First gaming console - advice please

[artninja]

Hi,

Looking to get a first gaming console/ equipment for dc's birthday.
I feel very out of touch and will appreciate some advice.
Dc has only played a bit Minecraft so far. Will look at something like Mario Cart too. May be football games.

Dc's friends apparently all have/ asked for/ or have a Nintendo switch.
Is that a good one to have if you're only getting one console? What are the different ones - lite, Oled?
Would you get it second hand?

Is it better to get a PlayStation/ Xbox or Wii and if so why (more affordable game/ more variety)?

And finally (stupidest question) can I only get game controllers and connect to existing tv/ laptop/ tablet and play on things like google Play, without a console? (Things like Minecraft)

It will be used in the living room, with a parent, not online chats etc allowed.

Many thanks if you can help.

Whatever console you get look up parental settings on you tube, password it so they can’t go in and change settings. When you purchase anything remove the card details after.

Forget a Wii, you can only buy second hand now that’s more for family fun together in the same room, find out what consoles his friends have for easier cross play.

We have had every type of console, best in my opinion is X box X but that will set you back £500. For amazing gaming it’s a PC. But again Look at storage capacity. X box have far better controllers than PlayStations.

A Switch is a hand held device its the only gaming device we have not got but it is very good for small kids and portable as well.

How old are they?

My son is 7 and we have Nintendo Switch. It's great as it can be played handheld so if you go on a plane you can take it with you or can be played on the TV. We have Minecraft, Mario kart and several other Mario games too.

Plenty of kid and family friendly games available on it.

Older kids/teens are probably more into Xbox or PlayStation but for younger kids or family fun then the Switch is the best console I think.

Nintendo Wii is really old, discontinued in 2013.

My two 8&10 have always had an Xbox. They play Minecraft, farming simulator (my youngest loves to drive tractors) FIFA, Star Wars, Lego games, SpongeBob, any car racing games, Rugby etc.

I have a switch, good for younger children, especially the likes of Mario kart and all the Mario games.

Haven't got a PlayStation so I can't give any advice there.

Definitely have a look around, pricewise work out what you're willing to spend, prices of games etc see what kind of games they would like to play. You can always buy secondhand / refurbished ones.

When's his birthday?

Nintendo are gearing up to release the Switch 2. I certainly wouldn't go trying to hunt down a Wii or Wii U if you can afford a Switch.

Difference between Switch and Lite is the Switch can be used multi player on TV. The Switch lite can't it can only be used single player handheld.

One thing I will say Xbox has better parental controls than Switch. Both my kids have limited time allowed on their consoles.
I might decide to give Xbox an extra block of time 10, 15, 20, 30 minutes or whatever.
Switch the only option is to remove the time controls for the day.

Xbox won't switch on to a time determined by me,

Switch will leave night time at 8am. No choice does my head in.

I've found a Nintendo Switch very versatile (it's mine but shared with my son). The parental controls are quite easy to set up and use. You can use it handheld or (not the Lite version) pop it in the dock and it connects to your TV. We love the Mario games and lots of them you can play two player as well. There are also lots of family style games which are quite fun too.

I'd also recommend joining a relevant Reddit channel for the device you're interested in. I have found people very helpful on there.

Whatever you buy, I would open the box and set it up way before his birthday. Installing game updates, checking you know how it works, setting up parental controls and user account(s). It's far less stressful when it's ready to go out of the box and you're the one who knows all about it. Nothing worse than an hour of updates, scrabbling around for help on the internet and then it needs charging!

It depends what sort of games they like, I've got two dd's and there are hardly any games in the ps or xbox that they like, it seems to be mainly racing, sports and fighting games whereas they like cartoon style or puzzle games such as the Mario series or Zelda.
Those titles are only a available on Nintendo and so they've got Switches.

Don't get a Wii as they are old and a lot of the newer games won't be supported.
The Switch Lite can only ever be played handheld and you can't detach the controllers whereas the regular switch is better for multiplayer games, you can place it in its docking station and then play it on the tv, you slide out the controllers and just hold those in your hand.
You would need to buy a second pair or controllers for other people, I've got non genuine and they work fine.
(oled is just a slightly clearer screen but normal is fine and cheaper)
Some multiplayer games can be played with one controller each but I find it quite fiddly holding just one.
To buy games you can look on their store on the console itself and download them, there are always offers on, even on the big name titles, often 33% or 50% off and even more off on the lesser known games so don't pay full price, keep checking and at some point they'll be cheaper.
Only downside with not buying a physical copy is that you can't sell it on if you don't like it or if you've completed it and no longer play it.

