If Nintendo’s failure is the Virtual Boy, then Sega’s failure is the Pico. And as with the VB, I am stunned as to how and why this machine failed. Sure, it’s aimed at young children, but at least they could attempt to market it for older ones as well to get more success from it. The interface is almost exactly that of the UDraw device for the Wii, only 15 years prior. It has a huge stylus used for a space. And the Pico cartridges have books attached to them, and somehow, the Pico knows when you turn a page. Perhaps I’m just drawn to weird hardware and failed consoles, but I really like my Sega Pico. I was wondering if there are programs out there to program homebrews for it. That would be really cool: A Pico homebrew. And if not that, localized English versions of the Japan exclusive games. Fun fact: Even Nintendo themselves programmed Pokemon cartridges for the Sega Pico. The only time that has ever happened until Sega left the console making business. I will be making videos of Pico games and putting them on YouTube. The first one is of the Richard Scarry book. Does anyone else have a Pico? If so, how do you like it?

wow, I had never heard of the Pico. I looked it up, it seems like a fairly advanced idea for the time. When coming to this post, I assumed it was going to be about a failure like the Saturn, which I suppose it was commercially anyway. Funny how the VB and Saturn were both slammed for not having a truly iconic game with their mascots, since Sonic Xtreme and VB Mario Land never materialized.

Anyway, more on-topic…it seems like one form of the Pico was being supported through 2005 in Japan, that’s impressive. How many programs came out in that exclusive time?

I don’t know about in Japan, where it was more successful, but in America, it only had 20 titles between 1994 and 1997. I think it’s really a great console and a great idea. It has graphics on par or greater than the Genesis. Here is a video I made of it in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFTPy0RvZQk

Also, I just got the last game, which should come next week.

Nintendo is an amazing company, and they’ve done some very cool things, but in my book, Sega was always the best. The Genesis was awesome, and I loved my Nomad (portable Genesis with screen). Then there was the Dreamcast – way ahead of its time, and with some of the neatest peripherals ever, tho most were sold only in Japan.

I miss Sega.

While my first console growing up was an NES, the first system we had which was “mine” was a Game Gear, and I must have sunk thousands of hours into that thing growing up. It was a Christmas present, along with a subscription to Sega Visions magazine (Sega’s own take on Nintendo Power). I fondly remember poring over screenshots and reviews of all the latest Sega games, from the Genesis up through the Sega CD, 32X, Saturn – and, yes, the Pico.

Over time, and especially with the failure of the Saturn to gain much of a foothold, my interest gravitated back toward Nintendo products, but I was the “Sega kid” on the playground growing up, haha.

i have allot off sega pico systems and addons and allot off games all japans
i never use them but some addons are nice
so maybe its a Sega’s failure but it whas more a kiddy thing i think
but for sega collectors its very nice to own them in the collection

i see this pico just like the konami Picno and Picno 2 console’s ( yes after the first they have make a second lol )also for kids and iff i am correct the only konami console they have make also a failure but for collectors a great item

Cant agree with you on that. Sega’s biggest failure is all the add-ons. Mega/sega cd, 32x and so on.
The pico got released here in Sweden as well and we got a few localized games. Its quite smart for the time and today we Have a similar device thats called v-smile that basicly does the same but in a diffrent way.