A family trip in even the fastest, most comfortable sedan can still feel like an exercise in conflict resolution. Every parent knows that the best way to guarantee a peaceful journey is to fully wire the kids. Fortunately, there is some flashy new technology that makes the task easier.

Portable DVD players have been evolving for years, but the new series of 23-centimeter devices from Sony are built beautifully for passing a few hours in the back seat. The FX930, which comes in five different colors, is designed for travel, with a screen that swivels 180 degrees, two headphone jacks, and a battery that Sony says will last six hours ($190; sonystyle.com).

When it comes to gaming, Nintendo hit the jackpot with its flip-open DS system, which sold more than 100 million devices. Now it has released the DSi, which has a touchscreen, two 0.3-megapixel cameras, and a microphone, as well as built-in Wi-Fi. So the kids can download games at home and try to run out the 14-hour battery on the way to Grandma’s house ($170; nintendodsi.com).

But nothing will help if there’s no way to keep the noise down. Klipsch’s Image X10 headphones feature an in-ear design, yet go a long way toward competing with their noise-canceling counterparts, like Bose and Sennheiser. Every pair comes with five sets of customizable ear tips in varying sizes, to suit every member of the family. These provide intense sound and are so comfortable that even after 700 kilometers the kids will still be wearing them. Or maybe fighting over them ($350; klipsch.com).