Sega Pico

Please note that unless otherwise stated the screenshots on this page were taken using an Elgato capture card using the Pico's composite video connection.

Accessories

A number of accessories were released for the original model Pico to enhance gameplay or allow for more advanced activities, with the accessory plugging into a PS/2 style connector on the game cartridge.

Keyboard Pico Set

The Keyboard Pico accessory from Sega was released in 1997 and only sold as a set, featuring a Japanese QWERETY keyboard and accompanying software, the sets were Keyboard Pico Set (packed in with Kantan Waku Waku Keyboard software), Keyboard Pico 2 Set (with Sawattemiyou! Yoiko no Hajimete Keyboard software), and Kitty to Minna no Keyboard Pico Set (with Kitty to Minna no Hajimete Keyboard! software). Clearly designed for children in mind, the keyboard is small but robust (and quite heavy), with 60 buttons coloured dark blue, green, orange, and dark red as to highlight the different functions, contrasting against the white keyboard case. The Hello Kitty version has a pink keyboard along with yellow, white, blue and dark pink buttons.

Attached to the keyboard is a short, grey lead terminating in a PS/2 type connector which plugs into the specially designed software cartridge, this lead should not be connected or disconnected while the game is inserted and the Pico is powered on. The lead is just long enough that you can place the keyboard in front of the Pico.

I bought a Keyboard Pico Set from ebay for £42 and while the box (as you will see below) is quite torn the keyboard and software work fine. First, the top of the box, which shows what you get in the package, and has an image of a boy and girl along with the keyboard, a yellow Pico, and TV.

The bottom of the box, seen below, gives general instructions of how to set up and use the keyboard:

Next we have the keyboard in the inner packaging:

Here is a top view of the keyboard:

In case you're wondering, the keyboard is on top of a box for a Japanese Pico that's covered on this page.

A bottom view of the keyboard, note the red colour, and the date of 1997:

This is the software cartridge that came with the keyboard set, sat on top of the blue case it was in:

Note that connector to the right of 'KEYBOARD PICO' which is what the keyboard connects to.

Lastly, various documentation that came with the keyboard set:

Console Versions

UK Pico

Below you can see the front of my UK Pico (PAL version) and note the very contrasting cyan/purple colour scheme:

To open up the Pico push the yellow side button inward and while pushing it pull the green part of the system toward you; to close the Pico just push the green part away from you until it latches in place.

A photo follows showing the Pico opened up:

The Pico has 4 unlabelled buttons (each game determines their function such as to accept direction) coloured white, green, orange and purple , arranged like the main trigger buttons you would expect to see on a modern controller as well as a large red button typically used as an action button. There is also a drawing pad and tethered pen which uses technology similar to modern PC drawing tablets; the game can detect the pen even when it's hovering slightly over the pad. The pen was typically either used to interact with on-screen characters or for drawing. The pen has a built-in button on the tip that can be detected by the game being played, such as to make on-screen selections.

Some models (seems to be early Japanese models) have 2 phono connectors for composite video and mono audio next to the power in socket but other models, such as the one I have (see below), have a Mega Drive 2 style A/V socket providing composite video and stereo sound instead of the 2 phono connectors. In addition, some versions of the Pico have an expansion port and DE-9 connector (as found on a Mega Drive/Genesis 1 but used as the 'EXT' port), which are possibly for use with Pico peripherals such as the mouse, keyboard and fishing rod. On my model there is just a door to the right of the power in connector which when opened up reveals a hidden screw. See the teardown later in this section for more information.

Looking at the rear of the Pico  you can see on the label it has the model number MK-49002-50 with MK-49002 being the main model number and -50 indicating it's an European version. Note that 'MK' model numbers were used for some Mega Drive consoles and peripherals.

Also visible is what appears to be a series of vents which may just be for show and toward the bottom you can see how the plastic sticks out so that the Pico can stand upright.

Next we will look at a teardown of my PAL Pico to illustrate its internal workings, which will possibly help with repairs.

