I am not a video game person, and typically woudl steer away from them. With that said, however, that is THE thing my 7 year old daughter wants for Christmas this year. She has kept her room clean for 6+ weeks since we told her we would tell santa it was okay to bring her one if she kept her room clean (this is no small feat for her and she's doing great). No other reward or consequence has come close to working this well (and I typically try to use non-tangible rewards for a long list of reasons related to her personality) and I figure taking it away will actually be an effective consequence for some of her other negative behavior at times. Okay, that's the brief background. The question, then, is do I go with DS or DSi? She has her heart set on the DSi b/c of the music and camera features and b/c she could then play "wirelessly" with her friends at daycare on the days they are allowed to bring them (typically days "off" of school, not every day). Thoughts? we will certainly be in charge/monitor any computer/internet related activity (or avoid it all together for as long as we can). And hubby wants me to look online (amazon, ebay) to see if we can get better deals but that makes me nervous; games maybe, but the actual device? And games for 7 to 8 year old that your kids like? She has a list (of course!) but will have to limit the # she gets for now and want to get the good ones, including educational Thanks!
EDIT: Okay, next question if others are still reading, what's the difference between DSi and DSi-XL??? Didn't even know there was a DSi XL...oh am I a clueless mom!
Don't get the DS, as old as it is they are going to stop making games that work well on it. Right now we are going to upgrade the DSIxls for 3DS. The new games the kids want only play well on that platform.
My daughter got her dsi when she was 8 and still loves it. Heck, we all do! She loves the camera and we use the internet to download games onto it. MUCH easier and cheaper than buying them. You can also join the nintendo club and when you buy games, put in the pin they give you to earn points to go toward earning free games.
i bought my son the ds lite because he said ds and i didn't know the difference. He wanted a DSI and it's not much different. The internet is dumb on the DSI and all my nephew ( who has one) can do is go on facebook. My son is still able to play against his cousin when they are in the same house but not when they are at their own homes. He would have really liked the camera I think. Oh well I said to him. I say get her the DSI. The stores will have good sales on packages soon if not already where you get a game or ttwo and maybe a carry case and accesories. just watch because its only certain games to pick from. I also want to add that she will be able to play with other people she doesnt' know online so you may want to look into a parental feature to block that if you go with DSI.
My son has the DSI XL and loves it!!! I had gift cards for Amazon so we didn’t pay a dime out of pocket.
My daughter has the DSI and loves it too. My MIL picked it up used on Amazon for $100. The thing was that it said that it was used but it was brand new in the box still wrapped in plastic.
One of the big differences between the two is the camera. My kids played with the camera and the voice record more than the games when they first got theirs.
I personally LOVE my dsi xl!! And so does my 4 year old! He loves to play with the picture mode, and mine came with 2 versions of Brain Age so that was really nice...I've never really played with a normal ds, so I'm afraid I can't really compare them for you. Also, congratulations on finding something that was important enough to your daughter that it got her to keep her room clean!!
My 9 year old is getting the DSi XL for christmas SSSHHH!!!. Her cousin has one and it is so much fun to watch them play on it. The camera is much better and so are the games. Better way to go...Happy Holidays :)
Can't you also send those pictures wirelessly? I can't remember, but I thought you could and I didn't want my daughter, who was about 9 when she got her first DSL, to have that option.
I am sure there are safety features you can employ with the camera, just double check.
Go with any of the newer versions that does not include 3D.
My kids have the DS lite (as do I) and while there isn't a problem with them, they ARE the older technology, and I agree with some of the other moms that they will slowly stop making games that play on the platform. They are already more focused on games for the newer platforms. You can still play the older games on the newer model, just not the reverse (lots of games for DSi that won't play on an older model DSlite).
The camera is something she will love. And I have found with most devices (not sure about DS items, but everything else) that there is probably some way to get around/disable the online aspect if you wanted to. It may not even be an issue for your child. My kids don't "go online" on their ipods except to look in the ap store. Just because that is really all they are interested in online. That or my daughter sometimes pulls up maps to see where we are if we are sitting in a parking lot with a WiFi, lol.
There isn't that big of a cost difference anymore between the DSi and DSlite. Not sure about the XL models, but with the holidays coming, you can be sure that there will be "package" deals out there... where they come with a game or two included in the package....
From my own background and personal experience.... if you can't get what she is ASKING for, then it might be better not to get it at all, rather than getting "the cheaper version". (not always, but sometimes). The very reason she WANTS it might be the features that are not contained on the other model (the camera).
ALL DSs can play wirelessly with others within a certain range of each other (50 feet or something?). Not sure about newer versions ability to online play with others in different locations.
