Vtech V.Smile TV Learning System
by V.Smile
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Our Price: $41.31 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $14.99 (click here) Category: Toy See more product details |
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Toys and Games Reviews of Vtech V.Smile TV Learning System
Customer Review: It's a good start for teaching children to use game systems
Summary: 3 Stars
The Vsmile is a console game system for young children which includes an adjustable joystick with a writing pad and a microphone, all of which are used in the available games.
Pros:
1. Reinforces learned skills in math, language acquisition, shapes, colors and other basic skills. Please note that the games DO NOT "teach" new skills (at least not very well), they only reinforce learned skills. If you are hoping your child will learn math or reading from these games, that is likely only going to happen if you are helping them. It appears to be expected that the child can already do some of this.
2. Comes with a microphone that allows karaoke with some games - even our 3 year old loves this.
3. Kids enjoy the games. Most of the games feature recognizable characters such as princesses, Dora, Spiderman, etc. I guess this can be good or bad depending upon what you want from games.
4. A fair selection of games available - lots more games available ordering online (most stores only carry a small selection of 15 games or less which can make the selection rather limited if you are discriminate about what you allow your child to play - for example, SpongeBob is not something I let my kids watch so I don't let them have the game either, but I've found that additional titles can be found online).
5. Most VMotion games are compatible with the Vsmile which expands the titles available for VSmile.
Cons:
1. The graphics are terrible and game control is pretty awful - I realize that you aren't paying an extraordinary amount for the machine, but really, couldn't they AT LEAST do as well as the original Nintendo with regards to graphics? The game control issues could be lived with if it wasn't targeted at 3-6 year old kids who, on the younger end of that spectrum, don't have much coordination yet.
2. The games cost a lot. At $20 a game, it can get really expensive to have much of a selection. And if you add into that the fact that some of the games can be played through relatively quickly, it becomes quite expensive to have enough games to keep the kids entertained for long.
3. The games tend to be repetitive and redundant. Much of the length of time required to do the games is achieved by having to do the same things over and over again. My husband thinks that there is a lot of borrowed material between the games - basically that they have you doing the same things - just with a different character which is a bit of a rip off.
4. The games are too difficult for the age range listed on the package. My oldest daughter just turned 5 two weeks ago, is already reading, and is still struggling with parts of the games labeled "4-6 years". Within the same game and on the same skill level, the skill level actually required is vastly different. For example, in the Elmo game, in some parts of the game you really only have to know your letters or your colors to make it through, while in other parts they expect you to be able read a word and figure out something about it. It doesn't get progressively harder as they get more right as the games are not that complex, it's just that either the kid knows it or doesn't which makes it hard to find a suitable game where the child can actually play through the whole thing. Either they will be bored with parts of it or they will find parts to difficult to get through.
5. Many people claim the system wears out really fast. We purchased our Vsmile for our children for Christmas last year, and despite claims that it wears out quickly, we haven't had any trouble with ours as of yet. The system itself does not seem incredibly sturdy to me, so we always watch our kids when they are playing to make sure they are are not being rough with it. It seems like one of those hit or miss things with it working for many people - maybe it's a quality control issue?
Overall, I think this can be a fun system. My oldest daughter (5) really enjoys it while my younger daughter (will be 4 in 3 months) is still not ready to play it. If you are willing to live with the fact that it is sub par even as a child's gaming system, it's still a lot of fun for them at least for a while. I don't regret buying it. I just wish it was better quality.
Customer Review: Poorly made, but it has its moments.
Summary: 3 Stars
My daughter's loved games since she was 2, starting with the Nintendo DS. She'll be 4 in less than 2 months, and she's enjoying a lot of platform games like LittleBigPlanet, Donkey Kong Country and the first couple Super Mario Bros. games. She got the V.Smile system for her birthday earlier this year, but hasn't used it a whole lot. Some of the reasons being that, like other customers have pointed out, the system is selective on working, but also because the games can get a bit boring at times. Usually I don't just list out pros and cons, but that's probably the best way to go about the V.Smile, and I don't want to be one-sided on the product when it does have some positive things about it.
Pros:
-You can switch the joystick around so it can be for left or right handed kids. This is VERY cool of them to do, and something they didn't have to include.
-Big, bright buttons that are easy to remember the locations of.
-It uses game cartridges instead of discs, so you don't have to worry about games being too scratched to play.
-The games we've bought so far are more of the standard platform game while being educational, rather than being a learning tool first, and a fun game second.
-Some games have a 2 player option.
-Surprisingly good audio for a cartridge-based system.
Cons:
-The carts sometimes can't be read, and you have to blow into the bottom of them like the NES days.
-The joystick isn't very stable, and can spin around when you move it, making controlling your character hard at times.
-The controller and system both feel flimsy, and if they drop on any hard surface, they're pretty much toast.
-Sometimes the system doesn't start up, even when the cords are plugged in properly, and the cart is pushed in all the way. You'll get a constant loop of the V.Smile start up screen until you turn it off, then try again.
-A lot of the games are overpriced for the content they provide, and you're better off getting them used.
There might be more pros in my view, but the cons are pretty big ones. Regarding the games being fun or sometimes repetitive, it depends on what you get. Some of the more fun ones that I've seen are the Wow Wow Wubbzy, Go Diego Go and Backyardigans one. Those are great for kids 2-4. There are games that lean more toward the educational side (SpongeBob comes to mind here) rather than being regular games, but kids have to be more familiar with numbers and things like greater than/less than in terms of weight. The V.Smile can be a good purchase, and the price isn't too bad. But some games cost nearly as much as the system, and when it won't work at times, then it's hard to say much in the system's favor. If you have friends or relatives who have one of these, give it a test before deciding on buying one for your kids.
