what to buy xbox360 xbox one ps3 or ps4

[mollie79]

hello people im a mother to 4 children and the present asked for this years Christmas is a games console
now as its something im not intrested in Im not sure on what would be the best console to buy
so I need as much advice as possible as im not clued up at all when it comes to games & games consoles

 

[Taustin Powers]

How old are your children?

 

[Ulenspiegel]

Hello Mollie,
It is not an easy decision. My kids had all possible consoles. So, I have some indirect experience. Playstations have been much more reliable in our case. We had two XBOX 360s and both died on us. At the same time their first console the Playstation (One) is still operational.
What you have to check is the line of games for the consoles, taking into account the interests of your kids and the price of these games for all the platforms. The latter is an important criteria as you will have to buy more and more games for the kids in the future.
Good luck!

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Xbox One or PS4, as they are the newest. Kids always wants the newest stuff so they can brag to friends. There are certain games only available to either console, so you will have to ask your kids if there are game franchises they really want to play.

 

[0098386]

I'd say it'd be a toss up between a PS4 and Wii U at this stage in this console generation.

The PS4 is currently the most powerful system, it has the most games released and in development and multiplatform games (that's games that come out for all systems) look the best on it. Plus it has a bluray player, Netflix, stream videos from a PC. But it only plays Playstation 4 games. The Xbox One will play lots of Xbox 360 games too, currently the PS4 can only stream PS3 games which is expensive and not worth it, or you need to buy the "HD Remaster" version of those games which are also pricey.

The Wii U (IMO) has the better exclusives, and of those exclusives they're much more universal and support split or shared screen multiplayer (like Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Mario 3D World). You also don't need to pay a subscription to play their games online. On top of that you have a very healthy archive of older games available to download, games from the NES, SNES, N64, GBA and Wii. It also plays Wii games too. It comes with a gamepad controller so you don't need to necessarily play games on the TV.

 

[Cromulent]

The Wii U (IMO) has the better exclusives, and of those exclusives they're much more universal and support split or shared screen multiplayer (like Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Mario 3D World). You also don't need to pay a subscription to play their games online. On top of that you have a very healthy archive of older games available to download, games from the NES, SNES, N64, GBA and Wii. It also plays Wii games too. It comes with a gamepad controller so you don't need to necessarily play games on the TV.

I've literally just bought a Wii U today for the reasons you presented. I also have a PS4 for more "serious" games like BF4 but I'm really looking forward to playing some old NES and SNES games on it. I think the games on the Wii U take themselves a bit less seriously but go for fun factor over everything else which is what attracted me to the Wii U. Plus I think it will be a good platform to collect for in the next few years.

Don't get me wrong I'm an old Xbox fan (had both the Xbox original and the Xbox 360) but decided to get the PS4 this generation and its a decision I'm very happy with (although PSN still doesn't compare to Xbox Live). Great games are available on the PS4 and I'm discovering game franchises on the PS4 that I've never played before because I was an Xbox fan which is cool.

But either way there are great games on all the consoles. The only thing that really matters is what exclusives you want to play as that will determine the best console to choose. So you'll likely be happy with either an Xbox One, a PS4 or a Wii U.

 

[blesscheese]

How old are your children?

I think that is the prime question to answer. Echoing what everybody else has said, I would go with either a PS4 or a Wii U. The age of the children would then heavily drive the choice, with older kids more likely to want a PS4 and younger kids more likely enjoying the Wii U more.

Another question to ask would be, what do all their friends have? Most kids want exactly what their friends have, so as not to stick out, but in this case they can also share games.

My only caveat would be, if you have 4 kids and there are a range of ages, then be careful to ensure the little ones aren't left out.

Also, I'm not sure about how the PS4 stacks up, but the Wii U has some great games that allow all 4 to play together, at once, like Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., etc. Do kids still play together nowadays, or are they always staring at their phones?

 

[z31fanatic]

If your children are very young, then get a Wii U. If they are school age then get them the Xbox One.
Or if you don't have much money, buy a used Xbox 360 ($100 at most) and buy used games since they are very cheap now.

 

[Rychy]

Knowing their ages would be helpful.

Generally speaking though, I'd say PS4 or Wii U. I'll be buying a Wii U very soon, it has quite a few good exclusives and of course Nintendo's games. Being able to play on the gamepad might be helpful since you can still use the TV if you want. I'll also be buying a PS4 down the line, I like their exclusives more than Xbox's and was pretty soured by my 360 dying one week out of warranty and Microsoft refusing to fix it ( the early 360s were notorious for dying, I switched to PS3 after that ). If they're really interested in playing games online, Xbox One might be better ... I thought online multiplayer was better on 360 than PS3 anyways. Someone with a PS4 would be more helpful in that regard though.

 

[Richdmoore]

While I love my Xbox one, it comes down to what exclusive games they want (which would depend on the age of the children.)

One factor no one has yet mentioned is that if you have windows 10, you can use it to remote play on a computer. (In other words, play the Xbox on the computer even though the console is located on the living room tv.)

I think the ps4 can also do this, if you have a Sony portable vita as well.

When my brother was thinking of getting a console for his child, he sat his child down and asked which the child would prefer, emphasizing that they would only get the one system.

 

[jdmar2004]

I run windows 10 using bootcamp and remote play daily on my computer. It's very convenient and runs great if you have a high speed connection.

 

[mandoman]

To make proper recommendation, we need to know age of children, your budget, the type of games they like to play, and what systems their friends play on. Wii-u is a good recommendation if children are really young. If they are pre-teen or older, playstation or xbox.

If budget is limited, ps3/xbox360 is not a bad recommendation, as games can be had for really cheap now used.
If budget is not limited, moving to next gen ps4/xb1 is a better choice. Just keep in mind that new game releases are $60, but these systems are now 2 years old, so there are plenty of older games that can be had now for cheap used.

Xbox is generally a better choice for first-person shooters and sports games. Playstation for everything else (but also has plenty of FPS and sports titles too).

It's looks like you are in Europe. I think PS4 sells much better over there than XB1, so PS4 may be a better choice as it's more likely your children's friends will be gaming on a PS4 over XB1.

 

[jaymc]

To make proper recommendation, we need to know age of children, your budget, the type of games they like to play, and what systems their friends play on. Wii-u is a good recommendation if children are really young. If they are pre-teen or older, playstation or xbox.

If budget is limited, ps3/xbox360 is not a bad recommendation, as games can be had for really cheap now used.
If budget is not limited, moving to next gen ps4/xb1 is a better choice. Just keep in mind that new game releases are $60, but these systems are now 2 years old, so there are plenty of older games that can be had now for cheap used.

Xbox is generally a better choice for first-person shooters and sports games. Playstation for everything else (but also has plenty of FPS and sports titles too).

It's looks like you are in Europe. I think PS4 sells much better over there than XB1, so PS4 may be a better choice as it's more likely your children's friends will be gaming on a PS4 over XB1.

This post is the best response ... Ask your kids, then buy.

 

[blesscheese]

It's looks like you are in Europe. I think PS4 sells much better over there than XB1, so PS4 may be a better choice as it's more likely your children's friends will be gaming on a PS4 over XB1.

That's exactly why I didn't recommend the Xbox at all. Since the age of the children is children is an important consideration, it is also why a lot of us mentioned the Wii U.

If we haven't completely scared of the OP, I'd like to know if she has any follow-up questions!