# Sony Psp Or Nitendo Ds?



## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Right, my 3 1/2 year old (







) has taken to playing the games on my Ipod Touch, Im scared for its life so am thinking about getting him a hand held games console.....

I know he should be out making mud pies but he does that too so Im not concerned he is going to waste his childhood... 

So what is better, or easier to use?

I guess the DS has more 'educational' scope ?


----------



## Chris H (Dec 9, 2009)

For his age I think that a DS is the way to go, the majority of the games seem to be aimed at a younger age group than the PSP.


----------



## Retronaut (Jun 14, 2010)

Chris H said:


> For his age I think that a DS is the way to go, the majority of the games seem to be aimed at a younger age group than the PSP.


Yes I'd agree with that. Also with the DS having a stylus touchscreen it could actually be argued that there is at least some benefit as helps hand / eye coordination etc. Quite alot of the DS games have a bit of an educational slant too - don't think the PSP has the same range.

Additionally the DS games are solid state cartridges / the console has no moving parts so is nigh on indestructible. The PSP games (not sure if they've moved but they were when I had one) are something akin to a mini disk / the console contains movin parts so inherently more delicate.

Edit: A new 3D version of the DS is launching soon (don't think it's out in the UK yet?) so expect secondhand old models to get cheaper / pop up on eBay / game store trade ins more after launch.

:cheers:


----------



## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Cheers fellas, sound advice........


----------



## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

jasonm said:


> Cheers fellas, sound advice........


jason...ive got 200 games on an sd card as well that you can borow to ahem...."back up" the games that you will buy 

and yep....the ds is the way to go....miles more user friendly for the little chap


----------



## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Cheers Shawn


----------



## foztex (Nov 6, 2005)

Hiya Jase,

I vote DS too. My lad has had one for ages and loves it, it seems to have more longevity (interest wise) for younger kids. Several mates kids have both and the PSP seems to be the one left in a corner.

The stylus is definitely a plus and most games seem to be entirely operated by it and be very intuitive.

Final advantage is the clamshell design, protects the screens and automatically pauses the game when closed, saving battery life.

If you do get him one, pick up a 3rd party combo pack of screen protector stickers and spare styli, essential.

Andy


----------



## zed4130 (Jun 25, 2009)

my daughter got a DS a few years back but now she is 11 she has a psp, i prefer the psp's games but for a younger age i vote DS , :thumbsup:


----------



## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Sorry but PSP is the only way to go it makes a DS look like the old ping pong game you used to get. The PSP is miles better. Big M has a DS, in pink, goes without saying :lol: :lol: regardless of cost involved it's rubbish compared to my mate's lad's PSP


----------



## DMP (Jun 6, 2008)

Considering the age, I would suggest the Nintendo would be more appropriate Jase. I gave my daughter one (a DS) for her recent 4th birthday as she had been driving my 10 y/o son nuts by continually playing with his DSi, erasing his progress in various games etc in the process!

With the Nintendo, there are lots of age-appropriate games for young boys and girls. Since she received her own, and has a few of her own games, my daughter no longer covets her brothers. What price peace & quiet! :dummyspit:

As has been mentioned, the Nintendo's are pretty much kid-proof. I have fitted both consoles with screen protectors, as well as protective cases.


----------



## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

I boycott Sony so as appealing and mult-functioned the PSP is (many things that moms and dads can do with it), it's not an option for me. I bought a DS when they came out because I found that the original DISCS OF TRON arcade game (as well as the original TRON game) were included as freebies on the Gameboy version of TRON 2.0 KILLER APP.

DISCS OF TRON was and is for me the best video game every coded; I mastered it, could play for an hour or so ona quarter/token back in 1983/4/5. There are many other greats (JOUST, anyone?), of course. It was a real blast playing DOT once again, even on a tiny screen.

That said, Nintendo platforms are generally used more for child-oriented games (Mario, et al). You'll simply find more appropriate content for your young 'un for the DS.

You might also consider the Wii, which will have things that the entire family can enjoy.

