Just got a xbox one s for my soon to be 8 year old. It is the Minecraft bundle. That is the game what he wants to play. There are also the Lego games kids tend to love. You don't have to buy the games that are more suited to older kids and adults. Xbox is by far the more popular console.

OP, we just had this same dilemma. We ended up going with the Xbox One S with the Kinect. (Basically just has a smaller console but is supposed to handle graphic issues a little better, etc and I'm a sucker for a slimmer design, but there's not much difference between that and the Xbox One. Same games, etc. The 'S' needs a $40 adapter for the Kinect which is annoying.) Its a christmas gift for my 8 yr old son so I'm not yet sure if it was the right choice but here are my reasons:

1. I REALLY wanted, and totally planned on the Wii U and was crushed to hear my male friends suggest not getting it due to it being discontinued.

2. I decided there are enough moving games for Xbox, although there are plenty that are definitely not an option.

3. The reviews I read between the Xbox and PS4 seemed to make the PS4 sound better, but again, everyone I asked seemed to have an Xbox, which makes a difference with games, etc and it overall seemed to be the more popular console.

I am hoping we made a good choice because they are expensive! I am still mourning the Wii U, and if it was less expensive would have gone that route. Good luck, I think your kids will love whatever you choose.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The games for Xbox are much more extreme and violent. There are dramatically fewer games for kids than the Wii.

+1 I bought a wii u for my kids last xmas -- 7 and 10 -- for this very reason. Wait till they are teens for xbox.

Np: they're discontinuing the Wii U, so no new games....

Np here. Oh no!?!? We just bought a Wii U for our young kids. Do you suggest we return it for something else or wait for the Switch?

Wii U games will get cheaper!

How old are your kids? We have a Wii and a Wii U, and our 5 and 8 year olds like to play games on both systems. If they are on the younger side I would say keep the Wii U and move to the Switch in a few years.

You can search reviews of games by age and platform on Common Sense Media:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/reviews/category/game

So even if the Wii is being discontinued, there are definitely games available and sustained use could last a few years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The games for Xbox are much more extreme and violent. There are dramatically fewer games for kids than the Wii.

+1 I bought a wii u for my kids last xmas -- 7 and 10 -- for this very reason. Wait till they are teens for xbox.

Np: they're discontinuing the Wii U, so no new games....

Np here. Oh no!?!? We just bought a Wii U for our young kids. Do you suggest we return it for something else or wait for the Switch?

Wii U games will get cheaper!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The games for Xbox are much more extreme and violent. There are dramatically fewer games for kids than the Wii.

+1 I bought a wii u for my kids last xmas -- 7 and 10 -- for this very reason. Wait till they are teens for xbox.

Np: they're discontinuing the Wii U, so no new games....

Np here. Oh no!?!? We just bought a Wii U for our young kids. Do you suggest we return it for something else or wait for the Switch?

Anonymous wrote:sorry, another question, what do you think about xbox one?? is that more kid friendly? or is that the same as xbox?

Get the XBox One. My understanding is that there's backward compatibility so you can play XBox 360 games on the XBox One, but you can't play XBox One games on the 360. Since the XBox One is the newest technology, eventually the 360 is going to go away and the games will all be designed for the XBox One.

sorry, another question, what do you think about xbox one?? is that more kid friendly? or is that the same as xbox?

My DDs are also 8 and 6 and they play with DH's XBox. I agree with PP that you have to keep a close eye on the games, as they get older, because some of what's available on the XBox is insanely violent. I disagree that there aren't good games available for kids. Commonsense Media reviews video games and that's a good starting place to see what's out there.

My girls play on weekend mornings and currently like Costume Quest and King's Quest. My 8 yo is proficient at the controls but my 6 yo still needs help.

They also love the Kinect for XBox and the games that are available through that. The Kinect is a sensor/camera that's sold as an accessory. It's also helpful for Skype with the grandparents because you can run all of those kinds of services through the XBox One (Netflix, Skype, basically any app).

OP here, thank you so much for the input. What about the PS4? what are your thoughts about that console. So many options.....arghhh.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The games for Xbox are much more extreme and violent. There are dramatically fewer games for kids than the Wii.

+1 I bought a wii u for my kids last xmas -- 7 and 10 -- for this very reason. Wait till they are teens for xbox.

Np: they're discontinuing the Wii U, so no new games....

Anonymous wrote:The games for Xbox are much more extreme and violent. There are dramatically fewer games for kids than the Wii.

Np: Not all games for the xBox One are violent - there are, absolutely, child friendly options, but not as many as with Wii. I think your 8yo is probably growing out of the Wii, but if they don't play often, I don't know if a new gaming system is worth it. As for the controllers, kids seem to learn very quickly how to use them.

Anonymous wrote:The games for Xbox are much more extreme and violent. There are dramatically fewer games for kids than the Wii.

+1 I bought a wii u for my kids last xmas -- 7 and 10 -- for this very reason. Wait till they are teens for xbox.

The games for Xbox are much more extreme and violent. There are dramatically fewer games for kids than the Wii.

I have two boys 8 and 6, they have asked for the xbox for Christmas, we already have the wii. What is the difference between the two? what is easier for them to play with? So far they don't really play much with the wii, I think because I don't really bring it out much and when we do play with it, it always leads to fights.
My husband and I are not much into video games, I can do the old school Nintendo you know with the easy controls, but these more complicated games and controls I just don't have time for.
What do your kids like and seem to play good with?