Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: Best Console For the Kids This Holiday?
First time accepted submitter undulato writes "I've got an aging, fat PS3 with only a couple of games that I still play on it but three kids under 9 who love Skylanders, iPet, Lego whatever etc. We all watch movies on it and it has been pretty much the centre of our entertainment world for a few years now. I've already got a spare HDMI monitor we could use for a screen so my question is — should we go for a new console this Christmas? Just buy another controller or two and a new game or two for PS3 and be done? Or get the still pretty viable Xbox 360, or even plump for a cheap Wii or even a Wii U if we're feeling flush. What do you think?"
Just get some PS3 games imo
Easiest "Ask Slashdot" ever. More child friendly games are available for Nintendo's platforms than for the PS3 or Xbox 360.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Just get a semi decent PC and a few game controllers. PC vs Console aside, since Nintendo just released a new system and the other gaming consoles are starting to show their age, investing in one now seems counter intuitive. If you have enough money that it doesn't matter, I'm not sure why you don't just have one of each already. If money is tight enough that that isn't an option, then you really don't have a leg to stand on pushing to get a new system in the first place.
This feels more like fishing for a current idea of how consumers feel about the consoles than a legitimate question. Unless your kids (or yourself) are dying to play games that aren't on the PS3 that you already have, or are having issues with Sony, there's no reason to move to a new system at all.
After many years of begging I finally broke down and got a xbox 360 to replace the aging Wii. I got the Halo 4 version since my son loves the Halo games. The game is rated teen but him and his friends have been playing it for a couple of years now. BTW he's also 9 (turning ten early next year). Now he just has to wait until Christmas and no he doesn't know he's getting it.
It's cliché, but true. What games are they interested in? Do you play multiplayer games and are you willing to pay for Xbox Live Gold subscription? Do you have a media room set up that is good for Kinect? 360 shares most of it's software line up with PS3 so if those are the games you're playing little point in getting it (it would be quite a different situation if you didn't already have the PS3). For Kids, Kinect may be a good value, but that depends if you actually have the room to use it properly. 360 is cheap but if you're playing multiplayer you have to factor in the subscription too. As to Wii, I would steer clear. It is dead in the water software wise, and overpriced even for what it is. Wii U, hard to say at this point how it will fair but it probably be a better choice than a Wii especially as it has all of Wii's functionality save Gamecube game support.
The skylander, lego, ... are also available on the PS3 which you have. The differences between the ps3, xbox 360 and even the wii u is to small to imho shell out money to get an extra console or to get your money worth.
I had the xbox 360 and the PS3 for example and to be honest the difference was so neglible that I ended up selling one. The wii I also had but I had more use of it as a paper weight then a gaming machine. Great first party titles but that was also all and I don't have the feeling that with the WiiU it will be a different case.
I would go for some games or even saving for when the nextgen machines arrive. For me that makes economical more sense.
Just buy another controller or two and a new game or two for PS3 and be done?
I'm seeing more and more kids who are taught this "need" to have the latest a greatest gadget. Teach to use their things until they're beyond repair or so archaic that the sytem can't be used anymore.
Also, try promoting a healthy lifestyle. If they want entertainment, encourage them to go out a play - get some physcial exercise. Teach them to go and play a team sport (or try to get on a swim team or soccer/football) and make friends that way. Because I have a sneaky suspicion that your kids are already showing some weight and attention problems. Contrary to the Slashdot though here, video games are no better than TV - neither is the internet for that matter (Yeah yeah yeah, YOu spend ALL your time on the internet reading WikiPedia, researching the latest CS theories, and studying other tech. Riiiiiight.).
Set an example and read books. Find some physical activity that they enjoy.
The Harry Potter bookds are great for gettings kids reading - and J.K. Rowling derserves her millions (billions?) just for that.
Buy them baseball bats - if you live in a safe area they can play ball - if you don't they can join a gang! Win-Win!
