a deep dive into the V.Smile extended universe

[@planetclue]

if you're reading this you have been cursed! you will have a good sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow feeling well-rested

[@MushroomzOMG]

Thank you!!

[@vampirelibrarian777]

yippee thank you, I need it lmfaooo

[@Felecc]

Thakns, good night 💚

[@TomahawkRiddles]

hell yeah I need that fr

[@repoversemedium]

🧢

[@visual_Memories]

The V-Tech standard was to make everything as bizarre and impractical a shape as possible. Definitely helped 'em stand out.

[@MrSkerpentine]

V-Tech walked so the Gameclam could *a s c e n d*

[@Cumbercuke]

​@@MrSkerpentine 1 2 3 4 clap your hands

[@wolflee6618]

Every time clue showed off the accessibility features on the controllers my mind was blown. I don’t know why but every time I was like 😦🤯

[@MrCharlieBros]

Right? Like, why can't this be like... standard? WHY DO I HAVE TO USE SYMMETRIC JOYSTICKS SONY?

[@LepidoliteMica]

I feel like to some extent the accessibility features can cause problems down the line. There are plenty of options for southpaw mice, for instance, but most lefties just... use normal mice. Why? Not because it's hard to get left-handed options; it's just that so much of the ecosystem is designed for right-handedness that it becomes easier to just accept it and adapt to it. Handedness isn't even all that consistent; there are people out there who have attested to left-handedness in most of their lives, and then for some reason specifically bat and use scissors right-handed, simply because that's how they learned it. vTech may have been miles ahead of the curve by allowing kids that choice, but it's arguable they set those kids up to be familiar with that choice only to be faced with a world that doesn't give it as well.

[@Cole_McGill]

​@@LepidoliteMica its also arguable that they planted the seeds of change in those kids, by giving them a taste of accessibility at such a fundamental point in their development. If most things were designed so that they could just as easily be used by a left handed person as they are right handed people, even right handed people would benefit. So its an important seed to plant. We all would benefit from accessibility.

[@LepidoliteMica]

@@Cole_McGill That's all well and good for things that are easily changed from one to the other, or are cheap enough to be made another way, but that's not a universal guarantee. I find myself regularly using MMO mice as the availability of a full numpad of macro buttons under the thumb is a great aid in workflow, and it's hard enough to get those for right-handed people these days let alone a southpaw configuration. Keyboards are another case of right-handed preference, where the left-side counterpart to the frequently-used enter key is the frequently-maligned caps lock, and the numpad is always placed on the right when it isn't removed from the board entirely. The shifter for a manual transmission is a right-handed component, and even in an automatic car the gas pedal is in the natural resting position of the right foot, with the brake only slightly left of it. Lord knows I _want_ to be able to use a right-handed throttle with the frequently available left-handed joysticks of HOSAS rigs to achieve a backwards HOTAS setup, but there is a limit to what the market is willing to cater mass manufacturing efforts to Training people at a young age to use a backwards setup, only to rugpull them later when their failing neuroplasticity will struggle to recover, is a poor choice.

[@NegativeEnergyX2000]

Fun fact: the Shrek game at 2:15 straight up lifts music from Ocarina of Time

[@kacperolszowski1331]

Not only from ocarina of time, but also Super Mario Bros, Darkseed II AND SaGa Frontier

[@silvasoul8938]

Playing ocarina after getting too old for my V Smile was definitely uh. Something

[@idoghacker8008]

I'm also pretty sure it had several revisions which could have changed it out for something else. None of them did.

[@Jac-Man]

I NEED PROOF

[@TruxtonII]

@@Jac-Man Search for "Shrek: Dragon's Tale (V.Smile) stolen music comparison"

[@lauren-kitsuneroach]

jeez, clue. there’s no other youtuber who can simultaneously make you feel like a viewer, a student, and a friend

[@Zoopop13]

polygon donut and dream jelly are pretty cool too. all around my age with the same nostalgic things we all had/wanted/did.

[@KP_Uravity]

Getting a little parasocial are we Mr squidward?

