New Console for The Kids. Which One?

So the red suit dude is considering a new console for the kids. Currently they have a PS3 and predominantly play FIFA - which might be because they don’t have many other games which interest them. They also play LEGO Star Wars on wii. Haven’t let them into fortnight yet. I’m not a gamer (anymore, but was keen on driving games).

PS4 or XBOX? Not looking at other games … yet. Kids (3) are under 13. Is there a good combo deal going, ie console, game, extra controllers etc.

Poll Options

  • 12
    PS4
  • 14
    XBOX
  • 30
    Other (with comments below)

Comments

  • +4

    PS4 is the most popular console and most people will be telling you the PS4. I do agree. This is coming from someone with both consoles but prefers to play PS4.

    But however in your case I feel like Xbox could be the better option. You will find the Xbox one s to be pretty cheap compared to the PS4 slim.

    In my opinion there are better game bundles for the Xbox especially for kids.

    If you're willing to pay for it, the Xbox game pass would be excellent for your kids. It's full of Lego games and other games I'm sure you and your kids would enjoy. The game pass is around $11 or so per month or $80 per year, and gives you unlimited access to a huge library of games.

    Driving games. Well Forza motorsport 7 and Forza Horizon 4 beat anything PS4 has. PS4 has GT sport, but in my opinion it doesn't match what Forza has to offer. I myself love racing games (mainly f1 2018 though).

    I'll provide some more reasons a little later today

  • A lot of games are multiplayer now. So check casually with the kids to see what their friends have and what games too.

    Ie if all their friends are ps4 and they are xbox then it could suck for them.

  • +1

    Build a PC together with them.

    • +1

      Wrap up every part individually. More presents.

    • -1

      this is a good idea. $600 can get you a good ryzen gaming PC, and you can get a couple of xbox or ps controllers to game with. being close to christmas, theres plenty of free games and a wealth of $5 and $10 games.
      buying a console will cost you more over time as the games dont come cheap. plug the PC into the TV via hdmi.

      • +1

        I rarely pay over $20 for any console games. They're all super cheap after launch and there are frequent sales on the online store. Stop spreading this myth about PC master race

        • +1

          What are some good $20 Switch games?

        • i just saw that deal for far cry 5 for under $10 at costco and ate my words.

          sounds like if the kids like fifa and lego star wars, the dont really need any new games. dont get them hooked on the marketing of video game release cycles and sales!

        • I've yet to see deals better than steam's big sales, and I've only very recently gotten a PC.

          • +1

            @N1NJ4W4RR10R: If you're going digital only, sure. But where's the second hand PC market? Big name games can become very cheap second hand and through in store clearances for example.

            Here are some console games I've managed to find cheap for this generation either second hand, on sale or clearance:
            The Bureau: Xcom Declassified (XB1 BC) -$1
            Red Dead Redemption (XB1 BC) - $3
            Far Cry 4 (XB1) - $6
            Velocity 2X Limited Edition (PS4) - $4
            Okami HD (PS4) - $9
            DMC Devil May Cry (PS4) - $4
            Troll and I (XB1) - $4
            Halo 5 Collectors Edition (XB1) - $8
            Just Cause 3 (PS4), Evil Within (XB1), Mass Effect Andromeda (XB1) and Mirror's Edge Catalyst (PS4) - $20 bundled
            Wolfenstein New Order + Old Blood (XB1) - $7USD
            Injustice 2 (XB1) - $10
            Darksiders 2 Deathinitive Edition (XB1) - $4
            Shadow Warrior (XB1) - $4
            Redout (XB1) - $9
            Orange Box (XB1 BC) - $5
            Knights of the Old Republic (XB1 BC) - $5

            And that's just off the top of my head. As for some digital deals, I've found:
            Grim Fandango Remastered (PS4/Vita) - $3
            Bulb Boy (Switch) - $1.50
            Void Space Racing (Switch) - $1.50
            Goat Simulator (PS4) - $3
            The Witcher 2 (XB1 BC) - FREE
            Limbo (XB1) - FREE
            Lost Odyssey (XB1 BC) - FREE
            Crackdown (XB1 BC) - FREE

            All this excludes the 2 Xbox 360 games per month (playable on Xbox one, sometimes with 4k upgrades) that you keep forever with Games With Gold (I do not count the glorified rental games that comes with PS plus or Xbox Live Gold as free).

