Hardware Need Display advise for boy's Wii U

[thorasgar]

Edit: did not paste this first paragraph in.

My 9 & 12 year old boys are getting a Wii U for Christmas. They have a Wii with 4 motes/nunchucks and 4 add-on motion + plus the gel skins. They are mostly interested in the standard Mario and Lego titles and maybe some Zelda. Does MK8 make use of the motion +? If so guess I would need the new combined remotes to fit the steering wheels, correct?

We have been using an old 1996 36" SDTV but I suspect I will need to get a HDTV for them to really enjoy the new system. Will be in basement and used 90% for the WiiU with no cable and possibly some streamed content like YouTube or occasional movies. From my research input lag is an important issue just not sure how important since they are not into shooting games (yet, and Mom isn't thrilled with the idea) but I am sure they will want SSBB. I really want to go as cheap as possible without making gameplay unenjoyable. They play together frequently and sometimes have friends over so upto 4 can be playing so I was thinking in the 40-50" range. The couch is about 10' from the wall but they frequently move closer and play on the floor.

Thoughts on balancing quality, size and value?

For a budget TV it seems the Vizio E series seems to have a decent balance and input lag data on many of the other current budget sets like Insignia and Spectre is lacking. I am hoping to stay in the 300-400 range for the TV and catch a decent sale over the next few weeks. I am color blind so choosing a set at the store is rather useless.

Would like to have some cash to upgrade my video card for Terraria and any other PC games they want.

 

[Landbasered]

why don't you just get the composite cables for the wii u
Its like $10

 

[grossaffe]

I've been using a Vizio 320E for a few years now and my only complaint is that the sound isn't great (but I bypassed their speakers with a 2.1 channel sound system, so I no longer care). Vizio (and most good TV manufacturers) has a picture mode for gaming that focuses on limiting latency. For a budget TV, I have no problem giving Vizio the thumbs up.

Also, now that Smash Bros. is going 8-player, you may see more than 4 rambunctious kids playing on that TV.

 

[Tiffani]

A quick look at walmart.com gave me this.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/RCA-50-LED50B45RQ-1080p-60Hz-LED-HDTV/35030309 (50 inch LED for $379)

http://www.walmart.com/ip/VIZIO-E480-B2-48-1080p-60Hz-Class-LED-HDTV-Refurbished/37599705 (48 inch LED for $329)

I have a RCA LCD that works well for me. One friend has a Vizio and another has a LG and they both say those work well for them. I think any of those 3 brands would workwell (RCA, LG, Vizio). I'm afraid I don't have any experience with Spectre or Insignia.

 

[thorasgar]

Thanks all. I suppose I should back up a bit and decide if we need to play it on an HDTV. I can't seem to find a consistent answer as to how the display is handled on 480. I have heard letterboxing, just cutting off edges and then squishing it in. Don't want to give them a nice new system they have been wanting for 2 years and leave them with a crap display. I My kids eyes are better than mine but I am having issues with text with text on couple of SDTVs in the house.

I have been eyeing the Wally World deals as well as the online and other big box stores. Refurbished certainly saves about $100 but I also like the Costco extra year warranty and $25 for an extra 3 year Square Trade for a total of 5 and the 90 day return window. I should just stop by a couple of times a week and hope for an open box.

A few articles I have read show input lag varying greatly even within brands. If it isn't an issue you experienced gamers are very concerned about I will just chill and stop over analyzing it.

 

[Tiffani]

Yeah, my sons never complain about input lag, so it shouldn't be an issue, I would imagine. I think upgrading to a HDTV is definitely worth it. It allows you to see the smaller details better. In a game like Pikmin 3 it really looks like you're amongst the plants and such when you're walking about.

 

[elmoemo]

If you have the Wii u at the minute then when the kids go to bed you could plug it in just to see his it looks/plays on your current TV and decide from there if it warrents a new TV. That'd be the best way to know

 

[sarkwalvein]

I wouldn't use a 480p TV with a Wii U.
It looks awful compared to what it looks like in an HD screen.
Right now I an using a very cheap 27" PC LCD monitor (with HDMI) and it works quite good.

I don't know what big screen model to recommend, but I suggest you against using an SD 480p screen.

 

[thorasgar]

If you have the Wii u at the minute then when the kids go to bed you could plug it in just to see his it looks/plays on your current TV and decide from there if it warrents a new TV. That'd be the best way to know

I don't have Wii U yet but that would be very very dangerous with these rascals. You never know when they are going to get up at 2:00 AM and come downstairs for water. Caught them hanging out by our bedroom door a few weeks ago while Mom and Dad were taking a "nap"

Really leaning towards the Vizio E series, the size is the big question now. I want a 48" but there are no good sales right now. I may just a 40" at Costco and stash it at the grandparents house for now and see it a better deal comes along, Wally World has a Spectre 50" for 349 but no display models so I am hesitant.

 

[Catastrophic]

Input lag shouldn't be an issue with most screens. I personally suggest looking around in thrift shops or online for any decent LCD screens. You'd be surprised what you can find there. 720p is perfectly fine with a good medium like HDMI or component.

 

[Foxi4]

Input lag shouldn't be an issue with most screens. I personally suggest looking around in thrift shops or online for any decent LCD screens. You'd be surprised what you can find there. 720p is perfectly fine with a good medium like HDMI or component.

Myeh. Go full 1080p or don't go at all, to be perfectly honest. No need for any fancy Smart TV features, but with 4K just around the corner, you might as well catch up with HD at least.

 

[Catastrophic]

Myeh. Go full 1080p or don't go at all, to be perfectly honest. No need for any fancy Smart TV features, but with 4K just around the corner, you might as well catch up with HD at least.

He did say cheap, so I suggested cheap.

 

[Foxi4]

He did say cheap, so I suggested cheap.

There's a saying where I live, it goes "a clever fox pays twice". Yes, go cheap, but don't go cheap to your own detriment or you'll end up upgrading sooner than you think.

 

[RandomUser]

Keep in mind that sometimes those awkward named TV may be using the same panels that the well known branded TV has. Although I could be wrong. So whatever TV you pick, you might be happy with it. I don't know the sound quality of any TV as I use a surround sound unit for sounds instead of the TV. Currently I am using a very old model of the Samsung 52" LCD TV and it displays very good pictures, and do not experience any ghosting or lags when playing games.

 

[Catastrophic]

There's a saying where I live, it goes "a clever fox pays twice". Yes, go cheap, but don't go cheap to your own detriment or you'll end up upgrading sooner than you think.

I don't know, I mean he has been using his CRT for 17 years and only ran into a problem now.

 

[Foxi4]

I don't know, I mean he has been using his CRT for 17 years and only ran into a problem now.

To be fair, I use a CRT in my room as well, but that's mostly because I have a metric ton of retro consoles that just look better on it.

 

[Catastrophic]

To be fair, I use a CRT in my room as well, but that's mostly because I have a metric ton of retro consoles that just look better on it.

Go RGB or go home.

But back on the subject, there is a pretty big price curve between something old and something new, even if it's just by a short time or so. The money it takes to get something mediocre now and something mediocre again later may cost the same as getting something that's new now.

 

[Foxi4]

Go RGB or go home.

I'm a part of the European Master Race, we have RGB SCART. ;O;

 

[Catastrophic]

I'm a part of the European Master Race

If you had said that during the dark ages of 50hz then you would've been laughed at.

 

[Foxi4]

If you had said that during the dark ages of 50hz then you would've been laughed at.

Now, now - separate colour channels > slightly faster refresh rate.