[rogerxp]

Bit of pre-Christmas advice please guys. My Daughter (6) got an Innotab 2 last Christmas, I've been really disappointed with it frankly (slow/not great range of games), and she's always talked about a 'DS' so am thinking about upgrading this Christmas but not sure what to get.

I thought the new 2DS might be good, at £100, but now I've looked into it a bit I'm thinking the 3DS XL makes sense due to the bigger screen (not sure she'll be bothered about the 3D thing). Then again, the 3DS XL is £180 (£150 on Amazon), so with a handful of games it's not the cheapest that leads me to...

...an iPad Mini (the older non-retina one) which is £250. OK, it's more expensive, but there's a stack load of free games or a ruck load more costing loads less than Nintendo's games.

Before a bit of surfing this evening I was thinking iPad all the way but now I'm swaying to 3DS XL. Might be because I was a huge Nintendo fan as a boy and seeing all the old faces (Mario, etc) again is bringing pangs of nostalgia.

Anyone got much experience with the 3DS and general comments about the comparison between the two quite different machines.

Thanks.

[Giff]

Nexus 7, my 7 yr old loves his. Far more versatile than a DS and thousands of free games.
£150 too.

[davyk31]

The problem with any DS is the price of games. A tablet where game apps are free or a few pennies are much better.

An android tab will be cheaper than an iPad mini and just as good. I went through all the research for my kids earlier this year and chose a samsung galaxy 7" tablet, cost about 130 from memory and its fantastic. Kids can use it easily and download free things from google play easily. I have it password protected so they can't spend any money without me authorising.

I looked at all the tablets like nexus, kindle fire etc but chose the samsung for one reason, it has a rear camera which the others don't so they can take pics and make videos. There are new tabs available from Tesco and Argos, l don't know if they have rear camera or not

[RagingKileak]

I come to this thread owning an iPad, a Nexus 7, a 3DS XL (just sold my 3DS) a Vita, and the mind of an eleven year old.

Here's my view.... iPads are pointless, overpriced shit compared to the Nexus. They are so limited and so expensive, so chuck that thought down the shitter.

Next, the Nexus 7. I use mine most days - it's extremely versatile. There ARE games available which kids up to about 6-8 (bit of a guess) might enjoy, but make no mistake, they are all simplistic cut the rope type shite.

The 3DS is actually quite large and uncomfortable for me to hold Rog, but the 2DS is a VERY good budget option. You mentioned price, so I thought I'd let you know that from next week Argos are doing a 2DS+ 2 games for £99 which might be worth a look.

As for the games, I think this might be a BIT lost on your 6 year old just now, but you do get what you pay for. The DS line up is VASTLY superior to any of the simplistic shite on a Necus, but will she really care? Only you can say.

If she were 12, I'd immediately say 2DS. Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, Pokemon, Nintendogs, Mario, Zelda, Luigi's Mansion etc and that's without even considering the excellent multiplayer capability.

As she is 6.... Maybe buy her a Nexus and in a year or 2 when she wants Mario or whatever, buy the 2DS then for £60 and retire the Nexus to the coffee table for family use.

Oh and one last thing... Nintendo games do NOT devalue in the current gen market. Mario Kart 7 was £30 new 3 years ago and still is now... Used copies are £25, so don't worry about that too much as it's a safe investment.

Matt

[biscuits]

I have a 5yr old daughter and she plays on my iPad Mini more than her DSi. The games are very educational and as long as you avoid the advert-laced games I don't think there's a better platform really. Will grow with her and there will always be a wealth of games, videos, apps.

[rogerxp]

iPad it is then LOL

Thanks guys for those extremely helpful comments. Much appreciated.

[rogerxp]

So, maybe 3DS XL for me, and Nexus for my Daughter - result!

[The_Bear_Yid]

Just to add even though you've made you're decision:

I remember hearing that the 3DS causes some people headaches. Also Nintendo just seem to refuse to bring anything out new creativity outside of Japan it seems. Just tweaked Mario games over and over.

My DS has been a dust collector for so many years now. Last used on holiday two years ago.

Also a tablet will be educational, can watch videos on etc etc. I have an iPad but do hear a lot of good things about the Nexus.

[davyk31]

Don't agree that the tablet games are basic, far from it. Whatever game you want is there!

[gangzoom]

FIFA
Real racing 3
Baldurs gate
XCOM; enemy unknown
GTA
SimCity
The Sims
Street Fighter
StarWars: knights of the old republic
Call of duty (though for me FPS still don't work well enough with touch controls)

Just a few examples of some games you might have heard of that works quite well on a tablet...Personally I cannot see why you would pick to play games on the tiny screen of a DS when tablets proved you with a much bigger screen real estate.

