Should the Wii be called a toy?

[Zeus]

Many folks and developers have branded the Wii as a toy. But do you think this is fair or does the Wii have the right to be called a games console? Let us know!

[Cue]

Add the entry "All video game systems are toys" unless you install linux on it or some home-brew not used for entertainment.

[ThreeDog]

Add the entry "All video game systems are toys" unless you install linux on it or some home-brew not used for entertainment.

I like to think of consoles as more than toys, i consider the 360/PS3 more like gadgets because of the extra features.
The only saving grace for me voting not sure is the ability to emulate plenty of systems but generally i have a major dislike of the Wii and it feels like a toy to me, i don't feel immersed in the game because the control scheme is so funky.

[fartman]

TOY:
an object designed to be played with.

source: Collins English Dictionary


I´m going with Cue:
ALL video game systems are designed to be played with, so ALL consoles ARE toys!

[tech3475]

I would say all video games are forms of toys, the only difference is that they can now do more e.g. what movies, etc.

Besides the Wii does what allot of the other consoles do with homebrew, it's just nintendo chose not to do it themselves.

[Battlefield]

I like to think of consoles as more than toys, i consider the 360/PS3 more like gadgets because of the extra features.
The only saving grace for me voting not sure is the ability to emulate plenty of systems but generally i have a major dislike of the Wii and it feels like a toy to me, i don't feel immersed in the game because the control scheme is so funky.

Now that 360 and PS3 gets motion controls, they are also becoming "a toy" like Wii...hehe

Anyways.. Gaming on all consoles is a toy. You can watch video, play music on all 3 consoles too.. they are more than a toy, but most people uses consoles as toys. Gaming is accepted nowadays, so many people over 40-50 also plays games. Its not only for 10-20 years old anymore.

Games is toys no matter if its violent or not.

Flight Simulator X for example, is not a game. Its a flight simulation only. There is no score, story or any special goal.

[EL_CAD]

Add the entry "All video game systems are toys" unless you install linux on it or some home-brew not used for entertainment.
Agreed. The way it is now, makes it a loaded question.

[CharmedonWB]

Why don't we be fair and place all consoles up there because they are all toys.

[DunnyUK]

having owned a Wii, I'm sorry to say but it's a toy in my opinon, definatley not something I want from a games console.

[billysastard]

I´m going with Cue:
ALL video game systems are designed to be played with, so ALL consoles ARE toys!



absolutely right, the big hint is in the GAME part of VIDEOGAMES all consoles are toys not just the wii, without the all toys option this poll is just pathetic fanboy fodder and pretty shameful for mc to try a stunt like this.

[yusky03]

For all those saying all systems are toys then the Wii is a kids toy... so there!:p

[Xenogears V]

Someone must search on vocabolary and search what mean "Toy". That is the right way to understand...

[p1nky]

I vote that the Wii is a toy but PS3 and 360 are not.
For me the difference is what you are doing with it. The PS3 and the 360 are a hobby, playing games with it regularly, like watching TV or DVDs.
The Wii on the other hand is a toy because it is used like a child's toy. Use it a bit maybe, then throw it away and do something else and probably forget about it. Like hardcore gamers who bought it do because there are hardly any games for them. Buying it is more like "hey let's also check out how this motion controller works". And then there is the vast number of people who don't really play games, those people called "casual gamers" that use it like a toy too. Maybe play some game when there is a party or do Wii Fitness and Wii Sports a bit, and then also throw it away to collect dust....

[Battlefield]

For all those saying all systems are toys then the Wii is a kids toy... so there!:p

Then why are there more mature players on Wii than PS3? ;)

[ThreeDog]

Now that 360 and PS3 gets motion controls, they are also becoming "a toy" like Wii...hehe

Anyways.. Gaming on all consoles is a toy. You can watch video, play music on all 3 consoles too.. they are more than a toy, but most people uses consoles as toys. Gaming is accepted nowadays, so many people over 40-50 also plays games. Its not only for 10-20 years old anymore.

Games is toys no matter if its violent or not.

Flight Simulator X for example, is not a game. Its a flight simulation only. There is no score, story or any special goal.

Hmm fair point... i just don't like the thought of being 20+ and still playing with toys lol its kind of borderline "do you want to play with some toys? i'll get my box of transformers out" i don't know i guess i felt games and consoles had progressed further than the 'toy' level ie if you use your PS3 as a blu-ray player only.. is it still a toy?.

On the flight Sim X point i have heard that argued time and time again but with Orbiter (http://www.orbitersim.com) on their forums, im not touching that one with a 10 foot pole ;)

[Cue]

Hmm fair point... i just don't like the thought of being 20+ and still playing with toys lol its kind of borderline "do you want to play with some toys? i'll get my box of transformers out" i don't know i guess i felt games and consoles had progressed further than the 'toy' level ie if you use your PS3 as a blu-ray player only.. is it still a toy?.

On the flight Sim X point i have heard that argued time and time again but with Orbiter (http://www.orbitersim.com) on their forums, im not touching that one with a 10 foot pole ;)
I can definitly see where you're coming from threedog. I have no problem calling my entertainment device a toy (including my BD player even) so the question didn't really have an entry that fitted how I felt.
Perhaps it just needs re-wording, I think El-CAD is right, it's a loaded question. It seems people are reading the question in many different ways. Some are reading it as the suggested demograph of the wii, others as to whether or not they use it often. So I think the outcome won't really have much useful information in it.