            • @Ninternet: Get an optical drive and you can buy physical games. Not so practical in more remote areas, but should be practical in city areas. (For second hand games I mean, EB still sells hard copies TMK)

              You've got crazy sales occasionally via the online stores (specifically steam), plenty of free games (due to stores wanting to compete) and, if you wanted to risk it, those cheap as hell codes.

              Though, like with second hand games sold by people, I wouldn't trust that (I don't trust people, seen my parents ripped off far to often by people around my area…and have seen how people who don't care about games treat their disks enough to not want to waste time)

              On top of that, you have emulators and stores like Humble that provide stupidly good value for a small amount of money

              On top of that, you'll keep all of your library when the next gen of hardware comes out if you need to sell off your old gear to afford the new stuff.

              If you absolutely need cheap physical games go for a console. I know that's a market, I can only run with physical games or small downloads, but OP's talked about online so clearly not the case here. Otherwise it'll be much cheaper/more practical in the long run.

              And as if that wasn't enough, if you wanted to play games online you aren't required to pay to play. Sure, you get some rental games alongside that, but you could just as easily throw that money at humble for 5-6 games rather than the 1-4 games (think it's something like 2-2-1 normally?)

              Maybe I'm a bit biased, Sony have seriously aggrivated me with their ps+ and their "free" games. But I've been without internet a hell of alot more than I have been with internet, and Steams sales definitely beat EBs.

              Sorry if this looks jumbled. Have made some edits before posting.

              *Not sure if I said it anywhere, but I live in a relatively remote area. So it's EB for the most part. Wouldn't trust anyone round here selling games

              TL;DR - PC has fairs better because it isn't a closed platform.

      • +1

        buying a console will cost you more over time as the games dont come cheap.

        PC games, on the other hand, are all free…

      • Sorry, but that just sounds like a hassle. Do you really expect young kids to build a PC and game on PC? It's much less accessible. What you described doing is much more of a niche thing to do. Connecting controllers to it and then hooking it up to the TV? Talk about a chore. The majority of kids won't want to have to bother with all that. They just want to press a button and start playing.

        An easier alternative is to get an Xbox One S and gamepass. Boom, everything you need. Great value. Nice and simple.

        • its really good if they learn to build and maintain a PC. theyre going to learn with a console too. I wouldnt limit accessibility for young learners, as problem solving that comes along with it can help them in the long run with problem solving in general, and not just relying on on everything being straight forward. theyre more responsible for the system if its something they built. then again if its a console and something goes wrong, teach your kids early to maintain warranty cards and get your full value out of what youve paid for.

  • +4

    Depends on how old and (trigger warning) what gender.

    My 7yo daughter loves iPad for games and if she plays console, it's the RetroPi or the Nintendo Switch. The games are more kid friendly and the controllers are better for little hands.

    Outside that, I've found that whatever their friends have, get that console. Typically young boys have the PS4 and if they are doing the floss, they will need a copy of Fortnight.

    I will say that as someone who has all 3, I found that the Xbox is cheaper to buy and is better value with free games each month (I know PS4 has these, but I've found the games with gold selection has better games. YMMV) and the Xbox subscription to games, but the PS4 has more people on it.

    So, find out what a majority of their friends have and get that. No sense getting a console if there is no one to play with on it.

    • +3

      Lol, don't know why you got negged.

      Edit: Whoever's negging us, happy to hear your opinion.

      • +3

        It's ok. There is some random phallus inhaler negging my comments for no reason. I know I'm not the only user that suffers from disgruntled, butt hurt users trying to teach me a lesson by being passive aggressive and hiding behind a neg vote rather than countering with an alternative viewpoint.

        It's most probably because it's a roll over from them receiving an iPad box full of dog turd that they scabbed out of some hard garbage. Or passive aggressive anonymous, easily offended people who are to scared to talk to their neighbors about feeding birds and this is their version of "I'll teach them".

        This type of neg voting is why the whole neg voting system is broken. Users can make very valid points, totally benign comments or fact laden correct posts and gets negged based on butt hurt from something totally unrelated in another thread. This can have the knock on effect of sheep negging. "Well, it has two, I won't read it, I'll just drop my neg on it."

        While I don't care about fake internet points, it's annoying when anyone posts something that is correct and supplies sources and is down voted randomly because some tool has a personal beef with that person.

