Switch or Xbox for an 11yo?

fantombloo on 18/11/2019 - 11:50
Last edited 18/11/2019 - 12:47

I'm completely out of touch with gaming yet have been put in charge of organising a present for an 11yo boy. I've done some reading, and understand the technical differences and market pitches, but would appreciate real feedback.

Is one or the other the cool or "in" thing around the 11yo age group? Is there a specific game / genre that is the current trend and a deal-breaker for the other system? Is there a divide between the camps or are most kids versed well with both systems and happy to play either?

TIA.

Poll Options expired

  • 31
    Switch
  • 4
    X-box
  • 3
    Other
Gaming Game Console Microsoft Nintendo

Comments

  • Hybroid on 18/11/2019 - 11:51

    Ask him what games he wants to play.

    • fantombloo on 18/11/2019 - 11:54

      It's meant to be a surprise gift.

      • Hybroid on 18/11/2019 - 11:55
        +5

        PS4 has better full game exclusives. Xbox is more for the FPS crowd. Switch has Nintendo classics and Zelda/Pokemon games in a portable style. Everyone has a different opinion on what they prefer. Buy any of them and keep gift receipt to exchange if they prefer something else.

        • fantombloo on 18/11/2019 - 12:05

          Ta.

          I would have thought there were some dominant games that everyone is talking about in 11yo circles?

  • wayfastwhitie on 18/11/2019 - 12:09
    +1

    My young fella (10yo) has both. Its 50/50 on what he uses, doesn't get used as a console on the TV (switch) - but the portable thing is what draws him to it. Fortine is his bag at the moment, while the switch will do it, it's not up to the xbox standard of speed/graphics of the xbox/

    • fantombloo on 18/11/2019 - 14:31

      Would love it if the neg voter spoke up and said why.

      • aragornelessar on 18/11/2019 - 15:33
        +1

        Hah - Probably because he said the f word

        It is the 'in' thing these days I think.

  • 87percent on 18/11/2019 - 12:10

    switch

  • floppy on 18/11/2019 - 12:10
    +7

    can you find out what his friends play because that would be the factor i owuld think as he may want to play with friends certain games that aren't cross platform.

    • Diji1 on 18/11/2019 - 12:25

      This.

    • serpserpserp on 18/11/2019 - 15:27

      I was going to say this. No point getting a Switch if none of his friends play it.

      • HSV769 on 18/11/2019 - 16:27

        Best thing about Fortnite is it works across consoles - My kids play it together, one on PS4 & the other on the Switch

  • FireRunner on 18/11/2019 - 12:14
    +1

    Switch has more age appropriate games for an 11 year old but still has fortnite, minecraft and overwatch which are currently popular.
    Of course it doesn't perform as well on the Switch (especially in handheld mode) but I think Nintendo is the best option

    • fantombloo on 18/11/2019 - 12:49

      Switch has more age appropriate games for an 11 year old

      As in more G rated / prudish / less violence, smut, etc., or some other way?

      • FireRunner on 18/11/2019 - 12:57

        Yeah, less violent, course language, etc.

  • ShortyX on 18/11/2019 - 12:14

    The types of games he likes to play and what his friends own will be influencing factors.

  • brokenglish on 18/11/2019 - 12:19

    Please add POLL
    SWITCH for 11yo

  • Commander Shepard on 18/11/2019 - 12:54
    +1

    Switch for Mario/Zelda/Pokemon and portability.

    PS4 for mature exclusive third person single player games and a VR option.

    Xbox for best value for money, First person shooters, driving games, gamepass, Xbox one x has best graphical performance. Plus a tonne of couch multiplayer games in the back catalog.

    Also consider a Nintendo 3DS, extremely durable. Great selection of games that still play great and are cheap.

    I would ask his friends parents to see what they have.
    If not, my preference would be: Xbox, 3DS, Switch, PS4. Xboxs game pass is excellent value for money.

  • Room Temperature on 18/11/2019 - 14:39

    I would say Switch, BUT if he plays games online with friends from school, and you want to save money on games. Go with xbox, you can just get him a xbox games pass subscription which is essentially netflix for games, plenty of deals for it being posted aswell.
    Alot of Nintendo games retain a high price tag years after they have been released, I would take this into account as much as the cost of the console.