[@MusicalBloodDrop]

I feel like I've *never* seen a teaching-typing game that's set in an email inbox and now I'm wondering why and how?? That seems like such a brilliant concept for engaging with a character, learning how they feel about a person by the emails exchanged! A slightly more advanced version could even have branching dialogue, how cool

[@bland9876]

Imagine a story driven game where it's all told through email and text messages and you get to pick the dialogue but then what you pick it you still have to type it out. If done correctly including multiple endings depending upon what choices you pick and how that affects the story could be really cool. I want saw an episode of a TV show where the entire episode took place over video chat and that was pretty unique.

[@elgatoamarillo]

It's like the typing books in club penguin where what you typed changed the story

[@NotStoopid0228]

PSA: WD-40 is absolutely not a lubricant, it's for cleaning and displacing. WD stands for water displacement. They do sell lubricants under the brand name though.

[@enbybunny9940]

Okay, cool. That’s what I initially thought and then I got really confused when he called it a lubricant. Genuinely thank you for the PSA, it saved me some confusion.

[@MatthewCobalt]

You can blame 'King of the Hill' for that

[@Italktocarrots]

the 40 stands for the fact it was the 40th formula that worked for them 🤗

[@tacoman6697]

Well, at least the vid does show that it did a great job cleaning the pad for them.

[@TheBingoAstro]

I remember legitimately owning a V-Smile as a kid. Can't remember the games I played or...anything else for that matter, but the orange and purple colors along with the wacky design certainly left an impression on me as a young kid. Good times.

[@godzzwrath]

did you also want to eat the face buttons?

[@djdragontwist]

I absolutely recognize the colored controller buttons and the sun and moon buttons on the console.

[@missmoss4641]

I remember owning one too! I know I had several games for it, but the only one I still remember anything about had something to do with Care Bears. Maybe I should look that up.

[@Kapier59]

I had one too! I dont remember all the games I had but I remember constantly playing the avengers game on it nonstop. Such a great learning tool for when I was young!

[@oddpeople8733]

I had a V-smile!! Omg the nostalgia!! Edit: while on my nostalgia trip I remembered the most anxiety enducing thing ever in my childhood. The Cinderella math game. You play as Cinderella serving ice cream to your step sisters and step mother and you have to to MATH to deliver the ice cream, but you were on a timer, and when this timer got to a certain time your ice cream would start melting and this voice would tell you "the ice cream is melting!" While you're trying to do MATH

[@allycorley184]

Dude I remember having literal panic attacks over this

[@snoozersnail]

Haven't even fully watched the video, but I must say that it's genuinely such a treat whenever you upload. You are so clearly passionate about your niche little interests, the physical manifestation of "a joy to have in class."

[@grayskyee]

i feel the same way! i smiled a real, genuine smile when i saw this video in my recommended. kkclue is such a breath of fresh air.

[@DeviBuster]

Thank you for saying this, it’s exactly why his content is so good. It’s nice to learn about things I’ve never known much about, or learn more about things I only fiddled around with before. Definitely a treat to watch

[@mightykingwario]

28:05 love that every time they say the word shrek they have to put the registered trademark next to his name. why did they do that

[@Insert_Creativity_Here]

Shrek®️

[@mariomaker69420]

Shrek®

[@KindaOffensiveHere]

thanks for saving me shrek®!

[@bland9876]

Shrek® is love Shrek© is life.

[@JessicaFEREM]

26:32 Achievement unlocked: played a game that was so boring that you thought something was medically wrong with you because you kept dozing off

[@FrostCHNOS]

"The only lubricant I had on hand was some wd-40" sounds like I line from a toxic ass romance novel

[@FrostCHNOS]

"What if I step on this with my giant adult foot" Sir?

