Video Game Console Buying Guide

December 4, 2012 David Reneau

With so many consoles out there and video games becoming a major part of the American childhood experience, many parents are asking which one should I get for my kids?

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As a lifelong gamer, I know the challenges and the overwhelming amount of information that's out there, so I'm creating this guide to help you make an informed decision for your kids this Christmas. First of all you should know that all consoles come with the following features:

Online Connectivity
Parental Controls
At least 1 Controller
At least 1 Game
Apps such as Netflix and Hulu

1. Nintendo Wii

Cost: $149.99
Free web: yes
Kid Friendly: 5/5
Recommended games: Mario Kart, Wii Sports/Resort, New Super Mario Brothers

If your kids are under the age of 10, this is the best system for your family. It has fun, easy, and safe games for your whole family and it's easy on your wallet at only $149.99 making it the cheapest of all the consoles. Even though the next generation console the Wii U came out last month, the Wii games will continue to be carried for at least a year in the big box stores and even longer in game resellers like GameStop. There are a plethora of accessories for the system, and the main ones you should consider are the nunchuck for $15, and additional controllers for around $30 (used). You should have at least 2 total for group play and consider more if you have more than two kids. As the eldest of three, I can tell you, the more the merrier.

2. Nintendo Wii U

Cost: Black Deluxe Console 399.99
Free web: yes
Kid Friendly 4/5
Recommended games: Nintendo Land, Super Mario Bros U, Skylanders

The newest console is the Nintendo Wii U. It comes in two styles, white basic console and black deluxe console. The white console comes with a smaller hard drive and many don't come with a game, which means the money you think you're saving you're going to spend on a game that's included in other offerings anyway. I recommend the black deluxe system because it has 32 GB of memory as opposed to the White's 8GB. While that may seem not be a big thing after a few years, your kids could use every bit of that memory with pictures, music, downloadable content (DLC), and virtual console games. I recently bought one of these for my children's ministry and the kids love it. Currently the system comes with a large tablet that has a touch screen on the front that is fully integrated to the gaming experience. (You have to play it to understand) This tablet is not portable and currently no games support multiple tablets, which is OK since the thing cost $150 a piece. You may want to pick up a used Wii remote for the old system with Wii motion plus so that multiple people can play with the system.

Parents Beware with this console, Nintendo can now carry the big titles like Call of Duty and Assassins Creed. These games are rated M for Mature for a reason and should not be played by kids under the age of 16. You can read the rating on game box or check the IMDB parents guide to find out why it's rated what it's rated.

This system is a great buy for kids with a long shelf life. It's kid friendly and has the ability to grow with your kids. If you can find and afford it, it's a good choice.

3. Xbox 360 + Kinect

Cost: 4GB Model $249.99 250GB Model $349.99
Free web: no
Kid Friendly 3/5
Recommended Games: Skylanders, Kinect Adventures, Kinect Animals

The Xbox 360 is one of the most popular consoles out there for gamers. Even though you have to pay $60 for an Xbox Live annual gold membership to gain full access to the web and $100 for family access, and it is well worth it. You get access to a entire suite of apps and your kids can play online with their friends. I strongly recommend the Kinect with this system because of its kid friendly games and ease of use. You can almost do everything on the system with voice commands and hand gestures and never pick up a controller. This system is made for gamers and markets to older players with it's biggest titles being Halo and Call of Duty: Black Ops II (rated M for Mature). However they are trying to get younger and older players with the kinect and are doing a good job. The 4GB model will be enough for one gamer profile or one user, but it easily upgraded up to 16GB with regular flash drive. You could also buy a larger hard drive upwards of $50 that is native to the system. If you get the 250GB model you will have more than enough memory for multiple users and tons of pictures, videos and DLC. We will be looking for the next generation system in Fall of next year so keep in mind this system will be obsolete in at least two years.

4. Playstation 3

Cost: 160 GB Model 249.99 320 GB Model $299.99
Free web: yes
Kid Friendly 3/5
Recommended Games: Epic Mickey 2, Family Game Night,

The Playstation 3 is the Xbox's direct competitor. It has many of the same game offerings and similar graphics. The major plus of the PS3 is it's built in Blu-ray Player and free online services with Playstation Network. No other system has Blu-ray. Xbox will play DVDs and the Wii serieswon't play either. Playstation did try to get into the motion gaming market with the Playstation Move but it had limited success and not many new games are using it, which means the kid friendly game offerings are even fewer than Xbox. In addition, the PS4 is slated to come out next Fall, which will render this system obsolete quickly.

With so many systems out right now and more coming out next year it's hard to make a decision. Keep in mind that even though the technology market is constantly changing, video game consoles stay for a long time. This last generation cycle lasted 5 years, and there is no indication that the next generation won't go as long or longer. Also, many systems have backward compatibility which means the new systems can play older system games. I love this feature since I have 20+ Xbox 360 games and I don't want to worry about keeping my old system when I upgrade. When buying your system think about buying multiple controllers. Each system can support up to 4 players at a time with many of the games I listed supporting local multiplayer. This ways their siblings, friends and even you can play with them!

Whichever system you choose, your kids will most likely be ecstatic. Just take the time to be informed about the latest games. There are many sites like IGN.com and GameSpot.com that provides reviews and content advisories for each game. You control what games are played in your house so take the time to set-up parental controls and be interested in what your kids are playing. You may be amazed at what you discover.

Happy gaming and Merry Christmas!

Are you buying a system for your kids this year? Which one and why?