History Platform / Pippin

Its hardware specifications, while marginally better than that of contemporary consoles of the era, was too weak to run the normal Mac software of the day (although it was never Apple's intent- like the original [=XBox=] and Amiga CDTV and [=CD32=], the intent was to boot a special cut down version of Mac OS, which then loaded up an optimized version of the game on the CD-ROM. Unfortunately, the games were often the same executable as the one released for Mac desktops instead, which meant it didn't run well). It had decent amount of RAM when compared to other consoles of the era, but due to the use of Mac OS as it's operating system, the system was ''very'' short of [[UsefulNotes/RandomAccessMemory RAM]] after the OS booted (RAM can be upgraded, but they were proprietary and came at a premium). Additionally, it lacked any storage whatsoever, except for a tiny 128K [[UsefulNotes/FlashMemory Flash]] chip mainly used for system settings. Apple released a floppy drive (as well as a Magnetic-Optical drive, and later a SCSI interface accessory for hard drives and Zip disks) for it, but in typical Apple fashion they charged a hefty extra for the accessories, which put off many gamers who scoffed at the idea of buying a pricey extra piece of hardware just to save their games.

The Pippin uses a specialized version of the Mac Toolbox firmware called KINKA. KINKA will then load a special signed and cut-down version of classic Mac OS from the CD-ROM itself, no OS is preinstalled on the console. There are several versions of KINKA, the most common version being 1.0 for Japan and 1.2 for US, the Katz Media Pippins has version 1.3. Unlike common desktop Macs, the firmware is not user-upgradeable.

Like the Amiga CDTV[=/=]CD32, the Pippin was capable of running software written for their desktop counterparts. However, due to the low processing power of the consoles, as well as the lack of RAM unless the user has purchased an upgrade, apps had to be optimized (Apple calls this process "pippinize") or they may perform poorly. The reverse however may be true, a game optimized for the Pippin will run without issues on a regular Macintosh.

Its hardware specifications, while marginally better than that of contemporary consoles of the era, was too weak to run the normal Mac software of the day (although it was never Apple's intent- like the original XBox and Amiga CDTV and [=CD32=], the intent was to boot a special cut down version of Mac OS, which then loaded up an optimized version of the game on the CD-ROM. Unfortunately, the games were often the same executable as the one released for Mac desktops instead, which meant it didn't run well). It had decent amount of RAM when compared to other consoles of the era, but due to the use of Mac OS as it's operating system, the system was ''very'' short of [[UsefulNotes/RandomAccessMemory RAM]] after the OS booted (RAM can be upgraded, but they were proprietary and came at a premium). Additionally, it lacked any storage whatsoever, except for a tiny 128K [[UsefulNotes/FlashMemory Flash]] chip mainly used for system settings. Apple released a floppy drive (as well as a Magnetic-Optical drive, and later a SCSI interface accessory for hard drives and Zip disks) for it, but in typical Apple fashion they charged a hefty extra for the accessories, which put off many gamers who scoffed at the idea of buying a pricey extra piece of hardware just to save their games.

Its hardware specifications, while marginally better than that of contemporary consoles of the era, was too weak to run the normal Mac software of the day (although it was never Apple's intent- like the original XBox and Amiga CDTV and [=CD32=], the intent was to boot a special cut down version of Mac OS, which then loaded up an optimized version of the game on the CD-ROM. Unfortunately, the games were often the same executable as the one released for Mac desktops instead, which meant it didn't run well). It had decent amount of RAM when compared to other consoles of the era, but due to the use of Mac OS as it's operating system, the system was ''very'' short of [[UsefulNotes/RandomAccessMemory RAM]] after the OS booted (RAM can be upgraded, but they were proprietary and came at a premium). Additionally, it lacked any storage whatsoever, except for a tiny 128K [[UsefulNotes/FlashMemory Flash]] chip mainly used for system settings. Apple would release a floppy drive (as well as a Magnetic-Optical drive, and later a SCSI interface accessory for hard drives and Zip disks) for it shortly after, but in typical Apple fashion they charged a hefty extra for the accessories, which put off many gamers who scoffed at the idea of buying a pricey extra piece of hardware just to save their games.

* SCSI dock: Allows users to install and save game to a SCSI hard drive. Also allows users to use a 100 MB Zip drive. Requires latest firmware. Unnecessary with Katz Media Pippins as those come with a SCSI port built in.

