Sega Pico
Encyclopedia
The Sega Pico, also known as , was an electronic toy
by Sega
. The aim of creating the Pico was to get more young children (specifically, ages 2–8) to use video game systems.
The Pico was the first Sega-branded console to carry an officially licensed game from their largest competitor, Nintendo
.
The Pico was released in 1993 in Japan and 1994 in America and Europe. In Japan, the system was a huge success and games were developed until 2005. In America and Europe, however, the Pico was less successful and games were only developed until 1997. To celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2003 in Japan, Sega re-released some of the Pico games from the 1990s. As of April 2005, 3.4 million Pico consoles and 11.2 million software cartridges had been sold.
The Sega Pico's slogan was: "The computer that thinks it's a toy."
shaped. Each time a player turned the page of the cartridge the screen changed to replicate the image in the book. The games were controlled by a "magic" pen
and buttons. The last page of each book features a freehand drawing mode, where the player can also insert stamps of characters shown previously in the game. All software released for the Pico received a rating from either the V.R.C.
or the ESRB
.
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
. The aim of creating the Pico was to get more young children (specifically, ages 2–8) to use video game systems.
The Pico was the first Sega-branded console to carry an officially licensed game from their largest competitor, Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
.
The Pico was released in 1993 in Japan and 1994 in America and Europe. In Japan, the system was a huge success and games were developed until 2005. In America and Europe, however, the Pico was less successful and games were only developed until 1997. To celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2003 in Japan, Sega re-released some of the Pico games from the 1990s. As of April 2005, 3.4 million Pico consoles and 11.2 million software cartridges had been sold.
The Sega Pico's slogan was: "The computer that thinks it's a toy."
Design
The cartridges were called "Storyware," and were bookBook
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
shaped. Each time a player turned the page of the cartridge the screen changed to replicate the image in the book. The games were controlled by a "magic" pen
Pen
A pen is a device used to apply ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Historically, reed pens, quill pens, and dip pens were used, with a nib of some sort to be dipped in the ink. Ruling pens allow precise adjustment of line width, and still find a few specialized uses, but...
and buttons. The last page of each book features a freehand drawing mode, where the player can also insert stamps of characters shown previously in the game. All software released for the Pico received a rating from either the V.R.C.
Videogame Rating Council
The Videogame Rating Council was introduced by Sega of America in 1993 to rate all video games that were released for sale in the United States on the Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Sega CD, and rarely, some computer games...
or the ESRB
Entertainment Software Rating Board
The Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games as well as entertainment software in Canada, Mexico and...
.
Technical specifications
The hardware is based upon the Sega Genesis, with some parts removed and/or replaced by others:- CPUCentral processing unitThe central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
: a 16-bit Motorola 68000Motorola 68000The Motorola 68000 is a 16/32-bit CISC microprocessor core designed and marketed by Freescale Semiconductor...
, the same as the Mega Drive/Genesis. - RAMRandom-access memoryRandom access memory is a form of computer data storage. Today, it takes the form of integrated circuits that allow stored data to be accessed in any order with a worst case performance of constant time. Strictly speaking, modern types of DRAM are therefore not random access, as data is read in...
: 64 KB of Main RAM - Video RAM: 64 KB
- ROMRead-only memoryRead-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
: "Storyware" cartridges of various sizes. - Video: a YM7101 ASICApplication-specific integrated circuitAn application-specific integrated circuit is an integrated circuit customized for a particular use, rather than intended for general-purpose use. For example, a chip designed solely to run a cell phone is an ASIC...
, which was replaced with an FQ8007 ASICApplication-specific integrated circuitAn application-specific integrated circuit is an integrated circuit customized for a particular use, rather than intended for general-purpose use. For example, a chip designed solely to run a cell phone is an ASIC...
in newer units. Both were used in Mega Drive/Genesis consoles as well. - Sound: a Texas Instruments SN76489Texas Instruments SN76489The SN76489 Digital Complex Sound Generator is a TTL-compatible Programmable Sound Generator chip from Texas Instruments. It contains three square wave tone generators and one white noise generator, each of which can produce sounds at various frequencies and sixteen different volume levels...
Programmable sound generatorProgrammable sound generatorA Programmable Sound Generator is a sound chip that generates sound waves by synthesizing multiple basic waveforms, and often some kind of noise generator, and combining and mixing these waveforms into a complex waveform, then shaping the amplitude of the resulting waveform using...
and an NEC µPD7759 PCM chip. - Input: a pen with an action button at its tip, a four button directional pad, and one on-board action button.
