Bandai pulled the @WORLD out of the American market, and shipped the unsold units back to Japan. The black-colored units were re-branded ATMARK (without the ATMARK labeling on the front) and sold in the Japanese market.
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The Bandai ATMARK-PD was designed as a direct replacement of the original ATMARK footprint, and would have included an internal drive that can read a standard CD-ROM disc, as well as read/write to a magneto-optical WORM PD disk with 600 MB of storage capacity.ATMARK-PD The Bandai ATMARK-EX was to feature a footprint similar to a Macintosh desktop unit.ATMARK-EX It was designed to include 8 MB of RAM (expandable to 40 MB,) and the ability to utilize standard 72-pin EDO-DRAM modules, instead of the proprietary memory modules used in the ATMARK and @WORLD. The chassis could handle a half-sized PCI card internally.
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In Japan, Bandai produced Pippin-based systems called the . Most of the Atmark systems use the same platinum color used on many of the Apple Macintosh models at the time. In the United States and most parts of Europe, Bandai named the system the Bandai Pippin @WORLD (pronounced "at-world"). The @WORLD has the same specifications as the Pippin Atmark, but runs an English version of Mac OS. Most of the western systems use a black color.
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The Apple Bandai Pippin, stylized PiP P!N, is a multimedia technology console, designed by Apple Computer. The console is based on the Apple Pippin platform – a derivative of the Apple Macintosh platform. Bandai produced the ATMARK and @WORLD consoles between 1996 and 1997.
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Software Development Page Apple licensed the Pippin technology to third-party companies. Bandai Company Ltd. developed the ATMARK and @WORLD models, and focused them on the gaming and entertainment business in Japan, Canada and the United States. Katz Media developed the KMP 2000, and focused it on vertical markets throughout Europe and Canada.
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According to Apple, what would be included in a Pippin-based product was specific to each manufacturer. Other than the color, the specifications on the Bandai releases were the same across both the ATMARK and @WORLD packages, while the Katz Media release addressed features needed to be scalable, including an external SCSI interface, additional on-board memory, and the lack of RSA technology.
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Bandai Pippin ATMARK, with the AppleJack game pad In 1993, Bandai wanted to deliver a scaled-down version of the Macintosh purely for CD-ROM game-playing. Bandai President and CEO Makoto Yamashina chose the Macintosh platform over other platforms available at the time.Power Ranger: A Japanese Toymaker Invades Cyberspace In early 1994, Bandai approached Apple with the gaming console idea. The original design was based on a Macintosh Classic II 16 MHz Motorola 68030 running Macintosh system software.
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On December 13, 1994, Apple announced the Pippin platform in Tokyo, as well as the partnership with Bandai. In March 1996, the white-colored Bandai went on sale in Japan at a price of 64,800 yen, which included a dial-up modem and four bundled titles. Yamashina predicted 200,000 Pippin ATMARK systems would be sold in Japan within the first twelve months. In October 1995, the Nikkei reported that Mitsubishi Electric Corporation would follow Bandai as a licensee to the Pippin technology.
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The Bandai Pippin (Atmark Player) and wireless controller The Pippin is a game console designed by Apple Computer and produced by Bandai (now Bandai Namco) in the mid-1990s based around a PowerPC 603e processor and Classic Mac OS. It featured a 4x CD-ROM drive and a video output that could connect to a standard television monitor. Apple intended to license the technology to third parties; however, only two companies signed on, Bandai and Katz Media, while the only Pippin license to release a product to market was Bandai's. By the time the Bandai Pippin was released (1995 in Japan, 1996 in the United States), the market was already dominated by the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation. The Bandai Pippin also cost US$599 on launch, more expensive than the competition.
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