Best  Game Systems

  ESRB Rating: Everyone |  ERSB Rating: Teen  |  Systems & Accessories 

Systems & Accessories

Sony PlayStation 2  (by Sony Computer Entertainment, all ages, $199.99)

This is the game system every electronic home gamer wants. Our 31-year-old, 15-year-old, and 4-year-old testers all said the same thing:  "This system is cool." PlayStation 2 has by far the best choice of games, and you can play all the older PlayStation 1 games on it, too. This system also has a built-in DVD player (a feature we didn't test fully because we were busy checking out the games). If you purchase this unit, you should also consider getting the following accessories: an 8MB Memory Card  to store games, and an extra  Dual Shock 2 Controller so two people can play.  Note: The 4-year-old had a hard time using the standard controllers because her hands were so small, however we found a fabulous product (pictured left) called MicroCON by a company called MadCatz.  These controllers are much smaller then the standard controllers and seem to work really well with our 4-year-old testers little hands.  They also make the MicroCON for , XBox and GameCube.  For more information on these controllers click here. 

Eye Toy for PlayStation 2 (by Sony Computer Entertainment, all ages, $29.99)  For grandparents, the first thing you're going to want to know is what is the Eye Toy?  Well it's  a small digital camera that sits on top of your TV and plugs into your grandchild's PlayStation 2. The motion sensitive camera films your grandchild as they stand in front of their  TV.  It puts their image  on screen in the middle of the action. Then they would use their arms, legs etc. to play the games. What the kids are saying is, "it's awesome!"  Our tester said it was "so cool to be part of the action, not to mention see himself on TV!" Our testers mom loved that it got him off the floor and moving which is a change of pace from his other PS2 games!  All agreed it's a real winner!

Xbox (by Microsoft, all ages, $199.99)

Year two of the Xbox era and it is still turning heads with it’s stellar graphics, cutting edge games and multitude of features. 

The Xbox boasts the most advanced hardware system built for gaming to date with a Pentium III processor, 64 MB of memory, 8GB hard drive and Nvidia graphics system. (See full specifications below). 

Some of the most exciting and visually stunning games are available for the Xbox. There is something for everyone in the selection of games. From “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” or “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4” for the whole family to “Unreal Championship” or “Halo” for Teens and adults. However the majority of games geared towards teens and adults. For younger kids (4-11) Nintendo’s Game Cube would be a better choice.

You can connect up to four controllers to the Xbox to share the fun with your friends or family. However, if there is no one home to play with, no problem. If you have a broadband internet connection just pick up the Xbox live starter kit ($49.99 for the kit and one year of service) and you can connect to Xbox Live and play against other gamers over the internet. Some of the games available for online play are MechAssault, NFL Fever 2003, MotoGP, NBA 2K3 and Unreal Championship.

Tired of playing games? With the optional DVD remote you can play DVD movies on your Xbox. 

For more information on the Xbox go to http://www.xbox.com