keeping kids happy during storms

[m1ke]

hi just a thought I had with the afternoon storms in mind. would it be possible to power a uk xbox or ps2 in florida if i took our sons over there ,I:E could I buy a step up converter in Orlando or would it be a cheaper idea to actually purchase a us games console over there , if it rains a lot i would iagime us aduts would be on the villa pool table so just thinking of someway to keep the kids occupied. cheers Mike

[brizzle]

It's possible that all you need to do would be to buy the US version of the console's power adapter which would then power the console. Like a laptop the transformer bit that does all the work sit's outside the unit on the power adapter (I think).

The trickier problem would be that the signal sent to the TV would be a PAL signal as opposed to NTSC.
Whilst our TV's tend to be capable of NTSC playback I'm not sure the US TV's would be similarly welcoming of a PAL signal.

Brizzle.

[chrisj]

I think Brizzle is right, their TV's dont accept PAL, or at least im sure they dont

[Ray&Sarah]

We would also agree with Brizzle and Chrisj, its a different set-up.[msnsmile2]

[m1ke]

well that,s scuppered that then[B)], will price a us one up over there then, thanks for the info guys and gals.

[Ray&Sarah]

We bought a Playstation 2 for our villa from EB in the Florida Mall, it cost $140 at the time, over a year ago now, and as they have dropped in price here would imagine they have done in the US too, in anticipation of the new consols due out. Also you can hire games at places like Blockbusters to play so that you don't have to keep buying games.[msnsmile2]

[blott]

You'll find quite a few homes already provide a games console (perhaps also with some games but you can rent them if not). The problem being that, just like in the UK, having the TV or other electronic device on during a storm can lead to a power surge that may knock it out completely or worse.

I know from personal experience of this in the UK when a power surge completely ruined our DVD player (which wasn't even switched on, just plugged into the wall socket).

[CarolAnn]

Good point BlottHadn't even thought of that...eekkk[msneek]

[tuzanne]

Mike what about good old board games. Monopoly can last for ever and a good old game of Twister is great fun, even for the adults after a few glasses of wine.

I agree that Playstation 2 is great when it is raining which is why we bought one with 5 games for our villa, but in the event of a power cut it would be useless. Perhaps you could invest in a Gameboy then all you would need is batteries. I also think that the UK and US Gameboys are compatable.

We also invested in pool and foozball tables for our garage. You only need a few candles to play on those.

Get a pack of cards and teach the kids all those games we used to play like Cheat, Cribbage, Partner Whist etc.

The list is endless really.

Sue

[Harmony]

I'm probably going to be shot down as old fashioned but surely children played plenty of games before the invention of computers and games consoles. Good old fashion board games , cards, paper and pen games like hangman, battleship, and mind games like eye spy etc.

Think of it as a good opportunity to bond with your kids and play games with them rather than sitting them down in front of a screen. I heard of one family who stated that they had a great time together as a family and really took their minds off what was happening outside.

Many villa owners provide a selection of games etc so you do not even have to go and buy them yourself. Have a great holiday and don't worry about the kids as I'm sure even if storms do arrive they will have a great time.

Jeff