* Memory is upgradeable with either a 4MB, 8MB or 16MB module. The memory module is proprietary.

To add insult to injury, its hardware specifications, while marginally better than that of contemporary consoles of the era, was too weak to run the normal Mac software of the day (although it was never Apple's intent- like the original XBox and Amiga CDTV and [=CD32=], the intent was to boot a special cut down version of Mac OS, which then loaded up an optimized version of the game on the CD-ROM. Unfortunately, the games were often the same executable as the one released for Mac desktops instead, which meant it didn't run well). It had decent amount of RAM when compared to other consoles of the era, but due to the use of Mac OS as it's operating system, the system was ''very'' short of [[UsefulNotes/RandomAccessMemory RAM]] after the OS booted (RAM can be upgraded, but they were proprietary and came at a premium). Additionally, it lacked any storage whatsoever, except for a tiny 128K [[UsefulNotes/FlashMemory Flash]] chip mainly used for system settings. Apple would release a floppy drive (as well as a Magnetic-Optical drive, and later a SCSI interface accessory for hard drives and Zip disks) for it shortly after, but in typical Apple fashion they charged a hefty extra for the accessories, which put off many gamers who scoffed at the idea of buying a pricey extra piece of hardware just to save their games.

* [=AppleJack=]-to-ADB connector: Allows use of standard Mac Keyboards, Mice and gamepads on the Pippin.

The Pippin can use any [=GeoPort=] serial interface modem that is compatible with Apple's modem instruction set, and in fact ships with one in the box.

Certain Pippin software can also support [=StyleWriter=] 1500 and 2500 series printers through the Printer serial port.

* AppleJack-to-ADB connector: Allows use of standard Mac Keyboards, Mice and gamepads on the Pippin.

The Pippin can use any GeoPort serial interface modem that is compatible with Apple's modem instruction set, and in fact ships with one in the box.

The Pippin has a 50-pin connector on it's underside, called the "X-PCI" connector. This connector is used to connect the Pippin to "docking stations", of which several types were made.

To add insult to injury, its hardware specifications, unlike the [=PS3=]'s, while marginally better than that of contemporary consoles, was too weak to run the normal Mac software of the day (although it was never Apple's intent- like the original XBox and Amiga CDTV and [=CD32=], the intent was to boot a special cut down version of Mac OS, which then loaded up the game on the CD-ROM. Unfortunately, the games were often the same executable as the one released for Mac desktops, which meant it didn't run well). It had decent amount of RAM when compared to other consoles of the era, but due to the use of Mac OS as it's operating system, the system was ''very'' short of [[UsefulNotes/RandomAccessMemory RAM]] after the OS booted (RAM can be upgraded, but like Apple's other stances, they were proprietary and came at a premium). Additionally, it lacked any storage whatsoever, except for a tiny 128K [[UsefulNotes/FlashMemory Flash]] chip mainly used for system settings. Apple would release a floppy drive (as well as a Magnetic-Optical drive, and later a SCSI interface accessory for hard drives and Zip disks) for it shortly after, but in typical Apple fashion they charged a hefty extra for the accessories, which put off many gamers who scoffed at the idea of buying a pricey extra piece of hardware just to save their games.

Unsurprisingly, due to the high cost of ownership and poorly optimized titles, it bombed, with just 42,000 units sold. The fact that it was seen and marketed mainly as a console and not a computer put it into a bad spot. The $599 pricetag, more suitable for an entry-level PC, was just too expensive for the console market. Remember the outrage that the same price for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 caused in 2006? Ten years before it was even worse: 1996's $600 corresponded to 2006's $800, if corrected for inflation. Furthermore, the final cost of ownership can easily reach over a thousand dollars after a RAM upgrade and a floppy drive, both needed to bring the Pippin up to a usable level.

* 6 MB, 1 MB taken by the GPU as [[UsefulNotes/VideoRAM VRAM]].

* 65,536 out of 16 million colors.

Unsurprisingly, due to the high cost of ownership and poorly optimized titles, it bombed, with just 42,000 units sold. The fact that it was seen and marketed mainly as a console and not a computer put it into a bad spot. The $599 pricetag, more suitable for an entry-level PC, was just too expensive for the console market. Remember the outrage that the same price for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 caused in 2006? Ten years before it was even worse: 1996's $600 corresponded to 2006's $800, if corrected for inflation. Furthermore, the final cost of ownership can easily cost over a thousand dollars after a RAM upgrade and a floppy drive, both needed to bring the Pippin up to a usable level.

