The kid has been bugging me for a new system and he’s willing to contribute part of the cost. We have an old Playstation and he has a GameBoy Advance. Any recommendations on what to get or not get? Xbox, Gamecube, Playstation2 
Go new or Ebay??
Rock,
My boys have/had them all, yes I mean all. The coolest by far, in my opinion is the Xbox. Something that is one of the coolest things they have is Xbox Live. This is only going to work if you have broadband. It costs $50/year for the service. The boys are playing Halo with other people on the ‘Net. The full duplex voice feature adds so much to the experience.
I agree wtih ACJ, Xbox is the way to go. We have had Xbox since the day it came out. The graphics and games are excellent. It’s a game system that has a wide variety of games, most games are for kids 10+. We also bought the DVD player attachment. I would buy a new system, not used.
Sandbar
If buying a Xbox, buy new. Many older Xboxes have bad DVD drives that have difficulty reading DVDs. Additionally, used Xboxes may have been banned from the online Xbox Live service and can not be used on it again.
Playstation 2 has many more games. Gamecube mostly has younger children games.
I have a PS2 but the others are also good. I mostly play on my pc. I love RTS(Real Time Stratagy) and playing multi player, I am not a big FPS guy(First Person Shooter). That said teach them balance. Gaming can be very addictive and next thing you know its a great day to go fishing and you are siting at a PC or a consule playing games. I like PC better you can get almost all the same games as consules and you can upgrade your PC and be able to get the lates greats games with the best graphics. The only fee to play on line is the internet access, which you need for the consules. You can also get any kind of controller you want for your pc, ps/2 or Xbox. They just plugg into the USB ports. Just my 2 cents. Also if you are going to get a PC build it your self you can get more bang for your buck that way.
I have an X-Box… I mean my 4 year old does….
While I think they are the best out there I am finding it hard to find games that are suitable for a 4 year old child. Now that I have the system I am not going to opt for another however I will warn you that if I were to do it over again I would go with Nintendo in the titles it offers. Xbox is more designed for children in the 12 – 40 year old age range.
jc
I agree with J.C. My boys are 12 and 15. There aren’t that many games for X yet. My kids play Halo exclusively, if I remember correctly. I also agree with the DVD option. DVD players are cheap, but if you don’t have it, you have another device to hang off the t.v. Although, I didn’t realize it was an option, I thought it was standard. We didn’t spec ours extra. One other thing, when the young bucks are playing Live Halo, my ‘Net performance is awful, although that is expected. My ‘Net speed is 256kb up and 4Mb down.
Had just researched this 2 months ago for my kids that range from 5 – 15yrs old. Was told that the x box and gamecube had best graphics. the x box and P2 had the most game selections and DVD capability, but the least availability due to demand. Otherwise the gamecube was the least expensive and also the most kid-friendly as already mentioned.
It depends how old your kids are.
PS2 has ok graphics, but a HUGE selection of games
X-box has awosome graphics, but doesn’t have a great variety of kids games. so if they are younger than 10 i wouldn’t recomend it
Game cube has okay graphics, but has a bunch of kids games.
If your kids are younger I would go 4 PS2 or gamecube, if over 10, then X-box or PS2. 
Thanks for the info guys. He’s 13 and yes I don’t want him stuck in front of the tube or PC all day. He does like to fish. He took first place in a kids contest over the weekend with a 19.5″ trout. Was fun to watch that come trhu the ice. 
Looks like Xbox is the way to go.
I bought an x-box because of the superior power it has in the graphics department. I love the game i have for it and it doesn’t need additional cards to save game. I also had to buy a gamecube as zelda and mario kart are exclusive to nintendo and are my favorite franchises. No matter which on you go with you will be happy. Some one posted about the age of the kid who the purchase wuold before and that was some real good advice.
take it from a 14 year old they will like the xbox better i have one and i play non-stop halo and fishing games, also comes with online play its alot of fun, trust me they will like the xbox, its better in everything! 
I’m 13 and I love the Xbox I have!! The graphics are better then any other game systems. Oh yeh the best game ever is NFL Street 2.Ask my uncle Jer he loves it!! 
