Customer Reviews

LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet (Green)

5 star:		(161)
4 star:		(87)
3 star:		(50)
2 star:		(31)
1 star:		(45)

 

 

Hi! I am Erin T. and I run a website called theMomBuzz. Recently I received a LeapPad from LeapFrog to review and I am sharing my thoughts here on Amazon.

The LeapPad has a great 5" screen. It is large and bright. I didn't see a way to control the brightness. The screen is larger than the Leapster Explorer Screen, which measures 3.2". The resolution for the LeapPad is 480 x 272. (The Leapster Explorer was 420 x 420.) It is a touch screen. You can use your finger or the supplied stylus. The stylus is magnetic, but it can be harnessed to the device with a supplied cord. An extra stylus is supplied in case one gets broken or lost. That has happened 3 times to us with other Leapsters - so it is great having that extra on hand.

The LeapPad device is white with green accents. There is also a violet option, which is nice for the girls. On the front of the tablet there is a power button, sound down and sound up button, and home button. There is also a large silver button that can be used like a finger control, to move a cursor up, down, left, right or explore other options.

The LeapPad comes with a camera, video recorder and microphone. The camera can take 30,000 pictures and the LeapPad can record 120 minutes of video.

GAMES & ACTIVITIES:

The LeapPad is similar to the Leapster Explorer in what kids can do with it. They can read e-books, play learning games, enhance art and animation skills, listen to and play music, learn writing, watch videos, and do flash cards. It also has a built-in camera and video recorder, while that requires an additional accessory for the Leapster Explorer.

One thing I LOVE about the LeapPad is that it works with other Leapster Explorer Games and Apps! That means if I download an app for my son's Leapster Explorer, I can also upload it onto my other son's LeapPad. And the boys can also share cartridges. And with the LeapPad came a HUGE library of game cartridges and apps to choose from. Most games and apps are extra, though, not included with a LeapPad purchase.

What game(s) do come with your LeapPad purchase?

1. PetPad: Learn to draw letters while teaching a custom pet tricks. Keep your pet healthy and clean with feeding and washing. The Leapster Explorer also comes with PetPad, but with the LeapPad kids can use the microphone to "blow dry" their pet, they shake the device to help their pet JUMP over a pond to pop balloons and they can even tilt the device to move the pet as it follows them onto their home page. You need to connect the LeapPad to your computer to use collected points to purchase food and accessories for the pet. Don't worry - it won't die if you don't do it. But it encourages you as a parent to connect the game to the computer so you can track your child's learning progress.

2. Story Studio: All About Me: The artwork, photos, writing and recordings kids create all culminate in the Story Studio experience. In the Story Studio, kids create their own book that can be uploaded to view in LeapFrog Connect or shared with friends via Facebook or e-mail.

3. Art Studio: I am SO THRILLED that Art Studio was included with the LeapPad. The Leapster Explorer didn't have an included Art Program - so my boys were using the Art Studio from Mr. Pencil or Tangled to get creative. The Leapster 2 DID come with an Art Studio, so I was a little sad when I found out the Leapster Explorer didn't. And whenever a parent asked me what game to get for their new Leapster Explorer, I always said, "Mr. Pencil saves Doodleburg," because it was educational and creative. But with the included Art Studio, it gives me more options for what games we can get next. With the Art Studio the boys use stamps, shapes, pattern brushes, pencils, erasers (all virtual) to create pictures and express their creativity.

4. Camera/ Video Recorder: The LeapPad has a built-in camera and video recorder. My son used it immediately to take a picture of me. And then I used it to take a picture of HIM for his profile. That's when I realized that the camera is low-res. He loves taking photos and videos, but he can tell the difference of quality. But it is good for the purpose and helps keep the cost of the product lower than if it was a higher-res camera. With the camera kids can take pictures and videos and then add fun effects.

Additional games, books and videos have to be added either as an app or with a cartridge. Remember, there is a library of over 100 choices. Additional apps and games are separate reviews on theMomBuzz. Please refer to the bottom of the post to connect you to these other reviews.

WHO TO BUY THIS FOR:

The LeapPad is designed for children 4 to 9. I would actually feel comfortable giving this to an advanced, tech savvy 2 year old. (Parents and grandparents will know who I am talking about! So many toddlers can use a smart phone better than an adult. This is a much better alternative to giving a toddler your precious iPad.)

