Video games are a big deal at our house; the kids are always asking "can we do videogames?" -- much to my annoyance. I would prefer it if they would play something with an educational tone, and it is also frustrating to see that my younger kids start really young with their desire to game. As a possible solution to this we were excited to learn that VTech updated their MobiGo with the 2nd version, and were fortunate enough to be able to try out this new product at her house.
Well designed for children ages three through eight, this portable handheld gaming device was most popular with my two-year-old. He was often grabbing for the gaming systems that my older kids played with, and I worried that he would be too hard on my own gadgets. I allowed him to play, supervised, with the MobiGo 2, and he immediately became obsessed.
Getting him to stop playing with the device was a challenge; he even tried taking it to the table whenever we had a meal:
My five-year-old also enjoyed playing with it; he enjoyed coloring the pictures and doing some of the more primary level reading and math games. The product came with three free downloads upon connecting it to your computer (something which has to be done before you use it the first time). While the games were fun and make it seemed to enjoy them, I was badgered soon after about the more expensive licensed games (like Elmo and Toy Story, for example) that were not included. This is always been a pet peeve of mine about some of the educational gaming systems; keeping the kids happy with their current games is a goal of mine.
As far as durability, this product can't be beat. Unlike earlier models of educational gaming systems, the screen is not prone to being scratched, and we've already dropped it a couple of times with no issues. My toddler actually likes to chew on anything made of rubber or plastic; he has left a few teeth marks in the rubber grips of the product, but the product has done really well with the abuse. It also has lots of features that kids are looking for in a gaming system, including motion sensor, color touchscreen, and sound/air activated games.
The MobiGo 2 has been mostly played in our home, although we have done one long car ride with it. It is held a charge from a fresh set of AA batteries for almost a week now, with at least an hour of daily play. This is a sturdy, well-designed product that should get lots of use by our family.
Learn more about this newest VTech product at their website.
*I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for VTech. I received product samples to facilitate my review.
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