Which portable game system for our situation?

[amsafko]

I have resisted buying my kids portable game systems for quite a while but I think this Christmas is the time. My daughters will be 9 and 6 (almost 7) by then. Our dvd player broke in our minivan (hate paying to have it repaired when they fight over what to watch anyway) so I was wondering if the ones that play video as well might be a good idea. We travel a lot (just got back from Ireland) so I need something that will be good for them on long flights. My oldest is really into games but my younger daughter is not. She'd prefer movies and music with games not as high on her list. Any suggestions? Any types you'd avoid? And a biggie, what would be the most cost effective choice?

We also have a son who just turned 4 and I was thinking of a leapster for him. Is that a good choice for him (he is very good on the computer) or would a nintendo DS be good?

For all of them, I'd like systems that have some games that are somewhat educational.

I'm really new to this so any help would be really appreciated.

 

[estherhead]

I don't know a lot about gaming but I do have a 3.5 year old, an 8 year old, and an almost 10 year old. All of them enjoy the Nintendo DS. I'm not sure how educational it is, but they all really like it. We have 2. I like because they can play by themselves and can play together.

As for education my dh & I both have iphones and we LOVE them as they entertain our kids in a major way when we are travelling or waiting for something. Tons of phonics games for the preschooler and lots of math games for the big girls. Plus we can play scrabble, etc right on the phone. I'm sure Androids, etc also have this.

So if you have unlimited amounts of money, 2 iphone/android type phones for you & dh and 2 Nintendo DS for the kids for great.

Long ago I bought a Leapster type thing and we still have it. But it is annoying to travel with. Little kids struggle to wear headphones and it is so loud and annoying, you have to keep track of all the cartridges & books. It is now strictly an "in your room" toy. Not sure if that is still true of this generation of Leapsters.

 

[mrudman]

I agree with getting them each a Nintendo DS. My dd's are 9 and 7, had gotten the nintendo for them when they had just turned 8 & 6, and the both love it. They have a ton of fun games to play and there's quite a few educational-type games as well (brain age, math, etc.). Even some of the fun type are educational, such as one my younger dd has that's a veterinary-type one, taking care of animals. And if you get any of the games that say "single-card download play", they can play with/against each other with only having to buy one cartridge (as long as your dd's are together/ in same house).

 

[Katy Belle]

My boys are now 10, 13, 15. We travel a lot too. We have had game boys for years and they have been great. But now they all have an I-pod and use their DSi's very little. I have an I-pad, and it would get my vote. You can play games, watch movies, listen to music, send emails, etc. It is big, not pocket sized, but good for airplane and car use.

 

[hsembrick]

I would get the DS for the older two but not for the younger. A leapster is perfect for your 4 year old. Your son will love it. The games are fun and very educational!

 

[amsafko]

Thanks for the reponses. The nintendo does sound like a strong choice. I'm assuming you have to bring the cartridges with you, is that correct? I've looked into ipods as well...are the downloads expensive? Does the ipod have the ability to play movies? That's not a critical necessity but I'm just curious.

 

[Chelley00]

The only thing about the Leapster for a 4 year old is that they outgrow them pretty quickly. DS is 5 1/2, and most of the games say they are rated for 4-7 or 5-8, but they seem almost to babyish for him.

That said, he does love his Leapster, and plays it when we travel, but it doesn't seem to be a good long term investment like a DS which even my DS17 will still play with in the van when we take long road trips

 

[clori]

While the leapster is an excellent product I don't really recommend it for traveling since it isn't all that small. My dd10 has a leapster from when she was 4 that my dd6 now uses. It is great but just not the best for traveling by plane, train, bus etc due to size.

My dd10 has a nintendo ds lite. Most games she would like are around $30 new so she seldom gets them. There are also cheaper games around $15 to $20 and there are sales, used games etc. There are games that aren't educational but there are many that are. The ds lite/dsi are both easy to travel with since they are compact but to the best of my knowledge do not play movies. I think the dsi may work as an mp3 player.

