Customer Reviews

LeapFrog Leapster Learning Game System - Pink

5 star:		(112)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Some of the other reviewer didn't like the new smaller screen, but it didn't seem to bother my child & I liked it because I could use screen protectors meant for the PSP (you just have to trim some of the length)to save the screen from smudges and scratches.
If you are trying to decide between this and the L-Max, I'd save your money for extra games and buy the Leapster - all the L-max games work perfectly fine on the regular leapster and the tv functions of the L-max really aren't all that great (it's strength is still as a hand-held system). And it your leapster is the new sleeker model the battery pack in the back takes the l-max charger not the leapster charger.
If you are trying to decide between this and v-smile, get the Leapster - the v-smile seems tempting because the games are cheaper, but their software isn't very original, it's educational, but the different titles just seem to repeat -as if they pasted the different characters into the same game senarios. The leapster games are alot richer (for example in the spongebob game when the user has to count coins if they don't have the correct amount they can hit a button to "make change" from a larger coin, v-smile games don't give you that kind of flexibility in the game play) and they feel more like games (the sidescrolling worlds in Numbers on the Loose has zero jumping and rolling and bouncing that is enough like nintendo type games to let them feel they are playing and not just learning) & the tutorials/helps are very good at explaining what the user needs to do to complete the task.
When we first bought our Leapster we took it out of the box carefully and tested it when our child wasn't around so we could take it back if we didn't like it - but we were pleasantly pleased & if you are looking for educational gaming that will grow with your kids (or can go with your kids, if you are out and about much) you'll love this too. If you buy this be sure to invest in a charger or simply some rechargeable AA batteries and a quick charger (a cheaper option if you aren't going to use the ac adapter that comes in the charging kit). My only other comment,an probably biggest complaint would be to watch out for the built in software that comes on the new sleeker Leapsters - it comes with an advertising commercial to introduce your child to all the wonderful titles available that they may not know about -and it's built in, you can't get rid of it! Very annoying leapster! Very annoying!

The new pink/purple leapster has a nicer design than the old version. I like the new pen holder on the front. The arrow dial on the left side is better than the older (round)version, too. HOWEVER, we are exchanging it for the older version. The reason: THE SCREEN! The new leapster's screen measures only 5.4 cm - the old version screen measures 7 cm. Also, the pen on the new leapster is smaller. Customer service said everything on the new design is smaller "to accomodate smaller hands"...that's nice, but it also requires better fine motor skills - which smaller hands do not necessarily have. For those of you who purchase this and are considering the recharging kit - I was told that this design needs the L-max recharger.

I have two of these, one Leapster and one L-max that I got for my twins for their 4th Birthday a few days ago.

I let them play with their games for the entire day on their birthday, without restriction...all with a plan in mind...

The PROS:
Once the kids found out how much fun the games are and how easy it is to learn while playing, they won't put them down...you may not feel like this is a 'pro' except that now, I make them earn time on the games. They get 10 minutes for putting their toys away; 10 minutes for making their beds; 10 minutes for helping with laundry, etc...up to 1 hour of play a day...I HAVE NEVER HAD SO MUCH HELP AROUND THE HOUSE! As Dr. Phil says, "Find their currancy". Well, I have found it. They are doing what I ask, when I ask...if they don't, time gets taken away. I wish I had thought of this while they were potty training! This is working much better than the 'marbles' for allowance system...they have no concept of money yet. Great toy with lots of variations and levels of play. Good Job LEAPFROG!

THE CONS:
I went through 4 sets of batteries (for the entire day) before I sped out the door for a rechargable battery system. I'm going back again today for another recharging system. I've called Leapfrog and they said that the battery packs, themselves, cost as much as the entire recharging kit, so they do not offer additional battery packs for purchase. You can play with just the AC Adapter that comes with the recharging system, but that has been a pain so far, since one Leapster has a battery pack and the other has to be played off the AC Adapter, and then plugged back in to the recharging unit at night to recharge the L-max. I have forgotten to plug it back in a few times and had problems explaining that Mommy's memory is fading and that they will have to wait to play again until the batteries are recharged.

Overall, I love the product. I haven't had any problems so far, but the units are only a week old. We will have to see. I just love how orderly my house is now that I have found a way to tempt them into picking up their toys. And the tantrums are down as well. If they start screaming over anything, they lose time...my house has NEVER been so quiet since the day they were born! YEE HA!

UPDATE 7/23/2008
Both the leapster and the Lmax are still going strong, however the units are looking very, very worn, scratched and beaten because they are loved. We have an immense library of cartridges...19 at last count....everyone very unique, educational and entertaining. It's been about 2 1/2 to 3 years now and the rechargable battery packs are finally giving out. They just don't hold the charge like they used to. I have also bought the new Didj (see that review) and am never disappointed by Leapfrog.

I was so disappointed when I go this Leapster home from the store. I bought it for my 5 y.o. after she had played with her cousin's older version. When I got the new one home I was frustrated to see that not only is the screen quite a bit smaller, but there are only two games on the new version! The older one has a chicken matching game and shape game that are not on this new version. The new one only comes with the coloring game and rabbit river game, and one really tacky game icon that advertises all the other games available for the leapster. Luckily, I was still able to buy the older version at the store.

Both of my daughters received Leapsters from Santa last year. My older one wanted a red one and my younger a pink one. The red one was an L-Max and this was the only pink one. I believe they now have a pink L-Max, but in my opinion spending the extra money on the L-Max isn't worth it. The only difference is you can hook it up to the tv, which we've never done because the whole fun of the Leapster for my girls is that they can take it anywhere. I was worried that the L-Max games wouldn't work on the "plain" Leapster, but that is not the case. All of the games are interchangable. However, you can't play a non-L-Max game on the tv, which again, doesn't matter to us anyway.

