Nintendo DS - Omaha,NE

yes the ds is like the old gameboy. my daughter got one when she was 5 and did just fine with it. He is not too young.

A DS is like a Gameboy. My 7 year old son was 3 or 4 when he got his. There are games available that are appropriate for all ages, just look for the rating on the box.

The evolution was game boy, smaller game boy, game boy advanced, DS, DSi, 3DS and I have versions of all of them in my house. :)

I would really suggest the 3DS because you are going to get more life out of it. Every new unit will play the older games but the older devices will not play the newer games.

So pretty much the next iteration will nuke production of the games played on the DS. When it comes out, I don't know, what I do know is they only go back one system. Like I just bought Wii U for my kids, it does not play the game cube games anymore. There is nothing really wrong with their Wii so that isn't an issue and worst case big brother can return the game cube.

S'anyway, 3DS, you will be fine. I am the only person in this house with the knowledge and patience to connect them to the internet. Trust me, no child under the age of 10 can do it.

I would caution against purchasing a used DS , though that does not mean they would all be bad just be cautious on a used one. I bought one for my son from Gamestop and bought their warranty. It did not cover it when the one back button stopped working--2 months later. The DS is pretty cheap now so you might consider getting a new one. The DSi, DSi XL and 3DS all play the same games, though only the 3d will play the 3d games. My niece has the 3D and plays the older DS games. We have a DSi XL we bought used online and it works great. And my kids do know how to get connected to teh internet. But I have parental controls so they are limited.

We got our youngest a DS at 5 since his older siblings had them and he wanted to play too. We also have iPod Touches. Both are played frequently. Difference between the games is that the DS are longer and more in depth (think Mario) and on the iPod they are more causal (think Tetris).

8 is a perfect age to get him a DS. The DSi has a camera so that is always fun to play with.

We got our GD her first Nintendo DS for her 8th birthday. I think it's a perfect age. I did buy it from Game Stop. It has been working fine and providing many hours of entertainment for a couple of years now.

I don't know about it being like a Gameboy - I never had one.

My daughter got a DS for her 5th birthday this past summer, so I certainly don't think almost 8 is too young. She's very careful and takes good care of it, so that hasn't been an issue. Some games are relatively simple and some are more complicated. Right now she can play games that don't require much reading, as she is just starting to learn to read this year, but as she gets older she'll be able to play games with more complex instructions. We got ours at Target - I don't think it matters where you buy it from, so long as you are buying it new.

My daughter has one. She plays it when we go on long rides or saturday morning. They have a ds 3d now but havent gotten it. Gameworks usually sells them some of the games used also. Get a carrying case for the games

My grandson has asked Santa for one each time he has run in to him this season. I have repeatedly told him no honey, I told Santa no.

The main reason is that we just got the kids tablets from Staples. They are awesome and the kids love playing on them.

ALL the games they play are free from the market. We don't have to pay for service on them because it goes wireless with our internet provider, if you don't have internet you can go to a local fast food place and let them download a lot of games then play them at home.

I have repeatedly told him that with a DS each and every game has to be purchased and they are almost each and every one over $20. I can't afford to buy him game cartridges and then him toss them down and lose them.

He has a tablet and he is not going to get a DS. I think it's nuts to buy something that has to have something else bought all the time to provide them with a constant change and getting something that will interest them past the first week.

I truly think those types of games our outdated and in the next year or so you won't even be able to get game cartridges for them. So they'll be obsolete or collectors items that will cost a fortune to get parts or cartridges for.

He is not too young at all, my boys have had theirs since they were 4. They love them.

My daughter got one at about that age, from my MIL.
She hardly uses it.
The games also cost money.
And her's just is not used.

It is not too advanced for that age, I mean even my 6 year old son knows how to use it. It is not complicated.

To me, the iTouch is more fun and you can get free apps for it. But that is an expensive gadget.

Yes, the DS is like the gameboy - a handheld system. We buy a lot of things from Game Stop and have no complaints. You may also consider getting a protective case, if your 8 year old is prone to dropping/throwing/stepping on things. My niece and nephew that were getting the 3DS as their first handheld game system had a bit of difficulty with the 3D games. I have many friends that introduced their kids to handheld video games at 4-5 yo, and they had no trouble playing the 3D games when it came out. So it seems like it might just take some getting used to - but you can always just get regular games until they learn the 3D aspect. There are many games out there suitable for young children.

8 is not too young. I think it's about the perfect age. I disagree with the poster who said it's becoming obsolete. My 13-year-old and his friends still play with theirs. However, my son does not have an ipod, tablet or anything like that, although he has some apps on my iphone. My son isn't ready yet for the responsibility and expense of something like a tablet or ipod touch. One caution--how is your son with observing limits, etc.? If you feel the amount of time he plays might be an issue I would set up time limits and guidelines in advance. One thing I hate about most of the games is that they are designed to be played by levels and if you are in the middle of a level and quit you lose all progress. I have to give warnings such as "time is up as soon as you complete that level." If warnings aren't heeded I have on at least one occassion turned it off in the middle of a level as a natural consequence.

Just so you know, I was at Target yesterday, buying a game for my daughter's Nintendo DS for Christmas. I was informed by the lady working in the electronics department that the Nintendo DS is going to be replaced with the Nintendo 3D--or whatever the name is on the new one. The particular store I went to didn't have the game I wanted (luckily, I found it at a different store), and the lady told me that all of the Nintendo DS games are now considered obsolete; that is, when the games are sold out, that's it. They're all gone. Done.

However, if you buy the Nintendo 3D game box, all of the old games will work on it. And the 3D version comes with the ability to turn off the 3D if you don't want to use it/play in it.

I don't think 8 years old is too young--we bought my daughter's at about that age--but please think about going for the newer, updated version when you buy.

I bought my 6 yr. old one for a Birthday present loves it has many games mostly a BOGO or clearance,we have the regular DS not the 3D or XL it was 99.00 at the time thi week Target has them for 89.00 but ToysRUs has them at 99.00 w/ a gift card.It depends on how well yur child takes care of things I had no problem getting this at age 6

My son got one at age 5 and my daughter got her first at age 7. They both still play with them at 6 and 9. Whether you get it at GameStop or Target, it will be the same (although gamestop does sell used ones for a little less money, they also sell brand new ones too). We get a lot of the games at Gamestop. I always ask for used ones first unless it is a gift. They will also trade their games in when they are done with them and Gamestop will give them a credit towards new games. My 9 yo has asked for an iTouch this Christmas, so we will see if the Nintendo usage goes down now that she has the iTouch.

Santa got my son one last year when he was 7 1/2. He got him the DSi XL. The larger screen is a bit easier to use.

I haven't heard good things about the 3D. Unless it has been improved. I am a teacher and my 6th graders last year told me that the 3D one wasn't that great, and they thought my son would like the regular one with the larger screen better. I figure they know better than I do since I am NOT into that stuff. My son has LOVED it... We also like to rent games from the library for him to try out as well.