NEWS$show=/search/label/news

Here's where you'll find all the latest news about technology for children. We love to follow cool new inventions on Kickstarter and we hunt out all the latest announcements about tech toys and gadgets for the coming Christmas holidays. You'll also get our take on children's technology stories in the media.

REVIEWS$show=/search/label/review

Our kids technology product reviews are intended to help you work out whether a toy, gadget or kit is a good fit for your child or family. There's lots of cool stuff available, but is it the right choice for the child or teenager that you are buying for? We'll help you make the right choices and get the best value for money.

GIFT GUIDES$show=/search/label/gift%20guide

Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends assemble. We create gift lists to help you make good choices for kids technology which helps them develop the right skills for the future. We research the best in Coding Toys and Games, Making / Craft Tools and Kits, STEM/STEAM related gifts, Programmable Robots, Electronics Kits and Gadgets for Tech Age Kids and Teens.

PROJECTS$show=/search/label/project

Get crafty with technology. Here we'll post all our ideas and projects using technology to get creative and making with kids. You'll find anything from making a lemon battery to a glow-in-the-dark Minecraft sword. Our projects are tried and tested on our own kids or at events we run, so we are sure you can have a go at home with your kids. Some of our projects use specific tech gadgets which we provide links for you to purchase.

STEM$show=/search/label/stem

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In recent years there is an increased focus in these areas of study. We like to include Art and Design too, so we often talk about STEAM (A stands for Art). At Tech Age Kids we believe Coding is a new literacy and children need to understand how technology works, practice making skills and grow in their curiosity to make a better future for us all.

CODING$show=/search/label/coding

Coding is increasingly being recognised as an important skill for children to learn. Some will learn to code at school or at a coding club, but it's brilliant if they get support at home too.

ELECTRONICS$show=/search/label/electronics

We think it's really important for kids to get hands-on with electronics and learn how to make circuits and write code to control hardware. Younger kids can start with conductive playdough. For kids who like to combine craft and tech, littleBits are fab. And we love SAM Labs wireless electronics components for making it easy for kids to make Internet of Things inventions. Lots of electronics kits for kids have support for the Arduino microprocessor environment. The DuinoKit Jr is one of our favourites. Arduino is a fab skill for older kids and teens to develop.

ROBOTICS$show=/search/label/robotics

We love robots at Tech Age Kids, especially programmable ones. We've got lots of them and write reviews and projects that use them. Our programmable robots for kids buying guide is a good place to start if you're not sure what's available. Roby the mBot Meccano robot dog is one of our popular projects and has been with us to lots of events. Our Ozobot LEGO trailer is fab for kids who love LEGO and robots.

MAKING AND CRAFT$show=/search/label/making

We're advocates of the creative use of technology, but this needs to be balanced with developing physical skills such as papercraft, woodwork, clay modelling, technical drawing and soldering. If children don't develop these skills as they grow up then physical making projects can become frustrating rather than fun. The Maker Community uses the term 'making' as a broad term to include all sorts of artisan skills or craft activities. Being able to make things can lead to life-long hobbies or even careers. It's a great feeling to be able to take a project from an idea in your head to a real object that does something. We're particularly interested to explore products that combine maker skills with tech skills such as electronics but others focus purely on the physical making skills that are still important to modern making.

Which is the Best Family Games Console for 2013?

Are you thinking of buying a new family games console this year? Which one is the best? There's been a lot of excitement around the next generations of the established games consoles. And we're also seeing Android based games boxes that connect to the TV and other alternative TV gaming machines. We'll take a look at the various options from the perspective of families with children who want to play games. 

Before looking at the consoles it's useful to consider what you want to use your games console for. The next generation consoles also want to act as Smart TVs and offer social gaming and integration with social networks. Some want to integrate with other devices that you have so they can be used as controllers. Parental controls are also worth considering. And importantly, different games are available for different controllers so if there's a specific game or accessory that you really really want then you'll want to check availability.



One of your major decisions is whether you want a full games console that will allow you to play the big console titles, or whether you will be happy with big screen Android gaming. There are interesting options in each category.

Wii U 

Nintendo Wii U Console - 32GB Black Deluxe Set Nintendo Wii U Console - 32GB Black Deluxe Set @ Amazon BUY NOW

The first of the next generation games consoles to announce was the Wii U which has been available for a while. We've previously discussed why we haven't bought a Wii U (yet.) The Nintendo Wii U is a capable new console that has been well received but without a great deal of excitement. Nintendo really focus on the family market and it would be unusual for a big console game for kids not to appear on the Wii U.

The real new feature of the Wii U is its GamePad controller which allows you to use a touch interface for games and also play a Wii U game on a small screen when the TV is in use.