[@patatochipz]

@@FrostCHNOS WHAT :sob:

[@FrostCHNOS]

@@patatochipz sorry I don't speak bottom

[@patatochipz]

@@FrostCHNOS erm

[@patatochipz]

@@FrostCHNOS wanana make out

[@moonclowns]

29:55 “…give them the tools and the outlet to express themselves, instead of selfishly sucking that energy away in exchange for some brief silence-” is so poetic and beautifully said. it almost brought me to tears i constantly think about the damage ipad kids, more specifically PARENTS who give their kids ipads, have done to this generation. just because theyre sick of their child “begging” for their attention. kids have the most vivid imaginations ever, and to completely deprive them of their creativity in favor of simple distraction is sickening to me i was born at a point in time where tablets were given to kids left and right, and now that im older (im in highschool now) i found out how detrimental this is to childrens mental and emotional development

[@socialgutbrain7774]

My nephew constantly watches slop content on the google home whenever he's at grandma's house, which is really disheartening, especially knowing that it's definitely stunting his brain development. I know mine was.

[@unknownthing5258]

This couldn't come out at a better time, my family had a v-flash orbiting around the house when I was a kid and every few years I think about it and get the strong urge to re-live those memories.

[@cookiecowchu]

Once i saw a v smile at a goodwill, it was there for like a month. I have no idea who has it now. I wish i bought it lmao

[@jackpijjin4088]

Give it another month, they'll have several pop up. It's like mold, or something. Releases edutainment spores.

[@sparksfly13]

i work for a thrift store and we have the same problem - but it's with leapfrog/vtech tablets!!! we sell them for usually $5 to $7 but they just sit, and sit, and sit until they eventually get dropped off to the electronic recyclers :(

[@thelittlecheese6]

I love silly 90's/ early 2000's tech

[@MrHack4never]

I really wish more creators used this much time on video creation, the quality is absolutely visible in the end product -Clue knows exactly how long to cover each subject to be interesting, yet informative, no part feels like padding -The change to the sponsor segment is beautifully done -Plenty of the creator's thoughts are mentioned, showing knowledge of the market it was released into Also, nice subliminal message, how long did it take to edit?

[@mc.gemstone]

The V Smile was one of the first consoles I ever own I mean yea it was no GameCube or PS2 and I didn't even get a Wii until like Christmas of 2008. But besides playing PC games and flash games, I have some nice little fond memories of playing it as a kid and I'm thankful for having that part of my childhood all those years ago. Also the 3 games that I had for the first gen V Smile was Winnie The Pooh, some Spider Man and friends game (I don't remember the title of it) and this football game. They might be simple and nothing special but I have a soft spot for what they are.

[@snori3975]

I had the exact same ones!! Winnie the pooh and Spiderman. My brother used to get pissed off because I beat them way faster than he could lol

[@snori3975]

I had the same ones !! Winnie the pooh and Spiderman. I remember the Winnie the pooh one was my favorite cause it was a 2d platformer

[@NinetailsNineLives]

1:15 smartridges??? they call the cartridges smartridges??? yippee!!

[@oswaldhomolka]

9:28 I LOVE this selector design, it's so elegant, Off in the middle, unusual switch shape, Player 1 and 2 on the ends. Wonderful.

[@Glacier_Nester]

It's such an elegant way to handle "what if a kid isn't dexterous enough to handle a normal left/right/middle switch", good touch

[@lauren-kitsuneroach]

yes!!! all switches with three options should follow this design, it looks so much easier to use

[@ducky_vt3982]

20:55 No, those skills are valuable NOW not just in 2007. iPads and Chromebooks are legitimately making kids and teens computer illiterate. For example, the 18-year-old that sits next to me in my college class asked me how to get the photos, that he took with his digital camera and that he had already uploaded to the Mac at this point, onto his phone. These tangible, tactile edutainment devices are needed now more than ever honestly because schools are now expecting kids to know how to use a computer because they know iPads; and that couldn't be further from the truth.

[@loveslunae]

The V-Smile is my first “Gaming Console” and it’s quite silly when I think about it, because it did help with those basic things a child should learn. So it’s cool to see a video like this!!

[@micshork]

Thank you for making this video. The V. Smile has always been a curiosity for me and it is crazy that they made so many different devices.