I was going to say something along these lines. Get a Wii, mod it, and through a bunch of emulators on there. For the Wii, you don't even need to hardware mod it. Just get a copy of Super Smash Brothers, or Indiana Jones and you're set. You can even rent the game, which is what I did back when the twilight princess game still worked. Use a free month subscription to GameFly if you don't have a physical game rental store. You can also pick up games for pretty cheap now since it's been superseded by the WiiU.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
My kid already donates from her allowance weekly and volunteers her time. Kindly keep your moralizing out of the discussion. It wasn't asked for, I doubt it will be appreciated, and it's completely off topic.
Your kids probably want an iPad, a WII-U or an iPod Touch if surveys are anything to go by:
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/u-s-kids-continue-to-look-forward-to-iholiday/
And get raped and killed, great idea.
They live near a church?
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
This is a forum dedicated to uncontrolled mass consumption. We don't want your charitable kind around here. Don't you have a dank alley to patrol for losers?
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
yea cause skateboards are great when there's 2 foot of snow and its -8 outside
you say get them a dreamcast and then have a link about child abuse in your sig
classy
As undulato already said, his or her kids play Skylanders and such. Nothing new on the market provides a significant value add here. Wii U is nice, but the early adopter tax is high. Retro consoles are cool (I have 35 or so), but they are serious space consumers, and can't use the spare HDMI monitor. Plus, most of us can smell the Steambox cooking, so economically this seems like a perfect time to wait.
Cloudiot: A person who does not see offsite storage as a way to lose control over access to his or her own data.
Use Steam and a Linux Box, later, your sons will play less and learn more, because they will have all the free tools to learn.
Just get a semi decent PC
Seconded. One advantage of a PC is that it's really easy to run the multitude of free-to-play Flash games on relatively kid-safe sites such as Nick, PBS, and the BBC.
Do you live in the Sudan?
360 is cheap but if you're playing multiplayer you have to factor in the subscription too.
Only if you plan on playing online multiplayer. Some adults prefer playing online with strangers because adults are less likely to have time to arrange their schedules to visit friends in person. But this household has three single-digit-year-old children, and I don't see how it'll be hard for them to arrange their schedules to play with one another using multiple gamepads connected to one machine.
If someone would only somehow adapt a skateboard for such a situation. Maybe lose the wheels and strap yourself to it?
This year I am thankful for Tom Sims. Props bro.
Someone flopped a steamer in the gene pool.
Much more versatile than an TV console (drawing, reading, map, educational games, movies) and you could get tons of simple games/apps for only a few bucks each.
And you can use it in the car for long travels.
And it does not "compete" with the PS3 for which you could still get games.
Sig (appended to the end of comments you post, 120 chars)
Well get (or better build) a sled then!
When I was a kid and there was 2 feet of snow you could hardly keep us in. We used to sled down a hill on tin trays.
Whay are kids such whimps now?
you can buy a cheap dell pc put mythbuntu on it and zsnes emulator for your nes/snes games, dolphine emulator for you gamecube and wii games, any terminal emulator you want for nethack, pick up a couple wii controllers on amazon or you local pawnshop. if you want more emulators just go look through the repository. through a couple 2 terabyte drives in it for storing movies and music you now have a awesome media center/game console.
---Saying gnome 3 is better than windows 8 not so much a compliment as it is damning with light praise.
6.25 x 4.5 inch display, infinite battery life, no software updates required... all for about $15.00
Is there an echo in here?
Why don't you ask your children what console they want? Chances are they will be very disappointed by whatever group consensus you will get from Slashdot, which will probably be some Linux based 10 year old shoebox computer running Steam beta...
Yep, 5 comments up "Use Steam and a Linux Box"...sigh.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
Or get a Atari 800 HCS (Home Computer System)! Four joystick ports, four sound channels, four Player/Missile Graphics.
(read: four complex and four simple sprites; the simple sprites can be combined into a fifth complex sprite)
And they're still making games for it!
(and it's the only home computer sporting a text mode that actually supports true lower-case text! (as in descenders))
Daniel Klugh
As someone who owns all of the consoles in question, I have to agree. I would recommend the Wii U over the plain Wii, because it just came out and the Wii won't be supported for much longer. Plus, the Wii U can play the old Wii games just fine, and will actually make use of that spare HDMI monitor.
