Gaming device advice for a soon to bored 5 yr old.

[BeatsV]

Can anyone recommend a gaming console, either hand held or not for a 5 year old who has never used one before? I’m thinking I may well need it in a few weeks.

I’d go for a Wii.

Yes, old technology. But cheap, easy to buy up cos everyone’s getting rid, games are cheap etc. And with the motion controllers, easier to use than a newer equivalent eg Switch.

I have an ancient Wii, plus WiiFit board, and a Switch. The dc are as happy playing the older Wii, and dc1, (16 with SN), finds it much easier to use the chunky controller with bigger buttons than the fiddly ones on the switch (plus too many button functions on Switch games). My 8 year old also fares better playing games without help on the Wii.

The switch has proved very popular here. It's great in that it can be hand held for independent play, or hooked to the tv for multiplayer games such as Mario Kart racing.

I think if you must (and I do t blame you at all) then consider something that will enable you to play with him at times, perhaps one of those Ninetendo Switches.
Or look for a secondhand Wii and Wii Sports game, at least that will keep him moving a bit.

I just bought a Nintendo Wii from one of those second hand places for £28. If you get the Wii Sports games they have basic things like ten pin bowling, frisbee, archery etc

3ds. I've been a gamer for 20 years and hands down its been the console i've found the most enjoyable amount of games for. Except maybe the xbox but that's not for a five year old.

Definately something from nintendo for his age range.

*2ds sorry. The 3d isn't worth it.

A switch

Switch is great but no way would I spend 300 quid on a five year old lol. Not when a wii, wii u or ds would keep them just as entertained at a fraction of the price.

For a bit more money, you could get a Wii U rather than a standard Wii, which gives some handheld interactivity I believe.

The switch is definitely great, but expensive, and games are pricey too. For the cost of one decent switch game (£45ish), you could pick up a Wii and a whole load of games and accessories which would be far better for boredom busting!

The wii is the best one for on the TV

The 2DS is the best handheld one

If you're really strapped for cash you could get a 2nd hand DSi or DS lite, there are good old games for those too

Nintendo has all the best games for younger kids, Mario, Yoshi, Kirby, Donkey Kong etc

This is brilliant thanks all!! I hadn’t considered a Wii. I was wondering about something with 2 player options. I’ll get searching. Hopefully I won’t have to break it out too soon.
I’ve ordered a climbing frame with a slide for the garden so hoping for some nicer weather than we’ve been having.

Can anyone be bothered to explain the difference between and Wii and a Wii U to me please 😀

The Wii u controller has a screen so you can play the games on that in handheld mode (has to be in the same room though) if someone wants to watch tv. I agree it is good value for money. But I'm not too sure if it might be too big and bulky for a five year old to hold for long periods of time... So a wii (they have little rectangular controllers) or 2ds might be better.

Nintendo switch. It is worth every penny IMO.

I also play it. It has lots of games that the whole family can play together too (just make sure you get extra controllers).

Thanks @Wanderlust21 he’s not keen on playing in another room so it’s be good if he could play it while his younger sister watches something and I try to make tea or something. I think I’ll save getting a switch for when he’s older. I hadn’t planned to get him anything at this age, but I’m getting nervous about keeping them entertained for months.

Yeh I bet. I think it might be money well spent. One thing you could do is look into the games available for each and see if any appeal.

I think the 2ds (handheld) has more range as I said and I know you can get the games real cheap on ebay now. But I'm sure the wii and wii u are the same. But if you can see games you think he would enjoy, maybe that'll help guide you better.

The Wii U is backwards compatable, which means it can play the wii games too :) but maybe to heavy for him to play for long periods of time.

*too
Well maybe not heavy but just big.

My four year old plays the Wii, he likes the active games quite a lot, I just have to make sure the controller is tied to his hand properly. You can buy them second hand from cex online if you don’t want to go out and about.

Wii if you want to keep it under £30 and play on the telly, WiiU if you want to have your kid not hogging the TV as he can use the controller screen as an alternative. The WiiU will play all Wii games as well as WiiU ones, by the way - so you can scout out the cheap shelves in Cash Converters.

Or a 2DS, the flat ones, they are also excellent devices. They can play all 2DS, 3DS and DS games (Except Xenoblade Chronicles, which isn't the sort of thing he'll be into anyway!). And this is the one with Pokemon and Animal Crossing, which are superb at soaking up hours!

Save the Switch for older, yes. They're too expensive to entrust to a five year old.

I plan to dust off the Wii if the schools close. At the moment we're ok.

Do you have a tablet or iPad? cbeebies apps have quite a few games.

Active games would definitely help him not go stir crazy I think. So I’ll have a look for a second hand Wii I think. His sister can always watch something on the iPad, and is generally happier to potter about playing with toys anyway while I’m busy.
I always forget about games on CBeebies so thanks for that too @CheriLittlebottom.

Active? Definitely the Wii then - Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort are both great, Wii Fit probably too dull for a 5yo, but there's Just Dance, loads of them all the way up to 2019 I think.

Get two controllers, there are plenty of two-player games, and make sure they're the later Wiimote Plus versions (they say "Wii MotionPlus inside" in a curve at the bottom under the Wii logo) and get the cabled joystick ("nunchuk").

I'd also recommend a Kids Kindle - DD (5) has one & loves it. It has educational stuff as well as games, audio & written books & videos.

Check out your local Facebook selling pages for a Wii - I got a second set for exH’s house (since my 3 were all really loving it) - Wii, balance board, 4x controllers and nunchucks, a load of accessories (steering wheels, tennis racquets, golf clubs etc) and about 10 games all for £50. Loads of people are selling to make room for newer consoles.

Also available through Cex or Game etc, but not generally as a total bundle.

Go for wii u, you can play games from the wii as well as wii u games so you can get the active ones and still have the handheld ability. Plus mario kart on the wii u is way better than the wii version