LeapFrog bigs up its screen size with L-MAX

LeapFrog is coming to the rescue of kids who prefer a bigger screen for edu-gaming this fall with the launch of its Leapster

L-MAX system (US$99.99). While it still looks and functions like the company’s Leapster handheld device, which has been in the market since November 2003, the L-MAX can also hook up to the TV for a more console-esque experience that’s controlled by the portable player’s stylus and touch-sensitive screen. In Numbers on the Run, for example, kids draw back the stylus like a slingshot to shoot numbers at targets on the big screen.

LeapFrog is coming out with seven software titles (US$29.99) to support L-MAX’s mass rollout, including a couple of licensed ones based on Dora the Explorer and Madagascar. The company is also on the lookout for slightly older-skewing entertainment properties for the four to seven demo to fill out its line with 30 new titles in 2006. The L-MAX is backwards-compatible with Leapster software, though just half of these older titles will play on the TV since their licensing deals were restricted to handheld devices only.