What gaming system to buy

[Moranis]

My kids are getting older and to the age when they can play real video game systems.  I only have old systems from well before my kids. I am trying to decide between a refurbished PS4 Pro or a PS5.  The 5 is more than twice as expensive, but is obviously new and better.  The 4 pro does have 4k graphics and a solid processing speed (especially for the types of games my kids would play). There are a lot more games for the 4 and they are a lot cheaper.  I'd rather go the cheaper option and if I need to upgrade down the line just wait for the 6, but I don't want to "waste" money on an inferior system.  I'd play as well, but mostly offline games.

Any thoughts?

[Roy H.]

I think the PS4 Pro would be fine for younger kids.  The real question is, what games are *you* going to play on it?  Games like Elden Ring look and play better on the PS5 (with significantly less load time), and there are starting to be a lot more new games that aren't available on the PS4.

If you're going to spend significant time on the system, or if you care about PS5 exclusives like Spider-man 2 and the in-development Knights of the Old Republic game, I think it's worth the extra $200.

[Moranis]

I play mostly sports game in franchise mode.  Occasionally some 1st person shooters, but again usually in single player story mode.

Kids do a lot of the arcade type games, though my eldest is playing one of the Harry Potter movie games on the PS3 and seems to enjoy it. 

We also play a lot of Wii games as a family which is fun.

[bdm860]

My kids are getting older and to the age when they can play real video game systems.  I only have old systems from well before my kids. I am trying to decide between a refurbished PS4 Pro or a PS5.  The 5 is more than twice as expensive, but is obviously new and better.  The 4 pro does have 4k graphics and a solid processing speed (especially for the types of games my kids would play). There are a lot more games for the 4 and they are a lot cheaper.  I'd rather go the cheaper option and if I need to upgrade down the line just wait for the 6, but I don't want to "waste" money on an inferior system.  I'd play as well, but mostly offline games.

Any thoughts?

A quick google search tells me PS6 is likely to come out in late 2026.  Then maybe the possibility of high demand, or waiting for sales/price drops/more games, maybe it will take a year for you to get one?

That gives you 3-4 years of life out of this purchase.

Depending on your kids' ages (guessing in the 5-8 range?), they might not care right now, but in 2-3 years when they're still playing this system, they probably will care more.

I'd probably go PS5 because I think you'd get more life out of it the next few years.  Last thing I'd want is to buy a PS4 now, then Christmas '25 they're asking for a PS5 because they want some games not on PS4.

[Goldstar88]

Doesn’t the PS5 play all the PS4 games?

[Phantom255x]

It kind of depends on your budget and the price difference between the two. But I would personally just splurge a bit on the PS5. Yes, the PS6 probably isn't coming until 2026, but then again, time flies. Once the PS6 comes out, the PS5 will start to feel a bit old and that'll especially be true with the PS4. At least if you get the PS5 now, you can have a great gaming system for many years to come even once the PS6 comes out.

It's kind of like sports contracts. Sometimes you sign a guy to a huge money deal in the present day and think it's an overpay, but then 5 years from now it looks like a bargain because the market value and revenue increases so other guys are getting paid even more. Even when the PS6 comes out, the games should all be compatible with PS5 while there's no guarantee with PS4 at that point.

[scaryjerry]

All the ps4 games can be bought and played on ps5. I’d go with the bigger/better/newer console

[ozgod]

My kids are getting older and to the age when they can play real video game systems.  I only have old systems from well before my kids. I am trying to decide between a refurbished PS4 Pro or a PS5.  The 5 is more than twice as expensive, but is obviously new and better.  The 4 pro does have 4k graphics and a solid processing speed (especially for the types of games my kids would play). There are a lot more games for the 4 and they are a lot cheaper.  I'd rather go the cheaper option and if I need to upgrade down the line just wait for the 6, but I don't want to "waste" money on an inferior system.  I'd play as well, but mostly offline games.

Any thoughts?

I have both. I got my PS4 in 2014 and my PS5 last year. It really depends on how discerning your kids are. If they're below the age of 15 you can get away with a PS4, they won't be able to tell the difference. Especially if you're playing mainly sports games (which I do too, and yes offline in franchise or GM mode because playing NBA2k and FIFA (now FC) are basically pay to win these days and you will get hammered if you don't do all the microtransactions).

But if you want to play Assassin's Creed, Baldurs Gate 3 (that might be a bit too much for younger kids with all the nudity  ), Cyberpunk 2077 (which is terrible on the PS4), Elden Ring, Ragnarok, you'll want a PS5. And yes the majority of PS4 games are backwards compatible on PS5. If you did buy one I suspect you will get many years value out of it, no matter when the PS6 is coming out.

[Moranis]

My kids are getting older and to the age when they can play real video game systems.  I only have old systems from well before my kids. I am trying to decide between a refurbished PS4 Pro or a PS5.  The 5 is more than twice as expensive, but is obviously new and better.  The 4 pro does have 4k graphics and a solid processing speed (especially for the types of games my kids would play). There are a lot more games for the 4 and they are a lot cheaper.  I'd rather go the cheaper option and if I need to upgrade down the line just wait for the 6, but I don't want to "waste" money on an inferior system.  I'd play as well, but mostly offline games.