        • +1

          It maybe because you offended them by misspelling Fortnite. :)

          • @ShortyX: Oh, lol. Could be. Didn't notice, on the phone and just letting autocorrect have it's way with me.

        • -2

          Agree on the broken neg voting system. I think transparency of the votes is necessary for a healthy discussion.

        • +3

          Ozb needs a duel forum, where two users duel it out on said topic.
          Everyone can spectate and vote on who is the winner.
          From them on the two users cannot neg each other for X amount of time.
          :p

  • +1

    You should buy them whatever console their friends have, so they can play online with their friends (some games are cross-platform but most aren't).

    If you are buying something without having to consider that, then I would 100% get a Nintendo Switch. It's a regular, in-front of the TV console that can also be played in hand-held mode. Its also portable if you guys do any traveling/long car rides. It also has two controllers out-of-the-box so you can probably get away with only having to buy one more controller depending on what games you get.

    If you like Nintendo franchises, the Switch arguably has the best console exclusive games, especially when it comes to younger audience.

  • +3

    I would agree on the XBOX comments but for a different reason. As a parent all you need is the XBOX with a Gamepass subscription and the kids will have access to over 100+ games with new games being rolled out in most months to the service. It means that the kids won't be begging you for more and more games at $50+ a pop.
    The arguments for a Playstation console are it's awesome exclusives (God of War, Spiderman e.t.c.) and PSVR (Virtual Reality). Given the ages you specified i can't imagine either is a want for your kids and therefore XBOX seems a better buy for the Gamepass. If they want to play online multiplayer you will also need XBox Live Gold.
    The base console of either will suffice unless you want to play in 4K, if you do (if you have a 4K TV then i recommend it) then the XBOX One X is the best graphically due to it's stronger components, but you pay a premium. Given their ages just a normal console should do the job + Gamepass. This is what you will need at the cheapest price i could find - ALL These are DEALS (after a 10 minute search for you)
    XBOX One S (4K Capable - in between normal and X)
    https://www.jbhifi.com.au/games-consoles/games/gaming-consol…
    Gamepass - Half Price Deal at the moment, $1 first month then $32 for 6 months which you can stack up to 3 years (VERY good price)
    https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/p/xbox-game-pass/cfq7ttc0k6l…
    Xbox Live Gold (3 month card discounted to $11.95 - buy 4 of them for a years coverage. Great price aswell)
    https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/p/xbox-live-gold/cfq7ttc0k5d…

    NOTE: The console only comes with One Controller so you may need to buy a second/third one depending on how many players…

    I am 43 and still a gamer (long story), the above is what i would buy mate.

  • Ask what their friends have.

    I bought a PS3 back in the day and all my high school mates had a 360.

  • +2

    Why don’t you just get them a switch? Lots of multiplayer options that don’t require an online subscription, so kiddies can all play at once. Games are priced pretty steep though.
    Or a 2nd hand Wii U Bundle from eBay. Games for this are so cheap once they re-release them on switch.

    • Yeah, I nearly went with switch but ended up with Xbox One S purely because of the difference in cost of games. Can pretty much get 4 Xbox games to price of switch, so with younger kids it felt less of a risk.

      Also xbox remains in one place… i have two kids and can just see lots of fighting over the switch as one will want to bugger off to their room to play it.

    • I thought Switch requires online now

  • hi guys - sorry to digress here..hv picked up Nintendo switch console for 6yr old…can u pls recommend the first game that he should try his hands on?

    • +1

      Pokemon lets go , minecraft , mariokart - it has a kid friendly driving mode

    • -1

      Go with Mario party or mariokart.
      Pokémon is too much reading for a six year old

      • +2

        Yeah, who wants to motivate their child to learn to read!? He could end up performing well at school and leading a successful life!!

      • +2

        I started Pokemon red as a 4 year old, with a little help from my 2 year older brother but I am sure they will be fine playing the new Pokemon games, they are very kid friendly.

      • +1

        I'm pretty sure everyone I know started playing Pokemon when we were 4/5 on our Game Boys or, in my case, the N64 Pokemon Stadium plus adapter method.

        A 6 year old is not too young to start Pokemon.

        • thanks everyone ! Just want to make sure the first game is interesting enough for him to keep going !

  • Looks like mates have Xbox. Now I need to find a deal!!

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