V.Smile

The V.Smile (stylized as V.SMILE TV LEARNING SYSTEM) is a sixth-generation educational home video game console manufactured and released by VTech. The system was first released on August 4, 2004. Its titles are available on ROM cartridges called "Smartridges", a pun on the system's educational nature. Several variants of the V.Smile console are sold, including handheld versions and models with added functionality such as touch tablet integrated controllers or microphones. The V.Motion is a variant that includes motion-sensitive controllers and has titles designed to take advantage of motion-related "active learning".

Several versions of V.Smile and V.Motion consoles continued to be sold after newer models were introduced (frequently offered in alternative color schemes), placing the systems in various niches of the educational toy market. Some key differentiators between systems and the ability to fully utilize all game functions include the options of a microphone, touch tablet, additional joystick port (for 2-player gameplay), stylus-enhanced controller, or motion sensitive game pad (with V.Motion).

Hardware

A V.Smile generally has on and off buttons, two joystick ports, and a compartment for keeping the cartridges in addition to the cartridge slot. The system can run using either an AC adapter or with batteries. The V.Smile can hold up to six titles in this compartment.

The V.Smile is a standard cartridge-based system that will play the title inserted. When there is no cartridge inserted, the startup logo plays continuously. The graphics of games are primarily sprite-based.

The console is often bundled with a particular game, the original and most popular being a game called "Alphabet Park Adventure". Other pack-in games included a Winnie the Pooh game bundled with a Orange/Purple console variant, a pink/purple colored console was shipped later, targeting girls and bundled with a Cinderella game and a later Red/Blue and Red/Silver model, which was bundled with a Scooby-Doo game.

The V.Smile was released in several countries with different names:

The buttons on the game system and controllers are large to accommodate small children's less developed manual dexterity. The default controllers consist of an joystick, four colored buttons, a large Enter button, a "Learning Zone" button that immediately takes the player to a minigame section of the software, an Exit button (that either brings up an option to end the game or to keep playing, or to exit out of any menu that the player is in) and a Help button (which repeats the spoken instructions or hints provided by the game to the player). A small latch on the bottom of the controller allows the analog stick to be moved to the other side of the buttons, in order to accommodate left-handed players. This makes it the first console to be bundled with an ambidextrous controller.

Variants

A second generation of the V.Smile console was launched in 2007. This model (Model 752) is bundled with a microphone, and a redesigned controller was shipped, which now comes with a graphics tablet built in. However, the design of the console is the same as the first, apart from the presence of a microphone holder. The internals of the system also appear to be based upon the design of the first-generation console, as software meant for the first-generation console is playable on the second-generation console, and vice versa, although software that takes advantage of the microphone feature will disable the sections of the software that requires the use of the microphone if played on the first-generation console.

In 2008, a translucent-faced V.Smile TV Learning System Limited Edition console was released including two joysticks, and the Alphabet Park Adventure game cartridge. The console colors were reversed (translucent orange face with purple body) from the normal console colors (solid purple face with orange body).

The last revision of the console (Model 1086) was the smallest of the main line, becoming shorter and square in shape, it retains 2 controller ports, but it adds V-Link functionality, and the cartridge storage on the back removed the cover and became smaller with space for only 4 games. The console also drops stereo sound, having a video and mono audio jack.

V.Smile Pocket and V.Smile Cyber Pocket

The V.Smile Pocket is a handheld version of the V.Smile console, released on September 10, 2004. It features a built-in Passive matrix-based color LCD display and a monaural speaker, but is otherwise similar to the desktop console counterpart. However, there is no connector for an additional joystick, and thus many games that support two player mode will disallow access selection of the said mode. The device is not compatible with games that uses any of the other accessories due to the lack of an additional joystick port. It was originally introduced in Orange/Purple, but a Pink/Purple model was introduced later in line with the color schemes available for the desktop console.

A second V.Smile Pocket model was introduced in 2007, in which a microphone is added to the device. Apart from the new feature, added support for games that use the microphone, and a repositioning of the speaker from the lower right to the upper left, it retained the appearance of the first V.Smile Pocket model. Still, if compared side-by-side, a slight difference in the bulkiness of the lower half of the unit can be seen, with the New V.Smile Pocket being a bit slimmer and narrower towards the bottom. The game system is larger than devices such as the Game Boy Advance or Nintendo DS, although the V.Smile Pocket uses full size Smartridges from the console, and is generally offered at lower prices in most of the markets.

