Gamers---Need assistance

My little guy (Aaron) will be turning eight years old on oct. 8th and I have yet to figure out what get him for his birthday.
Now I have always kept him in the dark when it came to video games because of all the violence,as well as the inherent dangers of sitting in front of a tv for hours at a time.(Danger to the mind that is)

I now have a hard choice in front me (A Noob when it comes to games),I must pic a gaming console for him to enjoy.

My questions ;

Which console has the most amount of games for it ? (Non violent)

Which console is the best value ?

Which console is the most reliable ?

Which console has the longest life span ? (Regarding the subsequent replacement with a newer model)


I paid Best Buy a visit the other day and almost fell over when I walked in to the video game isle,apparently the video game industry is a multi billion dollar entity from the looks of it.

:Q

Your assistance is greatly appreciated

 

[joe678]

gamecube...

 

[dum]

i agree, gamecube.

there are plenty of kid-friendly titles already available (Mario Sunshine, Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2, some Disney games, etc) and there are plenty more titles being released in the coming months.

 

[Doctorweir]

(Non violent)

This precondition really makes it difficult...
I think you are running into some of the old Playstation2 vs. XBox vs. Gamecube issues here...
I'd like the XBox...
But perhaps the Nintendo Gamecube has more of this "cute" games more suitable for the age...mario and stuff...
Come on, console geeks...help him out...

<== Not so much into console gaming, as his GF4 does all the rendering work for him

 

[Danman]

Yea, I'd say another vote for Gamecube. Nintendo targeted the younger audiences for the Gamecube, the X-Box is really for the older people IMO.

 

[Furor]

I would consider a gamecube for an eight year old..it has several good kid games plus some games i'm sure you'd like(NFL 2003 for example) Most PS2 games are a little complicated or too violent for 8 year olds..I would say the same for xbox, but I haven't played it yet.

Here's a little list of games kids love to play:
Tony Hawk 3
Most Mario Games
NFL 2003
Wave Race!

 

Which console has the most amount of games for it ? (Non violent)

PS2

Which console is the best value ?

Gamecube

Which console is the most reliable ?

Gamecube

Which console has the longest life span ? (Regarding the subsequent replacement with a newer model)

All new consoles will be around until at least 2005

Prognosis: Gamecube

 

[BennyD]

gamecube deffo

IMHO it offer far better quality of games than x-bollox or PS2
there are loads of games suitable for kids
if u wanna get more adult games, they are there (RE, Metroid)
the console is very sturdy, mine fell of a table and is fine
x-box i believe has the highest return rate of any console

just my $0.02

edit: i believe M$ is already planning an improved version of the x-box

 

[murphy55d]

I'd go with a Gamecube if you're concerned with lots of games for a youngster.

(this is coming from an XBox owner, it's awesome, but would have little appeal to an 8 yr old probably)

 

[mesonw]

Yet another vote for nintendo's baby.
Why?.....

Most amount of games (non-violent)? Probably PS2 coz of the sheer catalogue (PSone games included i suppose). But i also think it can depend on what you consider violent. Cartoon violence has existed for youngsters for decades, and a lot of games use the same sort of approach.

Best value? being an ignoramous as far as american prices go - difficult to say... i would say (for the total package) gamecube because it's cheap, has great games, a great controller (also probably the most suited for an 8yr old's hands) and a fun-oriented company behind it.

Most reliable? I've seen all 3 crash once or twice. However, one fantastic saving grace of the gamecube is its ability to simply freeze when the machine is opened, then continue where it left off when it's closed again. Nintendo actually designed this into it, to prevent the annoyance of crashing from kids opening the machine while you were half way through a game!

Longest life span? Nintendo have said they're not so interested in the console hardware race any more - games are where it's at So in terms of life span - the 'cube is your best bet.

 

[murphy55d]

for Best value though you have to give it to either the Xbox or PS2 simply because they double as a DVD player.

 

[nitsuj3580]

yah, i'd go Gamecube as well and pick up an Apex DVD player for the kiddies movies

 

[Supahfreak]

I got your answer right here buddy boy Gamecube, my 8 yr old nephew totally prefers it to my PS2. It also has mature titles that may appeal to you. Plus, if you get him a Gameboy Advance later he can link it to the Gamecube for all those Pokemon games coming soon.

FreAk

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

PS2, due to backwards compatibility with the PS1/X, has the largest library of games out there, which probably means that there are also some ones suitable for young kids among them. GameCube probably has the smallest library, but also has a lot of quality titles which are suitable for kids.

