Hi,
Wondering which device is best for a 7yo, noting they aren't all that different in price. I also like gaming so am keen a a Ps5.
The switch is ok, but a bit limited in scope maybe?
PS5 or Switch for 7 Year Old?
bennos on 20/12/2021 - 07:57
Last edited 20/12/2021 - 08:53 by 1 other user
Last edited 20/12/2021 - 08:53 by 1 other user
Poll Options
- 363Nintendo Switch
- 37PS5
Comments
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However, games are more expensive for Switch where PS5 is likely to have cheaper games some time after release date. Physical Switch games hold their value quite well.
This is true. For a 7 year if you get a Switch I would say get a micro SD and buy the 75%-90% off games. Check out dekudeals.com for what's on sale and to check price history/get notified when items you want are on sale. For not really gamers like myself this works too. If you're getting big titles and happy to sell them, physical is probably better.
My vote is get Switch for 7 year old and PS5 for yourself. I don't really see the Switch as a family console, I see it more as a personal console that you sometimes rope other people into playing multiplayer games on. Having said that some people do share the Switch and there are profiles for just that.
Switch would be good if you want it set up in the lounge for the family on the TV, but can also send them to their room to play on the handheld. Switch is also great for car trips or taking away.
Switch is also great for car trips or taking away.
This.
Portability is a massive advantage.He already has a school ipad so I fear they are similar in some way
@bennos: not really, a well designed game can improve thinking skills. Most of the games on a tablet are pay to win rubbish
@greatlamp: Yes, i happily buy him games on the ipad. I hate free games, they're just designed for IAP
This, and the comment for which it's a reply. 🙂
I have a Switch, shared with my 12 year old, which we purchased 2 years ago. We both still love it.
My favourite game we play together is Boomerang Fu.
As per Miss B's comments, set up alerts for the games you want on DekuDeals. Also boost funds on your Nintendo account when gift cards are discounted.
AHHHHHH. My kid and his friends love Boomerang Fu. Great game.
We just got the skin pack because it gets so much play.
Problem is my son is a ninja and destroys me every time :)
Are there kid friendly games for ps5? I feel the ps5 would have better longevity compared to to the switch
Of course.
Just go in any store or browse online and buy any game with a green G or yellow PG rating on it and you should be fine.
To answer your question, get a Switch now and later on, consider a PS5 if they ever come back in stock.
mind you, there’s a big difference between what is rated appropriate for a 7yo and a game a 7yo would be interested in playing
@b0rnwithabeard: Have a single mum friend with a 10 yr old . He is addicted to his XB1. Mum doesn't care about PG ratings as "He's 10 going on 20 and it keeps him entertained and quiet", he's getting Far Cry 6 for Christmas with all its foul language etc go figure
@KLoNe: I see that this is a trend amongst many parents buy them whatever babysitting console and don't worry about the consequences to mental health eyestrain etc
Switch or whatever his friends have/play.
Aren’t that different in price?!
If I'm already $550 in, I could get the digital version for another $50.
Only $550 if you're looking at the OLED model. Amazon currently have the regular Switch with Mario Kart 8 for $448, and that bundle has been down to $399 as recently as the end of last month.
From what I've seen the general consensus is the OLED model isn't worth the extra $$ anyway.
Thanks. I have done little research so thought the larger screen OLED was the one to get. At $400-$450 it makes the decision a fair bit easier
@bennos: You don't want the digital PS5, the games are far too expensive as can only be bought off the PS Store and sales. Digital sales are meager and something you'll keep having to keep up with constantly.
The disc version allows you to buy cheap PS4 and PS5 discs, even used ones from others or EBGames shop.
Also gives an incentive for them to save up pocket money and buy whatever game they like from the shop.
This also factors into the cost difference upfront but much much much cheaper in long run.
@Hybroid: Agreed. You can always on sell a physical PS4/PS5 title to get something else so you can recoup say 50% of the purchase price. Digital titles can’t be easily shared with friends and cannot be on sold. Physical is better because you actually own the title to play. I feel like digital purchases are expensive when you consider the disadvantages. If you can get digital titles for the price of a cup of coffee then I think it’s ok. I would never pay full retail price for a digital copy of a game.
