My dd wants one of these for Christmas, now my ds also says he wants one, I am finding good and bad reviews on it and was wondering if any of your children have one, if so what are the pros and cons in your opinion on this device and would they buy it again? We have decided to spend a certain dollar amount on them each and trying to get some feedback from them and what they seem to want is one of these devices or computer games, any input would be appreciated.

By Cocoabutter on Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 10:56 pm:

My son's friend got a PSP from his parents for his birthday. His mom told me that they are very fragile. If they drop on a hard surface, such as a hardwood floor or cement, then they are history.

My son, OTOH, has a Nintendo DS. I can vouch that it is quite durable. Nintendo has a greater selection of educational and tame games, too.

By Mom2three1968 on Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 11:03 pm:

wow! this is something to think about! Now that you mention it just looking at the picture of one I can see that. Anyone else?

By Unschoolmom on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 07:46 am:

The other advantage to a DS is that they wirelessly connect to each within a certain distance even without any wireless internet connection. Your kids could play head to head over their respective DS's. I'm not sure if the PSP offers that (though it will connect to the internet.

The DS will also play Gameboy Advance games and those are generally half the price of DS games.

With either one make sure you buy the extended warranty. I NEVER buy extended warranties but on our DS I made an exception. They're in the hands of children and usually the extended warranty covers ANY damage, even if your on chucks his DS at your daughter and shatters it!

The range of games availible for the PSP however is more mature and the graphics are better.

By Trina~moderator on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 08:08 am:

My DS also has a Nintendo DS lite. He did his research before purchase and chose it for all the reasons listed above. Both kids play with it, and yes, it's quite durable.

By Hol on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 08:18 am:

I agree with all that has been said. My boys (tho 19 and 20) each have a PSP and a DS. The DS is more durable because it has a cover that closes. You do, however, need a stylus to use it. They usually come three to a package at Game Stop or Walmart, but it is a pain because they are easily lost (even with "boys" as old as mine). LOL! The games are more tame, as has been said. However, it has been our experience that there don't seem to be as many games available for the DS, but you can play the Game Boy games on it.

The PSP does have better graphics, but it doesn't drop well. As has been mentioned, we purchase the extended warranty (we bought our PSP's at Game Stop) for $39.00. It covers everything but loss or theft. There are also an array of protective cases that you can buy for them.

One warning, tho, about the PSP for younger kids...if they are near a WiFi connection, or even a wireless router in the home, they can connect to the internet on it. That makes it harder for parents for monitor internet usage and content, than if they are on a PC where you can watch over their shoulder.

Personally, my poor old eyes cannot see what is on the screen on either unit. It's too small for me. The boys will say "Look at these graphics, Mom", and I can't see what they are looking at. LOL!

My boys are game fanatics. They play a lot when they are not working, but at least they are home, and not out getting into trouble.

One other thing...both boys have a subscription to Game Fly. It is great. It is like Netflix. They rent the movies through the mail. They make a queue of their preferences. After they return one, they get another one from their list. It has saved tons of money because the games are expensive. If they BUY one that is dissappointing, they will only get half price from GameStop if they sell it back. By renting it, you haven't lost much. If they like it, they can buy it used for way cheaper than new. Game Stop sells used games, too.

By Annie2 on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 08:48 am:

My ds has a PSP and loves it. He loves the games that he has and likes to watch movies on it. I bought the warranty for it but the screen is still scratchless after 7 months.

By Kaye on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 09:34 am:

We have both. Let me assure you, neither will really hold up to a hard drop. My youngest son dropped his ds at the base of the stairs, the tops screen brackets broke and it is unusable.

I have heard the psp is more temp sensitive so the screen can crack being left in the car on hot or very cold days.

In general though, I feel like the ds is made for younger kids and the psp more for older kids. My 12 year old bought a used psp at gamestop for 100 dollars. He loves it, but he plays both. The psp games are typically a little more advanced and often rated t or higher. His birthday was just last week, he asked for a new wi game, and two ds games, nothing for the psp.

If it were me I would spend some time in target and have him "put games" on his wish list. Then you can see which one he would get the most use out of.

By Melanie on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 10:32 am:

We have a PSP that the kids really only use on long car rides. I don't have much to add to the above except that yes, the PSP can wirelessly connect to another as the DS can. I agree with Kaye about taking it from the standpoint of which games he finds more appealing rather than just focusing on the unit itself.

By Mom2three1968 on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 10:32 am:

Thank you all for the info, I am pretty sure that my dd who is fifteen will enjoy it if I buy it but my ds who is eleven will be too young for him, as I said before we were going to set a dollar amount for them and try and stick by it and if he should get the psp that won't leave much left in the amount that we set to spend on them. Dd however seems to want only this particular item along with a few games. Hol, thank you for mentioning the gamefly website, I had heard of that before and forgot about it, what a great way to try out games without having to shell out 50.00 for a new game that they may or may not like once they own it! I'll have to purchase the warranty for her and also a case to put it in. I told them that this year we were going to scale back what we buy for each of them because we spend too much for christmas and she said it makes her feel bad each year what she gets for christmas because there are alot of kids that get nothing for christmas and she doesn't need alot. It made me feel so good that she feels that way. I am so proud of her for just recently she and two other girls from church decided to sponsor a little boy from ecquador through world vision, she and the other girls chip in ten dollars a piece per month for him to pay for schooling, housing, medical, and food. As for ds he has requested a few computer games, a wii game, and a gamecube game i think that I will hold off on the psp for him. Thanks again all for the input!

By Hol on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 12:19 pm:

My boys want either a Playstation 3 or an XBox 360. I told them that IF they get it, it will be their ONLY gift to split between them. They are about $500.00.