WHY BUY IT?

Why do I suggest the LeapPad for kids 2 - 6? Well, my sons have owned a Leapster since they were 2 and I feel that the educational games have helped them with their writing, science and match skills. It's a creative outlet. And it's a great way to disguise learning as fun. I know some parents purchase the Nintendo DSis and other handhelds, but we've gotten away without needing to purchase one yet - even though their cousins own those handhelds. My kids have been happy with their Leapsters and the new LeapPad as their handheld and entertainment of choice. And I prefer it to, knowing the games were designed with learning in mind.

Plus, the Leapster Explorer and the LeapPad are great that you can keep challenging them with new apps, they are cross-compatible to take each other's games and the LeapPad remembers your child's progress from game-to-game and book-to-book.

Finally, maybe you are trying to decide between the Leapster Explorer and the LeapPad. Both are EXCELLENT devices. I :heart: them both. But with the LeapPad you are getting the camera/video recorder built in, it has a microphone, it has a larger screen and kids will experience a new way of reading with Ultra eBooks, an interactive cinematic reading experience. (I'll post more about that this week when I review the Cars2 Ultra eBook.)

MORE THAN ONE PLAYER:

The LeapPad does allow for more than one person to sign-on to the game. Only one person can play at a time. But... if my oldest is in school and my youngest wants to play, I can sign-in under his name. So then the LeapPad will know that the younger brother is playing and will adjust the settings to make the games challenging enough for his level of learning.

And I have to say, when I first turned this on (after my 5-year old had been playing for a few hours) I saw that he created a profile for ME. How sweet is that? He had my name, my picture and chose a nice pink background for me. :heart:

RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES:

I am also really excited that this is the first LeapFrog device I own that accepts rechargeable batteries. Previously all the devices stated that peak performance wouldn't occur with those batteries. But that has changed now! And trust me, your kids will be running down the batteries in the beginning as they won't want to go anywhere without the LeapPad.

WHAT IT COMES WITH:

When you purchase the LeapPad, it comes with a CD to get LeapFrog Connect on your computer, a USB cord and an extra stylus.

WHAT YOU MAY WANT TO BUY:

* LeapPad Case to keep it protected when not in use
* LeapPad Gel Skin to protect it when being used
* Headphones so you don't have to listen to the games when traveling or in an office

All accessories can be found at LeapFrog.com.

I really want to like the LeapPad - my kids do, but unfortunately it just misses the mark. I am a second-grade teacher, so hopefully that will lend some credibility to my review in terms of its educational merits.

Here's my breakdown:

Pros:

It seems well built (read: it's not broken yet)

It keeps the kids entertained (but lots of things do)

The books are great, and when a child comes to a word they can't read, they can just click it to have it read to them. (Of course, the books are expensive, small, and locked to this device that will certainly be gone/broken/obsolete in couple years)

The videos are great (and expensive, but more reasonable when compared to educational DVD's). They teach phonics and number sense and are educationally sound.

Cons:

The downloadable games and apps are expensive and don't offer a good value for the price. For example, my daughter downloaded the $7.50 Train game and she beat it in about 20 minutes. When compared to almost anything else (iPad, physical books, educational DVD's, a jump rope, etc) this is just not enough bang for your buck.

The system is incredible slow. The kids don't seem to mind, but I sure notice it.

The system burns through batteries like crazy. It takes 4 AA's and I have had to replace them every few days. This wouldn't be a big deal, except that I don't really let the kids use it all that much.

The Leappad has a built-in virtual pet that you can earn and buy things for. I've never been a fan of having children take care of virtual pets (i.e. watering it, washing it, etc.) And this brings me to another point: unless you are watching closely, there are too many choices your child can make that have no learning involved at all. Ironically, if you are paying such close attention, you should probably just be doing something together with your child as opposed to watching them play this electronic device.

And finally:

The reason that most parents would buy this is for it's games educational value. Unfortunately I just don't see too much of it here. For example, there is a math dice game where the kids roll three dice and try to make the biggest number they can with it. This is a classic game that we use in the classroom. In the classroom game, the child is supposed to place each dice in the 1's, 10's, and 100's places in order to create the biggest number (while learning place value). In the Leappad version, there isn't even a mention of the place value (which is the whole point of the game). Instead the child just rolls the dice, places them from biggest to smallest AND THEN the computer turns that into a number i.e. 662 without explaining what's happening and the game continues. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is in essence teaching the child that 6 + 6 + 2 = 662, which of course is not true (and it reinforces a common mistake that children make).