@bennos: I have the OLED model. I love the bigger screen, improved kickstand, and better quality colours. I think when you look at a Switch costing $469, and an OLED model costing $539 - the extra money is worth it. Saying that, a 7 year old is unlikely to appreciate the improvements - it's a really 'premium' kind of thing. If you want to get your kid the best product possible, it's an OLED. However, the $450 deal with Mario Kart that people are suggesting is a great one, and I doubt your kid will notice much difference.
Saying that, maybe your kid follows this stuff! And maybe s/he would care. So maybe they would get the extra value out of it. Only you can really answer that :)
What I WOULDN'T do is get the digital PS5. Games cost a huge premium on the PS Store. Look at Ratchet and Clank, $120 on the PS Store, but already down to $59 for a physical copy. If you ever do get a PS5 (or XBOX) I'd reeeeeally strongly encourage you get a disc model.
@Lockdude: Thanks for that. I am a PC gamer so I buy everything digital, (cdkeys, g2A or even the more legitimate companies), so made a bit of an assumption with disc vs digital.
@bennos: Yeah, makes sense. Unfortunately the console war hasn't kept to the same levels of reasonableness :(
Can you point me to this 'general consensus'? Cos that smells like crap to me.
Depends on the exclusive games your 7yo likes. If not sure or have a preference, then start with a switch imo.
Switch.
If it’s for a 7yo, get them whatever is cheapest, as they will probably only want to play minecraft on it anyway.
He plays minecraft educational with his mates on ipad.
Does his mates have a Switch or PS5 also? Sometimes people get what their mates have so they can all play together and enjoy the same games together.
Could get him a ps4 controller for his ipad.
7 years old, get a nintendo classic mini or something like this:
https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/the-gamesmen-nintendo-classic-m…Have one of already. The games are pretty crappy
How dare you call SNES classics crappy
I broke the cardinal rule, never play old games you loved as a kid. 30 years later they never live up to the memories.
@bennos: That's not true if you haven't played any other games since! Still love me some Galaga, Moon Patrol, Phoenix, Gyruss, etc.
@Frank Murphy: download the software to load your own games, all of the mario games, snow bros and whatever else you remember - great fun!
@bennos: Yes they do, they bring back all the memories. And make you feel like the biggest kid on the block. (Disclaimer…at least for me)
Get the switch online pass and you get a great catalogue of NES, SNES and N64 games as well. My young kids get into some of the old platformers and scrolling beat em ups
If he's just on minecraft.. get him a ps4.. that should do it.
If his mates are Switch.. there's your answer.
If you really want a PS5.. well..
He is getting better at gaming. I play Raymond legends with him and he can complete every level.
I worry that the switch might not help his gaming growth as they might be too simple. I worry the switch won't interest me me so I won't play with him. (I am a veteran gamer).
I really want a Ps5, so just making sure my desire to doesn't ruin it for him.
I also hate kids staring at small screens, where the ps5 will make him play on the TV
Nintendo has been producing all age appropriate games for years, as a gaming veteran you should know this.
You are correct in saying that the Switch is a bit long in the tooth. It was released in 2017!
I will throw a spanner in the works and say if it's truly for your son get a switch and just upgrade later down the track.
Or Xbox and Ultimate Games Pass over PS5 - games pass is a game changer if you've never been on that platform.
You hook the Switch to a TV so no need to worry about the small screen thing.
This question by itself (Switch or PS5) for a 7 year old makes me think that I was born way too early.
Try being born in 1979. The best console back then was ATARI when I was 7
But man, didn't we enjoy playing with it.
