|
Keep kids moving, learning, and having fun with the award-winning V.Motion Active Learning System from Vtech. This educational gaming system is designed to keep kids aged three to seven amused and motivated for hours at a time. They will have plenty of fun using the wireless controller to practice hand eye coordination, solve puzzles, and win races.  | What We Think
Fun Factor: 
Durability:
(what this means)
The Good: Educational gaming system encourages creativity and problem solving
The Bad: No option to use non-battery power with the console
In a Nutshell: This unique game system promotes active play and makes learning fun | At a Glance Ages: 3 to 7
Requires: 4 AA batteries and 3 AAA batteries (included); TV; PC to use V-link features
|  | | 
Includes everything you need to get started with healthy, educational fun. | 
Included "Action Mania" Smartridge features six types of games . View larger. |
Easy to Setup and Control
Getting ready for your child's first game is easy. Simply insert the included AA batteries into the game console and the included AAA batteries into the controller. Then connect the console to your TV using the include A/V cable, slide a Smartridge cartridge into the game slot, and you're ready to go. For each game, there are two control options. Kids can pick to use the joystick as a directional controller, or they can pick to use the motion of the controller itself. This means that tipping the controller left, right, forward, or backward inspires a corresponding motion on screen, letting kids get up and move around instead of staying stationary in front of the TV. This is extra fun when your on-screen character is doing something fast-paced, like racing down a bobsled course. On the flip side, games that require more nuanced controls are often easier to navigate using the joystick. There's even a switch that lets you decide which way is "up," so the controller can be customized to accommodate right and left handed players. Lots of Ways to Play Educational Games
It's easy to see why this system won the National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval and the Creative Child Seal of Excellence. A variety of age-appropriate games teach concepts like numbers, letters, and shapes for younger children and let older children work on skills like counting, vocabulary, and matching. These games feature popular characters like Dora the Explorer, Spiderman, Kung Fu Panda, and Scooby Doo, and they include features that range from races to puzzles to sing-alongs. When kids want to play with a friend or a sibling, there's a two-player mode. And a switch on the bottom of the controller lets you ensure that signals aren't being crossed if the second player comes with his or her own controller. The included "Action Mania" Smartridge means that your child will have six distinct types of games to choose from right away. One option is to engage in a bobsled race where passing through gates requires answering questions related to counting or more advanced topics like understanding greater than and less than. Another option involves using the controller to balance on a ball and select healthy foods, like pineapple, and avoid "unhealthy" snacks, like sweets. The third game is situated on a tennis court and does an especially good job promoting the development of hand eye coordination. Club VTech lets parents and kids connect online and participate in a family-centered learning community. The included USB V-link device makes it easy to move data from your home computer to your Active Learning System. Web connect features allow for bonus gameplay downloads that keep kids excited about this learning system, and parents have access to educational advice and special promotional offers. Overall, the whole Vtech experience is designed to promote interaction and healthy lifestyle choices while making learning fun. Our one minor complaint is the fact that the console uses battery power instead of having a wall adapter, which would eliminate the disappointment of batteries dying in the middle of a game. But if you don't have a convenient outlet, or you want to use the same console on several different TVs, this feature can actually be a bonus. What's in the Box
Console, controller, wrist strap, 4 AA batteries, 3 AAA batteries, Smartridge, V-link, and user's manual.
|
 An Excellent and Fun Alternative to Sedentary, non-Educational Game Consoles for Kids |
| Review Date: December 17, 2008 |
| Reviewer: W. Mason, |
This is a great educational game system for young children who like to learn with characters they recognize and like, and is affordable.
The library is not limited to the games for the V-Motion, either. The V-Motion is fully backwards compatible with the V.Smile console games, but is designed to take advantage of wireless motion sensing controllers similar to (but not as advanced as) the Nintendo Wii. It has its own software lineup and the games are intended to get a child up and moving along with the game. For instance, when a child jumps, the controller will detect the movement and the character on-screen can also jump, or move sideways, based on the way the child moves his or her controller. This is limited to games with the "V-Motion" label.
