Topic: What console for the kids (if any)?

[Jebediah]

Apologies if this has been discussed before, but i am a total newbie to this thread.

Bit of context. The last thing i owned and played regularly was a SNES. Someone gave us a Wii for lockdown and the kids  (ages 7 and 9) got into Just Dance and latterly Mario Kart. Now my son has been playing Minecraft at a friend's house and has been totally obsessed. He has a bit of money saved up and wants to buy his own console. The friend has a PS4.

I am still unsure whether getting a console for kids that age is a good idea, but he is wearing me down slowly.

So my questions are as follows: Should i give in and buy one? What is my best option (i am thinking PS4 as my son is familiar with it)? What other games apart from Just Dance and Minecraft are there? And - following advice from someone else - should i consider buying a second-hand console?

TIA

[emergency exit]

Have you considered getting a Nintendo Switch?

I (37) own both a Switch and a PS4 and generally use the PS4 to play the "grown-up"/online/graphic-heavy games.

On the Switch I play the more "family friendly" ones, which basically are games that remind me of what I used to play as a kid (Zelda, Mario etc.).

9 seems a tad early for a PS4 (but what do I know about kids these days  ).

I imagine your son will be a teenager shutting himself off from everyone in front of a screen (e.g. a PS4) soon enough - a Switch is something you could all enjoy together.

And I just checked: Minecraft is also available on the Switch. Though I'm not sure if it has an online mode and if your son would want to play online with his friend. If so, I don't think he could if his friend plays it on a PS4 and your son on a Switch. But that's really the only potential drawback I can see.

The Switch is way more fun, especially as a family console.

[Kashinoda]

With Minecraft, he can get it on Switch and play with his friend on the PS4:
https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/02/08/how-to-crossplay-minecraft-ps4-with-nintendo-switch-xbox-one-pc/

PS4 does have a huge library so whilst it does have many mature titles it has just as many that are suitable for all ages. I'd say a big part of gaming as a kid is having the some console as your friends, so something to consider - though that might be less of the case nowadays with cross-play like Minecraft has.

Switch is great and it has plenty of games you could all get involved in too (Mario Party can be hilarious with the family). Plus if he likes Mario Kart on the Wii he'll love Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

[naYoRHa2b]

Yeah like Kashinoda says you can play Minecraft with friends who are on other platforms with cross play. This varies from title to title though so it won't be the case for all games, only a handful. Nintendo switch is a good family console. You also have just dance on the switch, animal crossing, Mario Kart and many Super Mario platformers, you also have Splatoon which is a game where you shoot people with paint and it colours the map as you go. Pretty neat.

As for whether it's a good idea, I think if you set limits like time and expectations it's fine. My kids (9 and 10) are pretty heavy into gaming but one takes it more serious than the other because he plays competitive games online like Fifa, Fortnite etc and this does induce some child rage! Where as my daughter plays offline games and Roblox and she doesn't get any of that!

It's a hard decision because you know your child best and on one hand you dont want these games ruling there lives but on the other you don't want them left out from that social aspect because there is alot of that and consoles play a big part nowadays.

[Jebediah]

Thanks for the advice. My 7-year-old actually asked to get a switch (how the hell do they already know more about this stuff than i do).

Any thoughts on the second-hand one? I've basically been out of work for 18 months because fo covid, so am trying to be smart with my money.