Sega AI – SMS Energy!

Sega AI Pc (セガAIコンピューター)
Introduction
Round late 1986, Sega launched the “Sega AI Pc”. That is considered one of Sega’s least well-known and rarest techniques. Not a lot is understood about this method other than a small quantity of knowledge in Japanese and American flyers and press articles. The knowledge we now have remains to be piecemeal and could also be partly inaccurate.
Right now we’re making public, for the primary time: all system roms extracted from the Sega AI Pc, knowledge dumps from 26 my-cards and 14 tapes, many scans and pictures, and in collaboration with MAME developers, an early working MAME driver permitting this laptop to be emulated.
Nearly all of these software program titles had zero details about them on the web previous to us publishing them: no screenshots, no pictures or scans of precise software program. Contemplating the elusive nature of this machine, it’s attainable that some video games have by no means been seen or accomplished by anybody outdoors of their authentic growth groups.
We hope that this launch will probably be attention-grabbing to obscure sport and laptop historians and hobbyists alike. We’ll additional amend it over time by releasing further scans, hopefully enhancing emulation and publishing/discovering new info.

Extract from a US advert (1986)
System Specs
- 12 months: 1986
- CPU: 16-bit NEC V20 at 5 Mhz
- ROM: 512 KB whole (as truly present in system)
- 2×64 KB system ROM (“Working System, Prolog”)
- 1×128 KB character ROM
- 2×128 KB speech ROM
- RAM: 128 KB
- Software program on Sega My Playing cards (128 KB to 256 KB).
- Software program on Audio Cassettes.
- Video : Yamaha V9938 (Decision 256×212) with 64 KB VRAM.
- Sound: SN76489 PSG
- Inputs: Contact floor with overlays, 8-directions pad + 3 buttons.
- Inputs: Microphone enter.
- Inputs/Outputs: a RS232 Centronics port
- Cassette Drive : 9600bps.
- Non-compulsory Keyboard peripheral.
- Non-compulsory Sound Field peripheral with a YM2151 FM chip.
An early flyer recommend the attainable planning or existence of: a BASIC programming ROM Card, a Disk Drive extension, a Bridge Unit that includes an 8-bit CPU, joystick peripherals and a microphone enter.

Extract from a 1986 Japanese pamphlet
Fast comparisons with different items of {hardware}:
- The Sega SC-3000 (1983) used a Z80 8-bit CPU, 2 KB of RAM, 16 KB of RAM and no system ROM.
- The Sega Grasp System (1985+) elevated this to eight KB of RAM and included a greater video chip.
- The video portion of Sega AI Pc satisfies MSX2 specs.
Contact floor
The system has a big contact floor. Most software program titles are shipped with an overlay, offering a customized contact interface for every title. Some titles use the contact floor with out an overlay to offer drawing capabilities.
Audio Specs
The system is able to enjoying PSG audio, and FM audio when outfitted with the Sound Field extension. It’s also outfitted with a “speech synthesiser” within the type of a chip able to decoding ADPCM knowledge. One of many 128 KB ROM accommodates speech samples for the 46 frequent sounds of the Japanese language, the opposite 128 KB ROM accommodates total sentences that are utilized by the system. As well as, the system can also be in a position to search and play audio from the cassette drive.
So as much as 4 sorts of audio may be blended collectively: “I attempted out a sampling of the software program with the Sound Field, and plenty of of them produced FM music as an alternative of straightforward PSG with out the field. All FM is blended in with all the things else, together with the PSG, which remains to be used for rhythm hits; the speech chip, which is utilized in “Popo’s Journey” (“take a giant hamburger” it says, eg.); and the sound from the cassette, which is usually narration and hints.”.
Software program Storage
The system can boot software program from small-sized playing cards just like Grasp System and PC Engine playing cards. In contrast to Grasp System-era playing cards, which may carry a most of 32 KB of knowledge, the Sega AI Pc playing cards can carry 128 KB and 256 KB of knowledge.