[@Verminangel]

The hazy hypnotic comfort of the v.flash games should become a very pacific indie game niche

[@AcesInEmbers]

YWS

[@happy-composer]

Your missive at the end on children’s interaction with technology really moved me. Been feeling the same and completely agree.

[@cbragg923]

Growing up, I had a Leapster and a Leap Pad. I loved them both! I also had a Leap Frog smart globe that was similar to a Leap Pad in that it had a pen you could tap on the globe and interact with it in different ways. Do you think you could do a Leap Frog video? ❤

[@ketameme5]

Man I remember absolutely craving one of those leap frog globes as a kid

[@Zoopop13]

the marshmellow marsh song is still going through my head to this day

[@aria_daize9926]

The v-flash princess game was actually my FAVORITE game growing up, and i already had an n64 at the time. Something about being abls to platform across princess worlds and sets fir the first time, and the creative element, was really fun! Maybe thata the nostalgia talking though .... i wish these consoles still existed. Kids need tech FOR kids....not unsupervised computer or social media time

[@sk3llyb0nes]

Winnie the Pooh: Honey Hunt on the V-Smile was the beginning of my gamer days. That shit shapped me as a person and I am forever greatful

[@katanah3195]

That game was the absolute best!

[@swimmyswim417]

I have such fond memories of the V Smile console. My mom got a bunch of VTech stuff for my little sister because she was jealous that my brother and I were playing “big kid” consoles like the GameCube and the DS. When she got frustrated playing a game, my brother and I would take over to get through the level and it was a blast. Alphabet Park is the GOAT for VSmile games.

[@AGood]

I'm sorry your telling me that my v flash is rare as heck and I have like. 5 of the games for it? AND MY CARS GAME DOES WORK THO LOL, the whole track maker and the lightning McQueen customization was so fun to me

[@raisumi7105]

I think it’s time you put that flash to good use.

[@christophertibbitts5636]

Thanks for uploading! As a kid I remember dunking on VTech because I dismissed them as a "little kid brand". Amazing to see how much innovation and build quality went into their consoles and games. Glad you showed these off.

[@Ragepyro]

18:30 You throw broken things in the garbage, I hold onto everything in case I can reuse it later, we are not the same.

[@ExcludedShadow]

28:25 If you’re having trouble falling asleep I also recommend Command & Conquer: Red Alert for the PS1, it puts me to sleep in 10 minutes.

[@Siphonay]

28:09 the way they added a registered trademark symbol to Shrek makes this read like a shitpost to me

[@jaidenhowell1194]

I had the v-motion as a kid! No idea what happened to it, but I found some of the instructional booklets in a box recently, and was shocked when this popped up in my feed. I LOVED that thing.

[@jane5886]

22:40 "I asked the v smile community discord" BRO THE WHAT

[@AcesInEmbers]

Yeah like pls where is that 😭

[@officialwatershieldchannel3858]

I sucked all of the air out of my body by gasping when I saw this video. Vsmile was my first video game console ever, and it just feels so right to hear a deep dive on it from you!

[@critten826]

VTech made me wonder on how many systems in the 2000's that matched the User Friendly/Accessibility of the VTech controller now. really cool to see VTech again and nostalgic it is.

[@Sheepy765.]

I’m so happy to see the V-Smile and V-Tech consoles be put in the spotlight, I grew up with it and loved it so much.

[@PickledPlums]

OH MY GOD V FLASH MENTION!!! My brother and I grew up with one that one of my dad’s work friends passed on to him. The Disney princess game was ENTHRALLING to little me and is permanently lodged in my brain. I knew it was obscure but had no idea it did so poorly.

[@octavgg]

can i just say i LOVE vtech educational game products. Their quality and ingenuity is something that modern day toy companies STILL cannot replicate quite as well.

[@Indigoification]

The fact that so many of the controllers for these consoles can be easily adapted for left-handed folks genuinely feels remarkable - that's such good design!

[@totallynormalhuman4999]

This channel is my favorite thing ever. I have no idea what any of this is, I have no attachment to it, but I could listen to this man talk about random stuff all day and be entertained the whole time.