With that said, the Wii U doesn't have a ton of great games right now. For kids, there's Mario, Epic Mickey 2 (available on other platforms as well), Scribblenauts Unlimited (actually supposed to be good this time, though I'd hesitate at $60), and a couple others that may or may not be good (I know a lot of kids like the Just Dance games). All things said, it's a pretty good launch selection, but the other systems will obviously have a lot more to offer for now.
NSMBU is great, though. It's very much a mix of SMB3 and Super Mario World.
If you can't convince them, convict them.
Yeah, that will go over well. Hand your kids some printed coupons in an empty box for Christmas. Might as well get them a pet rock to go along with that. How can you make any comments about playability on vaporware.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
It was good enough for granddad; it's good enough for anyone.
Why do you say that?
Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
The author didn't post requesting opinions on parenting; and whether getting a console was a good idea or not, he already determined that's what he wants to do. He just asked what the best choice of console was.
I tried to shower with gifts this morning, and I have the bruises to prove it.
Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
very broad generalization follows
Playstation and Xbox have mostly single player games.
Wii has more multiplayer games.
Some studies have shown if you "get" music you do better with math and that today is needed almost no matter what occupation you have.
No batteries, no internet connection, small, portable, not too loud, pleasant once they learn a bit, nothing be reeds as accessories to buy. What could go wrong?
Maybe he's using the spellchecker on that "really powerfull" machine.
Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
As a KDE user, I use Konsole, so that's probably what my children will start using, as well. In actuality, all console applications are essentially the same, simply giving a text interface to your running shell.
Use it as an opportunity to teach valuable shopping, reasoning, and persusasion skills.
Research each console, titles for each console, and options; find pluses and minuses.
Ask the 3 kids to make "Features/Advantages" and "Disadvantages" lists for each console, each one to pick the console they find most compelling, and tell the story.
If there's a disagreement have a discussion, and requirement for the kids to persuade each other/ come to unanimous agreement on which console they want.
Then take your kids' opinions under advisement, in making your final decision....
Yeah, but even a cheap Dell computer will cost more than $120 that the Wii is going for. Not to mention that with a modded Wii, you can hook up a hard drive to the USB port and play your emulated/Wii games off that. Even with the cost of the hard disk you still come out way under the price of the "cheap" Dell computer. Plus, you'd have to get gamepads anyway for the computer, and the Wii comes with 1 to start with.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
Teach your kids that old games are often better than modern ones: get a Sega Dreamcast and pirate to your heart's content,
But get a Wii, and you can have the best of both worlds.... thanks to the ability to buy digital downloads of "old games" through Nintendo's online store, and play them on the platform through the Virtual console; NES / SNES / N64 / Gamecube emulation.
Without giving up the ability to also experience some more recent titles.
The experience can be as entertaining as the PS3; fresh different content is available, and the platform total cost is lower.
so it looks like the financial market says don't count on a screaming boatload of new games in a couple years. Panasonic is a hurting critter, too.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
I would rule out the 360 for the simple reason that the difference between the ps3 and 360 for what you want is very slim, your not going to get many games on a 360 that your 9yr old will enjoy that arent also already available on the ps3. Ultimately you'll have another console, but it'll just be different, not unique really. Kinect can be kinda fun, but its a limited experience in many ways.
If you want to buy something, the Wii is the best choice. You'll find alot of good games that will appeal to a 9yr old. Games the whole family can get in on and are only available on the Wii. Its a very family focused entertainment console and you'll get quite a number of hours of enjoyment out of it. On top of all this, the Wii is cheap and second hand games for it are (not yet) hobbled by scum-sucking games developers who seem to think they have a right to make money on a second hand game.
The Wii U looks ok, but its hard to really make a knowledgeable choice about it just because of the limited info available for it.
Im trying hard to stick to the question and not say things like "you could get another console, or...."
Having a game console (or two) isn't necessarily bad and this is a perfectly good place to ask about them.
but you cant put a bluray drive in your wii latter.