Another example:

On the Alphabet Stew game, children are supposed to find words on a grid (Boggle-style). There is a list of words (i.e. 'can') that the kids must find, but strangely when the child taps the three letters on the grid to spell the word, it doesn't even say the word out loud. So they spell the word, but don't learn what word they're spelling. It's things like this that make me question who they hired to make these aps.

In conclusion:
I wouldn't recommend this product as a learning device unless you plan on only purchasing the books and videos. That being said, you could get books and videos without this device. BUT, If you want something to keep your kids busy in small intervals, this might do the trick.

I read a lot of reviews on this toy before I bought it. I read all the good , bad and in-between.. Since the majority is great we bought it for our 3 yrs old daughter. Verdict- SHE LOVES IT. She loves my husbands Ipod touch yet we don't like that it has access to the web. Which is why I say this is SAFE! Our daughter can get educational information and I don't have to worry about her pressing a button that can lead to something that she doesn't need to see. I don't understand the negative reviews. Yes set up is slow but what do you expect for a hundred dollar computer that has 2mb? I think a lot of people are use to an ipad and you simply can't compare the two. Yes you can get a refurbished ipad for cheap but you have to make sure your TODDLER and young child does not go somewhere inappropriate; and let's face it they can easily break an ipad. This has fallen down a couple stairs and survived! I wouldn't try that on the ipod; ever! The apps are no more expensive than most other educational games out there. Yes angry birds is cheaper and so are others like it but when I wanted to get a Disney app for the ipod it cost 6 bucks. It was not educational and nothing in value compared to the tangled game we bought. Another bad review is set up; I agree with the long wait but it wasn't unbearable. If you don't have 1-3 hours then re-think this toy or maybe your busy life because those little 3 hours don't matter or measure up to the fun my daughter and many other kids have with this toy. The other problem people report is faulty device when it comes to set up. Honestly seems more human error than toy. Many that couldn't get it to work report later they did something like restart the computer and it worked fine. Out of the hundreds of reviews I read I think I only found 5 true faulty ones. For me, the set up was very easy just a little long but at the same time it takes a couple hours for my ipod to charge its battery so I don't see the big deal about a couple hours for an actual set up for this leap pad. You can buy an adapter to keep the toy going because you will run out of battery life a lot. I found just like the much other reviews that rechargeable batteries are the best (make sure to have charged back ups). Get a protector for the screen because it can scratch like any other tablet. I don't think it's overpriced nor do I think the games are seeing as how they last a lot longer and have more things to do than the apps on itunes. I think there is a lot of high expectations from some when in reality it is a durable, child's toy that is safe and educational and for a hundred dollars it's a great deal. My friend's little boy has the vtech and it's doesn't even compare. If you truly got a faulty one Amazon takes it back. That's their guarantee. The game comes with a couple apps that satisfies children for awhile. My daughter didn't even touch the tangled game we bought until about a week later. She can't put this leap pad down and I truly think it's a wonderful toy. The camera isn't the greatest but 1) we didn't buy it for that and 2) I didn't think a tablet that is like an ipad for kids and toddlers would have the quality picture of a camera that is worth more than the tablet alone. I'm more realistic I guess. I'm not trying to be harsh but I strongly support buying this for young kids and toddlers because it's safe, durable, fun, easy concept and I think a decent price for all you get. I found a decent amount of games, yes there could be more but it's still new and I think the choices will grow soon.

Length:: 3:07 Mins

Watch our video review to see how intuitively a 7-year old boy (my son, Kou) plays with the LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer -- after only one day of use!

My son carried the LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer with him everywhere. In our video, you will see that fingerprints cover the 5-inch color touch screen. We had already switched out the first set of AA batteries. (I recommend you purchase rechargeable batteries because this tablet doesn't come with a rechargeable dock.)