[@cattenchaostherandomperson]

as someone who played my v-smile all the time as an older toddler to very young child, the mental whiplash I got from this video popping up while eating my lunch and facing the box that my v-smile is currently sitting in cannot be measured

[@DrKoneko]

Thank you for bring back childhood memories in all your videos. Its comforting to know that other adults don't mind being absolutely obsessed with random niche products from my childhood.

[@gammafae]

The NOSTALGIA this brought back for me seeing this video pop up on my feed… I’m just glad someone knows what I’m talking about here 😭 the V-Smile and the V-Smile Pocket [the pocket without the stylus specifically] were the first consoles I owned growing up (note: technically I did have a DS lite beforehand but I had it taken away right after it was gifted to me because my mom was so worried about non educational content “turning my child stupid”) Also, it was so funny how whenever I wanted to play any of these games on the go that I’d just have to carry a plastic bag full of the cartridges and they’re SO BIG- I’d probably only be able to keep 3 max on hand Not to mention I always thought it was cute how you could flip the button layout to be right handed or left handed.. (as an autistic person this was one of my favorite ways to stim growing up, I didn’t even use it for its intended purpose) Okay lemme now watch the video and I’ll likely leave an update once I’m done LOL- EDIT: wow! I’ll be honest everything I recognized in the video were VERY EARLY into the V-Smile’s life! I had both the first gen console AND pocket (in the default blue and orange colors too, tho I think a cousin of mine had the pink and purple first gen pocket and console)! From what I could remember personally the ghosting on my pocket wasn’t horrible, but that also could just be nostalgia taking over (or the fact my memory is absolutely garbage)! I had a ton of the games shown here as well, I had the Toy Story 2 game for the original v-smile, I had the cars game, I had alphabet park (the first edition with the old crusty artstyle LOL), but some of the ones that weren’t mentioned that I had included Scooby doo, a different Shrek game I had with a.. skateboarding minigame of all things?? I don’t even remember what the educational part of tha game was anymore it might’ve been either math or spelling- Along with Finding Nemo iirc, Cinderella, like… I had a ton of those games. Seeing all the other products here was so interesting too, I had NO IDEA they made a leap pad of their own! Thanks for this, it’s such a blast from the past for me that I hope more people get to know about.

[@katanah3195]

Omg yes, stimming with the accessibility switch, I did that too, it was the best! I had an official carrying bag for my pocket unit that fit quite a few cartridges. It was pretty bulky though, for sure. I agree that I don't remember the ghosting being that bad... it certainly existed, and compared to modern tech it was a truly shitty screen, but it didn't seem that awful as a kid with no standards or frame of reference.

[@DarkKryo]

I never thought I'd be watching Clue complain about a decade old drawing tablet for a console targeted at children, but yet here I am (and I enjoy every second of it)

[@Hamster07]

I have been religiously watching KZbin for most of my life at this point, and I think this channel might be my favorite right now

[@gwynnsquiglets2057]

Knew that my family had the original Vsmile for a while but totally forgot that we had the original pocket as well until you showed it, I remembered being so mesmerized by the flippable dpad, didn't understand how it was possible. I would always try to flip them halfway between each state and play like that. Also For Sure the screens were just always that bad. I specifically remembered not playing with it as much because the screen ghosting was so awful

[@MtchndraLrd]

Alphabet Park was my fix as a toddler, it’s so surreal seeing a video made of it now

[@1mariomaniac]

My first consoles were actually a Nintendo Wii and a V-Smile. Now, of course, I played the Wii a heck of a lot more, but little 4 year old me loved both of them. I distinctly remember my favorite on the V-Smile being Winnie the Pooh: The Honey Hunt! Edit: To be precise, though, I had a V-Smile Gen 2, not the Motion, I remember having the paw style controller with the stylus pad.

[@cbragg923]

I had a V Smile! My favorite game was the Winnie the Pooh game! I also thought it was cool that the controller had a lever that swiveled around so you could switch around the joystick for a right or left handed player.