The 128 KB playing cards have their complete reminiscence house mapped via card pinouts (17 pins). The 256 KB playing cards have a easy Grasp System-style bank-switching mapper embedded.
The system can even boot software program from its cassette drive. Sega AI Pc cassettes are stereo, with one channel devoted to storing encoded knowledge, and the opposite to storing common audio. This enables sure loading operations to be enjoying background music in the course of the load, together with snippets from Vivaldi’s 4 Seasons.
Synthetic Intelligence?

Paperwork describe it as a full-featured laptop with an academic twist. The system itself sports activities markings with a promising “SEGA PROLOG…. Bringing you into the world of synthetic intelligence”.
Successfully all of the software program we discovered to this point is instructional and principally geared toward youngsters. The system {hardware} was undoubtedly not used to its most potential, though later 1988-1989 software program titles are of upper high quality than earlier ones. A US prototype means that some type of LISP exists, however we weren’t in a position to get entry to it but.
The Prolog interpreter seems for use by present software program to permit some type of pure language processing. It does not appear accessible to the end-user.
One of the crucial vital English sources is a July 24, 1986 article from “Electronics” journal, which we’re reproducing right here in its entirety:
-Charles L Cohen
Electronics/ July 24, 1986“
We ultimately discovered one…
In September 2014, greater than a decade after the final public sighting, a consumer of Yahoo! Auctions in Japan put a Sega AI Pc unit on the market together with 15 software program titles, all listed individually. With assist from a number of beneficiant people and associations, we determined to purchase all the things and work on it. Since that point, a number of different items have appeared on Yahoo Auctions, however not often ever got here with software program once more. We nevertheless slowly managed to assemble extra software program from different sources. On the finish of 2022, one other significant set of auctions together with a boxed keyboard and 10 earlier iterations of identified software program had been offered, which we additionally managed to amass a yr later from the preliminary purchaser.
The {hardware} and software program acquired within the first batch had been stamped with point out of the Aomori Minami Hoikuen (青森南保育園) in Tokyo. The Sega AI Pc seems to have been principally offered to Japanese faculties. It’s unknown what number of had been manufactured, what number of had been offered, and if Sega had additional plans to market the machine to a wider viewers. The December 1986 and January 1987 problems with “Copel 21”, a Japanese science journal for teenagers, included an order type to buy the Sega AI Pc for 87500 yens, and the Kumon Wonderschool set in 17 installments of 9990 yens.
An often lengthy 1986-1989 life cycle?
Many software program titles have a date printed of their handbook. They vary from August 1st, 1986 to Could 1st, 1989. There are two variations of the My Card for “AI Enikki”: one dated 1986 and one dated 1989. No less than 10 titles had been launched in 1986 on cassettes, then re-released in 1987-1988 on playing cards. In each cases, the later software program variations have been up to date and are extra superior.
The presumed software program launch timespan (no less than 33 months between August 1986 and Could 1989) is especially odd contemplating that is an especially uncommon and unknown system. Why would Sega replace and re-release software program? Did they do an early confidential launch, then determined to return to the drafting board to enhance software program, solely to do a equally confidential relaunch? Did Sega have contracts in place with clients e.g. faculties to maintain on delivering software program for a sure time? We’re unsure!
The advert and order type from COPEL 21 December 1986 situation recommend that no less than it was attainable to buy the Sega AI Pc from that point.
Who labored on the Sega AI Pc?
Warning: Info right here is extraordinarily piecemeal and could also be inaccurate.
- The challenge was seemingly led by Sega R&D Dept 6 (第6研究開発部).
- Masami Ishikawa (Sega) is among the many individuals who labored on the Sega AI Pc challenge.
- Mika Okada (Sega) is among the many individuals who labored on artwork for video games.
- Very doubtless many different individuals had been concerned however we don’t have many names for now.