Also, I wouldn't bother buying the recharging station. We just use rechargable batteries and they work just fine.

My daughter wanted a Leapster for Christmas. I wasn't sure which was the newer model, the triangular one or the smaller, rectangular one. So, I bought both to try them out. Screen size was also an issue for me. I thought the larger screen would be better. But, believe me, the newer version (small, retangular) Leapster's screen is sooo much clearer, crisper, and the colors are more vivid! My 4 year old daughter has no problem manipulating the buttons or the pen and SHE loves it! She plays it all the time. Now, my 7yo son, who has a GB Adv. SP wants one, too!

We bought the pink Leapster this year for our 4 1/2 year-old daughter and a green Leapster for our 3 1/2 year-old son for Christmas to replace their original blue and silver Leapsters which had been "loved" and "dropped" to the point of exhaustion. Having had the "original" Leapsters for over a year, my children acquired quite a few Leapster accessories... multiple game titles, rechargeable Leapster battery packs and charging docks to name just a few.

Not wanting to start from scratch, but wanting to purchase their new Leapsters in different colors, I contacted LeapFrog Industries directly (the manufacturer of the ever-popular Leapster and Leappad products) to determine if their existing accessories and game titles would be compatible with the newly colored Leapsters. I spoke to a representative in technical support who assured me that our existing accessories would all be compatible with the new Leapster. He claimed that all of the game cartridges and accessories for the Leapster and Leapster L-Max were completely interchangeable, and we would not have any problem.

After speaking with the representative, I ordered the new colored Leapsters online. My children opened their new Leapsters with delight on Christmas morning... that delight quickly turned into tears as we fruitlessly tried to install the Leapster battery into the new Leapsters. The old battery itself is actually bigger than the new Leapster... not even close to being the correct size, shape or dimensions.

After frantically racing to a local store yesterday to purchase two new charging systems (at a cost of $80), I contacted LeapFrog again. While they do admit to seeing notes from my prior call in the system, they claim that there is nothing they can do to assist us. The only advice offered was to return the two new Leapsters to the store, or to purchase the required L-Max accessories for this product.

When our children did finally have the opportunity to play with their new Leapsters, our disappointment in this new product deepened. It seems that two of the internal games that our children loved from the original Leapster have been "deleted" from this new version and replaced by a built-in Leapster software commercial.

The Leapster is a well-loved toy in our home, rich with benefits for both of our preschool-aged children. Don't let our bad experience sway your decision to purchase this product, just learn from our unfortunate experience and choose your accessories carefully. I would also recommend making your purchase through a retailer with a liberal and understanding return policy, such as Amazon.

My daughter started out with the LeapPad, and my 3 year old son has the Little Touch LeapPad, My first LeapPad with desk, and the original LeapPad. We never owned the "older version" of the Leapster, so I never noticed differences. However, from what I've seen of my nephew's older one, I'll keep the new one. A slightly larger screen isn't important enough to me or my 7 year old to override the more bulky, less efficiently designed older one. Aside from this Leapster being very easy for my daughter to handle, she loves that it fits in her purse, instead of having to tote around another bag, and I love that it's so easy to change the batteries, she can do it herself! Also, neither my daughter nor myself have ever noticed "commercials" on it. I highly recommend the Leapster as a fantastic educational & fun alternative to video games-which aren't allowed in our home. Even the built-in games (including an educational version of my childhood favorite, "Frogger") are very fun. My 3-year-old son sits and watches and helps my daughter answer some of the letter & number problems. In the short time that we've had it, just from watching over his sisters' shoulder, he has learned his entire alphabet and can do simple addition too! A+ for this Leapster! I only wish there were more games available for 1st through 4th grades!

My 6 year old son got a silver Leapster last Christmas and loves it-so does my 3 1/2 year old daughter and a 3 1/2 year old cousin. My mother got both children Leapsters for Christmas (a pink one for my daughter and a green one for the cousin). Much to everyones dismay the new colored Leapsters come with 2 less games than the original (my daughter was so excited to get the Leapster but started crying when she realized her favorite game was not included). I wouldn't be so upset if Leapster had indicated this on the packaging or had named it Leapster2 instead of calling it the same thing-Leapster. When complaining to customer service at Leap Frog it was said that when they upgrade a product they don't make it the same-they improve it. Yeah improve it with 2 less games so you have to purchase more software (they probably found that children love the software that came on the original Leapster so much that parents weren't forced to buy lots of additional software for it). Now you can't even purchase the software that came on the original Leapster to use with the colored Leapster. Anyway, the cousin is returning his green Leapster and getting an original silver and I am debating what to do since my daughter really loves the pink color of her new leapster.

I wanted to buy the older style leapster but this new style was the only one...the other one was "sold out" at every site I went to and I live overseas so I can't just go to WALMART or Target....so I bought this Pink (Rectangular) leapster for my 6 year old and she loves it!! (so do I)
I bought the older (triangle) stlye for my 4 year old son.

If you are like me I had a hard time deciding which one I should buy...the new one or the older one. I can't really say one is better then the other. They both have pros and cons.

Pros/Cons for the Rectangular style...

the back can be opened with a coin which is nice for travel. (I fly to the states a lot..14 hours is a long time)

it is a lot smaller in size and easier for little hands to play.

BUT with the smaller size comes a smaller screen. Which is the only con for me. (my daughter didn't even seem to notice)

The only Cons for me on the older style would be the pen and the back. You have to use screwdriver to open it....so while travling it can be hard to change batteries.

Which ever one you buy you and your child will love it!!!

The games are all awesome....My children really like the Kindergarten and 1st grade games, Dora and SpongeBob!!
Hope this is helpful.