what is the youngest age for kids to play DS?

hi, i am thinking about getting maybe the dora/diego games for my niece who is only 4 coming to 5 years old? but i am just a bit worried if it is too early for kids that young to play DS??? please advice. thanks.

i started playing ds at age 4.

i started playing ds at age 4.

gamelover1211

Then you must be pretty young 0.0 especially for this site.

It depends on the person you get a DS for, but I think 5 years old is the right age to be playing Dora/Diego games. However, the DS Lite breaks easily, so you might want to buy your neice a used DS Phat. It may be bigger and have darker screens, but it's built like a tank and is easier to hold. Hope I helped!

wow thanks guys. i never consider the fact that the DS lite breaks easily. was only concerned if starting to play that early will make her a game maniac or something in the future...

I personally don't consider a DS Lite or other portable game system for kids of of 5 years even if there are Dora and Diego's games available for it, those kids companies launch these games that are poorly made and then make parent's think the systems are good for kids. It' would be somewhat OK for a kid of like 10 to 12 years, these systems are very fragile, kids of 4 and 5 years doesn't even know to read well and many of the features and games for the DS and others systems are complicated for them to play and understand.

Kids' games are made for kids for a reason. They're simple enough for them to understand and enjoy. And you can always avoid him or her fiddling around with the DS' features by setting it to boot the game automatically the minute he learns how to turn the DS on.

seriously dude i got my first game system when i was 3 and a half with the genesis and sonic the hedgehog and please dont get your neice a dora or whatever that other girls name is game.there badly made and kids wont like it. Suggestion:Yes get your neice a DS 2nd best console for kids but get the original and DEFINITLYNOT a DSI,to complacated for her and my game suggestion for her:get her nintednogs Daunchen and friends and New Super Mario Bros.kids like that stuff.oh yeah and from what ive seen at the YMCA im working at part time kids love mario kart DS.

Doesnt matter when, I started playing video games when I was 3. I wasnt great but I did play them, didnt help that the games I owned for Turbo Graphix were insanely hard though. Ive got 2 younger cousins and they got there own PS2 when they were 4 and 3, and they play games like GTA (there girls). Ive got 2 nephews however, which arent allowed to play games at all, because my sister doesnt want them to be like me lol, so put your parental skills to a test and figure it out for yourself.

I see really young kids have DS Lites, but I don't think it's such a good idea. Kids may get addicted and stay inside all day. I say ruin children's lives when they're about 10 or so. Getting introduced to gaming so young took too much time from me when I could've been socializing. It's great if you make sure kids only plays casually. Age 4-5? That sounds crazy. That is way too young. I dove into gaming at age 8-9. If you insist, I don't suggest getting a original DS. Kids are very visual, especially girls. The original DS is really heavy and ugly. The DS Lite is quite durable, and Nintendo insists that it's even more durable. Though that doesn't make much sense to me. Ever think of getting her a Gameboy Micro? Those are definitely really durable... Or an SP!... Or nothing.

[QUOTE="gamelover1211"]

i started playing ds at age 4.

Then you must be pretty young 0.0 especially for this site.

[QUOTE="gamelover1211"]

i started playing ds at age 4.

Then you must be pretty young 0.0 especially for this site.

4 or 5 should be ok I think. Met a 5 year old who was playing Mario and Luigi Partners in Time but couldn't read so he just kept skipping the cutscenes. He didn't seem addicted to his DS. He would turn it off and play outside when he got bored or couldn't beat a level.

what about those Interactive Story book series?? Heard there are actually stories that are read out to you and you can point and click and the pictures will interact with you. would those be more suitable??

it really matters what game you are going to give them, like resident evil isnt really perfect for them lol, but really, any age can start to play the ds, just select kiddy games, thats why nintendo released so many. for example pokemon is popular, they are cute animal like things and need to think with the puzzles, i loved them when i was a kid and played the old versions like red etc., Jump and runs like mario is really good too, although they shouldnt be too young, they might get pissed off like i did when i died 50 times at the same places lol, also i dont know if little ghost like balls scare them either lol.

a great game for kids, nintendogs, its cute, get to play with a dog and train it. but yea, search for some of them. google a bit or just browse on the ds section.

hope that helped =)

Can a five year old even read? If not, it's best if you don't get her a DS...they're also quite fragile, and I don't believe a child of that age can really have a grasp on the concept of "value" (meaning younger children are more likely to break things without believing that there is a cost to it)

Can a five year old even read? If not, it's best if you don't get her a DS...they're also quite fragile, and I don't believe a child of that age can really have a grasp on the concept of "value" (meaning younger children are more likely to break things without believing that there is a cost to it)

magitekk

Good point... Although I find it really odd that 5 year-olds don't know how to read. I was taught how to do math and read at age 3... Maybe it's just my extreme parents. XD

Anyway, I've never heard of storybook games. Cooking Mama, Nintendogs, possible Mario... games like those. Really you can't go wrong buying any kiddy game for a 4 year- old. Disregard reviews, since being children will probably get into anything repetitive or boring for adults. Really though... Age 4-5... So many buttons...

I think 6-7 years would probably be the best age. If you get them consoles when they're young they will probably need glasses by 12 and all they'll do is play when they're older.

I've seen 5 year old kids playing a ds, i dont think they can take care of them though.

No age is too young; they have games for kids as early as 2 years of age so you should be fine. Just be sure to research games (on the internet) in advance.Me2nice

Like 4-5. When I went to get my DSi at midnight, everyone was like 40+ (I'm 15)...