[@katanah3195]

The Pooh game was the best!

[@Viteaification]

the dramatic music during the art tablet rant was hilarious

[@Rat-Fanatic]

I LOVE V-tech, It has been one of my special interests for years, as have most edutainment consoles and video games. THANK you for covering it, I don't think it gets nearly enough love. Would you consider covering leapfrog and their long lineage of edutainment products?

[@pennysanchez7656]

Holy crap, I remember having the V Smile Motion! I played the Scooby Doo game, Funland Frenzy, the Monsters vs Aliens game, WALL-E, and my personal favorite, the one with Disney Fairies’ Tinker Bell to promote the movie back in 2008.

[@brevin630]

I had this thing as a kid and I LOVED it. I only had a few games, and i barely understood how they worked because i was a dumb kid, but i LOVED the Blue's Clues game, and the Bert and Ernie game, and the Dora game, so many were core parts of my childhood. If possible, I'd love to see you talk about the Fisher-Price InteracTV, which was basically a giant glorified DVD player remote, but it was super fascinating. It basically let you play episodes of different kids shows, like Blue's Clues, Barney, Dora, Elmo's World, and Spongebob

[@bigbangbot-SuperSqank]

It was definitely interesting for me to learn that the V Flash was a failure because I actually had one as a kid. I had 5 games for it and in hindsight, it is funny to think about how that was literally half of the console’s library. I don’t think I got anything extra for the console after I initially got it and I got rid of it a long time ago to get some money. I had fun with it as a kid, even though I also had normal consoles at that point (and that the console wasn't exactly great in hindsight). It’s also fun to think about how the console had an accessory to play CDs on the consoles, it sounds like such a wacky yet cool way to listen to CDs.

[@ProfessionalNoodler]

I'm quite a bit older than this generation of Vtech products, but I do fondly remember our family Vtech laptop. It was a reasonable facsimile of a 15" laptop and had about a 5" monochromatic LCD akin to a calculator as a screen. You could even use it to program in BASIC. I think it had a trackball and was the same colorway of Gateway laptops of the era (like a gunmetal grey and green).

[@giboi03]

I could be made fun of for owning a VSmile, but it (alongside my DS and GBA on the side) was my stepping stone to becoming gamer. For the life of me, I couldn't deal with enemy mobs that had anything to do with "death", and the Scooby Doo game was no exception, but I learned about the infamous water levels in that same game. I genuinely loved how the controller was simple, tactile, and strangely ergonomic. The colors were inviting and fun, and the sensations and sounds of the buttons made everything worth giving a first try. That smart keyboard makes me want a PC compatible one just so I can feel the squish on the orange plastic with office keyboardy sounds. Thank you so much for covering the systems because I couldn't keep track of anything after the Leapfrog 2 came out and subsequent rivalry. (And yes, Toy Story 2 on VSmile is goated)

[@Gafafsg]

God, I distinctly remember sitting on the floor by the living room computer while my mom tried getting the V Link to work, but I can’t figure out what it was for. All I remember is that it was finicky.

[@teddycinema]

literally gasped when i saw the thumbnail i used to love these. when my 2nd gen vsmile pocket died (the batteries exploded) my mom found another one for me on facebook marketplace when i was like 12😭 i still have it and all the games i originally had. revisited the vsmile pocket a few years ago n it doesn't hold up only bc it's very laggy. but i was also way past their demographic age so i prolly didn't notice as a kid. but the games themselves are very nice. i had the vsmile motion as well (god i loved action mania sm). it makes me sad that these didn't carry over into the next generation n they went straight to ipads. these were great for little me especially the math games. the typing games definitely would've helped me as a child bc i to this day can't touch type i just don't have the motor skills for it no matter how hard i tried in computer class in 4th grade😭

[@greshaminc156]

I had some nostalgic memories with Vsmile. I remember first playing the Bob the Builder game during my preschool years. I’m happy I got my Toy Story 2 game as well, it was very faithful. Vsmile is an interesting of video game starters to a younger audience

[@apex2504]

Great video! Love to see another V Smile 'enthusiast'. I have a board to dump V Smile cartridges and there are a few that are still yet to be dumped, particularly some regional variants of games (identical content, just different languages). I'd really love to have the entire game library preserved at some point.

