The Sega Pico, also known as Kids Computer Pico,[a] is an educational video game console by Sega Toys. Marketed as "edutainment", the main focus of the Pico was educational video games for children between 3 and 7 years old. The Pico was released in June 1993 in Japan and November 1994 in North America and Europe, later reaching China. It was succeeded by the Advanced Pico Beena, which was released in Japan in 2005. 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. 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. 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.
A screenshot featuring gameplay from Sonic Gameworld, a typical example of a Pico game
A Sega Pico in folded position.
Powered by the same hardware used in the Sega Genesis,[1] the physical shape of the Pico was designed to appear similar to a laptop. Included in the Pico is a stylus called the "Magic Pen", and a pad to draw on. Controlling the games for the system is accomplished either by using the Magic Pen like a mouse, or by pressing the directional buttons on the console. The Pico does not include a screen, and instead must be connected to a monitor through the Composite video output.[2] Touching the pen to the pad allows drawing, or moving/animating a character on the screen.[3]
Cartridges for the system were referred to as "Storyware", and took the form of picture books with a cartridge slot on the bottom. The Pico changes the television display and the set of tasks for the player to accomplish each time a page is turned.[2] Sound, including voices and music, also accompanied every page. Games for the Pico focused on education, including subjects such as music, counting, spelling, reading, matching, and coloring. Titles included licensed animated characters from various franchises, such as Disney's The Lion King: Adventures at Pride Rock and A Year at Pooh Corner. Sega also released titles including their mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, including Sonic Gameworld[3] and Tails and the Music Maker.[4]
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 MyCard cartridges developed for the SG-1000, as well as on drawing tablets. The sensor technology used in the pad came from that developed for the 1987 arcade game World Derby, while its CPU and graphics chip came from the Genesis.[5]
History
At a price of ¥13,440,[6] the Pico was released in Japan in June 1993.[7] In North America, Sega unveiled the Pico at the 1994 American International Toy Fair, showcasing its drawing and display abilities[8] ahead of its release in November.[9] The console was advertised at a price of approximately US$160,[10] but was eventually released at a price of US$139. "Storyware" cartridges sold for US$39.99 to 49.99. The Pico's slogan was "The computer that thinks it's a toy."[3] The Sega Pico won a few awards, including the "National Parenting Seal of Approval", a "Platinum Seal Award", and a gold medal from the "National Association of Parenting Publications Awards".[11]
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.[12][13] The Pico would later be released in China in 2002, priced at ¥690 RMB.[14]
In early 1995, Sega of America reported that it had sold 400,000 units in North America.[15] In 2000, Sega claimed that the Pico had sold 2.5 million units.[6] As of April 2005, Sega claims that 3.4 million Pico consoles and 11.2 million software cartridges had been sold worldwide.[16] The Pico was recognized in 1995 by being listed on Dr. Toy's 100 Best Products, as well as being listed in Child as one of the best computer games available. According to Joseph Szadkowski of The Washington Times, "Pico has enough power to be a serious learning aid that teaches counting, spelling, matching, problem-solving, memory, logic, hand/eye coordination and important, basic computer skills."[17] Former Sega of America vice president of product development Joe Miller claims that he named his dog after the system because of his passion for the console.[1] By contrast, Steven L. Kent claims that Sega of Japan CEO Hayao Nakayama watched the Pico "utterly fail" in North America.[18]
The Advanced Pico Beena, also known simply as Beena or BeenaLite, is an educational console system targeted at young children sold by Sega Toys, released in 2005 in Japan. It is the successor to the Pico, and marketed around the "learn while playing" concept. According to Sega Toys, the focus of the Advanced Pico Beena is on learning in a new social environment, and is listed as their upper-end product. Topics listed as being educational focuses for the Beena include intellectual, moral, physical, dietary, and safety education.[16] The name of the console was chosen to sound like the first syllables of "Be Natural".[19]
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.[20] 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.[21]
^ abHorowitz, Ken (February 7, 2013). "Interview: Joe Miller". Sega-16. from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
^ ab"Sega's Younger Side: Pico and Sega Club Software". GamePro. No. 65. IDG. December 1994. p. 80.
