I am thinking of buying a game console for my nephew's 15th birthday. I'm not sure which console would suit him best and would appreciate some help in making a decision.
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Looking for game consoles
- Thread starter Wilmanygren
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Switch - $300 good for portability and access to first party Nintendo games. Note that some games don't run as well vs. on "full computers", or the PS/Xb consoles. Could ask how well games run first. For some, it isn't as good, but it's "good enough".
Switch Lite - $200 handheld mode only, so get this if he won't be playing in docked/TV mode. The one advantage here is this is better suited for handheld (althoguh I play on OG Switch handheld mode just fine, though not excessively)
Switch OLED - IIRC, $350. Screen is nicer
Play Station 5 - get a 4K TV to take advantage of the graphical prowess. IIRC, there's subscription service that gives you access to a plethora of "quality games" (so it's far better than mobile games for sure).
Xbox Series X - Ditto with PS5 above. Here, this sub service is called Game Pass, and I believe it's also accessible on PC.
Xbox Series S - Less power than the XbsX, and no optical disc drive
Steam Deck - powerhouse, but battery life's around 1 to 2 hours.
Switch Lite - $200 handheld mode only, so get this if he won't be playing in docked/TV mode. The one advantage here is this is better suited for handheld (althoguh I play on OG Switch handheld mode just fine, though not excessively)
Switch OLED - IIRC, $350. Screen is nicer
Play Station 5 - get a 4K TV to take advantage of the graphical prowess. IIRC, there's subscription service that gives you access to a plethora of "quality games" (so it's far better than mobile games for sure).
Xbox Series X - Ditto with PS5 above. Here, this sub service is called Game Pass, and I believe it's also accessible on PC.
Xbox Series S - Less power than the XbsX, and no optical disc drive
Steam Deck - powerhouse, but battery life's around 1 to 2 hours.
Not true. The Deck's battery life can be a lot longer than that. It's all dependant on what game is being played and how much power you're exerting with that Van Gogh Ryzen. The Deck lets you underclock the GPU at any time from the quick menu to save power so when you're playing games that don't need the bleeding edge of performance you can reduce the clock speed to greatly increase battery life
Example: The #1 game I play on my Deck is Persona 5 Royal (as evident from my profile pic.) Persona 5 doesn't need full power since it's not graphically demanding, so to get more battery life I reduce the clock speed by half which increased battery life from 1.5 hours, to 3.5 hours.
Being the PC elitist I am I'd suggest you get him a Steam Deck. A lot of kids are not buying consoles as much nowadays but are moving towards gaming PCs instead since they can get more games and more performance from a gaming PC than a console, as well as being able to do more with said PC. Plus a lot of kids watch streamers on Twitch and the majority of all streamers use PCs.
For that means, there's the Steam Deck as an option, since it's a handheld gaming PC in a console form factor. While it can be fully for games as it's mainly designed for, it is 100% open for you to do whatever you want with it, using it as a desktop PC and installing Windows on it if you so desired. My nephews absolutely loved playing my Deck.
If you get the Deck, don't buy the 64 gb model. At minimum get the 256 gb because the 256 and above models have a proper SSD. The 64 gb model isn't SSD, it uses the outdated eMMC format.
For me, when someone mentions console, I think of the Xbox and PS5. The Switch is a little of both, using it with a tv or as a handheld.
The OP needs to come back and provide more details but since the OP is showing up suspended - we may never hear back.
If it were me buying a console in 2023, I'd probably go for a PS5. I have an Xbox X, but being an old play station user, I miss it.
I'm sure I'll rankle a number of people here, but I don't consider the steam deck a console. Its playing PC games and running a full PC operating system (Linux or windows). In essence its a PC that fits in your hand. I'm not saying its a bad choice, but it may very not fit in the OP's use case (or his nephew rather).
I agree with you, I personally would buy a PS5 and, actually, I am waiting for a slim or pro model to buy it. I’m waiting because the original PS5 is too big for me and the 600GB of SSD would be really short for me (I’m a digital user, I don’t buy physical discs anymore). And yes, I know you can expand the storage, but still, I hope the SSD on newer models will be bigger.
As for the OP (rip), if their nephew is a kid, I would definitely recommend a Nintendo Switch, a Switch Lite could be a great device for a child up to 12 years old, maybe even more depending on how’s the child and what does he/she like.
This sort of thing is what I don't get from the PC Master Race community, its like they live in their bubble. Sorry, but that is false, gaming PCs do not even come close to the number of PS5s/Switch sold just last month.
Switch reclaims top spot in March for consoles sold | Japan Monthly Charts
Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox During March in Japan, the Nintendo Switch…
Nintendo sold over 200K Swiches and Sony over 200K PS5s in a single month. Most AAA games are brought on PS5.
