Games & gear: What portable gaming system is best for a 9 year old boy?
What portable gaming system is best for a 9 year old boy?
by nancy6388 - 11/6/07 1:32 PMI'm comfused. I am looking for a portable gaming system for my 9 year old son. He needs help with math (addition & subtraction) and spelling but wants to play fun video games. I have looked at the Leapster L-Max and its games are educational but I'm concerned that he may be too old for it. I can't find the age guidelines for the DS Lite, Game Boy Advanced, or PSP. Do they offer educational games? He is not experienced with video games. What system and games would you recommend?
If you ask me
by Jimmy Greystone - 11/6/07 2:53 PM In reply to: What portable gaming system is best for a 9 year old boy? by nancy6388If you ask me, I would have to say either Nintendo's GameBoy Advance (GBA) or DS. I have seen some educational type games for the PSP, but most of those are also out for the GBA and/or DS. Non-educational games will be, by and large, far more suitable in content on the GBA or DS compared to the PSP however. Nintendo has a large number of fun games that don't rely on a violent premise.
You also shouldn't discount PC games, where I suspect you'll have a much easier time finding educational games. There are also likely to be plenty of board games. Something like Scrabble can go a long ways to building someone's vocabulary and spelling abilities.
Reading books is another thing you should be encouraging in your son. It can be just about any kind of book, so long as it was professionally edited. It will improve his spelling, grammar, vocabulary, attention span, and several other cognitive functions. As I recall, around your son's age, I was big into Hardy Boys books. Just as a possible starting point in your search. If he likes them, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of books in that line he could read.
DS
by not2worried - 11/7/07 10:22 AM In reply to: What portable gaming system is best for a 9 year old boy? by nancy6388DS...
Simple as that..
A nice selection of games...
Its really for all ages.
My Buddy (32) has one and enjoys it!
Best for anyone (Especially a 9 year old boy)
by piook - 11/9/07 8:17 PM In reply to: What portable gaming system is best for a 9 year old boy? by nancy6388In my experience the Nintendo DS Lite is by far the best portable system around. Not only does it have the ability to play the games made for the DS but also for the Gameboy Advance. Many of the games available are educational but are still fun. Because educational games do no good whatsoever if they cannot hold the childs interest.
Now I will say that at the age of 28 I love mine, but so does my 11 year old step-son as well as my 8 and 9 year old nephews. The really great thing is there are so many games that I can play with my son (each with our own DS Lite) but even more amazing is that my sister (someone who has never been what I would call a gamer)loves to play some of the games with my nephews. For a long time Nintendogs was their favorite, but now I think that it is Brain Age 2.
Any way you slice it the Nintendo DS offers enough for gamers of all ages. And it is quite durable too. So your 9 year old can beat it up a bit (as 9 year olds are apt to do) and it will still be usable. Plus Nintendo has the best Warranty among all the Video Game Hardware manufacturers.
Trust me, your 9 year old will love it.
PSP
by Baroness loraca - 11/10/07 2:10 PM In reply to: Best for anyone (Especially a 9 year old boy) by piookI have an 11 year old, and he and his friends love the PSP. The graphics are superior to the DS. One of his freinds had the DS and when he saw the smooth pictures and graphics of the PSP he asked his parent to buy him the PSP, they did. In my son's class they all have PSP's. The best!
for a young child
by cnd36 - 11/11/07 4:55 PM In reply to: PSP by Baroness loracaI would stick with something like the game boy advance the psp has better graphics an all but is he ready for the it?
What portable gaming system is best for a 9 year old boy?
by JK-8 - 11/16/07 3:30 AM In reply to: What portable gaming system is best for a 9 year old boy? by nancy6388PSP
It has better graphics, more games (shooting in particular) and a ton of role-playing games. Also, it plays movies...
Nintendo DS
Lame graphics, annoying touchscreen, and it DOESN'T play movies.
get the PSP
Are you kidding
by Jimmy Greystone - 11/16/07 8:32 AM In reply to: What portable gaming system is best for a 9 year old boy? by JK-8Are you kidding? The PSP has barely ANY RPGs, most of those are pretty bland and feel unfinished. Virtually all PSP games are poorly done ports of PS2 games. The DS also uses cartridges instead of a proprietary DVD format, so you'll get much better battery life.
