'Starter' console for 8 year old

[FusionChefGeoff]

I am clueless but don't want to listen to what he thinks he wants as he is also clueless and just parroting things he has heard!! So far, he just plays basic / free games on my iPad.

Don't want to spend a lot of money, very happy with 2nd hand but equally don't want something that's so out of date he can't actually use it.

I'm not a fan of gaming so he won't be allowed much time on it and only a limited amount of games so far mentioned are Minecraft, FIFA and Mario style games.

I'd like the ability to safely join friends' games online.

I'd be happy to plan on an expensive / new release upgrade in the next few years when it's actually important and he will appreciate the difference but I don't think his first ever console needs to be anything special as he will be over the moon with anything at this stage.

His birthday is end of June so what would you suggest please?

Any other tips at this stage??

Watching with interest.
I'm also investigating. I'm worried about online safety and making sure there are games tbat don't require extra purchases.

I'd ask what his friends play on. If they all have PlayStations it's not much point in getting an Xbox and vice versa. You'd also need to check comparability with their consoles, if he is gaming with friends.

A ha ok I didn't even know that!!! Right, I'll msg some of the mums to find out what's popular.

Probably a Nintendo switch. My son is 8 and has a PS4 and a switch. He mainly plays fortnite with his friends now that can be played on any console.

Yes just get what all the other kids have to that they can link up etc. All my boys have Xboxes and so do their mates. There are plenty of non conflict/war/ violent games like all the Lego franchise ones which my boys all used to play as well a Minecraft obviously.

Nintendo switch

Even 2nd hand the PS4 is £200+!!!!

What's the trade off if I downgraded to a PS3? Would an 8 year old who's never games before have any clue that it was the older model? Can you still play online on a PS3?

Nintendo Switch

The obvious starting point, if you want him to be able to join friends’ games, is to see what consoles they have, and what cross platform accessibility is like for the games you are likely to let him play.

I would recommend switch. Very portable and child friendly. Do your homework on games too. I accidentally bought a 12 rated game and one of the characters gave him nightmares. He's quite sensitive though.

I have recently set up old laptop for him and we have some great games from steam.

The new ps5 is due out for Xmas so I'd be reluctant to buy a PS4 at the moment as they still are £300

The switch is brilliant!

Order soon though as not easy to get, go for the switch that's handheld and on the tv not the lite

Ps4 will probably go down in price soon as the ps5 is due to be released soon! So you could wait it out a bit.

Ds who is 5 has no consoles but has a dad who is very much into gaming, and is currently playing minecraft on his dad's switch. He also plays on his dads computer and ps4.

PS4 has less kid friendly games that the switch

I've just hooked up my old wii for my nearly 9yeat olds they love mario kart but it looks really really dated now. They want a switch for their birthday, i looked at the ds's but they will be obsolete soon so seems pointless.

We've been playing a lot on the Wii too, it's great fun but I'm not sure an 8 year who want to play fifa with his friends would he impressed

For gaming consoles and the ability to play online with friends, XBOX or PlayStation are your main choices.

As mentioned above, first consideration is - which does his best mates have? My son's and their friends have Xbox and so can't play online with others who have PlayStation.

Next is the type of Xbox/PlayStation you get:
Xbox360 (older version) or Xbox One (newer version)
PS3 (older version) or PS4 (newer version)

Also the actual game you buy. For example a new FIFA game is release at the end of September every year. Currently we are on FIFA 20, and FIFA 21 will be released end of Sept.

So, you can't play online across console types (so Xbox online can't play with PlayStation online). But you can play across consoles within the same group (ie someone with XBOX 360 can play with someone on XBOX ONE) as long as you play the same game version (so you both play FIFA 20). But if you have the same console type (xbox or PS) but play different versions of the same game (ie if you buy FIFA 16 and his mates are playing FIFA 19) then they dont be able to play together.

So next question to ask is - which FIFA game are his mates playing? Which Mario game? Minecraft doesn't matter cos there's only one version.

Games are expensive. Circa £50 for a new release. If his mates are playing FIFA 20 then are they (or more likely their Dad's or older siblings) likely to get FIFA 21 when it's out? If so, maybe wait until October before buying FIFA and get FIFA 21.

So, while it's fine (and I would advise) to get an older version of the Xbox or PlayStation console, you need to make sure you get the right version of the game to be able to play with friends online.

My son was playing FIFA at 8 years old, but it is a difficult game and he's likely to lose quite a lot. What's his resilience like? My son persevered because mainly FIFA was his Dad's game, rather than his. Now (aged 10) he's very good. But if your 8yo son will be the only FIFA player in the house, he may well give up if constantly being beat 22-0 or whatever.

Minecraft is a much better option to start off with.

Mario is probably in between in terms of difficulty. It's still not easy and has an element of competition, so if he's likely to cry if he keeps losing games then think carefully.

Whatever game you get, I'd suggest starting off playing offline in order to learn the ropes. Wait until he's reasonably good at the game before going online.

My DS is 8 and got a Switch at Christmas. It’s brilliant. A good range of games that are all suitable for that age. We can play them with him - Mario party is great fun as a family. Minecraft. Mario Kart.

Another cost consideration is being online.

You have to pay yearly for the privilege of using the online services of Xbox or PlayStation.

For Xbox this is called Xbox Gold and costs about £40 for a years subscription. You can also buy a 1 month pass or 3 month pass. But you have to pay this if he wants to play online with friends.

Can you play online with other Switches??

Switch Online is £19/year, and you do need it to play with other people online.

The Switch is definitely the way to go, with the major problem that there aren't any available at the moment. That'll change, hopefully soonish.

New generation of Playstation and Xbox are due in November (ish, maybe delays there too). Don't get a PS3/Xbox360, they're dead.
Before CV you'd have been able to find a 2nd hand PS4 or XboxOne for about £130, I didn't realise they were quite so bad now.

Nintendo switch at his age, he doesn’t need to be playing online with friends yet.
Later on then look at X box or PS.
DD plays in multiplayer mode with friends with her switch and we got a second pair of controls so she can play with someone else.

Nintendo Switch has a lot of disgusting games from Japan that encourages misogyny and other stuff that is harmful against women so be careful. Every console has the potential to do a lot of damage to children if you don’t keep on top of them and make sure you are aware of what they are playing.

DS is almost 9, he has an Xbox and a Switch (I know) if he's playing on his own he likes the switch, but to play with friends he definitely prefers the Xbox. If we were just to keep one, we'd probably keep the Xbox.

Be careful if you get an older model such as PS3 if his mates have PS4 as some games only get released on the newer model and not on the older so he wouldn't be able to play.

I do second that it's probably not worth a console for his age Roger than a switch.

@Helpfulrabbit I was thinking of getting a switch for my 8 year old girl with just dance, what games should I avoid?