This learning tablet comes with a built-in camera and video recorder that feeds his artistic side, while offering access to educational books, games, videos, and apps. What the LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer lacks in processor speed and screen size it more than makes up for in durability. Designed for children ages 4 to 9, the tablet has smooth edges, easy-touch buttons and an intuitive design that made it easier for my son to pick it up and use without having to run through a tutorial.

LeapFrog sent this tablet free as part of Amazon's Vine program. The LeapPad Explorer came loaded with:

* PetPad - an interactive app that allows your child to care for a pet;
* Story Studio: All About Me - an artistic app that allows your child to create their own book that can be shared via Facebook or email;
* Art Studio - an artistic app that puts all of the brushes, paints and art tools you'd expect to find in a well-stocked art class;
* Disney-Pixar Cars 2 - Referred to as an "UltraBook" it is an interactive e-book that allows your child to highlight the text and read along with the narration;
* Roly Poly Picnic - This game uses the tablet's motion sensors, so that your child has to tilt and steer the tablet to play;
* Letter Factory - An animated video that features LeapPad's own characters, Leap, Lily and Tad;

We also purchased the LeapFrog Explorer Learning Game Star Wars: The Clone Wars, not knowing the tablet would come pre-loaded with apps for the review. My son is a Star Wars fan, so it was a good purchase even though the amount of math learning he gets out of the cartridge game is negligible. (My son starts second grade next week and already has a good handle on basic fractions. However, you won't find many kids his age complaining about reinforcing math lessons with a light saber.)

In summary, the LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer is an excellent device for children, the younger the better. It may be designed for ages 4 to 9 but my oldest son (who turns 9 next October) wasn't nearly as interested as his younger brother, who celebrated his seventh birthday last May).

While licensed cartridge games like Cars and Star Wars might initially attract your child to using the LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer, there's a lot more fun and creativity to be had with LeapFrog's own art apps.

The LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer is a perfect fit. My son enjoys exploring the wide variety of apps and artistic tools available at his fingertips; he hasn't taken the tablet out of his hands since it left the box. He has made three videos and built a library of photos that he retouches using the many art tools available.

As a parent, I wish the tablet came with a charging station. Replacing AA batteries every 8-12 hours is an expensive and cumbersome process. LeapFrog recommends using rechargeable batteries but a recharging dock would be even better.

The LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer immediately boosted youngest son's self-confidence. In a household where his older brother plays on a hand-me-down laptop and his parents own smartphones, he was looking for a special device of his own. Now, he's found it: the LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer.

Rating: Four and half stars

Unfortunately, I did not get a free (pre-loaded) LeapPad to review, and I admit my review might be a perfect score if I had. Instead, I bought this LeapPad for an almost-four year old's Christmas gift, and to save you from blinking in confusion, yes it is only September. I know it sounds pretty presumptive to review a kid's toy before giving it to a kid, but let's be real here, the kid has fun playing with the menu screen of my Nintendo DS. It's his first 'device', and he has very limited access to our tablets, video games, and computers, so at this point he'd be happy if it only came with the camera.

This is more a review for what comes out of the box, the installation it takes, and what you end handing to your child.

First of all, let me just say, buy this device well before you need it - from reviews and comments online, it looks like there might be one or two duds floating around. If you're a bit of a last minute shopper, make sure to open the box up and complete set up before revealing it to a child. I opened up the box from the bottom using open-scissors to slit the tape and to tug down the bottom flap, and with a bit of careful cajoling the box looks brand new when resealed. Kids probably aren't going to have the patience for you to do the lengthy set up. So do you own pre-loading and save yourself a headache come birthday/Christmas.

And that set up is, well, a bit of a pain. It's not that it is DIFFICULT (plug it in and click ok a couple of times, basically), it's that it is FINICKY. Setting up the actual tablet with the kiddo's name and level wasn't difficult, neither was installing Leapfrog connect, but getting the tablet and the application to talk to each other was a bit of an eye-roller. The computer itself recognized the tablet immediately, installed the software quickly, and was fine. The Leapfrog Connect program, on the other hand, sort of half-recognized the tablet -- it understood who I registered it for and that I had purchased a Leapfrog Tablet, but couldn't really speak with it otherwise. When I went to sync it, it informed me that it needed to update, and bam, the tablet disconnected itself, and the Leapfrog Connect program crashed. It did this about three or four times in a row, before eventually suggesting it might be because of my Firewall. Rather than go through the hassle of screwing with my firewall settings, I just disabled it temporarily. The LeapPad worked immediately. It's a bit of a pain and I shouldn't have to do this, but for parents who are tearing out their hair, just turn the firewall off for two minutes when syncing. It's probably the easiest thing to do, and i turned it right back on as soon as it was done.

