Sega Master System
Encyclopedia
The is a third-generation video game console
that was manufactured and released by Sega
in 1985 in Japan
(as the Sega Mark III), 1986 in North America
and 1987 in Europe
.
The original SMS could play both cartridges and the credit card-sized "Sega Card
s," which retailed for cheaper prices than cartridges but had less code. The SMS also featured accessories such as a light gun and 3D glasses which were designed to work with a range of specially coded games.
The Master System was released as a direct competitor to the Nintendo Entertainment System
in the third videogame generation
The SMS was technically superior to the NES, which predated its release significantly, but failed to overturn Nintendo's significant market share advantage in Japan and North America.
In the European, Oceanic, and Brazil
ian markets, this console allowed Sega to outsell Nintendo
, due to its wider availability. It enjoyed over a decade of life in those territories.
The console was redesigned several times both for marketing purposes and to add features, most notably in Brazil. The later Sega Game Gear
is effectively a hand-held Master System, with a few enhancements.
In 2009, the Master System was named the 20th best video game console of all time (out of 25) by the video gaming website IGN
, behind both its competitors, the Atari 7800
(ranked 17th best) and the Nintendo Entertainment System (1st). They cited the Master System's small games library, coupled with the highly uneven quality of the few games that were released: "Months could go by between major releases and that made a dud on the Master System feel even more painful."
ese market on Friday, July 15, 1983 for ¥
15,000 (US$
241.50).
The SG-1000, along with its direct successor the SG-1000 II, marked Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business, though neither system was popular.
The Sega Mark III was released in Japan
on Sunday, October 20, 1985 for ¥
15,000 to compete with the Family Computer
, following on from the SG-1000 and SG-1000 II.
Following its redesign as the Master System, the redesigned console was itself released in Japan in 1987, with the addition of a built-in Yamaha YM2413
FM sound chip, Rapid Fire Unit, and 3-D glasses adapter; all of which were separate accessories for the Mark III.
Neither the Mark III nor the Japanese Master System were commercially successful, due to strong competition from the Family Computer
, which held the 95% of the market share there.
The last licensed release in Japan was Bomber Raid
, released by Sega on February 4, 1989.
The system was sold in the United States
under the name Sega Master System in June 1986, less than a year after the Nintendo Entertainment System
(NES) was released. The console sold for $200. The Master System was subsequently released in other locales and markets, including a second release in Japan
in 1987
under the new Master System name.
By 1988, Nintendo commanded 83% of the North American video game market share and the rights to the Master System in North America were sold to Tonka
, but its popularity continued to decline due to Nintendo's policies in spite of the company's success in gaining a position on the market for the system. One of Nintendo's policies was that its third-party licensees could not release any video game on competing consoles. The lack of third-party support left the Master System deprived of many arcade and NES hit titles. Activision
and Parker Brothers
were the only two third-party companies publishing for the Master System in North America, but both companies stopped supporting the Master System in 1989 and neither company had released more than five video game titles for the platform.
In 1990, Sega was having success in North America with its Sega Genesis and as a result took back the rights from Tonka for the Master System. It designed the Sega Master System II, a low-cost Master System that lacked several of the original's features. In an effort to counter Nintendo's Super Mario Bros, the new system included Alex Kidd in Miracle World
playable without any cartridges; hence replacing the built-in Snail Maze
and Hang-On
/Safari Hunt
of the original system. Sega marketed the Master System II heavily; nevertheless, the unit sold poorly in North America. In 1991, Nintendo was forced by the U.S government to abandon the restriction it held on its third party licensees, but the Master System had already been eclipsed long ago with no signs of ever recovering. By early 1992, the Master System's sales were virtually nonexistent in North America and production ceased.
The last licensed release in the United States was Sonic the Hedgehog
, released by Sega in fall 1991. Some European games were released in Canada
for some time after.
for a gaming console. Sega marketed this console in many European countries, including several in which Nintendo
did not sell its consoles. It enjoyed strong third party support in the continent, including from American video game publishers, that had not released titles for the platform in North America. In Germany
it had some success, where it was distributed by Ariolasoft
beginning in winter 1987, in France
the console was distributed in 1987 by Mastertronic France
, from September 1988 until September 1991 by Virgin Loisirs
, and then from September 1991 onwards by Sega France
. The Master System sold more than a million units in this region.
