Sega Mushiking
| Sega Mushiking | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Katakana | 甲虫王者ムシキング |
| Rōmaji | KŌCHŪ ŌJA MUSHIKINGU |
| AKA | Mushiking; Mushiking: The King of Beetle |
| Type | Child-size upright |
| Released | 2003 |
| Dimensions | 610 x 452 x 1280 (1590 with POP) mm |
| Wiring | Proprietary / NAOMI-based |
| Monitor | 14 in 15 kHz |
| Rotatable | No |
| Weight | 75 kg |
| Power | 102-103 W |
The Sega Mushiking cabinet is a compact child-height arcade machine manufactured by Sega for:
Mushiking: The King of Beetle
(甲虫王者ムシキング).
The game was introduced in Japan in 2003 and became the first major title in Sega's early-2000s line of card-dispensing children's arcade machines.
Mushiking uses the same underlying Sega single-player kids cabinet design as Sega Dinosaur King, Sega Love and Berry, Sega Hako Emaki Single Manpuki Suizokan, Sega Kids Yataimura Single Kingyo Sukui and Sega Kids Yataimura Single Shateki.
Although these machines differ in artwork, upper signage, controls, card or prize hardware and other game-specific fittings, their principal cabinet body and construction are substantially the same.
The Mushiking configuration combines:
- A 14-inch CRT
- Sega NAOMI hardware
- Barcode card reader
- Card dispenser
- Three large gameplay buttons
- Coin mechanism
- Operator management-chip system
- Large removable promotional POP header
The machine was designed around collectible cards which were both dispensed during play and scanned back into the game.
Factory specifications
The English owner's manual lists:
- Width: 452 mm
- Depth: 610 mm
- Height: 1280 mm
- Height with POP: 1590 mm
- Weight: 75 kg
- Monitor: 14-inch colour monitor
- Card capacity: 600
- Power consumption: 102 W at AC120 V / 60 Hz
- Power consumption: 103 W at AC220 V / 50 Hz
These are Sega's published specifications for the Mushiking configuration of the cabinet.
Published overall dimensions and weight differ between titles using the same underlying Sega kids cabinet. These figures can reflect game-specific external fittings, signage, control assemblies and internal equipment rather than a fundamentally different cabinet shell.
The manual is Sega document:
420-6812-01
and identifies the product as:
MUSHIKING – The King of Beetle
Hardware
The original Mushiking cabinet uses Sega:
hardware.
The owner's manual explicitly states that:
the product's basic system consists of the NAOMI game board
and provides a separate NAOMI service manual as part of the cabinet documentation.
The game software is installed using a ROM board fitted to the NAOMI motherboard.
Monitor
The cabinet uses a:
14-inch colour CRT
operating at standard arcade resolution.
The game is configured for:
horizontal
monitor orientation.
The cabinet is not designed for operator monitor rotation.
Controls
The standard Mushiking control panel contains three large:
Skill Buttons
corresponding to the rock-paper-scissors battle system.
These represent:
- Rock / Hit
- Scissors / Pinch
- Paper / Throw
The game is therefore controlled primarily through three large illuminated or coloured buttons rather than a joystick.
The control assembly is specific to Mushiking and is one of the principal differences between it and other games using the same Sega kids cabinet body.
Card reader
Mushiking uses a:
barcode reader
to read collectible Mushiking cards.
The cards themselves are not RFID cards.
Two principal card types are documented:
- Beetle Cards
- Skill Cards
Players scan a Beetle Card to select their beetle and may then scan Skill Cards to modify its attacks.
The manual includes a dedicated:
BARCODE READER TEST
for checking Beetle and Skill Card recognition.
Card dispenser
A card is dispensed at the beginning of each play.
The internal dispenser can hold up to:
600 cards
Cards were supplied in packs of 200.
The machine monitors:
- Cards dispensed
- Card jams
- Empty-card conditions
The dispenser is removable for maintenance.
Management chip
The cabinet uses a separate:
Management Chip
which is distinct from the collectible game cards.
The management chip is an RFID device used by the operator to control and record card dispensing.
The machine records:
- Management-chip serial number
- Remaining card credits
- Initial installation date
The system also detects:
- Invalid chips
- Read errors
- Write errors
- Attempts to increase a previously used chip's remaining count
This system prevented operators from simply replenishing cards indefinitely without the corresponding Sega management hardware.
Gameplay
Each credit dispenses a Mushiking card.
The player can then scan:
- One Beetle Card
- Up to three Skill Cards
Battles use a rock-paper-scissors system.
Winning with:
- Rock produces a Hit attack
- Scissors produces a Pinch attack
- Paper produces a Throw attack
The game supports:
- Single-player
- Two-player versus play
Two-player play is performed through the game system rather than by providing two full sets of controls on one cabinet.
Card capacity
The factory manual specifies a maximum capacity of:
600 cards
The cabinet displays an operator warning when the card supply runs out.
Operator controls
Inside the service area are controls for:
- Power
- Speaker volume
- Degauss
- Test
- Service
The Service button can add a credit without increasing the coin meter.
Cabinet design
Mushiking uses Sega's compact single-player children's cabinet design.
The same underlying cabinet is used for:
- Dinosaur King
- Hako Emaki Single Manpuki Suizokan
- Kids Yataimura Single Kingyo Sukui
- Kids Yataimura Single Shateki
- Love and Berry
- Mushiking
The principal cabinet body and construction are substantially the same across these machines. Each title adapts the shared cabinet with its own artwork, upper signage, controls, card or prize mechanisms and internal hardware.
Mushiking should therefore be regarded as a game-specific configuration of this shared Sega single-player kids cabinet rather than as a separate cabinet design.
The Mushiking configuration has factory dimensions of:
452 × 610 × 1280 mm
with an overall height of:
1590 mm
when the promotional POP is fitted.
Its published weight is:
75 kg
These dimensions and weight refer to the complete Mushiking machine and should not be interpreted as evidence that it uses a different basic cabinet shell from the related Sega kids machines.
Dimensions
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Width | 452 mm |
| Depth | 610 mm |
| Height | 1280 mm |
| Height with POP | 1590 mm |
| Weight | 75 kg |
| Monitor | 14-inch colour CRT |
| Card capacity | 600 |
Gallery
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Sega Mushiking cabinet -
Mushiking alongside related Sega children's card-game cabinets
