Nintendo DS accessories?

[mousefan1972]

Both my kids got a Nintendo DS Lite from their grandmother for Christmas. They also got a few games. What is a budget friendly accessory that can hold the DS, their games, stylus, etc? I am afraid they are going to start losing everything, lol. Hoping to not break the bank. Also, can you recommend a case? Thanks!

 

[cheerforchelsea]

I bought a case at WalMart one day this week for $14.00. It was good and sturdy with a storage place for the DS, the stylus, and games.

 

[Cherbear013]

I got my case at Wal-Mart for about $9. It is pink with a black spine. THe inside holds the DS, 2 stylus' and 6 or 8 games. Perfect for me since I'm not planning on having a lot games. I've brought it on a couple trips and its nice to pack since it is compact and in a nice little rectangle.

Here is the link: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11026427

 

[AwaitingMagic]

I don't know if either of your children are female, but Justice has a great case for girls. It is soft - almost like a lunchbox - it holds EVERYTHING! It has plenty of room for the DS, charger, guitar hero attachment - and it has a divider in it that holds probably 50 games in it. My daughter got one (they are about $18 - but there's always the 40% off coupons) and my son loved it so much. We ended up finding a very similar all black case for him on Amazon and it was also right around $20. Well worth the money -

 

[mousefan1972]

Thanks for the suggestions! The Wal Mart one should be perfect. One last question... where is the best place to buy games? They are so expensive! This is our first experience w/video games for our kids (they are still pretty young; 4 and 6) and I'm experiencing sticker shock, lol.

 

[PHXscuba]

Whatever you get, make sure it has room for chargers. Some of the sleek little cases don't have that kind of room so you'd still need another case to take it anywhere.

Go into a place like Gamestop and talk to the staff about buying video games. They can tell you about used games and how much they sell for. They have a pretty good trade-in program for used games and somethimes run specials for buying more than one game at a time (great since you have more than one child). Or rent one at Blockbuster for a week to see if they like it before buying.

PHXscuba

 

[pajules]

Thanks for the suggestions! The Wal Mart one should be perfect. One last question... where is the best place to buy games? They are so expensive! This is our first experience w/video games for our kids (they are still pretty young; 4 and 6) and I'm experiencing sticker shock, lol.

Because your kids are young, you might want to look for a store in your area that sells used DS games. We have one near us called Play and Trade and you can get used games for cheap. You can also trade in games for store credit to buy other games.

Target also has a section that usually features older games that cost around $14.00.

My advice is not to buy too many games at once. Your youngest might like the virtual games like Pets, Cooking Mama, etc....Good Luck!

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Thanks for the suggestions! The Wal Mart one should be perfect. One last question... where is the best place to buy games? They are so expensive! This is our first experience w/video games for our kids (they are still pretty young; 4 and 6) and I'm experiencing sticker shock, lol.

If you don't mind buying used you could try game stop. That is where I plan on going with DD. She just got one today. I planned on getting her one for her birthday which is in 2 weeks, but she had duplicates/things she did not want for christmas so we returned them to Toys R Us and she got her DS. I had 4 games I put away with intent on giving her 2 for b-day, one for valentines, good behavior, etc. So I had to give her one today. But sometimes TRU has buy 2 get 1 free, which is what I did and that's why we had so many games in my closet.
Amazon sometimes has discounted....ebay, and half.com for used ones. Good Luck!

 

[pigletof4]

I completely agree with renting a game a Blockbuster, etc., before buying it. This way you can see if your child is really going to be interested in it.

 

[Perditamarie]

Whatever case you get to hold the whole shebang, it is absolutely worth the investment to buy a nerf case for the DS unit. The thick foam Nerf case really protects the unit, even if it is dropped, which you know it will be. They come in fun colors and are about $15, but worth every penny.

As to buying games, we usually wait for a TRU sale, after studying game reviews on Amazon. Right now, TRU has a sale, buy 1 get 1 1/2 off for their $19.99 and under games.

