Help please - what games console to choose?

[Pepperama]

We are thinking of getting DS his first console for his birthday. He’s going to be 12. He’s very excited but we’ve been struggling to decide what to get. He doesn’t want a Nintendo. So it’s either a PS4 Pro, or invest in a PS5 or Xbox S series. Moneywise I’d be more comfortable with something in the PS4 range but am worried that it’s false economy if it starts to feel obsolete in a year or two. Is it worth spending more if a PS5 or Xbox S might last him through his teens till he can earn some money to upgrade himself at some point if he wants?

What should we expect in terms of on-costs - games, accessories etc?
Do I understand it right that Xbox is more like a subscription service? Does that make it more or less expensive in the long run?

What else should we consider in deciding?

thanks for any help Mumsnetters!

I wouldn't buy PS4 now. The PS5 has been out 2 Christmases.

Regards the others it very much comes down to what his pals have. Much easier to play together on the same platform.

I buy the Xbox games outright rather than via the Gamepass subscription.
DS tends to stick to Minecraft, and Roblox.

Ps5. You can pick up the games in CEX shops 2nd hand which saves, even better if you get one with backwards capability so you can play ps4 games on it too.
I personally couldn't get on with the xbox but my nephew prefers it

I haven't been able to justify a PS5 yet because there's just not enough content, personally I'd be smart and buy a second hand PS4 and wait til there's more out to bother with a PS5. You can always sell on a PS4, plenty of people still buy them.

We have just upgraded from a ps4 to a PS5 at Xmas for our son. There's lots of free games each month for being online. The pa4 games he had all work
The picture quality and speed is far superior than the ps4. I wouldn't get a 12 year old a ps4 now. Whether you go for xbox or PlayStation depends entirely on what his friends use and his preference.

Thanks everyone for responses so far. How about oncosts for passes or games themselves, is that similar across platforms?

The costs are similar for gaming passes etc across the board, personally I’d go for whatever consoles his friends have so they can game online together.

The Xbox series s doesn't take discs so it may cost more in long run as games will have to be bought from game store. I'd probably recommend the ps5 all though I don't have one I have a PS4 and a Xbox one x and they are still bringing out new games for PS4. I'm not sure how long this will last though. To play online on both ps and Xbox you will need to do monthly subscription so ps plus or Xbox gold. Both come with 2 free games a month and are sometimes decent. Depending what games he likes there are some decent free games on playstation x

What sort of games do you think he would want to play? DH and I both play consoles, we’ve had both PlayStations and xbox in the past and we’ve both always preferred the PlayStations. They seem to bring out new games more regularly than xbox. We got the online only version of the xbox this time and really regret it as it makes it much more expensive having to download all the games brand new rather than being able to use 2nd hand discs, so I would definitely recommend going for a disc option of whichever one you choose

Thanks - good to hear the different experiences. I’d go for a ps5 if it wasn’t so very expensive and if I was convinced it’s the right one for him. But £530… and that’s without games, passes… ouch

Find out what his friends have, he won't want to be the only one who can't join in when they play together.

That’s the problem. They’re pretty evenly split - some have PS, others Xbox, a few have both. And both lots seem to love their consoles! And he’s changing schools later this year so who knows 🤷‍♀️ what the new crowd may have…

In that case, I'd be tempted to go second hand xbox one or the xbox s. Then it's not such a huge gamble what the new crowd will have.
The xboxs are backwards compatible so it doesn't matter if he has xbox one while friends are on xbox s/x

I might have this wrong as a repeating what I think DP said. BIL bought a PS5 for his kids for Xmas and asked for games off us. We got them some but DP said it was trickier as many games on the PS5 are not appropriate for this age range. Maybe something to consider if I’ve even got this right!

Xbox is good with the game pass?

You can play any console/PC online as long as the game has crossplay (all the major titles do) so it doesn't necessarily matter if his mates have Xbox and he has PS5. DH has PS5 and plays his mates online who are on a variety of platforms including Xbox and PC on FIFA, F1 and COD amongst others.

Brought my son ps5 for Christmas he loves it. X

Ps5 disc version most games are cross compatible now. Is there a game he wants more? Or as a starter console you could get a switch

Just saw you said he doesn't want Nintendo - is there a particular game he wants to play? Fortnite or Minecraft?