^ abcBeuscher, David. . AllGame. Archived from the original on April 24, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
^. AllGame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
^Sato, Hideki (November 1998). "The History of Sega Console Hardware". Famitsu (in Japanese). ASCII Corporation. Retrieved March 5, 2019 – via Shmuplations.
^ ab (in Japanese). Sega Toys. Archived from the original on April 8, 2009. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
^ (in Japanese). Sega Toys. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
^Fainaru, Steve (February 18, 1994). . The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2014 – via HighBeam Research.
^. 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. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 106 (28): 73. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
^. Sega. Archived from the original on March 27, 1997. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
^. Home News Tribune. August 6, 1999. Archived from the original on June 29, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2011 – via HighBeam Research.
^"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.
^. Japan Toy and Game Software Journal. March 25, 2002. Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2014 – via HighBeam Research(subscription required).
^"Sega Boasts Pico Success". Next Generation. February 14, 1996. from the original on April 11, 1997. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
^ ab. Sega Toys. Archived from the original on December 16, 2005.
^Horowitz, Ken (May 9, 2006). "Interview: Steven Kent". Sega-16. from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
^"Beena（ビーナ） シリーズ" (in Japanese). Sega Toys. from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
^ (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. (PDF) from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
External links
. Archived from the original on December 19, 1996. - Sega of America
sega, pico, also, known, kids, computer, pico, educational, video, game, console, sega, toys, marketed, edutainment, main, focus, pico, educational, video, games, children, between, years, pico, released, june, 1993, japan, november, 1994, north, america, euro. The Sega Pico also known as Kids Computer Pico a is an educational video game console by Sega Toys Marketed as edutainment the main focus of the Pico was educational video games for children between 3 and 7 years old The Pico was released in June 1993 in Japan and November 1994 in North America and Europe later reaching China It was succeeded by the Advanced Pico Beena which was released in Japan in 2005 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 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 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 Sega PicoAlso known asKids Computer PicoManufacturerSega ToysTypeVideo game consoleGenerationFourth generation eraRelease dateJP June 1993NA November 1994EU 1994KOR 1995Introductory priceJP 13 440US 139CN 690US 49 95 Majesco DiscontinuedEU 1998NA February 1998JP 2005Units soldJP 3 4 millionNA 400 000 as of January 1996 Media Storyware Cartridge CPUMotorola 68000 7 6 MHz Zilog Z80 3 58 MHzMemory64 KB RAM 64 KB VRAM 8 KB audio RAMDisplayProgressive 320 224 256 224 NTSC or 320 240 256 240 PAL pixels 512 color palette 61 colors on screen Interlaced 320 448 256 448 NTSC or 320 480 256 480 PAL SoundYamaha YM2612 Texas Instruments SN76489SuccessorAdvanced Pico Beena Contents 1 Design and software 2 History 3 Advanced Pico Beena 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksDesign and software Edit A screenshot featuring gameplay from Sonic Gameworld a typical example of a Pico game A Sega Pico in folded position Powered by the same hardware used in the Sega Genesis 1 the physical shape of the Pico was designed to appear similar to a laptop Included in the Pico is a stylus called the Magic Pen and a pad to draw on Controlling the games for the system is accomplished either by using the Magic Pen like a mouse or by pressing the directional buttons on the console The Pico does not include a screen and instead must be connected to a monitor through the Composite video output 2 Touching the pen to the pad allows drawing or moving animating a character on the screen 3 Cartridges for the system were referred to as Storyware and took the form of picture books with a cartridge slot on the bottom The Pico changes the television display and the set of tasks for the player to accomplish each time a page is turned 2 Sound including voices and music also accompanied every page Games for the Pico focused on education including subjects such as music counting spelling reading matching and coloring Titles included licensed