I have the ipod touch which is what my kids prefer and my travel preference. It plays movies which vary in cost but say $15 to buy or $2.99 to rent (though I don't know how those work). Sometimes the itunes store will have free old tv episodes for younger kids such as 1 Dora show. I have two movies on mine which came with purchasing a Disney DVD - Hannah Montana and Princess and the Frog. If you are in an area with free wifi you can go online with the ipod touch which may be nice for travel at times if you don't have other internet access.

The ipod is a music player. My ipod touch has a built speaker so we only use headphones around other people. For games there are tons of free games. They aren't as good graphically etc as ds games but it much easier to add variety. We have a wide variety of games and apps that are educational for k and 4th grade (soon to be 1 and 5th grade) as well as purely fun games like koala darts and solitaire games. I think I have only paid for less than 5 apps but have tried out over a 100. Some apps we try and quickly delete but don't mind since they are free. Other apps I have deleted as dd has gotten older and much better at reading now.

If there is anyway your kids will share how about one ipod touch and one ds?

 

[amsafko]

I wish I could trust them to share better but I am thinking now about 1 ipod and 1 ds. Not sure what to do for the youngest now. I may borrow a friend's leapster and see what I think on that. Thanks for the input. Oh, is there one ipod that would be better for them than another.

 

[mom2val]

The only thing about the Leapster for a 4 year old is that they outgrow them pretty quickly. DS is 5 1/2, and most of the games say they are rated for 4-7 or 5-8, but they seem almost to babyish for him.

That said, he does love his Leapster, and plays it when we travel, but it doesn't seem to be a good long term investment like a DS which even my DS17 will still play with in the van when we take long road trips [/QUO[/I]


I disagree that the leapster is to babyish for a 5 1/2 year old. There are math, spelling and reading games that are challenging for 2nd and 3rd graders.

 

[daydream32]

I would wait a bit if you are going to buy the Nindendo DS. They are coming out with a new 3D version of the DS. Rumored in March. So I would guess that the price of the DS light will come down soon.

 

[smokeyblue]

I'd get an iPod touch for the oldest. It's the most versatile. Music, games and movies all in one. Also the games seem to be way cheaper.

 

[uk_wildcat]

I would recommend the DS for the child who likes games and an iPod Touch for the one who enjoys music and movies. You can download lots of free games from iTunes and if you have any DVDs that came with a digital copy, you can put those in iTunes and download them onto the iPod. You can also purchase movies or rent them through iTunes.
My son was 4 when he got his first DS and has had one ever since. The games aren't really educational, but he also got a Leapster from his grandparents and plays that sometimes. I agree that the Leapster is not as easy to travel with because it is larger and the game cartridges are a pain to keep up with. DS games are small and there are lots of nice travel bags for the system and games.

 

[Chelley00]

What games are you buying then? We have a ton that grandparents have bought over the years, and DD8 who is in 3rd grade would never play any of them because they are too easy for her.

My point was, the Leapster is going to get outgrown way quicker than a DS based on the game availability.

 

[Tecbot]

I personally got a psp and always use it when travelling i got about 50 games for it and probably 100 movies for it and some music if my ipod dies. Good thing is the movies didnt pan out so well so they are really cheap I paid a $1 for most of my movies OR you can buy the software for $20 and rip a ton of movies right to memory sticks if you got digital copies or even just the disks takes a while but if you can find memory cards really cheap it is worth it. I got 2 batteries for it and watching movies I can make the 2 batteries last over 12 hours before they need a recharge.

I paid $100 for my psp through rogers videostore when a few of there stores were closing they had them 50% off best new investment ive ever made think they are $169 now and nds are $199. Just dont buy a psp go it has no umd drive so you cant use any games or movies that have umd would be straight digital copies only.

Im sure you will be able to find good deals on either system you buy when i have kids involved i really dont mind buying used as stuff gets broken or lost anyway something to keep in mind is Blockbuster will probably be filling for chapter 11 in September probably so you can probably find some good deals if you have a closing store near you or even one that gets some inventory to try and liquidate.

