View source for Master System

{{Infobox information appliance
| title = Master System
| logo = Sega-master-system-logo.png
| image = <div style="white-space: nowrap; border: #dadada solid 1px;">{{nowrap|[[File:Sega-Master-System-Set.jpg|frameless|upright=1.15]]<br/>[[File:Sega Mark III.jpg|frameless|upright=1.15]]<br/>[[File:Master System II.jpg|frameless|upright=1.15]]}}</div>
| caption = Top: North American/European Master System<br/>Middle: Japanese Sega Mark III<br>Bottom: [[PAL region|PAL]] Master System II
| manufacturer = [[Sega]]
| type = [[Home video game console]]
| generation = [[Third generation of video game consoles|Third generation]]
| releasedate = {{vgrelease|JP|October 20, 1985 (Mark III)<ref name="MK3"/><ref name="Gamershigh">{{cite book|title=Gamers High! Futabasha Super Mook|date=2015|publisher=Futabasha|isbn=978-4-575-45554-0|page=55|language=Japanese}}</ref>|NA|September 1986<ref name="CE"/>|JP|October 1987<ref name=Gamershigh /><ref name="MS"/>|EU|1987|BRA|1989|KOR|1989}}
| lifespan = {{vgrelease|WW|1985–present}} {{vgrelease|NA|1986-92}}
| price = JP¥16,800<br>US$200<br>GB£99
| discontinued = {{vgrelease|JP|Circa 1988-1989|NA|1992}}
| unitssold = Worldwide: 13 million <small>(as of 2009)</small> (not including recent Brazil figures)<ref name="GENSNES"/><br>Japan: 1 million <small>(as of 1986)</small><ref name="business_japan"/><br>United States: 2 million <small>({{nowrap|as of 1993}})</small><ref name="sheff_1993"/><br>Europe: {{nowrap|6.8 million}} <small>{{nowrap|(estimated as of December 1993)}}</small><ref name="digest_60"/><br>Brazil: {{nowrap|8 million}} <small>(as of 2016)</small><ref name="MDB"/>
| media = [[ROM cartridge]], [[Sega Card]]
| cpu = [[Zilog Z80A]]
| CPUspeed = 4 MHz
| memory = 8 kB RAM, 16 kB VRAM
| display = 256 × 192 resolution, 32 colors on-screen
| graphics = [[Yamaha]] YM2602B [[Video display controller|VDP]]
| sound = Yamaha VDP [[Programmable Sound Generator|PSG]]([[SN76489]]), Yamaha [[YM2413]]{{efn|Japanese models only.}}
| compatibility = [[SG-1000]]{{efn|Japanese models only.}}
| predecessor = [[SG-1000]]{{efn|Japanese models only.}}
| successor = [[Sega Genesis]]
| related = [[Game Gear]]
}}
The {{nihongo foot|'''Sega Master System''' ('''SMS''')|セガ・マスターシステム|Sega Masutā Shisutemu|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a home [[video game console]] made in 1985. It was not very popular in [[North America]] and [[Japan]] but was very popular in [[Brazil]]. One of the most popular games of the Master System was ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (video game)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]''.

{{As of | 2015}}, the Master System was still in production in Brazil by [[Tectoy]]. This would make it the world's longest-lived console.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://za.ign.com/ps4/64636/feature/the-5-longest-console-lifespans|title=Longest-lived game consoles|last=Fick|first=Matthew|date=January 17, 2014|work=IGN Africa|publisher=Ziff Davis|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106145422/http://za.ign.com/ps4/64636/feature/the-5-longest-console-lifespans|archivedate=November 6, 2015|url-status=live|accessdate=September 21, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
== Background ==

== Launch ==
In October 1985, the Sega Mark III was released in Japan for ¥15,000.<ref name="MK3">{{cite web|title=Mark III|publisher=Sega Corporation|language=Japanese|url=http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/mk3/|accessdate=March 31, 2014|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716112819/http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/mk3/|archivedate=July 16, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

