Dd1 wants a DS. Tell me about them (please?)

[Piccalilli2]

I know nothing of such things. What's the difference between the ds and the ds lite? Is it a good present for a 7 year old? What games are good? Any help gratefully received.

haha! I thought you meant a son/baby brother and was going to come here and tell you all about willies, cars, mud and the like :o

Flubba she wants one of those as well! She's not getting one

ds is a console to play games on. dsi is to play games ond and its interactice. taking photos internet access ect. mario games seem the most popular. oh and moshimonster games being a girl am assuming your hour has been taken over by these moshis

After a long search for the right DS it turns out the best option now is the 3DS (with the 3d turned off) as Nintendo have stopped making non-3d games so one the shops are sold out you will not be able to buy new games for any other model.

Sorry but I think they're a waste of money 2 of my 3 DC have them and we have decided never to buy one for dc 3. The games are really expensive & both the consoles had faults within the first year of buying them - one was that the screen wasn't responding properly & the other one, the buttons stopped working. It depends on the age of the child but I'd be more inclined to buy an iPod touch-the games are either free or less than a pound & they can listen to music & take photos with it.
Sorry I know that's not what you probably wanted to hear.

My DSs both had DS lites, bought a few years ago now but they definitely had my money's worth, they have been used loads and loads.

My dcs have had ds consoles for a few years and for Xmas they are upgrading to a 3ds.
We have had great experiences with them, yes the games are pricey but if you shop around you often find them much cheaper.
I can only say positive things about them, my girls are really good at not overdoing it on them and naturally go through phases of not playing with them but all in all they have been well worth the money and with my 2 I have had to buy nearly all the games twice so they can play at the same time

No that's really helpful ploom, don't want to waste money. I don't think dh will agree to an iPod touch (he's old fashioned and thinks she should still be playing with wooden toys I think)

ds are brilliant. both dd and ds have them and no problems here. I have a 3ds and its brilliant too but 7 may be too young for it unless u trust here with the internet. i think it does have settings parents can control it but dont know how far it goes as obv dont need them on on mine.

her* not here.

DS got his about two years ago and loves it. We didnt get the one that you can go on the internet with. Aparently the 3D one can make you sea-sick! It has lasted well, which is amazing considering it has been dropped, bashed, sat on, etc.

They are addictive though - so early on we 'rationed" time on it (with time off for punishment, or an extra 10 mins for good behaviour).

Some games are great - like Professor Leyton (puzzles) but some of the action ones do get the kids all riled up and hot and bothered! Can also make them vomit on long car journeys though!

They are good when people are buying presents (a game is easy to buy and pop in the post) and there are millions of characters, games and types of entertainments for them.

Not sure if the bigger screen is a 'must'. Kids generally have good eyesight - I have to hold my phone at arnms length these days!

Shop around for package deals - usually a console with 1 or 3 games. We got ours in HMV.

Trikken, I've only tested DS' 3ds xl as its for his Christmas but you can turn internet off completely.

I have done this and it can be activated with a password created by me.

DS is 14, and loves his DS.

at age 7 he bought his own DS and later on a DSi. They got a lot of use, and he ended up damaging the casing of the DS but the screens still worked. He used his saved up birthday money.

Most recently he got a 3DS - which was more expensive. I bought him that for a combined Christmas and birthday gift. He uses it a lot.

I would have said that a bog standard DS would be fine for a 7 year old - but upthread someone said that the games are not as easy to come by.

I love that he still likes ot play with it after so long. It is great for taking on trips/holidays etc.

you can turn the 3d off as well, so no prob if it starts to make u feel ill. under 6's (not that she is) shouldnt use the 3d anyway as ruins their eye-sight.

They seem to be the cause of lots of family fights in terms of limiting time on them, but then you can have the same scrap over TV watching. They're more insular then a shared computer console like a Wii. We're still trying to hold off buying one, under pressure.

DD1 (7) had one for her birthday 2nd hand dsi from ebay. She loves it but we have ground rules shes asks before playing only for an hour etc etc the internet is completely turned off. She has the mario party game which is her favourite and I have a few more (2nd hand) games for christmas.

Doris - does the hour limit work without a major scrap? I'd be ok with that.

If your dh is against the idea would a wii not be a good compromise? We all love playing on the wii together and it feels less excluding. I appreciate you can't take it out and about with you though.