Pioneer LaserActive - A video game console monster

In the 90's many companies created a great variety of game consoles, some were really surprising with an excellent catalog, others innovated in many aspects but went unnoticed. However, there was a company that wanted to go further, offering the public a multimedia center capable of running different consoles, this was done by the company Pioneer with the LaserActive.

The Pioneer LaserActive was launched in 1993 as an entertainment center which could play LaserDisc, Karaoke and in turn a multi console Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx, these functions could be performed through modules which were sold separately, these were called PACs and could be removable because the console only had one Slot to place the PAC.

One of the most striking features of this console was its LaserDisc unit, a compact disc that had a diameter of 30 centimeters. It was the first storage system of its kind to be created in the 1970s, surpassing VHS and even the quality of the CD and DVD, however, its extravagant size made it very expensive, making the compact disc more popular.

For some reason Pioneer decided to put this technology on its console, prompting certain developers to release games in this format which are currently considered very rare and difficult to get because at the time very few people acquired this game console.

But not only could read discs in LaserDiscs format, it also had the ability to play Compact Disc, this made you can listen to music or watch movies in that format, opening a wide range of compatibility and options to choose from in the market.

As mentioned earlier, this console could run SEGA Genesis and TurboGrafx cartridges through modules called PAC, these came with the ports to place the controls of the corresponding console and in turn with the slot to insert the games, allowing you to enjoy both consoles in a single system.

Depending on the PAC that we introduced in the console would change its functions, for example, thanks to the SEGA PAC we could play all the video games of SEGA CD, these could come in two formats, the normal ones that were presented in Compact Disc or in the LaserDisc format.

The same thing happened with the NEC PAC or also called TurboGrafx PAC, the menu of the main screen of the console changed, indicating to you that you could introduce PC-Engine games equally in both formats, this was something that for its time was impressive.

On the other hand, the Karaoke PAC as its name indicates was a module that allowed the console to use the disks called LaserKaraoke, although this function has nothing to do with video games is part of the essence of the Pioneer LaserActive.

Another of its modules that made this console interesting was the Computer Interface PAC, with it we could program and develop various functions through a parallel port which was compatible with Apple Macintosh computers or IBM.

As an additional accessory we could find the LaserActive 3-D Goggles, remember that 3D was always present in different industries and video games would not be left behind, these glasses allowed you to see a different look to certain games in LaserDisc format, they were also compatible with the SEGA PAC.

I'm sure you're wondering, why did this console fail? Despite the excellent and appetizing that was the Pioneer LaserDisc was not cheap at all, its price without the modules was 1000 dollars, something that for some people was inaccessible, also the modules had a price of 600 dollars, ie the console plus the PAC of SEGA and TurboGrafx gave you a total of 2200 dollars, and if you wanted the complete set you had to spend 3000 dollars, a madness.

This caused most people to move from it, because it was cheaper to buy 2 or 3 game consoles separately, causing sales of the Pioneer LaserActive were few, in three years that had only sold 420,000 units of life, this explains why it is now considered a rare console and hard to get.

Certainly it was a very ambitious console with great potential to dominate the market, its modules and ability to play LaserDisc and Compact Disc made it unique, but its high cost did not allow to see the light it deserved, this taught video game companies that you should always think in the pocket of the user.