Also take into consideration that different systems have contracts with software designers. If there are specific games that you want they may not be available right away or at all. Definately buy new systems and used games.
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I’m 13 and I love the Xbox I have!!
I like “Need for Speed Underground”, Jake! ……”Hit the nitrous NOW!!!! 
Its come a ways since “PONG”. I prefer PC first person action. Lately I’ve been playing online with real people…..Lots of fun even for a big kid. Unreal Tournament 2004 is what I’m playing now….FRAG CITY !! 
any body want to meet up on a map in cyber space and take your best shot? 
I would have to say that xbox has the best graphics, but the ps2 has a great selection of games for the little kids. xbox also has alot of sports games that are great for kids.
shane
Actually nobody’s opinions here matters! 
What you are not taking into account is what your son’s friends have. Unless you are going to be buying em $60 games as they become avaialbe, what their friends are playing at the time is a huge thing.
Believe it or not, asking your sons is your best answer. Many console users (and just cause he is 12 doesn’t matter) have set a preference without ever using any system.
I have stayed away from latest consoles myself (though Resident Evil is out on lamecube), but have played on all of them for lengthy times. At one point, for the first playstation, I had over 1050 games.
As for my credentials? Ask any gamer what this means-
on EQ I had over 300 days played single character, before implementation of bizarre and no OLS.
P.S. Don’t forget Rapala Pro Fishing for yourself! The PC version is horrid, the console ones are better.
EDIT: Also, go new not eBay at all. And to score extra points with your son – ask him if he wants whatever you choose modchipped (don’t chip it though).
Xbox is the best. Most games, NO but the graphics are second to none.
That come from a guy that has them all.
Ron
Xbox IS a computer that is dedicated for gaming. If you want to play other people you need an Internet connection and it will cost you around $60 a year (Xbox live). For very serious gamers, its a great system.
You can also get real good graphics on your PC..some of the new cards have they’re own cooling fan! The only problem with PC is the lack of movement control using a keyboard but live interaction is free (so far anyway). I haven’t had a problem getting killed over and over by some of the game pros … I just re spawn and try again. My goal is to get good enough to kill the engineer down the hall at work as much as he kills me ..he’s pretty good. I priced a new “top o the line” puter for gaming and some serious stuff….over $2,000 from Gateway! 
So, Nobody else plays UT? I have a little extra time now, but after ice out I’m gone.
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As for my credentials? Ask any gamer what this means-
on EQ I had over 300 days played single character, before implementation of bizarre and no OLS.
now that is impressive. I never got into EQ, but I know of many that have and they even go as far as to play in real live. they dress and act like their character for the whole weekend. if they die there, they kill that character next time they log on.
shane
I heard on the news this morning Xbox has a recall because of faulty power cords…I guess they are over heating or something?
My son has PS2 and thats ok with me…Leave my computer alone. I also banned him from his “Grand Theft Auto” game…Good graphics but bad violent undertones! Some of the games are WAY too graphic in a bad way!
Heard the same news report this morning also. Another question to you Xbox owners…. I was looking on Ebay at games and pricing of systems in general and see a lot of listings for broken units. Is it bad DVD drives customer abuse or what? Now I’m thinking maybe PS2 is the way to go???
I have had one since they first came out and never have had a problem. I do know that they all have had there share of problems.
Ron
x-box is a blast but i can’t beat my 7 year old. ooooo it makes me mad 
Here is a link for the xbox replacement power cable info: Xbox Power Cable Recall Ok, 30 cables out of 14.1 million units is a recall?
As for getting your kids games, be extremely careful about what they want without knowing how the game is. The most popular games are rated M for mature and not even remotely good to let a 12 year old play. I do not speak of games with sounds of the word [censored], I mean full out “F” words used constantly with graphic nudity.
And for Gutpile, cheat codes are your friends! Or in my case, programmable joysticks. 42 move super combo all with the press of a button!
Tell him 2 be paitent???? playstation 3 will beout this summer, July I think!!!!
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