New console advice please

OBee1

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I have a 14 year old and a 5 year old want to get them Lego dimensions (they are mad about Lego) always had play stations but need a new console so without fighting which would be best for kids games as well as dimensions

PlayStation 4
Xbox one
WiiU (I was told this is being discontinued next year)

Help fellow AV members
 
I have a PS4, and would imagine that both it and the Xbox would be quite similar in terms of their general kids offerings.

Historically, I would be inclined to say that Playstation is a more broad church, and therefore perhaps more likely to cater to lower age group games. However, unless something is a console exclusive it will most likely appear on both systems these days and then it comes down to the old, do you have friends playing on a certain console, do you have a controller preference etc.

For example, will the 14 year old be allowed to play online, or will it mainly be a family/your console. What he/she's friend play on could influence your decision.
 
Defiantly no online play she is very young for her age (at the moment) there just doesn't seem to be a good collection of child friendly games on either console unless I am wrong. I don't want my kids playing GTA or medal of honour type games.
 
Maybe a cheap PS3 would do the job if you don't need the latest and greatest in games and graphics.
 
The Wii U will undoubtedly offer games more family/child friendly and their online system is (overly) protective so should you let them on there at some point, it would be a gentle introduction. There are some fantastic games available too (for family/child friendly games Nintendo blows the others out of the water) BUT do you know if Lego Dimensions is definitely available on Wii U?

Support for Wii U will certainly dwindle before the other two. Plus support for 3rd party games is limited on Wii U.

On the other hand the fantastic Lego City Undercover is currently exclusive to Wii U.

Edit: Checked and see that Dimensions is definitely available for Wii U.
 
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If the price of a Wii U is close to a PS4, or Xbox One for that matter, I'd be inclined to go for the newer machine and future proof yourself. They will offer newer games, including Dimensions, at a better graphical fidelity and for longer. For example, the Uncharted series is a great series you could enjoy playing with your older child.
 
It depends heavily on the level of gaming the OP wants to offer his children. If we're steering clear of maturer games then the Wii U is streets ahead. Agree with you about future proofing but if the Wii U was discontinued now it would still have a better catalogue of child/family friendly games than either of the others will muster in their life spans.
 
If they love Lego get a Wii U as currently on the machine is:

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Lego City Undercover, Lego Dimensions, Lego The Hobbit, Lego Jurassic World, Lego Marvel Super Heroes, Lego Marvel's Avengers and The Lego Movie Videogame.

Plus the Wii U is backwards compatible unlike the PS4 and Xbox One so you can get a backlist of Lego and other games that were available on the Wii for a bargain.

Also with Mario 3D world, Mario kart and other games like Splatoon it really is a great option for kids.

I know people say the Wii U is a kid friendly console but be careful as there are a lot of adult orientated games on the console, possibly just as many as the Sony and Microsoft machines.

:thumbsup:
 
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If they love Lego get a Wii U as currently on the machine is:

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Lego City Undercover, Lego Dimensions, Lego The Hobbit, Lego Jurassic World, Lego Marvel Super Heroes, Lego Marvel's Avengers and The Lego Movie Videogame.

Plus the Wii U is backwards compatible unlike the PS4 and Xbox One so you can get a backlist of Lego and other games that were available on the Wii for a bargain.

Plus with Mario 3D world, Mario kart and other games like Splatoon it really is a great option for kids.

I know people say the Wii U is a kid friendly console but be careful as there are a lot of adult orientated games on the console, possibly just as many as the Sony and Microsoft machines.

:thumbsup:
Good last point. Plenty of titles on it for mature gamers. I've referred to it as more child/family oriented as the online gaming system removes pretty much any risk of kids being exposed to bad language or people in general other than an avatar. Plus the Mario brand alone offers more high quality risk-free gaming than you can shake a stick at.

However as with all consoles, the games have an age rating and if someone is concerned at all about what their child is going to be playing, they should follow said rating. Simple really, though plenty of parents seem to neglect this. My sister in law was letting her 6 year old play Hitman! Don't get me wrong, you judge your own children and decide when you think they're ready for mature games but Hitman at 6 is somewhat extreme IMO.
 
Factor in that kids as they get older tend to want what their friends have or the latest and best or whatever. Which would make me steer clear of a WiiU simply because there is a new Nintendo console on the cards and also many games your kids may want in the future won't ever come to WiiU.
 
Factor in that kids as they get older tend to want what their friends have or the latest and best or whatever. Which would make me steer clear of a WiiU simply because there is a new Nintendo console on the cards and also many games your kids may want in the future won't ever come to WiiU.
True, made more difficult by the large age difference in children.
 
I'd just chip in regards your 14 year old, do they have friends with consoles? My two, 12+14, play online with their mates and have great age appropriate fun with it. Asides the likes of Lego, you also have Minecraft, Little Big Planet, Fifa, Plants V Zombies, etc, that you may want to consider going forward and if your kids friends have a certain platform, it could save you some time, effort and cost in the long run if this is a consideration, as it almost certainly will be from our experience.
 
I'd recommend the Wii U, if you can get a good price for it. If you can't get them each a 3DS/2DS, if they already don't have it that is, they won't get bored that's a promise.

What matters are the games that are on the console, if the games are fun and interesting, then there won't be any regrets. The Wii U is not dead yet there's still Star Fox and Zelda to come out - I mean I would just get the Wii U just to play Zelda - that is if I didn't already have one.

If the 14 year old grows out of it, there always still the PC which I assume every household has. You can just upgrade it to suit their gaming needs, there are loads of games on PC to play as well as ones that their friends can play with them too. That way you have a machine that doesn't just serve the one purpose of gaming.
 
I'd be tempted to say PS4, slightly more powerful and has a smaller controller which is nicer for smaller kids.
 
PS4. I believe it has a stronger community and better hardware. That and... brand support...
 

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