- Some video games had been developed by Marubeni Corp (in keeping with “Electronics” July 1986 article).
- The “Pinpon Pasokon” sequence of three software program are credited to an organization referred to as Kamiya.
- Sega Prolog was developed partly by the CSK Analysis Institute (CRI). An early prototype unit geared toward market analysis within the USA seemingly makes many references to CRI, however we didn’t get entry to this prototype.
- Sega labored with Linguaphone Institute to develop the English-language studying software program.
- {Hardware} was constructed by Nippon Gakki Co., Shizuoka (in keeping with “Electronics” July 1986 article).
- Noticed within the knowledge following a easy seek for ASCII strings:
- One system ROM accommodates the next ASCII string:
“07/19-1986”.
- The Sound Field ROM accommodates the next ASCII strings:
“Programmed by SHUN ARAI. Produced by YASUHIGE KOBAYASHI. Particular Thanks: KAMIYA STUDIO & PHILOS” “R&D No. 6 SOUND BOARD v1.1 87/08/12 SEGA”
- One system ROM accommodates the next ASCII string:
Black Squirrel ideas: “It’s doubtless a CSK product with Sega branding. CSK was Sega’s mum or dad firm on the time (they purchased Sega in 1983) and appear to have used the AI Pc as an try and get into the tutorial market. CSK additionally had subsidiaries producing {hardware} and software program – CRI (CSK Analysis Institute) appears to be liable for “Sega Prolog”, the closest this factor will get to an working system. I do not know if this implies CRI had been secretly producing the software program on playing cards and cassettes below the Sega identify, or if there have been real Sega individuals concerned (I observed a credit score for Shun Arai on the sound board – he was a Sega man). Maybe they thought youngsters would have interaction extra in the event that they noticed a Sega brand in 1986 reasonably than a CSK/CRI one?”
“Sega’s use of the time period “AI” or “synthetic intelligence” is a bit unfastened, even for 1986. It is a far cry from the likes of ChatGPT – I believe the Sega AI Pc is giving the phantasm of intelligence by recognising and responding in actual human languages (English? Japanese? Each?) reasonably than 20 GOTO 10. The promoting level appears to be “it isn’t BASIC, it isn’t meeting, it is Prolog!””
“The promotional materials is hinting at modems and printers and microphones and mysterious packing containers – unsure how a lot of that got here to cross. There’s speak of an “8-bit CPU board” – perhaps that is the place MSX2 compatibility is available in? I do not know what the plan was there – maybe it was a fallback if AI Pc software program did not take off.”
“It does have some legacy although: beginning with the Mega Drive, video games on Sega platforms had been required to have a ROM header: https://segaretro.org/ROM_header. If it was a sport, it was designated “GM”, however instructional software program was designated “AI”. ”
Emulation

A MAME driver has been developed by Wilbert Pol and Fabio Priuli, primarily based on {hardware} analysis by Chris Covell. Code has been merged, and 2024/01/31 launch will partial emulation of the Sega AI Pc. If you wish to strive it immediately:
Directions to run MAME
- From the UI:
- Run MAME and browse to AI system.
- Press TAB to entry configuration menu.
- From the command-line:
- Copy system roms, video games and overlay scans from xxxx.zip into roms/segai/ folder (use use “-rompath /path/to/extract/to/segaai” command-line parameter).
- Run with
“mame -nodebug -window segaai -card XXXX”
the place “XXXX” stands for a sport identifier in MAME’s format. - To allow the Sound Field emulation, add the
“-exp soundbox”
flag. - Multi-cards video games could also be booted from the second card utilizing
"-card XXXX:card2"
, e.g."-card okeihana:card2"
.
The sport identifiers in MAME’s format are: aienikki, alicewor, andersen, arabiann, cinderel, columbus, cosmictr, eigogame, eigoohan, gulliver, henshin, mozartac, oceanfan, okeihana, pinponmm, pinponmr, pinponnm, ranranme, robinson, runrunmu, tantanrh, wakuwaku
.