After that small headache, the tablet is still pretty adorable. The resolution isn't perfect nor is the processing speed the greatest, but it's almost a hundred cheaper than a Nintendo 3DS (and the most expensive games for this are STILL cheaper). Unlike others, I certainly didn't expect it to perform like an Android tablet, and think he'll be fine with the slight delay. He'll like it. It takes pictures, it plays video, it reads books, it plays games, it's bright and colourful with instructions at every step and it's age-appropriate and will most likely engage him.

It doesn't come with very much content, if I hadn't downloaded a book as my free app then he wouldn't have one. It comes with a little virtual pet that hangs out on the 'desktop/menu', and who you can click to customize and play games with. This pet is the only 'game' your device comes with. Of course, there is also the built-in camera and video camera, and that will keep them amused. Your downloads include an art program and a story that kids can customize. I'll probably end up buying and installing an app before Christmas time, so he has something to sit down and *play* with.

It does *not* have the advertised hundreds of games unless you're counting back comparability with older Leapster models, which I don't. The United States has about 47 available books/games/videos/etc, about 1/4th of those are 'character' games and books. If you're outside of the US, (I am) you have less since from what I can see the Disney/Pixar/Nick content is not available. Alas, those are all the fancy ultra books, and his surrogate e-reader only has four books to buy. I'm /hoping/ this will change in the future, but I'm trying to figure out the whole VPN backdoor approach so that will most likely grant me access to the US content.

tl:dr edition;
- Preload the device yourself, the box can be resealed to give as a gift.
- Save the headache during installation, TEMPORARILY take down your firewall.
- Content cost lies somewhere between apps and actual video games
- You're gonna wanna buy something else immediately, but it has enough for an afternoon or week.
- Some limited content outside of the US and 'big' countries, but definitely still functional.

UPDATE:
For those located outside of the United States, like myself, there are two ways to successfully get US-content such as Diego ebooks or Spongebob games on your LeapPad.

A) Using a US credit card with a US-based address, change the country in the App Center part of Leapfrog Connect to the United States. This will display all available US games, ebooks, ultra ebooks, and videos. Buy them online using your US credit card, ensuring that the country is set to the United States the whole time.

or (the one I used)

B) Buy a LeapFrog App Center Download Card (works with LeapPad & Leapster Explorer) from a US-seller (yes, cards sold through Amazon themselves work) or an American relative. In the Leapfrog Connect program, go to the App Center, click 'Redeem Code'. Now, if you see a drop down menu that says 'Country', that's not what you want - instead, click the little green 'i' on the bottom left of the screen. Select 'United States' in the new pop-up menu. The entire screen should reload and show you the content for the United States, including all those lovely Disney and Nickelodeon characters. Click 'Redeem Code' again, login, now it should ask you to pick a state - I'm partial to New York, but I suppose any would do. It should redeem your code successfully, and allow you to purchase anything from the United States store without any issues using your card balance.

Keep in mind: Every time I click 'App Center', it reverts me to being outside of the United States. It's no biggie, you can change it using the steps above as much as you like. Also, if I redeem a US card, and I've been 'reset' to being outside of the US - it tells me my account balance is zero no matter how much I just added. No fear, though, because as soon as I switch it to the United States again, it shows the correct card balance.

I hope that helps some users!

My family bought this toy as a surprise birthday present for my younger brother. However, I think he found his new pair of pants more exciting. Out of the box, before setup, it's useless. How would your child feel if he clicked on the "My Books" button and saw no books on the shelf? After setup, it's not much better (we still have no books...). In our experience we have had many good products from LeapFrog, but this is not one of them.

Long Setup Process
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The setup process required a Ph.D. and a computer scientist about 45 minutes of pain. In fact, we encountered errors in the software when we first installed it. We had to reconfigure our firewall for no aparent reason. The actual syncing/updating process took about 20 minutes. The software is for Windows and Mac only; open source users are out-of-luck.

