Console Suggestions for Kids

jaybo on 15/11/2016 - 12:07

my sister in law said she was thinking about getting a ps4 pro for the kids for christmas, but the kids are about 11 and 6, and i'm not overly convinced the ps4 pro (or ps4 in general) is really aimed at kids that young, i feel like PS4s are aimed more at the COD/Fifa crowd, older teenagers & 20-30 somethings rather than little kids.

wondering if anyone's got some feedback for me on the following points…

  • are there actually any good kids games for young kids on the ps4?
  • is it even worth going for the ps4 pro (her tv already has the netflix app in it so the ps4 pro for UHD content is pointless) or just get a normal (and cheap) ps4?
  • is there another console better suited for this kind of activity?

if it were 10 years ago i'd just give them a modded xbox 1 with a bunch of mame emulators all set up so the kids can go nuts and play every game for 30 seconds and forget about them as kids that young tend to do, i just feel like a $600+ console and $80+ games is going to be a monumental waste of money for some kids who are probably too young and have 30 second attention spans :)

(fwiw i'm a pc gamer, have been for years, havent had a console since the ps2/xbox and mostly played racing games so maybe i'm just properly out of touch with what consoles are for nowadays!)

any thoughts/suggestions/recommendations? homebrew'd mame emulator perhaps? :D

Gaming

Comments

  • StickMan on 15/11/2016 - 12:19
    +1

    PS4 Pro not worth it, they won't appreciate the visual fidelity.

    PS4 vs Xbox One, roughly the same games, with Xbox perhaps more easily accessible kid-friendly games. The non-S version is under $300 now too, vs $400+ for PS4, so I'd get Xbox One.

    Alternatively, a $50 second-hand Wii, with the wavy remotes etc.

    • jaybo on 15/11/2016 - 12:29

      thanks! kinda backing up my thought patterns :)
      apparently they have a wii already and dont use it much, i would've thought they'd love it to be honest. kids these days rolls eyes :D

      • StickMan on 15/11/2016 - 12:35
        +1

        Even the 11yo is a stretch for Xbox/PS, especially if the Wii isn't used much.

        Are you sure this isn't one of those spoilt kids who get a $800 console and games package and then touch it for maybe 5 hours total?

      • decloahn on 15/11/2016 - 13:04
        +1

        Interesting that the wii don't get much use, I would've thought with abundant casual games, and how most wii games support couch co-op/splitscreen it would be a sure winner.

        Agree with StickMan though, the PS4/PS4 pro is not worth it. How about a PS3?

        By now there are plenty second-hand for sale often with games bundled. The games catalog is also big enough to pick and choose kids-appropriate games. The ones I can think of are:
        - Ratchet and Clank games
        - Little big planet 1 & 2
        - Lego video games series (Lego batman, etc)

        • scrambledeggs on 15/11/2016 - 13:08

          You guys are pretty naiive. I was playing Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid, Diablo 2 etc. at age 11. You aren't restricted to "kiddy" games.

        • lupiter on 15/11/2016 - 13:53

          @scrambledeggs: Kids will play anything they can get their hands on. That doesn't mean adults are happy buying it for them!

        • jaybo on 15/11/2016 - 14:26

          @scrambledeggs:

          i suspect i was a few years older (maybe 13-14) when i was playing GTA etc, i know kids arent restricted to that but seriously you wanna let a 6yo loose on gta? :P (my sister does it with her kid and i HATE that she does it)

          SIL has made it fairly clear she doesnt want the kids playing violent shooters, the 11yo is a girl who loves anime & scifi stuff, the 6yo is a boy who doesn't need any encouragement to be more violent :)

        • Diji1 on 15/11/2016 - 14:44

          @scrambledeggs: Some adults (that are nuts) think that if children do that they turn into hardened car thieves or violent criminals.

          Totes.

        • scrambledeggs on 15/11/2016 - 14:45

          @Diji1: Well I haven't stolen a car or murdered anybody yet but I will let you know how the remaining years of my life turn out

    • godofpizza on 15/11/2016 - 14:31

      a softmodded wii with a hardrive you can store wii/gc and almost the entire nintendo home console libary

  • Savas on 15/11/2016 - 12:38
    -1

    With all the cheap Xbox One deals how could you have not bought one already? But if they don't even like video games why force it on them?

  • sakinah on 15/11/2016 - 12:43

    I'm buying my kids a Xbox one s with Kinect. I want to play the active games with them like shape up and sports rivals. And they can play when friends come over. I say go for Xbox one. Some kids games are lego Star Wars, unraveled, angry birds.

  • trustnoone on 15/11/2016 - 12:44
    +5

    Best console for kids that have family friendly games I'd say anything from Nintendo, but at the end of the day though even Nintendo has Call of Duty on it.

    I wouldn't call a pro worth it, even for me at my older age it isn't worth it without a UHD tv (I also don't care so much about FPS or 4k quality, especially since the original PS4 works great). For a kid at 11 years old, I wouldn't go for the pro unless you were investing for yourselves as well (like if your sister in law uses it also).

    There are some more child orientated games on the consoles, though the only one I can think of is little sack boy and skylanders. Definitely doesn't compare to the plethora of family friendly ones on the nintendo consoles.

    I'd say the PS4 (Xbox one) age range I'd move more to the 14 to 18 demographic with of course players at any age.

    • Lukian on 15/11/2016 - 14:32

      Wii U all the way!

      Have you considered PS2/PS3 instead of the latest? They don't really need such modern hardware.

  • tabz on 15/11/2016 - 20:05

    are there actually any good kids games for young kids on the ps4?

    Minecraft. But it's also available on most of the other platforms.

    is it even worth going for the ps4 pro (her tv already has the netflix app in it so the ps4 pro for UHD content is pointless) or just get a normal (and cheap) ps4?

    If they don't already have a PS4, then its worth considering getting the Pro as some games upscale and are supposed to look a lot better on the new hardware.

    is there another console better suited for this kind of activity?

    Nintendo is a good choice. But if they kids are 11 & 6, then consider getting them the handheld consoles. 3DS (or 2DS) has a lot of great games. The new Pokemon game even comes out later this week if they're into that.

  • Donatello on 15/11/2016 - 22:08

    Classic NES Mini

  • scupper on 15/11/2016 - 22:11
    -1

    I'd say the Wii isn't getting used if there are no new games bought for it. Same if you bought a more modern console. I recommend Xbox One and a Live subscription. At least they get two new games or so every month.

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