---Saying gnome 3 is better than windows 8 not so much a compliment as it is damning with light praise.
New consoles are going to release in a year!. Buying a console now (except the Wii-U) is the worst thing a gamer can do!.
-Woof woof woof!
I have 3 kids under 9 and one over 9. We have both a Wii and a 360. Two Wiis in fact. Both the Wiis are gathering dust, probably not turned on in over a year. The 360 on the other hand gets TONS of use from the kids. While the Wii has lots of shitty games DIRECTED at kids, the 360 has tons of GOOD child friendly games.
... why don't you ask them? I'm dumbfounded how this got to front page of slashdot, seems like a "no duh" kind of question.
Snowboards, sleds, skis, snowdiscs, even a cafeteria tray can provide plenty fun.
I wouldn't spend any money on a console right now. Certainly not on an over-the-hill Xbox 360 if you already own a PS3.
But I agree with hairyfeet up above, who says, "make a gaming PC and give 'em Steam. There is tons o' fun on Steam for any kind of gaming tastes, and the gaming PC makes for an excellent media center for the house with the addition of a jumbo hard drive.
When you figure the price of more PS3 games, I don't think the gaming PC approach is going to be much more expensive. Plus, I figure since the questioner sounds like he's passing familiar with tech he's probably got most of what he needs for a decent gaming rig already in the house.
You are welcome on my lawn.
SeXBox 360.
The 360 has many indie games that aren't available on the ps3. Many of them are child friendly, and many of them only cost $1.
If their friends have a PS3, then get a PS3. If their friends have an XBox, get an XBox. Why? Because they can then share games...
Meh, You can just buy a whole BluRay player for about the same price as the drive. The cheap Dell computer might not even have enough horsepower to play a BluRay disc. Also, the cheap Dell computer probably won't be able to play Wii/Gamecube games with Dolphin either. And then there's the advantage of having a real remote for your BluRay player.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
There's tons of great games for the PC but they're 99% one player/machine with mouse and keyboard.
I've been collecting a list of multiplayer-capable games, along with links to other people's lists.
At best you'll get a few console ports who kept the console controller scheme as an option
That or indie games whose developers heed Microsoft's advice that "Applications should support multiple controllers" better than the majors do. So does the whole one-machine-per-player mentality on the PC come from a belief that not enough potential customers own multiple USB game controllers and a 20" or bigger monitor? Or is it more a matter of publisher greed?
snowball fights, snow forts, quinzhee
Kids get enough screen time. Get them outside.
Apart from the Wii U, which is more a half generation on from the PS3 rather than the next generation, essentially you'll be replacing like for like. Another PS3 or 360 will seem like a bad choice a year down the line when the PS4 is coming up for release.
That said, if you want games for your kids, why not think about the original Wii? They'll be dirt cheap now the U is out, and there's plenty of games available.
Also wow, there's a fair amount of moralising here tonight.
How is it any more generous to gift money to random strangers instead of your children? And how is this supposed to teach said children anything except that generosity means they don't get anything?
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.
The Wii U will, however, have a different play experience than the other consoles, simply because of its input method (and the fact that it is standard across all Wii Us). Also, Nintendo seems to be more invested in local multiplayer than the other two.
If you can't convince them, convict them.
...I wouldn't waste the money on a system that will be outdated by the time they're 13 and wanting to play more "hardcore" games.
Why not buy a cheap computer with lots of harddrive space and stick Qimo LInux on there? Or any Linux distro really and just download every game in the repos. Hell, you could buy a Raspberry Pi.
Then buy an HDMI cable to hook it to your TV screen and maybe a couple of controllers and a keyboard. These alone will be usable with their future computers.
The G
Tell the kids NOT to give up until they've beaten SMB1, SMB3, and LifeForce. At least.
It's like spelling, and math - everyone should do it.
Then we're on to PC: Doom2, and then Quake1. It's ok to use OpenGL.
Then:
StarCraft1
Diablo2
Half-Life1 (BlackMesa is ok)
UnrealTournament1 with Hi Res Pack
etc.