Getting use to touch/gyro controls takes time but I really cannot see why anyone buys handheld consoles any more, not when most tablet games (even big name titles) cost £5-6 max, compared to £20-30 for counsoles.

[davyk31]

As above, Real Racing 3 is far from a basic game and its free.

[gIzzE]

3DS is an amazing machine, I have played that more than any other console over the last year, Xbox 360 has been in the loft for 18 months, PS3 has only seen fighters and football and it has all been 3DS and Wii U.

I just can't stand games on the iPad, I hate using the ipad as the controller.

However, my 5 year old son plays on the iPad all the time, yet he can't get to grips with the 3DS. He is just starting to, so in a year when he is 6 he might get it more?



But the games on the 3DS are just gems, and they tend to have an innocence to them which is what I want from games that you struggle to get on xbox and ps3 or iPad etc.

I love the XL form factor too, much better than the regular screen size as far as I am concerned, but a kid probably won't mind either.

[m@rk]

At the risk of kicking off a very different discussion you don't want to be buying the 3DS for your kids.

There is a wave of research that now shows that the 3D technologies used in devices like this as well as the 3D TVs that are taking over many living rooms is causing problems with the development of childrens eyes as they grow.

There is a real concern that children exposed to this sort of technology on a regular basis (the research suggests less than an hour a day but most days) will grow up with significant eyesight problems as they enter adulthood that cannot be fixed properly using traditional spectacles.

The research is ongoing but tests so far are pretty compelling. Certainly enough for me to avoid subjecting my family to it and to want to speak out like this

[gIzzE]

You can turn the 3D off in the menu.

3D is for chavs anyway.

[RagingKileak]

Without starting a massive debate, I agree with Guy, with a touch of my own added charm.

The 3DS isn't the best selling console on the planet for no reason. The games are absolutely leagues ahead of those on tablets, other handhelds and in many cases, a lot of home console games.

Gangzoom, you're right that there are many games on tablets with big names. I would counter that argument on the basis that most are shitty ports which are often unplayable with touchscreens - not to mention that a lot of them are basically pay-to-play if you want to 'unlock' anything decent (Real Racing 3 is a huge offender for this.)

Tablets are good for very slow RPG's and turn based stuff only, even then I still find some games (KOTOR and Baldurs Gate are good examples) a bit compromised.

Matt

[mowflow]

Based on my nieces who are 10, 7 and 3 i'd go for a Nexus or similar. I'd write the iPad off for the same reason as Matt so eloquently put. They are over priced shite (I hate mine with a passion).

Reason I'd get a Nexus over the 3DS.
Eldest niece had a DS but passed it down to middle niece when she got an iPad for her christmas 2 years back. Middle niece want's a tablet this year so DS will be passed down again.

It's not a 3DS but watching how they use these things girls aren't like boys. They don't stay into games as long and by the time they are about 8 they aren't interested in playing games (go into any game shop in town and look about, you won't see ANY girls over 10 years old). They will play crap like Candy crush, angry birds etc until the cows come home but they are far more interested in looking at pictures of Justin beiber and listening to Gangnam style (or whatever the current music trend is) and reading teenie mags than they are games.

I guess the 3DS can do all this but you are paying for it's gaming capability and i would figure that in a year or so she won't be interested in that side of things. She'll want a tablet like all her friends. The opposite won't happen if you get her a tablet now (she'll just want a new tablet next year).

[RagingKileak]

Originally Posted by mowflow

Based on my nieces who are 10, 7 and 3 i'd go for a Nexus or similar. I'd write the iPad off for the same reason as Matt so eloquently put. They are over priced shite (I hate mine with a passion).

Reason I'd get a Nexus over the 3DS.
Eldest niece had a DS but passed it down to middle niece when she got an iPad for her christmas 2 years back. Middle niece want's a tablet this year so DS will be passed down again.

It's not a 3DS but watching how they use these things girls aren't like boys. They don't stay into games as long and by the time they are about 8 they aren't interested in playing games (go into any game shop in town and look about, you won't see ANY girls over 10 years old). They will play crap like Candy crush, angry birds etc until the cows come home but they are far more interested in looking at pictures of Justin beiber and listening to Gangnam style (or whatever the current music trend is) and reading teenie mags than they are games.

I guess the 3DS can do all this but you are paying for it's gaming capability and i would figure that in a year or so she won't be interested in that side of things. She'll want a tablet like all her friends. The opposite won't happen if you get her a tablet now (she'll just want a new tablet next year).

True story.

Matt