Which console should I buy during Black Friday: Xbox 360 or Xbox One?

November 15, 2014 11:56 AM

New to the gaming world and my kids want an Xbox. Xbox 360 will be available for $100 and the Xbox One will be available for around $300. Since we have no game library, is it worth the extra money for the latest console?
posted by Bushmiller to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (21 answers total)

Xbox one. I have both. The graphics are much better on the xbox one. The games are the same price for both. Also you can't play 360 games on the Xbox one if you decide to upgrade later.
posted by Crystalinne at 12:04 PM on November 15, 2014

How old are your kids? Do their friends have any consoles?
posted by papayaninja at 12:04 PM on November 15, 2014

It won't be too long, if it hasn't started already, that new games simply will not be available for the XBox 360. Further, most games don't allow multiplayer between the two consoles. That doesn't mean you have to get the XBOne, but if you anticipate that your kids will want the new games (and will continue to want new games in the future), then the XBOne is maybe a better idea.
posted by toomuchpete at 12:06 PM on November 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: My kids are 8 1/2 & 5. They are interested in Lego games and Disney Infinity.
posted by Bushmiller at 12:08 PM on November 15, 2014

The old consoles are holding on way longer this generation than they have previously, but I'd still buy the latest if I was buying a brand new one right now. Two years from now, the new game selection is going to look a lot thinner.
posted by Sequence at 12:12 PM on November 15, 2014

I think if you can swing it, get the One. Your kids are at an age where it could go either way - if they were both under, say, 7, it wouldn't be an issue to go with the 360, but in a few years when the older one is 12 or 13, I'd imagine they'll want the One anyway (if gaming still interests them).

Beyond that, for your non-gaming purposes, the One has better entertainment features and may be more useful to you from that perspective (Blu-Ray player, TV channel stuff, etc).
posted by papayaninja at 12:16 PM on November 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

If your children are that young, and looking for a specific genre, I would seriously consider the 360. The game library is vast, and the current generation is building momentum rather slowly towards a good library. Also, your children may not be as discerning regarding cutting edge graphics, and the 360 still holds up well. The older generation will be supported for a little while yet. There are some good games on the horizon for the One, but perhaps not always for the age group you are looking at.

I would recommend comparing the game library for the 360 and the One and see what might best suit your children. Just a quick note of comparison, there are 1126 games for the Xbox 360 and about 112 playable for the Xbox One at the moment.
posted by SpacemanStix at 12:20 PM on November 15, 2014 [4 favorites]

You know what though, I just checked the list, and the games that you mentioned (LEGO and Disney: Infinity) are currently available for the Xbox One. So, if you think those would hold them over for awhile, the One might be a better investment long term and may have performance improvements. If you wanted a broader library up front, though, the 360 may still be a better bet.
posted by SpacemanStix at 12:43 PM on November 15, 2014

Best answer: another vote for the 360...by the time they're old enough to want the one the price will have dropped, there will be more games for it, and you can sell the 360 and games on ebay or at gamestop to pay for part of it. On that note, at 8 1/2 and 5 they're young enough to not care if the console and games are used from gamestop, which can really save you a bundle (I always make sure to get the original cases when buying used games, tho...greater re-sale value)
posted by sexyrobot at 12:44 PM on November 15, 2014 [8 favorites]

Get a 360... and furthermore... get a reconditioned one with an extended warranty. We did that when our kids were young, spent WAY less than most everyone else, and the kids were happy. You can get used games too at Gamestop. When everyone else was spending hundreds, we were spending tens.
posted by brownrd at 1:13 PM on November 15, 2014

Sexyrobot I should have read your post first!
posted by brownrd at 1:27 PM on November 15, 2014

Get the 360. They're young. By the time they'll care about the latest and greatest, the next console generation will be coming down the pike and you can get a cheaper Xbox One or the next console.
posted by inturnaround at 1:35 PM on November 15, 2014

Absolutely get a 360. The game library is huge and used games are dirt cheap. It's going to be at least another two years or so before they know/care enough to specifically want the newest thing, and by that time the Xbox One will be less than 200 dollars and you will have gotten two consoles (and two presents!) for less than the price of one.
posted by 256 at 1:40 PM on November 15, 2014 [8 favorites]

ALSO: If your kids are interested in Disney Infinity, consider how happy they would be with:

1. Xbox One & Disney Infinity
1. Xbox 360, Disney Infinity, and $100 worth of Disney Infinity booster packs

The second option is going to be WAY more fun, and cost you at least a hundred dollars less (probably a bit more of a discount than $100 because the 360 version of the game will be cheaper).
posted by 256 at 1:46 PM on November 15, 2014 [4 favorites]

I have somehow let my family accumulate about 10 video games to date. We have an Xbox One, and I have yet to enjoy a game that wasn't also on the 360. To that end, I would recommend the 360, as the One will probably go down in price before it actually gets useful.

I'd also like to suggest going with the Playstation 3 if your kids have any desire to play multiplayer online (which I believe you can do with Disney Infinity). Both Xboxes and the PS4 require a yearly membership for online activity, which pisses me off every time I think of it.
posted by bibliowench at 6:30 PM on November 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

I'd suggest the 360, for all the reasons stated above - deep catalog and used game prices. In particular, I'd suggest getting the 250G version, instead of the 4G "Arcade" version (others with experience might want to weigh in about adding external storage instead). More space for download games; there are 2 free every month if you get a Live Gold account and usually one is a "kids" game. During the holidays you can find easily 12-month cards for $35-40.

One factor you didn't mention as important - the Xbone can play BluRays, the 360 can't.
posted by achrise at 8:32 PM on November 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

Another thing to consider: if you can get a 360 for $100, you're not out much if you decide to get a One later, and the price on an Xbox One might go down by $100 by the time you decide to get one. Note that there is no backwards compatibility between the two, but this way, you have access to the 360's earlier library (including XBLA, which includes the great Spelunky), and later the One's too.
posted by JHarris at 2:36 PM on November 16, 2014

(But also note, game consoles these days are rarely just their stated price, no matter what you get, you may end up getting additional game controllers, memory cards, hard drives, wires, adaptors, etc.)
posted by JHarris at 2:38 PM on November 16, 2014

Nothing in the present catalogue of Xbox One games justifies buying it over a 360. Save the bucks and get the older one.
posted by turbid dahlia at 8:22 PM on November 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

I'd also like to suggest going with the Playstation 3 if your kids have any desire to play multiplayer online

If we're suggesting things not in the FPP, there's the Wii-U too, which has the excellent Lego City Undercover, unavailable for other systems. Disney Infinity is also available for it, and you might even be able to find it on discount or in a bundle: I got mine last year $50 off at Target.
posted by JHarris at 8:27 PM on November 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

Get the 360. Go buy all the Lego games used at Gamestop or similar place. Get Infinity and buy the boosters. Have fun!
posted by PlutoniumX at 7:16 AM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]