Forgot to add, a lot of the popular games can be played together across all devices such as Minecraft, Fortnite and AmongUs so for those it doesn't matter which console you buy.
You can't hear other people talking on the Switch which I personally like as a lot of online gamers are bloody horrible.
With the xBox and PS you can add mics so that you can chat.

They’re highly addictive, so be very careful.
Sorry to burst your bubble.
Just make sure you’re very strict with time limits, and also make sure they get out and get fresh air and exercise as well.

@Needanewname42 isn't quite right about the Switch parental controls. You can add more time allowed but it adds it onto that day's total and it stays there until you reduce it. It definitely isn't as helpful as the Xbox parental controls in this regard, but you can add more time to the Switch without giving free access all day.

Depends on the age of the child tbh. Switches are fun but I've found the ones that connect to your TV end up played more hand held and the controllers get awful drift after a short time. Mine love their switch lites and have had them for ages. If they're very young and you only want them to play on the TV, get an older Xbox or PS4. I have pretty much every console in the house and the winner by far is the PS5 for my older boys.

We bought our Xbox One X secondhand (from Game because they're tested and come with a warranty). It looked almost new and we've had no trouble with it at all (bought it as a family gift last Christmas). So I would definitely buy secondhand from a reputable source.

The only thing I wouldn't buy secondhand is a Switch (the models with the controllers that can slide off, not the Lite) because they have had trouble with joystick drift (mine was bought 5 years ago and hasn't had any issues though, but there's quite a bit online about it).

How old is your child? I'm assuming quote young if they have only played a bit of Minecraft and all their friends have Switches.

Nintendo Switch is the best for primary school aged kids. I prefer the full console that can play both handheld and on tv for flexibility. My son and I play together a lot, so being able to do that is a must.

My DS is 11 and we bought a PS5 last year. For us, he still prefers the Switch and I think he will grow into PS more in secondary. So many more younger child friendly games on the Switch.

Be aware a new Switch will be coming out at some point next year, but may be initial limited supply when it does. TBH, I'd likely not hold back and buy one now as it's sounds like he's already behind his peer group.

We don't have OLED, just the original. I'd be tempted to go for the cheapest deal you can get with a game. Hope that helps.

Do you mean you go into the settings and add it that way so instead of Thursday having a 1hr limit it has a 1hr 30 limit. And then you need to remember to change it back?

The ability to add a limited amount of time is great on Xbox.

Thank you, all. He's seven, turning eight in March.

At that age, a Switch definitely then. Much greater range of games that are age suitable compared to a PS/XBox.

Hang on for the Switch 2 announcement which will be happening fairly soon hopefully. I highly recommend choosing Nintendo btw, so many kid friendly and family friendly games. It’s really amazing. I love it too and I’m 43 🥹

And finally (stupidest question) can I only get game controllers and connect to existing tv/ laptop/ tablet and play on things like google Play, without a console? (Things like Minecraft)

Yes – my DS only games on his laptop, which he also uses for homework etc.

Lots of games can be played just with a keyboard and a mouse. Pretty sure you can do Minecraft that way. For games played with controllers, you would need an adaptor to hook up the controllers to the PC, such as this one for Nintendo controllers.

Steam (store.steampowered.com) is the main website to download PC games from – they have thousands, including a lot of the big ones. There's quite a good rating system, and they have sales periodically.

@Needanewname42 Yeah, it's a pain on the Switch but that's exactly what I mean. The app would greatly benefit from being able to just add 10/15/30 mins as a one-off. Honestly, it's as if they didn't even test it

I agree that the Xbox is much better for this and I set up the parental controls and have kind of forgotten about it (it just works in the background and I add one-off time as needed). I did find it quite tricky to get it set up though and I'm fairly good with technical stuff.

But I really do love our Xbox, currently waiting for my husband to stop playing Halo with our son so I can get on there! Maybe we need two??!! 😂

Thank you so much.

If we go for a Switch what difference will the 32GB vs 64GB make?

And also always wondered about the VR sets (MetaQuest etc). What do children/ you use them for? What do you pair them with?