Software
In Japan, 296 games were produced. In America, 20 games were produced while Europe produced about 15 or 18 games, one of which was cancelled.| Title | Year | Developer | Publisher | Educational Material Covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventures in Letterland With Jack and Jill | 1995 | Thinking Cap | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Alphabet |
| The Berenstain Bears: A School Day | 1995 | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Alphabet |
| Crayola Crayola Crayola is a brand of artists' supplies manufactured by Crayola LLC, which was founded in 1885 as Binney & Smith. It is best known for its crayons... : Create a World |
1995 | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Art | |
| Disney's Pocahontas Riverbend Adventure Pocahontas (1995 film) Pocahontas is the 33rd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and was originally released to selected theaters on June 16, 1995 by Walt Disney Pictures... |
1995 | RealTime Associates Realtime Associates Realtime Associates is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was founded in 1986 by David Warhol and a group of ex Mattel Electronics employees originally to create games for the Intellivision system... |
Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Nature |
| Disney's 101 Dalmatians One Hundred and One Dalmatians One Hundred and One Dalmatians, often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians, is a 1961 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith... |
1994 | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Math |
| Ecco Ecco the Dolphin Ecco the Dolphin is a puzzle video game released in 1992 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. The central character, Ecco, is a bottlenose dolphin controlled by the player through a progression of side-scrolling aquatic levels... Jr. and the Great Ocean Treasure Hunt! |
1995 | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Math | |
| The Great Counting Caper With the 3 Blind Mice | 1995 | Thinking Cap | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Math |
| Muppets on the Go | 1996 | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Shapes & Matching | |
| Musical Zoo | 1995 | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Music | |
| Pepe's Puzzles | 1995 | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Problem Solving | |
| Richard Scarry's Huckle and Lowly's Busiest Day Ever | 1994 | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Creativity | |
| Sailor Moon Sailor Moon Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself... SuperS |
1994 (JP) | Bandai Bandai is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs... |
Bandai Bandai is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs... (JP) |
|
| Sailor Moon Sailor Moon Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself... S |
1994 (JP) | Bandai Bandai is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs... |
Bandai Bandai is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs... (JP) |
|
| Sailor Moon Sailor Moon Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself... Sailor Stars |
1994 (JP) | Bandai Bandai is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs... |
Bandai Bandai is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs... (JP) |
|
| Scholastic's The Magic School Bus | 1995 (US) | Novotrade | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
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| Sesame Street Sesame Street Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The... Alphabet Avenue |
1997 | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Letter | |
| Smart Alex and Smart Alice: Curious Kids | 1995 | Novotrade | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Letters&Math |
| Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld Sonic Gameworld is a game developed by Aspect Co., Ltd for the Sega Pico. It was released in Japan in August 1994. The game was not released in North America until November 1996 and was never released in Europe.... |
1994 (JP) / 1996 (NA) | Aspect Co., Ltd. | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Strategy & Problem Solving |
| Tails and the Music Maker Tails and the Music Maker Tails and the Music Maker is an edutainment game released in North America in September 1994 on the Sega Pico system. It was later published in Europe by Sega in 1995 and in Japan by Imagineer on December 5, 1995. The main character is Miles "Tails" Prower, who uses this game to teach children... |
1994 (NA) / 1996 (JP) | Novotrade | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... (US)/Imagineer (JP) |
Music |
| Disney's The Lion King The Lion King The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series... : Adventures at Pride Rock |
1995 | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Problem Solving |
| Magic Crayons | 1994 (NA) | Realtime Associates Inc. | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Drawing & Coloring |
| Mickey Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves... 's Blast Into the Past |
1994 (NA) / 1996 (JP) | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
History |
| Math Antics with Disney's 101 Dalmatians One Hundred and One Dalmatians One Hundred and One Dalmatians, often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians, is a 1961 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith... |
1994 (NA) | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Math |
| A Year at Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner... Corner |
1994 (NA) | Novotrade | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Letters & Math |
| Denji Sentai Megaranger Denji Sentai Megaranger is Toei's twenty-first production of the Super Sentai television series. The footage was also used in the American series, Power Rangers in Space. Megaranger premiered on February 14, 1997 and concluded on February 15, 1998.-Plot:... (電磁戦隊メガレンジャー) |
1997 (JP) | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
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| Minimoni Eigo de Asobu n da pyon! | 1994 (JP) | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
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| Minimoni Shōgakkō e Iku n da pyon! | 1994 (JP) | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
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| Minimoni Terebi ni Deru n da pyon! | 1994 (JP) | Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
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| Cutie Honey Flash Cutie Honey Flash is a 1997 anime television series in the Cutie Honey franchise. In its native Japan, the series assumed the timeslot of Sailor Stars, the final story arc of the long-running Sailor Moon anime... (キューティーハニー フラッシュ) |
1997 (JP) | Bandai Bandai is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs... |
Bandai Bandai is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs... |
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| Ojamajo Doremi Dokka~n! (おジャ魔女どれみドッカ～ン!) | 2002 (JP) | Bandai Bandai is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs... |
Bandai Bandai is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs... |
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| Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation : Hiragana Katakana Kakechatta! Pokémon is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video... (ポケットモンスターアドバンスジェネレーション ・ひらがな カタカナ かけちゃった！) |
2003 (JP) | Sega Toys | Nintendo Nintendo is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel.... /TV Tokyo TV Tokyo is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime... /ShoPro/Sega Toys |
Hiragana & Katakana |
| Futari Wa Pretty Cure (ふたりはプリキュア) | 2004 (JP) | Bandai Bandai is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs... |
Bandai Bandai is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs... |
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| Noddy's Toyland Adventures Noddy's Toyland Adventures Noddy's Toyland Adventures was a children's television programme that was broadcast from September 1992 until December 1994 and again from 1999 to 2001 on the BBC... (Cancelled) |
1997 (UK) | Silicon Dreams Silicon Dreams Silicon Dreams may refer to:* Silicon Dreams Studios, a computer game company* Silicon Dreams trilogy, a 1986 text adventure game trilogy by Level 9... |
BBC Multimedia BBC Multimedia BBC Multimedia was a branch of the BBC which dealt with the publishing of computer-game versions of well-known BBC television programmes.- Games : -See also:*List of video game publishers*Lists of video games... |