But the fact that it was seen and marketed mainly as a console and not a computer put it into a bad spot. The $599 pricetag, more suitable for an entry-level PC, was just too expensive for the console market. Remember the outrage that the same price for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 caused in 2006? Ten years before it was even worse: 1996's $600 corresponded to 2006's $800, if corrected for inflation. To add insult to injury, its hardware specifications, unlike the [=PS3=]'s, while marginally better than that of contemporary consoles, was too weak to run the normal Mac software of the day- which was the intent of Apple. It was ''very'' short of [[UsefulNotes/RandomAccessMemory RAM]] and lacked any storage whatsoever, except for a tiny 128K [[UsefulNotes/FlashMemory Flash]] chip mainly used for system settings (eventually tho, Apple would release a floppy drive for it). Unsurprisingly, it bombed, with just 42,000 units sold. Additionally, compared to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation and UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn which was released around the same time, 3D graphics were completely software-based, putting it at a disadvantage against the two more famous consoles.

But the fact that it was seen and marketed mainly as a console and not a computer put it into a bad spot. The $599 pricetag, more suitable for an entry-level PC, was just too expensive for the console market. Remember the outrage that the same price for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 caused in 2006? Ten years before it was even worse: 1996's $600 corresponded to 2006's $800, if corrected for inflation. To add insult to injury, its hardware specifications, unlike the [=PS3=]'s, while marginally better than that of contemporary consoles, was too weak to run the normal Mac software of the day- which was the intent of Apple. It was ''very'' short of [[UsefulNotes/RandomAccessMemory RAM]] and lacked any storage whatsoever, except for a tiny 128K [[UsefulNotes/FlashMemory Flash]] chip mainly used for system settings. Unsurprisingly, it bombed, with just 42,000 units sold. Additionally, compared to the UsefulNotes/SonyPlayStation and UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn which was released around the same time, 3D graphics were completely software-based, putting it at a disadvantage against the two more famous consoles.

But the fact that it was seen and marketed mainly as a console and not a computer put it into a bad spot. The $599 pricetag, more suitable for an entry-level PC, was just too expensive for the console market. Remember the outrage that the same price for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 caused in 2006? Ten years before it was even worse: 1996's $600 corresponded to 2006's $800, if corrected for inflation. To add insult to injury, its hardware, unlike the [=PS3=]'s, was not really better than that of contemporary consoles, and it was too weak to run the normal Mac software of the day. It was ''very'' short of [[UsefulNotes/RandomAccessMemory RAM]] and lacked any storage whatsoever, except for a tiny 128K [[UsefulNotes/FlashMemory Flash]] chip mainly used for system settings. Unsurprisingly, it bombed, with just 42,000 units sold.

But the fact that it was seen and marketed mainly as a console and not a computer put it into a bad spot. The $599 pricetag, more suitable for an entry-level PC, was just too expensive for the console market. Remember the outrage that the same price for the PlayStation3 caused in 2006? Ten years before it was even worse: 1996's $600 corresponded to 2006's $800, if corrected for inflation. To add insult to injury, its hardware, unlike the [=PS3=]'s, was not really better than that of contemporary consoles, and it was too weak to run the normal Mac software of the day. It was ''very'' short of [[UsefulNotes/RandomAccessMemory RAM]] and lacked any storage whatsoever, except for a tiny 128K [[UsefulNotes/FlashMemory Flash]] chip mainly used for system settings. Unsurprisingly, it bombed, with just 42,000 units sold.

* 6 MB, 1 MB taken by the GPU as {{VRAM}}.

* ''[[GadgetPastAsFuture Gadget: Invention, Travel & Adventure]]''

But the fact that it was seen and marketed mainly as a console and not a computer put it into a bad spot. The $599 pricetag, more suitable for an entry-level PC, was just too expensive for the console market. Remember the outrage that the same price for the PlayStation3 caused in 2006? Ten years before it was even worse: 1996's $600 corresponded to 2006's $800, if corrected for inflation. To add insult to injury, its hardware, unlike the [=PS3=]'s, was not really better than that of contemporary consoles, and it was too weak to run the normal Mac software of the day. It was ''very'' short of {{RAM}} and lacked any storage whatsoever, except for a tiny 128K [[UsefulNotes/FlashMemory Flash]] chip mainly used for system settings. Unsurprisingly, it bombed, with just 42,000 units sold.

