DS aged 5 wants the Star Wars leapster 2 or a nintendo DS lite - help me please - which is better?

[TheSweetLittleBunny]

I know which one is more expensive (nintendo DS). He already has a Leappad which was really good, so on that basis I would be inclined to get the Leapster2 (because it's cheaper and looks more educational).

Has anyone used either or both of the above? Which one is better in terms of entertainment, extra games, and value?

I would go for a DS because he is unlikely to grow out of it for a while and it has a much wider range of games .

DS has alot more games, they do alot of games for younger children to. Also he is less likely to outgrow it.

I'll say the ds.. it will last l;onger

Unanimous so far then. But he's just 5 - I had a quick look on Amazon and could not see any games that were his age ....?

I'd say DS too, we have a vsmile pocket and DS is nearly 6 and I dont think its appeal will last much longer.

The DS has a great range of games and the battery life is very good too.

But I've just read this www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-563109/Ninten-Dont--How-I-watched-children-turn-monsters-minute-I -bought-game.html and it's put me right off

I wouldn't get a DS for a 5 yr old. Games do say 3+ but i don't think many would understand the game.
I think a DS is something to get in a few years time.
My DD1 is 5 and has a v-smile pocket and loves it. Even my 9yr old DS2 will play on it!

Not read the article but its from the Daily Mail so would take it with a pinch of salt !

I would go for a ds, he will soon see the leapster as being too babyish.

Yes and I have nothing in common with the writer of that article - just trying to counterbalance the argument. Just talking to DH about it - he says go for the educational one too, ie leapster or vsmile. Does anyone have anything to say about the leapster2???

I would get a leapster maybe secondhand off ebay as assuming that it has a limited life span. Then in a year or two sell it on to go towards a DS. That is what I have done with 4 1/2 DD. DS has as DS and I feel that she is too young for it.

That Daily Mail article is pure shoite. Her kids are badly behaved brats, she's a fool who expects 4 kids to share 1 toy and so she blames the DS.
My 3 each have their own DS's and they are wonderful things. I'd definitely get the OPs child a DS with Lego Star Wars as it's going to be played with until he's 18 or above. The Leapsters have such limited value (I got them when Dd and DS2 were tiny and have regretted it ever since)

we have the leapster and both ds (5) and dd (3) play on it regularly. We do also have a ds, it belongs to dh but our ds plays ben 10 and both dcs love cooking Mama, although I don't think either of them play it "properly"

Our Leapster brought sighs of disgust when Father Christmas left it for our 6 year old last year, "But that's a learning thing" he said. He never played with it, not once, we gave it away in the end.

I would go for the DS, you can get educational games for it, if that's your aim. You can also pick up good value pre-owned ones in Game for about the cost of a Leapster and a five year old probably wouldn't guess that it wasn't new. The come fully gauranteed.

My five year old has a DS. He loves it. We did buy him a vsmile pocket for xmas last year, but he just wasn't interested - favoured my DS more and was really quite good with it. He really enjoys the Lego games - Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman, especially as they have an unlimited amount of "lives" so younger ones don't get frustrated. He also loves Mario Kart, Yoshi's Island, Cars and Scooby Doo. There are some educational games coming out oon the DS, I remember looking at some that were coming soon on Play.com. Can;t quite remember what they were called though.

It's interesting the way a lot of posts suggest that the NIntendo DS is something to aspire to as if it was a step up from the VSmile or Leapster type toys. I think the Nintendo is more popular because it is "cooler", and looks less babyish. That doesn't mean that it is better though surely

I think that is probably the case, the leapster or vsmile just aren't "cool" enough. (not in our case, as my DS wasn't at school when he had his). I would get whatever you think is approriate. I must admit, I really didn't like the idea of my then 4yo having a DS, I wanted something educational for him. I have mellowed to it now, and think that he spends all week at school, so a couple of hours a week playing a game really isn't going to hurt him.

However, if he hasn't had chance to use either then I would have thought he would be just as happy with the leapster. I've not seen or used one so I don't know what the game play is like.I've just seen junior brain training for the DS on Amazon if that sways you in any way.

My DS is now 7 and we got him a Leapster for his 4th birthday. He liked it and played with it a lot but not overly so - prob because he has a Playstation!

He bought himself a DS with his birthday money when he was 6 and he loves it.

We are about to give the Leapster and all his games to his 4 year old cousin.

I think you might have missed the boat by about a year for the Leapster. He may play with it but if any of his friends have DSs he will prob want one of those and feel that the Leapster is 2nd best.

I bought DH a PS2 when DS was 3 and he has played on it ever since. But I was really strict from day one on how long. Set a timer for 30 mins and that was it. Quite quickly DS would naturally stop himself before the 30 mins.

We got ds a leapster last year (he is 5) and it has beenone of the best presents we have bought him, the games have been so good, he really has learned alot from them.
I'd buy him a 2nd hand one then when he is ready for a DS you won't mind paying out for it, there were loads on ebay when I was looking for ours.

I bought a leapster for my DD (4.3) last xmas, she has hardly played with it, she is adament she wants a DS for xmas though so i've bought her one, there is loads of games out for the younger ones and most of her class have one. I would go for the DS as it should last longer, our leapster will be passed down to my DS who has just turned 3

Don't think the ds is something to aspire to just better value for money in that it will last longer.
Sounds like you would prefer to get the leapster though so get that but i would get second hand for limited use.
We have had both and would def reccomend the ds lot's of games for little ones , animal ones , cooking mama , lego , imaginz games!

I think they're expensive. My nearly 12- year old wants one but it will be for Christmas and Birthday.

Decisions decisions - I went and looked at a leapster in woolies and they do look clunky. We have a few educational PC games that he plays with (and they are cheaper) and I think I will get some more of those for now. He says he wants a go-kart, and I thought the £100 + that we would fork out on a DS could be used on that instead.

ds had his ds when he was 6 and loves it. He doesn't play on it quite so much now the novelty has worn off. There are lots of good games, and he takes it out in the car and to footie matches when he knows he will be bored!

This is not a criticism, but what would be so wrong for children to read a book when they are bored, or draw something, listen to music, sing a song, write a poem, make up a story, or better still,have a conversation. All of these things you can do in a car, aeroplane, restaurant etc. It's called using your imagination.

Surely a child can do all those things and have a ds too ?