Controls
- As a result of the system has each a D-Pad and an emulated contact floor, it is strongly recommended that you just reconfigure MAME inputs.
- Press TAB and go to ‘Enter Settings’->’Enter Assignments (this method’)
- You may depart P1 Up/Down/Left/Proper mapped to Keyboard arrow keys.
- Change Touchpad X Analog Inc/Dec to e.g. D and A, and Touchpad Y Analog Inc/Dec to e.g. S and W.
- The controls turns into:
- Touchpad: transfer cursor with WASD, press with SHIFT.
- D-Pad: Arrow keys
- Gray button: Area
- RL/PL: Ctrl, Alt
Recognized emulation bugs as of January 2024:
- Speech emulation appears to often discuss with samples from the unsuitable ROM.
- Tape drive shouldn’t be emulated but.
- Keyboard shouldn’t be emulated but.
- Probably different emulation bugs and points.
Software program Titles
What we discovered to this point
See our website listings (each sport has its personal web page):
All software program we discovered to this point is usually within the Japanese language and tends to be text-heavy, making them tough to play for non-Japanese readers. We hope that our scans and screenshots can nonetheless offer you a way of what they’re.
AI Enikki
- AI Enikki (AIえにっき) (early card model, later card model)
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System boot display screen | AI Enikki | AI Enikki |
Kumon Wonderschool (two units)
Two units exists: an earlier tape-only set, and a later card-only set.
Solely the cardboard variations are emulated to this point. The tape model had been launched 1-2 years earlier than and look like completely different software program with completely different contents.
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Cosmic Practice: 1987 tape model | Cosmic Practice: 1988 card model |
- Alice World (ありす・わーるど) early tape model, later card model)
- Robinson Land (ろびんそん・らんど) (early tape model, later card model)
- Cosmic Train (こすみっく・とれいん) (early tape model, later card model)
- Cinderella Labyrinth (しんでれら・らびりんす) (early tape model, later card model)
- Gulliver Pocket (がりばー・ぽけっと) early tape model, later card model)
- Mozart Academy (もーつぁると・あかでみー) early tape model, later card model)
- Arabian Night (あらびあん・ないと) early tape model, later card model)
- Andersen Dream (あんでるせん・どりーむ) (early tape model, later card model)
- Ocean Fantasy (おーしゃん・ふぁんたじー) early tape model, later card model)
- Columbus Map (ころんぶす・まっぷ) early tape model, later card model)
Ongaku Marvel College
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Runrun Music | Tantan Rhythm | Ranran Melody |
English Marvel College
Surasura Moji Marvel College
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Henshin Kanji | Waku Waku ABC To 123 | Waku Waku ABC To 123 |
Pinpon Pasokon
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Pinpon Pasokon splash display screen | Pinpon Music Melody | Pinpon Music Melody |
What we have not discovered to this point
AI Enikki: Cassette model was noticed in an public sale, we couldn’t purchase it.
Edison Labo: talked about in Kumon Marvel College Japanese flyer, with screenshots.
