[Petee_C]

I'm leaning towards the iPod Touch 8gb for my soon to be 8yr old 's bday in January....

Costs about $70 then the Nintendo DS XL.....

I think it would hold her interest more than the DS..... The kids like Angry Birds... Ohh the 5yr old is going to be soooo jealous.....

8gb should be enough room for multiple apps/games for an 8yr old?

Any input?

P

 

[hugh]

Tough one. My son is 11 and his DS sits pretty much unused now but 8 years old is still prime for the DS.

While Angry Birds is fun for short term fun, it can't compete with adventure games like Pokemon and Legend of Zelda which can be played for months on the DS. Both have their merits.

Which one does his friends play and which one is he asking for?


8gb is fine if you are just putting apps and games on it. Add music and video and you need to step up to 16gb.

 

[Petee_C]

Sorry, should clarify.... Daughter is about to be 8yrs old....

She wasn't asking for it, my wife wants to get it for her as a bday gift at the beginning of January.....

We have no experience with the DS, so not sure why my wife thinks it would be good as a bday gift....

Kid's more interested in books., she plays webkins games on and off a few times a week....

My wife asked me to look into it,.....

P

 

[hugh]

For casual play, the iPod is fun and can keep a youngster amused for quite a while. Great when you're out somewhere and they want to go home!

I doubt you could go wrong with the iPod. If your daughter isn't asking for a DS then no reason to get it.

(our house has 3 DS', one wii, one PS3, one gamecube, two ipod touch's, one iphone, one iPad and lots of computers and two kids so we have lots of experience with them all)

 

[Petee_C]

thx hugh,

Been an iPhone user for about a year now.... it's been a hit with the 5yr old..... the 5 and 8 yr old share it in the backseat with Angry birds on various road trips to ringette games, or to the cottage etc.

My wife suggested the DS XL, but I'm thinking the ipod touch may have more staying power....

Games are cheaper too....

P

 

[hugh]

From the time my son was about 5 to 10, the DS was a great thing. For my daughter, it was a bit of a waste of money. Hate to sound sexist but Pokemon and Zelda and the classic Nintendo DS series definitely skew male.

Frankly, if you want games and its being used at home and in the car, I'd seriously consider the iPad for the whole family.

I have an iPad but I often let the kids use it in the car or when we are out. Its got about ten games for them.

 

[Tikker]

my little guys loves his DS (he's 6 tho)

we've got a couple DS, and a couple iPod touch's in the house

for gaming, i think DS is head and shoulders above the iPod, and it a fair bit more rugged (imo) in the small hands of a kid

 

[rsambuca]

My wife and I were looking into these possibilities for our 5 year old as well. Do you find that 5 is old enough for a DSi?

 

[hugh]

Do you find that 5 is old enough for a DSi?

He will be probably be overwhelmed with a Zelda or Pokemon game but there are age appropriate games. I gave my son a first edition in 2004 when he was five and he loved it.

 

[rsambuca]

She actually On the Wii she likes playing Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, as well as Super Mario Bros Wii (about the first 6 or seven worlds - the last couple are too tough for her). I assume there are similar type stuff for the DSi.

 

[Tikker]

my little guy has been enthralled with the DS since he was 4

he loved games that I thought would be too hard for him
stuff like advance wars, etc

but he didn't care about winning, he just liked the music, and the fighting

he was happy to just create stuff and blow it up, over and over again

I think that's more the thing

don't worry about whether or not they're playing it "the right way" just let them have fun with it

 

[Petee_C]

thx for the input..... I think my wife picked out the iPhone Touch (sold out at Walmart, but found it at FShop). Hopefully it works out ok.

P

 

[Gord Lacey]

The nice thing with the Touch is that you can put games that you've purchased for your iPhone on there as well.

 

[eimaj]

It is too bad the 3ds is not out this xmas as that is the one I would have suggested, but the ipod touch is a much more versatile device over the current ds. Ipod games lack depth and scope compared to it, but with music, video, internet over wifi, lots of great apps, probably the best way to go.

 

[dogbolter]

My kids have had the DS for a few years and they still play but not as much. They have migrated to my wifes iPad and are addicted to Angry Birds. (as I am)

My daughter wanted the Barbie with the video camera this year so I bought them both iPod Touches. I figure the device has lots more going for it, email, internet, camera, video, games, music, etc...total convergence.

EA games has their apps on sale up to 90% off so most games are 99 cents. (borrowed from the RFDs forum) Plus one app can be loaded on both devices (up to 5 devices, I think)