Which is better Fisher-Price iXL vs. Leapster vs. Leapster 2 vs. Explorer?? I would like to know which would be for a 3 yr old girl. Which is better Fisher-Price iXL vs. Leapster vs. Leapster 2 vs. Explorer? I am kinda leaning to the iXL or Explorer... Which is better Fisher-Price iXL vs. Leapster vs. Leapster 2 vs. Explorer?? I would like to know which would be for a 3 yr old girl. Which is better Fisher-Price iXL vs. Leapster vs. Leapster 2 vs.... » Read More Which is better Fisher-Price iXL vs. Leapster vs. Leapster 2 vs. Explorer?? I would like to know which would be for a 3 yr old girl. Which is better Fisher-Price iXL vs. Leapster vs. Leapster 2 vs. Explorer? I am kinda leaning to the iXL or Explorer... « Show Less
1852210
I am disappointed that there this is not rechargable like the Leapster is.... what is the avg battery life and does it shut off on its own after a certain amount of time?
1852211
Thanks, Heidi! I'm doing so much research on this, all information is so helpful!
1852212
I purchased the fisher price ixl and my 2 year 9 month old he loves it and was able to use it with a little bit of instruction from me and a few minutes later was able to use it on his own telling " Mommy, I'll do it myself". I was looking at systems on ebay and a lady had listed the explorer not beacuse it was bad system it just was a little over her son's head so they replaced it with the leaspter 2 system he was 3 years old.
1852213
Here's a great site that list the differences in a few of the learning systems:http://hubpages.com/hub/VTech-MobiGo-vs-Leapfrog-Leapster-Explorer-vs-Fisher-Price-iXL
261250
My son has had both the Ultra and LeapPad 2. The Ultra is a child version smartphone without the phone capability. It has LeapSearch (Internet), calculator, calendar, to name a few, unlike the LeapPad 2. My 6 year old likes both of them but he sat on his LeapPad 2 so he got the Ultra. Depending on your budget and age of child, I would tell you the LeapPad 2 is a great start because all the Apps work on either LeapFrog product.
1067736
The Leapster explorer, Leapster explorer GS, as well as the Leapster explorer leappads 1 and 2 all take the same cartridges. With the excepetion of the leappad 1 we have all listed above between 4 boys. Any of the explorer games are comapatable with explorer devices :)
415197
I got this game system for my son when he was 4. He was not yet in school but getting ready for preschool. He loved it myself as well. I loved watching him learn new things and answer the questions he already knew. He had the leapster explorer and the leapster 2 way before he got the Nintendo ds and Wii. He wanted all the games so we got him as many as we could including Tangled . He played it and just like the other games he learned from it. We also found out the store Five and Below carries tons of Leapster Explorer games for $5 not the $20 you pay in a reg. Store. But I highly recommend this game especially for a 7 year old girl. Hope this helps.
879475
Hi H. Sexton-Which leapster do you have? It looks like each new game is $20+ for the Leapster 2. Thanks.
835672
Hi -I would recommend the V-tech tote'n'go laptops to just about anyone in the pre-reading stage of learning. It is not as glamorous as the leapfrog stuff, but it is great for letter recognition and other pre-literacy skills. That's in the twenty buck range. The Leapster 2 by leapfrog also does not need a home pc to set it up, though you can use one to access some of the advanced features it is completely unnecessary from a child's perspective to enjoy the system. Those retail for about seventy, but are regularly on sale for forty or fifty. The cartridge games are expensive, but do go on sale from time to time. My daughter loved her v-tech laptop and she loves her Leapster too. Hi -I would recommend the V-tech tote'n'go laptops to just about anyone in the pre-reading stage of learning. It is not as glamorous as the leapfrog stuff, but it is great for letter recognition and other pre-literacy skills. That's in the twenty buck range. The Leapster 2 by leapfrog also does not need a home pc to set it up, though you can use one to access some of the advanced features it is completely unnecessary from a child's perspective to enjoy the system. Those retail for about seventy, but are regularly on sale for forty or fifty. The cartridge games are expensive, but... » Read More Hi -I would recommend the V-tech tote'n'go laptops to just about anyone in the pre-reading stage of learning. It is not as glamorous as the leapfrog stuff, but it is great for letter recognition and other pre-literacy skills. That's in the twenty buck range. The Leapster 2 by leapfrog also does not need a home pc to set it up, though you can use one to access some of the advanced features it is completely unnecessary from a child's perspective to enjoy the system. Those retail for about seventy, but are regularly on sale for forty or fifty. The cartridge games are expensive, but do go on sale from time to time. My daughter loved her v-tech laptop and she loves her Leapster too. « Show Less
1981304
Thanks! My grandson is 7months old. I was looking at leapster but daughter-in-law says she's heard vtech is better. Which is best & there seems to be different programs which is best for his age?
1349107
Jewel train, Sugar Bugs and Alphabet Stew are the titles geared toward the older children. There are 2 new Discovery videos geared toward the 5-9 age group. Other than that, the selection may be limited and your son may find it interesting a few days and they he may quickly outgrow the product. I hope that Leapfrog expands their library toward the 7-10 age range. There are maybe 3 to 4 cartridge games also for the 5-9 age range like X-Man and NFL Rush Zone. If I was in yours shoes, I would perhaps consider buying a Nintendo DS as they also have good educational titles and also play some of the leisure games with the same device. Our 6 year old is getting the LeapPad as well as the Nintendo DS Lite (same price now). Hope this is helpful.