Mentions of different titles at SukaSega’s AI page (actual supply unknown)
- Edison’s Labo (エジソンラボ)
- Lincoln Freedom (リンカーン・フリーダム)
- Grimm Home (グリム・ハウス)
- Holmes Thriller (ホームズ・ミステリー)
- Anne Diary (アンネ・ダイアリー)
- Columbus Egg (コロンブス・エッグ) → Probably similar as “Columbus Map”
- Takara Jima Pirates (宝島・パイレーツ)
- Area Fantasy (スペース・ファンタジー)
- Safari Fantasy (サファリ・ファンタジー)
- Moms E-book (マザーズブック)
COPEL 21 December 1986 and January 1987 issues accommodates an advert displaying 18 packing containers (doubtless mockups) with readable names:
- Alice World (アリス ワールド)→ Launched
- Robinson World (ロビンソン ワールド)→ Launched as “Robinson Land”
- Cinderella World (シンデレラ ワールド)→ Launched as “Cinderella Labyrinth”
- Aesop World (イソップ ワールド)
- Hansel & Gretel (へんセル&グレーテル ワールド)
- Goku World (ゴクウ ワールド)
- Taka Jima World (高島 ワールド)
- Helen Keller World (ヘレン ケラー ワールド)
- Nightingale World(ナイチンゲール ワールド)
- Jeanne d’Arc World (ジャンヌ・ダルク ワールド)
- Edison World (エジソン ワールド)→ Later known as “Edison’s Labo”
- Lincoln World (リンカーン ワールド)→ Later known as “Lincoln Freedom”
- Area World (スペース(宇宙)ワールド)
- Safari World (サファリ(??)ワールド)
- Robotic World (ロボット ワールド)
- Mom World 1 (マザー ワールド1)
- Mom World 2 (マザー ワールド2)
- Mom World 3 (マザー ワールド3)
It’s unlikely that these titles had been all completed or launched, however we now have screenshots for “Edison’s Labo” in a flyer so this one was doubtless developed.
Downloads
System Roms
The system dumps quantity to a complete of 590 KB of uncompressed knowledge.
- Sega AI Computer – System Roms.zip (382 KB)
- AI-E000.bin: system EPROM 0, marked 8/24 (64 kb)
- AI-F000.bin: system EPROM 1, marked 7/21 (64 kb), accommodates string:
7/19/86
- AI-MPR-7619.bin: speech ROM 0 (128 kb)
- AI-MPR-7620.bin: speech ROM 1 (128 kb)
- AI-MPR-7689.bin: character ROM (128 kb)
- AI-SND-AI2002.bin: sound field EPROM (128 kb), accommodates strings:
Programed by SHUN ARAI.Produced by YASUHIGE KOBAYASHI.Particular Thanks KAMIYA STUDIO & PHILOS [...] R&D No.6SOUND BOARD V1.187/08/12 SEGA
Software program Roms & Overlay
The 26 Sega My Card dumps quantity to a complete of 4.2 MB of uncompressed knowledge.
We additionally scan all overlays at had at our disposal.
MAME prepared Roms folder
As MAME use particular naming conference for its recordsdata, we offer a readily usable folder:
Tapes recordings
Necessary: Very giant knowledge. The 14 cassettes (16 sides in whole) at the moment quantity to about ~1.2 GB of knowledge. Please do not obtain except you might have use for this: the cassette system is NOT emulated a the time of writing, thus the info from our cassette dumps was not but licensed as “appropriate” (as in, passing the Sega AI Pc loading routines and possible checksum checks). In accordance with early analysis, tapes are utilizing a FSK modulation scheme, with a theoretical most bit-rate of 9600 BPS which could be very excessive for its time. Precise bit-rate used appears no less than two instances decrease. We’re at the moment releasing 48 Khz, 24-bit stereo lossless FLAC. It’s possible that when emulated, we will choose a compact format for the info segments, or can inform what stage of audio compression is satisfactory for loading in an actual system and emulators.
Tape downloads can be found from our Our Big Shared Folder.
