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I must not be the only one who needs expert advice, so other people can use this thread too, and maybe we can pool our expertises.
I'm thinking my girls might be old enough for some sort of handheld video game type system. (Believe it or not, I actually think ordinary video games might have some educational/developmental benefit for them.) I'm not a gamer, so I don't really know much about these. I glanced at the offerings at Wal-Mart, and wanted to see what people could add (or correct) to my perceptions. I didn't even look at the PSP, because I assume that's outrageously expensive. The Gameboy DS looks too flimsy, and it looks too hard for them to play with. (They have substantial developmental delays.) Do they still make the old Gameboy, or is the Gameboy Advanced the current descendent of that? The Gameboy Advanced also looks kind of flimsy. My girls aren't always careful, and so I worry about them breaking it. The old Gameboy that was just one piece and not hinged seemed sturdier to me, but I didn't see anything like that at Wal-Mart. Then I noticed the price. The Gameboy Advanced was $80, which I can live with, but it seemed like every game for it was around $30. Is that for real?! Those of you with Gameboys pay nearly half again the price of the device for each game you have for it? Do the parents here have these for their kids, and if so, do you buy them games, do your kids buy them themselves, or what? Is there a cheaper source for games? Do you buy used games somewhere? Or did I misunderstand somehow? And, are they old enough for it? The girls are eight, going on nine, but developmentally they are closer to six, going on seven. I think I see kids that young playing. How old are your kids that play?
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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I probably shouldn't even give advice on gifts. I just got my friend's son (son is 4) an 80 dollar remote controlled stealth bomber, and a 20 dollar TONKA Truck with a horse trailer. This is either the most spoiled kid ever or I'm just delusional. I'm almost thinking about keeping the stealth bomber. Kinda neat. I never had one as a kid.
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But now that I have one....I mean, hey, the kid isn't all that good with remote controls. We found that out when we gave him a rc car. But I figure it's pretty safe for him to use, as it is made of foam.
Posts: 2208 | Registered: Feb 2004
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I have both a DS and a Game Boy Advance SP. I think I agree that the DS might be too hard for them. I know my 7-year-old niece was too young to handle games like Animal Crossing with a lot of words you have to read. There are some games that I think they might be able to handle, like Wario Ware or Mario Kart. I haven't really played a lot of DS games, mainly because of expense. I agree about the price of these games. DS games are $40 new I think, so I've only got 4 so far. The DS doesn't really feel flimsy to me. I'd bet that even if I threw on the floor several times it would still play fine, but the hinge is pretty vulnerable.
The Game Boy Advance SP, on the other hand, does feel flimsy to me. Again, the hinge is very vulnerable to being bent too far. You'd have a greater variety of games to choose from compared to the DS, though, and I think a lot of the older Advance games sell for $20 now. If you want a Game Boy system that's just one piece there's the Game Boy Micro. It's $10 cheaper than the SP, but it has a slightly smaller screen.
There's a local used game store around here that I buy games from, so you should check and see if there's one where you are. The Hollywood Video store here has a used games section, but I don't know if they have that in all of their stores. The only problem with buying Game Boy games used it that they almost never come with instruction manuals.
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Can those Game Boy Micros be linked to play against each other? Also, what games do they play? Their own, Game Boy Advanced, older game boy games, either/both?
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Yeah, the DS can play all GBA games. Game Boy Micros can be linked together, but require a special GB Micro cable, not just any GBA cable, and they have to use an adapter to link to a regular GBA or an SP. They're just an update to the GBA system, not an entirely new game system, so they play GBA games. They don't, however, play original Game Boy games or Game Boy Color games (the DS doesn't either).
Posts: 1658 | Registered: Sep 2003
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I own the SP. The flimsiness of the joint is actually outweighed (in my mind) by the protection it offers the screen. The plastic is also surprisably durable, And can take a lot of abuse. Mine has fallen off my bed countless time, and all it has are a few scratches. It plays all of my GB/GBC games as well. It also fits much better in your pocket, and the light is really useful.
I personally dislike the DS, but they do have a large variety of games. They may be a little advanced for your girls, but that depends on how readily they grasp the controls.
Posts: 1594 | Registered: Apr 2006
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quote:Can those Game Boy Micros be linked to play against each other? Also, what games do they play? Their own, Game Boy Advanced, older game boy games, either/both?
I also wanted to point out that (my understanding at least) both units have to have the same game in them and then linked with the cable to be able to play against each other.
My 7 y.o. and my 10 y.o. have had GBA's (the one piece units). I've found less expensive games for them at BJ's, Kohl's, Costco...you can look at those types of places for $12-20 games. My 10 y.o. just upgraded herself to the SP after 5 years of the old one piece GBA but my 7 y.o is still enjoying the old one.
I would recommend getting on Craigslist or EBay and finding the older one piece GBA's for your girls.
AFAIK, all GBA games go backward like Tom said.
Posts: 697 | Registered: Nov 2005
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I wanted to chime in that the the Gameboy Advance SP (the folding one) is actually surprisingly durable, despite the hinge. Yes, it can bend "too far," but it's designed to withstand that. Short of leaving it folded open and then actually attempting to break it, I can't see what you could do to damage the system.
My SP survived a LOT of abuse. It took some cosmetic damage, but outlived many cell phones and portable music players that took a similar beating.
quote:I would recommend getting on Craigslist or EBay and finding the older one piece GBA's for your girls.
This could be very sound advice, because the regular GBA is larger and therefore easier to handle. The big argument in favor of the SP, though, is that it's back-lit. It makes a WORLD of difference.
Then again, the back-lit ability makes it easier for them to sneak playing it when they're supposed to be sleeping (something I would've done as a kid), unless you require that they be put away in the living/your room (something my parents would've done).
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