Is Xbox the right choice for our almost 10 year old?
December 10, 2022 7:05 AM Subscribe
He is a big fan of Minecraft on iPad and some Mech battle game, as well. However iPad games all seem to endlessly be "pay to play" and he's constantly asking for $$ to move ahead.
Our son turns 10 in January. This year he has really gotten into Minecraft and plays over Facetime with friends on his iPad. That seems sorted and easy to understand.
Last Christmas we got him a Switch which hasn't totally caught on for him. He prefers Minecraft on the iPad.
BUT now he's moving into some mech battle games and car driving games that he loves, but on the iPad it seems he downloads a free game (that we approve) and it's a constant ask for new features and upgrades. We have parental controls turned on and he can't download anything without our approval, but just the amount of ad-supported games in the app store end up being overwhelming.
Is getting him an Xbox for Christmas a good solution? What we're imagining is he'd be playing on the tv (so, bigger screen) and we would purchase games for somewhere between $30-$60 and he could happily play them without constant ads enticing him to spend "just $4.99 and it expires in 26 minutes!". It would also keep it in the living room, which as he gets older, feels like a good option for visibility into what he's playing and for playing with friends.
Am I thinking about this all wrong? When I was a kid I had an Atari 2600 on a b&w tv, so that's where I'm coming from--the olden days.
Should we just plug the Switch into the tv and buy games for that? He's been mostly handheld with that and it just hasn't caught on. I think of the Switch as not as "good" as an Xbox, but I may also be 100% wrong.
Our son turns 10 in January. This year he has really gotten into Minecraft and plays over Facetime with friends on his iPad. That seems sorted and easy to understand.
Last Christmas we got him a Switch which hasn't totally caught on for him. He prefers Minecraft on the iPad.
BUT now he's moving into some mech battle games and car driving games that he loves, but on the iPad it seems he downloads a free game (that we approve) and it's a constant ask for new features and upgrades. We have parental controls turned on and he can't download anything without our approval, but just the amount of ad-supported games in the app store end up being overwhelming.
Is getting him an Xbox for Christmas a good solution? What we're imagining is he'd be playing on the tv (so, bigger screen) and we would purchase games for somewhere between $30-$60 and he could happily play them without constant ads enticing him to spend "just $4.99 and it expires in 26 minutes!". It would also keep it in the living room, which as he gets older, feels like a good option for visibility into what he's playing and for playing with friends.
Am I thinking about this all wrong? When I was a kid I had an Atari 2600 on a b&w tv, so that's where I'm coming from--the olden days.
Should we just plug the Switch into the tv and buy games for that? He's been mostly handheld with that and it just hasn't caught on. I think of the Switch as not as "good" as an Xbox, but I may also be 100% wrong.
My feeling is that if the switch hasn't caught on then the Xbox isn't going to catch on soon. But on the other hand you can buy a used Xbox One for limited money and give it a shot - my son seems to like it better for Minecraft than his iPad.
You do also have the option of Microsoft's Gamepass subscription at that point, which lets the kid have access to a lot of great recent titles for a reasonable price.
posted by wotsac at 7:39 AM on December 10, 2022
You do also have the option of Microsoft's Gamepass subscription at that point, which lets the kid have access to a lot of great recent titles for a reasonable price.
posted by wotsac at 7:39 AM on December 10, 2022
Should we just plug the Switch into the tv and buy games for that?
The switch is fantastic for games for 10 year olds. The hardware is aging, but it’s well supported. I’d definitely try that first.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 8:01 AM on December 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
The switch is fantastic for games for 10 year olds. The hardware is aging, but it’s well supported. I’d definitely try that first.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 8:01 AM on December 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
Best answer: You can get a cheap Xbox one s which has no disc drive but is great for game pass subscriptions and digital downloads. (It was down to about 240 usd?) If you opt for the game pass ultimate tier which includes cloud game streaming, you can also stream those games to your kid’s iPad. Minecraft and its spin-offs are on game pass, as are a number of racing games.