animated characters from various franchises such as Disney s The Lion King Adventures at Pride Rock and A Year at Pooh Corner Sega also released titles including their mascot Sonic the Hedgehog including Sonic Gameworld 3 and Tails and the Music Maker 4 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 MyCard cartridges developed for the SG 1000 as well as on drawing tablets The sensor technology used in the pad came from that developed for the 1987 arcade game World Derby while its CPU and graphics chip came from the Genesis 5 History EditAt a price of 13 440 6 the Pico was released in Japan in June 1993 7 In North America Sega unveiled the Pico at the 1994 American International Toy Fair showcasing its drawing and display abilities 8 ahead of its release in November 9 The console was advertised at a price of approximately US 160 10 but was eventually released at a price of US 139 Storyware cartridges sold for US 39 99 to 49 99 The Pico s slogan was The computer that thinks it s a toy 3 The Sega Pico won a few awards including the National Parenting Seal of Approval a Platinum Seal Award and a gold medal from the National Association of Parenting Publications Awards 11 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 12 13 The Pico would later be released in China in 2002 priced at 690 RMB 14 In early 1995 Sega of America reported that it had sold 400 000 units in North America 15 In 2000 Sega claimed that the Pico had sold 2 5 million units 6 As of April 2005 Sega claims that 3 4 million Pico consoles and 11 2 million software cartridges had been sold worldwide 16 The Pico was recognized in 1995 by being listed on Dr Toy s 100 Best Products as well as being listed in Child as one of the best computer games available According to Joseph Szadkowski of The Washington Times Pico has enough power to be a serious learning aid that teaches counting spelling matching problem solving memory logic hand eye coordination and important basic computer skills 17 Former Sega of America vice president of product development Joe Miller claims that he named his dog after the system because of his passion for the console 1 By contrast Steven L Kent claims that Sega of Japan CEO Hayao Nakayama watched the Pico utterly fail in North America 18 Advanced Pico Beena EditAdvanced Pico Beena ManufacturerSega ToysTypeVideo game consoleGenerationSixth generation eraLifespanJP 2005 2011MediaStorywareCPUARM7TDMI clocked at 81MHzPredecessorSega PicoThe Advanced Pico Beena also known simply as Beena or BeenaLite is an educational console system targeted at young children sold by Sega Toys released in 2005 in Japan It is the successor to the Pico and marketed around the learn while playing concept According to Sega Toys the focus of the Advanced Pico Beena is on learning in a new social environment and is listed as their upper end product Topics listed as being educational focuses for the Beena include intellectual moral physical dietary and safety education 16 The name of the console was chosen to sound like the first syllables of Be Natural 19 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 20 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 21 See also Edit Video games portal 1990s portalList of Sega Pico gamesNotes Edit Japanese キッズコンピューター ピコ Hepburn Kizzu Konpyuta PikoReferences Edit 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 a b c Beuscher David Sega Pico Overview AllGame Archived from the original on April 24 2011 Retrieved September 1 2014 Tails and the Music Maker AllGame Archived from the original on November 16 2014 Retrieved November 12 2012 Sato Hideki November 1998 The History of Sega Console Hardware Famitsu in Japanese ASCII Corporation Retrieved March 5 2019 via Shmuplations a b Sega Pico information in Japanese Sega Toys Archived from the original on April 8 2009 Retrieved March 3 2018 Sega Pico Q amp 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 via HighBeam Research 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 Nielsen Business Media Inc 106 28 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 via HighBeam Research 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 via HighBeam Research subscription required Sega Boasts Pico Success Next Generation February 14 1996 Archived from the original on April 11 1997 Retrieved October 17 2021 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 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 amp 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 Edit Sega Pico Archived from the original on December 19 1996 Sega of America Pasopico Land Sega of Japan in Japanese Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sega Pico amp oldid 1129788890, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
