Nintendo switch, playstation, Xbox or...none?

[Losoph]

My two children, aged 12 and 11 have been asking for the above for ages. They both have a tablet on which they play Minecraft, etc (around 45min per day)
I have no idea what the actual difference between these game consoles is and which would be the best option for the preteens.
My DD,12 likes the idea of Nintendo as she worries PlayStation will have some content that is not appropriate (violent). Also, she wants something that can be enjoyed by the family.
Ds on the other, hand wants playstation, as then apparently he will be able to play remotely with his friends.
My worries are

• whatever we get, they will play with it once and then ditch it
• they will grow out of Nintendo soon-ish so money I'll spend
• playstation is for older kids and the content can be violent particularly that I'm absolutely rubbish at setting up.parental controls on any devices

I would appreciate any recommendations from anyone with children at similar age -either of these three or...none and why?

At that age, we got a PlayStation. Sure it does have games available for much older kids / adults, but you just need to not get those ones, then there’s no inappropriate content! The games all have age ratings etc. Loads of non violent options.

Have to confess we had no idea how to set it up as we never did any gaming ourselves, so we asked one of our kids friends parents to help us with it! All the parental controls etc. They are brilliant for playing with friends online but you do have to get the settings right so they can find and play with their friends, but not with randoms etc - it’s all very doable but we got help to figure it out! It’s probably all online though.

Nintendo is great and our kids still use the old wii occasionally, but the games are pitched younger than your age range, overall, so might have less longevity.

You can play online with friends on a switch as well

They definitely won’t play it once and then not be interested. Although maybe if you have made it this far without any consoles you’re a different kind of family to us!

Nintendo is a nice starter console and I don’t think you grow out of it really. I think you can still set it up to play Minecraft with others even if they are on different systems.

Playstation is bringing out a new console most likely in 2028 so personally I would wait for that. But lots recommend the current version as it’s cheaper and still massive game catalogue.

The 12yo kids I know are more into meta quest VR headsets. A different option you haven’t even mentioned.

Buy whatever their friends have, very simple. If they have something different, they won't be able to play with them.

We have a Switch and it has parental controls so they have a limited amount of time they can play each day and I can extend it or turn it off from my app.

The switch is also great for a bit of team Mario kart at family events!

This is a good call.

But also agree with this!

For us - PS worked - I prefer them playing Minecraft on a big screen. They also do the just dance game and Hogwarts. FIFA is very popular as well. Loads of choice op.

Computer games should be banned. They are nothing but an expensive waste of time. Get your kids playing sport outdoors instead.

Should TV and movies be banned as well? What about board games?

So much of what we do in our spare time is "expensive wastes of time" but that is what free time is for... its time we "waste" doing things we enjoy.

The reason I mentioned the two above is that the academic research is very clear that video games have the potential to be far more useful in skill development than TV or movies, due to their interacting/problem-solving nature. And from a behavioral point of view, board games fulfill almost identical roles as video games, except they are rarely complained about.

For the OP. In my opinion, especially for most boys. Switches go out of trend when they are teenagers, because they want something more edgy/grown-up. (whether you think that is appropriate is another question..)

But then switches tend to come back later, and plenty of adults end up going back to Nintendo games, to get some good simple games to play, avoiding all the teenage nonsense you get on other consoles.

Personally, if they have nothing at all at the moment, I'd do a switch - its a great first console, and much safer than the others.

Then I would say to your son that if he can own it, and be responsible with using it etc. maybe in the future he can get a different console.

Mine have switches, now older teenagers and they still play them. There is a huge range of games and you can play online with your friends.

We also have a playstation, we all play that, also has a massive selection of games. When they were younger we would play the Lego games together. Our son will play online with his friends.

With the switch for our son we have parental controls as he's still in school. Don't have them on the PlayStation as it's connected to our living room TV.

I would get a PS5, because of the social aspect for your son. There are all kinds of games on there that are not violent if that is a worry for your DD.

Just some examples:
Astrobot (highly recommend)
Just Dance
Stardew Valley
Lego games are always brilliant
Sonic Racing
Hello Kitty Island Adventure
A little to the left
Little kitty big city
Untitled goose game

DS has had Nintendo Switch since 2022 (when he turned 10), worked fine with Super Mario games. Once I have allowed him to play Fortnite aged 12, the set up Epic Games (Fortnite developers) with Nintendo is a pain in the arse, namely certain features not being supported by Nintendo due to some legal wrangle. V-bucks gift cards do not transfer to Nintendo, so any gift cards have to be purchased via Nintendo eShop/Nintendo e-gift card (you can still purchase Vbucks via Epic Games store that will transfer to Nintendo, though, it is just the purple gift cards you need to be vary of). I find myself constantly Googling if DS wants anything to do with Fortnite, just to make sure it is compatible with Nintendo. Parental controls are easy to set up and work brilliantly. And you can play lots of other games that are for teens, there is a fair age range out there.

Controllers can sometimes start glitching, we have had to replace 2 pairs in 4 years.

Having said that I really like its design and don’t have any plans to swap. Apart from maybe Switch 2.

We have had the same with the Switch controllers. We are on our third pair now.

And yet here we all are, wasting time on an online forum

Get a PlayStation but that said a lot of people play switch, it's not something you grow out of. There's loads of different games and genres from Mario to Resident Evil.

Says you wasting their time online. Gaming has tons of benefits.

They can do both you know 🙄

My child has a switch ( it was handed down to use when the switch 2 came out) he uses it more when we are out and about, rather than at home. He really wants a PS5 as there are games that aren't available on the switch. I have looked into it, and there are lots of games that are suitable for younger kids and not all violent.

Edited to add - he also plays football 4 times a week, swimming and hockey 😉

Switch for one, PlayStation for the other. Increase their screen time allowed, it’s important for social interaction between them and their friends, particularly in the winter months when it is too cold to go out.

Both my dc started with Nintendos but they were younger than yours, maybe 7 or 8.

Then my eldest had an Xbox, youngest has a PS5.

I never found either to be a problem, well my eldest has long since grown out of gaming. He sold his Xbox after 7 years of it being well loved.

We just kept it in the living room so that we could see what they were doing, both were able to game with friends

The only problem was getting them off the things when they were engrossed in a game but it certainly never became a big issue.

Or…you know…they could be completely balanced and do both. I know my kids do. It’s not one or the other. 🙄

I also disagree that gaming should be banned and is all negative.

Both of my sons still play a lot of sport, go to school, do homework, meet friends, we do things as a family. Gaming isn’t their whole life (as I said my eldest grew out of it anyway).

But many happy hours have been spent playing with friends online. My eldest in particular used to spend hours on Minecraft building worlds and chatting to his best mate, they would be absolutely engrossed in what they were doing they were being creative and using their imagination.

There are so many different games you can get.

As long as they’re not spending their whole lives doing it why is it any different to us using mumsnet or watching films and TV. In fact scrolling mumsnet is probably a worse activity.