Leapster's $70 Explorer learning handheld gets reviewed, loved by a father
By Darren Murph 
posted August 13th 2010 10:23AM
posted August 13th 2010 10:23AM
Leapster inadvertently (or not) spilled the beans on a forthcoming learning handheld way back in May, and with nary a peep from the company, it has managed to launch said unit just as the next school year was fixing the start. The $70 handheld ain't the cheapest in the world, and considering that the "learning" cartridges are $25 a pop, it won't take long for this investment to get serious. USA Today's Ed Baig managed to wrangle one for review, and while he certainly let his kids do the dirty work, he couldn't help but express frustration by the inability to use older games with this new system. Forward progress aside, Ed found his kids enamored by the device, and while that led to him making quite a few digital Leaplet purchases (downloadable games), it also kept his youngsters occupied and engaged in something beneficial. All told, he handed out 3.5 of 4 shiny stars to the minuscule device, and so long as you're cool with daily demands for new software from Johnny and Jane, this might be the best back-to-school gift ever.
I always hated those dumb 'educational' games when I was younger. I learned more from my Gameboy. Just give the kid a DS or PSP.
@BigKing Yeah, if my child were to learn from video games, it'd be about the technology, the math, the economics, the history, ect.
@BigKing Apple has scrapped their plans for the new children’s iPod after realizing that iTouch Kids is not a good product name.
@User42
^ LOL!
@User42 Thanks for that.
darren smurph
is this not a gameboy knockoff????
@BigKing Leapfrog's leapster taught my non-verbal autistic child to read, and he advanced beyond typical kids his age when tested.
@BigKing
Wow you guys. I didn't learn anything from my gameboy or video game consoles. All I learned was to shoot people who are shooting you. Obviously that is the only thing America learned. But I was given this weird little laptop-like thing when I was a kid that had math games and whatnot on it and I have to say that I took a lot more from that than playing Mario or Perfect Dark. Of course, it had a lame calculator kind of screen. If I had something like this back then, I would've been ecstatic.
So glad I am not the legal guardian of Johnny and Jane.
Seems like a DS would be a better buy. They are durable, have very responsive touch screens for use with touch and stylus', and they can grow with the child (games range from preschool to adult). Also, old used games can be found very cheap and, once and adult shows them how, kids really enjoy pictochatting. I have a 5 year old nephew and the kids at daycare and school all seem to have them. He plays NSMB with them, which only requires one cartridge. They say they "verse" each other, referring to "versus" play.
They already have Nintendo or PSP. don't they ?
I think they don't need that one.
@sixtool Just imagine you were eight, has been begging the whole year for a DS and get this device for your birthday. That's got to suck. No kid wants this. This is something parents buy because they think that a DS or PSP isn't any good for their kids.
@BigKing
If parents bought that one for their child, their son won't smile like that picture.
You're right, Jason would be a little too creepy in this post.
@steakman that kid might actually be creepier than jason himself....
some of the best education I had as a kid came from the magic schoolbus (geology!!) and Rayman game CDs. so much win.
This is actually a great unit. The screen is much improved and the games are outstanding compared to the junky ones of the older Leapsters. Eight is a bit too old, yes but my four year old enjoys it a lot. I'm not sure why a kids game system is getting a lot of flack but I recommend it for the learning games. I've handed down a DS and an older iPhone to my daughter for games. She even plays on my iPad from time to time but education-wise there isn't really an equivalent right now in electronics. There are those who sit their kids down with anything and everything to not have to pay them attention but in moderation these units can be good reinforcements of lessons learned every day. There's nothing wrong with mixing it up a bit. I Maybe the boy in the photo is a little old but it's a great unit for the 4-6, maybe 7 year old crowd.
@skyfranks I agree 100%. My daughter is 3 and loves her Explorer. I would have liked to get her a DSI XL but the problem is the game ratings have no indication what the intended age is. It just says E and I doubt there are any DS games she can really play at this age. These games also scale to the entered age so they get more difficult as she grows until I get her that Macbook Pro next year. We did notice one issue however. If you hold down the R button while powering on, the system locks up and you have to remove the batteries to turn it off. This happens regularly just from where she naturally holds it to hit the power button.
I got my daughter one of the previous generations of this device. It's great for kids who want to play games with Spongebob or Disney characters but are still too young to enjoy most DS games. But I agree with the other posters - once the kid hits 6, 7 or 8 they are going to want the DS. Never the PSP, but definitely the DS...
