Can someone explain games consoles please?

[Alanamackree]

I need an idiots guide

I think it’s probably time to embrace the 21st century and all that but I have no idea what the differences are between a play station, an x box etc
Anyone in real life that I’ve asked seems to have extraordinarily strong brand loyalty and recommends whatever they played as teens with passion and conviction. But I’ve heard this from both sides.

I have two ds whose major interests are Minecraft and lego, and a dniece who likes fashion design and dance.

At the moment they take turns on the iPad. I’m not even sure that a console is the way to go, maybe I should get them all tablets? Just most of ds1’s friends have consoles now so I don’t want him left out.

Are there differences between the level of parental control on different devices?
What do you have and what do you like/dislike about it?
Are there more children’s games available on a particular system?

Oh and what exactly is a Nintendo switch?

No expert here, but little differences between ps and x box. We own an Xbox but struggle to buy games suitable for younger kids, mostly are lego games. We are buying a switch for Christmas as the games have more choice and seem more kid friendly.

a nintendo switch is a handheld console, but you can plug it into the tv and play the game from there. we have a ps4, and my kids really like it. you can get lego dimensions for it, which may suit your ds. for your niece, you could get just dance 4. one benefit for the ps4 however, is that you can download some free games off the store. i think there are some available on ebay right now. ill put some useful links below.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lego-Dimensions-PS4-Starter-Kit/202431915150?hash=item2f21e1e48e:g:0BoAAOSw7vxbhQWn

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-PlayStation-4-PS4-Launch-Edition-Jet-Black-Boxed/183435863672?epid=720019144&hash=item2ab5a12678:g:jKcAAOSw3JRbnOHv

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Just-Dance-2015-PS4-Playstation-4-New-and-Sealed/332806911558?epid=1363579621&hash=item4d7cd67646:g:lM8AAOSwHWJbnSsM

all the best x

You know what the difference is between an apple and an Android phone? Same sort of thing, different things are available for different phones just like consoles.

I personally prefer PlayStations, my siblings prefer Xbox. I think Xbox is more popular now, it is better for playing online which I don't do.

What I like even more than consoles is PC gaming, it depends what you're looking for. As you aren't going to be the one playing I don't think you could make anything more than a guess at to what they would prefer, it's a really individual thing.

Your Ds will probably want whatever console his friends have so you could just do that? Remember that gaming is an expensive hobby, games aren't cheap at all.

My DH was PlayStation only for many years, wouldn’t touch an x-box. From my understanding it’s literally personal preference although DH has sold his PS4 because he hardly used it.

We have got our DD’s a Nintendo switch as a joint Christmas present, they had both played them at friends houses and loved them. We have got the Just Dance game and will get Mariokart 8 as well. DD1 has a Nintendo DS and loves it, she got it for her 8th birthday and I was sceptical but must admit I have been surprised. They do have a android tablet each and would spend 24hrs a day on them if they could.

Thanks this is really helpful.

I think playing online with his friends would be helpful to ds1 as he has asd and it’s a way to socialize that might suit him well. On the other hand I’m not keen on him being online because he hasn’t a lot of common sense and is very trusting.

It Might just come down to the best Black Friday deal. Is there anything to watch out for with deal bundles? I don’t want to be sucked into buying one with all the bells and whistles but I don’t want a false bargain either.

If he wants to play online u need to find out what his friends have, as ps4 can only 0lay against ps4 and vice versa. Its pretty much personal preference. We have x2 ps4s. My boys play fortnite, minecraft, plant vs zombies and spiderman. Also lots of lego games. Games can be anything from £15 to £50ish. Mine generally dont get them when new released so get them cheaper. Also u have to pay a yearly subscription(think have to do on either ps4 or xbox) if want to play online. We r finally giving in and getting it this year

As someone with autism, please remember to explain from the off that there will be a time limit on playing. If he's like me he will find it hard to stop if he's having fun and being surprised with a time limit would have caused a meltdown for me. A little kitchen timer or something that goes off at 5 min to go and one that goes off when time is up might help alleviate meltdowns?

You haven’t said how old the children are but if they are pre-teen or younger I’d recommend a Nintendo switch, mainly because as other posters have said, the games for the other consoles are largely more adult.
On the switch you can still play fortnite against friends on other types of console and talk to them of you have a headset. We have found that this has really helped our ds socialise as he is very shy usually but happy to talk to friends over the headset.
He also likes the mario games and there is a family type games where you compete at random activities, can’t remember what it’s called but lots of fun.
Best way of getting it cheaper is by getting a new customer 20% off code for Very then paying it off straight away.

I agree with a few previous posters. The PS4 and Xbox are just a matter of personal preference. OH says that it's best to buy the same console as most of your friends.

In terms of deals, they should be on offer somewhere (everywhere) between now and xmas. We bought DS a PS4 for his birthday at Easter and paid about £250. Most deals come in a bundle (console and games), but the trick is to get a decent game. DS PS4 came with 3 games, but none of them were suitable for him. We traded them in for a game DS wanted, but didn't get much for the games we traded in.

Agree on finding out what friends have. DS has an Xbox as that's what his friends have!

Check out age appropriate games too.

I don't know the current trends but it used to be Nintendo's for younger games, ps for teens and the Xbox for older games.

If DS friends are all playing call of duty or adult game you may want extra control.

I have more questions!!!!

I thought I’d settled on the Nintendo switch but when I was discreetly probing DS’s opinion he mentioned that Nintendo hadn’t got the latest update or upgrade of whatchamacallit in Minecraft. Arrghhh why?
Is that likely to be a regular thing where one platform gets upgrades before others and some not at all? I really, really don’t want to spend £££ to trigger asd meltdowns on a regular basis!!

Also, assuming that I bought this do I still need to buy controllers or is that just an alternative type of controller?

Oh and how many people can play at the one time?

With the switch you don’t need to buy a controller to play with up to 2 people. That is the controller and it also separates into 2 controllers so you can play 2 player games from the offset (but some games will be for one player only- it will be marked how many can play on the back of the box).

Also yes certain consoles will get certain upgrades that others won’t and even certain games are console exclusive- I.e. Spider-Man is only on the PS4. I’d be guided by what your ds want to play.

The other thing to bear in mind with the Xbone and PS4 is that there are new versions out- for Xbox it’s confusingly called “Xbox One X” and for PS4 it’s “PS4 Pro”.

You probably don’t need these new versions as they are just better graphics, fairly irrelevant if you don’t have a 4K tv and I doubt your DC will care if they’re young. The older versions are quite a bit cheaper.

Oh and PS4 and XBox generally come with 1 controller and you have to buy any additional ones you want.

Just be warned that I think they have actually stopped making Lego dimensions game now.

How old are ds/dn ?

The switch is great, but definitely a younger console. We have a switch and a PS4 and they are used for different things.

The switch comes with two small controllers so can be played by two players , or you can join those two small controllers together (as shown in the picture) to make a bigger controller like the PS4 type.

You can also buy mini steering wheels to pop the little controllers in for games like mario kart.

DS has also bought a couple extra controllers they sell so we can use it as 4 player console.

When you join the two mini controllers to the switch it turns it into a 1 player handheld game (like a big DS) that you can take out with you.

On the switch he mainly plays mario type games - similar to the sorts of games you would use with a DS.

The PS4 he plays things like FIFA and Battlefront. He plays online with his friends.

We are not a mine craft/fortnite household though.

Most importantly if he is going to play online, you need to know what his friends have as a PS can't play an Xbox.

Personally I think there are more games available for PS and a bigger choice.

All games are extortionate prices though!

The dc are aged 8-10.
Ds1 is Minecraft obsessed
DS2 would probably like lego dimensions (which I can pick up now before it’s gone)
DN fancies a Pokémon game that I think might only be available on switch.

Decisions!

If I get a PS4 and his friends have older or newer versions, can they still play with each other?

Can you play with other Nintendo switch users in the same way? I mean if you and they have a switch.

Yes you can play with other switch users online but you have to pay extra. It’s cheaper than you pay for Xbox or PS4 online play (switch is just £18 per year) but has less features.

The Pokemon game will only be playable on the switch.

And it doesn’t matter which version of PS4 whether it’s standard/ slim/ pro they can still play with each other as long as they all have PS4’s.

How much does it cost to play Xbox/ps4 online? I hadn’t really thought much beyond the initial eye wateringcost of the console but it’s going to be a very expensive hobby.

It's about £40-50 for a year I think but if you wait til after Christmas you get 50% deals or 3 months free. We never pay full price.

That was for PS

I might be able to sell you Lego dimensions! It doesn't get much playtime these days.