of the bargain Arcade one (no hard drive) and used consoles in general.

Hope that helps your decision-making.

[Arrrhalomynn]

It depends of course on the games you want to play. I have six games for the system, and of these only Mass Effect is platform exclusive.

[TraderJake]

I think it is more, if you only want to play Nintendo or Minigames, then the Wii currently is your system. I am inclined to believe that there will be more to the Wii in the future (See: DS), but right now the first year is eerily similar to the DS.

As for the 360... I don't own one, but after seeing all the add-ons, up-charges, and the apparent outcome of the format-war (in addition to LBP), I am going for the PS3, at some point.

I guess the moral of the story is, buy the one with the games you want to play.

[Dev1anc3]

I've got a 360, but I'll have a Wii eventually. If I were you, I'd get both, because they are both worth owning. I picked the 360 first because it has a nice selection of titles compared to the other consoles, as it was out a year ahead, plus the older titles can be picked up for almost nothing...   plus I'm a big fan of Xbox live, so that pretty much sold me. The only bad thing is that the hardware is garbage, so you can expect it to go bad soon. My Elite is currently dead, and I'm waiting on Microsoft to send me the mailing package for repairs. It lasted 6 months, which is pathetic, especially since this console has been around about 3 years now. Other than that, I'd say it's the best choice if you like online play, and want a larger library of titles to chose from.

[welchracing33]

Its up to the games that you like to play. I have both and the 360 just sits in the corner. It got old pretty fast. If it wasnt for the fact of me collecting I probably would have never bought a 360, but I needed it for my collection.

I have played my Wii a lot more then my 360 and it never seems to get old. The Wii is kind of weak on games right now but Im sure that will change soon. I think there will be a lot coming out of the Wii in the near future. Plus if you have kids the Wii is a lot more fun for them.

[Cobra]

I'd say go the Wii. You can also get the older style control and take advantage of the virtual console aspect. Also there are a number of PS2/PSP ports that seem to be cropping up for it (like Scarface and Rampage) to fill in the void while new and exciting titles come out.

Plus you won't see any Mario game on the 360.

[Tondog]

Depends on what games you want really.

I personally think the Wii is a cesspool of shitty minigame compilations and PS2 ports with tacked on waggle control at the moment, but maybe that will change.

The only really good games I've ever played for Wii are Zack and Wiki, Metroid Prime 3, Mario Galaxy, Metal Slug Anthology, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition, Elebits, and Super Paper Mario. Yeah,  I know I didn't include Twilight Princess, but I thought that game was terrible in comparison to Wind Waker and it tried to mimick Ocarina of Time too much.

However, the Wii does have No More Heroes, and that looks like it will end up being one of the best games of the year.

360 is meh. Especially with the 33% failure rate that the system has. It's got some good games, but I wouldn't want to buy a ticking timebomb in order to have them.

[Tynstar]

If you want to play games a lot of good games then get the 360. If you want to play mini games and the big Nintendo titles get the Wii. If you want a Wii I will sell you mine.

[Ando]

Here's a hint: Wii.

I personally would jump on the Wii bandwagon as soon as possible, because, as mentioned before, the Wii seems to be starting off like the DS. Back in the early days of the DS, people were like "Two screens? And one of them is a touch screen? It will FAIL. The system is stupid and the games are garbage minigame compilations! Nintendo never had a chance after the 64!" But where are we now? The Wii is taking the same path... People confused as to how the system is great and why there are so many minigame games and not-that-phenomenal stuff, but eventually it'll turn around. We've already got Galaxy, Twilight Princess, Super Paper Mario, and others.

The 360 has Viva Pinata. Lost Planet's pretty cool, too. Assassin's Creed is awesome.
Only two of those are exclusive. It's up to you.

[Tondog]

I personally would jump on the Wii bandwagon as soon as possible, because, as mentioned before, the Wii seems to be starting off like the DS. Back in the early days of the DS, people were like "Two screens? And one of them is a touch screen? It will FAIL. The system is stupid and the games are garbage minigame compilations! Nintendo never had a chance after the 64!" But where are we now? The Wii is taking the same path... People confused as to how the system is great and why there are so many minigame games and not-that-phenomenal stuff, but eventually it'll turn around. We've already got Galaxy, Twilight Princess, Super Paper Mario, and others.

I hope you're right. I really do. Because my Wii purchase is not paying off right now.

The 360 has Viva Pinata. Lost Planet's pretty cool, too. Assassin's Creed is awesome.
Only two of those are exclusive. It's up to you.

Lost Planet is going to be on PS3, and PC has Viva Pinata now.

[Ando]

The 360 has Viva Pinata. Lost Planet's pretty cool, too. Assassin's Creed is awesome.
Only two of those are exclusive. It's up to you.

Lost Planet is going to be on PS3, and PC has Viva Pinata now.

Wait. No. That's what I meant. That sentence should have been "Two of those are NOT exclusive." There.

[Tan]

360 is meh. Especially with the 33% failure rate that the system has. It's got some good games, but I wouldn't want to buy a ticking timebomb in order to have them.

The 33% is a gross exaggeration at best, but those are the types of numbers getting your news from fanboy-based websites will give you.

Or you can think of it this way: Waiting 4-6 weeks if your 360 dies, is a helluva lot better than waiting 4-6 months for the next good PS3 or Wii game to come out. Maybe those two won't suck so bad this year, but no one can predict the future.

Prices wil always fall, new games good and bad will always come out, so why decide now? If you really wanted one of these two you wouldn't have to think about it, you'd already have all the reason you need to spend a few hundred bucks. Many people have bought one or the other to regret it later, they just really wanted to have something new.

Have you considered a DS instead? It's cheap, it's new, and has Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Metroid etc etc. Just because it's a handheld doesn't mean it's not next-gen. And by looking through your collection, I'd say the games would appeal to your personal tastes more than the Wii or 360 would. The price of a Wii and a game could nab you New Super Mario Bros., Zelda Phantom Hourglass, Metroid Prime Hunters, Mario & Luigi, a couple used DS games and a DS Lite.

[NES_Rules]

Have you considered a DS instead?

I have thought about getting a DS, but I just don't care for handhelds much. Plus, I'm expecting to see a few regular DS's at garage sales this year from people who upgraded to DS lites. So I'll probably snag one of them and be contempt for a couple years.

As a lot of you guys mention PCs, I do not have a gaming PC, just a laptop for basic functions. So, any games released on PC, I have no interest in.

And, as of now, I think I'm leaning toward the Wii. But how hard are they to find in stores these days? I noticed they were selling for around $450 on craigslist a few weeks before christmas, but I haven't seen one since, I assume the demand has slowed?