Help Me Xbox

[nicolewi]

DS turns 11 in December and really wants an Xbox. So far, we just have Nintendo Switch. I'm so confused by the different Xbox models and stats...I don't really know what we need. It seems like we should probably get the newest, right? B/c the old ones are sold out unless you get used, and then are there issues with being able to play newer content? I'm also not sure if we can even get one with all the supply issues. 

I haven't let him do any war games/first person shooter to date and probably will continue to not allow that in the short term. He really wants some kind of Star Wars game that's not available on Switch. On Switch, he mostly likes Zelda, building his park in Jurassic World, Minecraft, and the new Hunting Simulator. With friends the kids like Mario Kart. I really have no clue what's even out there for Xbox.

Is 11 a good age for Xbox? Do we need a DVD drive, or just all digital? What should I look for? Any advice appreciated. TIA.

[ohgillian]

If you can afford it, I would get the newest nicest one, because I think it will last the longest before being obsolete. That said, they are still hard to get to your hands on, and it's been a year since the latest one came out. This is what we got last fall and it's the newest: www.bestbuy.com/site/microsoft-xbox-series-x-1tb-console-black/6428324.p?skuId=6428324

DH prefers not having a dvd drive. He prefers to download all games digitally. I can ask him why if you want; I think he just likes the convenience of not having discs to deal with. Discs are just another thing cluttering the house.

I guess if this were my kid, I would push him about why he wants an xbox and what he thinks he is going to play on it. We also do not allow DS (11) to play the more realistic first person shooter types games, so he's only allowed to play on our Switch anyway. He mainly plays Fortnite at this point, and he and H play it together which I think is very cute. Prior to that he also did Zelda and Minecraft like your DS. We only started allowing Fortnite within the past 6 ish months, and it isn't the terrible thing I had made it out to be in my mind, at least for him.

I'm happy to ask my DH any questions if you want.

[nicolewi]

ohgillian , thanks. I really think he mostly wants this Star Wars game that he's wanted forever, and we have no way to play it. I wish I could remember what it's called. (ETA: I think it's "Star Wars: Battlefront 2". It's not available for Switch.

Funny, I also haven't allowed Fortnite and I'm glad to hear it's not so terrible. We didn't have any peer pressure last year b/c virtual, but he may start asking about it this year.

I don't know what else he CAN do on Xbox but not Switch.

[ohgillian]

Sept 3, 2021 8:34:24 GMT -5 nicolewi said:

ohgillian , thanks. I really think he mostly wants this Star Wars game that he's wanted forever, and we have no way to play it. I wish I could remember what it's called. (ETA: I think it's "Star Wars: Battlefront 2". It's not available for Switch.

Funny, I also haven't allowed Fortnite and I'm glad to hear it's not so terrible. We didn't have any peer pressure last year b/c virtual, but he may start asking about it this year.

I don't know what else he CAN do on Xbox but not Switch.

I had definitely made Fortnite out to be some terrible thing in my head. It is a shooting game, but the graphics are very cartoon like. For DS, it hasn't been a problem. If there is a way to chat with other players you don't know, DH has deactivated that part. Either DS plays alone without chatting, or he plays with DH, or he plays with his cousin remotely and they are on facetime while they play so they can also talk. I wouldn't want him to be able to watch a chat from random people, but either Fortnite doesn't offer it, or DH locked it down. I do like that DH plays with him often; it has given them something in common and they have very little. 

[jinkies]

This varies by region I'm sure, but for DS the big advantage to the Xbox (vs switch) was the social aspect. By 5th grade, it was the primary way the boys kept in touch outside of school-- they would play together and talk over the headsets.

Having said that, we heavily monitored his usage and kept it in a common area of the house so that we could always hear the conversations (Or at least what he was saying, and from that I could generally tell if things were going badly and would make him get off)

If you do get one, I agree that you may as well get the newest version so it lasts longer. We have an original xbox one and it's hard sometimes for it to keep up with all the games that other kids have because it just doesn't have the storage capacity.

I don't think a dvd drive is necessary. Everything is digital.

[niq]

We have a Blu-ray drive (on our old PS3!) because we still have our snail mail netflix subscription. The other reason to get a drive is so kids can trade games with each other. But, those things aren't important to everybody. Plus, if kids want to do is play together online, they'll all need their own copy of the game anyway.

I am pretty loosey goosey on violent video games. I don't think they will, in and of themselves, rot your kids brain or turn them to a life of crime. Almost everything has save points or short-ish matches so getting them to turn it off isn't as much of a problem. At 11 your kid probably knows what's real and what's not and at school they've probably talked about this. But they do seem to increase, uh, high energy and "sensory-seeking" behavior a lot. V (8) definitely bounces off the walls more just after he's played Plants vs Zombies than when he's played a board game or minecraft. It's annoying but not dangerous and eventually they grow out of it...

... or at least, that's what I say to myself as I'm picking up hard liquor after an hour in the float tank.

[rootbeerfloat]

We have an Xbox One (and DS has graduated to a gaming PC), but if I were shopping now, I'd look for the X, which as pp said, is actually hard to find.

Most games they play are digital, so I don't think the DVD is an essential feature. The memory does fill up, but the kids also get tired of games after awhile and will uninstall the ones they don't play anymore.

I also agree that it is major way they socialize, especially while they were so locked down. They have gone through headsets, so keep that in mind. I also recommend getting a rechargeable battery for the controllers because they will eat your batteries fast.

Fornite isn't as bad as some others. DD really only plays Minecraft. DS has played a wider variety, including Battlefront (they fight with light sabers and blasters lol), which we're OK with.