+The 8-Bit Guy Really!? O_o The Sony Playstation came out a year before it and had better hardware, graphics, sound, controllers, software, video, the list goes on and on. And for far cheaper. Oh, and I like your videos. :)
If the Pippin DID have good software, it could have changed the game. It didn't so it failed. The hardware was superior in most ways to the PSX. Google 'Pippin: Technical Specifications'.
Better hardware ? Are you crazy ? Pippin had PPC 603 on 66 Mhz while PSX have MIPS on 33 Mhz. Could you connect modem and printer on PSX ? Sure you could not. Pippin was good console at that time with high price and few game titles. No one want to buy expensive console without game and pay for features he/she would never use. Anyway N64 come year later and it was much better from both but it was never so popular as PSX. If they accepted CD like PSX they would dominate with N64 for sure.
I think what killed it is the price. It had good hardware and a lot of potential, but it simply wasn't used. Essentially it was a small macintosh inside but modified to play pippin titles only.
LOL Ace Of Base ... just LOL. Thanks for including that tidbit. As someone who is interested in but not deeply passionate about this realm of technology, little blurbs of extraneous information relevant to the era help keep me coming back for more good times. :) Cheers!
Something that console developers have a hard time learning is you need GAMES for your console. The hardware itself isnt as important as what programmers are willing to make for it. If they dont think many people will buy the system then they assume not many people will buy the games, and under a certain volume they just dont bother making games. The Playstation was looking to be quite popular and also relatively simple to program for. Devs jumped on the bandwagon and it turned out to be very successful. Could have easily gone the other way.
It's strange to see Bungie games on such an obscure piece of hardware. Then again, I guess Bungie did develop their games for vanilla Macintoshes prior to being bought by Microsoft.
+Mcloganator Yes they did. Marathon was one of the best games on the Macintosh in the early/mid 90's. I remember playing that game for hours at a time on my Mac as a kid... Hard to believe that was 20 years ago.
Great video! I love learning about all the failed and obsolete consoles from the past. Never heard of the Pippin before... and I can totally understand why. I don't imagine many people would be raving about this thing.
Haha oh man that old skiing clip that showcased that computers could play video. I haven't seen that in so long. I love how it's like "Wow this computer can play a video! Look at that guy ski!"
What's the background music that starts at 2:30? I really like it. Speaking of music, the Pippin version of Marathon entirely lacks any music in Marathon 1 and ambient sound in Marathon 2. Pretty disappointing. I wonder why they excluded it, the music in 1 was just MIDI anyhow.
Good review and good editing. I would never have been brave enough to open my brand new Pippin. Glad you did for me. I would have never known that those names were inscribed on the inside
thanks for reviewing this and telling the story. I remember reading about this in the mags back then and suddenly it was gone- and looks like for good reason. For that price tag, I'm surprised they could not afford to upgrade to the 604 at that time which was substantially better performing. This thing had some potential its too bad it was never utilized.
There is actually some history you missed on the pippin and i can help everyone there because i happen to have one the japanese pippin will run u.s games as well as japanese games there is no region lockout on the console the u.s console is rare because most of the u.s consoles and software where bought back by apple and where destroyed because of lack of sales there is a even rare accessory called the pippin external memory client it is a zip 100 meg drive for storage however the games that did survive are anywhere from 1,000 dollers on down so dont expect to start a collection quickly lol most people resort to piracy because all of the pippin games are availible on iso from several locations
The 90's were paved with failed consoles. Seems like everyone wanted in on the action, but the market has never really managed to support more than three major players in one of two configurations. Two dominant going toe to toe, with one underdog, or one overwhelmingly dominant lead with two underdogs lapping up the scraps. Seems the configuration flip flops back forth every generation.
The console was made by BanDai, they came to Apple and asked them to create all the software needed and also think about what else will be needed by the user, e.g. Controllers
Enjoy your videos. Just a suggestion, when speaking in front of the camera you should really get a lapel mic as the sound quality is really bad on those parts.
Man, you got a pippin, a collectible VG system without any good game. XD It's so rare, it's like a legend. Too bad it's not the US version so rare, it's gone in an heart beat.
great indepth revue of this underrated console!One question, I hered a strange rubbing or scratching sound intermittently in the left and right audio channels. is this an artifact of the pippin or was this from the recording?Other than that the system seems to have better audio in different parts of the game mainly the music while the voice samples are rather compressed sounding.