BUT ... b u t ... there are some young child "handheld game" things made by Leapfrog (or whoever makes those,... Vtech?) that have both fun and educational value ... and they're aimed at the sub-8 year old range. I think they're called Leapster and Leapster2. I almost got the latter for my near-8 year old, but most of the content for those are more game-like, with less overt educational motifs. I would definitely look into them. At your boy's age, what may seem like silly educational titles will still appeal. (My daughter has the URLs memorized for various math and spelling games on the Web that she loves.)

You could also try to find an old, second hand Macbook for cheap, and bookmark various child friendly online games. The first things my baby girl saw on the computer -- before she was even walking or talking -- were the games at the BBC Teletubbies site. In fact, months before she started saying words, she clearly muttered "ere-phant" during the parade one where various animals come into view (picture Daddy saying, "wonder which one will come out next ... ahhhh, s-s-s-snaaaake,.. what next ... oohhhh, two elephants...").

Hope that helps.


----------



## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Very useful all, many thanks, Foz, great to see you again mate, long time no chat......

Looks like the DS then.... 

Anyone got one for sale`?


----------



## Adz (Jul 8, 2010)

jasonm said:


> Very useful all, many thanks, Foz, great to see you again mate, long time no chat......
> 
> Looks like the DS then....
> 
> Anyone got one for sale`?


PM`d

:hi:


----------



## langtoftlad (Mar 31, 2007)

I see far more youngsters playing on the DS than the PSP - which is more reserved for geeky teenagers and adults who didn't buy an iphone.


----------



## sam. (Mar 24, 2010)

Hi Jason, :hi:

being a 39 year old child myself,i have both hand held consoles,

the psp is a much more powerful console than the DS,

you can buy films that slide into the back like a game called UMD's,

and as well as play games,also it can be an MP3 player etc etc.

but its geared towards more serious gaming.

The Ds though,has many titles for young children,and some interesting features,such as touch screen with the stylus,you can even speak into it,or blow onto it for some games,and cartridges are easier to use for little hands,

my five year old Son prefers the Ds,so if you want better graphics and high end gaming,its the Psp,

but for puzzle games etc, for the adults,and lots of very good Childrens titles its got to be the Ds. k:


----------



## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

There's an app that I believe Sony provides (or a third party) so that you can convert a DVD to a format for the PSP and download it. I watched a coworker watching STAR WARS (1977).

I think those UMD PSP movie cartridges are a rip ... full price (here, last time I looked) for a flick that you can only watch on your PSP.  Typical of Sony's "we charge more because you should value our system more"[1] anti-consumer antitude.

[1] The actual response Sony's CEO or VP of consumer goods to questions why the PS3 costs so much.


----------



## sam. (Mar 24, 2010)

David Spalding said:


> There's an app that I believe Sony provides (or a third party) so that you can convert a DVD to a format for the PSP and download it. I watched a coworker watching STAR WARS (1977).
> 
> I think those UMD PSP movie cartridges are a rip ... full price (here, last time I looked) for a flick that you can only watch on your PSP.  Typical of Sony's "we charge more because you should value our system more"[1] anti-consumer antitude.
> 
> [1] The actual response Sony's CEO or VP of consumer goods to questions why the PS3 costs so much.


PSP express is an app that will convert DVD through a pc,straight to your PSP.

I agree its typical of Sony to use a format,(UMD) that is not compatible with any other format!

You can pick them up off Amazon for as low as 50p+ Â£1.50ish p+p,

but as you said a new top title is expensive,as you don't get any extra features,as they have to cram a whole film on a limited data disk.


----------



## wookie (Apr 27, 2009)

I think the ds would be best, and like mrteatime said you can buy a r4 revolution card or one of the many other similar products and download and play any game straight from a micro sd card, the psp is the better machine and is also fairly easy to hack (up to psp 2003 i think) but is more delicate, especialy the tft, so is more for the older child like me, I have mine running custom firmware and she's great for gameplay. but don't go thinking the DS is a super tough machine either, they are fairly easy to break even with the closing lid to protect the screens, I've put two new top screens and one new touch screen in my nephew's ds in less than a year, both top screens he poked with his finger until they had black splodges everywhere and the touch screen he beat to death with the stylus, but on the plus side new screens are about a tenner with just four solder joints to do (topscreen) and just a couple of ribbon cables for a touch screen, in fact you can buy every part bar the motherboard for the DS for very little money so they are the very best choice for a younger child IMO

wookie


----------



## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Cheers Wookie and everyone else, I now have a DS Lite thanks to a forum member and after some reading I also have a R4 card to play my games I back up....