A third generation called V.Smile Cyber Pocket was introduced in 2008. The console was redesigned with a smaller flip-open screen (still Passive matrix-based) and an integrated graphics tablet, while retaining the microphone introduced in the second generation V.Smile Pocket. A proprietary port was added to the console, which a flash drive-like device called the “V-Link” with a matching proprietary connector on one end and a USB connector on another, could plug into the Cyber Pocket. This device is used to transfer the data of games that support such function to a PC, which would in turn upload the data to a website. The data could then be used to chart the player's progress as well as be used to unlock bonus games on the said website.

During 2008's Black Friday sales, limited supplies of New V.Smile Pocket units were sold at U.S. Walmart stores for the reduced price of $25 USD. This was roughly half of the cost of a single Xbox 360 Game Disc at that time, and nearly one-tenth the cost of a PlayStation Portable game system bundle.

PC Pal

The PC Pal, released on June 20, 2008, is a variant of the basic V.Smile console with an integrated accessory, a more colorful and functional version of the Smart Keyboard accessory with built-in joystick and tablet controls. Unlike a regular V.Smile system, the V.Smile PC Pal has a port for the V-Link accessory. It comes bundled with a Smartridge of games for the keyboard that teach typing and other basic keyboard skills. The main unit looks like a standard V.Smile system with the name "PC Pal" printed on it. It can play all Smartridges, but since the joystick controls are built into the keyboard, the setup is more easily used on a desktop surface with a small TV serving as a monitor, similar to a personal computer. For someone who already owns a V.Smile, the Smart Keyboard accessory and a touch tablet enhanced joystick will provide a similar experience. Since the keyboard can be disconnected and a standard joystick or other V.Smile accessory used, the PC Pal can function as a normal V.Smile system.

V.Motion and V.Smile Motion

A newer variant of the V.Smile is the V.Motion Active Learning System (Model 788) or V.Smile Motion, released in September 2007. It uses built-in wireless controller with accelerometers that detect three axes of movement. The controller can be tilted in a direction to achieve a result on the screen. The V.Motion controller is adaptable by handedness.

Titles released after the V.Motion system are designed to use its motion controls. However, the traditional joystick directional control can be used, and all Smartridge titles can be played across the V.Smile line of systems. The system's storage compartment can hold up to nine Smartridges.

The V.Motion won the National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval for 2008, and the Creative Child 2008 Seal of Excellence.

Accessories

• The V.Smile TV Learning System Plus Joystick includes a built-in writing pad and stylus. The joystick with writing pad works on both the original V.Smile and the New V.Smile TV Learning System, and can be used to take advantage of newer Smartridges that use the writing pad functionality in games.
• The V.Smile Smart Keyboard is a PC-like keyboard that can be connected to a V.Smile System console. It includes several activities and lessons that teach typing, letters, spelling, and logic.
• The V.Smile Smartbook includes the "Smartbook" - an interface with a stylus that holds activity books and works together with Smartridges (an idea pioneered by Sega with their Sega Pico and Japan-only Advanced Pico Beena educational gaming systems). The activity book plays along with the smartridge and the Smartbook knows which page is being used while the touch sensitive stylus directs the play. The Smartbook may come bundled with a Scooby-Doo Activity Book + Smartridge. Additional Activity Book and Smartridge combos such as "Dora's Got A Puppy" or "Toy Story 2" are also available to use with the SmartBook device.
• The V.Smile Art Studio is a large touch pad and stylus device that allows for "paintings" to appear on screen. Interactive stamps, color palette, picture drawing, color mixing, animation maker, coloring-in pictures are some of the features of the Art Studio. It comes with an Art Studio specific Smartridge.
• The V.Smile V-Link is an accessory that works only with the Cyber Pocket, PC Pal, V.Motion systems, and a few of the newer V.Smiles. It allows the user to track their progress by keeping the accessory plugged into the Game Console where it automatically tracks a child's progress and scores. When plugging the V.Link into a PC's USB port, it auto connects to a secure website where the child can see how they rank against all V.Smile players also using V-Link. As children play more of their Smartridges and master more skills, they are rewarded with online bonus games that are "unlocked" by their progress.
• The V.Smile Jammin' Gym Class is similar to dance pads made popular by Dance Dance Revolution. It is called a "soft exercise mat for interactive play, dance and exercise" by VTech. It includes 10 different active learning activities and connects directly to either the V.Smile TV Learning System or the V.Smile V.Motion with the Jammin' Gym Class cartridge. It helps teach letters, numbers, colors, spelling, and health concepts.

Note: Aside from the V-Link, these accessories are intended for the TV-connected consoles, not handheld versions of the V.Smile.

