X box for a 5 year old and 3 year old

cynder

I think were going to get the xbox for our two boys for xmas, we recon the kinect bundle would be a good idea (even though we do have the wii).
What would be the best bundle to buy?

The 4gb for €299 or 250gb for €350?

Not going to mod it.

caspa307

if you will be using the marketplace go for 250 gb if its for just the kids and you have no intentions of using it, then the 4 gig will be fine cos i doubt they will be using your credit card to go online

cynder

We have wireless internet, so they might go online. What is marketplace???

Dont think we will be downloading games either (even though they do scratch the disc's so it might be an option).

Just been on marketplace, think im gonna buy the 250gb xbos bundle when its released on the 10th of november.

caspa307

the xbox marketplace is basically a place where you download demos/arcade games, keep in mind that if your going online with the xbox to play online will have to pay for the service

Not The Real Scarecrow

Don't get the 4gb version, some people are complaining that they can't play certain games on it online and I think there might be a few other problems as well. Spend the extra little bit extra and it'll go a long way. You might be surprised at thow much stuff you'll end up saving on the xbox.Yerselves might end up getting into it even for some of the media stuff down the line,so its better to have th eextra memory and be safe.

If your gonna let em go online don't let em have free reign with a mic and if you can mute any strangers on it. Depending on the game there's a fair few a holes out there and some of the crap that comes out of their mouths just isn't suitable for kids. I have no problem with kids playing games like call of duty and other games for over 15's or 18's, but I think with games like this you have to be really careful about letting them play online.

caspa307

Meatwad wrote: »

Don't get the 4gb version, some people are complaining that they can't play certain games on it online and I think there might be a few other problems as well. Spend the extra little bit extra and it'll go a long way. You might be surprised at thow much stuff you'll end up saving on the xbox.Yerselves might end up getting into it even for some of the media stuff down the line,so its better to have th eextra memory and be safe.


actually completly forgot that yeah 250 gb all the way

Lantus

The larger harddrive can be a benefit and will continue to be as the system develops.

Marketplace is where you can buy 'arcade' games. These are like small versions of games bought in shops, are professionally made and the type and genre varies enourmously. You can also buy 'full' games for a lot of titles and often cheaper than the shops.

You can download and watch movies both in standard and high definition. I think the typical SD rental is about 3.50? so pretty good value. Note you'll want a fairly fast connection to download in advance.

You can buy accessories and clothes for avatars, add on's to existing games and map packs etc that give games an extended lifespan.

Marketplace is free. All you need is an internet connection. But as most of the content like movies is pretty big in the GB range a larger than 4gb harddrive is really required.

All of the above costs of course per content. I would buy points from somewhere like hmv and input the code rather than enter your credit card onto the system which I've never liked the idea of.

Playing online is about 40 a year (the gold subscription.) but I doubt a 5 yr old and 3 yr will be doing that so it's really about you.

Bear in mind there are parental settings to control content and I would familirise your self with these from day one as this is an adult console and some games are violent in nature and rated 18 for a reason. You can set up profiles for your kids and you so they can log in seperatley and you can password protect your profile to avoid problems.

Simples.

Would love to see what kinect is like. Have a friend who has a 360 and wants to buy his 5yr old a Wii for xmas, I think he's mad as all he needs is the kinect.

cynder

Cheers will defo get the 250gb, I love playing the ps3 myself but im more into the ratchet and clank:o


Planning on getting the boys the Lego games and a few kinect games as well. Downloading the full games might be a good option as they have scratched some of the wii/ps2/ps3 games beyond recognition. (none of my R&C games play anymore) we will get rid of the ps2 as soon as we get the xbox there will be no need for it then.


Off topic, where did you get teh username lantus from, Are you diabetic?

grimm2005

grindelwald wrote: »

Downloading the full games might be a good option as they have scratched some of the wii/ps2/ps3 games beyond recognition.

Note that only a handful of disc based games are available to downloaded directly and they are an almighty rip off (games that are available in store for under a tenner being sold at €20 - 30) but you can install all disc games onto the hard drive (you still need the disc in the drive for piracy reasons but it plays from the HDD)

Taltos

I know I am going to be stoned here but...

Really? Are you seriously considering getting a 5 yr old & a 3 yr old an X-Box?
Seriously?
What is the intent here? To teach them to sit quietly at the TV to give you a break or to teach them that running around and burning off fat and energy is bad?

