Sega Pico
CN¥690 US$49.95 (Majesco) | |
Discontinued | |
---|---|
Units sold | |
Media | "Storyware" (Cartridge) |
CPU | Motorola 68000 @ 7.6 MHz |
Memory | 64 KB RAM, 64 KB VRAM |
Display | |
Sound | Texas Instruments SN76489, NEC μPD7759 |
Successor | Advanced Pico Beena |
The Sega Pico, also known as Kids Computer Pico,
Marketed as "edutainment", the main focus of the Pico was educational video games for children between 3 and 7 years old. Releases for the Pico were focused on education for children and included titles supported by licensed franchised animated characters, including Sega's own Sonic the Hedgehog series.
Though the Pico was sold continuously in Japan through the release of the Beena, in North America and Europe the Pico was less successful and was discontinued in early 1998, later being re-released by Majesco Entertainment. Overall, Sega claims sales of 3.4 million Pico consoles and 11.2 million game cartridges, and over 350,000 Beena consoles and 800,000 cartridges. It was succeeded by the Advanced Pico Beena, which was released in Japan in 2005.
Design and software
Powered by the same hardware used in the
Cartridges for the system were referred to as "Storyware", and took the form of
According to former Sega console hardware research and development head Hideki Sato, the development of the Sega Pico was possible due to the company's past work on the
History
At a price of ¥16,000,
After a lack of success, Sega discontinued the Pico in North America in early 1998. Later, in August 1999, a remake of the Pico made by Majesco Entertainment was released in North America at a price of US$49.99, with Storyware titles selling at US$19.99.[13][14] The Pico would later be released in China in 2002, priced at CN¥690.[15]
In early 1995,
Yamaha Copera
In December 1993, Yamaha released the Copera in Japan at a price of ¥35,000. The Copera is an enhanced variant of the Pico designed for musical education, with additional Yamaha FM sound hardware (possibly an OPL3 variant), stereo audio output, a microphone, and two MIDI ports. It is compatible with all Pico software, as well as dedicated software making use of the enhanced hardware known as 'Mixt Books', which are not compatible with regular Pico hardware.[21][22]
Advanced Pico Beena
ARM7TDMI @ 81 MHz | |
Predecessor | Sega Pico |
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The Advanced Pico Beena, also known simply as Beena or BeenaLite, is an educational console system targeted at young children sold by
Compared to the Pico, Beena adds several functions. Beena can be played without a television, and supports multiplayer via a separately sold additional Magic Pen. The console also supports data saving. Playtime can be limited by settings in the system. Some games for the Beena offer adaptive difficulty, becoming more difficult to play based on the skill level of the player.[24] The Beena Lite, a more affordable version of the console, was released on July 17, 2008. As of 2010, Sega estimated that 4.1 million Beena consoles had been sold, along with 20 million game cartridges.[25]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b Horowitz, Ken (February 7, 2013). "Interview: Joe Miller". Sega-16. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
- ^ a b "Sega's Younger Side: Pico and Sega Club Software". GamePro. No. 65. IDG. December 1994. p. 80.
- ^ AllGame. Archived from the originalon April 24, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- AllGame. Archived from the originalon November 16, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- Famitsu (in Japanese). ASCII Corporation. Retrieved March 5, 2019 – via Shmuplations.
- ^ "Sega Pico - Game Console - Computing History". www.computinghistory.org.uk. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- Weekly Famitsu (in Japanese). ASCII Corporation. June 11, 1993. p. 11.
- ^ "Sega Pico Q&A" (in Japanese). Sega Toys. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- ^ Fainaru, Steve (February 18, 1994). "It may be a Toy Fair, but it ain't kid stuff: High-tech goods shine at industry show". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ "Sega captures dollar share of videogame market -- again; diverse product strategy yields market growth; Sega charts path for 1996". Business Wire. January 10, 1996. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2011 – via The Free Library.
- ^ Gillen, Marilyn A. (July 9, 1994). "Sega, Nintendo Bring Big Plans To CES". Billboard. 106 (28). Nielsen Business Media, Inc.: 73. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
- ^ "Pico Awards". Sega. Archived from the original on March 27, 1997. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- ^ "Edison, N.J.-Based Firm Signs Video Game Distribution Deal with Sega". Home News Tribune. August 6, 1999. Archived from the original on June 29, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
- ^ "Majesco Signs Licensing Deal to Distribute Sega Pico Educational Systems: Systems Will Be Available In All Major Toy Retailers By Holiday Season". Business Wire. August 5, 1999.
- ^ "Sega Toys markets Pico computer toy in China". Japan Toy and Game Software Journal. March 25, 2002. Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ "Sega Boasts Pico Success". Next Generation. February 14, 1996. Archived from the original on April 11, 1997. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "Sega Pico information" (in Japanese). Sega Toys. Archived from the original on April 8, 2009. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- ^ a b "Sega Toys Business Strategy". Sega Toys. Archived from the original on December 16, 2005.
- ^ Szadkowski, Joseph (February 26, 1996). "ROMper Room: The Best in Play". The Washington Times.[dead link]
- ^ Horowitz, Ken (May 9, 2006). "Interview: Steven Kent". Sega-16. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- Weekly Famitsu (in Japanese). ASCII Corporation. October 1, 1993. p. 11.
- Beep! MegaDriveSoftBank Creative. January 1994. p. 34. (in Japanese).
- ^ "Beena(ビーナ) シリーズ" (in Japanese). Sega Toys. Archived from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- ^ "Beena Q&A" (in Japanese). Sega Toys. Archived from the original on December 12, 2005. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ "トイ・ストーリー3 がビーナに登場!『Beena専用ソフト シューティングビーナ トイ・ストーリー3 ウッディとバズの大冒険!』とばして!うって!つかまえて!たのしいゲームがい~っぱい!" (PDF). Sega Toys (in Japanese). Sega Toys. July 14, 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
External links
- "Sega Pico". Archived from the original on December 19, 1996. - Sega of America
- Pasopico Land - Sega of Japan (in Japanese)