Jennifer Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 as a gift for my 7yo dd. I've heard good and bad things about the Didj, and nothing but good about the DS. Except that the DS is expensive and I'm worried that it might be too hard for her to use and isn't as hardy as the Didj. Help me!! Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 My dd has a DS. She loves it. I like that there is such a huge variety of games for it. Also, the didj says it is for ages 5-10. A DS can be fun for older kids/teens, so your child can use it much longer. I vote for the DS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 we have didj's -- dd age 10 got one two years ago and I notice her playing less and less with it. We diid get two off woot.com ($39 + a game) for the my 6 yo and 8 yo for Christmas. I like it because the games, IMO, are educational and entertaining. I also have the ability to add the words or change the math facts they're being quizzed on to match what's going on in their lessons (through the website) True I do think the kids will age-out of their didj's while a ds may take their into young adulthood. But this is also my strategy. Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 True I do think the kids will age-out of their didj's while a ds may take their into young adulthood. But this is also my strategy. Kate :blushing: or in my case, adulthood. My dh is a gamer and was thrilled that I showed interest in Kingdom Hearts (Disney and Final Fantasy characters). He trades games on a site like Paperbackswap. He got the game for me and now the kids and I have to take turns with the DS :D. We considered getting each of them a DS for Christmas, but they haven't asked for them and want other things, so I guess sharing is ok. I got a didj on clearance (thankfully). It has been a bit of a bust AND it has been a frustrating system for us. Ds would be in the middle of playing something and it shut down saying there was a "crucial update". This meant we had to plug into my laptop to get the update. In our experience, I would only buy if it was very, very cheap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I cast my vote for a DS Lite! We never owned a Didj, but I have seen the games, and the selection is quite limited compared with the choices available for DS. Also, if your dd is interested in popular movies and television shows, she would probably much prefer the DS, because almost all of the newest games are available for that system. Additionally, because the DS has been around for a while now, you can often find used games at GameStop for reasonable prices, and you can also play the old Gameboy Advance games on the DS, as well. (The graphics aren't as good, so don't pay a lot for the Gameboy games, but if you find a bunch of them at a garage sale, it might be worth snapping them up!) Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Have you looked at the lists of games available for each? We chose a DS because the games available for the Didj were mainly based on shows our kids don't watch (and there really weren't many). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Definitely the DS. The game choices are endless. My DD got a Leapster when she was 4 (she's 5 now) and she has taken over my DS as well. She doesnt play them too often, but plays both about equally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alte Veste Academy Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Jennifer, I'm sorry I didn't reply to the other thread yet but I'm happy to see a new one here as I'm weighing the options myself. DS6 will be 7 in February and I've considered replacing his Leapster with either the Didj or DS. Honestly, we have loved the Leapsters here. My kids play with them when I proclaim quiet time sometimes and in the car, never so much as to become a problem in the least. They've been lovely to have. I figured I would move up to the Didj because we've been so happy with Leapfrog products here but the Didj games don't appeal to me. There aren't enough (not nearly as many as for Leapster, although I understand it's a newer product) and the ones they have are too character-oriented for my taste (whereas so many of the Leapster games don't revolve around tv characters). I know very little about the DS game selection except that it is huge. I'm researching right now and hoping I can find enough games of reasonable cost and educational value to justify the purchase of the DS. If you go to this Amazon page, you can click to the right of the "customers who bought this item" suggestions and it will show you listing after listing. There is some good stuff--math, reading, chess, Spanish. There are mixed reviews though but I notice that some of them are from people who say their kids didn't like it because they are educational games. That's all DS is used to and likely all he will receive for the forseeable future so I can't see that being an issue. DS is quite responsible with his things so I'm not terribly worried about breakability. It does cost a lot so it would be a substantial gift but this is exactly the kind of thing my parents like to buy so that would be a win-win all around. Still thinking... Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyK Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 My kids loved their Leapster when they were younger, and my 7 year old still plays with one. So I thought the Didj would be a big hit. It was for a short while but really hasn't had the staying power. We do have now a DS and it gets a lot of use, but way less educational, or rather the games that get played aren't educational! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 (edited) They are a bit more expensive, although you can go with a Lite and not a DSi. My son has had game boys since he was 4. He has had his DS now since the lites came out and has definitely gotten MY money's worth!! Nintendo products are great. They have TONS of family-friendly games for all their systems. There are quite a few educational games for the DS as well. I don't think you can go wrong with this. My 20 yodd got one for Christmas last year and plays it several nights a week before bed. She loves it (and she is NOT a gamer by any stretch). ETA: And don't worry about it being hard for her to use. It is VERY easy to use (even I can use one). My 6 and 7 year old nieces have them, and my 4yo niece plays here sisters. Besides, I think children have an innate ability to learn these things!! ;-p Edited November 12, 2009 by StaceyinLA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LND1218 Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 For a 7 year old girl a DS! My 7 year old dd has one. And she's done fine with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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