- Alice World [Tape version] (Tape).flac (~5 minutes)
- Andersen Dream [Tape version] (Tape).flac (~9 minutes)
- Arabian Evening [Tape version] (Tape).flac (~10 minutes)
- Cinderella Labyrinth [Tape version] (Tape).flac (~5 minutes)
- Columbus Map [Tape version] (Tape).flac (~5 minutes)
- Cosmic Practice [Tape version] (Tape).flac (~9 minutes)
- People and Fairy Tales – Eigo de Ohanashi 1 (Tape Aspect A).flac (~quarter-hour)
- People and Fairy Tales – Eigo de Ohanashi 1 (Tape Aspect B).flac (~quarter-hour)
- People and Fairy Tales – Eigo de Ohanashi 2 (Tape Aspect A).flac (~16 minutes)
- People and Fairy Tales – Eigo de Ohanashi 2 (Tape Aspect B).flac (~16 minutes)
- Gulliver Pocket [Tape version] (Tape).flac (~5 minutes)
- Mozart Academy [Tape version] (Tape).flac (~5 minutes)
- Ocean Fantasy [Tape version] (Tape).flac (~11 minutes)
- Popo’s Journey – Eigo de Recreation 1 – Popo no Yume (Tape).flac (~16 minutes)
- Popo’s Journey – Eigo de Recreation 2 – Popoland no Himitsu (Tape).flac (~18 minutes)
- Robinson Land [Tape version] (Tape).flac (~5 minutes)
{Hardware} Manuals
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Software program Scans
Flyers & Adverts
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Pictures
See our Big Shared Folder for:
- about 150 pictures from all previous identified auctions/gross sales of Sega AI Pc contents.
- shut up pictures of Sega AI Most important Unit
- shut up pictures of Sega AI Most important Unit board
- shut up pictures of Sega AI Keyboard
- shut up pictures of Sega AI Sound Field board
- pictures of software program packaging
- archived webpages about an unreleased US prototype
- and extra…
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Journal Scans
Technical documentations
Hyperlinks
Our massive shared folder
Exterior sources
Website sections
Discussion board threads
Analysis credit
Credit
- Chris Covell (https://www.chrismcovell.com) did nearly all of the early {hardware} reverse engineering, documentation and software program dumping.
- Wilbert Pol and Fabio Priuli went on to create a MAME driver. Early work was truly achieved in 2015. As we uncovered new software program and obtained it in late 2023, we determined to renew work on this launch and Wilbert took care of additional emulation work. A primary model of the motive force was merged into MAME’s codebase on January 23, 2024 (pull request).
- Omar Cornut acquired {hardware} and software program, dumped software program playing cards and tapes acquired later, scanned contents, researched info and arranged different work.
- Charles MacDonald helped construct a customized My Card adapter with configurable pinouts to facilitate dumping later finds.
- Recreation Preservation Society obtained the {hardware} and made the primary cross on attempting to dump the info. It was discovered that the Sega AI playing cards share the pinouts of Sega MyCards used for the SG-1000 II and Grasp System. A primary set of (incomplete) dumps had been made which might assist transferring emulation ahead till the unit and software program had been handed to Chris.
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Chris dumping speech roms | Charles adapter |
Particular Thanks
- Due to Odin Ozdil for serving to purchase further software program and scanning the Sega AI Pc handbook.
- Due to Masato Ozaki, BEEP Store & Takayuki Komabayashi for serving to me purchase further software program.
- Due to Black Squirrel and Gorefestor for assist writing this text.
- Due to KailoKyra for scan processing, help with tape dumping & extra.
- Due to Balrog for help with tape dumping.
- Due to SukaSega for a lot of early scans and analysis.
- Due to BKK for common analysis.
- Due to Sudden-desu for high-resolution scans of two Japanese flyers.
- Due to Maxim for common assist, corrections, internet work & many extra.
- Due to beneficiant donors serving to shopping for the primary batch: preliminary buy obtained funds from: Adrien Duchemole, Bock, Chris Covell, David Papazian (Mobigame), Frank Cifaldi (Video Recreation Historical past Basis), Kusfo, Recreation Preservation Society, GlobZ, Gregg “Greggman” Tavares, Olivier L, Vitorio Miliano.
About SMS Energy!
- Lively since 1997, SMS Power! has been researching, gathering and publishing all kind of info and knowledge associated to Sega 8-bit techniques. We unveiled lots of of prototypes, and have an energetic group of hobbyists contributors creating maps, soundtracks, sport modifications, translations and extra. It’s possible you’ll in case you can Donate to facilitate purchasing prototypes and rare software.