To take apart the Pico you will need to first remove all 8 screws from the back of the console but before the 2 main purple parts of the console can be separated you will need to carefully prise open the plastic 'door' to the right of the power connector. This gives access to another screw to be taken out and following that you will need to pull up the pen cable so that it will be freed of where it was held in. Now you should be able to pull apart the 2 main pieces of the console with caution since there are a number of delicate flat cables that could be damaged.

The opened up Pico can be seen as follows:

The 6 reflective opto-switches are located on their own board (top right) which is dated 1994 and marked as '837-10847 IAC P.SENSOR'. The board has a single chip, IC1, which is a 4069 (hex inverter).

There are 6 flat cables (3 clearly seen in the middle of the photo above with the other 3 underneath) that go to the 2 drawing matrix areas (main drawing area and the other in the cart area). For each of the drawing areas 2 of the flat cables handle the columns and the single, wider cable connects to the rows. When the pen is brought near to the matrix its location can be sensed as an XY coordinate.

For a close look at the bottom half of the Pico see the photo that follows:

The connector top left is for the 5 action buttons and at the left side of the photo you can see how much the matrix sticks out for some reason. To the right halfway down the red plastic piece that can be seen is the power 'switch' that the user pushes but in fact it operates the actual switch on the mainboard. Note bottom right the broken post near the holes for the cart page sensors; I wondered why one of the screws kept turning.

The main board is covered by metal shielding and toward the left where there is an opening a 6-way cable is plugged in which is connected to the action buttons; this needs to be carefully pulled out (you will also need to remove the tape around the wires). There is also the lead from the sensor board but I didn't remove it as it didn't want to come out easily.

Next take out the 6 longs screws around the edges of the shielding, 2 of which have wires attached with ring connectors, and lastly 2 smaller screws near the power switch. Then you should be able to lift off the shielding, revealing the mainboard as seen below:

The power switch is visible top right in the photo above and below that is the pen connector, and lower still the power in and A/V sockets. Bottom left are the 6 matrix connectors and to the right of them the game cartridge connector.

The main board is dated as 1994 and labelled as '837-10846 IAC Main PAL VA0'. Note that 'VA0' means that the board is the first (PAL) version.

Here is a list of the chips used on the main board:

IC1 17805 +5V voltage regulator

IC2 MB3514 RGB encoder

IC3 315-5640 Touchpad controller

IC4 315-5641 PCM chip (sound)

IC5 315-5313A VDP (graphics)

IC6 MC68HC000 CPU

IC7 651632 Main SRAM

IC9 & IC10 BA10324 Quad Op-amp

IC11 315-5769 Possibly I/O controller

IC14 HM53861 Video SRAM

IC17 HC00 Quad 2-input NAND gate

There are no components on the mainboard's underside.

From the IC numbering there appears to be some missing chips but they are likely from an earlier board revision. For e.g., it has been claimed that IC12 and IC13 were alternative RAM chips that could be used in place of the VRAM chip (IC14).

Japanese Pico Versions

As well as recently buying a UK Pico I also managed to get a Japanese Pico and unlike my UK one the Japanese one is boxed. The model number is HPC-0003, which is not the first Japanese model but a revised version based on HPC-0001, without the expansion connector and DE9 connector (which is on the side with power and A/V on the first model). In the box the Pico is held in a cardboard carton and as well as the console you get an A/V lead (mono audio and composite video), manual, leaflet (detailing how to care for your Pico) and Japanese power brick. As the power supply is expecting 100V you will need to use a step-down converter if you mains is higher or you can use a Mega Drive 2 power supply for your region.

On one side of the console is the barrel jack power in, phono audio and phono video connectors and on the other side there is a compartment which requires a screw to be removed and then the flap can be pushed out with a spudger. However, although this gives access to where the stylus cable connects to the main board there is no expansion connector as there is on the first model.

The yellow/red colour scheme of the Japanese Pico contrasts very much with the Pico sold outside Japan and the yellow cartridges blend in with the console. Speaking of the games. of the Japanese Pico games I have so far I had some difficulty interacting with them other than because of the Japanese language; most of the games I have require you to press the stylus on the characters and objects on the storyware pages rather than the drawing area.

A redesigned version of the Pico is the HPC-0009, which is lightweight but less durable, perhaps to cut costs.