----------



## SharkBike (Apr 15, 2005)

The boy loved the DS he inherited from the girl...until it dropped and a corner piece broke off and the upper screen stopped working. :disgust:

It's been sitting on top of the fridge for months...waiting for Daddy to work his magic and make it work again. :huh:


----------



## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Wookie sounds like our resident DS repair man


----------



## SharkBike (Apr 15, 2005)

The upper screen was working just fine before I tried to "fix" it. :blush2:

Think I pulled (or broke) the ribbon wiring cable thingy when I tried to get the top part back in place so I could Super Glue it. :bag:


----------



## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

What's wrong with a ball or a book and some colouring crayons? :huh: The most hi-tech game I'd go for at that age is an Etch-a-sketch. :yes:


----------



## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

MarkF said:


> What's wrong with a ball or a book and some colouring crayons? :huh: The most hi-tech game I'd go for at that age is an Etch-a-sketch. :yes:


Or a piece of coal or a hoop and stick?


----------



## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

jasonm said:


> MarkF said:
> 
> 
> > What's wrong with a ball or a book and some colouring crayons? :huh: The most hi-tech game I'd go for at that age is an Etch-a-sketch. :yes:
> ...


I tend to agree with MarkF, even at his early age, a good 8 hours in the garden running around with a football, rain hail or shine won't do any harm. My mother used to throw us out and lock the door so as we couldn't get back in untill she said so :lol: :lol:

Or you'll end up with this :lol: :lol:


----------



## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

jasonm said:


> MarkF said:
> 
> 
> > What's wrong with a ball or a book and some colouring crayons? :huh: The most hi-tech game I'd go for at that age is an Etch-a-sketch. :yes:
> ...


Coal! Now you are talking, I don't remember having any toys till I was about 6 or 7, I just played in the coal bunker. Didn't do me any harm. 

My kids did not have DS's till they were 10, 1 hour per day maximum and they couldn't take them on holidays. They could play Play Station for 1 hour a day, maximum, and then only in winter. I honestly think leccy games and too much TV stunt childrens development.

Do they have any parenting courses where you live Jase? Here's my daughter on her 9th birthday last month, amazing how happy a child can be with just a bit of string and some wooden blocks.


----------



## zed4130 (Jun 25, 2009)

I was lucky as coral has no interest in here DS other than when she goes to bed, and she dont bother with the psp as was more for me than here and i dont use it much, there great if camping of on a long drive as you can watch movies on them as well so still the psp for me :thumbsup:


----------



## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

You needn't worry Mark, he does know how to have fun without electronics...

Here are 'the pant men' at large in the garden recently .....


----------



## wookie (Apr 27, 2009)

SharkBike said:


> The upper screen was working just fine before I tried to "fix" it. :blush2:
> 
> Think I pulled (or broke) the ribbon wiring cable thingy when I tried to get the top part back in place so I could Super Glue it. :bag:


Hi

any chance of a picture of the damage? I may be able to help with how to fix it. It's not that hard to work on ds consoles just a bit fiddly, like watches :wink2: . If all you have done is damage the ribbon cable it's quite staraight forward to fix. it's just a matter of taking it apart in the right order, for a top screen replacement you need to totally disassemble the consoles, re solder the speakers to the new ribbon cable which comes attached to the new screen (they are one unit so you will need a new screen) and then reassemble, the hardest part of putting them back together is passing the ribbon back through the hinge. if on the other hand you have damaged the connector for the ribbon cable on the motherboard I'm afraid there is no easy way to repair that as the multple solder points needed for a new connector are just too small for home soldering, it's best to just look for a smashed screen one on ebay going cheap and remove the motherboard to use in yours as sending it for repair will likely cost even more than a smashed screen one.

all the best

wookie


----------

