Best console for kids (opinions)

[Gnr4791]

I had the original Nintendo growing up and the original PlayStation so I am somewhat familiar with consoles....but that was 20+ years ago. I haven’t played in an extremely long time , so I’m not familiar with the new stuff, but would like to buy a console for my kids for Christmas. Kids are 9 & 6. I’m leaning toward the X Box One S over the switch. I’m not looking for portability necessarily, just a good dependable console with a good amount of games to choose from. Not going to let them do any online gaming or anything. But would like to have the option fot them to play more involved games as they get older.

Thoughts?

 

[quikah]

Either would be fine, it depends what kind of games your kids like.

With the switch you will get Mario and Pokémon, which can be good for kids.

Xbox has rare replay which has banjo Kazooie series which is also good for kids. If you go for Xbox, I would suggest getting a gamepass subscription as that will give you access to a lot of games.

My kids, about the same age pretty much just like playing minecraft. We bought them an Xbox, but switch would work also since minecraft is on everything.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Switch would be my first choice because of Mario, Pokemon, Smash Bros, Mario Kart, and Bayonetta (ok just kidding on that last one). Though I'd only let kids that age play it docked. Giving a 6 year old a $300 Switch to carry around and scratch up just seems like a bad idea.

Another option you might consider is 2DS or 2DS XL. Black Friday always brings $80 2DS bundles with games like Mario Kart 7, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, New Super Mario Bros 2, etc. And you'd have a huge library of Pokemon, Mario, and Zelda games (especially with DS backwards compatibility). Then I imagine the 2DS XL might go for $125 or so around Black Friday.

I don't think I'd recommend PS4 or XB1 until they were teens. Both game libraries on those systems seem tailored mostly to ages 13 to 49. Unless they have asked for specific games on one of the systems or the other. It seems like the big Black Friday deal for PS4 is going to be PS4 Slim + Spiderman for $200 which is an absolute steal because the systems run $300 MSRP and Spiderman looks to be an incredible game.

 

[quikah]

Oh, I forgot about the lego games. If they like lego, those are really fun for kids. Switch only has the newest ones while Xbox has almost all of them. My dinosaur obsessed son has played Lego Jurassic World to 100% twice.

 

[rchunter]

Nintendo Wii was pretty fun. It's old now though. I modded one when they first came out.

 

[Gnr4791]

The concern I had with the Switch was hidden costs such as having to buy SD cards. Seems like the Xbox or PS4 have more memory typically? I’ve seen 500gb or 1TB while the switch has 32gb.

 

[nurturedhate]

The concern I had with the Switch was hidden costs such as having to buy SD cards. Seems like the Xbox or PS4 have more memory typically? I’ve seen 500gb or 1TB while the switch has 32gb.

Owning a switch, ps4 pro, wii, wii U, xbox and basically everything before that the best advice I can give is to find out what games they want to play and go from there.

As for the storage differences - ps4/xbox installs a lot of game data per game in storage to help lower load times etc. This eats up a lot of space. I got about the same amount of installed games/saves between the ps4/xbox vs switch. It's really the same boat for either choice. The place where it would make the most difference is if you are buying all your games digitally.

If this is their first console I'd actually suggest an nes or snes classic as you would get to share a piece or your childhood along with a much cheaper point of entry.

 

[purbeast0]

Just FYI you don't need a memory card for Switch. I've had one since launch and have had no need for a memory card.

The real "hidden" costs of a Switch are buying additional controllers. They are ridiculously expensive.

 

[DigDog]

PlayStation

 

[JujuFish]

Just FYI you don't need a memory card for Switch. I've had one since launch and have had no need for a memory card.

Same here, but most of my games are physical. I can see an argument to be made to gravitate towards digital games because that's one fewer thing for kids to break/lose.

 

[nurturedhate]

Same here, but most of my games are physical. I can see an argument to be made to gravitate towards digital games because that's one fewer thing for kids to break/lose.

That's a good point, I just have a hard time buying games digitally for a console.Scratched discs on ps4/xbox vs lost games carts on switch.

 

[CuriousMike]

the best advice I can give is to find out what games they want to play and go from there.

I don't know if it's still true, but historically, Nintendo has had a much broader selection of family appropriate games.

 

[pontifex]

Just FYI you don't need a memory card for Switch. I've had one since launch and have had no need for a memory card.

The real "hidden" costs of a Switch are buying additional controllers. They are ridiculously expensive.

you also pay the nintendo tax. nintendo games don't drop in price as fast and usually cost more than other platforms to start out.

I wouldn't really consider an SD much of a worry as they are very cheap these days. If you going digital only, then you definitely need an SD card.