+Alan Treecko Unfortunately no, not easily anyway. Porting games was certainly easier for developers, but the Pippin games requires a unique identifier (not sure if its a SHA key) that was generated with the original SDK that allowed the game to run on the Pippin. Apple called this "Pippinized software". It was simply a way of forcing developers to pay for a Pippin SDK to develop games, as you would any game console. It also allowed Apple to enforce what software was released for the Pippin.
Hi, I have a japanese Pippin. But I am afraid to plug it in, because the power cable has has seperate small cable and I dont know if I have to use it or where.
+Rodrigo Girão The iOS is nicely made, though. My mother wants a Tablet, and if she says iPad or Galaxy, I'll buy either. (I hate Apple and Google, so I would go straight for a Windows tablet, but I would buy what she wants) And my comment was just testing my browser for an issue, I don't remember saying that. XD
+megamanxtreme2 I wish Ubuntu Touch would get fully finished so we can have another competitor, it's still a bit unfinished yet, even if phones with the OS exist.
***** I feel similar for Android too. You can't update the damn thing, and anything that needs root (the cool nerdy stuff) requires rooting, which can be risky, don't forget you have to backup. I hope Ubuntu Touch gets more polished over time, so I can use that. I don't see too much of a reason for Remix OS, considering GNU/Linux runs fine, Chrome OS could run Android programs, and that many Android apps were meant for phones/tablets.
niamaru2 I know...but they did have one of my favorite childhood games as a ps2 classic...once...but good thing i purchased and downloaded it in the time that it was availible before it was removed...but i found out the sfx on the xbox version is better, but it was still worth it anyway
Interesting how many of these concepts that were first visited in the 1990's, minus the licencing to 3rd parties, were revisited in the 2000's. And Jobs was seen as a visionary for that. Seems like Sculley, Spindler, Amelio and the Apple engineers of the 90's were the real visionaries.
Developing for the PipPin is tough. The developer dongle is missing and no body has been able to crack the CD-mastering algorithm that Apple imposed on the Pippin tittles. Homebrew is a tough thing with this console lol
To nitpick, Power PC was created by IBM, not really by Apple. Apple was involved in the design discussions, but IBM did all the engineering, and Motorola manufactured the chips.
I'm sorry but the MSX, X68000 and even the 32x are light years better then a pippin. All three of them should have a warm and loving place in everyone's entertainment center. The pippin should sleep in it's box for eternity to never be disturbed like the Video Games Gods want it to be.
Considering that the games he showed were supposed to be some of the better ones on the console, I'd have to agree that the 32X is way better than the Pippin, even with it's tiny library of games.
Jake Fioravanti Yeah, but that's also because the 32x has a considerably strong library despite its meager size. About half of the games released for it are above average, and there are very few sports titles, and no shovelware.
I don't understand just why the Newton is so maligned though. It might have been too high priced for it's market, but I expect the market didn't (yet) understand it's usability. Sure, I was more of a PalmOS enthusiast myself (Android *still* hasn't fully replaced the Palm's functionality, especially in the area of *local* synchronization).
I am having trouble getting burned Pippin games working on the system. How were you able to burn games for Pippin. I'm using a windows machine with 4x cd rws. I know I'm doing something wrong, but am unsure what to do. Any thoughts?
That would have definitely been an awesome piece of hardware in 1995. Too bad about the software side of it.
+The 8-Bit Guy Really!? O_o The Sony Playstation came out a year before it and had better hardware, graphics, sound, controllers, software, video, the list goes on and on. And for far cheaper. Oh, and I like your videos. :)
If the Pippin DID have good software, it could have changed the game. It didn't so it failed. The hardware was superior in most ways to the PSX. Google 'Pippin: Technical Specifications'.
You should find one to add to your collection. :)
Better hardware ? Are you crazy ? Pippin had PPC 603 on 66 Mhz while PSX have MIPS on 33 Mhz.
Could you connect modem and printer on PSX ? Sure you could not.
Pippin was good console at that time with high price and few game titles. No one want to buy expensive console without game and pay for features he/she would never use.
Anyway N64 come year later and it was much better from both but it was never so popular as PSX.
If they accepted CD like PSX they would dominate with N64 for sure.
Better processor, who cares about printer and modem on a console, but also had worse sound and gfx capabilities
I think what killed it is the price. It had good hardware and a lot of potential, but it simply wasn't used. Essentially it was a small macintosh inside but modified to play pippin titles only.
the controller looks terrible too
It didn't have a 3d chip in it however unlike the later Macs.
its alot like the psvita acturally.
