BeeCard
Encyclopedia
A BeeCard is a memory card
developed by Hudson Soft
for use with MSX
computers. BeeCards are the size of a credit card and were used for the commercial distribution of games, mostly by Hudson Soft themselves. The card contains an integrated circuit
(IC) that is placed close to the connectors and protected by a thin plastic layer. Compared to the more traditional cartridges used by most early game consoles, the BeeCard is relatively small and compact.
The first BeeCards were sold in Japan
in 1985 and were manufactured by Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc
.
The MSX is the only system known to have used BeeCards, and needed a BeePack, a special adapter the size of a traditional MSX cartridgde which contains a slot on the top into which the BeeCard is placed.
Hudson Soft later developed the HuCard
for the NEC PC Engine and SuperGrafx
game consoles. HuCards are slightly thicker than BeeCards and contain 38 pins while a BeeCard has only 32.
, which features a bee
.
Memory card
A memory card or flash card is an electronic flash memory data storage device used for storing digital information. They are commonly used in many electronic devices, including digital cameras, mobile phones, laptop computers, MP3 players, and video game consoles...
developed by Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
for use with MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
computers. BeeCards are the size of a credit card and were used for the commercial distribution of games, mostly by Hudson Soft themselves. The card contains an integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
(IC) that is placed close to the connectors and protected by a thin plastic layer. Compared to the more traditional cartridges used by most early game consoles, the BeeCard is relatively small and compact.
The first BeeCards were sold in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1985 and were manufactured by Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc
Mitsubishi Plastics
is a Japanese chemical company with Head Office at 1-2-2, Nihonbashihongokucho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0021, Japan.Produces various kinds of synthetic resins. The Company's products include polyvinyl chloride pipes and films...
.
The MSX is the only system known to have used BeeCards, and needed a BeePack, a special adapter the size of a traditional MSX cartridgde which contains a slot on the top into which the BeeCard is placed.
Hudson Soft later developed the HuCard
HuCard
A HuCard is a memory card developed by Hudson Soft. It is the size of a credit card and is used with the NEC PC Engine and SuperGrafx video game consoles. HuCards contain an integrated circuit that is placed close to the connectors and protected by a thin plastic shield...
for the NEC PC Engine and SuperGrafx
SuperGrafx
The SuperGrafx video game console is an upgraded version of NEC's popular PC Engine system. At first it was known as the PC-Engine 2—which was purported to be a true 16-bit system with improved graphics and audio capabilities, not expected to see release until 1990...
game consoles. HuCards are slightly thicker than BeeCards and contain 38 pins while a BeeCard has only 32.
Trivia
The name BeeCard is derived from Hudson Soft's corporate logoLogo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
, which features a bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
.
Games
Games released on BeeCard:- Baseball Craze, BC-M1, Hudson Soft, 1985
- Star Force, BC-M2, Tehkan, 1985
- Jet Set Willy, BC-M3, Hudson Soft, 1985
- T-Plan, BC-M4, unknown publisher
- Pooyan, BC-M5, KonamiKonamiis a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
, 1985 - Bomber Man, BC-M7, Hudson Soft/Japanese SoftbankSoftBankis a Japanese telecommunications and internet corporation, with operations in broadband, fixed-line telecommunications, e-Commerce, Internet, broadmedia, technology services, finance, media and marketing, and other businesses....
, 1986 - Star Soldier, BC-M8, Hudson Soft, 1986
- Champion Takahashi's Adventure Island, BC-M9, Hudson Soft, 1986
- E-Piano III, unknown publisher