The first Nintendo to enter the house was in fact mine, I got it for Christmas from husband when the girls were about 6 months. It came with the game Brain Training and I whimsically could see myself playing a game or two whilst the girls slept. Needless to say I hardly ever used it as when I did sit down I was too exhausted. However once the girls came to console age, we invested in a Nintendo Peppa Pig game to see if they enjoyed it.
They LOVED it and it was the cause of many arguments and our first step into ‘sharing toys nicely’.
We bought a second one to avoid any disharmony and they played happily whilst we invested in new games every now and then.
Then Netmums asked us if we’d like to review the Nintendo 2DS….
The Nintendo 2DS arrived on our doorstep on the same Friday we were leaving for a weekend on the Costa Brava, I unpacked them and started charging straight away knowing they would come in very handy for the long airport transfers and as in-flight entertainment. Being used to the Nintendo DS Lite I noticed the console was now flat (as in it doesn’t fold and pack away) and the two screens are one above the other.
Netmums sent us pink consoles much to the delight of my very pink-loving twins and with them we were sent a few games, New Super Mario Bros 2, Pokemon Art Academy and Phonics fun with Biff, Chip and Kipper vol 3 here’s how we got on.
Nintendo 2DS console
Ours are pink but available in other colours, light and easy to handle for small hands. It slopes down from top to bottom and has two screens, the top one for playing the bottom one for interacting with the stylus. In addition to the YXAB buttons and the cross button there is also a ‘joystick’ button above the cross.
There is a sleep slider that allows you to not turn off completely but to save the battery whilst you eat, go out, do homework and so on and a volume control to turn down the music.
There is also a slot for an SD card and by holding the two buttons together (L& R) at the top of the console the camera switches on and you can take photos which are recorded to the SD card.
Playing with the Nintendo 2DS
There is no learning here, the girls switched the devices on and they were off. They learnt very quickly to work their way around the various controls and once they got the hang of it they would spend huge amounts of time playing the various games.
Fortunately all the old games we have can be played on the new consoles too so they have enjoyed playing with some old favourites, even Peppa Pig got a look in.
Games on the console
Mii characters, Nintendo asked us to make a Mii character, I am happy to report the girls enjoyed this bit so much they made their entire class into Miis.
StreetPass
This is a game you can play with your Mii characters and the girls have had a lot of fun reading the speech between two characters and unlocking gifts which then are used in the game.
Super Mario Bros 2
They LOVED this game, I am always the one who has to walk over and say right swap with your sister now or that’s enough for today. It took them minutes to work it out and once they had mastered the game there was no stopping them. It is the game they run in from school and want to put on, it’s the game they wake up in the morning and want to play, which is great because after years I finally get to watch the news in the morning!
Phonics Fun with Biff, Chip and Kipper
It goes without saying that this game has been less played against the other two. It is also a game which requires a parent too which is often difficult as when they are playing I am usually doing something else, preparing breakfast, tea or other tasks. Another thing I have to say is when I do sit down with the girls it’s normally to do their school reading, Mathletics ( a computer aid for learning maths) and other school homework so finding time for Biff Chip and Kipper is a struggle especially when I’m up against Super Mario Bros. However this does look like a very helpful game to assist children to read and write with confidence. The age is 4 – 7 and this game would have been of enormous value in Reception year but now the girl’s reading is more advanced than the start of the game so they lose interest quickly. I have to see if there is a way of jumping directly to Level 5, 5M and 6 so they discover the books to read.
Pokemon Art Academy
Another super hit with the twins. A great game which basically teaches you to draw with step by step lessons as you ‘draw’ the various Pokemon characters. The girls can save their artwork and then use it in the Miiverse too. My next step will be to prove to them that they can draw using the same techniques on paper.
Nintendo eShop
Once you have set your Nintendo 2DS up to the home WiFi you can access the Nintendo eShop and download games directly which can be saved onto an SD card too.
We were sent a £10 code and asked to download a game. We went for The Legend of Zelda (£5.39) A search of objects and completion of challenges to help Link return home after he was shipwrecked. The longest bit of this process was me deciding which game to buy as we are new to this, once my mind had been made up it was a very swift process and I left the console to download for a few minutes, when I came back the new game was ready for playing.
Parental controls
These can be found in System settings (it took me a few goes to work that out;) and I have now set the controls that won’t allow the girls on to the nintendo eShop to buy what ever they want when they want. I’ve restricted friends through the internet and I’ve set a certificate of 7 years for them for downloads coming from Nintendo. There is a lower setting for Age 3 and I’m not sure if it’s a bit early for the 7, time will tell.
Activity log
Interesting. By checking in the activity log I can see how many steps each child has taken, how many titles have been played and click on a software library which tells me each game broken down into times played, for what amount of time and an average. This could come in very handy when you need to argue about screen time as the child can see exactly how much they’ve been using it.
Verdict
I love the Nintendo 2DS and so do the girls. I like that they can use the old games we had on it and I like the way we can download other games from the internet very easily. My only downside and this is most likely to having younger players is looking for the stylus every time. As it cannot be attached to the console it often gets dropped on the floor or worse still forgotten and lost, under the sofa, in the bed, at the bottom of a bag.
This has been a review for Netmums, other bloggers are taking part and some are reviewing the Nintendo 3DS.
Actually Mummy has reviewed the Nintendo 3DS
Northern Mum has reviewed the Nintendo 3DS
I am a member of the Netmums Blogging Network, a unique community of parent bloggers from around the UK who have been handpicked by the Netmums team to review products and brands on their behalf. I may have been paid expenses, and have been supplied with a product sample for this review, but retain all editorial control. All my Netmums Reviews will display the Netmums logo within the post.
This is a Netmum’s sponsored review.To find out more click the button:
