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Christmas

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

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Original poster

Do I buy Nintendo Switch

37 replies

Shinyandnew2022 · 14/10/2022 10:23

My two DC have both wanted one of these for years - they are now 11 and 9y
Originally we said Father Christmas doesn't do 'tech' and although the youngest continues to ask they pretty much have given up that we would buy them these.

They both have old iPads and use these
For Minecraft etc - though DDs interests are changing now she is at secondary school.

So am I mad for starting to think this might be the year to get them one ?
My worries are
Are they worth the money ?
Will DS become a gaming addict ??
And what do I actually need to get if I do decide to do it ?

Can anyone less Luddite please advise??

OP posts:

AriettyHomily · 14/10/2022 15:29

We have been back and forth on this for a couple of years, Dts are 11 now. They haven't shown enough interest so we've held off. They have phones, an iPad and an old wii that they occasionally use.

I also soundly decide whether a switch or 2 switch lites was a better bet. If theyre not desperate for it I wouldn't bother.

snugglyblanket · 14/10/2022 16:11

Our 2 have a regular Switch between them and it works well. We tend to go for games that work best on multiplayer so lots of Mario kart, etc but DS also has a couple of games that be plays alone. DD is older and isn't interested in playing alone, only on shared games. We have 4 controllers so we can play as a family of 4 but also because some games use 2 controllers as 1, so we can still play multiplayer. DS also has his own Pokémon controller that nobody else is allowed to use!
DH - I sometimes use it too and it's great for when people come over.

Original poster

Shinyandnew2022 · 14/10/2022 17:40

ElfDragon · 14/10/2022 14:08

The Switch is great. Lots of lovely multi player and family games to enjoy.

One main switch console (not switch lite, which is handheld only) is fine between them - my 3 have happily shared one for years now. The main console will come with 2 controllers (joycons), which clip onto the console to play in hand held mode, or detach to play in tv mode (or when playing multi player using just the switch screen).

the controllers are multi functional, so can be used as either one small separate controller, or used two together as a bigger controller (sounds complicated, but it really isn’t!). It is worth checking what controllers the games you want to buy need, as there are sometimes restrictions on what is needed.

I would recommend buying an extra pair of joycons, so then you can play 4 player on some games (like MarioKart or Mario Party, or Just Dance, etc).

main console, extra joycons, and whatever games you want are all you need. There are extras, eg steering wheel joycon holders but they are not necessary.

Thanks @ElfDragon this is very helpful detail !

Thanks for so many replies I am excited now !

OP posts:

Original poster

Shinyandnew2022 · 14/10/2022 17:41

Blessedbethefruitz · 14/10/2022 14:25

I got the switch a couple of weeks ago. Very had (has?) 20% off for new credit accounts, I got a bundle and a few games, for Xmas. I had to apply for the credit account but I just paid via PayPal in full anyway. The offer excluded other consoles but not the switch.

GreAt tip I will have a look at that - did you get the Oled or something else ?

OP posts:

Blessedbethefruitz · 14/10/2022 18:02

@Shinyandnew2022 No I got the regular switch, mario Kart, super Mario brothers, sonic, and steering wheels! I'm looking for a couple of other games on black friday :) It's a joint gift for dp and ds. I bought elsewhere a case, screen protectors, a carry case. I downloaded an 89p racing game from the eshop to test it lol.

Rollercoaster1920 · 14/10/2022 18:05

The OLED really isn't worth the extra. When connected to the TV there isn't any benefit at all!

Doremisofarsogood · 14/10/2022 18:08

The Switches are great, me and DH.use it just as much as DD! It's been great when camping or staying with friends,.I would recommend getting an extra set of controllers for when friends are over or if you want to play too
Like anything it's up to you to police it as much or little as you see fit, my DD would watch YouTube on it all day if we let her but we remind her constantly that she has loads of games on it and she needs to play them!
There are some great family games good for Christmas, parties etc too.

Annoyed200722 · 14/10/2022 19:51

We were similar but bought one for our 9 year old last Christmas. We put a 45 minute daily timer on it, and it's great. We often play with him, and it does get used frequently, but certainly not every day. I think if you manage it well, he's unlikely to become an addict.

Original poster

Shinyandnew2022 · 14/10/2022 20:17

Blessedbethefruitz · 14/10/2022 18:02

Thanks am trying to quickly educate myself !

OP posts:

Blessedbethefruitz · 14/10/2022 20:31

@Shinyandnew2022 haha me too, I'm not a games person and we don't have any consoles as dp uses his laptop!

Thereisnolight · 14/10/2022 20:39

We got one last year for DC 10 and 11.
No extra accessories (apart from the games).
You can play it on the TV or just handheld.
Comes with two control pads for 2-player games

It’s a success. They use it quite a lot but definitely not addicted. Just something to pick up when they’re relaxing.

MarioKart and DonkeyKong Tropical Freeze have been favourites so far. JustDance was a flop for us.

DeathMetalMum · 15/10/2022 10:56

We have a switch dc really enjoy the family games weve had it for a few years but they're 9&11 now. It gets played by everyone in the house in varying ways. With their friends or cousins when they come round.

They both decided to save Christmas/birthday money to buy a switch lite each and they work well.

Great for travelling, but you can't play multiplayer. So I would stick with the main console.

I'd reccomend an extra set of controllers, and Mario Party which is really fun.

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