Parents, I want to talk to you for a minute. I think you are a bit out of touch and un-hip.
Parents, for the most part, have no idea what’s new in his or her child’s video gaming life, let alone what to get them when it comes around time to erect that green tree. So I’m going to help you out with a single decision, because choosing a console for your child is going to be harder than ever.
Before I begin, I’m not a hardware expert. In addition, I have not contributed into bringing a little bugger into this world of ours. However, I have been a gamer since Atari had their 3600 console, so I know what I like and I know which video game consoles satisfy which desires.
By the end of November, all three competing “next-gen” video game consoles will be on store shelves, and if you, Mr. or Mrs. Parent, do not put the right one under the tree, then you are well aware of the consequences. So let’s compare the offerings from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.
Sony PlayStation 3
If your child has the Playstation 2 in his or her room already, then it’s a good bet that they are interested in Playstation 3. What makes the PS3 different than its predecessor (other than the $600 price tag) is, well, everything.
Sony (allegedly) has learned its lesson. The Playstation 2, especially when you compare it to Microsoft’s Xbox, was severely lacking in terms of online play. We’ll talk more about online gaming when we discuss the Xbox 360.
The Playstation 3 is a media machine. First off, it’s a Blu-ray player - the cheapest Blu-ray player you will be able to buy in any store. What’s Blu-ray? It’s the newest format for DVDs, with a greater storage capacity and high definition visuals.
To keep it simple, it’s a new-fangled DVD. So if you buy a PS3, you don’t need to buy a next generation DVD for your kid, because they have one built in.
Another big improvement for the PS3 is its online capability (though we have to wait to actually see this in action). The Playstation 2 has notoriously been crap for online gameplay, a fact I can personally attest to. Now, the Playstation 3 has not only improved its online features, but Sony has (until they decide to change their mind) made online play free for everyone.
Article comments
1 - Ryan J, McCall
so if ur target audience is semi-clueless parents then why are u filling ur exposition w/ numerous tech references etc?
2 - Kris
Dude. It's Atari 2600 you nerd.
3 - Ken Edwards
Ryan - there is no way around the terminology! We do the best we can. We can't have parents asking for the "whosa whatsit."
I think Vichus did a great job of breaking it down.
4 - Vichus Smith
Damn! That atari thing is a typo. You can't win 'em all.
And yeah, I can't act like parents are neanderthals. Parents work in environments with digital technology and some of them like tech gear, so they'll get it on some level. Plus, I've heard tech podcasts and I'm nowhere near as fluent in tech terminology as they are.
5 - Ken Edwards
Well to be fair, the 3600 was a 7800 prototype.
6 - Vichus Smith
It's ok. I'll take my medicine. I should have caught that damned "3"
7 - Jason "Njiska" Westhaver
VS -"It's ok. I'll take my medicine. I should have caught that damned "3""
Actually Ken should of caught that one. I think we've been working him too hard.
8 - the messican
there were both atari 2600 and 3600, i believe. i had the 2600 and it pwnd! my parental unit sold it though :( good job on the article man, its so true all parents call consoles a nintendo no matter what, cracks me up every time.
9 - Vichus Smith
Nah, I owned a 2600. I played some pole position and Donkey Kong on it, then it was on to the next system.
10 - Lee
From a parent:
Thanks for putting it in both English and tech terms. We parents WANT to know the correct words and mostly we just want to know enough not to screw it up. My son keeps saying, "Mom it's not a Gameboy. It's Nintendo DS." I'm getting him a Wii.
11 - Vichus Smith
As long as you don't call every game system a Nintendo, you're more with it than most parents.
12 - noxipoo
here's a shorter guide "son what do you want for christmas?" instead of buying a golf game for your kid because the best buy guy recommended it.
13 - Johnathon
I am a kid (and I found this article googling Playstation 3!) A word to the wise (parents, of course!) Talk to your kid! If they know what they want, start from there. I personally want a Playstation 3, since I had the Playstation 2 (PS2), but I have to find a way to pay for mine!
Johnathon
14 - Ant
I found this article lacking in one area - the games. How much do (will) they cost? Which one has the widest selection? These are geniune questions when considering a purchase aren't they?
15 - Vichus Smith
Actually, my links were the biggest victims of the finished article. I gave links to a bunch of video game websites. Here is what didn't make it to the article:
Video game news, reviews and previews
ps3.ign.com IGN's Playstation 3 section
Xbox 360.ign.com -IGN's Xbox 360 section
wii.ign.com -IGN's Nintendo Wii section
gamespot.com -Gamespot
gamespy.com -Gamespy
gameinfowire.com -GameInfoWire
video game previews
the-magicbox.com -The Magicbox
And yes, you should ask your child what they want, but when the parents get to the electronics store, it's overwhelming. Parents don't necessarily play games with their kid, or they have no recollection of what system the child currently has. So i'm saying that holiday shopping should be trouble-free.