posted by WedgedPiano at 8:03 AM on December 10, 2022
posted by WedgedPiano at 8:03 AM on December 10, 2022
Best answer: I think an Xbox (either a used Xbox One or a new Xbox Series S) is the right move, especially since Xbox Game Pass for $10/month is a great deal for someone just getting into gaming. There's a huge variety of games appropriate for younger players that are on it, loads of full games in different genres, and for one fairly low monthly fee he'd be able to explore a new world of gaming without being pressured by pay for play tactics. Even if he just ends up playing Forza, MechWarrior and Minecraft for $10/month, there's a lot of value there.
posted by eschatfische at 8:07 AM on December 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by eschatfische at 8:07 AM on December 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
I guess my question is whether your 10-year-old is going to move over to Minecraft on the Xbox. If it's a save local to the iPad, getting an Xbox won't tempt them because they'll have to throw away the world they've put so much effort into. Thing is, you can also move that local save over to the Switch you already have, which also has Minecraft available for it. You'll have to look into Minecraft Realms, which is the game's cloud service; there may be a free trial available, which should be enough to upload your child's existing save, and then download it locally on one of the consoles.
There are 'free-to-play' games on Xbox that will encourage repeat, ongoing purchases (such as Fortnite), but mobile is known for being extremely aggressive about it. As others have mentioned, the Xbox also has the Xbox Game Pass service, which is a subscription service that is much like a Netflix for games, seeing most new releases available for Xbox with a deep back catalogue.
posted by Merus at 8:19 AM on December 10, 2022
There are 'free-to-play' games on Xbox that will encourage repeat, ongoing purchases (such as Fortnite), but mobile is known for being extremely aggressive about it. As others have mentioned, the Xbox also has the Xbox Game Pass service, which is a subscription service that is much like a Netflix for games, seeing most new releases available for Xbox with a deep back catalogue.
posted by Merus at 8:19 AM on December 10, 2022
Best answer: Apple Arcade is a couple bucks a month and those games are required to be free and have zero upsell to be part of the program, so that's an option. The selection is naturally more limited (it's still pretty expansive), and it generally does NOT include the latest pay-to-win crapware apps that Youtube influencers are probably advertising to him, so it may or may not work out for you. You could give it a look -- this option involves the lowest expenditure because you're using the existing device.
On the Xbox, Game Pass Ultimate gives you a huge selection of free games (many very high quality, AAA titles) for a reasonable rate that ends up being roughly equivalent to 3-5 top-line games a year. It is, IMHO, the greatest value in gaming at present.
The cheap version of Minecraft Realms (which is not included in Game Pass) will let you upload an existing world, and allow three people to play simultaneously. The more expensive version allows a larger set of players (more powerful servers). If you do not already pay for Realms then it's possible one of his friends already does, and it's the friends' world they're connecting to. In that case you won't need to pay for Realms yourself, he can just get an invite code and re-join using his new device (if you get an Xbox).
Switch I know next to nothing about, but many people love it and it has Minecraft as well.
posted by aramaic at 9:31 AM on December 10, 2022
On the Xbox, Game Pass Ultimate gives you a huge selection of free games (many very high quality, AAA titles) for a reasonable rate that ends up being roughly equivalent to 3-5 top-line games a year. It is, IMHO, the greatest value in gaming at present.
The cheap version of Minecraft Realms (which is not included in Game Pass) will let you upload an existing world, and allow three people to play simultaneously. The more expensive version allows a larger set of players (more powerful servers). If you do not already pay for Realms then it's possible one of his friends already does, and it's the friends' world they're connecting to. In that case you won't need to pay for Realms yourself, he can just get an invite code and re-join using his new device (if you get an Xbox).