[Battlefield]

Hmm fair point... i just don't like the thought of being 20+ and still playing with toys lol its kind of borderline "do you want to play with some toys? i'll get my box of transformers out" i don't know i guess i felt games and consoles had progressed further than the 'toy' level ie if you use your PS3 as a blu-ray player only.. is it still a toy?.

On the flight Sim X point i have heard that argued time and time again but with Orbiter (http://www.orbitersim.com) on their forums, im not touching that one with a 10 foot pole ;)

I dont know anyone in real life, no matter age that says a console is a toy. Its accepted by everyone. I have played Wii Tennnis, Wii bowling, Guitar Hero x/Rock Band x on 360 with chicks up to near 40 years old and nearly all likes this. :)

I even completed Gears of War, Vegas 2 and Resistance in local Co-Op with my 30 year old ex GF..lol
She was good at FPS, but didnt have any consoles herself.

Orbital looks interresting, because i love the Elite / Frontier games. :)

Frontier: Elite 2 on CD32 console is still the best game i ever played. I recently read that several others thinks its the best game ever too. :)

[ThreeDog]

Never had much experience of CD32 i remember galactic bodyblows and that's about it.
Don't be expecting an Elite/Frontier experience with orbiter it is by all definitions a realistic space sim with an extremely steep learning curve, unless you're some kind of rocket scientist expect to be reading and failing for months.
I set out five or six years ago to download the Voyager 2 addon and perform a date accurate flight, I have yet to manage it, i normally end up a month or two off and end up offcourse when its time to use slingshot around saturn to get to uranus.. i always try to save the flight and end up running out of fuel.

[Battlefield]

Never had much experience of CD32 i remember galactic bodyblows and that's about it.
Don't be expecting an Elite/Frontier experience with orbiter it is by all definitions a realistic space sim with an extremely steep learning curve, unless you're some kind of rocket scientist expect to be reading and failing for months.
I set out five or six years ago to download the Voyager 2 addon and perform a date accurate flight, I have yet to manage it, i normally end up a month or two off and end up offcourse when its time to use slingshot around saturn to get to uranus.. i always try to save the flight and end up running out of fuel.

Haha.. This sim doesent sound easy, and its not fun to fail after years. I'll skip this. Last time i skipped a sim was Shuttle on Amiga. It was so realistic that you needed to be a real astronaut to play it. ;)

Elite 4 have been in the works for over 10 years, and there is still no more news about it. It was re-confirmed that Elite 4 was still in works. Elite 2 is only 300K in size compressed including 150K of compressed music.
He programmed Elite 2 in assembler, and thats why it also ran on Amiga 500.

Their newest game is "Lost Winds 2" for Wiiware. ;) Far from Elite 4..lol
Frontier devs is making several games at once thou.

[ThreeDog]

Maybe its a little far off of what you're after but did you ever play Tachyon: The Fringe?
If you haven't you should its pretty fun and stands the test of time (it is pretty old) as a good space shooter, too little of them these days so i always go back to it.

Id be interested in Elite 4 i've not played Elite since the Atari ST days, The most recent space game i've played is X3, i had to wait three years for egosoft/deepsilver to make a patch that actively removed starforce on install then found out the combat difficulty level was too high and finding your objective was the equivalent of finding a pair of unstained underpants at 10 downing street.

[Battlefield]

Maybe its a little far off of what you're after but did you ever play Tachyon: The Fringe?
If you haven't you should its pretty fun and stands the test of time (it is pretty old) as a good space shooter, too little of them these days so i always go back to it.

Id be interested in Elite 4 i've not played Elite since the Atari ST days, The most recent space game i've played is X3, i had to wait three years for egosoft/deepsilver to make a patch that actively removed starforce on install then found out the combat difficulty level was too high and finding your objective was the equivalent of finding a pair of unstained underpants at 10 downing street.

Thanks for the info about Tachyon. I will get that game. :)

Haha...I know X3, but havent played it yet. It sounds like it had alot of hassle and some bugs.
Elite 2 is running real time like that Orbitary game, but you can speed up time. Elite 2 was with help from NASA. It have 100 billion planets and solar systems with names. The universe is unlimited in size in that time. I tried to scroll the galaxy map FAST for a long time, and it still didnt reach any end..lol
Elite 2 is story based, but totally open world and do anything when you want unless things happens at certain times. I played Elite 2 for 8 years, and played up to Competent ranking.. Closing in on Elite. Competent is higher than Dangerous ranking btw.
I have the biggest and most expanded ship in that game. My ships is so scary that space pirates dont dare to attack me anymore. The bigger pirate ships is tougher, but they are only scratchin my shield..haha

I dont understand why EA dont make Wing Commander 6 with todays game engines. It could be awesome if "EA Montreal" team made it.

[faceless]

Add the entry "All video game systems are toys" unless you install linux on it or some home-brew not used for entertainment.
exactly, they're all toys. just like when you buy a Ferrari. well, or for most of us, a G35 or Impreza or american muscle car.

[DEDDOA]

All consoles are toys, their primary function is for playing games, they may me hight tech but they are still toys. They perform no labour saving tasks as primary function, so they are not tools, they are not audio/video media centres even if they can do some stuff like it's not as the primary function. The only difference between the Wii and PS3/360 is GFX (you could say control scheme but the end result is the same but with more interactivity), and if this view is based on GFX then every console prior to this gen are toys, and that being the case this gen by it's heritage are toys as well.