Buy LeapFrog Leapster2 Bundle

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List Price: $109.99
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program There's nothing inherently wrong with this Leapster2 Bundle, but you'll have to consider the cost vs. the other options to figure out if this one is right for you.

The Leapster2 is part of Leapfrog's older generation of handhelds. It's compatible with the original Leapster titles, so you have a lot of choice out there for titles. The newer generation includes the LeapFrog Leapster Explorer Learning Game System (Green)and the the new LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet (green). Note that the Explorer and LeapPad cannot play Leapster or Leapster2 games. Similarly, if you buy this bundle, it is not compatible with Explorer titles or the Didj titles.

With the Leapster2, you can also download some games directly to the device, and one free download of your choice is included. The unit also comes with an "Art Studio" app that lets kids do drawings and coloring pages. You cannot expand the memory on this model, as there's no SD slot.

My biggest gripe with this model is the screen. It's slow to refresh and the plastic itself gives a weird glare that's somewhat hard on your eyes. If this is the first handheld your kid has, they probably won't notice, but it's not in the same league as the Explorer or LeapPad. Combine this with the relatively small price different between the models, and if you can afford it, I'd go for the Explorer. The games for each type of unit are around the same cost, so in the long-term, you're not saving much money by buying this model vs. the newer ones.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This is a nice package consisting of the following:

1. Leapster 2

2. A soft carrying case with wrist strap and room for 2 cartridges

3. One cartridge game (Outwit), suitable for 3-5 year olds

4. An AC adapter. (The Leapster 2 can also take 4 AA batteries if you want greater portability).

Aside from purchasing additional games/programs, it contains pretty much all you need to enjoy the Leapster 2 right away.

The Leapster 2 itself is a handheld gaming/educational system easily grasped by small hands, with naviational buttons, a touch screen, and an attached stylus. It has a small color LCD screen with somewhat low resolution. The hardware and processor speed are nothing to get too excited about (and definitely not comparable to a Nintendo DS or an iPhone). Somewhat confusingly, Leapfrog makes a number of overlapping products, and it is hard to differentiate the Leapster 2 from the Leapster Explorer, which is very similar in appearance.

However, the real strength of the Leapfrog system is in the software. In addition to the included cartridge game, which is a pleasant mix of reading and math puzzles, you get one free downloadable program from the Leapfrog website. There are many more programs available at additional cost, on a variety of topics and for different ages. Of course, the costs can add up quickly unless you are careful.

Before purchasing the Leapster 2, you may also want to check out Leapfrog's latest entry into the crowded field, the Leappad Explorer. It has a tablet design (like the iPad), with a larger touch screen than the Leapster 2. Definitely more expensive, but it seems to be getting a lot of attention in advance of the holiday season.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Whenever we get a new toy or gadget in the house, I usually give it a test run, do the set up, make sure any kinks are worked out, before handing it off to my 8 year old son, who is as much of a gadget nut as I am, but doesn't have quite the patience with new things I do (the impulse control for pressing buttons without reading is nil for him at this age)...

So I opened this, set it up, hooked it to my macbook, registered it, downloaded a free game, and played for a bit.

My thoughts: clunky, design isn't particularly made for kid hands or adult hands (bulky for little hands, slightly awkward for giant meaty man-hands), looks like a toy instead of the more modern video game toys (ie the nintendo DS).... I dug up some batteries so we could try it without the A/C adapter. I paused to order another pack of Eneloop rechargeables for this, as I couldn't imagine my son being tethered by the adapter or being happy about wasteful disposables...

The one thing that bugged me is that there is a max age (forgive me, please, I can't remember what it is, just that it's definitely 18 or under) when registering the device on the computer (for more games, demos, and tracking a child's play and progress). That bothered me as I remember my mother in law used to buy Leapfrog books and games for her 50 year old sister, who had Down Syndrome, and really enjoyed the technology and "edutainment". I don't like that there was a "cap" on the age, as something like this could be used by anyone, at any age.

I wasn't impressed by the graphics, they actually looked low-res and outdated to me. I was curious to see how my son (the gadget fiend) would react. I assumed that he would play it for a little bit and then toss it aside in favor of some of the less "toy-ish" and more technologically current game systems and gadgets.