Here is my experience. I have a 9yo girl, 6 yo boy. We have a PS5, and a normal switch (to play on the TV), plus each child has a switch lite, and an Ipad Pro. For content, we basically have almost all Nintendo first-party games released so far plus others. Device usage goes through phases. Out of the two consoles, there is definitely more kid-friendly content on the switch. Games like Luigis Mason 3 are a great co-op game to play with your son. Animal crossing is a good game my daughter sinks some hours into when on the switch. Zelda is something my son comes back to from time to time. Smash bros was a previous favorite. Recently I started playing It Takes Two on the PS5 with my son (haven't finished it yet). Currently, my son and I use two of the consoles to play Fortnite together (The PS5 and normal switch). Lately, in general, it seems a lot of the time has been spent on the Ipad playing Minecraft and Roblox with friends from school. They prefer the Ipad compared to the switch lite for Minecraft since the screen is larger and you can connect a Bluetooth controller from a PS4 to it. When running fortnite, you can definitely see the PS5 is more powerful than a switch, both in load times and graphics. However, there is not as much content for the younger audience on a PS5 compared to a Nintendo Switch, so I actually think the PS5 is more limited in scope for your child. I hope this helps.
Thanks. That was one of my worries. I get him a switch, but he just plays on his ipad with his mates, though it seems Roblox is getting some bad press so most parents are uninstalling it.
I dont want to buy a switch and find in a year or 2 he bores of it, while I think the PS5 would give 4 or 5 years of gaming fun.
Then again, maybe I just a PS5, though I have just purchased a $2800 gaming laptop ( gigabyte A1 X1, thanks Ozbargins) so I don't really need on and I also am not a fan of controllers
Really it sounds like you have your question wrong. What you really want to know is "I want to buy a ps5 for me, do you think it will be good enough for my 7 year old rather than buying something that would definitely be more age appropriate:". The Ps5 will probably be ok, not as good as a switch for that age, Xbox with gamepass would be better than the ps5 but it really sounds like you are buying for you and he is secondary. All I can say is be honest with yourself who you are really getting this for.
Yes, i was thinking that I should rephrase the question to:
Is a PS5 appropriate for a 7 yo?
@bennos: yes it will work for them, just won't have as large a range of age appropriate games available and obviously without the portability benefits.
@bennos: If that's the case, you can also play Nintendo Switch games on your Gaming PC (if you have one), through Yuzu and Ryujinx and there's even a (stolen) port of this for Android phones.
Yes, your modern phone CAN emulate Switch games… that's how outdated (2014-era) the internal technology is. As you suspected, the Switch is long in the tooth, and likely will be surpassed with something else sooner than expected.
The PS5 has really modern hardware that I think it will be relevant for 8 years, moreso than the PS3 and that was around for 7 years… so around 2028 is when PS5 will be "obsolete".
edit: I think his iPad should be enough for him, supplemented with the PS5. If you are looking for another handheld, there are alternatives like the upcoming Retroid Pocket 2+, Powkiddy X18s, AYN Odin Lite, etc etc. But the Valve SteamDeck is a no-show for the next three months. These options require more effort from parents side to setting it up properly, but they're absolutely worth it if you know what you're doing.
Ohh good one! Yeah… ps5 and ipads!
Switch has more suitable games
why not ps4??? is ps5 backwards compatible? such a small game library…
PS5 Disc version can play nearly all PS4 games.
So can the PS4
Wii for $50 on Market Place usually bundled with many games
I second. Wii with homebrew is great.
If you like gaming and haven't finished Zelda on Switch then that should be your #1 priority in 2022.
This is a really tough one since I can see arguments for both options, but if I had to pick one, I'd go for the PS5. Here are my general thoughts on both.
Switch: Nintendo has many franchises that are designed to be enjoyed by all ages, from kids to adults. A couple of big ones are Zelda, Mario, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Mario Kart, etc. So finding games that are 'kid-friendly' is much easier. It is also a system that is portable… which means it can keep a 7yo busy busy on the go… Now, console generations usually last around 6-8 years. Given the PS5 has only been out for a year, you're going to get many years out of it, whereas the Switch has been out for 4 years already. So it won't surprise me if Nintendo brings out a new console in around 2 years. Switch games are also really expensive, they don't usually drop in price, so games tend to cost between $80-$100.
