PSP or NINTENDO DS, which is better for 7 & 4 year old ?

Family, Education, Health and Pets
1

Hi,

I want to buy my 7 year old a hand held computer game but I am confused as to whether to buy the sony psp or the Nintendo DS .

I have a 4 year old daughter as well.

My boy loves anything racing and cars etc but little girl may prefer something interactive like a pet game.

Can anyone recommend which type or explain the differences please.

2
get the DS - better for younger people (or children as some may call them) and its cheaper!

3
Nintendo is more family orientated, whereas the PSP is a bit more well adult based with games such as grand theft auto etc.

I'd go for the DS, if the boy was 12/13 I would consider the PSP.

Have they indicated any preference and if so why?

4
No they have not indicated a preference. Just thought it would be good for him to have (errrr in moderation) so just have had no idea which to buy thanks to everyone for replies

5
In the UK the DS is advertised a lot aimed at adults with games for memory , brain training etc. Has anyone bought one just for themselves and not for kiddies as I thought about one for myself?

6
apart from the brain training games i dont think the ds has anything else for over 12 year olds (i could be wrong as i have psp).if that all your after i was in manor in lugano and they seemed to have the brain training thingy as a stand alone console for 40 odd francs which may suit you better?

7
I got one for xmas and am addicted to the puzzle games, solitaire, soduko, scrabble etc... my niece and nephews also have them and have plenty of games to satisfy

My husband has a PSP and I think as someone else previously mentioned these are a lot more adult based, I think the DS is great for younger kids and good for us older kids too

8
I do like sudoko and puzzles and I was keen on the DS as it seems to be quite small. I have seen some quite good offers around too.

9
My 4,6 and 8 love the DS. They have seen their cousins PSP and are not interested in it. As has been mentioned, DS has more kid friendly games.

10
DS is great for kids. Our 8 year old has one and we have to quite strictly ration it - he loves it!

11
I've got a DS, with brain training games, Tetris-type ones and a great one that's got 42 different games on it (card games, chess, mah-jong, darts, etc). I don't play it that often, but do go through bouts with it and find it handy for travelling as a change from a book.

My 8 yr old son loves it too - he has a Scooby Doo problem solving game but is happy to also do the brain training and play chess/ cards. And this is the really good thing - because it's mine rather than his, it makes it easy to control access as after a while he has to give 'Mummy's' DS back and there's no question of him having it in his bedroom for hours at bedtime!

My 4 yr old isn't able to use the DS properly yet, but will no doubt enjoy the Nintendogs games in a year or so. For this age group, I'd recommend the Leapster games player, as the controls are very forgiving and games are surreptiously educational.

And absolutely get the stick-on protective screen cover and don't let your children near the DS until it's on!

kodokan

12
Yep,

We're a DS family. They're great on long drives in the car.

cheers,

(Mr)Wibble.

13
I bought a DS for the brain training games - my daughter kept stealing it so we now have "happy cooking" for it and I now "share" it with her.........

14
A nintendo wii might be a better idea if it's an intro to gaming, definately family fun and you can control access to it a lot easier.

A DS could be sneaked under the bed covers when it's sleepy time (erm through experience many many moons ago with a atari lynx )

Reminds me I still hold the world records for California Games on the Lynx haha! Have to dig it out at some point.

I have a Gamecube which is similar to a Wii less interactive being a older machine by Nintendo but the games are definately family friendly. I have over 30 games for it and I'd say x3 maybe 4 are child unsuitable.

I also have a PSP + a PS3 but as I said earlier in your position I wouldn't touch them.

Well unless you read the daily mail and want to turn your kid into a gun toating nutter. Haha

Games speed up kids reactions and increase their concentration levels in moderation, but it definately needs controlling to remove the addiction/tantrum factor. Hence I'd probably go for the Nintendo Wii and play as a family

15
I bought the DS for my husband for christmas, and we fight over it at times who can play with it (at least now i have this forum, so he can play with it when i am on here )

16
Without a doubt get the DS...

If you want you can even get the girl a pink one and the boy a blue one.

They come in loads of colours.

17
The other problem with DS's and PSP's being so small they do not like being dropped, so bare that in mind when being these for children. A controller is cheap to replace rather than the entire unit

18
I don't know about the PSP but with the DS (in case you decide to get two) very often the players can play against/with each other "sharing" one game via a wireless connection.

For example lets say your son plays Super Mario Kart (racing game) and you happen to have a second DS, you can challenge your son in a game without having to buy a second game. You just download the multiplayer-version from your sons DS.

One negative thing I noticed is the unnatural holding position. If I play too long my wrists feel uncomfortable. Anyone else having the same problem?

19
Get the DS. There's a massive software library and it's fun for all ages.

20
Get a PSP !

Just to go against the trend....

My 9 year old lad faced this very decision a few weeks ago and he went for the psp... better graphics, 'better' games, better internet browser, cooler, more modifiable plus the fact that we can load it up with music and films was the killer..