Which hand-held game for First-timer DS6

[ranthony]

I'm looking for suggestions on a reasonably priced hand-held game that would be appropriate for a 6yo. I don't want anything violent. DS6 has never played video games but I thought something more to entertain him on our 20 hour drive might be a good thing. I know nothing about video games at all. BTW, he's not asking...so should I just skip it altogether until he wants one? i

 

[Michigan]

Nintendo DS Lite and get him the Disney Cars game for it.

 

[Hasil72]

How about a Leapster?

We bought ours for about $60 for DS when he was 5 and he still plays it. They rate the games by age; I think they go up through 4th grade. They have a lot of characters like Cars, Scooby Doo, Nascar, Thomas, etc. I'm trying to wait as long as I can before I have to buy the "real" thing like PS or Nintendo.

 

[CajunGirl2]

How about a Leapster?

We bought ours for about $60 for DS when he was 5 and he still plays it. They rate the games by age; I think they go up through 4th grade. They have a lot of characters like Cars, Scooby Doo, Nascar, Thomas, etc. I'm trying to wait as long as I can before I have to buy the "real" thing like PS or Nintendo.

I 2nd the Leapster suggestion. My DDs (6 & 4 at the time) got them for Christmas last year. Sign up at Leapster's website to be on their mailing list. I got a code emailed to me last year a few months before Christmas. It entitled me to 20% off and free shipping if I spent over $X. I can't remember what X was. That put it a lot cheaper than ToyRUs or Walmart prices.

I'm also waiting as long as I can to buy the "real" thing. I like that the Leapster games are fun and educational. They are by age & grade level.

 

[laughinplace199]

DS got a Leapster this summer for his 6th b-day and he loves it.

 

[WDWNicole]

My DS6 got a Leapster when he was 4 or so. He received a Ninetendo DS for his 6th birthday in April and hasn't picked up the Leapster since. I think if you are looking for a hand held game that your son will still want to use when he's older, you should get a DS.

 

[rolshuk]

I would go for a DS .Kids soon grow out of Leapstar and you are limited to what you can get.
My DD got hers when she was 7 and we liked the fact you could get younger games than for some games machines.

 

[DonnaBelle06]

My DS and DD are 7 & 5..and only have the Nintendo Advance (the one pre-DS) and I swear I will NOT travel w/out them!

Get a few games...and you'll never hear anything from your son the whole ride! You often can find games used on ebay to help with your inventory.

GOOD LUCK!
Donna

 

[AprilFool]

We have both the
game'boy Advance and Nintendo DS. For a 6 year old I would recommend the GBA. the DS has a stylus (pen) and touch screen that you can use for a lot of games and might be a bit complicated for a 6 year old. The stylus could be easy to lose as well. My DD7 uses the GBA and loves it, there are disney princess games, my little pony...

 

[BayouMouseketeer]

I think you are wise to get him something! My kids have a V-Smile but DS is actually outgrowing it so I am considering something else for Christmas. (DS or Leapster???) But, he only uses it for travel or waiting in doctor's offices, etc. I do not let him play it at home. But, I can tell you, having something to occupy them on a long trip is a lifesaver!

 

[Savsmommy]

DD7 is getting the Nintendo DS lite for Christmas this year.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I think the Nintendo DS is easier to travel with.

 

[deedeetoo]

My DS6 has a Gameboy advance. He loves it though he does envy some of his friends who have the DS. I purposefully did not get him the DS because I though the stylus would get lost and he would be too rough using it and actually damage the screen. I would say his friends are split about 50-50 between who has the GBA and who has the DS.

As for games, we were lucky to inherit many games from my older nephew who has moved on to bigger and better gaming. I think my son's favorite is Mario. We've got a couple including Mario vs. Donkey Kong. He also like Crash Bandicoot (who is a fox). He wants to get a racing game. We don't have any of those.

 

[AprilFool]

Just to let you know that the DS does play the GBA games. You can start with the GBA and purchase a DS in the future when you know your kids will be careful with it, they will still be able to play all their games.

 

[LilGMom]

My DS6 has both the Game Boy Advance and the DS. He hasn't picked up the GBA since getting the DS and part of that is because he can play his GBA games on the DS. He did lose the original stylus but we bought a pack of three for around $5 at Target so it wasn't a major loss. The DS has a spot on the system for storing the stylus and the touchscreen is really pretty neat. One of the games he has is some sort of Dog game where you can 'pet' the dog, give it verbal commands, etc. My DS6 isn't the easiest on toys but he knows that this is an expensive toy and if it breaks than that is it. We did buy the extra insurance through Best Buy just in case. I have even taken it to work to play with on breaks or at lunch. Fun for all of us really.

 

[myAAbatteries&aTD]

We love the Leapster! It has lots of games (fun and educational!!!) so it's always something new....

 

[PrincessHeart]

My DS8 had the leapster, but quickly grew out of it. He wanted a DS and I think it was well worth the money. At 6 I would get the DS as it is lite, portable and will grow with him. It has many E rated games. He just got My Sims and really loves it. We also have the nintendogs game and pokemon. My DD6 plays with his DS and we've had no problems with her losing the stylus or being too rough. I'm actually thinking about getting her one too. You can get used games from stores like EB games or gamestop.

 

[jodifla]

My DS8 had the leapster, but quickly grew out of it. He wanted a DS and I think it was well worth the money. At 6 I would get the DS as it is lite, portable and will grow with him. It has many E rated games. He just got My Sims and really loves it. We also have the nintendogs game and pokemon. My DD6 plays with his DS and we've had no problems with her losing the stylus or being too rough. I'm actually thinking about getting her one too. You can get used games from stores like EB games or gamestop.

What are the games like for the DS? One thing we love about Leapster is the games are teaching little lessons like spelling and math. My sense of DS is that it was more for fun.

 

[mjantz]

Gameboy Advance SP IMO. If he can handle that well, you can move up to a Nintendo DS. Another upside is that you can probably find SPs cheap on eBay from people who are upgrading.
AFA games, my DS liked Shrek & Spiderman at that age. Don't spend too much on new games as you can usually find games for little kids used as the big kids move on to more mature games.

 

[alloyd1170]

FYI-Toys R Us has LeapFrog stuff (including Leapster and games) for buy 2 get 3rd free this week!


Its not just LeapFrog either.