Instead of getting them the game Lego - get them the friggin blocks.
Get them a bike or skates or something - but a games console. Help them with their reading / spelling / counting - but this??

I need to stop here now before I really lose the plot.

<shaking head astounded and confused>

smurph11

I couldn't agree more with Taltos, seriously what do you hope your chidren will learn from an xbox? At 3 and 5 this is where their development is at a crucial stage. You are teaching them to sit in front of a console and have their senses numbed. They should be active, using their imagination and learning the skills that are vital for a healthy successful life.

irishgrover

Taltos wrote: »

I know I am going to be stoned here but...

Really? Are you seriously considering getting a 5 yr old & a 3 yr old an X-Box?
Seriously?
What is the intent here? To teach them to sit quietly at the TV to give you a break or to teach them that running around and burning off fat and energy is bad?

Instead of getting them the game Lego - get them the friggin blocks.
Get them a bike or skates or something - but a games console. Help them with their reading / spelling / counting - but this??

I need to stop here now before I really lose the plot.

<shaking head astounded and confused>

maybe if you familarised yourself with concepts like "things in moderation", or "balanced parenting", or not judging and assuming based on one piece of information, then you wouldn't be so inclined to "lose the plot", because making assumptions on such little information can often lead to loosing the plot, which can be very bad for your mental and physical well being......as well as unnecessary and unfairly insinuating someone is a bad parent on very limited information, which is a bit OTT in fairness..

Taltos

irishgrover wrote: »

maybe if you familarised yourself with concepts like "things in moderation", or "balanced parenting", or not judging and assuming based on one piece of information, then you wouldn't be so inclined to "lose the plot", because making assumptions on such little information can often lead to loosing the plot, which can be very bad for your mental and physical well being......as well as unnecessary and unfairly insinuating someone is a bad parent on very limited information, which is a bit OTT in fairness..

All fair points I have to concede.
However, I have more often than not seen parenting of the other extreme.
Just look around at some of the estates/townlands around Dublin, where there are children running amok through want of proper and balanced parenting. Whether in Bray or Finglas - children that mutilate animals with fireworks - it all draws a sad picture about parenting and social conscience in our country.

I am also someone cursed with an almost 100% perfect recall of my childhood, while I cannot remember names or faces from a day or two ago, I can clearly remember being 4, 5, 6 - I remember the thoughts and drives at the time. I remember the thrill of climbing the tallest tree in the school and terror at wondering how to get down. I also remember getting my first console at 10, with a younger brother of 8. Trees and exploring quickly faded. Added to this I can see the effect it has had on a nephew of mine - who pestered his parents when he was 6 for a playstation - he is now 15 and despite his parents at the time going into this with the balanced and planned approach - sometimes it was easier to give into his cries to play. This guy is now 15 - but emotionally and mentally I wonder if he will ever catch up with his peers.

Having seen 1st hand how fast this can go wrong, my personal opinion to which I am entitled allows me the right to question the reasoning behind this request.

Fully armed the parents can make whatever choice makes the most sense to them. I just hope that long term they don't regret it.

okla

Taltos wrote: »

I know I am going to be stoned here but...

Really? Are you seriously considering getting a 5 yr old & a 3 yr old an X-Box?
Seriously?
What is the intent here? To teach them to sit quietly at the TV to give you a break or to teach them that running around and burning off fat and energy is bad?

Instead of getting them the game Lego - get them the friggin blocks.
Get them a bike or skates or something - but a games console. Help them with their reading / spelling / counting - but this??

I need to stop here now before I really lose the plot.

<shaking head astounded and confused>

What a load of Sh!te.
There were bad parents in this world long before video games were invented.
My two sons aged 10 and 4 play the xbox together and it is a great bonding tool for them.
I lim it the time they play obviously.
There are some great games they lay together in co-op such as the lego games (we have a big bucket of lego pieces too) Viva Pinata and Plants vs Zombies and it is super on a rainy day.
To the OP, Your kids would love it, just be sure to familiarise yourself with the parental controls on the console.
It is a scream to see my two boys jumping around like loons playing the Kinect (and getting exercise without realising it)

irishgrover

Taltos wrote: »

All fair points I have to concede.
However, I have more often than not seen parenting of the other extreme.
Just look around at some of the estates/townlands around Dublin, where there are children running amok through want of proper and balanced parenting. Whether in Bray or Finglas - children that mutilate animals with fireworks - it all draws a sad picture about parenting and social conscience in our country.