There is a wired port on the V-Motion so you can use a wired controller or one of the several wired accessories for the V.Smile like the Smart Keyboard, Art Studio or SmartBook. There is no motion sensing portable version of the V-Motion, but there is a stylus and touch-pad enhanced new version of the V.Smile Pocket called the Cyber Pocket.
It is important to note that while the V-Motion has games designed specifically for the motion-sensing controllers, the V-Motion games can also be played on the Cyber Pocket, V.Smile or V.Smile Pocket if you also have one of those systems. Of course, if you happen to play a V-Motion game on a V.Smile, don't expect to be able to use the motion sensing aspect of those games.
Also, if you own a specific game with a movie character in it for the V-Motion, I would not expect it to differ much aside from the motion sensing parts of the game (which would be disabled on a V.Smile - similar to how microphone and touch pad elements in newer games are disabled on old first gen V.Smile systems) from the V.Smile version of the game by the same name (same movie or TV kid's character), so I would not recommend buying the V.Smile regular version of any game title that you already have a same-named V-Motion cartridge for. There are many V.Smile games that have not been offered on the V-Motion, however, such as Little Red Riding Hood.
You can also buy a wired controller with touch pad + stylus to allow for use with "New and Improved" V.Smile Smartridges, but I'm not sure how or if you can integrate a microphone into the V-Motion, except perhaps by using the "PC Pal" keyboard from that variant of V.Smile. if you had one of those. Due to that, a CyberPocket would make a good portable companion system to the V-Motion, allowing for all aspects of V-Motion and V.Smile games to be enjoyed across both libraries.
On the downside, the graphics on the V-Motion and V.Smile games are just so-so, and comparable to a 1990's game system. Two player gaming is also rather limited since many titles for the V.Smile at least are intended for a single child to learn with. Don't expect to be blown away by 3D graphics or the sophistication of much more expensive top gaming consoles, either. The fun is in the motion activated controllers, and the satisfaction a child can get from learning.
My child loves such games, and really gets into the learning (she loves matching games). I hope yours does, too. |
LOVE IT
|
| Review Date: January 2, 2009 |
| Reviewer: , |
i love this am 12 years old yet i love it i got it for x-mas we do not have the money for a wii i play my v.motion every day my mom said she new that i would like it i grew up with vtech toys so all i can say is I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! would relly recommend it i love it so much i thank my mom every time i play it so i will not stop playing it (unless my mom makes me because she has something to watch)but i LOVE THIS TOY!!!!!!!!!
|
DAUGHTER LOVES IT!
|
| Review Date: December 26, 2008 |
| Reviewer: big a's mom, Virginia, USA |
My three year old daughter loves her new v-motion. She runs to it first thing whenever we first get home or when she gets up in the morning.
The graphics work better on the traditional screen rather than wide screen. i switched and now it looks much better. it still doesn't match up to your normal gaming systems, but then again you don't pay as much for them either.
It's is a great system for little kids and very affordable. |
Daughter Loves Her VSmile Motion
|
| Review Date: March 9, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Piper LaRue, Florida, USA |
| First, I must say, I was very apprehensive about buying this console after reading reviews from other sites. I got one at a great bargain price and I couldn't pass it up. I kept my fingers crossed hoping I wouldn't be one of the unfortunates. Thankfully, I wasn't. We've had it for about 2 months now and she's just getting the hang of it (she's 3). She does get a little frustrated when the car goes the wrong way (most kids are at that age anyway). I only have the game it came with and she loves the racing part. It amazes me to hear her calling out the letters that she needs to find to complete the word. I'll be getting her more games in the future. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase and most important, my daughter loves it. Great console and educational content. |
my daughter loves this
|
| Review Date: January 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Erin S. Smith, |
| my daughter just loves this game system, she is always wanting to play it and it gets her up and moving like no other game system out there for kids, believe me when i say every little kid should have this system |
|
No video reviews found for this product.
Leave a Reply