Nintendo DSi or iPod Touch for 8 year old ?


iPod Touch or Nintendo DSi  

102 members have voted

  1. 1. remember this is for an 8 yr old

    • Nintendo DSi
      97
    • iPod Touch
      5


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Looking for some advice from people/parents out there.

I have resisted buying my boy any PSP, DSi e.t.c until I felt he was ready for one and understood the responsibility of have a games machine.

It will be his 8th birthday at the end of this month and was going straight down the route of a Nintendo DSi, but then I thought for the same price I could get him an iPod Touch?

as far as I can see there are few pros and cons...

iPod Touch

For - loads of apps/ games that are cheap

Against - is it a bit too flashy for an 8 year old ?

Nintendo DSi

For - lots of good games ( so the other kids tell me ) and educational apps/games

Against - Price of games ( although having one game for three months might teach him value for money )

What do you lot think ? Have I missed something ?

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My son is now 9 and he has a DSi (and previously a Lite). The DSi is obviously newer but he's had the Lite for a couple of years now and it's pretty durable. When we're out together he asks me for my iPhone to play some games and I cringe hoping this won't be the time he drops it and breaks the screen. My friend gave his 12 year old a Touch and it was broken within 3 months.

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I would say DSi, My 5 year old has a DS lite and loves it. My daughter used to play on my iPhone (when it was alive) and she got bored with that quicker than the DS.

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Looking for some advice from people/parents out there.

I have resisted buying my boy any PSP, DSi e.t.c until I felt he was ready for one and understood the responsibility of have a games machine.

It will be his 8th birthday at the end of this month and was going straight down the route of a Nintendo DSi, but then I thought for the same price I could get him an iPod Touch?

as far as I can see there are few pros and cons...

iPod Touch

For - loads of apps/ games that are cheap

Against - is it a bit too flashy for an 8 year old ?

Nintendo DSi

For - lots of good games ( so the other kids tell me ) and educational apps/games

Against - Price of games ( although having one game for three months might teach him value for money )

What do you lot think ? Have I missed something ?

Go for the DSi. My sons each have one (age 5 and 7) and they are durable as hell. Only downfall is the games are small and are easily misplaced. Upside is...and I know this from experience...the games can go through a washer and dryer cycle and still work fine.

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iPod Touch, it's capable of so much more than a gaming (internet, music, apps) and you don't have to worry about keeping up with cartidges.

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DSi gets my vote, my almost 5year old plays the DS, I would not get an iTouch for him until at least getting to his Teens, but by that time there will be something else.

DSi also has the games they want to play like Ben10, disney games their favourite super heros etc

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WOW thanks for all the feedback really helpful.

Durability definitely a concern which I overlooked....

Thanks again

@pheee - Oh and Ben 10 games for DS my boy would love that :)

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well the DSi it is.

any recommendations on cases to increase that durability ?

TIA

You'll want something thick and rubbery (like silicone) to absorb most of the impact force if it's dropped, apart from that it's pretty durable as it is (although try not to let the screen go past 180 degrees, since it won't be attached any more then)

Oh, and get a backup pack (or two) of stylus's, my cousin (she's 7) continuously loses hers.

Edit: Another vote for scribblenauts, that'll help the vocabulary.

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I'd also get it insured. If you get it from GAME, you can get this one time insurance policy called GAMEcare. It'll last 2 years and only costs ?20, even covers accidental damage. For an extra ?10, you can get it covered for 3 years.

More info here:

http://www.game.co.uk/lowdown.aspx?lid=712...e-_-moredetails

Oh, and get a case to carry cartridges in, they're very handy, especially when he'll probably leave a couple around the house from time to time, and you can't find the actual cas:p:p Plus, they're handy for trips and what not.

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I also suggest NOT giving an 8 year old child an internet connected device without any real form of parental controls or monitoring (iPhone).

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I dont think durability is an issue. Unless you dont want it scratched, i honestly wouldnt worry about spending anymore $ on any type of protective case.

They really CAN take quite a beating. My son's 4yrs old and has had his DS for over 2 years now.

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Doesn't the iPhone/Touches have parental controls anyways? I've seen it on my iPhone buy for obvious reasons haven't looked into too deepyly, so that's not really an issue, but I'd probably suggest a DSi as well.

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Doesn't the iPhone/Touches have parental controls anyways? I've seen it on my iPhone buy for obvious reasons haven't looked into too deepyly, so that's not really an issue, but I'd probably suggest a DSi as well.

Yes, they do come with parental controls. I still wouldn't give an 8-year-old an internet-enabled device like the iPod Touch.

As has been mentioned before the DSi wins on the durability front as well.

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Another vote for DSi

My nephew (4 years old) have one DS Lite and he like it a lot. He doesn't play a lot of game just Mario Kart and New Super Mario Bros.

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get the DSI there are some things on the Iphone a 8 year old shouldnt have. when ever I went to the app store. there was always something called bikini something or other on the most downloaded. not really *bad* but an 8 year older shouldnt see it. not to mention there are more games for his age on the DSI.

does he listen to music though? not really sure what the heck little kids listen to but that might be a factor in choosing what he gets

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