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Is a gameboy too much for a 5 y/o boy?


mjmcca

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No, I don't think it is. In my opinion, the Gamecube *might* be a better bet though because there will be less chance of him being able to break it.

I was thinking along those same lines. Also you can have multiple players.

 

Not as easy to lose, break or get stolen as a portable Nintendo GBA is.

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I have 4, 6 and 12 year old boys. The older two have the GB. But my 4 yo tries to play it any chance he gets. I am buying him one for Christmas. I like the GB because you can take it with you. It makes road trips so much better. Even the Doctor office is quieter. They have games that are appropriate for the younger kids also. But I don't think you will go wrong with either one. My boys also have the Leapster and V-Smile.
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No, I don't think it is. In my opinion, the Gamecube *might* be a better bet though because there will be less chance of him being able to break it.

He has leapster Vsmile pocket ( just got that for his beirthday) and pixter and so far none of them is broken.
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I was thinking along those same lines. Also you can have multiple players.

 

Not as easy to lose, break or get stolen as a portable Nintendo GBA is.

I am only going to let him use it if i am around. He cant take it to school for example. I am pretty used to watching that he and his younger sister don't lose things when we go someplace. I have taken the systems he currently have on vacation with me and so far we have only lost 1 of the games.

 

He is 5 Ross

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I am only going to let him use it if i am around. He cant take it to school for example. I am pretty used to watching that he and his younger sister don't lose things when we go someplace. I have taken the systems he currently have on vacation with me and so far we have only lost 1 of the games.

 

He is 5 Ross

How is he on long car trips?

 

I still think the GameCube would be a good idea and with additional controllers his sister and/or parents can play along.

 

If you decide to go with a GameCube, look for a holiday bundle like this (note: that deal is from 2004).

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I am still not sure wht to get my Ds for Christmas. He loves videogames and has a keapster and Vsmile and plays them a lot. I am unsure if i should try and get a gameboy or gamecube for him this christmas. Any input?

My oldest dd is going to be 5 next month. She plays not only gameboy, but xbox(not as well) and on the computer.
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How is he on long car trips?

 

I still think the GameCube would be a good idea and with additional controllers his sister and/or parents can play along.

 

If you decide to go with a GameCube, look for a holiday bundle like this (note: that deal is from 2004).

We often take long car trips they ahve drivent to FL from NY 5 times in the past 18 months. They are ususally good because they know that a visit with Micky Mouse is the payoff. On my list if the DVD player with 2 screens because i desperately need one because of our propensity for long drives. On the last few trips i have the leapster and pixter so that kept them occupied. If i get a good enopugh price i may be able to do both a portable system and a home system. My question really was is he too young for this type of game. I went for the Vsmile and leapster and pixter last year because i felt he was too young for a real game system.
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I'd say skip it.

 

If you do want some kind of gaming system, go with the either the handheld Leap- or the Vsmile handheld. Or you can go with the InteracTV, or Vsmile.

 

If you want an actual gaming system, go for the GameCube. It's inexpensive as far as consoles go, has a lot of choices for younger audiences, and withstands damage lol (G4/TechTV tested the PS2, Xbox, and GC for durability... put them through a ton of tests in which they were abused, and the GC held up to almost all of the tests... it still worked in the end as well lol).

 

The GBA SP is a good choice for younger, and older kids, but I think 5 may be too young. The little boy I babysit for (will be 7 in December) just got his sister's old SP (she bought one of the new brighter screen ones). I looked it over not long after, and the screen was all scratched up and I could actually pull part of the screen off. Your son may treat his stuff different, but most boys tend to be rougher on toys/electronics/etc. Either way, a lot of titles that kids would like based on the game box covers require reading.

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I'd say skip it.

 

If you do want some kind of gaming system, go with the either the handheld Leap- or the Vsmile handheld. Or you can go with the InteracTV, or Vsmile.

 

If you want an actual gaming system, go for the GameCube. It's inexpensive as far as consoles go, has a lot of choices for younger audiences, and withstands damage lol (G4/TechTV tested the PS2, Xbox, and GC for durability... put them through a ton of tests in which they were abused, and the GC held up to almost all of the tests... it still worked in the end as well lol).

 

The GBA SP is a good choice for younger, and older kids, but I think 5 may be too young. The little boy I babysit for (will be 7 in December) just got his sister's old SP (she bought one of the new brighter screen ones). I looked it over not long after, and the screen was all scratched up and I could actually pull part of the screen off. Your son may treat his stuff different, but most boys tend to be rougher on toys/electronics/etc. Either way, a lot of titles that kids would like based on the game box covers require reading.

That's the problem he has Leapster and Vsmile already so i need to find something for him this year.
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My son got his First Game Boy at 4 Game boy color at 5 and Game boy SP at 5 we never had any problem with him playing,losing, or taking to school. We go no where with out it. I have to admit he is good with it and using it. This year at 6 he is getting a PS2 system as his older brother moved into a room of his own and took it with him and wont play with his brother Older brother 15 so he will get his own
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My question really was is he too young for this type of game. I went for the Vsmile and leapster and pixter last year because i felt he was too young for a real game system.

I did the same thing last year. I bought my 6 y/o son the GB SP, but I bought my 4 y/o the Leapster. Then they got the VSmile together, but my 12 y/o got the PS2. My 4 y/o plays the Leapster, but prefers the GB SP. This year he will get the GB SP. Then all three boys preferred the PS2. Looking back, I should have just bought them all the GB SP and the PS2 as a joint gift. Would have saved my money and a lot of fighting between the boys.

 

From experience, I think you son will be okay with either choice.

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I got my DS a GameBoy when he was 5 and he loved it! We started with a GameBoy color and moved up to the GB SP.

 

The GB SP's are very durable and hard to break. When my DS first got his GB SP he washed it with his clothes! My son couldn't understand why it wasn't working anymore and thought it was defective. He thought if he took it back to the store and told them what happened they would replace it! :lolrun: That didn't happen. Long story short, it sat on his dresser for about 4 months and one day I turned it on and it worked! It's been working fine since then and that was about two years ago.

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I got my DS a GameBoy when he was 5 and he loved it! We started with a GameBoy color and moved up to the GB SP.

 

The GB SP's are very durable and hard to break. When my DS first got his GB SP he washed it with his clothes! My son couldn't understand why it wasn't working anymore and thought it was defective. He thought if he took it back to the store and told them what happened they would replace it! :lolrun: That didn't happen. Long story short, it sat on his dresser for about 4 months and one day I turned it on and it worked! It's been working fine since then and that was about two years ago.

I remember when they first came out, some magazine did a test to see how durable they were. It was flushed down tiolets, stomped on, etc. Theyare pretty tough!
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I bought my kids the gameboy SP this year during the Memorial Day sale. My son was 3 years old at that time and he loves it. I even found used Elmo's ABC & 123 games for him. I bought them all the SP since we went on a long trip during the summer.
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They are really pretty tough and the battery feature can't be beat! My five year old has had her's for awhile and still loves it! Also can be played with or without the charger plugged in. I can get her used games at places like gamestop and she's a happy camper...
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Get the Gameboy SP, its alittle cheaper in price so if it does get dropped there isn't as much of an investment as the DS which start at $129. The SP is on BF special for $48, but probably will be on sale through the holiday season somewhere in that price. There are alot of games for the younger kids like Dora, Bob, Spongebob and many others, make sure you get the "E" games, I find them all the time at Target on Clearance for less than $10. They also have Disney characters. I think a 5 year old would enjoy it.
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