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Original poster

PSP or Nintendo DS?

16 replies

frogs · 13/09/2007 16:34

Am thinking quite hard about getting Ds an electronic gameboy type thing for Christmas, as I know he would love it, and it would give me a great bargaining tool for homework completion and music practice.

But I'm completely clueless, and don't want to dive in and find I've got the wrong thing -- which is the best of the portable game systems?

OP posts:

magnolia74 · 13/09/2007 16:35

How old is he?

Original poster

frogs · 13/09/2007 16:36

He is 8.

OP posts:

peanutbear · 13/09/2007 16:36

They are both good for different things

Ds has a pen and you can play brain training games as well as games

PSp is a great games console that can also play films

apparently if you have a ps3 you can link a psp to it so the games can be cariied on playing outside

my ds has both by accident!! I bought him a ds his father bought him a psp (lack of communication) he prefers his psp

Original poster

frogs · 13/09/2007 16:38

Okaaaay. doesn't the pen bit get lost with the DS? Can't see him being into brain training tbh.

Is a gameboy the same thing? [ignoramus emoticon]

OP posts:

Emzy5 · 13/09/2007 16:38

ds is def the best! more variety in games...

milliways · 13/09/2007 16:40

PSP!

DS loves his. It holds his music as an MP3 player. He downloads Simpsons epidodes etc to watch on it. He coverts our DVD's to store & watch on it. And Games are great & portable.

Looks better as well than a Nintendo.

magnolia74 · 13/09/2007 16:41

Depends what he likes really, Psp is more geared towards the older child/adult and Ds towards the younger child.

persephonesnape · 13/09/2007 16:44

PSP here - agree with the music/games/films.wifi - as long as you're happy with monitoring usage etc - I'm pretty sure you can set parental controls as well though

i use mine as a bargaining tool and he gets 'new' ( 2nd hand) games for tasks completed, good behaviours and it's a good thing for xmas presents/birthday presents etc when you have no idea what else to get.

Original poster

frogs · 14/09/2007 10:14

Bump for the daytime crowd. Any other thoughts?

OP posts:

geekgirl · 14/09/2007 10:18

mmmh - dd1 is 8 and loves the DS.
Dh at 37 favours the PSP

I think it depends on how much of a gamer your ds is already - the DS is very user-friendly for children who aren't already really into Playstations or XBoxes, and much more fun because it is easier to control.
The pen on ours doesn't get lost (miraculously, really - dd1 is a total scatterbrain) and the game cartridges are v. sturdy. Games are cheaper, too, and there are a lot more child-friendly games for the DS than there are for the PSP.

geekgirl · 14/09/2007 10:20

if you decide on the DS, I can ask dd1 what games she likes

Original poster

frogs · 14/09/2007 10:21

geekgirl, that's really useful, thanks. Maybe leaning towards the DS now, as ds's gaming experience is pretty much limited to Dino Attack on the BBC website. And even then he's only allowed it when supervised by his big sis because he hammers the mouse so hard he's broken at least one.

OP posts:

admylin · 14/09/2007 10:32

Dd chewed her way through the ds pen but we got a pack of 4 for a few pounds. My 2 dc have nintendo ds but would love that Wii thing but I don't fancy letting that in our house after hearing about all the accidents that have happened!

Ds was 8 when he got his and he loves it but has to be kept to an hour a time limit or he'd be on it all day.

Original poster

frogs · 14/09/2007 10:35

Yes, I can really see the time limit thing -- I've been telling ds for a few years that he can't have one because I can see precisely how hooked he'd get. But I think now he's a bit older I don't want him to feel like the lone weirdo with the mean mum who won't let him play 'puter games. Plus I think it would be a fab incentive for him to do homework and music practice.

Leaning towards the DS now, maybe with a Harry Potter game or so.

God, he's going to love me so much come Christmas.

OP posts:

serenity · 14/09/2007 10:45

DSs have DSs (iyswim!) and we also have a PSP that someone gave us. I'd go for the DS as a 'first' handheld game tbh. More games, cheaper - far easier to get secondhand games from places like Gamestation or from Ebay. The PSP battery runs out really quickly as well compared to the DS.

You asked earlier about the Gameboy...

First one was a GB, then they came up with the Gameboy Advance and the the DS. GBA games will play on the DS as well, and you can pick them up really cheaply.

We lose the styluses (?) all the time. We've learnt to improvise Chupachup sticks work well

geekgirl · 14/09/2007 11:28

can I just say again then how fab the DS game Elite Beat Agents is? You tap the screen in time to music to help avert a crisis (crisis depends on the storyline - beating a virus, settling a room full of toddlers and so on) - the music is cool too - there's Sk8r Boi, YMCA, Material Girl etc. Dd1 loves it.

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