I am also someone cursed with an almost 100% perfect recall of my childhood, while I cannot remember names or faces from a day or two ago, I can clearly remember being 4, 5, 6 - I remember the thoughts and drives at the time. I remember the thrill of climbing the tallest tree in the school and terror at wondering how to get down. I also remember getting my first console at 10, with a younger brother of 8. Trees and exploring quickly faded. Added to this I can see the effect it has had on a nephew of mine - who pestered his parents when he was 6 for a playstation - he is now 15 and despite his parents at the time going into this with the balanced and planned approach - sometimes it was easier to give into his cries to play. This guy is now 15 - but emotionally and mentally I wonder if he will ever catch up with his peers.

Having seen 1st hand how fast this can go wrong, my personal opinion to which I am entitled allows me the right to question the reasoning behind this request.

Fully armed the parents can make whatever choice makes the most sense to them. I just hope that long term they don't regret it.

back @ you I can't disagree with anything you have said. I've got four kids and 2 through 8 and have an xbox (just me me and misses) and a Wii.
The kids do use the Wii, but only under very restrictive circumstances, much more restrictive than the TV to be honest. They can only use it at weekends / holidays, and even then for no more than 1hr per day. In reality though, they very rarely use it. Also it was not bought for them. Primarily it was bough for me and the misses for Wii Fit we conditions did not facilitate us getting out to gym, or getting out of house generally to exercise.
Personally I would not recommend any type of console for kids that young. But there are plenty of things that I disagree with other parents about, and in reality, although I don't like to admit is publicly, I am not the perfect parent and sometimes get things wrong.....
thanks for your constructive response, and apologies if my initial comments came across as heavy handed....

Mr Bloat

Taltos wrote: »

I know I am going to be stoned here but...

Really? Are you seriously considering getting a 5 yr old & a 3 yr old an X-Box?
Seriously?
What is the intent here? To teach them to sit quietly at the TV to give you a break or to teach them that running around and burning off fat and energy is bad?

Instead of getting them the game Lego - get them the friggin blocks.
Get them a bike or skates or something - but a games console. Help them with their reading / spelling / counting - but this??

I need to stop here now before I really lose the plot.

<shaking head astounded and confused>

I think it's a bit rich to come on here and assume that the OP is going to plonk his kids in front of a console 24/7 and leave them to their own devices. He has said that he already has a Wii that the kids play, so presumably he knows what he is doing. I have a 7 and 4 year old and we have a 360 and a Wii in the house. The two kids are extremely active and members of a couple of different clubs. They are allowed to play the Wii a few hours a week only and usually only after a particularly active day. Am I wrong to let them experience gaming as well as activities? I don't think so. As for suggestions on getting bikes/skates and real lego - how do you know they don't have all these already. Get off your high horse, imo.

thenightrider

okla wrote: »

What a load of Sh!te.
There were bad parents in this world long before video games were invented.
My two sons aged 10 and 4 play the xbox together and it is a great bonding tool for them.
I lim it the time they play obviously.
There are some great games they lay together in co-op such as the lego games (we have a big bucket of lego pieces too) Viva Pinata and Plants vs Zombies and it is super on a rainy day.
To the OP, Your kids would love it, just be sure to familiarise yourself with the parental controls on the console.
It is a scream to see my two boys jumping around like loons playing the Kinect (and getting exercise without realising it)

In fairness you are the one talking Sh!te your talking about "It is a scream to see my two boys jumping around like loons playing the Kinect (and getting exercise without realising it)"

I bet they built a time machine together and went in to the future as well ?

Taltos

irishgrover wrote: »

back @ you I can't disagree with anything you have said. I've got four kids and 2 through 8 and have an xbox (just me me and misses) and a Wii.
The kids do use the Wii, but only under very restrictive circumstances, much more restrictive than the TV to be honest. They can only use it at weekends / holidays, and even then for no more than 1hr per day. In reality though, they very rarely use it. Also it was not bought for them. Primarily it was bough for me and the misses for Wii Fit we conditions did not facilitate us getting out to gym, or getting out of house generally to exercise.
Personally I would not recommend any type of console for kids that young. But there are plenty of things that I disagree with other parents about, and in reality, although I don't like to admit is publicly, I am not the perfect parent and sometimes get things wrong.....
thanks for your constructive response, and apologies if my initial comments came across as heavy handed....