This is for Japan but its very likely true for US as well. Consoles are still very popular. Many people would consider a Switch before a Steam Deck because it's just more accessible and frankly more easy to use for most people
Don't get me the Steam Deck is awesome but I like my Switch more than I like my Steam Deck. I can't explain it but I guess its the same reason I like my MacBook Pro 16" over any Windows laptop. Ease of use and simple but the smart/sleek design of the Switch. iPhones do a lot less than Androids but sell in the hundreds of millions because of ease of use and stability. Sometimes less is more.
TDLR: The Switch and PS5 are still popular and with Zelda: TotK coming out expect a rise in Switch sales.
I buy both. It's good to have the choice. I go buy whatever format is cheaper but for most cherished games like Zelda or Spiderman I always go physical as it's a like a momento for me.
This sort of thing is what I don't get from the PC Master Race community, its like they live in their bubble. Sorry, but that is false, gaming PCs do not even come close to the number of PS5s/Switch sold just last month.
Switch reclaims top spot in March for consoles sold | Japan Monthly Charts
Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox During March in Japan, the Nintendo Switch…www.gamesindustry.biz
Nintendo sold over 200K Swiches and Sony over 200K PS5s in a single month. Most AAA games are brought on PS5.
This is for Japan but its very likely true for US as well. Consoles are still very popular. Many people would consider a Switch before a Steam Deck because it's just more accessible and frankly more easy to use for most people
Don't get me the Steam Deck is awesome but I like my Switch more than I like my Steam Deck. I can't explain it but I guess its the same reason I like my MacBook Pro 16" over any Windows laptop. Ease of use and simple but the smart/sleek design of the Switch. iPhones do a lot less than Androids but sell in the hundreds of millions because of ease of use and stability. Sometimes less is more.
TDLR: The Switch and PS5 are still popular and with Zelda: TotK coming out expect a rise in Switch sales.
Yeah uhh about that...
Steam monthly active users outpace PlayStation Network and Epic Games Store
Steam shared its monthly active user data for 2021, and it topples the PlayStation Network and Epic Games Store by an impressive margin.
dotesports.com
The thing is… who cares how much more users a platform has compared to another? Both PC and consoles move a huge amount of money, and it’s a good business, and we all benefit from that.
I’m sorry but, at my age, I’ve had this PC vs Consoles argument many times, and the fact is that some people prefer the versatility, possibilities and raw power of the PC platform, and others prefer the convenience and affordability of a closed system like a console. Fortunately we can choose where we want to enjoy our games, and that’s a personal decision.
I’m sorry but, at my age, I’ve had this PC vs Consoles argument many times, and the fact is that some people prefer the versatility, possibilities and raw power of the PC platform, and others prefer the convenience and affordability of a closed system like a console. Fortunately we can choose where we want to enjoy our games, and that’s a personal decision.
One of the SD's pros is it can handle some more intense PC gaming on-the-go. Those typically yield lower battery life right? I will acknowledge that if you're playing less intensive games, then the battery life does go up dramatically, so agree on that.
Active users say nothing in terms of actual users on the platform that are meaningful. It's just says how many steam accounts there are.Yeah uhh about that...
Steam monthly active users outpace PlayStation Network and Epic Games Store
Steam shared its monthly active user data for 2021, and it topples the PlayStation Network and Epic Games Store by an impressive margin.
One needs to look at how many are online on Steam since it an online platform, mainly. Using Steam Charts we can see the true numbers of ACTUAL online Steam players.
We can see that Steam had a peak of 32.6 Million of Online users in its lifetime, far cry from the 134 million Active accounts and as of this comment there are 20 Million users online.
Seriously, who cares if PC is more popular, or if consoles outsell PCs.
This isn't the thread for that - the OP is asking help on choosing a console.
People get their panties in a wad when talking about consoles vs. PCs but seriously who cares. If I enjoy a PS5 over a gaming PC, great. If I like my Pc over a PS5, great why does my enjoyment offend others?
I don't care but it pisses me when PC folks clamour their way of "playing" is superior. Like I know what it does but I don't need those features.Seriously, who cares if PC is more popular, or if consoles outsell PCs.
This isn't the thread for that - the OP is asking help on choosing a console.
People get their panties in a wad when talking about consoles vs. PCs but seriously who cares. If I enjoy a PS5 over a gaming PC, great. If I like my Pc over a PS5, great why does my enjoyment offend others?
Oh... Wow. That's pretty bad battery life.
Even halving the clock speed yields worse results than my entry level laptop running something intensive...
The Steam Deck has a relatively small battery and doesn't really sip power for the battery size.