What’s a good console to buy?

[Steve Geddes]

I’ve only ever owned one (a Nintendo 64) but have been thinking about trying video games again. I wouldn’t be looking at anything online, which seems to be all the rage these days.

Any suggestions? Is there an obvious “best” at the moment?

[137ben]

The recent Nintendo Switch would be my recommendation, but that's due to my taste in games. It has the benefit of being somewhat portable, though, which none of the other major consoles (save the 3DS, which is really in a different category) have.

It really comes down to what sort of games you like. If you want Halo, then Xbox One is the only place to go. If you want Mario or Pokemon or Legend of Zelda or Metroid, Switch is the place for you. If you want any of Sony's exclusive games, go with PS4. I think Sony may be the best for multiplayer games, while Nintendo does better single-player games. But that's a very broad oversimplification.

I'd have a hard time recommending Xbox One to anyone, to do the dearth of exclusive titles and the fact that almost every XBO game is also on PS4. But if there's one in particular you really truly want, then go for it.

[Steve Geddes]

Thanks for the tips.

I don't really know anything about what games are around (I haven't played a computer game since the late nineties). I definitely don't want multiplayer online stuff, but plan on introducing my wife to the concept, so probably one where we can both play together would be good (ideally something we can play for half an hour, then pause/save and come back to).

Her tastes are likely to run more towards collecting coins and jumping over things than shooting stuff, if that makes a difference. :)

Cheers.

[Pan]

Honestly, I'd try and find one of the nintendo classic or super nintendo classic systems. Each comes with the most popular games of the era of which fit your 30-60 min set and forget style meets. The games are not able to take advantage of the most up to date graphics, but are usually fun anyways. I think buying a modern console for the needs you describe might be overkill.

My second suggestion is get a used nintendo Wii. They should be easy to attain and the games will be cheap. I know you dont want online play, but you can go online and download plenty of classics as you see fit to play offline.

[Steve Geddes]

Thanks very much. I hadn’t really considered the secondhand option, but it does seem like computer gaming has “moved on” somewhat from what I used to like, so that’s probably a good option.

[Pan]

While the biggest PC titles are online multiplayer, i'd not say its the only thing out there. If you like boardgames there are many being made into digital versions now. You can find some on steam like Talisman and Ticket to ride. You can even get some of these on your smartphone if you have one.

[captain yesterday]

I've had my Xbox 360 for eleven years now, getting the family a PlayStation 4 for Christmas.

The Switch is better than I thought it would be, but it's definitely more kid oriented and I was never a huge fan of their flagship titles.

[Irontruth]

I think Pan's suggestion of a used console is probably the best bet.

Another interesting thing out there is Tabletop Simulator. It's not an actual game, but rather a platform for games within a PC. No action games, just board game re-creations that you can play. System requirements are really low, so you can get an old PC, or a very compact system and hook it up to the TV. There's a bunch of authorized DLC, but you can make/import your own games as well (meaning people make versions that haven't been officially made yet).