System recommendation for a clueless parent?

Being strictly an Xbox player myself, I've never even looked into any handheld systems but now my children are getting to the point of being gamers. Well, at least my daughter is, as she is almost 6 and son is only 3.5. They both play iPhone games and have had Leapfrog systems but looking for a more playful gaming system now.

Wife and I will be going to a store to check them out in person this weekend to get a feel for each choice but just looking for a general recommendation for my situation. Price is not a problem, but best bang for the buck is always a good thing.

As far as we can tell, our choices are DSi ($99), DSiXL ($129), 3DS ($169), and 3DS XL ($199). Are the systems fairly durable? Our kids are pretty well behaved, but they're still young kids...

Since price isn't a problem I would recommend the 3DS since it is going to have games coming out for it for the foreseeable future. However, the 3D is not recommended for young kids. But you can always turn off the 3D in parental controls.

Otherwise you might as well just get the regular DS lite over anything. I'm assuming the cameras and internet browser in the DSi won't be major things. And I know the DS lite can take some drops.

I would say don't get the XLs for them. I don't think it would be ideal for kids with small hands.

Depends on the kid I guess. My gf's little bro got a ds at 8 he is 12 now and has gone through 3 of them. All with broken hinges.AutoPilotOn

Thanks for all of the comments and tips everyone!

fami - after a little more research and review reading, I'm leaning towards your DSi recommendation.

dsrules - didn't even think about the XL possibly being too big. Great point and we'll make sure to test the DSi and DSiXL in the store to see how she can control them.

Wasn't aware of the 3D issues for kids under 6 so thanks for those warnings as well! I personally don't like 3D and see it being a fad unless they find a way to greatly widen the sweet spot and prevent eye strain as well but we'll see. While money isn't an object, it'll still be much easier to replace a broken $99 or $129 item than it is a $169-199 item.

It looks like they're still coming out with new regular DS games, correct? I'm sure that'll end at some point in the future but by then it'll be time for a new system I suppose.

Thanks for all of the comments and tips everyone!

fami - after a little more research and review reading, I'm leaning towards your DSi recommendation.

dsrules - didn't even think about the XL possibly being too big. Great point and we'll make sure to test the DSi and DSiXL in the store to see how she can control them.

Wasn't aware of the 3D issues for kids under 6 so thanks for those warnings as well! I personally don't like 3D and see it being a fad unless they find a way to greatly widen the sweet spot and prevent eye strain as well but we'll see. While money isn't an object, it'll still be much easier to replace a broken $99 or $129 item than it is a $169-199 item.

It looks like they're still coming out with new regular DS games, correct? I'm sure that'll end at some point in the future but by then it'll be time for a new system I suppose.

cammby

Thanks for all of the comments and tips everyone!

fami - after a little more research and review reading, I'm leaning towards your DSi recommendation.

dsrules - didn't even think about the XL possibly being too big. Great point and we'll make sure to test the DSi and DSiXL in the store to see how she can control them.

Wasn't aware of the 3D issues for kids under 6 so thanks for those warnings as well! I personally don't like 3D and see it being a fad unless they find a way to greatly widen the sweet spot and prevent eye strain as well but we'll see. While money isn't an object, it'll still be much easier to replace a broken $99 or $129 item than it is a $169-199 item.

It looks like they're still coming out with new regular DS games, correct? I'm sure that'll end at some point in the future but by then it'll be time for a new system I suppose.

cammby

Like another poster said, you should probably get the DS Lite and not the DSi, unless you really see your 6 year old using the internet (very limited use on the DS systems anyways) or the camera. The DS Lite is built better and is cheaper. And yeah, they still are making DS games. Pokemon Conquest just came out for the DS, and Pokemon Black/White 2 arent even released yet in the US for the DS. Plus, there are a TON of games in the DS library. Some even consider it the best system, including consoles, in the last generation due to its amazing library of games.

[QUOTE="AutoPilotOn"]Depends on the kid I guess. My gf's little bro got a ds at 8 he is 12 now and has gone through 3 of them. All with broken hinges.YoshiYogurt

Honestly, the DS systems just aren't very durable. I've been through 3 or 4 myself from hinges and malfunctioning shoulder buttons. I've also been through 1 3DS already with the same problem for playing a little bit of Street Fighter. I've never had problems with other handhelds.

I have had no problems with my DSi XL so i would recommend the DSi......my ds lites shoulder buttons have had some problems.

For a child I would go for the DS lite. It's a simple, durable system that's also compatible with GBA games.

At this point, there is no reason to go for any of the DS consoles(DS, DSlite, DSi, DSiXL), because while they are good, durable machines, they are no longer supported by developers. Instead you're much better off going for one of the 3DS consoles (3DS, 3DSXL), because they can play "almost" every game in the DS consoles library (there are a few DS games that require a GBA slot which is only available on DS and DSlite, but I don't remember any of them been good), and is also starting to quickly build up it's own, and looks like it'll be supported for a good long time.spike6958

Never played it but people seem to like Guitar Hero: Wolrd Tour.

One thing you might want to look into for kids is what other kids' parents are buying them. Not that your kid needs to have the exact same thing as everyone else or anything but if your kid has Mario Kart 7 while the other kids are still all on Mario Kart DS, it might be a bit of a bummer since they can't play multiplayer. Then again, we are taling quite young kids here so maybe it's a non-issue.

