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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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
It was good enough for granddad; it's good enough for anyone.
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?
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....
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.
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.
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...
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?
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.
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.
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*
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.
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.
Who cares if the system becomes outdated. Clearly the poster is willing to buy new systems since he already has a PS3.
As for the Raspberry Pi, as a computer, it was outdated before it was even at the design stage. I have two of them. The interesting things about them are that they are cheap enough that you can throw an entire system at a single problem, and that they are ultra low power. Those are very compelling to me as a hacking geek, but for a kid, it would be in the same category as buying them socks.
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?
The games on the ipad are shit, kids get bored with them after a few minutes
Absolutely not true of all the games, and is true of many games on consoles too. Only you spend $2-$5 to figure that out on an iPad, and $40-$60 to figure that out on an console.
I have a PS3 and an iPad, hands down the iPad is better for kids at this point and is getting close to the graphics power of the (now ancient) 360/PS3!
It speaks volumes you post your suggestion anon...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley