LeapFrog Enterprises Inc., known for making educational toys, introduced its own active gaming console Tuesday called the LeapTV as a learning tool for children.
The new gaming system, which is set to be released this fall, is designed to let children play games approved by people who teach kids, according to Venturebeat. It comes with personalization features and motion-sensing controls similar to those found on Nintendo's Wii console.
"We are coming in at the younger side of the age range and are bridging the game between fun and learning," Dave Perkinson, vice president of global content development at LeapFrog, said in an interview. "We will have the best educational games designed from the ground up."
LeapTV features a white and green color scheme and comes in three parts: a gaming console, a controller, and a motion-sensing camera, PC Magazine reported. Users can lay the system on its side or use a featured stand to position it upright. It also includes a slot for gaming cartridges that has a headphone jack and a power button on each side. Players can use the USB port on the back of the slot to connect the camera and an HDMI-out port to connect the console to their TVs. The system comes with 16GB of storage space and 1GB of DDR3 memory.
Players can use the gaming controller as a pointer device by pressing a button at the top of the left handle and twisting the handle upward. The controller also uses Bluetooth to wirelessly connect to the console and the camera. Players can also clip the camera onto the top of the TV or place it on a flat surface at the bottom.
Nine cartridge titles will be available with LeapTV once it is made available in stores, and players will be able to access the rest of the titles digitally, Venturebeat reported.
"All of the gameplay will be age appropriate, and that's important to parents," Perkinson said. "There is nothing too graphic or too violent."
The console is being marketed towards kids between ages 3 and 8. Gamers will be able to play LeapTV in three modes: classic control, body motion, and pointer play. For classic control, users play games with two handles at the bottom of the controller. For pointer play, the user points the controller in different ways, such as a bat, a sword, and a rope for swinging. In body motion mode, the gamer uses his/her movements to play.
The LeapTV gaming system will be available in retail stores for $149.99. Players can buy gaming cartridges and extra controllers for $29.99, and they'll be able to download digital content for between $5 and $15 from the LeapConnect app.