The console was redesigned as the "Master System", and it was released in North America in 1986 at a price of $200 ({{Inflation|US|200|1986|fmt=eq}}). It included a [[multicart]] of the games ''[[Hang-On]]'' and ''[[Safari Hunt]]''.<ref name="Allgame">{{cite web|url=http://allgame.com/platform.php?id=23|title=Sega Master System – Overview|author=Beuscher|first=David|website=[[AllGame]]|publisher=All Media Network|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102043846/http://allgame.com/platform.php?id=23|archivedate=January 2, 2010|url-status=dead|accessdate=March 31, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref> By the end of 1986, 125,000 Master System consoles had been sold. This was more than the [[Atari 7800]]'s 100,000, but it was less than the [[NES]]'s 1.1 million.<ref name="CE">''Computer Entertainer'', February 1987, [http://i.imgur.com/eUXac6M.jpg page 13] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122215258/http://i.imgur.com/eUXac6M.jpg |date=November 22, 2015 }}</ref>

The console was re-released as the Master System in Japan in October 1987 for ¥16,800.<ref name="MS">{{cite web|title=Master System|publisher=Sega Corporation|language=Japanese|accessdate=March 31, 2014|url=http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/master/|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716105805/http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/master/|archivedate=July 16, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref> It still sold poorly as did the Mark III.<ref name="Retroinspection">{{cite journal|author=McFerran, Damien|title=Retroinspection: Master System|journal=[[Retro Gamer]]|publisher=[[Imagine Publishing]]|pages=48–53|issue=44|issn=1742-3155|location=London, UK}}</ref>  Neither model posed a serious challenge to [[Nintendo]] in Japan.<ref name="business_japan">{{cite journal|title=Amusement|journal=Business Japan|year=1986|volume=31|issue=7–12|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tJcSAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Sega+is+estimated+to+have+sold%22|accessdate=January 24, 2012|author=Nihon Kōgyō Shinbunsha|page=89|publisher=Nihon Kogyo Shimbun}}</ref>
== Transition to Genesis and decline ==
Sega released the [[Mega Drive]], a [[16-bit]] video game console, in Japan on October 29, 1988.<ref name="RetroinspectionMD">{{cite journal|journal=Retro Gamer|publisher=Imagine Publishing|title=Retroinspection: Mega Drive|author=Sczepaniak, John|issue=27|year=2006|pages=42–47|issn=1742-3155|location=London, UK}}</ref> The last game released for the Mark III/Master System in Japan was ''[[Bomber Raid]]'' in 1989.<ref name="Retroinspection"/>

By early 1992, Master System production stopped in North America. By that time, between 1.5 million and 2 million units had been sold in the United States.<ref name="sheff_1993">{{cite book|last=Sheff|first=David|title=Game Over |year=1993|publisher=[[Random House]]|location=New York, New York|isbn=0-679-40469-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gxyXUi336egC&q=master+systems|edition=1st|authorlink=David Sheff|accessdate=January 16, 2012|page=349}}</ref><ref name="startribune">{{cite news |title=16-Bit Hits – New video games offer better graphics, action |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:STMB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EFE44C5DC10D939&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0ECC86DE7A4704AD |newspaper=[[Minneapolis Star Tribune]] {{subscription required|via=[[NewsBank]]}} |date=October 15, 1991 |accessdate=April 7, 2014 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110080330/http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004 |archivedate=November 10, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

