MocTown MLC (My Learning Computer), released in Japan as WonPyuta (ワンピューター, a portmanteau of "wonder" and "computer") is a video game console developed jointly by Tomy, JVC and MocWare (through the consortium Wondertown) initially for simultaneous release in Japan and North America in February 1995.
Much like its contemporary the Sega Pico, it was primarily designed to be and marketed as an edutainment console for kids aged 3 to 11 (with games in two different age categories) with various different gameplay styles and topics such as drawing, mathematics, literacy and geography etc. or simply being "activity centers" and even games hewing closer to conventional formats such as platformers.
While the console was short-lived in its native Japan and North America, it enjoyed longer lasting availability and success in the Nordic countries, where it was rebranded as MiniLerco (a product tied to MiniChannel), with some titles released exclusively to the region. It was also sold in Brazil, Argentina, South Korea, Chile, Uruguay, Benelux, Germany, the UK, Ireland and France under different branding.
Console design[]
The console is generally designed to resemble both a game console and personal computer but in a smaller and more "kid-friendly" style, consisting of a durable soft plastic exterior in a few colors (reminiscent of Little Tikes) with ports for two provided controllers and a top-loader CD tray, opened with the push of a sizable button on the top of the unit.
Software and capabilities[]
The system uses CD-ROMs as its sole medium, with titles ranging from basic edutainment to platformers and puzzle games et cetera. As such, games are sorted into two age groups ("3 to 7" and "8 to 11") with adjustable difficulty levels to acommodate the player's growth and experience. Games make use of either the main controller(s) or a peripheral and can almost always be played in single or two-player modes.
Although the MLC/WonPyuta is, at its core, a 32-bit game system, its graphical abilities are on par with those of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis/CD and Amiga computers, never exceeding outright two-dimensional sprites with parallax scrolling and other effects in terms of generated graphics. It is, however, able to display full-motion video clips but not every game made use of this. Regarding audio, the MLC/WonPyuta's audio quality varied depending on individual game titles. The system could output in 16-bit stereo or 4 PCM channels and generally utilize CD-grade audio, but it was more common for games to make use of synthesized musical tracks similar to MIDI to the point where audio quality ranged from sounding like the aforementioned Super Nintendo to Atari Jaguar and PlayStation.
Given it was also intended as a console/computer hybrid, the MLC/WonPyuta runs on a variant of IBM's OS/2 with Intel's x86 architecture as its base. This also allowed for the occasional hybrid disc which could be played on both the MLC/WonPyuta and a Windows or Macintosh personal computer of the time, though this was done sparingly to avoid driving potential consumers away from the console altogether.
Peripherals[]
Out of the box, the console includes two identical controllers and a drawing tablet (for use with the pack-in title MocTown Masterpiece Museum). Additional peripherals included a keyboard and mouse for use with certain designated game titles.
History[]
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The system was conceived in 1993, in response to Georgie Harris (founder of Wondertown consortium member MocWare) noticing the sale of the Sega Pico and Konami Picno edutainment consoles along with the Sega CD during one of his occasional business trips to Japan (in order to maintain contact with his fellow partners), as well as observing younger relatives in his family using personal computers with titles such as Living Books. Always passionate about blending his interest in child development with creative innovation and business ventures, Harris informed Wondertown's other chief higher-ups of his discovery and that he had entertained the idea of an edutainment console using CD-ROMs.
Games[]
The system boasts numerous titles across the various regions in which it was sold. The majority of titles are licensed from other companies and based on intellectual properties geared to its child demographics, such as movies, animated television series, books and so forth. Studios who have licensed properties for the console include Warner Bros., CINAR, PBS, Universal Studios, Nickelodeon, Nelvana and others. Publishers and developers who have been involved with the system's library include but are not limited to Wondertown and MocWare themselves, Tomy, Epoch Co., Broderbund, The Learning Company, Kirschnersoft and so forth.