GameCube is currently the cheapest console based on new retail prices ($149 US), PS2 and XBox are both $199, but PS2 does come with limited DVD playback ability out of the box if that's something you're interested in (I believe XBox requires the purchase of some additional hardware). PS2 also has a greatest hits line which drops the price on some of its older, more popular titles (I can't remember if it's to $29.99 or $19.99, although these may not be the nonviolent titles you're looking for). GameCube and XBox software tends to hover around $50 for most current titles.

I've heard reports that there are some issues with early-generation PS2 hardware having trouble reading discs after a year or so -- I don't recall if they were ever fixed, or if more recent models even have problems. I don't believe I've heard of any problems with either GameCube or XBox, aside from the widely publicized XBox "green screen" screenshot that circulated (mostly as a dig at Microsoft) back before the console was released.

PS2 is the oldest console, so it's likely that its replacement will be the first out (I seem to recall talk that it might be out in 2005). GameCube and XBox are both less than a year old, so I don't believe replacement hardware is even a discussion yet. I would expect that there will be some degree of backward compatibility for whatever PS2 and XBox replacements show up, though (PS2 already has backwards compatibility with PS1, and XBox is just a standardized PC).

 

Thanks for the detailed answers so far

Well Aaron just stated that his Gameboy color should hook up to the Gamecube

I have never heard of such a thing,does the Gameboy color have the capability to do so ?


Edit

Aaron says hello to all the fine people here at Anandtech

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: Roger
Thanks for the detailed answers so far

Well Aaron just stated that his Gameboy color should hook up to the Gamecube

I have never heard of such a thing,does the Gameboy color have the capability to do so ?


Edit

Aaron says hello to all the fine people here at Anandtech

Yeah, you buy some adapter which goes from the GBC to a controller port on the Gamecube and you can play GBC on the TV via your Cube.

PS HI AARON!

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

Originally posted by: Roger


Well Aaron just stated that his Gameboy color should hook up to the Gamecube

I have never heard of such a thing,does the Gameboy color have the capability to do so ?

I'm not sure that's correct. Gameboy Advance can hook up to the GameCube via a special cable (sold separately), but I don't believe that either the Gameboy or Gameboy Color can do so.

The number of titles that allow this interaction is pretty limited so far. I believe Animal Crossing does, and there are plans for Metroid Prime and the upcoming Final Fantasy title to do so.

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: FeathersMcGraw

Originally posted by: Roger


Well Aaron just stated that his Gameboy color should hook up to the Gamecube

I have never heard of such a thing,does the Gameboy color have the capability to do so ?

I'm not sure that's correct. Gameboy Advance can hook up to the GameCube via a special cable (sold separately), but I don't believe that either the Gameboy or Gameboy Color can do so.

The number of titles that allow this interaction is pretty limited so far. I believe Animal Crossing does, and there are plans for Metroid Prime and the upcoming Final Fantasy title to do so.

Hmm maybe that is correct. GB Advance, not GB Color.

 

[no0b]

how strange a general consensus of gamecube this is a weird day in anandtech's history.

 

[Supermercado]

Originally posted by: Roger
Thanks for the detailed answers so far

Well Aaron just stated that his Gameboy color should hook up to the Gamecube

I have never heard of such a thing,does the Gameboy color have the capability to do so ?

I'm fairly certain that's incorrect and that the only Gameboy that can hook up to the Gamecube is the Gameboy Advance. I just looked at my GBA and I can't remember seeing a plug like the one that's used by the GBA/GCN connector on the old Gameboy. Of course, it's been a long time since I've looked at my old Gameboy and I just woke up, so please bear with me.

Edit: And as far as the console goes, I'd definitely vote for Gamecube.

 

[Jzero]

You can't go wrong with an Atari 2600 in terms of cheap, lots of non-violent (or at least abstracted to the point where you'd have to be a surrealist to recognize violence) games, and being durable.

Can I get a witness? Amen!

But I guess if your son is big on being "hip" the Gamecube is the next best choice

 

[neomits]

Gamecube


Nintendo always shoots for an audience under 14

 

[ohtwell]

I'd go with the Gamecube.


: ) Amanda

 

[ElFenix]

i was going to suggest the atari 2600...

go with the GBA, actually. portable, has tons of games (plays all the old gameboy ones), and every developer in the world is behind it.

 

[BD2003]

Super Nintendo. I cant imagine how little kiddies these days play these games with 50 buttons and sticks. We had a hard enough time with one pad and two buttons on the original nintendo...