First Person Shooters are important for learning that no matter how good you are,
you will always die by some lucky headshot from across half the map. And
from this they *know* that the actual Military is just a shortcut to an earlier grave.
So if anyone asks, say it's a health thing that increases the lifespan.
This *is* a dank alley, silly.
NES
SNES
Genesis
N64
Saturn
Dreamcasr
Jaguar
NeoGeo
You'd be surprised how many kids prefer old skool games.
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
Ask your kids. They may well already know of games they want to play / are playing with their friends.
I don't see the point of just buying another console unless you know of games you want to play on it. There's no point buying solely in anticipation of good games in the future because you may as well just save the cash and buy when those games do come out.
Difficult to comment on the option of buying more games and controllers as you don't say whether there's any games you wish to buy nor if you need any more controllers.
I suspect it may have been more productive if you had asked "what are some good games for kids?" I'm not in a position to offer suggestions though.
Why bother debating on it? Just get more ps3 games, you already have the system.
I see a lot of comments saying nintendo is better for kids games and thats not true, nintendo is better for shovelware games. Sure nintendo has some good kids games but no more than anyone else since the vast majority of games on nintendos systems are complete garbage where some developer craps out a family friendly game that is a complete waste of time.
Ps3 has a lot of great games for kids and adults. Ratchet and clank hd collection, sly cooper collection, rayman origins, little big planet, little big planet 2, all of the "lego" theme games on it, skylanders, skylanders giants, ratchet and clank a crack in time, modnation racers, sonic generations, playstation move heroes, epic mickey 2, disney universe, wonderbook, and dozens more. Plus the dozens and dozens of smaller games you can buy cheap on the playstation store.
And if you mean aging as in your ps3 is aged since you bought it yes, but its hardly aging in techology sense. Last of us and beyond two souls are coming out and still advancing what can be done on it.
If the ps3 is such a big part of your family and you already have a library of games for it then why change it out while its still in its prime?
Also, the whole indie gaming scene is on the PC, and only the PC
World of Goo got ported to Wii. But 2D Boy cheated by using a restaurant as an "office", and Nintendo has since amended its qualifications to require that "The office space is not shared with any other company".
and it's the indie games that are most fun these days not the big budget games.
Some people use the word "indie" in a confusing manner. It can refer to one of two things: people who have never worked for the establishment, or industry veterans who started their own company that happens not to have a long-term contract with a major publisher. A company with several industry veterans can score its own console license.
Get a wii if money is tight or get the Wii U so you get access to the new games and the ability to play Wii games.
Pirating games on the Sega Dreamcast is a great way to wear out its laser fast. Pirate versions often have content cut out, too, as a CD-R can't hold a GiB of data.
Says the hypocrite that spends money on electricity (and likely computer equipment) to post on Slashdot instead of spending that money on someone in need.
Teach your kids that old games are often better than modern ones: get a Sega Dreamcast and pirate to your heart's content.
Your kids will want to play the games that other kids their age are playing.
The retro gaming experience can be fun.
But don't expect your kids to share your enthusiasm for the genre.
The oldest of all Birthday/Anniversary/Christmas gift gags is built around the man who gives his wife and kids the things he wants for himself. The more thoughtless and inappropriate the gift, the louder the laughter.
An old console would be a VT100 hooked up to the VAX 11 in the basement . . . playing "Rogue".
"a cloak of darkness falls around you"
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
Really? Has it come down to tihs where people really don't give a hoot about the less fortunate?
Cut the crap. Buying a Christmas present for your kids does not mean you don't care about less fortunate. Nothing is going to do more to sour kids on charitable giving than telling them they are getting nothing for Christmas because of the "needy". Most people have enough income to give something to the needy while still providing for their own families.
How many studies do you need that show TV/Computers/Consoles are BAD (bad bad bad bad bad) for young kids?
Get your kids a book and encourage them to learn to read well, remember well, and imagine well.
Then get them a rubber ball and teach them to invent their own physical games out doors.