Any thoughts?

I have both. I got my PS4 in 2014 and my PS5 last year. It really depends on how discerning your kids are. If they're below the age of 15 you can get away with a PS4, they won't be able to tell the difference. Especially if you're playing mainly sports games (which I do too, and yes offline in franchise or GM mode because playing NBA2k and FIFA (now FC) are basically pay to win these days and you will get hammered if you don't do all the microtransactions).

But if you want to play Assassin's Creed, Baldurs Gate 3 (that might be a bit too much for younger kids with all the nudity  ), Cyberpunk 2077 (which is terrible on the PS4), Elden Ring, Ragnarok, you'll want a PS5. And yes the majority of PS4 games are backwards compatible on PS5. If you did buy one I suspect you will get many years value out of it, no matter when the PS6 is coming out.

My kids are both in early elementary school and are girls and don't show much interest in that type of game.  Even if they did, they are years away from being allowed to play them anyway.  I suppose since the PS5 plays PS4 games, it is probably ok, but I've been burned by that on prior system upgrades where I couldn't play the game or the functionality wasn't right, and didn't want that to happen.  Also, saving a couple of hundred bucks on the system leads to more games out of the gate (since I will pick up a couple sports games for me and then some for the girls). 

[JSD]

PS5 has a decade long shelf life. PS4 will be obsolete within two years

[Goldstar88]

Nintendo Switch

[Roy H.]

My kids are getting older and to the age when they can play real video game systems.  I only have old systems from well before my kids. I am trying to decide between a refurbished PS4 Pro or a PS5.  The 5 is more than twice as expensive, but is obviously new and better.  The 4 pro does have 4k graphics and a solid processing speed (especially for the types of games my kids would play). There are a lot more games for the 4 and they are a lot cheaper.  I'd rather go the cheaper option and if I need to upgrade down the line just wait for the 6, but I don't want to "waste" money on an inferior system.  I'd play as well, but mostly offline games.

Any thoughts?

I have both. I got my PS4 in 2014 and my PS5 last year. It really depends on how discerning your kids are. If they're below the age of 15 you can get away with a PS4, they won't be able to tell the difference. Especially if you're playing mainly sports games (which I do too, and yes offline in franchise or GM mode because playing NBA2k and FIFA (now FC) are basically pay to win these days and you will get hammered if you don't do all the microtransactions).

But if you want to play Assassin's Creed, Baldurs Gate 3 (that might be a bit too much for younger kids with all the nudity  ), Cyberpunk 2077 (which is terrible on the PS4), Elden Ring, Ragnarok, you'll want a PS5. And yes the majority of PS4 games are backwards compatible on PS5. If you did buy one I suspect you will get many years value out of it, no matter when the PS6 is coming out.

My kids are both in early elementary school and are girls and don't show much interest in that type of game.  Even if they did, they are years away from being allowed to play them anyway.  I suppose since the PS5 plays PS4 games, it is probably ok, but I've been burned by that on prior system upgrades where I couldn't play the game or the functionality wasn't right, and didn't want that to happen.  Also, saving a couple of hundred bucks on the system leads to more games out of the gate (since I will pick up a couple sports games for me and then some for the girls).

In terms of sports games, if you can live with it I suggest purchasing them about 1 year old at GameStop.  My son is just starting to like the games, and we picked up 2023 versions of NHL, Madden, MLB The Show and WWE for between $10 and $17 each.

If you branch out from shooters and sports, I highly recommend both PS5 God of War games, and if you're up for a challenge, Elden Ring is amazing. 

[jpotter33]

Agree with Goldy. If you don't already have the Switch, that's the system to get primarily for the kids, and you can play most of the same games on it as you would on PlayStation and Xbox. We got several of the pro controllers and it's just like playing an Xbox or PlayStation. And while we mainly play it connected to the tv, the handheld ability is an added bonus and has come in real handy for roadtrips and baseball tournaments.

Let me throw this out there, too - I love my Xbox Series S. I was a PlayStation guy originally, but had a buddy of mine selling a Series S for $300 and took him up on it. It was a great buy. I'm the same in that I play mostly sports games (NBA, PGA, or MLB) and first-person shooters (Call of Duty and Halo mainly), and it's a great system for both of those. My boys love playing with me on the Xbox, too, though I think they enjoy the Switch more duet to having more games geared towards their ages.

EDIT: Oh! And one other bonus about the Switch is that if you do the Nintendo Switch online subscription, you get access to the old Nintendo gaming system apps, like Ninendo 64, SNES, NES, etc. Lots of the good old games on there, like MarioKart, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64, Goldeneye, etc. I have it on my to do list to go through Ocarina of Time again. It was one of my favorite games growing up.

[mr. dee]

If you want the best gaming experience, just build a PC. You can literally play almost everything nowadays as consoles rarely have exclusives outside Nintendo platforms. PS5 is already halfway on its life cycle and I have yet to see a "must-have" title exclusively on the platform.

[Goldstar88]

If you want the best gaming experience, just build a PC. You can literally play almost everything nowadays as consoles rarely have exclusives outside Nintendo platforms. PS5 is already halfway on its life cycle and I have yet to see a "must-have" title exclusively on the platform.

This is why I use Xbox.