My son is 4 and he's had an iPod touch since he was 2. Games are FREE or $1 - $2 and they are just as good as the leapster or DS, Plus he can listen to his Beatles collection. Now he won't let me use my iPad. Plus these are devices have can grow with.
@Philk
Both my 2 year old and 4 year old share the Leapster2, keeps the 4 year old entertained on long trips, my 2 year also navigates his way through the iPhone apps to his favorite games very well. "shows you why Apple products are so popular, even a 2 year old can play on it' But You know what the Leapster has over the iPhone and iTouch, is battery life and durability, I think since I bought the Leapster, I've only had to change the 4 AA batteries twice since last year, and also, I can't tell you how many times my kids have dropped the Leapster and it still works til this day. Try dropping the iPhone or iTouch a few dozen times on hardwood floor or concrete. The games are more expensive then the App store games yes, but that’s what Walmart, Target and eBay is for. I think ages from 2-5 is good on the Leapster, then move onto the DS or iTouch for the kiddies after 5. Besides Papa needs to play iPhone games also (:
We just handed our iPod Touch down to our daughter. Jailbroke it and hid things like the settings, mail, browser and other chaff. Installed a bunch of kids games on it and all is well.
More money for the hardware but the games are free or just a buck or two.
I can't believe the "get them a DS" commenters missed the whole idea of the Leapster--it's about LEARNING, not entertaining. Remember that when your kids are flipping my kids' burgers.
@solarbuddy My nephew has all the Leapster stuff and it is awful. The educational games on DS are better, and of course you always have the PC for home use. The Leapster was decently constructed to handle abuse, but it is ridiculously overpriced for the ancient hardware (Super NES games looked better). More important is that the "games" are so poorly designed. They are clumsy to control and just sloppy.
Also, the whole point of edutainment is to entertain as well as educate. If the kids are bored and don't want to play it, it is pointless.
Even though I'm coming on strong here, I'm sure it is good for some kids that find it engaging. That is just not my experience.
@Ksult1 You should really try the new one in person before declaring that. I think you would be surprised at how good of a job they have done. I too was very disappointed with the everything up through and including the Leapster 2.
@Ksult1 I am just trying to figure out what you mean by sloppy controls. This is an educational handheld and not a platformer. You don't need precise controls to help Kai Lan make dumplings. You are not trying to stop Bowser here.
One additional note I would add are that the games have a surprising amount of value as in there is quite a bit to do. They typically have a mission mode and mini games.
@primetime4 A lot of the games do involve platforming (Maybe jump on the right letter, pattern matching, etc.). The controls are annoying and easily frustrate little kids.
My daughter received Leapster 2 while back as a gift. It was most frustrating thing to use. I ended up getting her DS instead. Unfortunately only limited quality games available for that age group. Most of the time now, my kids ( 3 and 6 ) would rather use the computer ( Nicr Jr website , etc... )
The Leapster Explorer has been available since mid June.
Unfortunately, Leapfrog insists on making all of the games themselves instead of opening the system up a little. Doesn't really matter to me though. I picked up their old system and a bunch of games since they were dumping them off at Christmas. It'll be a couple years before my son is ready for whatever out then.
My kids have both the Leapster2 and and the Didj. And both have gotten a fair amount of use, and I absolutely no doubt that both had better math and reading skills entering 1st grade than they would have had without those games. We spend hours with the kids in the back seat figuring out the math and spelling problems while I was driving, just so that they could get further in the games. However, the hardware is inferior to any real game system and the titles are limited. The explorer might be better in that regard, but we are a little bit past that now. I think the next hand held for us will be either a DS or a iPod Touch.
As I pointed out to one of the posters, yes App store games are cheaper, but the Leapster is pretty dam durable, they build this thing like a tank, 2-4 year olds will drop this on concrete exiting a vehicle, down a flight of stairs onto hardwood floors, battery life exceeds the iPhone and iTouch, DS any day because it's needed for long car trips or long airplane rides. of course there is no GPS, WiFi in it or GSM or Accelerometer chip built into it, at least the Leapster2 model, not sure of the new ones. My 2 year old also plays with my wife’s iPhone all the time, but I cringe sometimes because he gets careless and has dropped her phone a few times. With the Leapster I have some confidence this will still work after several drops on the hardwood floor. Plus it’s a good way to introduce your kids to electronic gadgets, games and how to be responsible for it. If you have kids, then you know what I’m talking about.
I'm upset that Jason isn't coming out of the Leapster.
Would've been appropriate juxtaposition of themes.
why isnt this kid wearing a jason mask?