Competition and comparisons

The V.Motion was introduced as a low-cost, educational alternative to the popular Wii console, to which it has been compared due to its use of motion controllers.

The V.Smile Pocket's direct competition is the handheld Leapster by LeapFrog. The Leapster TV Learning System is the less high-profile but available counterpart to the multiple V.Smile and V.Motion consoles that are direct connect to the TV. The Leapster L-Max is comparable to the V.Smile Cyber Pocket and is stylus-enhanced. VTech has the advantage in number and diversity of available accessories such as SmartBooks and Art Studio, whereas LeapFrog's Leapster accessories are generally focused on portability options such as batteries and cases. The Leapster is also more technically powerful then the V.Smile, albeit with a lower screen resolution and audio quality.

The V.Smile family in general is more focused on TV connectability, while the Leapster family is more focused on the handheld, portable systems, but both VTech and LeapFrog have moved to compete with one another on both fronts. Leapster systems and games tend to be slightly more expensive than V.Smile games. The Leapster does have an age range for some games that reaches up to age 11, which is territory more for the V-Flash than the V.Smile. Noteworthy is that both LeapFrog and VTech continue to sell previous generation handhelds at a reduced price compared to the Leapster 2 and the New Improved V.Smile Pocket.

The V.Smile PC Pal variant console and Smart Keyboard accessory faces direct competition with LeapFrog's ClickStart educational computer offering, and indirect competition with various toy educational laptops and low cost desktop PCs with children software and child-friendly accessories installed. While the V.Smile SmartBook console may have faced competition from the Sega Pico due to the similarity of the concepts, the Sega Pico was not available outside Japan for a long time.

Rough comparisons in technological capability with the V.Smile consoles in terms of graphics and sound can be made to Nintendo's SNES console, thus generally the V.Smile is technologically comparable to most fourth generation consoles despite being released in the seventh generation era. The V.Smile systems in general are offered for a fraction of the price of those consoles when they were new, and the V.Smile systems were designed specifically for children with a focus on education.

Durability and quality of plastics and other components of the V.Smile systems is in-line with expectations given the low cost of the devices. Replacement game system hardware can often be bought for less than the cost of a single game on dedicated current generation console game systems from Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo on the market.

Games

The majority of educational game Smartridges for the V.Smile involve licensed characters popular with children. Some properties used are Scooby-Doo, Bob the Builder, The Little Mermaid, Go, Diego, Go!, and The Wiggles. CGI-animated characters from movies also found their way to the V.Smile, including Kung Fu Panda, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo and Cars. VTech also offers less commercial or traditional characters in games such as Soccer, Little Red Riding Hood, and Whiz Kid Wheels.

Smartridges are labeled for the intended age of players. Two major categories are Junior Thinkers (Ages 4–6) and Master Minds (Ages 6–8). There are also Beginner's games with age ranges of 3-5, and Advanced games for ages 6–9, such as SpongeBob SquarePants: A Day in The Life of a Sponge. The educational content and difficulty of gameplay is age appropriate. For example, in Dora's Fix-it Adventure (Ages 4–6), Dora will not fall from the edge of a platform if the child makes a mistake when moving her. Instead she will get up on her tiptoes and appear unbalanced. For children in the older age range, Cinderella and Batman games offer more challenging educational and action-based gameplay.

Some titles may include the text "New and Improved Version" on the covers. These are updated versions of existing game titles that now include microphone and/or touch tablet enhanced gameplay, such as Sing Along through use of the microphone feature that was added to second generation V.Smile consoles and the New V.Smile Pocket.

List of V.Smile games

Several games were released in different countries, and as a result of the console being aimed at younger children who might not know English, they were translated into their respective languages. The games also have a suggested age range on the box, that sometimes changes depending on which country it was released in. The Console and its games were sometimes distributed by different companies, such as Concentra in Portugal, and Giochi Preziosi in Italy.

Some V.Smile games were rereleased with V.Motion functionality. All Smartridge titles are compatible with the V.Smile family of systems including the original V.Smile system, V.Motion, V.Smile Pocket, and Cyber Pocket.

The cartridges are light purple in color, but there are others; ones that work with accessories are bright yellow, V.Smile SmartBook games are red, and transparent dark purple cartridges, which came with several bundles of the special edition console in different games. Cartridges designed for V.Motion are a rounded top with a hole in the shape of a "V" and are orange in color.

There are known unreleased titles, Adventures in Oz, which was listed on Amazon by VTech in 2004 before the console was released, but it is unknown if it was ever developed or if/when/why it was cancelled. and also, the German VTech plans to make an untitled Bumba game, it was cancelled in the Netherlands and in Germany.