 

[dizneechic]

And since no one has mentioned it yet, pick up some screen protectors if you haven't already. For the top screen it's not such a big deal, but the bottom one gets beat on (we'll mine destroy theirs at least), and it's easier to replace a $5 screen protector than the entire system because the screen is unusable.

As for cases I prefer the Nerf ones, again completely protects the DS against the abuse mine put theirs through. Unfortunately those don't hold anything but the system, but besides the screen protectors it's the best $15 we've spent "video game" wise.

 

[I Believe n Fairies]

Like a few others, I HIGHLY recommend the Nerf DS case, especially since your kids are still so young. My son just got a ds for Christmas and he is 5 and not very careful. I was so worried about him dropping it and the DS breaking. Today, we went to 2 Walmart stores to find the Nerf case.

It does not hold games, but we found a smaller case that holds his games and extra stylus and he puts everything in a small backpack. My dd who is 8 puts everything in a small purse. It's perfect for her.

 

[dsneybride]

The Disney Movie Rewards website had/has a cute Tinkerbell Bag that I got for free (just had to pay shipping) and it works perfect for my DD to hold her DS, games and charger. Even has room for her MP3 and earbuds.

 

[dsneybride]

and for Christmas I got her a cute Littlest Pet Shop stylus from Game Stop.

 

[riley2008]

Just a thought - last year my boys each got Nintendo DS's for Christmas too. They were 5 at the time. Here's what we have discovered:

Protective case/cover - go with the Nerf cover. Dropping the DS can easily break a hinge. The DS is usually still playable, but it's $50 (+$10 shipping) to send off and get repaired. (When mommy tries to do it herself the DS completely quits working. )

To carry the gear - we found a netbook case (small laptop case) on clearance at Target for a couple of dollars last year. They were able to store their DS, headphones, chargers, games, and extra styluses.

To store the extras - we have an old zippered lunch bag that we keep the original game boxes, extra styluses, screen protectors, ect.. (A regualr zippered lunch bag would also be a great everyday storage bag too!)

The extra accessories - I got protective cases, screen protectors, car chargers, and styluses off of eBay for cheap. (I think I got 50 styluses for 3 dollars. Read the feedback and order the cheap ones. They may take a bit longer, so buy them before you ned them.)

Have fun - and don't be surprised if you LOVE it too!

 

[tweedlemom]

The store Five Below sometimes has DS accessories.

 

[GoofyCrazy]

I bought my son a ds case at gamestop. It's a small hard case that opens like a brief case. It comes with things too like a car charger, head phones, game holders and a few other things that fit inside the case. I paid less than $20 for it and it's gamestop brand.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

One thing that you didn't ask but I thought I'd mention just because it's a handy idea....

DD (age 10) has had her DS Lite for just over a year - and she hasn't lost the stylus yet. Apparently (from other parents we've talked to) this is unusual - they get lost easily. We have a case for things but don't tend to use it except on trips (she just carries the DS and one game most of the time)

We accomplished this by doing a 'stylus check' before we leave any location. So if we're leaving home we do a stylus check to make sure it's there. Glance again at it in the car (if she's not going to use it), as we leave the car and before we leave anywhere we check for it. Point is if we discover it's missing, we know where it's fallen out and it can be (fairly easily) located.

So if it was with us when we entered the car and not there as we exit the car - clearly it's in the car somewhere. Ditto the house or any other location. It's really easy to do and takes just a second to glance and make sure it's there.

 

[mousefan1972]

Thank you for all of the replies! We've already had once instance of "where's your stylus!", and they just got their DSs yesterday!! (we were in Disney for Christmas so we exchanged gifts w/ my parents yesterday) Luckily it was soon found, but I can see how they get lost easily. I think I am going to get them each a nerf case and a travel case to keep everything in one place. And we have a few Game Stop stores nearby so I will be checking out the used games there. Thanks again for all the great tips! I know this is just the start of our video game adventures... lol.

Oh, one last question: What time limits (if any) do you give your kids regarding their playing time?