VTech V.Smile TV Learning System

Broke after 3 months but was replaced

Posted Dec 2, 2006 - My son received this last year for Christmas. It took batteries to work and my son would always forget to turn off the button, so every time he played it, we would need new batteries! I finally had to invest $10 on a 9V adapter, which should have been included. After 3 months, it stopped working all together. Since my in-laws paid $50 for this toy, I did contact the company. The didn't ask any questions, took it back and replaced it with a new one. So at least the company stands behind their product. My son really never plays it. He enjoys the Leapster much better. The graphics are better and its more educational.

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V Smile

Posted Dec 3, 2006 - I like the idea of this game. My 4yr old son loves it. But I've been threw three all ready. When it breaks I bring it back to wal-mart and get a new one. I'm surprise that they haven't done a recall on it yet with all the problems that people been having with them. All that I can say if you buy this system is save your reciet because you will be returning it!

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A BIG Disappointment

Posted Nov 15, 2006 - This system is awful. My 2 year old daughter received it for Christmas last year and was unable to play it by herself. A year later, she still can not maneuver the joystick by herself. (Note: She plays games on the computer using the mouse by herself.) The graphics are horrible. They make you question your eyesight. This is a piece of junk! Don't waste your money. K. Pruett Atlanta, GA

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fine when it works, but not robust

Posted Mar 25, 2006 - This toy looked like so much fun that I went slightly overboard and purchased extra games and a second joystick. I also bought an AC adapter, as this was not included. However, my 3-year old struggled to play the games because he found the joystick too difficult to control. My 6-year old could manage the simpler games, but quickly got bored of them once she had mastered them. She found the games for her own age-group too difficult, again because of the joystick. However, the biggest problem with this product is that, after 1 year of occasional use, it has stopped working. It was kept near floor level, so has never suffered any major falls, and yet it does not come on any more. One of the joysticks is also broken (one of the children tried to insert it the wrong way round and bent the pins -- the design is simply not robust enough to cope with normal use by children). I am very disappointed as this was an expensive product, and I thought that VTech was a reliable brand.

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Loved it!!!!

Posted Aug 15, 2005 - I bought this for my two year old, and she learned so much!! I had been working with her on her number and letter recognition for a couple of months, after purchasing this product, a week later she had her letters down pat!! It was really amazing!! And a lot less frustrating!! Although an adapter would have been nice I thought for the price of the system, compared to Nintendo and X-Box, etc. that it wasn't unreasonable to buy one seperately. I would love more games to be put out, especially a Dora the Explorer game!!

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V.Smile TV Learning System--a graphics disappointment

Posted Nov 19, 2005 - While the overall goal, to promote learning through fun, is met with this learning system, I was disappointed that the designers didn't put more work into quality graphics. The intended audience may be learning the ABC's and 1,2,3's, but their vision is fully developed! We've gone back to using the computer games for preschoolers--much better.

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Good, but strange

Posted Oct 8, 2005 - My 2 year old would always go directly to this thing in the store, So I figured if she likes it that much, I'd let her do something different with her time in front of the TV. Keep her active, at least. I'm an avid gamer myself, and I can say this is actually an easy to navigate game system for kids. She has trouble with the joystick being SUPER sensitive, so she always misses where she wants it to go, and get frusterated. The carts are too hard for her to put in and take out herself. I think the reason they don't have the AC line on this, and only batteries, is to cut down on the number of cords floating around your TV. I think it's a good idea, and so do battery makers around the world. Still, as parents we have an ample supply of all types of batteries on hand. Also, there aren't close to enough programs available for this system, and it almost really turned me off to it. But, the price of the system, and the games held my interest. Consider the other systems, they are pricey, then you have to spend so much on those accessories and a bundle on the games. All-in-all, it's a good basic system for a beginner.

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My kids love it

Posted Dec 1, 2005 - My 5 and 6 year olds love this game. They can turn on and off and change the games themselves. They have learned a lot from this game. We have had it for over a year now and it gets used regularly and have had no problems with it.