I do love the NSTC-PAL switch. Seriously; I wish that consoles like the PS2 had one.
4:35 Ｒ Ａ Ｃ Ｉ Ｎ Ｇ Ｄ Ａ Ｙ Ｓ
In all seriousness, that was the start up music for that game?
I think this is the most thorough review of the Pippin I've ever seen. Love your channel!
Haha at the PS3 price reference. Another great video Rob!
LOL Ace Of Base ... just LOL. Thanks for including that tidbit. As someone who is interested in but not deeply passionate about this realm of technology, little blurbs of extraneous information relevant to the era help keep me coming back for more good times. :) Cheers!
Racing Days looks outstanding. Fantastic graphics. Ton of untapped potential...
Something that console developers have a hard time learning is you need GAMES for your console. The hardware itself isnt as important as what programmers are willing to make for it. If they dont think many people will buy the system then they assume not many people will buy the games, and under a certain volume they just dont bother making games. The Playstation was looking to be quite popular and also relatively simple to program for. Devs jumped on the bandwagon and it turned out to be very successful. Could have easily gone the other way.
Three things:
1. Great video
2. Nice candy cab
3. LOVE the Astra Superstars min-poster in the background
Damn look at those sick graphics. More like Bandai Pimpin
This console would've actually been pretty cool if the controller was better designed, the price tag was lowered and the games didn't suck.
Pretty sick beat during the Power Rangers game though.
It's strange to see Bungie games on such an obscure piece of hardware. Then again, I guess Bungie did develop their games for vanilla Macintoshes prior to being bought by Microsoft.
+Mcloganator Yes they did. Marathon was one of the best games on the Macintosh in the early/mid 90's. I remember playing that game for hours at a time on my Mac as a kid... Hard to believe that was 20 years ago.
+Mcloganator
Bungie were working on Halo before microsoft, they actually showed off a early version of it at a apple conference
Yeah, I had heard that Halo was originally intended to be an RTS for Macs way back when they first started development.
+Mcloganator yepp, that's correct. it more than likely would've been a rudimentary version of what we know today as Halo Wars.
Man I was so excited when that was announced, and so devastated when Microsoft bought Bungie. Alas... things turned out ok.
This was actually pretty ahead of it's time!
Great video! I love learning about all the failed and obsolete consoles from the past. Never heard of the Pippin before... and I can totally understand why. I don't imagine many people would be raving about this thing.
The controller looks like a robot threw up on a boomerang.
It's like the original PS3 controller
Jack Burzynski it does lol
great video man. very cool looking console.
bad timing in 1995, I believe the ps1, Saturn hit, with n64 in 1996. crowded market.
Haha oh man that old skiing clip that showcased that computers could play video. I haven't seen that in so long. I love how it's like "Wow this computer can play a video! Look at that guy ski!"
What's the background music that starts at 2:30? I really like it. Speaking of music, the Pippin version of Marathon entirely lacks any music in Marathon 1 and ambient sound in Marathon 2. Pretty disappointing. I wonder why they excluded it, the music in 1 was just MIDI anyhow.
Good review and good editing. I would never have been brave enough to open my brand new Pippin. Glad you did for me. I would have never known that those names were inscribed on the inside
Great video. I love the humor element you add.
Why does the car in the racing game have no steering wheel!?
There is only one answer... Telepathy
+vwestlife Welcome to the world of D-Pad based racing games...
That particular Nissan Skyline was designed by Sir Clive Sinclair. The handlebars are under your legs.
Love you channel!
The Pippen version of Marathon doesn't have the music? Screw that.
Great video as always. Keep up the great work!
Miss you, @obsolete geek
6:30 - music recorded on Korg Wavestation :)
That power rangers game was surreal, nice music though.
Nice touch with the old '06 laptop
You are without a doubt, best of the best.
Cool idea molding the wire around mannequin parts for shape. Looking forward to this build. :D
The 2006 flashback was brilliant!
You ASS!! You TOTALLY got me! I literally said those words watching this. Well played, sir! Well played.
I remember seeing the Laser branded Apple II or IIe , in the smaller "laptop" type of form factor at Sears
Where have you been?
Interesting review, I'm gonna have to check out more of your videos.
just think, if this actually took off, mac osx would be the gaming pc platform lol
Joseph170 Apple Mac master race 😂😂😂😂😂
thanks for reviewing this and telling the story. I remember reading about this in the mags back then and suddenly it was gone- and looks like for good reason. For that price tag, I'm surprised they could not afford to upgrade to the 604 at that time which was substantially better performing. This thing had some potential its too bad it was never utilized.