* [[GraphicsProcessingUnit GPU]]: Custom "Taos".

The Pippin was an attempt by Apple in the mid-1990s to create a low-cost computer for playing multimedia [=CDs=] and browsing the Internet. It was a ''severely'' stripped-down {{Macintosh}} with TV-compatible video output which Apple intended to be manufactured by third parties, and Bandai chose it as a way to (re-)enter the game console market.

But the fact that it was seen and marketed mainly as a console and not a computer put it into a bad spot. The $599 pricetag, more suitable for an entry-level PC, was just too expensive for the console market. Remember the outrage that the same price for the PlayStation3 caused in 2006? Ten years before it was even worse: 1996's $600 corresponded to 2006's $800, if corrected for inflation. To add insult to injury, its hardware, unlike the [=PS3=]'s, was not really better than that of contemporary consoles, and it was too weak to run the normal Mac software of the day. It was ''very'' short of {{RAM}} and lacked any storage whatsoever, except for a tiny 128K [[FlashMemory Flash]] chip mainly used for system settings. Unsurprisingly, it bombed, with just 42,000 units sold.

* ''Tunin'Glue'' (a RhythmGame from the future developers of ''PaRappaTheRapper'')

* [[CentralProcessingUnit CPU]]: [=PowerPC=] 603, 66 [=Mhz=].

* ''Super Marathon'' (a compilation of the first two ''VideoGame/Marathon'' games)

The Pippin was an attempt by Apple in the mid-1990s to create a low-cost computer for playing multimedia [=CDs=] and browsing the Internet. It was a ''severely'' stripped-down Macintosh with TV-compatible video output which Apple intended to be manufactured by third parties, and Bandai chose it as a way to (re-)enter the game console market.

But the fact that it was seen and marketed mainly as a console and not a computer, put it into a bad spot. The $599 pricetag, more suitable for an entry-level PC, was just too expensive for the console market. Remember the outrage that the same price for PlayStation3 caused in 2006? Ten years before it was even worse: 1996's $600 corresponded to 2006's $800, if corrected for inflation. To add insult to injury, its hardware, unlike PS3 one, was not really better than that of contemporary consoles, and it was too weak to run the normal Mac software of the day. It was ''very'' short of {{RAM}} and lacked any storage whatsoever, except for a tiny 128K [[FlashMemory Flash]] chip mainly used for system settings. Unsurprisingly, it bombed, with just 42,000 units sold.
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But the fact that it was seen and marketed mainly as a console and not a computer, put it into a bad spot. The $599 pricetag, more suitable for an entry-level PC, was just too expensive for the console market. Its hardware was not really better than that of contemporary consoles, and it was too weak to run the normal Mac software of the day. It was ''very'' short of {{RAM}} and lacked any storage whatsoever, except for a tiny 128K [[FlashMemory Flash]] chip mainly used for system settings. Unsurprisingly, it bombed, with just 42,000 units sold.

The Pippin was an attempt by Apple in the mid-1990s to create a low-cost computer for playing multimedia [=CDs=] and browsing the internet. It was a ''severely'' stripped-down Macintosh with TV-compatible video output which Apple intended to be manufactured by third parties, and Bandai chose it as a way to (re-)enter the game console market.

But the fact that it was seen and marketed mainly as a console and not a computer, put it into a bad spot. Its hardware was not really better than that of contemporary consoles, but the $599 pricetag, more suitable for an entry-level PC, was just too expensive for the console market (and was a bit too pricey for the offer anyway, but that's a [[IdiotBall 90-es]] [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Apple]] for you).

On the other hand the config was too weak to run the normal Mac software of the day, and, anyway, it had to be specifically adapted to it due to hardware limitations: it was ''very'' short of {{RAM}} and lacked any storage whatsoever, except of tiny 128K [[FlashMemory Flash]] chip mainly used for system settings. Unsurprisingly, it bombed, with just 42,000 units sold.

The Pippin was an attempt by Apple in the mid-1990s to create a low-cost computer for playing multimedia [=CDs=] and browsing the internet. It was a ''severely'' stripped-down Macintosh with TV-compatible video output which Apple intended to be manufactured by third parties, and Bandai chose it as a way to enter the game console market.