A boxed example can be seen in the next photo, which, from what I can tell was a Toys "R" Us special, featuring pack-in Anpanman games along with the console:

There was actually an Anpanman branded console (which this is not) but you can see it at:

https://segaretro.org/Sega_Pico_Models#Pico_Anpanman

Unfortunately, I didn't get the Anpanman games with the console when I bought it from eBay (nor the power supply and A/V lead) but at just £40 it seemed a very good deal.

This is the other side of the box:

And next is one side of the box, showing the included games:

And the other side:

Within the main box was a smaller box containing the console, which I'm guessing was how the console was bought when not part of a pack-in bundle:

And the other side of the box:

Note that the back of box shows connectivity to Windows (Win 95+) using a CD and cable.

Here is one side of the inner box showing the happy family and what's included in the box:

The other side:

Here is a view of the top of the console, it wasn't in the best state when I received so it'll need some cleaning:

And here is the bottom view:

Notice the handle toward the top, the translucent kickstand in the middle, and the sticker bottom right stating the model number (HPC-0009), power consumption (7W), and serial number.

Here is a side view showing how much slimmer the console is compared to the original Pico:

You can see the blue and white stylus just peeking out, and the sliding red power switch below it. At bottom left is the yellow composite video phono connector, white audio phono connector, and DC barrel socket. Since this is a Japanese console your TV/monitor will need to be compatible with NTSC-J composite video and if you don't have the original power supply for the Pico you can use a Mega Drive 2 power supply for your region or if you want to power off your own power supply it needs to be 10V DC, 250mA, centre positive. Be careful with selecting the right power connector, there are plugs that fit the socket but don't make a complete electrical connection.

Toward the bottom middle is a removable plastic cover which can be pushed out, hiding where the stylus connects to the main board, as well as concealing a screw that helps to hold the console together.

Next we have the console opened up, you have to press on the red button at the top corner of the console to open it up:

Annoyingly, it can be difficult when closing the Pico since the stylus cable can get in the way of the latch locking in place.

To the right of the orange area is where the game cartridge sits (it inserts into the white flaps), and the pages open up to the left to fit in the remaining area. The six optical sensors that detect which page (if any) are opened are also visible in the book area, and below the stlyus cable is the power switch which is pushed up to turn the console on, illuminating a green LED. Oddly, there is a compartment door toward the left of the orange area that can be opened out and is indeed slightly open in the above photo (the instruction leaflet that came with the console shows something can be put in there, I'll have to try translating the writing).

In the bottom, white area is a large red button to the left along with four coloured, smaller buttons below it, their function is dependent on the software being used. In the middle is the drawing area (the protective sheet can be removed and replaced), and the stylus in its holder on the right.

Here is another image of the console opened up, along with the mysterious compartment door opened, and the game - Ojamajo Doremi DOKKA~N - I got with the console inserted into the cartridge port:

Lastly, an image of the documentation that came with the console:

Games

Games for the Pico come in cartridge form, known as Storyware, and are shaped like a picture book with at most 7 tabbed pages including a back page stuck to the cart; opening the book will start the game. Aside from the last page, each page has a tab on its side to make lifting the page easy and the game will respond to the page turning by changing the scenery and characters that are displayed on your TV/monitor, starting a new activity. Typically the last page triggers a drawing mode in which the user can draw using the pen on the drawing area, with selections for drawing tools, colour, etc. being made by interacting the pen with the last page of the cart, and some games even detect the pen and respond to it on the page before last so I suspect there is actually a second drawing area in the large area around and behind the cart.

Detecting the page changes is very clever but is quite simple how it works: with a cart removed you can clearly see 6 holes each of which has a reflective opto-switch which can detect an opened page simply because the tab across the top of a page won't cover a particular hole thus not reflecting the infra-red signal back (if there are only 6 pages then the page before last will have a wider tab to cover 2 sensors). I have tried going to the last page and then covering the first hole but either the game doesn't respond, knowing that should be an illegal condition, or the game will flicker the message asking if you are sure you want to loose your picture as would normally happen when exiting drawing mode.

