Famicom "Study Box"

**Radar** · 02-03-2005

Does anyone have anymore information about this Famicom learning-aid add-on?

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~pinwhiz/famicom.htm

Quick Web Search on "Fukutake Publishing"

"Benesse Corporation was established in 1955 as Fukutake Publishing Co., Ltd. to publish junior high school educational materials and student datebooks. The company's name was changed to Benesse Corporation in 1995. The company spans four areas of business: education, language learning, lifestyles, and nursing care. Benesse is engaged in language education, translation and interpretation businesses, through its subsidiaries, Berlitz International,Inc., Berlitz Japan, Simul International,Inc., and Okayama Language Center."

**Calpis** · 02-03-2005

I know it takes cassette tapes and you can buy them on YJ for <$10

**the_steadster** · 02-03-2005

Originally Posted by Kyuusaku

I know it takes cassette tapes and you can buy them on YJ for <$10

As a storage medium ?? That doesn't make a lot of sense when there's a free and ready cart port

**Calpis** · 02-03-2005

Huh? Where? Likely the thing loads small programs into RAM similar to the Family Basic device.

**Alchy** · 02-03-2005

First thought was that it might be for audio... but that doesn't make sense either, it couldn't go through the sound chip since it isn't capable of digitising anything much, and it doesn't look like it offers its own direct audio out.

EDIT: so the tape is for data not analogue audio?

**Calpis** · 02-03-2005

It's a study system, it runs special cassettes for the system. I've seen the cassettes sold with the thing a number of times. What would be the point in having a Famicom peripheral that just plays audio tapes? ;) Thats possibly how lame this device is but I'd hope it's not. Actually you can directly mix in sound through the audio-in pin of the cartridge connector, the more I think about it the shittier this thing seems to me. Either

A) it's a cassette player that plays some audio tapes accompanied by an educational ROM program

or

B) it's a cassette deck that has a BIOS and can load programs similarly to the Famicom Disk System (which would be slightly less sucky than option A)

**GaijinPunch** · 02-03-2005

Link to flyer

If you're Japanese is good, and your eyesight even better, there's some info.

**Calpis** · 02-03-2005

So they're data cassettes?

**abionic** · 02-03-2005

Benesse is somehow linked with Sega as well, as Sega markets LeapFrog's products in japan under the Benesse brand.

**GaijinPunch** · 02-04-2005

Originally Posted by Kyuusaku

So they're data cassettes?

Looks like it. It would take me hours to dig up that log, so I probably won't. If I run across it though, I'll see what it says.

Greatsaintlouis · 02-04-2005

I think you put your children in there if they don't study.

You know, like an oubliette in a French medieval castle.

**Radar** · 02-04-2005

some (blurry) images of the inside of this unit + screen shots are here:

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~pinwhiz/sbox/

This is actually my unit and I was inspired to power it up for the first time in years - I don't have any of the right tapes for it so my testing was functional only.

The first screen lets you select a "PAGE" which you select and then it takes you to a loading screen - at this stage it rewinds, forwards and searches any tape inserted. Obviously it can't find what it is after on a normal music tape so thats as far as I got.

It does play the annoying gratingly bad tune I've ever heard come out of a famicom while it attempts to load.

My guess is that the Tapes should also come with a matching set of books of some sort.