[@Oakauo]

I'm actually kind of shocked how much the baby controller looks like a edutainment game I grew up with -- video buddy. Same colours on the big buttons, same weird combination of being shaped like both a controller and a paint pallet. I LOVED my video buddy, it attached to a CRT via a suction cup, which had a light censor inside. The VHS tapes that came with the game would pulse to let the game know what answer was supposed to be chosen on the quiz. Your channel taught me this is how duck hunt worked as well!

[@the_blue_dragon_bd]

I grew up with the v smile game system with cartages, it was my childhood snes 😂 I also had 2 because one was bought when I was born but didn't work when I was old enough so I had 2 different controllers one with the big button and one with a pen pad

[@ybaggaby7350]

that final note about the trepidations of giving your child a tablet is something i'm thankful more people are speaking up about, especially creators with a larger audience speaking as someone who grew up on an unmonitored ipad as early as about seven (i'm late-nineteen now,) i wish i never grew up with one relating upon the educational issues you'd brought up, i believe it genuinely stunted my growth and is the result of a bunch of deep-rooted, unhealthy habits that are extremely hard to break in my present. things like dopamine dependency of all kinds, and some bad morals picked up from gross people i wish my innocent-self never had the displeasure of getting personal with it's a wish i'd dump every penny in the world into the well for; i believe i'd be 100% better off and more successful without it. the internet is no place for developing children.

[@alyxgraff9121]

As someone who grew up with a Gameboy, these quirky devices would definitely get my attention, but I get why they wouldn't be made today. The gaming market is split into only 5 categories of devices & all of them only exist to make money. I agree with KClues speech at the end. If you're going to have a kid, DON'T give them an iPad. You'll just ruin their developing mind. People joke about Brainrot but it is real a thing that foes exist. I know. I've seen it before.

[@zaccary14]

Finally, the V-Tech Iceberg video I’ve been looking for.

[@phasmidgaming99]

I had a v smile as a kid and it ruled as it made learning fun, I also became invested with looking at the new tech they were advertising but never got to experience the, at the time, newer stuff! This video takes me back to those days!

[@myrmatta1]

A similarly thorough video on the leap pad, leapster, and related stuff would be cool. I grew up with those as well and barely remember them.

[@Zoopop13]

my leap pad was my thing. along with some CD ROMS. all i can still hear is “COME ON DOWN TO MELLOW MARSH WE GOT QUITE A TREAT OH LIL MARSHMELLOWS HOW MANY CAN YOU EAT” *banjo solo*. im 25… all i can say is i was well prepared, gifted kid class status, as i soon found out and was put in the program.

[@UnknownAccordian]

I can confirm the screen was always that bad on the pockets lol. I vividly remember having mine taken away from me because the refresh rate made me sick

[@RisingRevengeance]

I was always fascinated when I saw the v smile in stores but I was already 12 so quite out of the target market

[@leilalsw]

I'm so happy you made a video on this!!! I feel like no one talks about the V-tech smile! Very happy to see a recent video on it! I have a huge collection of v-smile games

[@oak3mawesome557]

Omg my whole life ive been trying to find what this console was called. The v smile was my favorite thing when i was a child and ive been looking for years. Thank you.

[@tykeretro]

Omg wow I haven't seen the V Smile in a while, childhood unlocked rn 😂

[@WishMakers]

That part during the outro is honestly so unbelievably true. There's something lost in the digital age that should be sticking around instead of slowly dying...

[@JessicaFEREM]

I owned a V smile pocket and a console Vsmile, with the V Link. I remember that there was a game with a dog in it, and that you could "purchase" the bonus games with your game score. memory is very fuzzy on this, and that's all I remember.

[@repoversemedium]

These and the LeapFrog products were the peakness of edutainment.