There is actually some history you missed on the pippin and i can help everyone there because i happen to have one the japanese pippin will run u.s games as well as japanese games there is no region lockout on the console the u.s console is rare because most of the u.s consoles and software where bought back by apple and where destroyed because of lack of sales
there is a even rare accessory called the pippin external memory client it is a zip 100 meg drive for storage however the games that did survive are anywhere from 1,000 dollers on down so dont expect to start a collection quickly lol most people resort to piracy because all of the pippin games are availible on iso from several locations
Hey man, I really liked the review! keep up the good work.
I like the trackball control and kinda wish it was used on modern controls
+The Obsolete Geek Hey, why marathon 2's sound effect sound a lot like doom?
The 90's were paved with failed consoles. Seems like everyone wanted in on the action, but the market has never really managed to support more than three major players in one of two configurations. Two dominant going toe to toe, with one underdog, or one overwhelmingly dominant lead with two underdogs lapping up the scraps. Seems the configuration flip flops back forth every generation.
The console was made by BanDai, they came to Apple and asked them to create all the software needed and also think about what else will be needed by the user, e.g. Controllers
I always love the chin sound when the console start up.
Can't wait for the Stadia to show up here.
i love your videos but do you openly support piracy cartridges like the everdrive from krikzz? cause i sure do !
Love flash carts. No regrets
How did that system even get past the concept stage.
Enjoy your videos. Just a suggestion, when speaking in front of the camera you should really get a lapel mic as the sound quality is really bad on those parts.
Very informative video, is there a name for such a disease ? because I want to get a pippin now.
07:09 sounds extremely like the beat from meredith brooks - bitch lol
Do you and the 8bit guy live together or just shared a can of paint?
Man, you got a pippin, a collectible VG system without any good game. XD It's so rare, it's like a legend. Too bad it's not the US version so rare, it's gone in an heart beat.
Yukito Atari pippins and the games are so expensive lol
great indepth revue of this underrated console!One question, I hered a strange rubbing or scratching sound intermittently in the left and right audio channels. is this an artifact of the pippin or was this from the recording?Other than that the system seems to have better audio in different parts of the game mainly the music while the voice samples are rather compressed sounding.
If porting PowerPC Macintosh games were really easy, could you simply just put in a copy of a compatible game to run?
+Alan Treecko Unfortunately no, not easily anyway. Porting games was certainly easier for developers, but the Pippin games requires a unique identifier (not sure if its a SHA key) that was generated with the original SDK that allowed the game to run on the Pippin. Apple called this "Pippinized software". It was simply a way of forcing developers to pay for a Pippin SDK to develop games, as you would any game console. It also allowed Apple to enforce what software was released for the Pippin.
+The Obsolete Geek Pippinizing? Sounds much like Carbonizing...
It sounded like Apple wanted to make their version of the steam box but was way ahead of their time.
Hi, I have a japanese Pippin. But I am afraid to plug it in, because the power cable has has seperate small cable and I dont know if I have to use it or where.
Did it arrive displaying Japanese and were you able to change it to English?
Great Video! That Power Rangers Game was Atrocious..Felt like i was watching an old school rap video. Keep up the Great Work on these videos!
Don't you guys think that the controller for this console looks like the PlayStation threes prototype controller?
Awesomeboy6362 yes
Apple was being itself on the prices, but it backfired, shame that they didn't learn.
+megamanxtreme2 Who's is down for an iPhone 7? LOL!
+megamanxtreme2 lmao IKR !?
+Rodrigo Girão The iOS is nicely made, though. My mother wants a Tablet, and if she says iPad or Galaxy, I'll buy either. (I hate Apple and Google, so I would go straight for a Windows tablet, but I would buy what she wants)
And my comment was just testing my browser for an issue, I don't remember saying that. XD
+megamanxtreme2 I wish Ubuntu Touch would get fully finished so we can have another competitor, it's still a bit unfinished yet, even if phones with the OS exist.
***** I feel similar for Android too. You can't update the damn thing, and anything that needs root (the cool nerdy stuff) requires rooting, which can be risky, don't forget you have to backup. I hope Ubuntu Touch gets more polished over time, so I can use that.
I don't see too much of a reason for Remix OS, considering GNU/Linux runs fine, Chrome OS could run Android programs, and that many Android apps were meant for phones/tablets.
