Note: Sega CD and Sega 32X now have their own pages.
The follow is a list of gaming platforms produced by Sega that don't have their own pages. These include:
Consoles:
Pico: An early childhood learning system like you'd find in the homes of parents too traumatized by the original batch of video gaming Moral Guardians to purchase a "legitimate" gaming system (think of it as the Leap Frog of its day, except not portable). Cartridges were book-shaped and could be turned page-by-page to advance the on-screen action, while interactive action was controlled with a "magic" pen and buttons. Debuted in 1993 and died out in America and Europe by 1997, but apparently still has Japanese "Storyware" published for it alongside its successor, the Advanced Pico Beena (created 2005, Japan-only). It uses an earlier version of the pressure-sensitive Electro-Magnetic Resonance technology for touch screens.
Yamaha Mixt Book Player Copera: A Japan-only variant of the Sega Pico manufactured by Yamaha, it reinstated the OPN2 FM synth into the Pico to allow for better quality music while still retaining the uPD PCM CODEC for speech and sound samples (the Pico is based on Mega Drive hardware, but omitted the OPN2 synth to cut costs and added the uPD PCM CODEC to allow for superior speech and sound effects).
Advanced Pico Beena is the Japan-only successor to the Sega Pico mentioned above, but is a Pico In Name Only. Little is known about the console outside of Japan except that it did away with the Sega Pico's Sega Genesis-derived internals for a completely new platform based around the 32-bit ARM architecture and thus is said to have superior graphics and sound capabilities to the Pico. It also has a SD card slot, from which software can be run from. It is incompatible with older Pico titles as the shape of the storyware books, as well as the complete underlying architecture, has changed.
Mega Jet: The Mega Jet was originally a semi-portable, Game Gear-sized Mega Drive controller/cartridge slot hybrid for use with backseat monitors on Japan Airlines flights. A domestic model for general consumers was released in Japan in 1994.
Genesis Nomad: After the Mega Jet's release, Sega gave American consumers the Nomad, which at first glance might be written off as a Game Gear that takes Genesis cartridges. While the Game Gear's infamously-short battery life was magnified on the Nomad (six AA batteries now only provided 30 minutes of playtime), the Nomad's main draw was that it not only functioned as a portable system, but had the A/V ports and second controller port necessary to operate as a console (Player 1 used the Nomad's buttons, Player 2 used the port). But even the possibility of lugging a complete console around in your pocket couldn't stop the Nomad from sinking — a launch price of $180 and being released post-Sega Saturn meant it wasn't very appealing, especially with Sega's reputation already on the decline.
Mashup Consoles:
Sega made a variety of deals with other companies to add Genesis functionality to their products or to have Genesis components manufactured on the cheap by a third party. Most were incompatible with the Sega CD and 32X unless they were built into them already.- SD-G5: An upgrade module for Pioneer's SEED family of television monitors, which used a module expansion system similar to the later LaserActive player. It allowed users to play SG-1000 cartridges directly into the TV monitor. However, it is incompatible with the SK-1100 keyboard, rendering all SC-3000 software unplayable.
- Wondermega (X'eye in North America): Combination Genesis / Sega CD built by JVC which supported its own suite of add-ons and featured better sound capability. The system's extra bells and whistles meant it was more expensive than buying its separate consoles normally, so it didn't fare well. Never released in Europe.
- Multi-Mega (Genesis CDX): A miniaturized Genesis / Sega CD hybrid released in North America and Europe. It also functions as a portable CD player, but was locked out of playing games while running on battery power.
- Aiwa Mega-CD: A particularly rare variant of the above even in its exclusive market of Japan, this consisted of an Aiwa CD radio (which doubled as the Sega CD drive and audio output) with an extra deck on the bottom to handle the rest of the Mega Drive components. Unlike Sega's own CD deck, this used a connector cord to join the two rather than build the connection into their physical joining point.
- TeraDrive: A 286 IBM PC that had a Mega Drive built in. Containing a VGA connector for its own monitor and RCA jacks for TV hookup, the TeraDrive was notorious for being able to use the Mega Drive and PC bits simultaneously — and have components from the two draw from each other's memory. This wasn't released outside of Japan.
- Amstrad Mega PC: Slightly more powerful than a TeraDrive (it used an IBM-compatible 386 processor for its PC bits), but only had VGA output and was prohibitively expensive. This one was exclusive to Europe. Unlike the TeraDrive, both the PC and MegaDrive components cannot directly communicate with each other or manipulate to each other’s memory. Most of the MegaDrive components are actually on an ISA card that only draws power from the host and has no other connections to the PC’s bus otherwise.
- PAC-S1 (PAC-S10 in the US): An add-on module for Pioneer's LaserActive player that allowed users to play Genesis and Sega CD software in addition to standard LaserDiscs, including exclusive Mega LD games. A total of four upgrade modules were produced for the LaserActive, including an NEC module that allowed it to play TurboGrafx-16 cards and CDs.
Internet Services:
A variety of cable TV-based internet connections proliferated during the days of the Genesis and Saturn, and well into the life of the Sega Dreamcast.- Sega MegaNet: The first online hookup for Japanese Mega Drives (utilizing the "Mega Modem" add-on) began service in 1991, but folded after lackluster sales and a canceled American release as the "Tele-Genesis". Somehow gained a Short Run In Brazil in 1995.
- Sega Channel: A joint venture with Time Warner Cable (since absorbed into Charter Communications) and Comcast predecessor TCI, this service started in 1994 for English-speaking Genesis / Mega Drive owners and used an adapter in the cartridge slot rather than the rear expansion port used by MegaNet (most American and European redesigns of the console's exterior omitted said port but kept the circuit board connections). Most famous for being the only way American Genesis owners got to play titles such as Mega Man: The Wily Wars, Golden Axe III, Pulseman and Alien Soldier.
- Sega NetLink: An attempted online service for the Sega Saturn that failed due to high cost and lack of in-game support (only five games supported it, at least two of which are re-releases of games that originally preceded the NetLink, and all are uncommon at best and extremely rare at worst). Notable for allowing users to choose their ISP and being built on the XBAND modem technology that once governed third-party online play for the Genesis and Super NES. Also notable in that, unlike the Japanese equivalent that depended on now-defunct XBAND infrastructure, the NetLink uses a direct-dial system; if you can call someone on a home phone line, you can play with that someone to this very day. The Sega Pluto was to have been a Saturn model incorporating a NetLink modem; only two prototypes are known to exist.
- SegaNet: The online service for American Dreamcasts, this service absorbed what was left of NetLink's resources and took advantage of that system's built-in modem, with connections provided by AT&T WorldNet, to provide online play with a subscription. However, the discontinuation of the Dreamcast in 2001 resulted in the servers for SegaNet being closed down in late 2001 (with subscribers being offered EarthLink accounts instead).
- Dreamarena: Bundled with European Dreamcasts. Formally discontinued in 2003, but its DreamKey browser's latest updates allow users to input their own ISP data to continue supporting the Dreamcast's online functions.
- Dream Passport: The Japanese equivalent to SegaNet and Dreamarena, it functioned more as a web browser and was updated quite a few times. (Thanks to the Dreamcast's compatibility with Windows CE, Japanese subscribers of Microsoft's now defunct WebTV service could use their Dreamcasts to access the service.)
