Why Kids Don’t Want An Xbox For Christmas

10/28/2009 Written by Ryan Rigney

According to a recent survey that retailer Game Crazy put out, kids are not planning on asking for Xbox 360s this Christmas. Of the 1,000 (aged 8-17) kids polled, 66% said that they would ask for a new game console this coming Christmas. 24% of kids wanted a Nintendo DSi (really, guys? That many of you want to pay for digital clocks?), 21% wanted a Wii, and 21% wanted a PS3, with the remaining 34% answering that they didn’t have a desire for a new gaming console.

The fact that the PSP didn’t make an appearance on the list isn’t a surprise; A higher number of people went out and got herpes than bought the PSPgo in the week of its launch, as most kids that ever wanted a PSP already owned an older model and are now likely captivated by the attractive iPod Touch. The lack of any presence by the Xbox 360 in these survey results, however, is particularly interesting, as the console has always sold quite well and features a great lineup of kid-friendly games.

Hey kids! It's like an iPhone, but pointless!

Worse than herpes

The reasoning behind the results becomes more obvious once one takes a look at the bigger picture. The PS3 has finally hit its stride as of late with the recent price cut to the reasonable $299 point. Sony’s marketing department has finally decided to stop sitting around playing Wii Sports instead of doing their job, and the slimmer, cheaper, wi-fi enabled PS3 is now the best platform for those who are interested in multiplatform games but don’t own a 360 or PS3, largely thanks to the PS3’s free online service, which makes Microsoft look terrible in comparison. The other elephant in the room that makes Microsoft look bad is the Red Ring of Death, which has no doubt become common knowledge to kids through simple word of mouth. Nobody wants a product that is almost guaranteed to break at some point or another, and hearing that fat kid from math class whine about how he has to wait 5 days for his Xbox to get repaired can work wonders in Sony’s favor.

Exclusives always get brought up in these arguments, but the fact is that when it comes to kid-friendly games, neither the 360 or PS3 has much in the way of exclusive games to offer. Almost every highly-rated exclusive for the two consoles is classified as “Mature-rated” by the ESRB, which effectively locks out any kids who would have otherwise jumped on the systems. When it comes to adults considering which console to purchase, if pre-orders on Amazon.com mean anything, it seems fairly obvious that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is going to move more consoles than any other game this year (by the way, buying Modern Warfare 2 on Amazon earns you a whopping $20 back towards another purchase. Just select whatever system you want it for if you don’t want it for 360, and buy it via that link.), and due to the free online access, the PS3 version might be the dominent sku, but that doesn’t explain why kids are hopping on board with Sony’s platform.

This is probably not the reason that little Susy wants a PS3

As a guy who only owns a 360 (I traded my Wii for a mini-fridge long ago) I will gladly admit that Uncharted 2, God of War 3, The Last Guardian, and the Ratchet & Clank games appeal greatly to me, but only some of those games that I listed are even out yet, and I have friends who would gladly let me play through the few PS3 exclusives that I’m interested in on their systems. Plenty of people will buy PS3s for those games, though, so it makes sense to see a shift in what younger kids are asking for as well; after all, kids tend to want to play what the older crowd is playing, and one has to acknowledge the fact that there are tons of parents out there who will buy their 12 year old an M rated game without a second thought.

All of the possible reasons for kids shifting their sights onto the PS3 this year could also be factors in the purchasing decisions that adults will be making for themselves, so it’ll be interesting to see if the 360 fails to move units with adults as well this Christmas. The newfound success of the PS3 can only be good for everyone, as the more it catches up to the 360 in America, the more competitive Microsoft will have to become in order to maintain their sales lead, and competition in the industry is a win for everybody.