Leapster

Leapster
Developer: LeapFrog Enterprises Publisher: LeapFrog Enterprises Released in US: October 2003 Released in EU: 2004 This game has a hidden developer message. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has debugging material.

The Leapster was an educational games console meant exclusively for young kids, powered by the magic of Macromedia Adobe Flash. It appears to have done decently well for its purpose, having a couple of upgrades along the way.

To do: Lots of images within the BIOS to dump.

Diagnostics Menu

To do: Add the other debug screens that test stuff like the brightness and change the serial number.

A simple diagnostics screen can be accessed by holding down the Hint button and powering the system on. Here, the user can calibrate the touch controls and get information about the cartridge inserted. This menu is also present in the Leapster2, an upgraded model that has PC connectivity, among other upgrades.

LCD Test Mode

To do: Verify if this is how you access it. Once this is confirmed to be accessible, get a video capture.

When the user has entered Diagnostics mode, hold Hint + A + Down to go here instead of the above menu. To progress through the screens, hold the aforementioned buttons down and press B. This will show various staff member photos, including a crowd shot with all of the developers.

(Source: Divingkataetheweirdo (Access), TeamEurope (No Intro))

Dev Texts

Right at 0x100 in the BIOS is a small message.

Copyright LeapFrog

A significantly larger message can also be seen at 0x420, noting the content approval screen:

Lil ducked.  The jet zipped past her head.  Dust flew, Lil sneezed, and Leap turned red.  
Then Lil got up, about to yell.  Leap gasped, "Look, Lil!  Your tooth!  It fell!".
'Approved Content' is content that either is created by LeapFrog or has received final 
approval under contract with LeapFrog.  LeapFrog grants you permission to copy these 
five sentences only if this cartridge contains 'Approved Content'.  If you copy these 
five sentences into your cartridge, a statement will appear on the screen stating that 
the content has been approved by LeapFrog.  If you do not copy these five sentences into 
your cartridge, a statement will appear on the screen stating that the content has not 
been approved by LeapFrog.  Nothing in these five sentences implies permission to copy them.

152-10346
Leapster BaseROM Universal v1.5

Leap likes his ABCs more than his 1,2,3s.
Lily likes her math better, much more than any letter

ToolPad V2.2.28
Leapster FullBase V1.0.18
DGoldstein
WXP-L0002
Sep 04 2003 10:46:47