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?"
Easiest "Ask Slashdot" ever. More child friendly games are available for Nintendo's platforms than for the PS3 or Xbox 360.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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....
It sounds like they are into the whole casual thing, which if he doesn't wanna get more PS3 games I'd say put together one of those E350 AMD DVD player sized PCs together, slap on Steam, and let the kids go to town.
Let me tell ya with two teen boys Steam is like manna from heaven, the Xmas sale is always full of great games dirt cheap, so i can just tell them "here is what you have to spend, go nuts" and let them load up. Of course they both have decent gaming PCs but for casual gaming the E350 not only works great but slap a 1Tb drive in it and its a great media tank as well. with all the indies signing onto Steam they could have new games practically every day for cheap or free and the E350 kits are dirt cheap.
But buying another console now would be retarded, we all know they are all gonna release new systems (Nintendo already has) soon and until you see which are the winners and which the losers buying a console now would just be dumb. You either get ancient tech like the X360 or a console that frankly could turn into another Gamecube, whereas the E350 will look nice in a TV cabinet, will let you play netflixs and watch all your shows, and with Win 8 just $40 the 10 foot UI for kids is one of the few things Win 8 is actually good at so it seems like a no brainer to me, get the HTPC.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
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.
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.
It sounds like they are into the whole casual thing, which if he doesn't wanna get more PS3 games I'd say put together one of those E350 AMD DVD player sized PCs together, slap on Steam, and let the kids go to town.
The AMD APUs use the system memory for video, so if you go that way, get the fastest memory the motherboard can handle (and make sure it's properly recognized in the BIOS). This really does make a difference in maximum frame rates, and the extra cost is peanuts.