PS5: Newer console, significantly better technology, but at the same time, I don't know if a 7 year old will care about that. Unfortunately the games are far more adult-gamer focussed on Playstation, but if you look around, you will find games made for kids as well (would suggest googling for a list). Also keep in mind that the PS5 can also play all PS4 games, which means you have a huge back-catalog of over 4000 cheap PS4 games to pick from, in addition to the PS5 titles you can buy.
So in conclusion, Nintendo Switch is a more kid-focussed console, but I think you'd do better with a PS5 between cheaper games and the fact that it's a newer console that will offer more years of service.
I’m hoping Switch 2 comes out next year with BotW2. It makes sense when you look at Nintendo’s history of releasing consoles with new Zelda games.
The Switch 2 is not going to come out next year, that is very unrealistic looking at the market… The Switch is only 4 years old and is selling extremely well even with its current hardware specs. There is literally no reason for them to upgrade the Switch in the first place right now.
Secondly, there is a major chip shortage at the moment and it's difficult to have new chips manufactured. A Switch 2 would require a smaller manufacturing process to make the upgrade possible/worth it. Right now, that's extremely costly, and you'll be faced with supply constraints. Meanwhile they have a steady supply of Switch chips which they can just keep manufacturing.
Finally, they just released the OLED Switch which they wouldn't have done if they were planning to release a Switch 2 within a year. It'd make more sense to leave the OLED screen as part of the upgrade for the Switch 2. It'd also annoy a lot of their fanbase releasing a whole new Switch so close to releasing the OLED model, I just can't see them do that.
My prediction would be around 3 years from now for a Switch 2, but I suspect the Switch Lite might get some sort of upgrade next year… If the large Switch gets another upgrade within the next year, I would expect it to be a fairly minor hardware revision to address any issues from the OLED version.
A bat and/or ball
Can't play outside, requiring adult supervision, 12 hours a day
How about some books?
For a 7 year old I'd get a new 3DS for $150 - home brew it and download every game.
I know…username checks out.I do not condone any form of piracy 😉
Fortunately I condone all piracy, go forth and plunder my children.
$150 is probably too much after all 3DS XL was $99 only on special
BTW Homebrewing Wii is probably better than 3DS such small screen
IMO still the best partying system
when u say kid, u really mean urself right. ps5 :)
I got my 6 year old son a Ferrari lego. he reallllly wanted it :)Yea the $2.8k gaming laptop I purchased was also meant for us to share
perfect for zoom classes and home school
Wii is probably better imo. Switch is more for 10 years old then maybe around teen, Get ps5 but kids these days are spoiled
Unsure why Xbox Series S doesn't get a mention here.
More kid friendly that PS5, where most titles are M, or MA15.
Series S with a Game Pass subscription and some parent-control settings enabled would be my choice 100%.
I’m going to go against the grain here. I own a PS5 but not a switch. The Switch is almost end of life whereas the PS5 has at least another 5 to 10 years ahead of it. Your child will not stay 7 years old. Yeah Switch has many more child friendly games but the new PS5/Xbox X systems are just warming up with their game libraries and next generation games. Switch is starting to look very dated. Also most top titles you can get on sale for PS5 for ~$30 each whereas Switch games all seem to be about $60 on sale. Will your child be more interested in playing PS5 or an outdated Switch in 5 or 10 years time? I think Nintendo will have to release a better console in about 3 years time. The Switch has less power than a 5 year old iPhone and people don’t keep their phones longer than 5 years these days. It should have had an Oled screen from the start, Nintendo are just trying to stay relevant at this point in time. There are plenty of games on PS5/PS4 for kids like Sackboy, Bugsnax, Wreckfest etc. and by buying a PS5 you get access to the entire PS4 games library with many Star Wars, Marvel, Lego games etc. all very cheap. You can get most of these games for $10 2nd hand. The value equation for Switch being an old last generation system is not there in my opinion. Put your name down for a PS5 at EB Games and you should have one in a few weeks. Then you will have a good 10 years life span out of it. There are around 4500 PS4 titles and 200 PS5 titles already available for less than Switch games cost. If you are happy to just rent games then get an XBox X with GamePass. Sony is happy for you to own physical games you can on sell but Microsoft prefers you rent games to play for a while until something new comes along. If you want to keep your console into the future physical is better if you want to continue to play older games because games get taken off GamePass after a while and then become unavailable to you without paying for them again.