1155859
Even my five year old has problems playing most games on my DS - he's just learning to read, and most games have word-instructions, rather than spoken instructions like the Leapster. While some of the arcade style games he can enjoy for a short time (he can only go a few levels before these games become too hard for him, coordination-wise), and some of the kids games he can play with help from me (reading the in-game instructions for him), he generally prefers his Leapster, as does his 2 year old brother. Also, the Leapster is made to withstand a young child throwing, dropping and banging it around, whereas the DS is built with older kids, teens and adults in mind. Even my five year old has problems playing most games on my DS - he's just learning to read, and most games have word-instructions, rather than spoken instructions like the Leapster. While some of the arcade style games he can enjoy for a short time (he can only go a few levels before these games become too hard for him, coordination-wise), and some of the kids games he can play with help from me (reading the in-game instructions for him), he generally prefers his Leapster, as does his 2 year old brother. Also, the Leapster is made to withstand a young child throwing, dropping and banging... » Read More Even my five year old has problems playing most games on my DS - he's just learning to read, and most games have word-instructions, rather than spoken instructions like the Leapster. While some of the arcade style games he can enjoy for a short time (he can only go a few levels before these games become too hard for him, coordination-wise), and some of the kids games he can play with help from me (reading the in-game instructions for him), he generally prefers his Leapster, as does his 2 year old brother. Also, the Leapster is made to withstand a young child throwing, dropping and banging it around, whereas the DS is built with older kids, teens and adults in mind. « Show Less
1139700
I don't know anything about explorer but I would go with innotab for value. I discovered after purchase that leap pad 2 does does not allow you to load your photos from your computer and charges for an app to load music. I bought innotab last year for one of my granddaughters and after seeing both would go with innotab
1344258
I got my 6 year old the leapfrog tab 2 and she likes it but she gets very aggregated because the batteries die to quickly. If you decide to get 1 I recommend get a power cord that fits it because Batteries can be a hassle and aggregating.
261441
My 3 year old nephew loves his - the games vary greatly in age appropriateness. My 7yr old niece still uses hers constantly. I had to get the little one a Leapster2 so they would stop fighting over it.
634200
Hi There!I would say...after playing a little with both...that they are quite equal! I like the Leap Frog Learning Path. It is great to see how my son is doing and what he is learning. Vtech has a similar, but not as parent oriented program..its called vsmile world or something. The part I really like about the VSmile is that you can play the same games in their home game systems as well. I am getting my son the new Vsmile Motion for Xmas. It is like a Wii for younger kids. It will play all of the Vsmile games as well. Very cool. I would say they are both excellent choices...but I have always liked Vtech products. I might be a little biased...who knows!??!Good Luck! Hope this helps! Hi There!I would say...after playing a little with both...that they are quite equal! I like the Leap Frog Learning Path. It is great to see how my son is doing and what he is learning. Vtech has a similar, but not as parent oriented program..its called vsmile world or something. The part I really like about the VSmile is that you can play the same games in their home game systems as well. I am getting my son the new Vsmile Motion for Xmas. It is like a Wii for younger kids. It will play all of the Vsmile games as well. Very cool. I would say they are both excellent choices...but... » Read More Hi There!I would say...after playing a little with both...that they are quite equal! I like the Leap Frog Learning Path. It is great to see how my son is doing and what he is learning. Vtech has a similar, but not as parent oriented program..its called vsmile world or something. The part I really like about the VSmile is that you can play the same games in their home game systems as well. I am getting my son the new Vsmile Motion for Xmas. It is like a Wii for younger kids. It will play all of the Vsmile games as well. Very cool. I would say they are both excellent choices...but I have always liked Vtech products. I might be a little biased...who knows!??!Good Luck! Hope this helps! « Show Less
1302866
I think there is a leapster explorer or a leappad. I just bought this game for my daughters leappad. I don't think there is a leappad explorer. The game box says leappad or leapster explorer. Hope this helps.
1111150
Actually, you are incorrect. ALL Leapster games play on ALL Leapster products. In response to the original poster, Leapster is handheld only, Leapster L-Max is both portable and tv-play, and Leapster TV is tv-only. So for the best of both worlds, get the L-Max. V-Smile has HORRIBLE reviews as a totally defective product that doesn't last, whereas Leapster is VERY durable and takes lots of abuse with no problems. I say stick with Leap Frog.
1294878
I'm kind of in the same boat. My six year old will be getting a DS for Christmas and I thought it would be nice for my 3 year old to have his own gaming system. I'm pretty sure they would fight over the DS if we didn't get him something of his own. Is a Leapster age appropriate for my 3 year old?
1511026
I like the Baby Einstein because it offers more activities and colors. If IM not mistaken on the rainforest jumperoo showed a video and it showed the baby enjoying the jumper. I couldnt figure which one I wanted so I purchased both of them, I kept the Einstein at my house for my grandaughter and gave the Fisher Price one to my daughter for her house. The Einstein holds my grandaughters attention much longer than the one she has at her house. It also plays music and the seat turns.