4 year old DS wants a playstation?

swizzle_2

My older boy was never interested in such a thing, they do both play games on the computer, but that means i can never get on! I do limit them to an hour a day and it`s not every day-phases.

One thing that puts me off if the high cost of games £35 a pop.

What about a gameboy? Do you think that is a better option?

Thanks

Ps if he does get one of these things, what do you think is fair? Is an hour a day max about right?

aeuerby

It is possible to get some games whether it is play station or game boy cheaper than the RRP. If I'm after games I always go to ebay first having checked the price of them new at somewhere like Amazon first. You only get bargains if you know what price games (or anything else) are first.

If there are no bargains to be had then I shop around. The new games are the most expensive but the longer they have been out in general the cheaper they get. I managed to get a brand new pokemon fire red game from Tesco.com for £12.49 (£25 ish everywhere else)

As to which console to get, it will come down to personal preference. I believe the game boy consoles may be slightly cheaper than the play station. Game boy's are of course portable and do help relieve boredom on long journeys.

My children have both a game boy (daughter just about to get a nintendo DS for her birthday next week) and xbox.

Hope that helps
Angela.

IClaudius

hi...
ooh the slippery slide downwards :rotfl:

I know exactly why you are worried.

We had exactly the same thing 2 years ago with our then 4 year old twins.


In the end we decided on a gameboy advance each. I get my games from ebay as they are cheaper

I limit my kids to weekends only now as they became an unbelievable obsession. But they are so handy when you take kids out to restaurants, appointments or anywhere else that they usually run around or get incredibly bored.
That's the advantage of a gameboy - its portability.

We also have a 13 year old who has a ps2 so my younger son inherited his old ps1. (he now has his own ps2)

He really loved that too, but on balance, I would say go for a gameboy, just because it's compact and portable.

Trust me..there'll be plenty of time for fixed consoles once he gets to teen years :eek:

black-saturn

Maybe a Playstation 1 would be better. You can pick them up cheaply from second hand shops or ebay and the games are much cheaper too.

A gameboy is good for portable gaming like if your on a long journey to keep them amused.

Playstation 2 is OK but there arn't many games which are suitable for young children IMO. The games all seem to be about violence or fast cars.

Sarahsaver

I would say no. Picture your child a bit older when they wont talk to you because they are at a 'crucial' point in their game and it takes over their sleep, social life and health.
May sound extreme but I know from experience with an ex h who is EX partly because of excessive pc gaming, and he was taking his 5 year old son (my stepson) down the same path with him too.
DS1 has an old gameboy color from ebay which he got for xmas and he was delighted, ds2 is getting the same for his 5th birthday.
If they play a game on my pc I set my phone alarm to 15 minutes each, they should not be in front of a screen so long.I purposely bought them outdoorsy toys for their first few birthdays - a tunnel, slide, trike, scooter, bike and suchlike.
The gameboys were about £20 each and the latest one i got had 7 games with it, and a case and other accessories.

Rikki

Personally I think buying a play station for a 4 year old is far to young. As Sarah says once you start, it takes over. While he is young play board games , lego and run around in the freash air. There is plenty of time before you need to teach him to be anti social and sit infront of a screen. Let him stay younger for longer.

My youngest is now 11 and I set the time he is allowed on the computer and X-Box.

urbanlegend11

What about a gamecube?They are phasing them out now so you can pick them up with a game or 2 for about £40 and then buy cheap second hand games on ebay.There are alot more games for younger children and also multiplay games where the whole family can get involved.As with all things these cosoles are ok in moderation and can actually bring the family together for some fun.

black-saturn

I know what you mean about going downhill as soon as they get a games console. Someone gave my daughters their old PS1 when they upgraded to a PS2 and all their games. They were stuck in their bedroom for ages playing on it and only came downstairs for meals!! I bought a gameboy advance from a charity shop to help keep them amused on a long journey we were going on and I've bought about 4 games for it from ebay.

The novelty soon wore off though.

IClaudius

I know what you mean about the novelty wearing off.

As for not allowing them to have one (earlier poster)I think consoles are like anything. tv, sweets etc..it's up to us as parents to control how much exposure our children get to things. If we limit their time playing, then this sort of activity can be seen as a treat.

just because kids have consoles doesn't mean they don't get physical activity.
We have a trampoline in the garden (best money we've ever spent by the way) and we can't get this kids off it in the warmer weather.

I think there is a place for everything in moderation

bestpud

IClaudius wrote:

I know what you mean about the novelty wearing off.

As for not allowing them to have one (earlier poster)I think consoles are like anything. tv, sweets etc..it's up to us as parents to control how much exposure our children get to things. If we limit their time playing, then this sort of activity can be seen as a treat.

just because kids have consoles doesn't mean they don't get physical activity.
We have a trampoline in the garden (best money we've ever spent by the way) and we can't get this kids off it in the warmer weather.

I think there is a place for everything in moderation

I agree, it's not the game console that is the problem, it's how and when you let him use it. Of course they'll play them for hours if allowed, the games are designed to keep you playing, but you're the parent and have the ultimate say in how he uses it.

Personally I don't think it's helpful to ban all things our children want, as it just makes them want it more, especially if they feel left out amongst their peers. I'm not saying I agree with giving in to everything because of peer pressure, but that it doesn't do children any harm to learn that some things need to be used in moderation.

Second hand games are definitely cheaper and shops such as Game and Gamestation allow them to trade in old games.

Hope you manage to reach a decision you're both happy with

Helen

Little_John

Buying the older consoles is a good way of saving money, the downside is that the number of new games being released on it will die off as the next generation is released. If you are to buy an older one go for the PS2 as it is compatible with all the old PS1 games and there are loads of PS1 and PS2 games. you can also get a PS2 modified which could save lots of money on games.

I have had 3 gameboys over the years the older ones not advanced/SP they were brilliant and I still play tetris on it. I now have a PSP and they are good and possibly would be a better buy than a gameboy the gameboy advantage is the simplicity of the machine very few buttons and the games are more child freindly but kids seem to pick things like this up really quickly.

The other thing you should think about is that the PS3 is on its way as is the nintendo revolution and buying the older consoles again may not be a good idea as the games may dry up and you will be pestered for the PS3 becasue gran turismo 5 is available.

The portable machines would be better as he can play it in the same room you are in and you could police his use of it better. and it will keep him quiet on long journeys.

Ok I confused myself with all this and I wouldnt know what to buy. buy him some lego