iar fach goch Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 ES ( has decided that he wants one off Father Christmas, because ES wants one, MS wants one (5) and I have absolutely no idea about them. I mean I am totally clueless and have no interest in games whatsoever! Are they suitable? easy to use? (break?). What games would be suitable for my boys? Obviously I would prefer them to have something educational as well as fun, but have no idea. Have been looking at them on the internet, but it's making my head hurt, so thought I would turn to you all for some (non-chicken) advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 My daughter has a DS lite (pink ) and likes it, they seem quite substantial, we were recommended to get the screen protector to reduce the chances of it getting scratched. It seems easy to use, although I've only had a little play as I'm not interested in it, and there is a good choice of games, YD has a couple of animal related ones, but you can get all sorts of types. She also connects with her friend and they play the same game together on the two DS's if that makes sense I guess if that's what they would like for Christmas, then it makes shopping a little easier Karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassett Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Hi My DD(7) received a DS Lite for her last birthday, she's found it very easy to use and it is still in one piece and seems quite sturdy. I like her to have educational type games on it, so she's got: Maths Training, French Coach, Brain Training, More Brain Training and Chess. I would recommend all these games, except for the Chess game. It is quite useful as usually she wouldn't want to do Maths, but is quite happy to do it on the DS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 One game I would recommend is called COOKING MAMA.....they all seem to like it from littlies to bigger ones.....and it's completely harmless! Watch out for the higher age-rated games .....use your judgement in the same way you would if your child was to watch a dvd etc.... Louise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alih Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I agree - my nieces aged 8 and 5 have them and love them - it's not the consoles that are tricky, you just have to make sure the games are suitable ones but the cooking one goes down a treat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlo Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 My two have had them for about three years now (they are 14 and 11) and still enjoy playing with them - especially when we are away from home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omletina Kyckling Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I have one and love it. I think they are pretty sturdily made....I would say that the black is the best colour in terms of keeping it's colour, and good for a boy but the pink might be nice for a girl. My niece has one and had it from when she was 6 and she loves it...she has some of the "training" games but also has Dogz and Catz and she loves those.....they are ones where you have "virtual pets" which you have to feed, wash, stroke, play with etc and she takes that very seriously! She can't have any pets of her own so this is the next best thing! They're nice and portable so can be taken anywhere too and the battery life is very good in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Mine all had the original DS consoles when the Nintendogs came out, it should have made for easy Christmas shopping but they were like gold dust to get hold of. The DS Lites were also really hard to get before Christmas last year, so if you are going to buy them I would recommend buying early if you can. My OH bought a DS Lite for me for my birthday earlier in the year they are much more sturdy than the original ones and the battery life is amazing. I got a bit obsessed with brain training and the germs game on brain training. OH is now equally obsessed We had to replace DS's original DS for his birthday because the screen went wonky but there is a market for faulty ones on ebay and we managed to get £15 for it because they can be repaired by people who know what they are doing. YD's original one has also now developed a fault so she may be getting a Lite for Christmas too. The Lites are very much better than the original ones, very child proof and there are loads of games out there that are suitable for all ages. For older children I would recommend the Zelda game and my children have also spent many a happy hour playing on a game called Harvest moon in which they run a farm and have to plan an budget etc, they have had the game for a few years and still play it they are nearly 10, 12 & 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomaxsmith Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 My boys (aged 4 and 6) had them for Christmas and they are pretty robust. They have been a godsend in airports, on planes, at boring relatives, etc! Mine mainly like adventure games like Lego Star Wars and Super Mario but ds1 gets very frustrated when he can't do things in games aimed at older children. Some of the games require a lot of on screen reading so are less suitable for the younger children. Ds2 like games like Go Diego Go. Everyone I know who buys one says the same as you about getting educational games and also about restricting usage. Pretty soon the educational bit goes out the window! I resorted to a kitchen timer in the early days to prevent them staying on them for hours but now they are pretty much self policing. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Our two lads had DS lites a few years ago for Christmas and they have been the most used toys ever. Like others we started off with strict time limits and now they don't need a great deal of enforcing. YS however was a little rough with his and dropping it off a top bunk a few times eventually did the hinge in - it's now in two halves and unusable! ES has looked after his a little better, but the connection between top and bottom screens is now a bit dicky and the top screen is failing. Apparently this is the most common fault and can be repaired if you know how (which I don't!) We will think about replacing them though, they have done very well and there is such a good selection of games. Also many games have the wireless link feature so they can play against each other which is good fun. There is also a chat facility on them, which we only found out about when ES tried and failed to contact a friend from school using his - I don't know what the range or security features on this is and was a bit concerned by the thought of my nine-year-old using chatrooms of any type, so I was relieved when the connection didn't happen! You might want to investigate this a bit if it is of concern to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deejmum Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 My son has one (and so do his parents ) so both of the kids connect them together wirelessly and play mario kart racing and super mario bros against each other , they are aged 4 and 7. I agree with the earlier post regarding reading though, some of the games require a lot of reading to play, so I try to stick with really basic games at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Eldest daughter had a DS Lite 3 years ago when she was 9. It came with "Brain Training" which I do recomend as great for maths learning etc and also good for all the family to play. However she mostly enjoyed "Nintendogs" and there are loads now based on different dog breeds. You look after them, pet them, etc. Good for getting used to the DS. Just bought my 8 year old son a DS Lite last week for his birthday since eldest daughter won't share hers. Lots of funky colours now and he has a red one. Basically you are looking at £99 for a DS Lite. Or shop around and get a "bundle" which is a DS Lite plus a game. Sometimes a rubbish game, sometimes a good one. Some bundles are £104 so only a few pounds for a game even if it is rubbish. Lots of Wii games will have a similar DS version. My 8 year old son loves Lego Star Wars, Mario Kart type racing car games, Spore, Animal Crossing. He got the "Wall-E" game last week - it is quite easy for an experienced DS player but would be a good first game especially if your child has seen the movie. Do always shop around for DS games as the prices vary wildly online or in shops. So play.com etc or game.co.uk are good as well as keeping an eye out for sales in Morrisons, Asda and Tesco etc. If your 5 year old gets one too, then the 2 consoles will connect to each other, no wires or anything special needed. My kids "chat" and write notes to each other which they think is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iar fach goch Posted October 3, 2008 Author Share Posted October 3, 2008 thanks for all the advice, decision made - nintendo ds lite it is. Now to look for the cheapest deals! Are there any accessories you need to buy with them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoid Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 A case is good, esp the ones which have pouches for the games, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
