Leapster 2 Versus V-smile Cyber Pocket???

Updated on November 17, 2009
D.S. asks from Riverview, FL
9 answers

I would love to hear from you if you have experience with either the Leapster 2 from Leapfrog or Cyber Pocket from V-smile. I am trying to decide what system to get my 3 yr old who loves to play with her brothers DS (she doesn't actually play the games, but has figured out somethings on her own with it). We have the V-smile game for the TV so the same games could be played on the cyber pocket, but I was wondering if she would like (need) the diversity of the leapster?? Please help - black friday is coming up:)

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S.S.

answers from Miami on

My 2 cents is don't get any system for a 3 yr old. This causes brain imbalance. It is not appropriate play for a child. They should be outside doing sensory motor activities! That's how the brain builds, not by doing Leapster and others.

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S.F.

answers from Tampa on

I am the mom of a 3 1/2 yr old boy. I also decided to get him the Leapster 2 for Christmas this year. It is tucked away in his "Santa stash", so I haven't seen him actually play with it yet. I have hear a ton of excellent things about them, though. My son's babysitter has a 9 yr old whom she says still loves hers and she has had a couple different generations over the last several years. I know that some of the games say 4yrs old and up, but what is wrong with challenging your child? My babysitter said you'd be surprised how much they really catch on to. He would get way too bored if it was just colors & ABC's which he already knows. I bought the carrying case and a few games so far. It looks like I should invest in the recharging station, too? I am mostly looking forward to him having it when we go on trips, etc. Yes, I agree that outside activities is the best thing on a regular day, but how is he supposed to keep entertained during a 2hr plane ride or 14hr road trip? Electronic educational gadgets are a sign of the world we live in today. Speaking of, I also bought him the Leap Frog computer keyboard that you hook up to the TV for Christmas to help him get used to finding the keys and using a mouse. We'll see how that goes, too. That is my two cents:).

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E.S.

answers from Tampa on

D.,

I know nothing about the V-Smile Cyber Pocket, however, our son has had his Leapster 2 for over a year now and I cannot begin to tell you how much we all love it! One of the coolest features is that we can track his progress online because you can sync it with your computer. We are huge Leapfrog fans all around. He also has their Tag book system and gets so excited when he gets another reward. He comes running to us asking us to hook it up to see what reward he got. =) Our 15 month old has the Scout Dog that you can program the child's name in. Target has them right now on sale for $15 and there is even a $5 off coupon in their toy dept for them, making them only $10!!! We paid full price! If you know of anyone with a child between 6-36 mons... it's an awesome gift! Good luck on Black Friday!

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S.H.

answers from Tampa on

My 6 year old has had the leapster 2 now for almost 2 years. She wanted a Nintendo DS but she is a "dropper" and all we heard was Nintendo DS were not drop-friendly!

With the exception of Dora and Diego, she has all the current game cartridges and plays with them whenever possible. She loves the Dino game.

She has dropped the game numerous times and it takes it all in stride. It's very kid friendly!

My only "complaint" is there just isn't enough software available. My family wants to be able to purchase games for her, since she plays with it and it has so many educational features, but there just aren't that many new games.

I give it 4 stars out of 5. Good luck!

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J.J.

answers from Tallahassee on

I bought the Leapster 2 for my 4-year-old daughter this year for Christmas (she hasn't received it yet). I got the accessories as well, such as the carrying case and AC adapter, charger, etc. When buying the games I didn't see any that said they were suitable for 3-year-olds; it was all 4 and up, some even excluding 4-year-olds. So, if she is about the be 4, or is fairly advanced for her age, I would go with the Leapster. Otherwise, you may be forced to go the V-Smile route, just so that the games will be age appropriate. I can tell you that we purchased this game system to take my daughters mind off of her big brothers DS and we thought this one was the closest match for that purpose. Also, WalMart has the green ones on sale for $49 and the pink for $59. Good luck.

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S.S.

answers from Daytona Beach on

i got my kids the vsmile pocket thing. i already had the vsmile like you and didn't want to spend the extra money on the new games, etc. i was given the leapster a while ago when my daughter was younger, and it was too hard even for me :). the pad didn't work right and you really had to touch the screen hard w/ the pen to get it to move and then it didn't move the way you wanted it to. the games are basically the same. leapster does have a few brands (ie star wars, olivia, etc) that vsmile doesn't have, but if you go to ebay there are a ton of games for the vsmile that they don't sell in the stores, like care bears, elmo, blues clues, etc. for younger kids. the games are also cheaper i believe for the vsmile

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J.A.

answers from Jacksonville on

We have the v-smile cyber pocket and my daughter loves it. We had the v-smile system and got rid of it because it frustrated her and wasn't so reliable, but so far the cyber pocket has not had any of those issues. The Leapster games are a bit more advanced and may be too difficult for a three year old. I liked that with the cyber pocket there was something on the v-smile games that almost any child could do, and they have games in at least three age/skill ranges.

J.S.

answers from Miami on

Hi D.,

I bought the Leapster 2 for both my children last year (they were 3 1/2 & 5 yrs old) because of the great reviews I read. I love Leapfrog toys as they are durable and educational but best of all they entertain the kids.

My two have had their's for over a year now and they love it. It's great for your 3 yr old because it will teach her and she will think its her very own DS. My two think that its a DS as well ;-). I love the fact that Leapfrog has new games continually and you daughter will have it for at least 4 yrs if you by the carry case! She sill love it and so will you :-)

My kids sit with their's quietly for hours :-)

If you choose to buy it make sure to get rechargable batteries or the charging station.

Hope this helps :-)
~ J.

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

I don't know about the V-smile games.. they came out after my kids were past that stage. But, we had the Leapster L-Max (the follow up to Leapster and precurser to the Leapster 2). It was fantastic. Both kids played it and the game itself and cartridges were very durable. In fact, they both played it until they outgrew it with no problems at all. They loved it and took it in the car constantly. The rechargeable battery pack was a worthy investment, as the game sucked regular batteries like a vampire. But the recharge pack... it would stay charged for entire round-trip road trips in the car (6 hours each way plus while traveling around the week we were at our destination). It was never plugged into the TV to play (though you could).. they just always had it in the car. The games were great too. A big variety is available for all sorts of tastes (boys/girls) and skill/age levels.

Anything Leapfrog has ever put out has been good, at least that we have had experience with. I hope this helps.

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