Every company has its share of prototypes, strange devices and developments ahead of their time. In some cases, the failures were big (not to say "media-driven"), but in others they occupied such a strange position that they almost disappeared into obscurity. A good example is the Sega Electronic Comics System, an accessory designed to read interactive comics, which promised high-profile licenses like Superman and X-Men.
Exploring the past of the most well-known companies is always interesting. Their history reveals not only what made them famous, but also the mistakes that on many occasions made them disappear completely. Apparently, the first step comes down to promising us the future: "The future of video games", "the future of telecommunications", "the future of virtual reality", and a long, long etcetera.
But then we discover that the future never arrives, or worse still, that their vision of the future was completely different from what the consumer expected. And along the way remain designs, prototypes, accessories, applications... all kinds of hardware and software that, for different reasons, fail to cross the finish line, or die collecting dust on a shelf.
Sega Electronic Comics System
This time, the internet crossed our path with the Sega Electronic Comics System. The only visual reference to the device is on page 11 of Popular Science, April 1995 edition. According to the brief publication, the Sega Electronic Comics System offered the user the possibility of reading special comics that worked together with a touchpad made up of 200 contact points.
Every time the reader touched the comic, they could hit the villains, activate secret codes, and make specific decisions, turning the comic into a kind of "Choose your own adventure". X-Men, Batman and Superman were three of the main franchises, and the price of the device on the market was set at $50, with two comics included. The price for each additional comic and its interactive cartridge would be $20.
https://old.neoteo.com/sega-toylets-jugando-con-orina/However, the trail ends there. In 1994, Sega was exploring strange markets like the Sega Channel subscriptions; in November it would launch the Sega Saturn, and in October 1995 it would continue with the Sega Nomad, which today represent two consecutive failures.
The Sega Electronic Comics System never saw the light of day, I assume for licensing reasons more than technical details. Today, tablets have completely absorbed the theoretical role of that device, but if you have seen one somewhere, or better yet, if you have access to the hardware, we would love to know...
