my son is 8 and we are looking at getting him a console for xmas. would it be better to get him a switch, or an xbox series s? seem to be pros and cons to both.
This is basically the kind of question that depends entirely on what your child wants to play and also to a degree what their friends play.
If your son wants to play the various Mario or Pokémon games then the answer is get a Switch. If you think that playing games in the car or on journeys would be handy then again it’s a Switch you want.
But on the other hand if your son wants to play games online with his friends and they have an Xbox then that’s the console to get. Really the best thing you can do is to have a sly chat with him about what kind of things he would like to play and go from there.
Two different animals if we’re honest here. Switch is a handheld and won’t be running the same sort of games that a Series S will.
You need to find out what games he’s interested in first and then go from there.
Switch I'd go for more kid orientated. Ideal games for that age group.
Nintendo consoles tend to be more family friendly gaming oriented. They do tend to be more appealing to younger children. Additionally, you get the benefit of portability with a Switch. And finally, while games will on average probably cost a bit more on Switch, it does accept physical cartridges meaning the games have a resale value to trade in when he's done with them. Unlike the Series S which is all digital only games.
With that said, the Series S is still great value for higher performance, a wider range of games, and would suit someone with a more serious interest in games rather than casual play. Paired with Game Pass especially it can be a great deal.
It may be worth asking him if he has any preferences. Some games will be exclusive to one console vs the other. So if there is a specific title he has in mind, or if he has friends who all have one model and he would like to play online with them - This may well have the biggest impact on the buying decision.
If no preference from him, I would probably be leaning towards the Switch as a great starting console for a younger gamer.
I never play my switch anymore, because Game Pass has so many games for £12 a month that I don't have time for anything else.
Still, I'd say for an 8 year old, the Switch is the way to go - He'll be able to play in the room where you are, he can play while you're waiting in the queue for lunch/soft play/other activity, and Nintendo games are colourful and not "gritty" (though the Switch does have more 3rd party games athan most Nintendo consoles).
My boy is 9 now and owns both - never touches the Xbox - I would say Switch all day long
Great thing about switch is you can play it on the tv with family games (my step daughter is 11 and she loves Mario superstars, mariokart and overcooked) but also can keep them busy when not at home as it’s handheld too.
I love my switch
My son is 8 and owns both - got him a Series S for his birthday and a Games Pass Ultimate sub and he hasn't played on his Switch for months
Switch is great for trips and fun gaming with family and friends. I personally would go for Xbox as it has loads more games and they can play online with their mates as they get older. I would say the Switch is more geared towards the under 10's. Both decent but at that age I would 100% say Xbox.
I’d definitely disagree that the Switch is “geared towards the under 10’s”. It’s just has a lot of fun games that are accessible for anyone to enjoy you shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that something like Super Mario Odyssey is aimed at kids.
Certainly the likes of Super Smash Bros, the Zelda games (Breath Of The Wild & Tears Of Kingdom), Xenogears, Metroid Dread, Xenogears Chronicles 3, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses are all flagship first party games and none of them are what you’d describe as games aimed at kiddies.
We started our kid off with a Wii-U (is that what it was called?)
That was good with the family games and of course Lego City
Eventually he (as does most kids) wanted to play minecraft so at the time we went Xbox He now has a switch which, when there is a good game he'll play loads but it could then it could gather dust for months
I think with a disk xbox, you can pick up 2nd hand games a LOT cheaper than the switch, and allows him to flit between games, whereas on the Switch it'll cost you a LOT more
For an 8 year old, the Switch would be BEST, plain and simple
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sorted byIf your son wants to play the various Mario or Pokémon games then the answer is get a Switch. If you think that playing games in the car or on journeys would be handy then again it’s a Switch you want.
But on the other hand if your son wants to play games online with his friends and they have an Xbox then that’s the console to get. Really the best thing you can do is to have a sly chat with him about what kind of things he would like to play and go from there.
You need to find out what games he’s interested in first and then go from there.
With that said, the Series S is still great value for higher performance, a wider range of games, and would suit someone with a more serious interest in games rather than casual play. Paired with Game Pass especially it can be a great deal.
It may be worth asking him if he has any preferences. Some games will be exclusive to one console vs the other. So if there is a specific title he has in mind, or if he has friends who all have one model and he would like to play online with them - This may well have the biggest impact on the buying decision.
If no preference from him, I would probably be leaning towards the Switch as a great starting console for a younger gamer.
Still, I'd say for an 8 year old, the Switch is the way to go - He'll be able to play in the room where you are, he can play while you're waiting in the queue for lunch/soft play/other activity, and Nintendo games are colourful and not "gritty" (though the Switch does have more 3rd party games athan most Nintendo consoles).
I love my switch
Certainly the likes of Super Smash Bros, the Zelda games (Breath Of The Wild & Tears Of Kingdom), Xenogears, Metroid Dread, Xenogears Chronicles 3, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses are all flagship first party games and none of them are what you’d describe as games aimed at kiddies.
That was good with the family games and of course Lego City
Eventually he (as does most kids) wanted to play minecraft so at the time we went Xbox
He now has a switch which, when there is a good game he'll play loads but it could then it could gather dust for months
I think with a disk xbox, you can pick up 2nd hand games a LOT cheaper than the switch, and allows him to flit between games, whereas on the Switch it'll cost you a LOT more