The V.Smile (stylized as V.SMILE TV LEARNING SYSTEM) is a sixth-generation educational home video game console manufactured and released by VTech.

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.

[citation needed] 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.

[citation needed] 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.

It features a built-in Passive matrix-based color LCD display and a monaural speaker, but is otherwise similar to the desktop console counterpart.

[7] 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.

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.

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.

[citation needed] A newer variant of the V.Smile is the V.Motion Active Learning System (Model 788) or V.Smile Motion, released in September 2007.

[9] 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.

[citation needed] 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.

[10] 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 when it was cancelled.

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.

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.

[14] 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.

[citation needed] 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.