Gaming

Xbox is much better. The games that are exclusive aren’t worth buying a whole system for imo.

As people are saying. Xbox + Xbox gamespass. But I would say to ask which one their friends have so they can play with them.

If they also having gaming pcs Xbox is probably better. But otherwise would depend on exclusives, most games are cross platform these days

Go to a used game store! Get them a PS2 or an Xbox 360. There are SO MANY used games for each of those systems still and for much MUCH cheaper than new consoles.

Both are good.

Neither Xbox nor PS have any compelling argument versus the other. Asking the kiddos which one they want is the safest bet.

Xbox has gamepass which is a plus for Xbox. PlayStation has decent exclusives which is a plus for PlayStation. Other than that it's not much different. I suppose which controller you prefer might account for something.

PC , huge libraries, high performance and when you're done just alt tab to another window and do your taxes

Xbox with Game Pass hands down.

What kind of games do you make?

First and foremost you still ask which they want, but if that have no preference then

PS5 if you're interested in their exclusives

Xbox if you're interested in gamepass (£10/month subscription service which includes alot of really fantastic games)

PS5 has the better games, graphics just better console entirely... and if they ask for a m rated game don't stop them from getting it. it builds character

Get a sega master system or mega drive off eBay. Was the bet for a new console or a non Nintendo one?

Literally no good reason to get an Xbox, seriously… PS is the winner by far.

PS has so many incredible exclusives, and almost any Xbox exclusive is available on PC. Not to mention PS VR fantastic

One of those preprogrammed mall knovk-offs that has 1000+ games on it.

As many others have said, depends on what the friends have so the kids can play together.

But outside of that, PS5 is the better console with the better games.

I mean if you had to choose for kids it’s easy.. Nintendo followed by PlayStation

If you get them an Xbox with the Xbox game pass they will have tons of games to play

Only fun box better than Xbox is the female box

What their friends play, that is way more important imo. Sony has the better exclusives but that means nothing when all your friends are playing together and you are left out.

Xbox series s. Cheap af and game pass gives them tons of games.

Gamespass would be the deciding factor for me.

Imo the game pass is so much better than the PS alternative....

Whether people like it or not, Microsoft’s model for gaming is the future. By that I mean, a subscription for an archive of games alongside big hitter new releases. Microsoft lagged behind Sony in the creation of quality exclusive franchises for a long long time (I would say the only genuine exception is the Gears of War and Halo franchises, which were/are fantastic on the whole). Microsoft have since thrown their weight around and purchased some big gaming companies to fill this void.

Beyond this, the Xbox itself is the better console in terms of its hardware.

My personal opinion is that the future for those who invest in game pass is looking very bright. I appreciate people don’t like the idea of subscription based gaming and that this is not to detract from their valid arguments, but when you can get games like Starfield or Doom immediately available upon release, it really pays for itself.

I know nothing about NFL so can't judge how likely it was for Detroit to make the playoffs but this reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where a guy bets Elaine that Dustin Hoffman is in Star Wars and the loser has to buy the winner dinner.

OP: oh no... I need to buy my kids a console... and I'll definitely play it. Damn...

"lost a bet"

just get a ps5

I have a PS4 still and an Xbox Series X, Xbox is my go-to for multiplayer games and Game Pass gives me a wide selection of games to play and Playstation is my go-to for single player and story driven games. Got it mainly for Spider-Man but then tried out the Last of Us and Bloodborne too.

Get a ps4

Xbox. Game pass is $15 a month and saves on the cost of games.

Xbox Series S with gamepass. Best bang for your buck, imo.

Buy a Steam Deck

My take is a ps5, get premium ps + and there are plenty of games they can download and try. Plus if you get the disc version you have all the ps4 kids games available to you.

Then again if all their friends have Xbox then go with that.

It all really falls to what system all their friends have.

I have both but I would say PS5 is the better platform with better exclusives

I’ll toss a vote for xbox because of bias. I don’t know what the parental controls are like on PS5. But on the xbox it’s an extension of whatever you have setup on a windows PC.

I have it setup that the girls only get an hour on school nights and 2 hours on weeknights and i don’t need to be there to enforce it.

So you know, PS5 has a “game pass” similar system where you can play a bunch of PS games throughout it’s history

Spider-Man or Starfield?

Popstation

A lot of the multiplayer games kids play today are cross platform, so look at which exclusive they'd prefer to play. The big xbox name that's played today is halo. PS5 has a lot of really amazing single player exclusive, but they're not multiplayer.

First off.. whatever their friends have, second, Xbox.. I’m a ps5 primary user but also have an Xbox, if I wasn’t rooted in ps5 I would switch to Xbox just for the “free” games

Only reason to get Xbox is if you don’t want to deal with pc gaming. At least the other consoles have a reason to exist lol

Build a PC that's 10 times faster than either for the same price and get a subscription to PC gamepass

Game pass is strong, back compat is excellent, quick resume is game changing.

But Playstation has proper exclusives and a fun controller and vr2.

the bigger consideration is the type of games they play and if you plan on getting a gamepass or psplus subscription. Those will open up many games and each has their own list of included games.

Any game they would play with their friends would likely have cross play. It’s also likely that those games wouldn’t be on ps plus or game pass. I have a Ps5. I would say get that because it’s likely that there’s more games that you would actually get enjoyment out of on that system right now. I would skip on the series s. Only because of it already having optimization problems 2-3 years into the generation. And I would personally be looking for a one time solid buy. Idk about your kids but mine will likely play Roblox for the foreseeable future. My oldest would rather play knock off Spider-Man or whatever on that then miles morales. So it’s likely this purchase will be more about your preference than theirs right now.

Do you have a PC? If so, I'd probably get a PS5. Many of the Xbox exclusives are also on PC these days.

However, I also agree that you should consider what your kids' friends have. Be careful though. If one kid's friends have Xbox and the other's have PS5 then saying you're basing it that could come off as favouritism.

What you actually want is for your kids to be able to borrow games from your kids' friends. Consider which if them has rich parents and could afford a large game library.

The fact that you get to play them too is just a bonus.

The main reason I got a ps5 is because of my large ps4 library, what my friends have and ff16. If these reasons weren't there then either is good.

Get them a Sega Dreamcast.

Since youve said their friends have a mix of ps and xbox and you like the idea of gamepass i would honestly suggest a pc. you can buy some parts and build one, get a semi decent prebuilt, or heck even get a newer mini pc (suggest something newer from minisforum or beelink or if your going all out get a gamin NUC). they'll not only be able to play gamepass but do a bunch of indie and retro games and do productivity tasks for school.