Need advise - PSP3000 or Nintendo DSI?

[TIAMOMMA]

Hi,

This morning my 7 yr old. DS decided to add a whopper to his Santa list - a Nintendo DSI. I've been doing some research and I was wondering the pros/cons of each, from what I saw the PSP3000 seemed to be the better of the two. Any suggestions/comments/pros/cons? Thanks!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

DSI all the way.

Speaking as a gamer I consider the PSP a "beta, experimental thing". It will not last and become obsolete.

 

[my3sonsagn]

Another vote for the DSi here! My middle son got one for his bday and loves it. Before that, he had a DS that he got the same year his brother got a PSP. He was still playing the DS right up until he got the DSi, and the PSP started collecting dust years ago (and it wasn't that older DS got tired of gaming - he'd bribe little brother to get to play his DS lol). Also, the DSi has a much more kid-friendly selection of games than the PSP.

 

[merekc]

My boys have DS's, my DH has a PSP that the boys are allowed to play. The PSP has only been used on long road trips. The DS's get used almost daily. The selection of DS games blows away PSP games and the DS games are more age appropriate for a 7 year old. My vote, save the PSP for when he hits his teens.

 

[princess momma]

My 7 year old is getting a DSi. I feel like we're in the minority of families without any sort of a DS system, so many of the kids already have them and they love to play together and talk about the games. The PSP seems like it's for older gamer types.

 

[HelenePA]

We had a PSP but sold it. The DSi is much more fun! The kids are getting a ton of new games from santa! I can't wait to play them. lol

 

[TIAMOMMA]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Just another question - is the DSI the new Nintendo or are both the DS and DSI available? If so, is the DSI the better choice?

Sorry, I lied, one more question - are DS and DSI games playable on both consoles? Oh geez, I'm starting to look like a pathological liar - also any recommendations on games? Thanks!!

 

[Scurvy]

Definitely the DSi. Even though the specs of the PSP might look better on paper, the important thing is whether your son would like the games available on that system. If he wants the DSi he's probably be disappointed to receive the PSP instead, even if the PSP was better in every way. I'd say the same thing about someone getting an XBox 360 or PS3 when they want a Wii - the specs aren't the important thing; the games are. If someone wants a particular game system they will almost always be disappointed to get a different one, even if it seems better to the person who is buying it.

Having said that, I agree with the previous posters that the PSP isn't as good as the DSi. Even the older gamers I know are not particularly impressed with the PSP. It just does not have a great selection of games at this point. Everyone I know who has both uses their DS or DSi much more than their PSP.

ETA - DSi is newer, but both are still being sold. The DS games are playable on the DSi. There are some downloadable games that only work on the DSi and not the DS. (Mostly the ones that use the camera, which the DS does not have.) The DS can play Gameboy Advance games, and the DSi can not. So it's a tradeoff - do you think your son would enjoy the camera or the GBA games more?

 

[TIAMOMMA]

ETA - DSi is newer, but both are still being sold. The DS games are playable on the DSi. There are some downloadable games that only work on the DSi and not the DS. (Mostly the ones that use the camera, which the DS does not have.) The DS can play Gameboy Advance games, and the DSi can not. So it's a tradeoff - do you think your son would enjoy the camera or the GBA games more?[/QUOTE]

Pls. excuse my ignorance, I'm not a gamer, what are Gameboy Advance Games. We probably would not download any games, would probably purchase. Thanks.

 

[my3sonsagn]

Pls. excuse my ignorance, I'm not a gamer, what are Gameboy Advance Games. We probably would not download any games, would probably purchase. Thanks.

If you don't know what they are, they probably won't be an issue. GameBoy Advance was the system out before the DS, and the game cartridges were very different. The DS can play them; the DSi can't, but if you never had any of those games it won't matter. Also, the DS games ARE the DSi games; they didn't change the cartridge type this time. The biggest differences, IMO, are that the DSi is wi-fi capable and it has a camera on it along with an editing program that my son loves to play with.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Pls. excuse my ignorance, I'm not a gamer, what are Gameboy Advance Games. We probably would not download any games, would probably purchase. Thanks.

Well you have the DSLite which plays the Game Boy Advanced games. There are a ton of games for that. You can buy used at Gamestop. If this system is strictly for gaming then it is a good choice esp. if the person receiving the gift has not played any of the Game Boy games.

The DSi is not backward compatible with the GameBoy Advanced games.

So, my suggestion to you before you purchase is to step into a Gamestop or Best Buy and look at the gaming selection.

Don't try and base it on Target/Walmart, their selection is awful.

 

[Scurvy]

The advantage to being able to use the GBA games is that it greatly increases your potential game library. There are tons of GBA games out there and they are usually very inexpensive since you can buy them used. They obviously aren't the newest games and they don't always have the best graphics, but there are some really good ones. (Mario games, Pokemon, Wario ware, and Kingdom Hearts to name a few.)

The tradeoff is that if you get the DS, there's no camera to play with.

The DS can also use WiFi to play games online, you just can't surf the web (without a third party program that isn't very good) and you can't download new games onto it.

 

[dcentity2000]

I prefer my ol' PSP from the paltry power to the DSI and enjoy the movies you can buy for it.

However.

I too view the PSP as, somewhat, vaporware. People have stopped buying the media and soon the medium will die. Like minidisc all over again!



Rich::