Entertainment in households today can be attributed to owning gaming consoles; providing a source of fun for all ages in the family. There are, however, some factors to consider when acquiring a gaming console for your home: age range of players, type of console and price of console.
These will help you figure out which age appropriate games there are to purchase. With these carefully considered, let us look into the types of consoles a parent should get for the home:
1. Nintendo Switch (OLED Model)
This Nintendo Switch model trades the LCD display of the previous version for an OLED display, giving you a visually pleasing experience through brighter pictures and a deeper contrast. Even though it maintains the 720p resolution, it gives you better audio and a much larger screen, with controls that are user-friendly and a library where you can access so many games of different genres and difficulty. Whether single or multiplayer, there is no problem finding a game of your choosing, and you have the option to play it as handheld or via TV. It has an extensive parental controls setting through the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls’ app, comes with 1 pair of Joy Cons controllers, 64GB storage capacity and 4.5-9 hours battery life. The age recommendation is 3 and up.
2. PlayStation 5
The PlayStation range of consoles have over the years shown why they ought to be put in the conversation of better gaming experiences, and their latest model the PlayStation 5 is evident of this and more. With an incredible fast load time, immersive 3D audio, easy-to-use interface, and beautiful visuals (supports 4K resolution with 120 fps frame rate), this console proves to be one of the best in high quality gaming experience. Games for the PS5 can be digitally purchased or gotten as hardcopies, and with the backward compatibility games that your children may have on a PS4 can be run on here too. With one DualSense controller, 825 GB storage capacity and a plug-in battery system you are bound to have one of the best experiences in gaming you have ever had. Age recommendations are nine years and up.
3. XBox Series X
The Microsoft XBox Series X just like the PlayStation 5 offers an array of features such as fast load times, supports 4K resolution and with 120 fps frame rate, as well as supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision for the 3D spatial audio. It also comes with backwards compatibility so games that run on the Xbox, Xbox 360 or the Xbox One can run on this console as well. With a 1TB storage capacity, plug-in battery system, and 1 Xbox controller, you are ushered into a large library of games for all ages using the Xbox Game Pass option to access as many games as you desire to play. Games on the Series X can be bought physically and digitally, and with the game pass you can try out different game titles rather than buying them individually. Also comes with a flexible parental controls setting.
4. LeapFrog LeapPad Academe
For strictly educational purposes, the LeapFrog LeapPad Academy is the device to acquire for your children. Through clever games and apps, kids pick up skills like reading, logical reasoning, physical sciences, math, creative expression and even coding. With about 20 apps and access to the LeapFrog Learning Library, and a storage capacity of 16GB (upgradeable to 32 GB), kids get to be in a different world of learning and viewing this experience as fun to do! Age recommendations are 3 to 8 years and a much fun use of this device will be to have these games played online.
5. SNES Classic Edition
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a console that you would want to acquire for that feeling of nostalgia to be quenched and to show your kids the real retro experience instead of downloading the games on the Nintendo Switch! Considered to be one of the best consoles of all time, the SNES Classic Edition comes with some of the classic hitters and favorites “Super Mario World”, “Mega Man X” and “Kirby’s Dream”, with features such as save states and rewinding the game at any time, therefore conquering death. Comes with wired controllers for that retro feel, and a console that can connect to screens with an HDMI input.
You may have had a hard time deciding which gaming consoles you would deem fit to purchase for your family, but with this list we hope you now have an array of options to make the best picks for your home!
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By Jeffrey Osei-Agyeman