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Bought this for Christmas this year and my 3 1/2 y ...

Posted Feb 10, 2005 - Bought this for Christmas this year and my 3 1/2 year old loves it. The one thing that he does not like is that I have to change the cartridge because they stay in very well and require an adult to pull them out and change. This is actually a good thing to me as he can not lose them by taking them out if I leave the room. Other bad things were trying to find the cartridges around Christmas and not having the AC power supply. It takes C batteries and I had to run to the store on Christmas day to get those. Would purchase again.

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PROBLEM with the joystick and on/off button

Posted Dec 15, 2005 - We are on are third system since March. Simply because the on/off button only works when it wants to. Tech support was a joke. It's almost like the button gets stuck and it won't do anything, then when you least expect it to work it does... Go figure. I've been very satisfied with v-tech products that I've purchased in the past but this one has been an on going issue. The kids LOVE IT! They just need to improve the system as well as tech support.

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Junk!

Posted Sep 29, 2006 - I purchased this V Smile system for my 4 year old son in April of 2005. He absolutely loved it and in my opinion took very good care of it for a young child. After purchasing 6 addt'l cartridges, it now will not turn on if a cartridge is inserted. After reading the reviews I see that this is a common issue with these and I am extremely upset. I re-read the instruction manual only to find that there is no troubleshooting for this issue and it only offers a 3 month warranty. So I'm off to contact customer support but have no high expectations since reading the other reviews and seeing the way others with the same issue have been treated.

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Great Toy

Posted Nov 6, 2006 - my son loves this still and hes had it a year, he plays it by himself, can set it up, turn it on, etc. The graphics aren't perfect but he 4 and probably doesn't notice or at that care. Eats batteries fast so we bought the adapter, which is sold separately but its only $10. Overall we love it!!

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Not Impressed

Posted Nov 30, 2005 - I consider my 3 year old very smart but he could not play this game alone. He also could not change the game and get it started alone. It is educational, but I thought the controls were too advanced for his age. Also, he pulled the game system off of his chest of drawers and it would not turn on after that, so if your child is not very careful with their toys, then this is not for them.

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Extremely Dissapointed

Posted Nov 7, 2006 - We went overboard on this one in February of 2006. We bought the extra joystick and six games. VERY EXPENSIVE. We thought this would be worth it for our 4 year old son. We have been extremely disappointed because within the past 9 months we have only been able to get this to work for maybe three months at the very most. One joystick never works and the other joystick only works occasionally. The on/off button gives out 90% of the time. I am extremely disappointed with this product, and V-Smile for making and selling "junk" to consumers. We would have been better off flushing our money for this down the toilet. This product is of such poor quality we can rarely get it to work when my son wants to play with it. We feel bad we bought so many of the extra games.

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Where do I begin? First off, do NOT believe the hy ...

Posted Dec 29, 2004 - Where do I begin? First off, do NOT believe the hype for this product. It is disappointing in so many ways. #1, how can a company manufacture a video game system and NOT include a DC adapter? Can you imagine Nintendo, XBox, Sony Playstation etc not including a way to plug it in? No batteries, no plug to plug it in. Ehhhh... So anyways, I drive down to my local Radio Shack and spend an extra $16 for a DC adapter and plug. I get home, hook it up for my 5 year old, and the included cartridge does not work. The system powers on just fine without a cartridge in it, but will not work when the cartridge is inserted (and yes, it was properly inserted). Nothing but a black screen. Tech support was horrendous, long wait, only to get a disinterested employee who simply said "you could always exchange it for a new one wherever you purchased it". Well, that would be just fine with me, if this wasn't the single most popular toy released in the last 5 years!!! You can't find this thing anywhere in stores, they've been all out since early December when I bought it. So, I have a sytem that doesn't work, I already payed $16 for an adapter, tech support can't help me, and I can't exchange it. Great product huh? I should have known better, not to buy a VTech product. They were always notoriously known for producing garbage cordless phones, (which I found out from experience) and now I made the same mistake twice.

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