Console Guide: Leapster
By far the most frequent question I get here at GamerDad is:
“What console should I buy for my kids?”
Should I Buy a Leapster?
Sadly, there’s no easy answer and that’s why one-by-one I’m going to be laying out the pros/cons, value, future, advantages and drawbacks for each of the 10 platforms we cover. Yes, 10. There are 10 gaming platforms. Omitted (because we cover 10 platforms) are platforms like the Leap Pad, V-Smile, Cel Phone games, and other similar platforms not covered by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB). Over the course of the next couple weeks we’ll cover the: Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Dual Screen, Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation Portable, and the Computer (whew!).
Let’s talk about the Leapster.
Parental Controls: No
Overview & Features:
Leap has made a simple and surprisingly rugged handheld just perfect for little hands. The controls are big and responsive, the light pen is well tethered, and the games are big enough to be easy to find.
Drawbacks:
The stylus can break off and even though it’s rugged, the age group it’s aimed at is potentially rougher than it can take. Games break when stepped on and the game selection isn’t very large and isn’t growing at a particularly fast rate.
Kid Factor:
There is no better videogame system in the world for kids under 6. Older than six, the kids will lose interest but this is catnip to those kids just out of the toddler stage and the games are fun and truly educational.
Value & Verdict:
The Leapster packs a lot of gameplay and fun into a relatively small package. The price is right, the games are great and it should be supported for years to come.
April 18th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Haven’t heard of any durability issues. Becca still uses hers and she’ll be 9 next week. I’d say the average 7-8 year old would enjoy it as long as there’s no Gameboy available as an alternative. Abbie borrows it and loves it so much that she’s getting one for her birthday next month (she’ll be 5). I did a bit of research when shopping for Abbie’s and there’s been more than 4 million sold worldwide.
New cartridges don’t come out nearly as often as, say, Gameboy cartridges, but they DO come out fairly regulalry.
However, there’s a Leapster 2 and something called a Didj both coming out this summer from Leapfrog. Both are handhelds, with the Leapster 2 listed as being for ages 4-8 and the Didj for 8-10. Looks like Leapfrog’s splitting the market of the original Leapster.
April 18th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
When i first saw these introduced at an E3 a long time ago, I knew right then they’d be a hit. –Cary
April 19th, 2008 at 5:56 am
I think this system is well worth the money. We bought one for our 5 year old on a whim. It was on sale and we had a 15% coupon, so we thought we’d give it a try. Our daughter really enjoys it and we like the facts that the games have an educational component that works. She has shown skill in areas that haven’t been covered in school, so we know that she has gotten something out of the games.
The lack of games is only a minor concern for me. She can watch ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” six times a week, so I think her tolerence for repetition is fairly high. As long as there is a steady release of games, I am happy.
April 20th, 2008 at 5:56 am
One thing I’d point out is that a large majority of the games are cartoon licenses, so if you e.g. loathe Dora the Explorer with every fiber of your being, it might be hard to find a game that doesn’t feature a character you’re trying not to expose your child to.