 

[purbeast0]

you also pay the nintendo tax. nintendo games don't drop in price as fast and usually cost more than other platforms to start out.

I wouldn't really consider an SD much of a worry as they are very cheap these days. If you going digital only, then you definitely need an SD card.

If you can't afford games you probably shouldn't be in the console market.

 

[cmdrdredd]

If you can't afford games you probably shouldn't be in the console market.

Not sure that was the point. I often look for older titles I missed to pick up and Nintendo games rarely drop in price compared to other platforms. It's how it's always been. For someone who doesn't buy games at launch all the time it may be a small point of consideration. It's not really for me as I don't think $60 is a lot for a game I want, it's just something I have noticed.

 

[purbeast0]

Not sure that was the point. I often look for older titles I missed to pick up and Nintendo games rarely drop in price compared to other platforms. It's how it's always been. For someone who doesn't buy games at launch all the time it may be a small point of consideration. It's not really for me as I don't think $60 is a lot for a game I want, it's just something I have noticed.

My point is that if $10 or $20 is a deal breaker for you then gaming may not be something you should be getting into. There are also a bunch of non-nintendo games that are out on the Switch.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

My point is that if $10 or $20 is a deal breaker for you then gaming may not be something you should be getting into. There are also a bunch of non-nintendo games that are out on the Switch.

Switch is a much more expensive system to game on than PS4, as PS4 games go on crazy sales all the time. I mean God of War for $22. Persona 5 for $20. Looking for Switch games it seems like good sales are Super Mario Odyssey for $49, Breath of the Wild for $54, Mario Kart 8 for $45, etc. Games like Octopath Traveler would never stay $60 this long if they were on PS4. Does the Switch eShop ever run big discounts like you get on the PSN Store? It doesn't seem like it from reading the SwitchDeals reddit.

I hear this argument all the time for buying expensive gpus. Anyone should be able to afford an $800 graphics card every three years. But many people want bang for their buck and that doesn't mean they shouldn't be into console gaming or PC gaming.

 

[quikah]

Unless you are interested in the Nintendo exclusives or the portability a switch is probably not the right console to buy. It is the weakest of the 3 and the controller is pretty meh unless you buy the pro controller which is more $$ you need to spend.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Unless you are interested in the Nintendo exclusives or the portability a switch is probably not the right console to buy. It is the weakest of the 3 and the controller is pretty meh unless you buy the pro controller which is more $$ you need to spend.

I think the joycons are pretty cool myself. I'm really impressed by the HD rumble in Super Mario Odyssey. When I bought my Switch I was sure I'd buy a Pro Controller but after using and really liking the joycons I'm not so sure I will. Especially since I already have an 8BitDo Genesis 6-button bluetooth controller for oldschool games like Sonic Mania and the Arcade Classics (eg Vs Super Mario Bros, Vs Excitebike, Donkey Kong).

 

[purbeast0]

I personally couldn't use the joycons. I haven't really used them other than just to try it out with the grip after already using the Pro controller and it just is a comfort thing. The Pro controller is probably the best controller I've ever used, like ever. It's just so comfortable and the battery lasts forever.

 

[killster1]

My point is that if $10 or $20 is a deal breaker for you then gaming may not be something you should be getting into. There are also a bunch of non-nintendo games that are out on the Switch.

how many games do you like to own and choose from? yea 10$x1 isnt alot but what about 10x100? is that enough for you to worry about? I buy all of my games used on ebay usually or buy them digital format. I think if you like to have a large library that even 2$ extra each can add up fast. But we all choose to spend our money on different things, i like to pay less personally if i can. But does that mean i will sacrifice quality of the game no. just when i buy it.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I am neither a parent, nor a switch owner, but I know someone with kids, and a switch, and that's what I would recommend. I second the recommendation, that you should probably wait for Playstation / XBox until they reach their teenage years. Just because of the intended age audience of most of the games.

I was a fairly hardcore console gamer back in the 8/16-bit days, and then a little into the 32/64-bit days, but I hardly game anymore. I do miss it, as do I my game collection, that was stolen, the last time I moved.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Well I can't stand behind my 2DS recommendation now since the $80 Black Friday 2DS bundle comes with Super Mario Maker. What was Nintendo thinking with that one? 2DS is targeted at young kids who need a durable device while Mario Maker is targeted at 40 year-olds who grew up with the NES and SNES. The Mario Kart 7 bundle last year made so much more sense.

 

[Keven_Hanson]

My opinion is for Playstation.

 

[NTMBK]

I'd try to find out if any of your 9 year old's friends have a games console. Kids like to play online games with their friends, so if you get them an XBox and all of their friends are on PlayStation then they might feel left out and sad. (Plus if they all have the same console, they can borrow each other's games, saving you a bit of money! )