  • PTG Benny on 18/11/2019 - 15:31

    I own both a Switch and Xbox, so for a 11 year old I would recommend a Switch just because of the type of games available on this console plus it is touch screen so he might find that more interactive. Being portable is a big advantage too so he can play it wherever he wants to.

  • qwerty on 18/11/2019 - 15:54

    Do you see him as a causal or hardcore gamer ?

    If he has another console like a ps3/4 or a gaming pc - switch

    If not Xbox with game pass

  • ShannonN on 18/11/2019 - 17:04
    -4

    Give him a few books, teach him to read and turn pages don't waste his life on gaming or online activities

    • fantombloo on 18/11/2019 - 17:23
      -1

      I'd use the latest popular trope here if you pushed just a little harder.

      PS. I didn't neg you, but then I saw someone did, so I added to it with my own.

      • paulinspace on 19/11/2019 - 08:58
        -2

        If it was your kid, you would eventually eat your words on that one. Gaming consoles just result in withdrawn, angry, volatile kids. I experienced that first hand. Ended up having to get rid fo the damned thing. But its not your kid so who cares.
        Suggest Switch is your best option. Xbox is better for the older age range.

        • tardisx on 19/11/2019 - 09:59
          +2

          What a load of cobblers.

          My first two kids had reasonable amount of access to gaming consoles. They had their own consoles from an early age as well. Being able to play "grown up games" by learning to read is the carrot for the third kid right now, she is highly motivated to do so.

          Both moderation and trust are key.

          If the console becomes the alternative to actual interaction and bonding with the parent, well yes, your kid is going to turn into a handful.

          If you don't put controls and boundaries on their use during the formative years before they develop self-regulation, yes, you are going to have trouble.

          It's no different to letting them eat ice-cream for dinner every night because they "want to".

          Plenty of evidence that television is just as "bad" as gaming, yet most of the "hur dur video games are bad m'kay" crowd will think nothing of plonking junior down in front of the TV for hours on end. It's eddy-cational, right?

          And yes, mental illness is a thing. We should always be considering if the video game habit of the "angry, volatile kid" is a symptom, or a cause.

        • ashanrath on 22/11/2019 - 09:24

          Gaming consoles just result in withdrawn, angry, volatile kids.

          Rubbish. It's got nothing to do with playing games, and everything to do with which games, with who, and for how long.

          If you're going to let your 11 y/o go play GTA unsupervised, yeah you're asking for trouble. For playing an hour or two of Pokemon or FIFA each week, balanced with other activities? Not so much. Bonus points if they're actually playing with a friend locally.

  • fantombloo on 18/11/2019 - 17:26
    +1

    Thank you all for your comments. I will see if I can check what his peers have, otherwise it seems to me a Switch (with a receipt!) will be the go.

  • OzHunterNSW on 19/11/2019 - 11:02

    What has his friends got. If you buy same, they can play and interact a far lot better. He will feel included, and one of the crowd.
    Otherwise he may find himself ostracised and distanced from the "in crowd"… leading to much worse and potentially catastrophic social awkwardness in his teens and well into
    his adulthood. May never get married. You may never see any grandchildren. He may resent you all his days.
    So his happy life hinges on the decision you make, at this moment of time in his life.
    See what his friends have. They could swop games, talk, make new friends, marry the friends sister and your have grandchildren to dote over.

    • fantombloo on 19/11/2019 - 17:13

      It's not my kid, so my own grandchildren aren't involved.

      The kid is however being showered in vegan and left libertarian propoganda, so won't have many friends soon anyway.

  • OzHunterNSW on 19/11/2019 - 11:03

    What has his friends got. If you buy same, they can play and interact a far lot better. He will feel included, and one of the crowd.
    Otherwise he may find himself ostracised and distanced from the "in crowd"… leading to much worse and potentially catastrophic social awkwardness in his teens and well into
    his adulthood. May never get married. You may never see any grandchildren. He may resent you all his days.
    So his happy life hinges on the decision you make, at this moment of time in his life.
    See what his friends have. They could swop games, talk, make new friends, marry the friends sister and your have grandchildren to dote over.

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