Gamecube, Xbox or PS2????

[r3ngels]

We are thinking of buying a video game system for the girls for christmas (ages 8,5,3) Which do you think is the best for this age Gamecube, Xbox or the PS2???? I know atari but anything after that I am lost and is there any accesories (besides games) that we would need to buy with it?

Thanks for you help. I know this has been posted before but we weren't thinking of buying one then.

 

[Timster]

I am not an expert at all, but my nephew told me that the Game Cube "stinks". His reasoning is that there are not many good games for it. He is a big fan of his XBox.

 

[missypie]

Do any of them have a clue as to what games they want to play? That is very important. DS wanted a gaming system for the sole purpose of playing Kingdom Hearts, which is why we bought the PS2.

 

[SpecialK]

We bought a GameCube for our boys when they were 4 and 6. I liked it because the Nintendo games seemed to be more geared to the younger kids. This year, however, they are conspiring to ask Santa for a PS2 because of some of the available games and accessories. Check out the games that are available for each system and try to match them to your daughters' interests. Personally, I'd steer clear of X-Box. Lots of M-rated games for that one.

 

[elgerber]

My kids 11, 8 have had PS2 for 2 years, they play it all the time. They have also been begging for a Gamecube for the last year as well, they have some games that you can't get for any other platform. However, PS2 are basically gone already this year, so I doubt you'd find one. For those ages I would go for the Gamecube over the X-box. The X-Box has games geared told older kids and teens. Gamecube has Pokemon, Kirby, Mario and those kinds of games. There is a good bundle now for Gamecube that comes with an extra controller (which is a must) and a Mario Racing game for $99.99. Memory cards and an extra controllers are really the only must accessories you'll need.

 

[r3ngels]

They really don't know much about what games are out there, they have gameboy but thats it...

They have played Dance revolution at arcades but that is it.

 

[jtm1631]

Stay away from Game Cube. Most of the software developers are no longer supporting the Game Cube which means many of the new games coming out are not available on Game Cube.

PS2 has a huge library of new and old games available (old PS1 games play on the PS2) and Sony will give you the best variety for titles.

XBOX is a highend machine with great graphics and sound capabilities.

Based on the ages of your kids I would purchase the PS2. It is probably the best fit for your needs.

 

[r3ngels]

However, PS2 are basically gone already this year, so I doubt you'd find one.

 

[piglet too]

With the ages of your children, I would steer you towards either Gamecube or PS2. My personal pick is for Gamecube, and that is what we sell a lot of for that age group at TRU. There are "exclusive" games like Mario and Pokemon only available on Gamecube. Also I have found that the controllers are easier for the younger kids to use. My boys (10 and 5) both love their Gamecube, and have had it for 2 years. (my dh and I have several games we enjoy as well) Right now you can get a Gamecube with a real neat game called Mario Kart Doubledash for the normal price of $99.99. Another cool option for Gamecube is if they have Gameboys, or may get them in the future. For $50 you can buy a thing called GameBoy Player that allows you to play all the gameboy games on the gamecube, you don't even need the gameboy!

There are a lot more games to choose from for PS2. Only drawbacks are that to play more than two players, you must buy a special adapter to hook more controllers onto. You do not need to do this with the Gamecube. PS2's also play DVD's so that is nice.

If you have any more questions just let me know. I work in the "R Zone" at TRU and deal with this sorta stuff all the time.

One more thing ~ Don't know if this is the case everywhere, but PS2's are very hard to come by around here. It seems that everyone is out of tehm and that Sony will not be shipping more until after the holidays. (oh yeah, and Sony is supposed to be coming out with a "new" version late next year or early 2006)

 

[ckay87]

First thing to do is take a look at the games available for each system and use that to decide. You can go into a store and do that, or just browse at Amazon.com or EBGames.com. Gamecube tends to have better games for the younger set, but they have fewer games and I think tend to be more expensive.

PS2 and XBox have many of the same games and have a LOT of different titles. Many tend to be geared for older kids or adults, but again you'd just have to shop.

The nice thing about PS2 and I think XBox is that you can also use the machines to play DVDs and music. Not so with Gamecube.

Downside of PS2 is that you need to purchase a memory card - extra 25 bucks.

For any of them, you'd just want to make sure you have more than one controller (probably...if your kids "share" as well as mine do.)