Since price isn't a problem I would recommend the 3DS since it is going to have games coming out for it for the foreseeable future. However, the 3D is not recommended for young kids. But you can always turn off the 3D in parental controls.

Otherwise you might as well just get the regular DS lite over anything. I'm assuming the cameras and internet browser in the DSi won't be major things. And I know the DS lite can take some drops.

I would say don't get the XLs for them. I don't think it would be ideal for kids with small hands.

dsrules13

I'd have a hard time recommending a regular DS model because it is now pretty much obselete. Pokemon Black and White 2 (and apparently 3) will be the last games coming out for it, and BW3's release is a bug mystery right now. The 3DS can play almost every DS game and the one's that it can't play aren't very notable, because I don't know of any outside of Guitar Hero.

If you go with a 3DS, you don't have to worry about tracking down games in the future as much because you'll be able to buy new games when you need to and you can still buy any DS game you'd want in case you see one they might like. Good DS games are going to get harder and harder to find as time goes on because 3DS games are going to be replacing DS games on store shelves. The 3DS is just a good way to future proof your investment, because chances are you'll end up buying them one anyway once they find out that all the new games they want are on the 3DS and not the DS.

One thing I'm surprised that nobody here has mentioned yet is the 3DS eShop. You can find tons of cheap games that are kid friendly the same way that Apple's App Store works. The DSi has an online store as well, but the variety is much smaller (with fairly high pricing for what you're getting), and the entire DSiWare library is also on the 3DS eShop.

The DS Lite (I won't recommend the DSi) does have two advantages over the 3DS though. One is that DS Lites can play Gameboy Advanced games, so that can potentially greatly enhance the amount of games you can play, provided you can find them. The bigger advantage the DS models have is the battery life. The 3DS is rated for 3-5 hours by Nintendo, but I can usually get closer to 8 with the brightness down, 3D off, and Wi-fi off. I can get close to 10 hours playing DS games. The DS Lite can push 18 hours of battery life doing the same thing, and it can do even more playing GBA games.

Basically, I would go with either the 3DS or DS Lite. If you decide against the 3DS, you'll likely end up buying one later because your kids will see new games coming out for the 3DS and not the DS, so if you go with the DS Lite at least you won't have paid a whole lot so the upgrade won't seem like as much of a big deal. If you go with the 3DS, they'll have a system they can play for 5 or more years while still having old and new games.

Either get a dslite or dsi/xl. They're pretty cheap, especially the dslite. The game library is very big, you wouldn't have a hard time finding a game that they would like. The dsi/xl does have parental controls if you want to use them...(http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/dsi/en_na/settingsParentalControls.jsp)

You could get a 3ds if you don't mind them playing with something more expensive. It's compatable with the original ds games and has access to future titles which might only be on the 3ds. Like the dsi/xl it does have parental controls if you want to prohibit anything ...(http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/3ds/en_na/parents.jsp?menu=parental%20controls)

As what others have said the hinges do tend to break. I've only gone through 1 dslite so far and it was my favourite one.

http://img.hexus.net/v2/gaming/screenshots_ds/crimon_large_1.jpg

IMHO you should buy both of them high end gaming rigs.:P:lol:

If you can find a good condition used DS Lite you should get that, plenty of great Gameboy Advance games too. I knew about the broken hinge problems on lots of used DS Lites so I shelled out the $125 to get a brand new one off Amazon. Itll be the perfect match with my 3DS XL. I just couldnt recommend a DSi or DSiXL, the camera novelty wears off fast and the internet browser sucks.

if money is a consideration, a dsi would be pretty good. A lot of stores still sell a backlog of ds games, and there is a larger variety of children's games. Furthermore, a 3ds shrinks the screen when playing ds games so if your kid sees a ds game he/she likes, itll probably look worse on the 3ds. However, if you're planning for the future, a 3ds might be a better choice, but it depends. Maybe take your kids in and let them look at some games they are interested in? that might help. If your daughter sees that she really wants those 3ds games, you might want to invest in one, but i feel like the ds might have more girl-friendly games, probably because its so old and has so many choices.

if you want the latest nintendo games. you need a 3ds... your kids will be sad that they cant play any of the new games..

you can turn the 3d off if your concerned for their eyes.

if you want the latest nintendo games. you need a 3ds... your kids will be sad that they cant play any of the new games..

you can turn the 3d off if your concerned for their eyes.

KBFloYd

[QUOTE="KBFloYd"]

if you want the latest nintendo games. you need a 3ds... your kids will be sad that they cant play any of the new games..

you can turn the 3d off if your concerned for their eyes.

hydralisk86

[QUOTE="hydralisk86"][QUOTE="KBFloYd"]

if you want the latest nintendo games. you need a 3ds... your kids will be sad that they cant play any of the new games..

you can turn the 3d off if your concerned for their eyes.

YoshiYogurt

[QUOTE="YoshiYogurt"][QUOTE="hydralisk86"] But what if they insist on using the 3D effect when the parent is gone?hydralisk86

It is potentially bad, nothing is really proven. Nintendo just had to put a warning as a disclaimer. But as long as parental controls are used, there should be no concern.