Customer Review: The video resolution kills the deal here. Try LeapFrog's ClickStart first.
Summary: 1 Stars
My 3 year old recently received this as a birthday gift. I was excited for him to try it out as we have already enjoyed LeapFrog's ClickStart (to a limited degree because my son still has trouble figuring out how to manipulate the mouse appropriately) and LeapFrog's Little Leaps computer/TV system (so easy to use!). It was simple to set up and get started. Just plug it in and go, go, go. But I had to turn the awful carnival music off right away. Then I found myself getting more and more irritated because of the 1980s type resolution. We were using this on a 2007 LCD 50 inch screen TV. I'm not sure if that affects how the game looks or not, so I thought I'd include that detail. After 20 minutes, I had to turn it off because it was giving me an awful headache. I grew up playing Intellivision, Atari and the like, plus played Sega and computer games later on. Screen media has never triggered such a reaction! So we made it about 20 minutes or so. What we learned in those 20 minutes? Using the Alphabet park program that comes with the unit, we learned the following: The Learning Adventures section was way above my child's experience level since he doesn't know how to use a joystick or a stylus. He also didn't get the whole Sonic the Hedgehog type jumping and pounding that every game in that area required. The Learning Zone area was more appealing since he knows all his colors, shapes, letters and numbers and is always eager to practice with those concepts. But the equipment got in the way of his play because he couldn't use it yet. So I did the controlling of the joystick and pen while he told me what to select. We did try the sing-a-long part but it seemed like the microphone didn't actually amplify his voice, or mine, so that was a waste, too.
I would have LOVED for this to work out. I was all set to buy the art studio. But it's going back. LeapFrog's ClickStart has much better resolution (a big plus for me) and it gives younger kids a chance to use the keyboard as standard equipment(yes, I know there's an attachment for this, too. If the video quality didn't trigger a headache for me we would have bought that, too). I think we will buy the LeapFrog cartridges we don't have with the money we get taking this back. Also, I second other reviewers about the difficulty in changing cartridges (which could be good or bad, depending on the kid).
Customer Review: Guess they weren't thinking when they made this...
Summary: 3 Stars
People don't always wanna hear the great things so I'm just going to tell you out there in Amazonland what I feel is wrong with this system:
1)Didn't come with batteries or the Adapter
Why they felt the need to not to have a power cord or included the Adapter to begin with is beyond me, especially for something used by children who will forget to turn things off, play with it non-stop, etc. At the very least they could have included some cheap batteries with it, so those opening it on Christmas Day could play with it.
2)Games are mislabeled agewise
Ages 4-6? We like to think that the child who uses this is of at least average intelligence. He knows his colors, letters, numbers, etc. but some of these games were just over his head. Daddy had to show him how to do half the games and many of the activities required "coaching". More like Age 6. And I think some of the things should be explained. In one of the games it had something about odd and even numbers. It should explain what these are and THEN let them play to see if they get it.
3)Games are hard to take out and change
For the 4 year old who wants to switch games constantly it's always, "I want a new game now!!" yelled through the house. They're hard for me and Daddy to take out, more or less a 4 or 5 year old. I used to have a Super NES back in the day - all you had to do was lightly hit a button and it would pop out. Maybe they should try that instead of the yank it out method they have.
4)Sounds ARE garbled, as someone else mentioned
Our 4-year-old kept repeating this phrase and when asked where he heard it and what it meant he said, "I don't know, it's in my game." He repeated it several times and I finally figured it out and told him what it probably was. I thought maybe this was 4-year-old misunderstanding until I sat to watch him play and heard how cruddy the sound is when they are saying stuff.
All that said, he enjoys it and does find it fun. So I guess that's what counts, but some common sense in designing it would be nice too.
Customer Review: Glitches glitches glitches!!
Summary: 1 Stars
I would highly suggest buying something from LeapFrog instead. I purchased a v-smile for my son in June of 2009 and within 2 weeks it was having problems- constantly refusing to turn on, which led to a call to customer service who suggested a hard-reset method which was not in the troubleshooting guide included with the system. It worked, but I had to do this repeatedly for several months. I also purchased an A/C adapter especially made for the unit by Vtech and it would constantly come loose or wouldn't work at all. I went back to spending ridiculous amounts of money on batteries, which seemed to solve its problems for awhile and I(mistakenly) thought we were in the clear. No. I made the huge financial error of buying my son several more games for Christmas, and even purchasing another controller so my daughter could play along with him. Well, the unit broke for good today, with no mistreatment whatsoever. I called customer service immediately only to once again be instructed through the hard reset procedure, which failed, and I was told the unit was defective (really? I hadn't noticed!!) I was told that since I did not have the original receipt or packaging (why would I, after seven months?) I would have to pay to ship the defective unit, insured, back to Vtech and they would then send another product. Once that phone call sunk in, I called again to express how dissatisfied I was and was told that it was just standard procedure. I regret purchasing this toy and everything that goes with it. My son will be without his toy while we wait on another one, which will most likely also be full of "glitches" that will be a constant source of frustration for both of us. I don't recommend this product at all. I will not be purchasing anything from Vtech, ever again.