Ooooh...good point about PS2 esp. if you have girls - they have "Dance Dance Revolution"

 

[jrydberg]

Don't steer clear of XBox! Just steer clear of M rated games! My daughter (6) loves playing XBox with me

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

I would vote for the PS2. X-Box is really nice, but there doesn't seem to be as much availability of games aimed towards young kids as there are for PS2.

 

[piglet too]

Stay away from Game Cube. Most of the software developers are no longer supporting the Game Cube which means many of the new games coming out are not available on Game Cube.

Just wondering where you heard that? I have yet to see any slowdown in games coming out for all three systems. As a matter of fact, there are lots of new games that we are "pre-selling" that are for all three. There has always been games that Nintendo does not produce for their platforms, but they have reasons for that.

 

[Pete's Mom]

With the ages of your children, I would steer you towards either Gamecube or PS2. My personal pick is for Gamecube, and that is what we sell a lot of for that age group at TRU. There are "exclusive" games like Mario and Pokemon only available on Gamecube. Also I have found that the controllers are easier for the younger kids to use. My boys (10 and 5) both love their Gamecube, and have had it for 2 years. (my dh and I have several games we enjoy as well) Right now you can get a Gamecube with a real neat game called Mario Kart Doubledash for the normal price of $99.99. Another cool option for Gamecube is if they have Gameboys, or may get them in the future. For $50 you can buy a thing called GameBoy Player that allows you to play all the gameboy games on the gamecube, you don't even need the gameboy!

We have this adapter and it works great. As others have said here, I would stick with the GameCube, the games are more kid oriented. Pete will be 8 in a couple of weeks and he LOVES his. We save a lot of money on games by going to stores that sell "used" games. Good Luck!

 

[bubba's mom]

DH insisted we get PS2...more games for DS and the popularity of it...everything comes out on PS2. I would have to agree with other posters that XBox is for maturer gamers while GameCube is geared towards smaller kids. We tried to buy a PS2 about a month ago at TRU, but they were sold out! Couldn't believe it! But, I called that Monday and they said they received 3 that day on their truck! I was able to have them hold me one till the end of the day when I went to pick it up. Apparently, they now make the PS2s smaller, lighter and thinner and when they stopped making the original in favor of the newer version, they didn't have enough inventory to carry them through--not too smart at this time of the year! Anyway, given the ages of your kids, I'd vote for a PS2..... AND, you can use it to play CD's and DVD's.........(another +)

 

[NowaSki]

We bought PS2 last christmas for our two boys (then 7 & 5). The older one plays it often, the younger one very, very rarely. We bought some games we thought the younger one would enjoy but no luck. They both have gameboys and love playing them, especially Pokemon games. They both started asking for the GameCube about a month ago, so we are giving it to them this year. Had I thought about the games available on either system I would have bought the GameCube last year. There are more appropriate games for the children in the GameCube library. Yes, PS2 has a much larger library (and that was my basis for choosing the PS2 last year), but mostly for older kids.

GameCube is older and it is rummored that Nintendo will be replacing the GameCube in a year or two.

Also, you can purchase an adapter for the GameCube that will allow you to play GameBoy Advanced games.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[charabby]

With the ages of your kids, I would go for Gamecube or PS2. The PS2 has a lot of cool games that my kids really like - specifically the Eye Toy (it's basically a web cam that allows them to physically play games made to go with the eye toy). I think the dance games are only made for PS2. For longevity, PS2 is probably a better choice. There are, however, a lot of titles geared to the younger crowd for Gamecube and by the time they outgrow those titles, there'll be new system out they'll want you to upgrade to. Personally, I'd forget the XBox since your kids are relatively young - it seems to be targeted to teen (boys) and older.

 

[piglet too]

and is there any accesories (besides games) that we would need to buy with it?

You will want to get extra controllers no matter which system you get. For Gamecube and PS2 you will need memory cards, but just one (larger size one) should do you just fine to start. My only advice is to stick with the items that are made by Nintendo/Sony because we get a lot of returns on the "generic" brand items.

 

[Planogirl]

Definitely PS2 or Gamecube. PS2 has a big selection and Gamecube has good games for young kids. Gamecube may have less games but from what I understand, it's harder to program for. I would personally go to Best Buy or someplace like that and look over the games on the shelves. We have both systems and I have no complaint with either one.

 

[HollyJoy]

We have a X-box and a Gamecube. Between the two of them, the girl play the Gamecube MUCH more often. The game selection for kids is much bigger for the Gamecube. There are a COUPLE Xbox games that they like (snowboarding for one)... I'd definately choose the Gamecube over the Xbox.