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Master System

The Sega Master System (SMS)[d] 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.

Master System
Sega-master-system-logo.png
Sega-Master-System-Set.jpg
Sega Mark III.jpg
Master System II.jpg
Top: North American/European Master System
Middle: Japanese Sega Mark III
Bottom: PAL Master System II
ManufacturerSega
TypeHome video game console
GenerationThird generation
Release dateOctober 20, 1985 (Mark III)[1][2] NA
Retail availabilityWW 1985–present NA 1986-92
Introductory priceJP¥16,800
US$200
GB£99
DiscontinuedCirca 1988-1989 NA
Units soldWorldwide: 13 million (as of 2009) (not including recent Brazil figures)[3]
Japan: 1 million (as of 1986)[4]
United States: 2 million (as of 1993)[5]
Europe: 6.8 million (estimated as of December 1993)[6]
Brazil: 8 million (as of 2016)[7]
MediaROM cartridge, Sega Card
CPUZilog Z80A @ 4 MHz
Memory8 kB RAM, 16 kB VRAM
Display256 × 192 resolution, 32 colors on-screen
GraphicsYamaha YM2602B VDP
SoundYamaha VDP PSG(SN76489), Yamaha YM2413[a]
Backward
compatibility		SG-1000[b]
PredecessorSG-1000[c]
SuccessorSega Genesis
Related articlesGame Gear

As of 2015, the Master System was still in production in Brazil by Tectoy. This would make it the world's longest-lived console.[8]

Background

Launch

In October 1985, the Sega Mark III was released in Japan for ¥15,000.[1]

The console was redesigned as the "Master System", and it was released in North America in 1986 at a price of $200 (389). It included a multicart of the games Hang-On and Safari Hunt.[9] 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.[10]

The console was re-released as the Master System in Japan in October 1987 for ¥16,800.[11] It still sold poorly as did the Mark III.[12] Neither model posed a serious challenge to Nintendo in Japan.[4]

Transition to Genesis and decline

Sega released the Mega Drive, a 16-bit video game console, in Japan on October 29, 1988.[13] The last game released for the Mark III/Master System in Japan was Bomber Raid in 1989.[12]

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.[5][14]

The Master System later became a success in Europe. In Europe, it sold more than the NES by a lot.[6][15] As late as 1993, the Master System's active 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.[6] Combined with the Mega Drive, Sega had the majority of the console user base in Europe that year.[15]

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[12] and the Master System 3.[16] In 2015, it was reported that the Master System sells around 150,000 units per year in Brazil.[17] By 2016, the Master System had sold 8 million units in Brazil.[7] 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 game consoles.[18]

Reception and legacy

It is estimated that 13 million Master Systems were sold. This does not include recent Brazil sales.[3]

Master System Media

  • The logo to the Sega Mark III, the Japanese version of the Master System

  • 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.

  • Annual sales of Master System (1985 - 1997).

  • 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.

  • Master System II, a cost-reduced version released in 1990 by Sega

  • Master System III Compact manufactured by Tectoy

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese models only.
  2. ↑ Japanese models only.
  3. ↑ Japanese models only.
  4. ↑ Japanese: セガ・マスターシステム Hepburn: Sega Masutā Shisutemu?

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mark III (in Japanese)Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  2. ↑ Gamers High! Futabasha Super Mook (in Japanese) (2015)Futabasha. p. 55. ISBN 978-4-575-45554-0.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Buchanan, Levi. Genesis vs. SNES: By the Numbers. IGN (March 20, 2009)Ziff Davis. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Nihon Kōgyō Shinbunsha. Amusement. Business Japan 31 (7–12) (1986)Nihon Kogyo Shimbun. p. 89. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sheff, David. Game Over (1993). New York, New York: Random House. p. 349. ISBN 0-679-40469-4. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Sega Consoles: Active installed base estimates. Screen Digest (March 1995)Screen Digest Ltd.. p. 60.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Azevedo, Théo. Console em produção há mais tempo, Master System já vendeu 8 mi no Brasil (in Portuguese). Universo Online (May 12, 2016)Grupo Folha. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  8. ↑ Fick, Matthew. Longest-lived game consoles. IGN Africa (January 17, 2014)Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  9. ↑ Beuscher, David. Sega Master System – Overview. AllGameAll Media Network. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  10. ↑ Computer Entertainer, February 1987, page 13 Archived November 22, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ Master System (in Japanese)Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 McFerran, Damien. Retroinspection: Master System. Retro Gamer (44). London, UK: Imagine Publishing. p. 48–53.
  13. ↑ Sczepaniak, John. Retroinspection: Mega Drive. Retro Gamer (27) (2006). London, UK: Imagine Publishing. p. 42–47.
  14. ↑ 16-Bit Hits – New video games offer better graphics, action. October 15, 1991. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131110080330/http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004. Retrieved April 7, 2014. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Total 8-bit and 16-bit Cartridge Consoles: Active installed base estimates. Screen Digest (March 1995)Screen Digest Ltd.. p. 61. (cf. here [1] Archived March 24, 2017, at the Wayback Machine and here [2] Archived March 24, 2017, at the Wayback Machine)
  16. ↑ Szczepaniak, John. Company Profile: Tec Toy. Retro Gamer (30) (2006). London, UK: Imagine Publishing. p. 50–53.
  17. ↑ Smith, Ernie. Brazil Is An Alternate Video Game Universe Where Sega Beat Nintendo. Atlas Obscura (July 27, 2015). Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  18. ↑ Fick, Matthew. The 5 longest console lifespans. IGN Africa (17 January 2014)Ziff Davis. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
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