I was....*drumroll please*

WRONG! I was WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG! He enjoyed it quite a bit! I let him have it for a week and then, out of curiosity, I connected it and I was shocked to see the hours he had logged on the included "Outwit!" game and the game we downloaded. Sure he had not logged nearly as many hours as on his Nintendo DS, but he chose, on different days, to play for a few hours that week using the Leapster2! I was so proud of him! It was also pretty cool to see his "scores" and progress.

I'm usually pretty open to most toys and I thought I had my 8 year old kiddo pegged as far as video games.

I'm floored and so happy we now have another option in our arsenal and one that has educational games that are entertaining.

Here are some things that may help you decide if this is right for a kiddo on your shopping list....

-My son is 8 years old and loves gadgets.

-He has Asperger's Syndrome (on the autism spectrum)

-He is obsessed with video games and technology of the 1980's (which may help explain why the low-res screen was a non-issue for him)

-He likes math (there are some neat math games-one that is similar in concept to Frogger, except that you add and subtract).

If he was a neurotypical/regularly developing child, I think that he might be more biased, especially by his peers, and find the Leapster2 to be "babyish" or too "toylike". The purple and green casing definitely do not dial up the modern or "high tech gadget" factor.

I only gave the "educational value" three stars as I feel educational value, on a system like this, needs to be considered on a game/cartridge by game/cartridge basis. I also feel, rather strongly, that due to the toylike appearance and somewhat outdated technology, the educational value may be limited for some kids in the suggested age range, because of peer influence and the appeal of similarly priced systems offering more built in "real world" features (datebook, contact list, cameras, etc) on top of larger game libraries, wireless downloads, etc...

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This is a great bundle, though the leapster 2 is now an older system, this stills seems like a pretty decent deal. When I got my bundle it included: Leapster 2 gaming system, soft carrying case with space for two games and a strap, one game (Out Wit) and an AC adapter.

I love bundles because they come ready to playthough you may want to purchase a few more games because the kiddies will eventually get tired of Outwit. :)

Though this gaming system is nothing compared to the Nintendo DS, it does have a small touch screen, stylus and is SO much more durable for the little ones. It also has some brilliant games that are educational and fun. You will also get one free downloadable game, which I thought was a pleasant surprise.

I highly recommend this product for your little ones. Educational, fun and super durable. Don't forget to check out the Leapster Explorera little pricey, but it is the newest addition to the Leapster family.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I agree with everything reviewer Brian Roush states in his review. This is one of the older generation Leapfrog handheld toys. The explorer and leap-pad are newer and there isn't a significant difference in price, so it would be better to go with one of those. The newer generation units (explorer and leap-pad) do not play the games that work in the Leapster units, and vice versa. The added case, game and a/c adapter do not make buying this older generation unit worth it over the new ones, in my opinion.

Another very big negative of the Leapster 2 unit is that it uses regular disposable batteries. This bundle does include an A/C adapter, but it bypasses the disposable batteries, rather than charging up batteries as most handheld devices and toys do now days. Why on earth don't they use rechargeable batteries for these units???

With the Leapster 2, you are supposed to be able to download some games directly to the device from the Leapster website. Despite multiple attempts, I was not able to do this. We had the Leapster Tag device loaded on my computer in the past so I thought perhaps this was interfering. However, even after removing the Tag software the new software from Leapfrog would not load for me. I'd just as soon not have the software for kids games on my laptop, so keeping it off my laptop and not being able to get the free game wasn't that big of a deal to me.

The programs available through Leapster are more educational than those for a Nintendo DS, and most other handheld gaming units. That is one consideration when deciding between a Leapfrog device or a regular hand held gaming unit. The DS wins hands down when comparing quality of the graphics, sound, diversity and amount of selection of game cartridges, longer lifespan use of the unit etc. In this way they just can't be compared. Additionally, because of the visual & sound quality plus game selection differences, if your child has used a DS, or other similar gaming unit, they will not have any interest in the Leapster 2 for certain, and perhaps not the other Leapster units either.

Summary: If you really want a Leapfrog unit, get one of the newer generation ones (explorer or leap-pad). However, if you're considering or comparing against regular gaming units, such as Nintendo DS, there really is no comparison (other than Leapfrog offering more educationally focused games for little kids). The DS has significantly more software cartridges available, the graphics and sound are much better, it has a rechargeable battery unit, plus many additional features.