The world already has enough fat, apathetic, couch potato kids (and parents). Get off your ass and teach your kids to use their brains and their body instead of just twitching their nacho encrusted thumbs.
A work bench, hammer(s), saw(s), screwdrivers, maybe some power tools, and adult supervision.
Make them use their hands and the brains to build some real memories, ones that can be shared through story telling and physically.
Get them one of those X in One electronic kits and teach them how to make a door bell and other things.
Game Boy Color :-) They're about $30 lol. Age does not somehow make them less awesome as an absolute measurement compared to modern PSPs and stuff, merely as a relative standpoint. But for $30, get that GBC and Pokemon Gold out lol.
It's like the old iPhone theory. New ones coming out does not modify the awesomeness of the original. I've had 10 year olds go berserk just as much as I did at that age over N64 games. Games are games, lol.
Think about this for a minute - you're assuming a guy - who posted this question on Slashdot, mind you - doesn't already have a "semi decent PC"?
Two objections: First, a Slashdot user's "semi decent PC" might run GNU/Linux or something else that's not Windows, and far more native PC games are made for Windows than for any other PC operating system. Second, unless you plan on carrying the "semi decent PC" back and forth between the computer desk and the room with a TV, you'll need a second "semi decent PC" to put next to the TV.
Let me tell ya with two teen boys Steam is like manna from heaven
What Steam games can these two teen boys (or the OP's single-digit-year-old children) play together on one machine with two Xbox 360 gamepads?
Or better yet, keep the PS3 and buy the Sega collection for Mega Drive/Genesis and hit the Playstation store for the other Sega titles
A game has objectives and is competitive, anything else is just play
I got a PS3 early, but not $600 bleeding edge early. 6 months $450 with 13 free Blu-Rays early.
We use it mostly for watching Blu-Rays in a home theater system. We have not gotten many games for our daughter and have tried to steer her to the more puzzle solving or physically active ones. She has not been much of a gamer, but the Playstation Move works good enough (though expect to do a lot of fiddling every time to get the camera and wands working just right) and they do tend to her favorite games.
It has been a good investment, though mostly we use it for entertaining when we have company. We hadn't been firing it up more than about once a week.
That has all changed for my Daughter, who is age 9 now. She is an avid Harry Potter fan, has read all the books. I bought her the Wonderbook with Harry Potter for here birthday last week and she is addicted. To be honest I was underwhelmed by the Blue-Bar coded Wonderbook when it arrived a week ago, but when used with the Move system this thing finally offers an augmented reality home run of entertainment for kids. PS3 owners shouldn't have to look sheepish when taking to Wii or Kinect users if you have one of these. I always preferred the more accurate Move tracking, but lamented the Party appeal of the Wii and Kinect. The Wonderbook does not solve the Party solution, but it does make a solid rejuvenation of our game system for our daughter.
Someone should make a bar-coded Move dance pad version of DDR (perhaps there is one I'm unaware of) instead of the flaky DDR pads we have tried to use. This would be a more Kinect like experience and potentially more accurate. With bar-coded props Sony could create a new genre of gaming. How-about bar coded steering wheels or space ship controls, fold out cardboard spaceship bridges that morph into Enterprise like helms on-screen? The Wonderbook definitely shows this is possible.
In any event all the next gen systems are coming out next Christmas, milk another year and half from the system you have now and get what ever seems best come the summer of 2014. I'll probably get an Xbox 720 with next gen Kinect then, you know, for parties.
Letter To Iran
That's brilliant! We could call it a... a... snowskate!
Costs US$199, most games are under $5. Goes with the kids in the car, in the bedroom, but still easy to confiscate and lock away.
Far better selection of educational games, not just twitch reflex shooters.
Serves double duty as a media player. Movies, music, Youtube.
Serves triple duty as an internet research / learning tool. How do volcanoes work? Look it up.
With Android 4.2 you can set up individual user accounts for each child & parent, so the whole family can use it. But it's still cheap enough that you can buy one for each person if you wanted.
Honestly, why would you get a console?