Switch I know next to nothing about, but many people love it and it has Minecraft as well.
posted by aramaic at 9:31 AM on December 10, 2022
I also came here to recommend Apple Arcade. You can look at all of the games that are included by going into the App Store and tapping on the Arcade tab. None of them have ads, in-app purchases, or anything else like that.
posted by tubedogg at 9:39 AM on December 10, 2022
posted by tubedogg at 9:39 AM on December 10, 2022
What kinds of games do he and his friends like and can he get those on Xbox? Xbox is a perfectly cromulent gaming ecosystem from what I hear, but if he isn't interested in the available titles, it's not going to go any better than the Switch. Xbox Game Pass has a lot of things available for a relatively low cost and is a great way to try things out (many of my friends have it for PC!) so that's probably a point in favor of Xbox over PS5, but at the end of the day, if his friends don't play Xbox games, and he's not interested in Xbox games, it's going to be a paperweight too.
posted by Alterscape at 10:03 AM on December 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Alterscape at 10:03 AM on December 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
With a Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, games can be streamed via Xbox Cloud Gaming to the iPad. You don’t even need an Xbox console, so this might be a good test-the-water option if, as Alterscape says above, it’s just not what he and his friends are into.
If you’re set on it and if you’d prefer to have a console for the ‘gaming in the living room’ thing, the Xbox Series S is the way to go. Also, in a year or two if/when he and all his friends want the fancier graphics, etc you can always upgrade to an Xbox Series X and keep* your game library. (*So long as it’s still available via Game Pass; the library does change up from time to time à la Netflix, etc.)
posted by macdara at 10:15 AM on December 10, 2022
If you’re set on it and if you’d prefer to have a console for the ‘gaming in the living room’ thing, the Xbox Series S is the way to go. Also, in a year or two if/when he and all his friends want the fancier graphics, etc you can always upgrade to an Xbox Series X and keep* your game library. (*So long as it’s still available via Game Pass; the library does change up from time to time à la Netflix, etc.)
posted by macdara at 10:15 AM on December 10, 2022
It sounds like you haven't really even tried switch on the tv? If so, you really should at least give that a shot. In terms of likelihood to catch on, I don't see how that is very different at all than an xbox, at least if you get him a controller (the switch pro controller is great). An xbox will have better graphics (in a way I think largely irrelevant to something like minecraft) and various different games of course -- though also a non-trivial overlap in what games are available.
He's been mostly handheld with that and it just hasn't caught on.
FWIW as someone with substantially older tendons than your son, I find switch handheld really unergonomic / tiring after a while. Even tabletop with a controller or detached joycons would be better. This may be a factor even for someone younger.
posted by advil at 10:50 AM on December 10, 2022
He's been mostly handheld with that and it just hasn't caught on.
FWIW as someone with substantially older tendons than your son, I find switch handheld really unergonomic / tiring after a while. Even tabletop with a controller or detached joycons would be better. This may be a factor even for someone younger.
posted by advil at 10:50 AM on December 10, 2022
Response by poster: I had no idea about trying out Xbox Game Pass on the iPad--this sounds like something we will certainly try!
Also - Apple Arcade which I always forget about because I personally don't play many games - so I always avoid it. This could also be a good option as well.
Of course we could try to get the Switch back into rotation. We have plugged it into the tv, but it sort of fell by the wayside. I'll see if I can reignite some interest in trying it that way.
Lastly, thanks to everyone who mentioned that he may not even want to play Xbox games and that I'd need to really be sure about moving his Minecraft worlds over. He's literally on a FaceTime call as I type this with a friend giving him a tour of something he built that he claims took 5 years.
(This is not true because 5 years ago he hadn't heard of Minecraft, but alas, it must feel like it).
posted by jdl at 12:03 PM on December 10, 2022
Also - Apple Arcade which I always forget about because I personally don't play many games - so I always avoid it. This could also be a good option as well.
Of course we could try to get the Switch back into rotation. We have plugged it into the tv, but it sort of fell by the wayside. I'll see if I can reignite some interest in trying it that way.
Lastly, thanks to everyone who mentioned that he may not even want to play Xbox games and that I'd need to really be sure about moving his Minecraft worlds over. He's literally on a FaceTime call as I type this with a friend giving him a tour of something he built that he claims took 5 years.
(This is not true because 5 years ago he hadn't heard of Minecraft, but alas, it must feel like it).
posted by jdl at 12:03 PM on December 10, 2022
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I think they are a lot of fun still and a lot of kids will too. My ~6yo is a huge fan, ykmv.
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:16 AM on December 10, 2022