Slow Speed
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The pad is sluggish. If you push a button you will have to wait for a second or two before the next screen loads, at least. The software that you install on the computer is just as bad. This does not even slightly compare to any tablets recently on the market.

Extras start at $10
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No games/books come pre-installed. You can only get one for free. After that, it's $10 for each game/book, at the minimum. That means if you want 100 games, you're out $1000. There are also no books pre-installed either. That means unless you buy more this is worthless. How much did an iPad cost again? The iPad and iPod Touch (which is not that much smaller than this product) come with plenty of free games available.

Fraudulent Reviews
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It seems that many of the 5-star reviews are written by people who were given Leappad Explorer with games pre-installed. I quote Jared Castle who wrote "We also purchased the LeapFrog Explorer Learning Game Star Wars: The Clone Wars, not knowing the tablet would come pre-loaded with apps for the review." These reviewers did not have to fuss with installing the software or paying for them. This provides them with a fundamentally different experience with the product. Perhaps for $100 this would be a decent product if it came with games and books, but it does not.

Also, beware of reviews outside of this site. NPR says that this is an iPad for kids. In our experience, this is just not true.

Poor Packaging
(difficult to return)
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The packaging was difficult to open, and was designed to be torn. This makes it almost impossible to return. You can say goodbye to your $100+shipping now.

Go to Zoolert.com or nowinstock.net, they send you alerts when a website has them available. I got an alert a few mins. ago saying Amazon.com had them in stock and sure enough, they did and for 99.99. DOn't buy from these ridiculous people who are selling them for more than double. Wait it out. I spent two days on these two free websites (zoolert and nowinstock) and I finally bought mine (through FAO Shwarz)when I got an alert. NOw it seems Amazon is sold out and has another order coming in on Dec. 1st, you can pre-order right now. WIthout these alert websites, there's no way I would have been able to buy one, being that as soon as they go on sale, they sell out.

I read a lot of reviews for the LeapFrog Leap Pad and it looked like a great product for the most part. I ordered it 3 weeks before my Grand daughters birthday, to make sure we had it in time. It came on time, and it looks great. I wanted to get it all ready so when she opened it on her birthday, it would be all programed for her and ready to play with. Huge Problem: I tried for over 5 hours to get the programs installed, called tech support, did everything I was told, called back, did what I was told, I tried over and over and it would only download part of what it needs to work. My computer isn't the problem, I believe I ended up with a faulty device. Tech support emailed me a diagnostic tool to see what the problem is with the new Leap Pad. Still waiting to hear from them and her birthday is this weekend. I'm not happy at all, we have this really cool Leap Pad and download card I purchased so she can download other applications and now I don't know what to do for her birthday. Spend another $100+ and buy another one in town and hope that one works??? I really want this to work, it looks like so much fun. Their customer service is awful.

I love this LeapPad. My kids love it and it is VERY educational for even young kids. I have a 6, 4, and 2 year old. They all like it a lot, but the 2 and 4 year think it is the best toy EVER.

After just a few weeks, my 4-year is taking pictures and editing photos like an Adobe Pro! Her handwriting is now better than her older sister's because she spent days and days just tracing letters in the Pet Pals app (and my kids usually hate doing handwriting worksheets, so what a great alternative).

My 2-year old (who loves trains) eventually solved every level of Jewel Train (so did his sisters, but it blew my mind when he did it). And thanks to the Letter Factory, he walks around town pointing out letters of the alphabet and saying their sounds! YEAH! And his hands seem stronger from holding the stylus, such that he can finally sit and scribble/draw for a long time.

My only complaint is battery life -- you should definitely plan to use rechargeable batteries. And my 2-year old goes through those Pet Pad treats really fast. I don't want to log in every day to get more, so I make him wait.

I would recommend this to anyone! I think Kindergartens should use these in the classroom, the improvement in my kids was that notable.

My son loves his new LeapPad, this is great because all the games are learning games and pretty fun too. The ONLY real problem is that we have had to put new batteries in every TWO days. I read another review before purchasing where someone said they had to put new batteries in within two days and i just assumed that was an estimate and there would be no way that a brand new product would need them in two days.... I was wrong, we have owned this for four days and are on our 3rd set of double AA batteries. My son has been playing for a few hours a day, this is going to get really expensive, I am going to have to figure something out!