Bee Card (game cartridge)
A BeeCard is a memory card developed by Hudson Soft for use with MSX computers. BeeCards are the size of a credit card and were used for the commercial distribution of games, mostly by Hudson Soft themselves. The card contains an integrated circuit (IC) that is placed close to the connectors and protected by a thin plastic layer. Compared to the more traditional cartridges used by most early game consoles, the BeeCard is relatively small and compact. The first BeeCards were sold in Japan in 1985 and were manufactured by Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc.
The MSX is the only system known to have used BeeCards, and needed a BeePack, a special adapter the size of a traditional MSX cartridgde which contains a slot on the top into which the BeeCard is placed.
Hudson Soft later developed the HuCard for the NEC PC Engine and SuperGrafx game consoles. HuCards are slightly thicker than BeeCards and contain 38 pins while a BeeCard has only 32.
Trivia
The name BeeCard is derived from Hudson Soft's corporate logo, which features a bee.
Games
Games released on BeeCard:
- Baseball Craze, BC-M1, Hudson Soft, 1985
- Star Force, BC-M2, Tehkan, 1985
- Jet Set Willy, BC-M3, Hudson Soft, 1985
- T-Plan, BC-M4, unknown publisher
- Pooyan, BC-M5, Konami, 1985
- Bomber Man, BC-M7, Hudson Soft/Japanese Softbank, 1986
- Star Soldier, BC-M8, Hudson Soft, 1986
- Champion Takahashi's Adventure Island, BC-M9, Hudson Soft, 1986
- E-Piano III, unknown publisher