The last of my Pippin videos, today we'll have a look at the CDs that came with the system itself. These aren't particularly interesting (as pack-in discs usually go), but they are worth posting.
The first video is of the PEASE disc. It has a bunch of Mac games and utilities. It's a Mac disc through and through, loading you straight into the MacOS GUI (complete with the Mac boot jigsaw icons, if you know what I'm referring to?) The games are mostly clones (Tetris, Space Invaders) but there are a few original Mac games (shareware, weirdly enough). If you weren't holding the controller, you'd swear you were just looking at an ordinary Mac.
My last video is of the Pippin Title CD-ROM Catalog Vol. 1, which is self-explanatory. Going through the catalog, you'll note that most Pippin titles are edutainment, reflecting its Mac background. Nothing really surprising in terms of games, but it's interesting to see the number of announced titles - far more than I've ever expected or seen (in real life or otherwise). I have no idea whether all of these were actually released or not. Sadly no demos were included on the disc.
Final Thoughts So, should you get yourself a Pippin? No, unless you are a console collector or a Mac collector. For your average gamer, the Pippin offers no stand-out exclusive titles worth playing. The console is heavy, and the controller is awkward. The hardware and software are difficult to track down, and frankly you'll spend a lot of time for little gain. It isn't worth it.
Don't think I'm completely down on the Pippin though. There are two things I quite like about it:
Internationalized hardware - Not only is the Pippin 100v-240v power capable, it also outputs NTSC/PAL and VGA with a simple switch on the back on the console. Lovely.
Pippin technology licensing - Like the 3DO (though not in reality), the Pippin tech was meant to be licensed to other companies. So we could have had a Sony Pippin, a Sharp Pippin, a Panasonic Pippin, etc. I firmly believe in the tech licensing idea, and hope that one day Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo embrace it whole-heartedly.
And thus ends the tale of the Apple Bandai Pippin Atmark.
Part 2 of my Pippin Video Blowout! focuses on the games. Not many were made, and most were of so-so quality. If you can imagine (or remember, if you're old enough) games that were made in the 1990's when the word multimedia was the rage, then you'll know exactly what these were like.
The first video is Racing Days for Pippin (Kitt Peak Inc., 1995-1996). A racing game with a poor framerate, one camera view, two race modes, three tracks and five cars. Pretty bad now, and would not have impressed in 1995, considering Ridge Racer on PS1 was available during the same time period. Does allow the player to repaint the car with the in-game texture editor, which is nice; and also has network play.
The second video is Power Rangers Zeo vs. The Machine Empire (Bandai, 1996). A side-scrolling action game with a poor framerate (again). Live-action FMVs introduce each level, with acting on par with that of the Power Rangers TV show. For an action game, controls are woefully imprecise. Attack animations tend to push you back, causing your punch or kick to fall short of the target. Simply frustrating. Yuk.
The last video is of Gundam Tactics ~Mobility Fleet 0079~ (Bandai, 1996). A strategy game based on Gundam, I have completely no idea how to play it. Granted, it's all in Japanese, but there isn't any obvious "attack" or "defend" buttons. I did manage to move my units, and eventually die, so that's something. Nice pre-rendered attack animations. I suspect it might be a good game, but I'll reserve my judgment until such time as I figure out what's going on.
A bunch of Pippin videos I captured for prosperity. But before that, you ask, what is an Apple Bandai Pippin Atmark? From Wikipedia: "The Apple Pippin was a multimedia platform marketed by Apple Inc. (then Apple Computer Inc.) in the mid 1990s. It was based around a 66-MHz PowerPC 603 processor, a 14.4 kbit/s modem and ran a stripped version of the System 7.5.2. The goal was to create an inexpensive computer aimed mostly at playing CD-based multimedia titles, especially games, but also functioning as a network computer. It featured a 4× CD-ROM drive and a video output that could connect to a standard television monitor."
It was something like this: Apple = 3DO Company Bandai = Panasonic Pippin Atmark = 3DO FZ-1
The first video is the Pippin's boot sequence. Nothing fancy. It repeats until you insert a CD.
The second video is the Pippin's CD player. Looks a lot like the Sega Saturn's CD player, except without the animating starfield or the spaceship. Static and dull, but gets the job done. Note that the Pippin has standard CD buttons (play, stop, etc.) on the hardware itself, so no need to have the TV on and/or use the controller.