16 - NIck
Hey great article, i am sure i will get a wii because i've already got a DS and it just seems like such a fun way to play games.
Just i came across one typo and it's not the 2300 thing: don't even think i was born then but you said you have to play to play, i think you meant pay.
To play Xbox Live, you have to >>>>>play<<<<<, but the price for a year of play is equal to the average bill for one month of your computer’s online service ($50).
17 - Ken Edwards
Ant - The Wii games cost $50, the PS3 games cost $60.
The Wii has more games in the "launch window." Plus, it has more original titles. More are actually exclusive to the Wii, and some of them have unique Wii controls too.
18 - Dynamo of Eternia
I think this articel focused way too much on the whole online gaming thing.
While that is on the rise, I don't know if it's a good idea for parents to be letting their kids go online with their systems... especially not on something like Xbox Live where you talk to other people directly through the head set. You never know who could be on the other end.
I am not a parent, but if I was, I either wouldn't let my kids go online with their systems at all, or, if I decided to let them do so, it would be on a very limited and very supervised basis.
As far as I am concerned, kids can wait until they are older to get into the online play. For now, playing the games against the computer or against a friend who comes over to visit can surfice.
I doubt that most parents will want their kids to go online with these systems, which is why I think the article should have focused more on things like the games, what accessories you need to get started, what kind of connections you need for your TV, etc. That would have been more beneficial than going on and on about online gaming.
19 - Vichus Smith
I am highly in favor of parents letting their kids play online. The trick is that the parents should actually watch their kids start playing the online component, and if they disagree, then they take it away.
I am not for the head-in-the-sand method of keeping kids away from everything, in fear of a potential threat. If your kid is so under the spell of a fellow gamer that they want to invite a stranger to their home or take a greyhound bus to a stranger's house, then there is a lot more you have to talk about to your kids beside Xbox live.
20 - Dynamo of Eternia
I'm actually not in favor of completely hiding kids from everything, either, but issues do occur. Parents should monitor what their kids do, but sometimes kids do stupid things anyway during the 2 seconds that the parents aren't watching.
I'm not even saying that parents can't let their kids go on the internet via a computer, but just that going online with a game system isn't necessary for younger kids.
But aside from that, I guess I just feel that the online gaming thing just isn't the biggest priority for younger kids, nor should it be. That's something that I would more see people from their teens on up being into.
None the less, regardless of the online gaming issue, with all due respect, I still feel this article should have at least had more focus on things like the kinds of connecetors needed to hook a system up to a regular TV or HDTV (and which systems/models of systems come with what cables and what needs to be purchased sepatarately, etc), and what other accessories might be needed or helpful to obtain.
I mean, it would at least seem that the point of this article is to help guide parents who have little to no clue about what's going on with gaming and how a lot of this stuff works. So, it would seem that information such as accessories, connectors, etc would be a bit more pertantent than a ton of info about online gaming.
Going online with a system is kind of a moot point if the parents don't know how to hook it up and/or don't have the right accessories to play the games in the first place.
Not only that, but systems like the Nintendo Wii and esspecially the PS3 are hot items and are hard to obtain. Maybe a few basic tips on how to get these things would be helpful as well.
I say this as I am a gamer and am just a little over a month shy of being 27, and I have a much younger sister who will be 11 in a few days. And for Chirstmas, my sister is getting a Nintendo Wii (thanks to my persistance in hunting one down for my parents to give to her). I know my parents are pretty oblivous to not only what connectors you need for the TV (which, luckily, the Wii will go with a basic TV, so what comes with it will be fine) and what accessories you need. I've been doing all of the leg work for this for them, which I don't mind at all.
However, for families who don't have someone like me to help them out, this stuff can be pretty complicated. I can't speak for everyone, but I know in my family's case, the priorites go in this order ... 1. Obtaining the hard-to-find item, 2. Having any games and accessories (i.e. extra controllers, additonal memory if necessary, etc), 3. Her being able to have friends play it, too.
In our case, online gaming is about as far from a priority as it gets, from both my sister's perspective and our parent's. My guess is that most any parent who knows very little about gaming consoles is going to have going online with it way, WAY down at the bottom of a list of priorities. I know that would be the case for my parents if they didn't have me helping them out. And I think after reading this, they'd still be pretty lost.
I mean no disrespect towards you, as there is still a lot of info in your article that could possibly be helpful. None the less, it really seems like this article is still more helpful for people with a fairly good backgournd in gaming rather than parents who know little to nothing about it.
21 - Vichus Smith
Absolutely. If parents let any form of entertainment (computers, hand held gaming systems video game consoles) into their store, they should know the potential dangers.
As for my article, I think that it would help better than nothing. Any help is better than none. I just hope that someone takes the chance to read this.