Jeez - not at all.
I am just coming at this having seen it go wrong for a family member. I was the one at the time told her that sure it would be a great laugh for him. Little did I realise that both parents ended up using the PS as a tool to keep him out from under their feet...

cynder

Taltos wrote: »

I know I am going to be stoned here but...

Really? Are you seriously considering getting a 5 yr old & a 3 yr old an X-Box?
Seriously?
What is the intent here? To teach them to sit quietly at the TV to give you a break or to teach them that running around and burning off fat and energy is bad?

Instead of getting them the game Lego - get them the friggin blocks.
Get them a bike or skates or something - but a games console. Help them with their reading / spelling / counting - but this??

I need to stop here now before I really lose the plot.

<shaking head astounded and confused>

They have blocks, bikes, scooters and creative toys, educational toys, there are toys everywhere in this house and and hey if they wanna have some fun on an x box then i will let them, it will be replacing their ps2, (the ps3 is in our room and the wii is down stairs) The only go on the ps2 twice a week and the wii daily. My 3 year old we defo be a boxer:mad: he is really good at it and the fencing too. I really cant see the harm in 1hour a day or less playing an xbox game. They can jump up and down for an hour playing a kinect game when its raining outside or they can dress as soldiers and sword fight for and hour but one will defo have a black eye after it.


My little guy has 1 on 1 for 4 hours a day 2 days a week, he has 1 on 1 speech therapy, he has group based activities at the early intervention centre and he goes to preschool. Im going to let him have some fun. Education is being drummed into him day in day out. The 5 year old is ar school and is a brain box, he has been on the Internet since he was 2, he can work the pc( the 3 year old can too). There will probably be sorfware developers like their dad.

Just to say they are not fat, and i am female, age 30 and im not stupid, everything in moderation.

I also take them to the lake for 1 hour every sunny school day so they can run and climb trees and feed the ducks.

johnjoe96

@taltos whatever grindelwald wants to do with her kids is her own business thats why they are her kids!! and if you payed attention to the other posts
she was talking about getting the kinnect bundle which is like the wii only they dont have to hold a heavy controller which is great fun for kids of all ages and they will be getting excersise from it too.

@ grindlewald just to get back on thread i think you got the prices wrong at the start of the thread the 4gig is 199 and the 250 gig is 250. but thats just for the xbox dont know how much kinnect is. and i would recommend the 4 gig one because it is not like the ps3 you cant save anything to it, only buy games and rent movies from xbox live( which are pretty expensive) so a waste of time getting the 250gig for 5 and 3 year old. just my opinion on that though.

Cheevo Hunter

I think it's great that you're getting the Kinect bundle for your kids.But let me warn you that it's super addictive! I've had a chance to play it and it's great! Knock's everything else out of the park! Bye bye Wii! I'd recommend you go for the 250gb though because it would be better to have the memory and not need it then to need it and not have it!

And here's a link to a list of the 19 games that are being released with Kinect: http://www.xbox360achievements.org/news/news-6643-Microsoft-Confirms-Its-Kinect-Launch-Line-Up.html

If you have any other questions then feel free to ask

cynder

[QUOTE=johnjoe96;68571464@ grindlewald just to get back on thread i think you got the prices wrong at the start of the thread the 4gig is 199 and the 250 gig is 250. .[/QUOTE]


Those are the correct prices for the xbox console only, but the bundle (xbox + kinect) are priced at the prices i quoted, they are being released by smiths toys in November. The kinect on its own is €149 so i will be saving €50.

cynder

Cheevo Hunter wrote: »

I think it's great that you're getting the Kinect bundle for your kids.But let me warn you that it's super addictive! I've had a chance to play it and it's great! Knock's everything else out of the park! Bye bye Wii! I'd recommend you go for the 250gb though because it would be better to have the memory and not need it then to need it and not have it!

And here's a link to a list of the 19 games that are being released with Kinect: http://www.xbox360achievements.org/news/news-6643-Microsoft-Confirms-Its-Kinect-Launch-Line-Up.html

If you have any other questions then feel free to ask

Cheers, thanks for that. I'm planning on giving it a test run while the kids are at school;)... make sure all is ok and put it back in the box and wrap it up for Santa to deliver;).


I'M going to be very busy on the 10th of November........