Nintendo DS

corsica

Sorry if this is wrong place to post. Am totally clueless about games/gaming. My 5yo wants a Nintendo DS for his birthday. Gamestop have second-hand ones for €79 & €99 (bigger screen). Can anyone tell me if this is a good deal and can he play all games on it?

RedXIV

For a 5yr old i'd say get €79 one. It would be the older of the two but the only difference between the two is screen size which shouldn't bother a child.

The console I'm assuming you're getting offered is the DSlite, NOT the DSi.

If you think of it as a generation thing it went:
DSLite -> DSi -> DSXL (big screen) -> 3DS

Basically the later you go in the generation, the more games you have available, in particular, the 3DS has games designed to run in 3D which will not work on earlier models. There is still a catalogue of a couple of thousand for the original model so start with that and see how he gets on.

Games that work on any platform will have this banner along the the left hand side



Ones that won't include:


Note the '3' in the banner for '3DS'

corsica

Thanks! He loves Mario and wants Mario Kart. Are second hand ones generally ok?

RedXIV

To be honest, they can bit hit and miss I've found. I bought one for the the wee lad and it was basically broken. but I went back into gamestop and they changed it on the spot for me.

That one has been going strong for 2 years now

Are you getting any games with the €79 deal?

corsica

1 Half-price game - I dont know whether that was a second hand game or not. About €20 extra I guess?

RedXIV

Might be worth shopping around then, thats basically 100 quid for a DS and a game, and I've seen bundles on adverts.ie with 5 games for that price.

Games are going for as little as €3 on adverts so if you can get the DS with one decent game somewhere, I'd do that and then start looking at boosting his games collection online.

delly

The DSlite is a pretty solid machine if looked after. I picked one up last year for my 3 year old on adverts.ie for €60 and it was pristine.

As a long time gamer myself, it was a proud fatherly moment and she has been going strong ever since. We started off with basic games like Peppa Pig and progressed to Mario Bros and Mario Kart, achieving first places with ease :cool:.

corsica

Cool. I want to be able to bring it back and change it if there are any problems so will probably go with gamestop. The DSlite sounds like the right option at the moment. He's already been playing playstation2 & wii (his sisters) for a while - and while he can't get past some of the levels, he's pretty good (considering he can't read yet!).

Jelle1880

I got my second hand one (25 years Mario special edition, woop woop) in Gamestop and am very happy with it.
Battery is like new, screen is still looking good,...

I think most stores will let you test it first to see if anything doesn't work.

corsica

Jelle1880 wrote: »

I got my second hand one (25 years Mario special edition, woop woop) in Gamestop and am very happy with it.
Battery is like new, screen is still looking good,...

I think most stores will let you test it first to see if anything doesn't work.

Thats the problem I wouldnt know if it was working well etc - apart from actual screen coming on, I wouldnt know what else to look for. Anyway, good feedback so far so am happy enough. Thanks:)

RedXIV

corsica wrote: »

Thats the problem I wouldnt know if it was working well etc - apart from actual screen coming on, I wouldnt know what else to look for. Anyway, good feedback so far so am happy enough. Thanks:)

That would be the major issue anyway, that the screen would suddenly die so you would notice that, the only other things I ever had issues with was the hinges of the screen and the spring for the cartridge ejector. All of these to be honest should be spotted within seconds by the staff so don't be worried once you ask them for a quick look

Retr0gamer

Check that the screen isn't scratched to bits when you buy one.

jaykhunter

Don't get a 3DS, especially since your child is under 6. But developing eyesight and focus isn't something I'd take a chance on. A 2nd hand DSLite will do the trick. You don't need the awful camera or the bulky big DSXL; as Retro says make sure to check the screens, that's the main thing

Jelle1880

corsica wrote: »

Thats the problem I wouldnt know if it was working well etc - apart from actual screen coming on, I wouldnt know what else to look for. Anyway, good feedback so far so am happy enough. Thanks:)

Basically all you need to check is the screen.
Ask them to turn it on and check a game (Or even the start-up screen when there's no game inside), it should be clear if there's damage or not.
Also, as said before, the hinges.
Open it a few times and close it, see if it's not broken there.

Now, I do notice that Gamespot take great care of second hand consoles, be it the DS, the 360, PS3, Wii,...

The only thing you won't be able to check is the battery life.

Sticky_Fingers

While not directed at the OP since they seem to be decided on the DSlite anyone considering a DS XL 2nd hand make sure to have a look at the top screen, earlier models (like the one I bought ) have a slight yellowy tinge to them.

Not a major problem but still something to watch out for.