Educational Consoles

[Arrrhalomynn]

I was staring at my sega pico games and started wondering; What other educational consoles are out there? If there are any?

I have always had trouble seeing the purpose of these things. They're relatively expensive and have very little use. It would be easier to buy a regular console and get some education games with it.

[Izret101]

I think the direction Segawas hoping to go with the Pico was strictly education though.

If the system had done well it would have made them alot more money than releasing that same software for Genesis.

I think that was the only system that was stricly education based as well.

Unless you consider things like Leap Pad as videogame systems.

[Arrrhalomynn]

What is the leap pad?

[Izret101]

http://www.circuitcity.co...edijdgecfngcfkmdffhdffl.0
Here is a link to sales page at CircuitCity.com

http://www.leapfrog.com/d...B3F0.papp1_1?pageKey=home
Official Site

http://www.leapfrogstore....p;categoryCode=ages_grade
Specifically says multiplayer game here. And it sure isn't a board game so i guess i was wrong. This is an abstract videogame system.

I remember eeing a few LeapPad games in IGNs database.

[Lord Nepenthean]

There was also the Socrates and LJN Video Art, which were more or less strictly educational systems.  Then there are systems like the Memorex VIS whose "games" were mostly educational.  That system wasn't specifically for education, but there were a high percentage of edutainment games for it.

[bum-man]

It all comes down to marketing, if they think they can sell it they will try.  V-Tech has a brand new system out (I forget the name) but I have seen TV ads with the Mom telling the kids they have to keep playing.  It been going on forever, I have a educational system that was put out by Mattel in the late 70's early 80's.  It's called the CDS or Children's Discovery System.  It's a table-top unit with an LCD display and it has a library of about 15 to 20 educational titles (I think there are a few games too).  The game packaging is close to the Intellivision stuff.  I think the system is listed on Digital Press.  Maybe we should add this one to the DB here, I could dig the stuff out and put together a list.

[Lord Nepenthean]

Hey, if you have some info on that system, I'd be very interested in adding it to the database.  It sounds like it would be a nice addition.  Thanks for the info on it.

[bum-man]

Glad to help, I'll dig out the system in the next couple of days and post the info in the missing games thread.

[den68]

There is also the Viewmaster Interactivevision. The format was VHS and most were Sesame Street which were of course educational.

http://www.rfgeneration.c...42/bf/U-042-S-00040-A.jpg

If you've actually played anything on the Pico while most of the games are educational a good number are not. Some are just real simple kids games. The Muppets game has a skateboarding level, a snowboarding level and a simplified version of Frogger with Kermit. The Lion King game has some basic side scrolling platform levels. Every cart also has a coloring/drawing level.

The Socrates is strictly educational. At least based on the few carts I have. This one has some cool features too though. There is a drawing tablet, a mouse.

The LJN Video Art is just crap. It's just a drawing/coloring deal but the controls are brutal. I had a rough time with it. I couldn't see a kid spending more than 5 minutes on it before giving up and grabbing the box of crayons. It's an education in frustration.

[bum-man]

That's true, I can't imagine that Sonic is very educational even if it is on a Pico.

[Speedy_NES]

There was also a Professor Weiss-Alles (translates into Professor Knows-It-All) system released in Germany in the early 1990's or late 1980's.  I still have mine stored in a closet, I'll take it out sometime soon and contribute some info about it.  You were able to purchase games cartridges for it that came with mostly educational software as well as a few games (although they may have included educational elements as well, can't remember too much about these).  I also remember a memory upgrade being available for it, but I could be wrong.  It was a very neat system back then, with a wireless infra-red "touchpad" keyboard with 2 built-in controllers.  

-Speedy

P.S.  Just found an auction on the German eBay for this system:  

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBa...;rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

[den68]

over here that thing was known as the Socrates. pretty cool, I didn't know there was a German version. I wonder why they changed the name.

[Speedy_NES]

Oh cool...I always thought this system was only released in Germany.  I don't know why they changed the name either.  I guess Prof. Weiss-Alles is more catchy than Socrates, even though the latter is also a good name for an educational system.  

-Speedy

[den68]

here's a pic of the Socrates.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eB...;rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

[Lord Nepenthean]

Very interesting stuff.  If you have any info on the titles that were released for the Prof. Weiss-Alles, let me know and I'll add them to the database ASAP.  That'd make a pretty unique addition to the site.  Very cool stuff.