Old Lego Mindstorms

[Amira]

We've been thinking about getting our 11yos a Lego Mindstorms, but my nephew just offered to send us his old one. The version is 2.0 and it's about 5 years old with a few pieces missing, but nothing vital is lost. It looks like I can probably run the software on Windows XP which we have on our laptop.

 

This is obviously a lot cheaper than buying a new Mindstorms and we're inclined to accept his generous offer, but I'm not sure if it'll be completely useable. The laptop with XP is old too and won't last much longer, and there's just a lot more support out there for the NXT. If you have some experience with Mindstorms, could you give me your opinion? TIA

[Starr]

Ds, 14, says go with the new. He thinks the old is getting too obsolete. The schools, robotix camps, are all using the NXT. They continue to upgrade the soft ware. Have fun.

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

my nephew just offered to send us his old one. The version is 2.0 and it's about 5 years old with a few pieces missing, but nothing vital is lost. It looks like I can probably run the software on Windows XP which we have on our laptop

 

Send as in for free? You aren't going to pay anything for them? What's the question? :tongue_smilie:

 

Seriously, I would accept the offer and see how your ds takes to them. If it's a dud, you won't waste your own money on the NXT. If he loves them, it seems to me that some of the parts would be compatible? At the very least, you could then turn around and grace someone else the same way, someone who perhaps couldn't afford to buy the NXT at all.

 

I would happily accept. :001_smile:

[ereks mom]

...younger kids than the older ones were. ER saved his own money ($250) to buy a Mindstorms set when he was about 12 or 13, so that would be about 7 or 8 years ago. He prefers the older sets because he says the new ones have been "dumbed down" to make them more accessible/appealing to younger kids. He still builds with his old set, and he will turn 20yo this week! But he finds the newer sets simply childish. Not to mention that if someone were GIVING the older set away, I'd say, "Send it on!" Your ds might be completely satisfied with the older one, and you'd be saving a bundle!

Edited June 28, 2010 by ereks mom

[HeidiKC]

I guess it depends on the difference in cost between the two. If he is giving you an awesome deal, I'd say go with it. I say this because we bought our 10-year-old the new set last September for his birthday and he has hardly touched it! Bugs me! He really wanted it, and was on a FLL team (for about 6+ months) so knew how to use it. I think he thought it was more fun doing it with the team. He spends tons of time with Legos, so I can't figure out why he doesn't spend lots of time with Lego Mindstorms!

 

So I'd say try the old. If they use the heck out of it for a year or two and LOVE it, maybe think about buying the new set at that point. You could still sell the old one at that point.

 

I guess it also depends on if you have younger kids that might use it, too.

[Amira]

Thanks for the suggestions. Obviously this is a good deal, but I'll have to look into it some more.

[Starr]

I think some kids are more interested in the building of legos than the programming. If they just want to build they tend not to use mindstorms very much. Ds says there is more complicated programming available if you want it with the new set. I think it would depend on the age of your child, the age of your computer and how much of a deal you can get.