At a rogers closing store i got psp games for $5 and they were buy one get 2 free same with movies for psp and regular movies if you got a portable dvd player these sales are awsome for movies for travelling. Anything new in the store was 50% off.

 

[solfan68]

I have resisted buying my kids portable game systems for quite a while but I think this Christmas is the time. My daughters will be 9 and 6 (almost 7) by then. Our dvd player broke in our minivan (hate paying to have it repaired when they fight over what to watch anyway) so I was wondering if the ones that play video as well might be a good idea. We travel a lot (just got back from Ireland) so I need something that will be good for them on long flights. My oldest is really into games but my younger daughter is not. She'd prefer movies and music with games not as high on her list. Any suggestions? Any types you'd avoid? And a biggie, what would be the most cost effective choice?

We also have a son who just turned 4 and I was thinking of a leapster for him. Is that a good choice for him (he is very good on the computer) or would a nintendo DS be good?

For all of them, I'd like systems that have some games that are somewhat educational.

I'm really new to this so any help would be really appreciated.

If DS is tech savvy, I would skip the Leapster. Go right to the DS, as it is a system that will have "room to grow". There are tones of age-appropriate games, starting out with things like Diego, Animal Genius, or the Crayola Game. As time goes on he can grow into the Mario and Pokemon titles that will inevitably come. A DS Lite will currently set you back about $130 and has been a terrific investment for our kiddo. He's very tech savvy and has been quite responsible with the system and the game cartridges.

As for the older girls, Apple offers up a refurb 8gig I pod Touch on their website. This would allow for a nice blend of music, movies, and games. With a WiFi hotspot(at home, or your local McDonalds/Starbucks) you can also get online to the web or for e-mailing. A really powerful tool and tons of fun. I think I paid about $225 for mine two years ago and it is still one of my favorite "toys". Good luck with your gadget search !

 

[merekc]

I'm another vote to skip the Leapster. Maybe these are more popular when given to the oldest, but it bombed in my house with the youngest. Older brother got a DS for Christmas, youngest (who was 3 at the time) got the Leapster, never touched it. I ended up getting a DS for youngest at his next birthday.

 

[2DisPrincesses]

I would go with the DS for all of them. There are games that your youngest could play- Dora, Diego, Wonder Pets, etc.

 

[andreadoiron]

my daughter saved her money to buy an ipod touch and ended up returning it as it was very difficult to get connection and not user friendly for non apple people.
she got the dsi instead and loves it! it has all the capabilities of the ipod touch but can play her existing ds games and is very sturdy whereas the ipod touch seemed very delicate.
my 5 year old son got her old ds and now he never touches his leapster.
we love that the ds can play gba games as well (dsi does not) so it gives you a variety of options especially if you are buying used games.
also the ds/dsi are small but sturdy so you don't have to worry too much about kid handling being too much for the device.
if you don't have ninendo products, i find the wii and ds games very kid oriented. yes there are violent games but there are many more semi educational and fun kid friendly games. my 5 year old's favs are the lego games (star wars, batman, indy) for both the wii and the ds.
here's a traveling tip, get a car charger for the ds/dsi so you never run out of battery power - watch out though, the chargers are not the same for the dsi and the ds lite, the connection is different.

 

[mickeymouseclubhouse]

For our upcoming trip we decided on the DSi for my 7 year old and the new Leapster Explorer that just came out for my 4 year old. My 4 year old loves the Explorer and doesn't want to leave that aisle in Target . It is smaller the Leapster 1 and 2, it has little "leaplets" that you can purchase separately which allows you to download cute little movies and games directly to the Explorer. Of course, there are game cartridges too and the graphics are great on the new Explorer. Leapfrog will be coming out with a case for the Explorer this fall that will hold the system and I think 3 extra games. The Leapster Explorer is very portable and will be perfect for us.

As for the DSi, even my husband loves to play games on it and my daughter gets a kick out of the camera feature where she can take pictures and manilpulate them in funny ways. Plus, the Ds has so many games to choose from.

Good luck with your decision!