[@papierboa]

this thing was such a fever dream lmfaoo I think I had one back in like 2010? we got it at some sort of thrift shop. I didn't realize they sold so well because I never saw anyone talk about them but I guess that's because it's a learning console from 2004

[@kilowatt8401]

I didn’t even know they made portable V-Smiles. Love that rotating d-pad.

[@naln1thevampire]

I had a V-Motion with a V-Link as a child, and neither me nor my parents could actually figure out how the V-Link was supposed to work. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if nobody knew how the V-Link worked, even at the time XD

[@oddishsmile7368]

With computer literacy on the decline I think the smart keyboard mightbe even more valuable today.

[@Amythiz]

I love their design so much! Please, I want some modern tech looking like this, at least a special edition controller or something, don’t even care about ergonomics, just want interesting shapes, bright colors and translucent plastic

[@newtzrcool]

genuinely i cannot explain how happy it makes me to see you specifically talk about this. i have the weirdest amount of nostalgia for vtech and the vsmile and v reader specifically lmfao

[@SharkieTheDork]

What a cool deep dive! The Smart Keyboard in particular is fascinating to me, it makes me wonder what the world of edutainment could have looked like from then until now if smart phones hadn't taken off like they did. I can tell I would have been all over these as a kid if I had them. Alas, mine was a Leapfrog household and I had a Leap Pad and a first generation (I think) Leapster handheld. (TBH if you ever wanted to do a deep dive on Leap Frog tech I'd also watch the heck out of that haha)

[@idontknow7745]

The v smile baby was my first "video game", and I couldn't remember the name of it for so many years. Thank you for bringing this horrid childhood memory back to me.

[@PringoOrSomething]

I’ve had that blue cyber pocket like my whole life that alien game is such a fever dream for me

[@Lunastoyrestorations]

I remember when they had test displays at Toy R Us and I was so fascinated by the technology. I was a leapster/Ds lite kid so this sort of thing was right up my alley but I never was able to get a home console. Funny enough maybe a week before this video i found someones childhood Vsmile with a ton of gamea at a garage sale but unfortunately the thing was not working and was broken in too many ways to fix! Im just glad your channel is here to help us remember these long forgotten consoles!

[@TheRedCap]

dude I had that 1st gen vsmile as a kid, what a memory. I remember the power port broke so Dad hard-wired the power cable straight to the motherboard. Around the time I was in Kindergarten in 2009 (15 years ago holy shit) we got a Wii and donated the vsmile. Seeing Toy Story 2 again was a rush.

[@HalianTheProtogen]

My cousin had one of the VTech computers when we were kids, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Also, the SmartBook gives me serious Sega Pico vibes; I used to own one of the latter as a kid.

[@ellacorcoran9045]

You know, I had one of these in the past, and now I'll definitely get one again, because it's just so charming to look at, and that the core of late 90s-early 2010s educational devices.

[@One-of-many-names]

I loved my V smiles! I'm so happy someone actually is talking about this!

[@Littlefighter1911]

Bro, I remember seeing a VSmile demo stand at a now defunct "Karstadt" with Winnie-the-Pooh inserted into it. I was like 11 at that time and while they also had other demo stands, like for PS2 with Lego Star Wars etc. I was tempted to try out the VSmile stuff as well. But it just looked SO kiddy, I was kind of deterred by it. Cool to see a whole video essay about that.

[@bland9876]

VTech and LeapFrog are the two most famous names in electronic edutainment.

[@a_KattyCorn]

Funny enough, I was going through my grandmother’s basement last weekend and found my old V-smile cartridges, even two SEALED games I have never touched. I’m not sure where my old console is.

[@hopper-jos]

oh my LORD you’ve unlocked something!!! I had a V-smile! I 100% had the gen 2 console because I remember that little microphone sooo vividly! maybe that’s when singing became my passion! wild! thank you clue!

[@axmoylotl]

I love the designs of all of them so much. They actually look so good

[@keyaunna.]

this video just unlocked some nostalgia i never knew i had. thank you planetclue, you're a G.