Honestly, considering the age of the children involved I'd go with the xbox. It has the same multimedia capabilities of the ps3 (minus the obvious blue ray), and it even has a web browser now so for you the differences probably won't be that big. However, the children would probably have a better experience on the xbox. Each controller can be logged in under a unique user account which allows kids to play with each other while logged into their own personal accounts. The ps3 is much more limiting on this front. Also, the xbox tends to have more age appropriate games. There is a whole slew of games made for younger kids. I also find that the kinect that comes bundled with offers a much more unique experience for children in the realm of motion gaming.
I was going to suggest getting a couple of XBOX 360 controllers to plug into the PC and grabbing an emulator. Lots of good games out there without needing the actual console itself.
Alternatively, there are modded USB versions of the original controllers out there. Grab a USB version of the original controller and the appropriate software. There are obviously legal considerations to look into as well, but with those understood... some of the patents have expired on this old stuff, and there is no reason to hunt ebay for it.
And by volunteering you mean being ordered to, teaching said children to "like" it just as much as they will any other chore.
Or you could simply practice generosity at your own expense, from the funds you had earmarked for purchasing books or games or wine or whatever, rather than from a kid's gift funds. You know, that whole "teach by example" thing?
Nice rethoric, though.
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.
http://www.xgamestation.com/
http://www.ladyada.net/make/fuzebox/
No sig for you!!
Only if he's still got Linux on it.
Besides, many of the posters are recommending "indie" games, most of which aren't all that graphically intensive and would run fine on a PS3.
Or one could get the retro game collections that are available for the PS3/PS2/PS1. Works out best if it's a CECH(A/B/E) PS3, but even a Slim can run PSone games, Not even counting all the NeoGeo and PC-Engine/TurbographX stuff on PSN.
Well, speaking of echo...
The best games nowadays are multiplayer. With three kids, you might get better mileage out of, say, another PS3 or two and networking them all together. You can have some more interesting multiplayer experiences than you can get from a split screen, or maybe some of your car racing games can use multi-monitor mode for a single player.
Probably better to go the PC route, though. My two kids (10 and 7) both play minecraft together, run their own server for their friends, etc. They also do some of the free games such as Tremulous and Altitude and sometimes Alien Swarm under Windows/Steam . When we had just one computer, the older kid was always playing, or pushing the younger kid out of the way.
There are plenty of good kids games with local multiplayer and not many of them are split screen, separate consoles looks that element of all huddling around together to play. There are tons of really good cheap ones on PSN as well. I've got two kids, aged nine and six, and there are loads of games they like on there.
I have enjoyed it so far. I think it corrects many of the mistakes of the Wii. Better online experience etc. It is backwards compatible with the Wii. That means you not only have the Wii U and Wii library, but also all the ROMs on the virtual console. If you are rolling in cash, get a WiiU.
One last thing: Sometimes I wonder; "Is that someone's signature? Or do they type that at the end of each post?"
Topper, is that you?
No colour or religion ever stopped the bullet from a gun
Buy them some books instead.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Or one of these (or something similar) Chinese knock-offs.... Game Box
Sig. Sig. Sputnik
If it works, get them one machine each
I thought that's exactly what OP was trying to afford. Three PCs, three gaming video cards, three monitors, and three Windows licenses are much more expensive than one console and two extra gamepads.
True, I was disappointed at the lack of split-screen in Animal Crossing: City Folk, especially considering that the series is known for its N64-detail art style. But I'll believe you if Super Smash Bros. 4 (tentative title) requires a separate Wii U console for each player and doesn't work with multiple Wii Classic Controllers or Wii U Pro Controllers. Even Call of Duty series makes a point of allowing two Xbox 360 Controllers in a play session.
if "we fat" go with "wii fit"
Gah, meant to mod you funny and my finger slipped. Replying to undo.
