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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

What games console for a 9 year old?

25 replies

longdiling · 25/09/2015 22:55

We've only ever had a second-hand wii until now but DS is desperate for an X-box or playstation. He'll want to play Fifa16 and Minecraft on it for the most part. We're thinking of making it a joint present for christmas for his sisters as well who would also get their own games, they're 11 and 5.

We would normally 'only' spend around £150 in total on each of them at Christmas which would do a stocking, main present plus a couple of other bits. This puts the X-box One and Playstation 4 out of our reach really and I think it would be wasted on DS who probably couldn't tell you the difference between the One and the 360 for example (neither could I!)

So which console would best suit our needs do you think?

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LMGTFY · 25/09/2015 22:59

With an 11 and 7yo I'd say an xbox 360 is a great choice, we don't do Xbox live here but still the stupid thing is the love of their lives(for the time I let them on it before the mn police get me!), their friends even come round with controllers to play together!

MegBusset · 25/09/2015 23:00

Yeah I would say get an Xbox 360.

LMGTFY · 25/09/2015 23:01

I personally wouldn't consider the xbox one cos of the cost of the games, at least the 360 lets you borrow off your mates/play cheap old games get it chipped

gamerchick · 25/09/2015 23:03

Please don't make him share with his sisters. You can get 360s pre owned for around 70 quid now.

Original poster

longdiling · 25/09/2015 23:04

Thanks! I expect it will become the love of his life too and a source of constant battles but everyone where we live has them from a very young age. He won't even invite friends round any more because we're the only ones who don't have a proper console apparently...

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Original poster

longdiling · 25/09/2015 23:05

Gamerchick - his older sister wants one too. It seems absolute insanity to get 2 consoles. We only have one TV!!

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EldonAve · 25/09/2015 23:08

We have a PS4 but most of the games are 18+

gamerchick · 25/09/2015 23:11

Well there's an obvious answer to that but I won't say

Seriously though, sharing a console does your swede in. I share my one with my son because you can't get these games for th 360. It isn't good.

If your daughter takes to it the same as your son you'll get more fighting than harmony.

Course we're a gaming family and all have our own TV and machine/s. You know your own family set up.

Original poster

longdiling · 25/09/2015 23:12

Ah ok, I'm glad I can discount the more expensive consoles.

He'll actually do quite well out of 'sharing'. His sisters will like the idea of the console but rarely play it after the novelty of Christmas wears off, leaving him with the whole thing to himself. I feel more guilty about the girls 'wasting' their Christmas present on it.

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EldonAve · 25/09/2015 23:15

If you are happy to buy second hand then places like cash converters usually sell them with a warranty

starlight2007 · 25/09/2015 23:20

My DS (8) asked tonight why we aren't allowed an X box..It is the console most his friends have..I pointed out we have a wii, Laptop and DS , kindle and I consider that to be enough for us

gamerchick · 25/09/2015 23:20

Yeah I wouldn't bother with the next gen consoles for kids. I needed one but my 8 yr old doesn't by a long shot yet.

and good luck

A must say that mine craft did wonders for my asd youngling. He can sit still now and everything.

gamerchick · 25/09/2015 23:25

You can't compare an Xbox to any of those starlight wii is fine (Wiiu) is much better than a wii though. But it can't compare to an Xbox or play station. Those open up a new world to people and your answer which is basically 'because I said so' won't wash.

Original poster

longdiling · 25/09/2015 23:28

Our Wii was a second hand one and had started playing up so he hasn't been on it in ages. You can't get minecraft on it either which is the big thing for him really.

I quite like minecraft myself, he's very creative with it. I definitely think technology has it's strong points, I just don't want it to be the only thing they do.

If the girls go off the idea of a console I will probably get him a pre-owned 360 of his very own. I know he'd love his own one. I just think he's a bit young to be holed up his room on his own console - it'll happen eventually but not just yet!!

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gamerchick · 25/09/2015 23:37

No I agree with you. My youngest doesn't have any electronics in his room, just a bed and wardrobe. We have a playroom though so I can supervise, isn't allowed on his stepdads machine at all and only his brothers if he's in the room with him. My machines are in the living room.

If you like mine craft then you'll be fine with one TV. I can't watch it as I go slack jawed, glassy eyed and almost drooling. Not a fan here. It's better elsewhere in the house.

