Nintendo help!

[triplets]

My three now all want a Nintendo each for their birthdays which I can`t afford! So all the family are willing to chip in instead of individual presents. I know nothing about them, being an "older" parent, so help please! What is the best one to get, do they come with games, which games are good, are there any offers around? Thanks, birthday on the 27th.

do you mean a Nintendo DS Lite? That's the newest one.

DD got one for Christmas - she is nearly 8.

She got Nintendogs, Bratz Diamond and Ice Age 2 - all the rellies chipped in towards the games (PILs bought one). These games are all good although Nintendogs is the winner.

DD has borrowed a couple of games from her god-sister (!) - Mario World and Animal Crossing and is dying to get these two also although she will have to wait and see if she gets any birthdy money.

HMV charge £24.95 for the games, also stock accessories such as cases to protect them.

Woolies £5 dearer for the Animal Crossing game.

You will never see your children again if they get a DS.

(YAY!)

Not really but sometimes YAY!!

Ouch! What's your budget?
Nintendo DS Lite c.£100 in the shops, games extra on top of that. Games cost between £20-£30 each, but you can usually get a deal with the console plus first game. (If you did get more than one console you could use each game in each console iyswim).

They're still quite new, and I've not seen any offers around.

What are they like at taking turns? Could you get one and then share it? Or is that completely unreasonable? Most games will store scores for multiple players.

If you did get more than one console they can communicate with each other, which is quite fun.

The Nintendo Gameboy is still around, and you can pick them up easily for about £50 second-hand. But it is a fast-moving market, and buying an ageing product limits its lifespan considerably, and its wow-factor in the playground.

My boys (7 and 9) have got Gameboys; I got a DS Lite for Christmas

What else do you want to know?

I have been looking around for one and the best deal that I have found is in store at Woolies (same offer not on-line for some reason).
It is £125 for console and three games out of a choice of four.

don't forget to check out amazon!

Thanks everyone,
Sounds like a good deal at Woolies, wonder why its not on-line? Have checked Amazon, £99 with no games inc. No, there is no way they would share, it would be a nightmare! Becca had Pixel Chix car for Christmas, she loves it but there doesn`t seem to be anything similar for the boys, those Tamogotchi things I think would be a 5 min wonder! Thanks, if anyone sees an offer please let me know, got until the 27th!

I know what you mean about the sharing!

Will keep any eye out.

Our kids have ONE. They have to take turns but obviously they all get games for it so there is an economy of scale on that front.

I'd hate the idea of them all plugged in independently.

Best games are Mario.

you can get games cheap from asda entertainment, i got the two brain traning ones for around £15 each and tetris for £10 from tesco jersey .

I think you can get preowned ds lites from Game. I got my son's from toysrus for about £130 with 2 games I think.

make sure that is the nintendo that they want! There is the nintendo wii out now too!!! they are a whopping £200 +

Good luck!!

I think if you were getting the handhelds you would probably have to buy one each but you could get the wii and they could share it.

Oh and btw dss both got tamagotchis (version 3) on 22 Dec for Christmas, and are completely obsessed they have played with them for hours every day since, and chose to spend some of their Christmas money on buying a Version 4 each (which are just out in the shops). They also interact with the pc/internet ... and are fantastic fun. The first tamas they got are now onto the third generation!

In fact I am just a touch obsessed myself to the extent that dh bought me a V4 too!

So don't rule them out.

Hi,
Thanks roisin, will have another look at them, version 4 you reckon?

play.com have some games from £14.99 each for the DS Lite.

Yes version 4 - not very widely available yet though. You can get them from Amazon or independent toy shops. I don't think you can get them from Toys RUs or Argos yet though.

Hi,
After long discussions we have agreed they can have a nintendo each, family are chipping in. Now the next problem is getting them! Just spent a frustrating hour on Amazon, they are offering a bundle for £109, pick a top game worth £24.99 and add console, they give you a discount code and at checkout the amount is deducted, did it for my first choice, fine. Then put it in again for number 2 with different game and it won`t accept it, aghhhhhhhhhh! So now have 1 on order and 2 to go, must have by the 27th. Anyone help please, looking for I more black with dog game and the pink with a game. Thank you!

I ordered 2 from Amazon before Christmas. It says each offer is only 1 per customer.So you can only use each code once. There are different offer codes for the different colours though so I managed to get 2 discounts by ordering a black bundle and a white one.Hope that helps.

Thanks, yes I eventually realised my error! So I put one in my husband name and got number 2 but no pink for Rebecca! Then after I confirmed my order which said they were in stock, they gave me an estimated delivery date of 5 days after their birthdays!! So fingers x they turn up early!

You can cancel the order any time until they dispatch so you could keep looking - try play.com and game (think its .co.uk). But fingers crossed anyway

I bought one for myself last week
Got it from Gamestation - their deals were:
A conslole + any game + starter pack for £119.99 or with two games £139.99. Liked the fact you could pick any game you wanted

Hi ,
Well one has turned up from Amazon, second should be despatched on Mon.The pink one is awaiting stock from dabs.com, but today on checking Amazon again it said in stock! So I have put through another order in my name and they have given the discount even though I have already orederd one in my name, they say 1 per customer. Do you think its because I have already recd one and they class this as a different order? When I confirmed the order it then said delivery Feb 16-23rd!! Needed by Jan 27th! So now two on order, isnt it confusing? Had a quick look at the black one last night, I was horrified there is so little of it for £100, and am already terrified of them losing or chewing the little stylus thing, are they fairly indestructable??

The stylus is fragile, my dd chewed through hers after having it for just 3 days. good thing is you can get packs of 3 for about 2 Euro (Germany) so she used her pocket money to get a pack. In the UK over christmas they both ordered games on sale on the Woolworth website using their christmas money.

Now they are all saying stock available between Feb16th and March 2nd!!! If anyone sees a pink in stock wil they let me know please? Saffy202 what colour did you get? I have read on one site that they say don`t get a white one, do you know why?