Don't need monitors, even 5 year old TVs have HDMI
Then one would need to replace 6-year-old bedroom TVs that have only yellow, white, and red RCA jacks with TVs that have HDMI. HDTVs didn't hit the low end until 2007, and among my (admittedly nonscientific) sample, a lot of kids have ended up using hand-me-down TVs or TVs from Goodwill. Or has the 10-foot UI capability of Windows and Steam improved to the point where one can use VGA out through a scan converter as a media PC's primary UI?
and Win 8 is $40
I was under the impression from comments to previous Slashdot articles that people were willing to pay much more for Windows 7 just to avoid the abortion formerly known as Metro, where you have to point at a particular corner of the screen just to bring up the control to put the computer to sleep.
the amount of games they have on steam that support single screen MP is just nuts, a LOT of the indies support SSMP, and there are just tons of them on steam thanks to project greenlight.
Could you give me instructions on how to filter Steam by games that support SSMP? In the advanced search on store.steampowered.com, I failed to figure out how to filter for games that include full support for multiple controllers. I see "Category: Full controller support" and "Category: Multi-player", but it appears only one such "Category" can be applied at once, and even the combination of "Full controller support" and "Multi-player" would include games where each player can use a controller on a separate machine.
has the 10-foot UI capability of Windows and Steam improved to the point where one can use VGA out through a scan converter as a media PC's primary UI?
There are adapters out there that will convert HDMI or DVI to S-Video
I'm aware of these adapters. SewellDirect.com sells them, for example. However, the whole reason why general computer use moved away from TVs in the first place was that the 480i resolution of S-Video makes general computer use difficult, as most PC applications are not optimized for such a low-density display.
In the advanced search on store.steampowered.com, I failed to figure out how to filter for games that include full support for multiple controllers.
As far as Steam goes you'd probably have to use the website
I was using the website.
Look up "passing arguments to Steam"
For one thing, the only Google result for that exact phrase is this page which appears not nearly relevant. Removing the quote marks brought me to this page, which likewise mentions nothing about search. But I'm probably being "far far too literal" again. I tried steam search filter multiplayer and found a recently posted request for enhancement for this very feature, which sort of rules out the feature already being present in Steam search. In any case, how would the average end user discover how to pass in the right filters to Steam or Google?
for an HTPC [Windows 8's Start Screen] gives you a bright easy to read target to hit so frankly for that particular niche its not bad
You have a point there. The modern UI works on Windows 8 for the same reason it works on Xbox 360 (apart from two-thirds of the tile space on the 360 being taken by advertisements).
But Steam works, all the games on Steam don't seem to be bothered by metro
Do all the games on Steam have a "10-foot" user interface that can be read from far away or on a 480i S-Video monitor?
If it sounds like I'm trolling, that's certainly not my intent. I'm just trying to present the alleged barriers to firmly establishing the PC as the fourth console. Some other Slashdot users stick to their claims that 1. the complexity of connecting and maintaining a PC is unsuitable for the majority of living rooms apart from a slim minority of geeks, 2. there exist video game genres that don't work well on a PC, phone, or tablet, and 3. for this reason, these genres are unsuitable for independent developers. By relaying their arguments to you, a staunch fan of living-room PCs, the goal is that the answers will lead me to counterarguments to organize by the next discussion.
One Slashdot regular maintains that paying one's dues to the establishment is the only viable way to get an idea out to the public in the form of a video game, and console makers' requirement for previous experience is the only way to vet games for quality and prevent a repeat of the 1983 crash (for which see Wikipedia and TV Tropes). He maintains that part of paying such dues involves moving to Austin, Boston, Seattle, or Silicon Valley, just as stage actors need to move to Broadway and screen actors need to move to Hollywood. So I humored him and asked him for tips on rearranging my life so that I can work for the establishment, and in this post he said that if I have
I disagree with this statement "The only reason to buy a console today is if you really really want to play a particular title today" It might be the main reason, but the Wii U offers a TON of great applications and features to consider it value add over just games.. I can literally see myself picking it up on a daily basis, and not just for the games.. even the whole gamepad can be used as a TV remote!
Perhaps the natives should've just let the Pilgrims starve.
Hmm... perhaps for the natives, that would have turned out better. That's irony for you!
My kids get Christmas presents, but somehow we can still donate time and money to worthy charitable causes. It's not all-or-nothing.