The Master System later became a success in [[Europe]]. In Europe, it sold more than the NES by a lot.<ref name="digest_60"/><ref name="digest_61"/> As late as 1993, the Master System's active [[Installed base|installed user base]] in Europe was 6.25 million units. That was larger than that of the Mega Drive's 5.73 million base that year.<ref name="digest_60">{{cite journal|date=March 1995|journal=[[Screen Digest]]|publisher=Screen Digest Ltd.|page=60|title=Sega Consoles: Active installed base estimates}}</ref>  Combined with the Mega Drive, Sega had the majority of the console user base in Europe that year.<ref name="digest_61">{{cite journal|last=|first=|date=March 1995|title=Total 8-bit and 16-bit Cartridge Consoles: Active installed base estimates|journal=Screen Digest|publisher=Screen Digest Ltd.|page=61}} ([[cf.]] here [https://books.google.com/books?id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&q=nintendo+active+installed] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324035924/https://books.google.com/books?ei=L0UeT47oMouEhQeoldjNDQ&id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&dq=sega+active+installed&q=nintendo+active+installed|date=March 24, 2017}} and here [https://books.google.com/books?id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Western+Europe+8550+13390+13510+9570%22] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022622/https://books.google.com/books?ei=200eT4yAK8y1hAfsncjRDQ&id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22EU+as+listed+%3A+6730+10430+10460+7.410%22&q=%22Western+Europe+8550+13390+13510+9570%22|date=March 24, 2017}})</ref>
== Continued success in Brazil ==
The Master System has had the most success in Brazil. In Brazil, new versions have continued to be released. [[Tectoy]] has been manufacturing Master Systems since 1989. These versions include the Master System Compact<ref name="Retroinspection" /> and the Master System 3.<ref name="retrogamer_tectoy">{{cite journal|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|title=Company Profile: Tec Toy|journal=Retro Gamer|publisher=Imagine Publishing|year=2006|issue=30|pages=50–53|issn=1742-3155|location=London, UK}}</ref> In 2015, it was reported that the Master System sells around 150,000 units per year in Brazil.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/brazil-is-a-video-game-alternate-universe-where-sega-beat-nintendo|title=Brazil Is An Alternate Video Game Universe Where Sega Beat Nintendo|last=Smith|first=Ernie|date=July 27, 2015|work=Atlas Obscura|access-date=December 11, 2017|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621140933/http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/brazil-is-a-video-game-alternate-universe-where-sega-beat-nintendo|archivedate=June 21, 2017|df=mdy-all}}</ref> By 2016, the Master System had sold 8 million units in Brazil.<ref name="MDB">{{cite web|url=http://jogos.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2016/05/12/console-em-producao-ha-mais-tempo-master-system-ja-vendeu-8-mi-no-brasil.htm|title=Console em produção há mais tempo, Master System já vendeu 8 mi no Brasil|last=Azevedo|first=Théo|date=May 12, 2016|website=[[Universo Online]]|publisher=[[Grupo Folha]]|language=Portuguese|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514115923/http://jogos.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2016/05/12/console-em-producao-ha-mais-tempo-master-system-ja-vendeu-8-mi-no-brasil.htm|archivedate=May 14, 2016|url-status=live|accessdate=May 13, 2016|quote=Comercializado no Brasil desde setembro de 1989, o saudoso Master System já vendeu mais de 8 milhões de unidades no país, segundo a Tectoy.|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Because Tectoy continued to produce the Master System years for so long, the Master System is considered the longest-lived in the [[History of video games|history of video game consoles]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://za.ign.com/ps4/64636/feature/the-5-longest-console-lifespans|title=The 5 longest console lifespans|last=Fick|first=Matthew|website=IGN Africa|date=17 January 2014|publisher=Ziff Davis|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106145422/http://za.ign.com/ps4/64636/feature/the-5-longest-console-lifespans|archivedate=November 6, 2015|url-status=live|accessdate=November 30, 2015}}</ref>
== Reception and legacy ==
It is estimated that 13 million Master Systems were sold. This does not include recent Brazil sales.<ref name="GENSNES">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/20/genesis-vs-snes-by-the-numbers|title=Genesis vs. SNES: By the Numbers|author=Buchanan, Levi|date=March 20, 2009|website=[[IGN]]|publisher=Ziff Davis|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302144504/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/20/genesis-vs-snes-by-the-numbers|archivedate=March 2, 2014|url-status=live|accessdate=March 31, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

== Master System Media ==
<gallery widths='160px' heights='100%' mode='traditional' caption=''>
File:Sega Mark III logo.svg|The logo to the Sega Mark III, the Japanese version of the Master System

File:Sega-Master-System-MkII-wController.jpg|The Sega Master System (Mark) II with controller, a 3rd generation video game console by Sega that was released worldwide beginning in 1986. This is the revised, economized version of the Master System, with omitted the card slot and non-RF video out. It came a game or two built into the system, which depended on the region and when it was manufactured.

File:Annual sales master system (English version) (1985-1997).png|Annual sales of Master System (1985 - 1997).

File:Stockholms Spelmuseum by BugWarp (31).jpg|The Master System was redesigned to appeal to Western tastes. The packaging of the console and the games was given a grid design on white, inspired by products from [[Apple Inc.|Apple]].

File:Sega-Mastery-System-MkII-Console-FL.jpg|Master System II, a cost-reduced version released in 1990 by Sega

File:Sms3compacttransparent.png|Master System III Compact manufactured by Tectoy
</gallery>
== Notes ==
{{noteslist}}
== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Sega video game consoles]]