SEGA has announced a follow up to their early childhood educational console the PICO. The new version, dubbed ePICO, offers a wide verity of experiences, and will also connect to smart devices.
Like the original version, games are sold in "book" form, which are then plugged into the console. By turning the page, what is seen on the television screen changes to said page's content. Using the PICO's pen, you can click on images on the physical book, and play activities associated with the part of the page that was selected. Games on the ePICO are aimed at younger children, with arts and craft sections as well.
While information about the ePICO is currently limited, one accessory for the ePICO is a "dance pad" like controller called the "eMat", which will allow kids to control the game by stepping on physical buttons on the floor. The pen itself has also been outfitted with a microphone, which will be used in different ways based on the game being played.
The ePICO is set to launch in Japan on October 10th, 2024. As of the time of this posting, an English version has not been announced.
Although the original Pico was released in the West in the 90s, it wasn't a success outside of Japan. Only a handful of games were released in English, with the majority of titles remaining Japanese exclusive.
We will update this post as information becomes available.
Rough Translation of the Official Announcement:
SEGA Fave Co., Ltd., a member of the SEGA Group, will release the experiential educational device "ePICO Experience 100 Edition" on Thursday, October 10, 2024, which analyzes what your child likes as well as what they are passionate about. It helps discover their individuality, tastes, their potential, and allows them to experience it by using their whole body.
"ePICO" is a new brand developed with the concept of discovering what your child "likes" in response to parents who want to value their child's individuality, and help develop their potential, instead of doing the same things as others and developing the same skills. Having something you enjoy helps you concentrate more and motivates you simply from the desire to know more, and helps you enjoy life. This makes the ePICO a product that can be a driving force in your child's everyday life.
By connecting the educational device "ePICO" to a TV at home and using four items - "ePICO dedicated picture book software," "picture book soft case," pen-type controller "ePen," and mat-type controller called the "eMat" - your child can enjoy the experiences you want them to have in their early childhood, all from the comfort of their own home.
The dedicated picture book software "Welcome to Tamago Panda's Muchu Land! ~100 Exciting Experiences Stamp Rally~" included with "ePICO Experience 100 Edition" contains a total of 100 experiences in 20 categories that curious preschool children will want have fun experiencing; such as work experiences, different sports, chemistry, music, playing with animals, arts and crafts, and picture books.
The experiences in each category were overseen by companies specializing in their respective fields, making this an experience-based app that lives up to its name of "authentic experiences."
In developing this product, we also received advice from brain scientist Yasuyuki Taki from an academic perspective, and have devised ways to help foster non-cognitive abilities such as children's creativity and intellectual curiosity.
Enjoy 100 different experiences with your whole body, experience them using the digital picture book, and review with fun quizzes. With these three steps, this device fully supports the important experiences of early childhood.
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