Let's also not forget here that the question was about the better system for a 9 year old, not a teenager, not a young adult, but a 9 year old. The DS is going to have a lot of simple, but still fun, games for it. It also has back compatibility with the GBA, so you have an even more extensive catalog of potential games. The PSP is mostly half-baked PS2 ports, with only a few notable exceptions, but most of those are likely unsuitable for a 9 year old. Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness comes to mind. Not only is the game a bit complex and involved for someone so young, there are a lot of mature themes. Nintendo really is the undisputed master of making games for pre-teen kids.
Everyone keep in mind that I am asking about a 9 year old!
by nancy6388 - 11/16/07 2:06 PM In reply to: Are you kidding by Jimmy GreystoneThank you for reminding everyone that the gaming system will be used by a 9 year old. I'm sure all the systems are great for teens & adults but my son will not be getting any Teen, Mature, role playing, or violent games. I'm mostly interested in educational games. Has anyone looked at or bought the Leapster L-Max? How would it compare with the DS-Lite as far as educational games? I know the graphics won't compare but it's the content of the games that I'm most interested in.
Well what do you want?
by MJM573 - 11/24/07 10:46 PM In reply to: Everyone keep in mind that I am asking about a 9 year old! by nancy6388Well the truth it depends on what you want the 9 year old to do?
A PSP is out of the question as its not really meant for children under 13. It has great games, graphics and is cool but it has some violent games. Also movie and music uploading doesn't really seem like something a 9 year old would care too much about and if you have a wireless network at home your son can go online and you won't really be able to stop it. If they really want a media device like that, get them an iPod or one of the many media devices on the market that you deem appropriate.
A Leapster's sole purpose is to educate while at the same time entertain. So hands down it will have the most educational video games out of any handheld system you can buy. In your son's age range it has a tiny library of games that are based on various things such as Disney's The Incredibles or School House Rock. I don't know your son so I don't know what he could possibly like. But it seems as if the Leapster's game library specifically for his age group is tiny.
A DS is a great system for kids as it can provide some games that are educational (i.e. Big Brain Academy, Brain Age) and games that are just for fun that are appropriate for children of your sons age group (i.e. Chibi-Robo, Cooking Mama). It also has Wi-Fi capability but is strictly limited for playing only. The DS has a drawback in the fact that it doesn't that many educational games and some of these games are marketed as educational but really aren't. So make sure what you are purchasing is something you want your son to learn from.
So what do I reccomend?
-If you want your son's gaming experience to provide ONLY education, the Leapster is your device but remember it doesn't have that many games for his age range and very few outside of his age range when he grows out of certain games.
-If you're looking for something that your son can learn from but use more than just as an educational tool then the DS is your device. Remember, while there are educational games they aren't the crux of the device. But overal in my opinion the DS is a better choice with a more fun game library that includes titles your son can learn from and other titles he can play for sheer fun that are age appropriate.
Good luck and enjoy!
I would recommend the DS
by Dochjm - 7/8/08 5:01 PM In reply to: Well what do you want? by MJM573The DS is probably better for a 9 year old. For anyone 12+, I would recommend the PSP for its great graphics and features. The PSP dominates the DS in several types of games(Shooters, RPGs, Racing), but for educational games the DS is better. It has more potential for educational games because it has a touch screen.
What do you have against RPGs?
DS
by TechieEnthusiast - 7/16/08 10:00 AM In reply to: What portable gaming system is best for a 9 year old boy? by nancy6388I would say go with the DS you are going to get more games for that age which will be more entertaining. I personally have a psp and love it for how diverse it is with everything I need to do but for games and keeping him occupied I would say the DS would be a better choice, lol maybe look into getting a psp for yourself 
Get a ds
by zakeytech - 8/16/08 8:27 PM In reply to: What portable gaming system is best for a 9 year old boy? by nancy6388Get a ds because you can get brain academy.Brain academy deals with
math,spelling and more.
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