Sega Video Driver, known as Family Driver in Japan, appeared in 1988 as a dedicated driving system based on VHS tapes. It was not a console that generated the game images by itself: the route was recorded on video and played through a conventional VCR. The player used a battery-powered steering wheel and a sensor placed in front of the television to interact with signals displayed during the recording. Sega designed the system and Tyco handled its manufacture and distribution in North America; it also reached some European markets through local distributors.