Help

[mycats]

I really cant decide whether to get my son a psp or a DS Lite for Christmas. Can anyone help me decide? What do you have? What has the best games/features etc?

[loukr]

how old is your son?? I'd suggest the ds, only because I find the games more enjoyable, however the PSP has better graphics and a more manly range of games..!!

[Booldawg]

The PSP is basically a minaturised Playstation 2, the games come on a mini-disc and the DS games are cartridge based. I'd say the PSP is more poweful a games machine than the DS hence the larger price tag. The DS seems more popular amongst the younger game players maybe because they are smaller and cheaper, hence being a more viable present?

[missjef]

hi mycats, about a month ago i got the Psp which to be honest is good if you are really into your gaming & want to play games similar to PS2 games.. it also gives you the ability to put music & photos on to it, & also videos (god knows how though!!) - it does have better graphics & if you have wireless internet you can browse the internet like you can at home HOWEVER everything to do with the PSP is really expensive, you need a memory card, the games are really expensive too.

A few days ago i got a Ds lite & i prefer that more, the games on it are more aimed at a younger generation but they are more simple, the graphics arent as good.. and theres the downside that you cant put music and photo's on to it either.. but you dont need to spend your money on a memory card, and the games are cheaper.

it does depend how old your son is, & what kind of games he likes to play? because if he likes playing on games like Grand Theft Auto & such like it would probably be best to go for the PSP.. but it is a bit of a rip off considering i dont think you get any built in memory and things.

hope this helps, let us know how old your son is & what games he likes and maybe we can help a bit better.

[mycats]

Thanks folks, he is 10 but he loves GTA, Max Payne etc (and no I dont want lectures from people about those games being to old for him thank you lol)
I really dont have a lot of money though, is the psp and its accessories really expensive?

[loukr]

have a look in your local game station, you can buy anything pre-owned from there so they knock the price down, it sounds like your son would prefer a psp so have a look on websites like ebay or amazon for used or discounted games to see how much you'll be paying per game (obviously you won't be getting him 2nd hand gear for xmas... lol) but for after. when it first came out I seem to remember the games ranging from �30-�40 but now the PS3 is out soon I think the price will drop.

If your son likes games like GTA and Max Payne then I'd strongly suggest not to get him a DS.

[missjef]

hi again mycats, it does seem that the psp will be best for him, but this is the more expensive option im afraid, the psp comes in white, black or pink (but dont think he'll be wanting this colour!!) and you can get packs from argos..
this is a starter kit is �179.99 for the psp, one �19.99 game & an accessory it -
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumb er/5680607.htm
(however i should point out that this doesnt include a memory card).

this is just a PSP & 1gb memory card for �259.99 :
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/ProductpartNumbe r 5681565.htm

games are around �34.99 for new games for the psp.
Lou mentions above that prices for games will go down due to the PS3 coming out, and this is true yet the release date for that has been put back & back so its not going to be out here till sometime in the new year.

it is the pricier option but it seems like this is the better choice for him.

[missjef]

just for comparison here some links to nintendo ds lite packs:
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumb er/5681857.htm
you can a ds lite for just under �100 with an accessory pack & 1 game with it (i think this is the offer), and you dont need a memory card for the DS.

http://www.game.co.uk/search.aspx?ref=advsearc h
heres a search for ds games so you can have a look through and see if theres any games you think he might like.

[missjef]

just one more thing.. you can also play gameboy advance games on the ds too.

[mycats]

WOW thank you for going to all that trouble missjef!
thanks everyone.

[missjef]

dont worry about it mycats, have you decided which you are going to get?

[mycats]

not really lol The PSP sounds great but very expensive for all the accessories

[dogfish]

I have got a DS, i'm 8 and I would recommend it. It has more choices of games and it can play your old Game Boy games on it

[mycats]

Thank you dogfish

[Andy_G]

My son is 7 and has a DS, and really enjoys games like big brain academy and Mario. He also enjoys playing my Xbox 360. They both focus on two different areas of gaming, like the DS & PSP with different target audiences.

I'm not a big fan of the PSP as a lot of the games seem to be old PS2 games.

If your son has got a PS2 then I don�t see much point really in getting a PSP. Don't get me wrong their very cool but not worth the money yet.

If he likes Nintendo type games then your ok, if he likes more realistic game like GTA & Max pain then you've got a hard choice to make.

[mycats]

To be honest he fancies the doctor thingys brain training one and he loves Nintendogs so I think I am gonna go with the DS Lite, thanks for all the advice folks