There were at least 300 games for the Pico - some of which were only released in Japan - which include games that would be obviously appealing to children, such as A Bug's Life, LEGO Fun To Build, Mickey's Blast Into the Past and The Magic School Bus. There were also a couple of Sonic games, Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld and Tails and the Music Maker, and even rather oddly a Cutey Honey Flash Pico game. Notably and somewhat ironically, a number of Pokémon games were released for the Pico and its successor the Advanced Pico Beena (see Successors section below), making the Pico the only Sega console to feature Nintendo games, although the Pico Pokémon games were released after Sega had stopped making the Dreamcast. A Pokémon game for the Advanced Pico Beena, Pokémon Best Wishes: Intelligence Training Pokémon Big Sports Meet!, was released as recently as 2010,  and there was even a Pikachu edition of the original Pico.

YouTube user Cabbusses's Retro Obscurities has uploads of many Pico games you may want to check out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jc3Xn2WGrI&list=PLBxzJydCQYLPz9z0-MEMHJ_k3bXunDi9d 

A UK Ecco Jr. cart can be seen below; note the main yellow colour which matches the yellow cart flap of the console. I can't seem to find a definite answer looking online but it seems PAL carts were yellow but other countries used multiple different colours including yellow. Fortunately the Pico is region free so releases restricted to Japan, for example, can be played on a non-Japanese machine (although, of course, you have to manage with the use of Japanese in the games).

The manual or Parents' guide, such as the one for Ecco Jr. (below), gives an overview of the game and explains what to do on the various game 'pages'.

Looking at a photo of the Ecco Jr. box as follows you can see the target ages displayed top right corner and at the bottom a series of indicators informing the parent what the child can get out of the game.

The focus of the games was on education such as to teach reading, colouring and spelling, and each storyware box made it very clear the skills or features the cart would offer. Typically a game would allow the player to click on characters and other objects to play an animation, or to trigger a sound or to start a mini game which would teach a particular skill.

To insert a storyware cart, simply plug it into the yellow cart cover while the cart is leaning toward you and it should drop into place without much force, then push the cart away from you so that it latches in place; to remove the cart simply push up on the purple button above the cart and pull the cart out. No doubt Sega did not want children using excessive force putting the cart into the console.

Let's now look at some screenshots from Tails and the Music Maker,  released 1994 in North America, and 1995 in Japan and Europe. These images were taken using my UK Pico connected to my Elgato capture device via the Pico's composite connection. First is the title screen:

Next, we have a game where Tails is in the Green Hill zone and must be instructed how to move as to avoid obstacles, such as falling coconuts:

In a perhaps Casino Night zone (Sonic 2) inspired game, Tails operates as a pinball ball and can be knocked into various notes and instruments which sound in response.

There is even a 'sound studio' in which you can play a virtual piano but even with the limited notes and no sharps playable there are many tunes you can play:

To see Tails and the Music Maker in action please have a look at my video:

Unlike UK Pico games which came in carboard boxes, Japanese ones came in plastic cases which gave better protection but made them heavier. The plastic boxes aren't as tall as the UK carboard boxes but are thicker and the user manuals for the Japanese games are somewhat smaller than the UK manuals.

Here is the front of the case for one of the Japanese Pico games I own, Doraemon Youchien wa Tanoshii na:

Here is the back view:

Next is the cartridge (note that it is yellow just as some PAL Pico carts are):

And the user guide:

Successors

While the Pico was discontinued in 1998 in North America and Europe and in 2005 in Japan, Majesco released their own version of the Pico in 1999 in America, bearing the model number MK-49325. In Japan, however, the original Pico was succeeded by the Advanced Pico Beena (Beena for short) in August 2005, and was Sega's last console as it was released after the Dreamcast (but can hardly be thought of as a Dreamcast 2 which the arcade system NAOMI 2 is closer to). It improved on the original Pico by not needing a TV to be able to play it, support for multiplayer, difficulty settings, and the ability to save data to an SD card. The Beena was discontinued in 2011 but not before a more affordable version of the Beena was made available in 2008 called the BeenaLite.

All content of this and related pages is copyright (c) James S. 2019-2023