Which console zo buy a 12-year-old kid?

[ristoo]

Hi, everybody
I am thinking about buying my kid a really good console. Until now it was so that I and my wife had a firm attitude not to buy our child a console until his 12-year-old. Now that the time has come, we have decided to keep our promise. Since we as parents are not well versed with such things, I decided to ask the question here and get some suggestions from people who know more about these things.
What do you think which console is good for a 12-year-old kid?

[Marko Dash]

NES, get them started on the classics :p

On more serious notes, if you want to get something with a little staying power (but aren't going the PC route) you may want to wait until the next generation drops.

If you just want something now, which console doesn't matter too much as a majority of games (outside of proprietary franchises) are multiplatform. What matters more is choosing games that allign with the kids interests while not being something you wouldn't want them playing.

If you're unsure on something try finding a let's play on YouTube, it will give you a far better impression of a game than bought and paid for game journalist reviews.

[Jub]

Honestly, ask your kid what their friends have. If all their friends have PS4s they won't be able to play most games online if you get them an X-Box.

Beyond that ask you kid what they're interested in and then Google those games to see if they're appropriate.

[bilateralrope]

Ask your kid to suggest one and ask him why he wants that one. If he mentions any games, research those games. Some might be exclusive to a particular console, others might not even run on his chosen console.

You might be better telling us the games. Some game publishers are up to some really dodgy stuff that you're unlikely to be aware of, including gambling with real money. We can warn you of any dangers like that so you can avoid those games.

[Tribble]

Well if you've gone 12 years without a console already I don't see why you'd want to start now, those things can be addictive...

That being said, here are my (subjective) views:

PS4 / Xbox One:

Strengths:
Best Graphics
Large online community - Many if not most games are fully playable online
Games tend to be more "mature," eg. First Person Shooters like Call of Duty.
Have been out for longer so they have the larger game library

Weaknesses:
Nearing the end of their run and PlayStation 5 / new Xbox are on the way
Not portable
Games tend to be a bit less accessible for "casual" players

Nintendo Switch:

Strengths:
Can be both a console, or handheld, or even used as a portable console, with two people sharing one screen while using the wireless controllers.
Still relatively new and it'll be staying around for quite a while
Games tend to be more "casual" and a bit easier to play - if my grandparents can use it, you certainly can too!
Tends to have better "party" games, where people invite their friends/family over to play as opposed to playing online.

Weaknesses:
While graphics are decent, they pale in comparison to the PS4 / Xbox One. This will only get exacerbated when the PS5 / next Xbox comes out unless Nintendo does an upgrade.
Poor online gaming.
Smaller game library, though it is catching up.

As others have said your kid's preferences are the most important, as there is no point in buying a console if it won't be used.

That being said though... from a parental side I would say that Switch is generally the better option. If nothing else, the fact that it can be also be used as a handheld may save a lot of headaches and arguments down the road.

Put it this way - let's say your favourite show is on, while your kid wants to play the console. Or you're going on a long road trip / vacation and you want to keep your kid entertained. With the Switch, no problem! They can just use it in handheld mode. Can't do that with a PS4 /XBox.

[Marko Dash]

to be honest i had completely forgotten about the switch. mostly because i consider it less a console and more of a gaming tablet that you occasionally connect to the TV.

[bilateralrope]

The Switch Lite doesn't even have the option of connecting to your TV. Nintendo clearly has a niche.

[Marko Dash]

The last console they made that was competitive with their peers was the 64.

[Tribble]

The Switch Lite doesn't even have the option of connecting to your TV. Nintendo clearly has a niche.

Note I said “Switch” not “Switch Lite” which is essentially the next gen Nintendo DS. Though that is a good option if you were just looking for a handheld.

[Tribble]

The last console they made that was competitive with their peers was the 64.

Depends on what you define as “competitive”. Graphically, sure no contest. Though the importance of having the absolute highest graphics possible compared to other things is relative to the user.

Number of games - right now the PS4 and XBox, though that’s also because they are several years older and near the end of their run. Will the PS5 and Next Xbox be backwards compatible? Likely given that current gens are using X86 architecture IIRC (compared to the bastardized architecture the PS3 was using that’s a big plus) though it’s far from a guarantee. And assuming thats the case of you want to go PlaStaion / XBox you may as well wait for the new gens rather than buying the current gens now.

Quality of games? As I said above, it really depends on what you like, all three have excellent titles.

Portability? Switch, no contest, because it’s designed for the outset to be a handheld as well.

Sales? Switch is outpacing both the Xbox and PS4 over the same time frame.

Incidentally the Nintendo Wii outsold both the PS3 and XBox 360.

The only real duds Nintendo has had so far are the Cube and the Wii U.

[Tribble]

That’s not to say that the PS4 / XBox One are bad, they’re excellent. I just feel that a product that is clearly selling well and has unique features compared to its rivals is worth a good look, even if it’s not the most graphically powerful.

[Jub]

My and my friends meet Fridays for a game night (MtG, board games, video games) and even though we have all three major consoles and a gaming PC to choose from we've only played games on the Switch for the past year or so. Mario Kart, Mario Party, Smash, Mario Tenis, Towerfall, and others are just too multiplayer friendly to make anything else half as viable as our go-to system.

[darkjedi521]

As this is for a 12 year old, take a look at the assorted parental control offerings by each of the big 3, and what online features you'd like to restrict vs what you can restrict.