There were 70 titles known to have been released:

V.Smile Baby Infant Development System

An unrelated and separate spin-off system called the V.Smile Baby Infant Development System, was released shortly after the original V.Smile TLS was introduced to the market. The games and cartridges of a V.Smile Baby IDS are not compatible with a V.Smile TLS and vice versa. This is an important distinction since so many of the other consoles named "V.Smile" are inter-compatible. The control system for the V.Smile Baby Infant Development System is significantly different from those used in the V.Smile TLS that is targeted at older children: it does not have the features of a typical game controller, instead the design is more like that of a playboard. The controls consist of a mode slider, two switches (one for power and the other toggles the board between standalone play mode and console control mode), 7 buttons (5 shape buttons, a "fun" button, a small Exit button), and a roller ball hooked up to a sensor. The controller itself has a speaker which comes into play during standalone mode (in which it functions as a playboard that play music, speech and sound when interacted with). The controller communicates with the console by means of infrared signaling, and runs off six AA (Lithium) batteries. It also lacks a pink variant for girls, V.Smile Baby only ships with an orange color scheme.

The console itself is rather unusual in design, having only an on-off switch and permanently attached cables carrying composite video signal and mono audio through two RCA connectors. It runs off four AA (Lithium) batteries or a 6V DC power supply (sold separately), although European systems are missing the DC-in port, only being able to use batteries. The console has a cartridge slot as well as indents to hold four additional cartridges for storage. Also, powering off the controller will also power off the console if the console is switched on at the time. It was designed for kids ages 9 months-3 Years old.

It was released in several countries with different names;

List of V.Smile Baby games

This is an (possibly) incomplete list of games for the system.

Most games were released in both NTSC and PAL, with PAL region titles sometimes having a different English name to its US counterparts. Most games were also translated for other European market languages.

The game Bailey Goes to Town came included with the Bailey Teddy bear that functioned as a controller.

There were only 14 titles known to have been released;

Region protection and inter-compatibility

Even though the V.Smile range of games are compatible with most of its consoles, the V.Smile Baby games aren't. The cartridges are shorter, but are also thicker and wider than normal V.Smile ones, meaning they can't fit on other systems. However, both cartridges have the same connector and pins, meaning V.Smile Smartridges, which are slimmer and narrower, can be physically inserted into the V.Smile Baby and connected, although it's harder to do so, and the game won't work with the console.

The V.Smile range of consoles are apparently not region-locked. While the console itself come in NTSC and PAL versions and the BIOS on the consoles appear to be region specific (distinguishable from the speech sample played in the screen after the VTech logo when the console is started with no cartridge inserted), games purchased from an NTSC region can play on PAL systems and vice versa. Observations suggest that both the V.Smile and V.Smile Infant Development System used different methods of booting: The V.Smile and V.Smile Pocket variants will apparently boot into their own BIOS, then obligingly run the software on the cartridge.

The V.Smile Baby appears to boot from the default BIOS when a cartridge of the same region is inserted or when there's no cartridge in the system, but appears to boot from a different BIOS when a cartridge of a different region is inserted. Currently it is unknown if the extra BIOS resides on the cartridge or on the console itself.

Reception

Research by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) show that Vtech's V.Smile Baby product, marketed for ages nine months to three years, may not meet the claims that it helps with early childhood development or education in any way, stating that children ages 0 to 2 years are basically too young to understand anything and many cannot watch TV.

On October 17, 2011, AAP's Council on Communications and media released a report titled Media Use by Children Younger than 2 Years concluded that "the educational merit of media for children younger than two years remains unproven despite the fact that three-quarters of the top selling infant videos make explicit or implicit educational claims," and further found that media viewing by children under 2 years of age can have a negative effect on language development.

Video game and technology critics are also quick to discount Vtech's line of products, including V.Smile (ages 4–8), V.Smile Baby (ages 9m–3), V.Flash (ages 6–10), V.Smile Pocket (ages 3–8), and V.Reader, citing the lack of professionally developed games, as VTech consoles had no major third party video game publishers by 2009 aside from Disney Interactive.

Critics also state that the V.Smile proves the notion that the need for special electronics for children is artificial, as products like mainstream consoles (Xbox, PlayStation, Wii), tablets (iPad, Android), and computers (PC, Mac) have a variety of educational and children's software. Furthermore, such devices offer flexibility that allows children to grow with them, not outgrow them.

See also

• V.Flash
• VTech Socrates
• VTech

References

External links

• Official website (archived)
• 20th Century Retro Games entry (gallery page for various VTech V.Smile models)