Original poster

longdiling · 25/09/2015 23:44

Well I like it for him, I won't actually be watching it myself! I like how excited he gets when he's found a way to build something new. The skylander phase he went through with the Wii was horrendous; he just got so wound up trying to play it. Minecraft doesn't seem to have that effect on him.

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starlight2007 · 25/09/2015 23:50

Those open up a new world to people and your answer which is basically 'because I said so' won't wash.

Maybe not at 13 but at 8 yes I decide. He has no self control over electronic devices so yes I am not about to introduce another one into the mix..

He has minecraft on laptop ..

WeAllHaveWings · 26/09/2015 23:26

Ds(11) got his Xbox 360 when he was 9. For him the big part of it is playing mine craft and Fifa and talking/playing with his friends (need a Xbox live membership), if your ds wants to do this try to find out what his friends have got - Xbox 360 players can't play games with Xbox one, or ps4 etc and vice versa.

If his friends arent online he doesn't play it (and goes out to play instead), but its great in the winter as they can play with each other at night when it's too wet and dark to be out.

Original poster

longdiling · 26/09/2015 23:30

I'd been wondering how Xbox live works, thanks Wings. He hasn't mentioned it or mentioned playing it with his friends so hopefully that means it's not on his radar at the moment. I'll try and find out though. If they do have xbox live can you monitor who they speak to/set up privacy settings and things?

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PesoPenguin · 27/09/2015 07:46

X Box 360 is fine for younger kids and you can get some quite good bundles (think asda had some the other day).

gamerchick · 27/09/2015 11:24

You can monitor who they speak to by being in the room.

There used to be a thing where you had to choose who to chat to but I don't know if that's still the case because I don't use it.

WeAllHaveWings · 27/09/2015 14:41

When you setup the xbox you will setup two accounts, a parental one (which you need to put your credit card on to identify yourself) and then a child one you can control settings for. Never let him see your parental account password!! Xbox live is ~£36 a year if paid up front, you need a headset which you'll get with the xbox, but expect to replace at least once a year.

You can setup parental controls t
o say they can only chat to friends.

They send or accept friend requests (they need to know each others user name) and when they are in a "friends party" they can only chat to friends. ds know only to be friends with people he "knows or knows of" in real life, this is where it get a bit difficult. He knows x who lives around the corner, but goes to a different school. x plays xbox with y from his school, ds doesn't know y in real life but is friends with him on xbox and that's ok because x knows him.

If ds was in a party with x and y and he couldn't talk to y it would make it difficult to play together.

I think (or I might be getting it confused with the PC version) if he's in a minecraft world there will be lots of players there not just his friends, he wont be able to talk to the other players in the world, just his friends, but the other players might destroy his buildings (he needs to be aware this is just part of the game or there might be tears!).

Things to pre-warn him of is:

to only accept friend requests from friends or people his friends know of in real life.
do not swap fifa players, minecraft things etc if you don't want to lose them, even if the person promises to give it back. Kids can sometimes be as mean on xbox as they can anywhere (ds's friend lost £20 worth of good players when a "friend" asked to swap them and he would give them back and he didn't).

Original poster

longdiling · 27/09/2015 14:43

Thanks so much - that's really helpful!

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TheUnwillingNarcheska · 27/09/2015 18:03

We have full control over the xbox like Wings they need a password to be in-putted by us to accept friendships and can only play on-line with friends.

They prefer Minecraft on their laptops, but play Terraria, Fifa, Transformers and Plants vs Zombies on the Xbox360.

Ds1 is 12 though, Ds2 is 9. They also have a gaming laptop each, DS, 3DS, wii and a tablet. Dh is IT though so we always have tech.

But we also limit how long they are on it for. They knew this when we bought it all. They have a playroom with a TV in it so the main TV isn't taken over. And they are not allowed tech in their rooms. Bedrooms are for chilling in, reading and sleeping.

WeAllHaveWings · 27/09/2015 19:03

Yes, to a second TV if you can. ds(11) got his xbox at 9 and for the first year it was on the main (and only) TV so we could keep an eye on him, wasn't ideal because he keep asking if he could play his xbox when we were watching TV if he was playing the xbox and talking through the headset in the living room it was quite disruptive. Following xmas we got him a TV.

Games ds plays are: Minecraft, Fifa16 (why do they need a new one at >£40 every year and the old one which they have built up good players on never gets played with again!!!! they all look the same to me!!), Plants vs Zombies. He wants a WWE wrestling one this year as his friends are playing it, but its a 16 so not sure about that yet.

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