Fair points but while the switch is a more mature console, it's not going to stop working. It meets the current needs and the medium term needs too. You could upgrade to a new Nintento console in the future and the combined cost would still he less than a PS5 also, by the time he hits an age appropriate for a ps5, that will also be neat the end of its lifecycle
I think a switch is about $500 whereas a Pas5 is $750. That difference could be negated by the price of 10 games.
I have both , and while my kids are never allowed to even see them on, without question if I was allowing my 7 year old to play it would be switch.
More suitable games for the age, it could be used on very long car journeys and it is made for more multi player/family play
A soccer ball.
Exactly. Lesser screen time better for health
He gets a limited amount of screen time per day. I actually prefer him to be engaged in a screen based game rather than staring stupidly at a TV watching some crap on TV
Got my 7yr old a switch and IMO was the best decision. I also have an xbox with game pass but find the Switch has a lot more age appropriate games, family friendly games, and when we have guests over, ALL the kids have a blast playing together - we're talking ages 3-10 playing together!! Heck, even the adults get into it WITH the kids.
My wife was never into gaming but the ease of the Switch and game titles available allowed her to join in the fun, rather than feel left out doing her own thing.
It seems the PS5 is more for yourself so you're trying to justify appropriateness for your child in order to make it a worthwhile expense. Why not start with a Switch and move to a PS5 later on? If you're that keen on a PS5 for yourself then get them both.
Might I suggest trying the secondary market i.e. Facebook marketplace for a used Switch? You might save a few $$ but also might be surprised at the resale value, as I was when shopping for our "previously loved" one.
You should have done your homework. What device does his friends have. Ring a friend of his same age. How many times have children opened presents in anticipation only to find socks.
Mostly ipad. One or 2 have a switch
With the switch you can do two person multiplayer out of the box with the two joycons, and play with your kid. For ps5 you have to buy another outrageously expensive controller on top of everything else. If you want to play with your kid, or you want them to play with friends instead of solo, keep that in mind
I would get them Switch, so they can also play in handheld mode. Also the games are more kids friendly.
Switch is mad fun when their friends come over. Our 7 year old loves it.
Neither.
But them a football or a bicycle
He has footballs and bikes. Play auskick and barra cricket. Park trips all the time.
With Switch you can buy the game and play it without watching bars fill up for 5 hours. No brainer.
bars filling up?
OP is probably implying the loading times for games. Saying that the Nintendo switch has faster load times than the PS5 which is untrue.
might be referring to the updates that usually have to be installed before starting to play games. I dont play the switch a lot but it is something that i notice on the ps4. Doesnt take that long though unless you have a horrible internet connection. Maybe like 20min for big games - definitely not hours.
@Pyrock: Ps5 has the fastest storage available. Also normally you let the system do updates while it’s in standby. No real loading times except when you purchase a new disc based game. Simple solution is install it once you buy it and then when you want to play it’s installed.
@snooksy: Thats what i meant - when you buy a new game and have to wait for the install then have to also update it there is a bit of waiting for that - but as i said its usually done pretty quickly.
Insert CD, wait for it to install to disk.
Wait for 100GB of patches to download.
Play game after an hour of waiting.
Just sharing my thoughts. I have a 6yo. I have PS4, switch and iPad. These are the preferred devices in order; iPad (roblox & minecraft) > switch (pokemon & some sim city game like) > ps4 (only if need to play with dad…me). Every kid is different but just sharing how my 6yo preferred.
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You're unlikely to source a PS5 anytime soon (if you're needing it reasonably soon), where Switch is readily available (non-OLED) model
Switch, in my opinion, has more child-friendly games too.
However, games are more expensive for Switch where PS5 is likely to have cheaper games some time after release date. Physical Switch games hold their value quite well.