This video was very cool to watch! Best game by the looks of it: Power Rangers : ZEO vs. the machines lol.
If it hung around a few more years it could have had a link cable with the bandai wonderswan
had the ps3 at launch ... never regretted it... nope never... Really, I swear !... never... :( *sobs*
+niamaru2 Suckeeerrrr
haha I actually loved the backward's compatibility but the overheating killed it really...
+niamaru2 Atleast the production of slim(er) models made up for that (mostly)...
the slimer version did not have ps2 compatibility though
niamaru2 I know...but they did have one of my favorite childhood games as a ps2 classic...once...but good thing i purchased and downloaded it in the time that it was availible before it was removed...but i found out the sfx on the xbox version is better, but it was still worth it anyway
I wouldn't be able to sit through that power ranger cutscene without laughing my fucking ass off.
+losangeleskingsfan15 it's an awful game.
great review man
i love the turbo r
Good and interesting video...thanks. Anyone know of a list/pictures of Japanese Pippin software? Not surprised the US releases were bad!
Interesting how many of these concepts that were first visited in the 1990's, minus the licencing to 3rd parties, were revisited in the 2000's. And Jobs was seen as a visionary for that. Seems like Sculley, Spindler, Amelio and the Apple engineers of the 90's were the real visionaries.
The Power Rangers game took me by surprise, did not see that coming.
Yes products available for this search. obs !
Developing for the PipPin is tough. The developer dongle is missing and no body has been able to crack the CD-mastering algorithm that Apple imposed on the Pippin tittles. Homebrew is a tough thing with this console lol
Prices on eBay now over $1000au. As of August 2018
Marathon 2 stole the pistol sound effects from Doom? lol
Today is the Pippin's birthday!...?
I was fully listening to Ace of Base at this time.
That power ranger game looks so hilarious
Aren't the Pippin games actually compatible with a PowerPC Mac?
Yes he says this in the video. I think you can run PowerPC mac games on an intel mac so that probably means pippin games run on the intel mac as well
Very intresting
It reminds me the first Apple TV which is actually a small Mac computers.
Wow, strange to see that running. I was always curious and now I know that I don;t need to ever own one again :p
Was the Pippin region locked?
Beat up Martin?
I had both those CD's as a kid. My friends all had them on tape because they were poor.
Anndd. apple products are still overpriced!
Lot's of things are overpriced.
Dose less,costs more
Good job
To nitpick, Power PC was created by IBM, not really by Apple. Apple was involved in the design discussions, but IBM did all the engineering, and Motorola manufactured the chips.
hehe marathon looked like doom
cheers for sharing ox.
great review :D
I'm sorry but the MSX, X68000 and even the 32x are light years better then a pippin. All three of them should have a warm and loving place in everyone's entertainment center. The pippin should sleep in it's box for eternity to never be disturbed like the Video Games Gods want it to be.
+twoquickcapri As someone that owned a Pippin, I have to agree with this statement.
+twoquickcapri Light years measure distance, not time.
Considering that the games he showed were supposed to be some of the better ones on the console, I'd have to agree that the 32X is way better than the Pippin, even with it's tiny library of games.
Jake Fioravanti Yeah, but that's also because the 32x has a considerably strong library despite its meager size. About half of the games released for it are above average, and there are very few sports titles, and no shovelware.
I don't understand just why the Newton is so maligned though. It might have been too high priced for it's market, but I expect the market didn't (yet) understand it's usability. Sure, I was more of a PalmOS enthusiast myself (Android *still* hasn't fully replaced the Palm's functionality, especially in the area of *local* synchronization).
I remember seeing one in KB Toys and wondering wtf it was !!!!
very cool
2:19 and yet it surpassed 360 while lagging behind 1 YEAR. who had the last coffee spit?
7:11 This looks like a Hyperscan game.
8:12 anyone know wich console that is??
Panasonic MSX TurboR home computer!
The Obsolete Geek
thanks! :))
Didn't know that Panasonic had made MSX
Subscribed, you're a cool dude
Nice video
I am having trouble getting burned Pippin games working on the system. How were you able to burn games for Pippin. I'm using a windows machine with 4x cd rws. I know I'm doing something wrong, but am unsure what to do. Any thoughts?
i don't understand why everyone says there was no internal memory and then says it had 128k to save with? what does this mean?
what else could anyone possibly be meaning or using internal memory for other than saving their progress in games?