This trailer for the LEGO Batman 2 game shows the Wii U GamePad being used to provide special features and to support 2 player gaming with different views for each player.

The Wii U has parental controls that allow parents to restrict social features, payments, blocks games over a given age rating and other features (but not time limits as far as I'm aware.)

The Wii U has a good range of accessories for all the family including the balance board for keeping fit.

Summary: The Wii U is an excellent choice for a family games console.

Microsoft XBox One

Xbox One Console Xbox One Console 
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Microsoft have announced their next generation games console, the XBox One. In most ways it's a fairly predictable upgrade with hardware improvements. The Kinect motion sensor now uses infra-red and is sensitive enough to detect a heartbeat!

There's a big focus on controlling your TV and movie watching and being a Smart TV with internet access in addition to being a games console. XBox One thinks of itself as an entertainment center which includes gaming. You may consider this to be a simiplification, or maybe you already have devices you are happy with performing the other functions.

A big feature which is already available for XBox 360 but will be developed further for the XBox One is SmartGlass which integrates the console with smart phones and tablets (not just Microsoft ones) so you can use your handheld device to control games and other features. This is a good move. Most families buying a games console will already have one or more smart devices and will probably upgrade them during the life of the XBox One. SmartGlass will be able to keep evolving and adding new features.

The XBox One installs games onto its hard drive which means you don't have to keep swapping discs. It is NOT backwards compatible so you won't be able to play XBox 360 games unless Microsoft come up with an emulator or other alternative.

We don't know about parental control yet, but Microsoft it targeting the family and its other products have them including the XBox 360. They have also talked about the XBox One offering a customized experience for users.

The XBox One is expected to be released towards the end of 2013. 

Summary: An all round entertainment station for the family which includes gaming.

Sony PlayStation 4

PlayStation 4: Standard Edition PlayStation 4: Standard Edition
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Sony has also announced the next generation PS4 although they have only revealed limited information.

The focus of the PS4 is on hardcore gamers. I've noticed that most of the trailers for the PS4 include a warning that they may not be suitable for children. This indicates that much of the content will be adult gaming. Now there will certainly be kid-friendly titles but young kids are not the target for the PS4. It's intended for serious gamers and that includes older kids and adults.

There's a new DualShock 4 controller for the PS4 which adds improved sensitivity, a touchpad (not display), a speaker for local sounds, and a share but for social sharing of screenshots and game play recording videos. 

Remote Play allows you to remotely play PS4 games on the PSVita Sony have also hinted at integrated gaming experiences that will follow you on your smartphone, tablet or handheld console.

Probably due in the US for 2013 holidays. 

Summary: The choice for families with older kids who are seriously into gaming, especially if they have PSVita handhelds.

OK, that's the big three traditional games console, now let's take a look at the alternatives. There are some interesting low-cost Android-based games consoles that connect to a TV. These consoles support many of the Android games that run on tablets and smartphones and allow developers to create more ambition Android games with the big screen in mind. If your family prefer tablet-style gaming then these are worth considering.

OUYA Games Console

OUYA Console OUYA Console
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The OUYA is a very small cube-shaped computer that runs a variant of Android and outputs video at 1080p resolution to a TV screen or monitor via HDMI.

The OUYA comes with its own wireless games controller with buttons and joysticks. You can buy additional controllers to play up to four player games.

All OUYA games will have a free demo and you buy them online for download to the device (no discs to worry about.)

It doesn't look like parental controls or multi-user support will be available at launch in June 2013, but there have been indications that they will be added later. This is likely to be a concern for families, especially for in-app purchases.

Summary: Interesting, but we need parental controls.

GamePop

The GamePop is a small Android based games console that operates a subscription model. You pay a monthly subscription fee for unlimited access to the GamePop library of games. You get a physical GamePop console plus controller. There's an initial offer where these are free (except for shipping charges in May 2013.)  

A very interesting option for families that play a lot of Android games and want a big screen experience and to control the cost of app purchases. 

Support for parental controls has not yet been announced.

Summary: Very interesting, but parental controls needed.

Steam Box

Another upcoming option is a Steam Box. Steam is an online service that allows you to buy downloadable games from a huge library of over 2000 games.

Steam includes lots of classic older games as well as newer games. They run lots of bundle deals and offers and are popular with gamers. I use Steam to get hold of older games that my kids will still enjoy today.

Steam Box consoles are still under development and likely to be powerful and expensive and will probably run Linux. (Steam has a Linux client but it doesn't support all games.)

Summary: Possibly interesting in future.
24 days of Scratch coding book cover and cute penguin
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Tech Age Kids | Technology for Children: Which is the Best Family Games Console for 2013?
Which is the Best Family Games Console for 2013?
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