The next generation of video game consoles is here. The latest and greatest technological offerings from Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are available on store shelves everywhere. The Xbox One and the Playstation 4 are pushing the envelope of sizzling graphics and jawdropping visuals. The Wii U takes the innovations of its predecessor and takes them a step farther with HD graphics and the GamePad controller. So which system is a gamer to choose? I believe a strong argument can be made for Nintendo’s Wii U as the best choice at this time.
Before I go too far into this editorial, I should share a bit about my perspective. Most of my video game time is spent playing with my thirteen year old son. Now that my older son has moved off to college, a single Xbox 360 is the only previous-gen system in our house. We have previously owned a Wii and a PS3, but our favorite system by far was the Xbox 360. We still play games on it regularly. I have been playing more PC games lately than I have in years, and often buy multiple copies of PC games in order to play co-op with my son.
My initial plan for the latest console generation was to buy an Xbox One but to wait until the first major price drop. The XBox 360 had provided us the best combination of features for the past seven or eight years, and choosing the successor to the 360 was an easy decision. I figured by the time a must-play game like Halo 5 or a new Gears of War title came along, the XBox One library would be a bit more robust, and, after a price drop, the system would be more affordable. Launch day came and went, various sales tempted me, and yet I still remained steadfast in my determination to wait.
One afternoon in January, my oldest son made a hard sell for an Xbox One when we were at our local Toys R Us. I detailed all my reasons for waiting, and he reluctantly agreed. However, the Wii U caught his eye, and he asked my opinion of it. I found I couldn’t come up with many good reasons to NOT buy a Wii U. Within a few hours, I was home playing New Super Mario Bros. U with both of my sons and having an absolutely fantastic time.