Although critics praised the V.Flash for improving on the V.Smile's base, the console's sales lagged behind the former.[3] VTech discontinued the V.Flash shortly after and shifted focus back to the V.Smile.
History
It was revealed at the 2006 London Toy Fair,[4] and released in September 2006.[5] The system retailed for $100.[2]
Games
Since the console did not sell as well as the V.Smile, not many games were made for it. All games were released in the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Germany, with the exceptions of Bratz Fashion Pixiez: The Secret Necklace, which was not released in the United Kingdom and Germany, Multisports, which was exclusive to Germany, and Scooby-Doo!: Ancient Adventure, which was not released in Germany. Additionally, Bratz Fashion Pixiez: The Secret Necklace, Cars: In the Fast Lane and Disney Princess: The Crystal Ball Adventure were released in Mexico.
There are 10 titles known to have been released. The Princeton Review was involved in the development of educational content for some games.[2][6]
Bratz Fashion Pixiez: El Misterio del Collar Bratz Fashion Pixiez: Le Collier Magique Bratz Fashion Pixiez: El Secreto del Magico Bratz Fashion Pixiez: De Magische Ketting
Disney Princess: El Castillo de las Princesas Disney Princess: L'aventure enchantée Disney Prinzessinnen: Das zauberhafte Märchen-Abenteuer Disney Princesas: La aventura encantado
Unlike most other CD-ROM-based consoles, this system uses 12 cm CDs enclosed with plastic to protect damage from touching (although it could also protect from piracy), which is somewhat similar to 3.5" floppy disks or UMDs. The discs use the ISO 9660[8] file system, without any copy protection mechanism other than a simple sensor in the case jacket, making it possible to make a disc image out of the media.[9] Because of this, the V.Flash can also play audio CDs and user-recorded CD-Rs using the supplied disc adapter.
Other hardware
The processor is an ARM9 processor from LSI Logic. Files are stored in 3 main formats: .mjp (Motion JPEG), .ptx (Pro Tools session file), and .snd. The latter have been determined to be PCM WAV files.
Capable of rendering 1.5 million polygons per second and equipped with a 32 bit CPU, this system is directly comparable to the fifth generation game consoles, such as the PlayStation.
The system may use a memory card to save games.[2]
^Although the name is in English, Multisports was exclusive to Europe and no English version exists.
References
^Amos, Evan (2021). The Game Console 2.0: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox. No Starch Press (published Sep 8, 2021). p. 237. ISBN9781718500617.
^ abcd"New & Future Releases". Children's Technology Review. 15 (3): 15. March 1, 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
^"V.Flash Explorations". Emu Vibes. 26 May 2007. Archived from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
