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Sega Releases Toy Cam For Kids in Japan by John Neely Published on Oct 10, 2006 9:00 AM

October 10, 2006 - Sega recently introduced a toy camcorder for kids in Japan.  The new Movie Carrier is short on features but that should not come as a surprise given its low MSRP of  ¥13,440 or about $112.30.  The Movie Carrier uses a CMOS sensor capable of producing video at a resolution of only 320x240 pixels making it perfect for capturing web videos at the skate park, and takes stills at a peak resolution of 2048x1536.  The camcorder has a 4x zoom, and a cellphone-sized 1.5-inch TFT screen.

Adding to the kid-friendliness of this device is that it uses SD memory to record video – and Sega sells a colorful 32 MB SD card for kids.  To appeal to both girls and boys, the camcorder comes in two colors:  bubblegum pink and sky blue.

A similar camcorder for kids called the VcamNow has been available on the US market for some time. Marketed by Hasbro and available from Walmart, the US product resembles the Japanese version closely and includes 32 MB of built-in memory as well as an SD card expansion slot.  The VcamNow is powered by two AA batteries, and the 32 MB of onboard memory hold up to 7 minutes of video or up to 480 digital photos at a paltry resolution of 320x240.  The peak photo resolution for the VcamNow is 1280x960.  While the VcamNow seems to be an older iteration of the model just announced in Japan, its MSRP is even lower at a mere $79.99