In the United Kingdom
, it was distributed by Mastertronic
(which later merged with the Virgin Group
), and in Italy
it was distributed by Giochi Preziosi. In its first years it overshadowed the Nintendo Entertainment System, but it wasn't as successful as the Atari ST
and Amiga 500
Personal Computers, which were mostly used as gaming machines. The NES only gained a good market share in these territories later in its lifespan, after the release of the Sega Mega Drive. The console was produced far longer in Europe than in Japan and North America. It is generally considered a success in Europe, where it competed and managed to rival the NES. Because of the success in Europe, Sega decided to open its Sega Europe division.
The last licensed release in Europe was The Smurfs: Travel the World, released by Infogrames
in 1996. Its successor, the Mega Drive
, which was also successful in Europe, was supported up until this time as well. However, both were discontinued so that Sega could concentrate on the Sega Saturn
.
was the most successful market for the Master System. Tec Toy
, Sega's distributor in Brazil, was responsible for marketing and sales. Both the Master System I and II have slight differences in the external appearance of the console, but are still extremely similar to the Master System outside of Brazil.
At least five versions of the console were released between 1989 and 1995 and several games had been translated into Portuguese
. Various Brazilian characters featured his games, but in various times only substituting characters of other games (for example, the game Mônica no Castelo do Dragão featured Mônica, the main character from a popular children's comic book
in Brazil, created by Maurício de Souza, using modifications in Wonder Boy in Monster Land
. Geraldinho, creation of the Brazilian cartoonist Glauco, had a game modified from Teddy Boy
). Brazil also produced many original games, like Sítio do Pica Pau Amarelo (based on the works of Monteiro Lobato
), Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum
(from the TV Cultura
series) and TV Colosso
(from the Rede Globo
series).
As of 2010, both Master System and Sega Mega Drive
are still being produced in Brazil, now with several games running direct from the memory, and, as of 2006, the cartridge slots have been removed from the Master System, as the cartridges aren't marketed anymore.
The latest version is called Master System Evolution, and includes 132 built-in games.
In 2002, Tec Toy
, motivated by the success of the Sega Master System in the Brazilian market, decided to continue producing more games. By the end of the 1990s, there were well over 70 Brazilian variants of the original Master System games. The system was re-released again by changing the color of the console to a white hue. A number of games were exclusively released in the Brazilian market for the Master System.
Later, Game Gear games were ported to the Master System and several original Brazilian titles were made for the system. Tec Toy also produced a licensed version of the fighting game Street Fighter II
for the Master System. The console production was familiar to the Brazilians, which explains the success in that market.
One of the more notable Master System consoles in Brazil was wireless
Master System Compact developed by Tec Toy
. The console transmits the A/V signal through RF
, dispensing cable connections. It was produced from 1994 to 1997 and is still a target for console collectors. A similar version, called Master System Girl, was also released in an attempt to attract female consumers. The only difference in this version is a strong pink casing and pastel buttons.
In 2009, Master System Evolution (a new version) was released in Brazil.
Video:
Audio:
Onboard RAM:
Dimensions::
The cards and cartridges both serve the purpose of holding software. However, the cartridges had a much higher capacity, while the cards were much smaller. Sega used the cards for budget games, priced lower than the typical game.
Almost all cards are games, but the 3-D glasses card served an entirely different purpose. The 3-D glasses plug into the console via the card slot, and allow 3-D visual effects for specially designed cartridge games. In this fashion, both media inputs worked in tandem.
The card slot was removed in the redesigned Master System II, providing support for only cartridges. This helped to reduce the cost of manufacturing the console since the cards were unpopular and few card-based games were made. Most of the card games were later re-released as cartridges.
A floppy disk drive add-on for the original Master System was developed but was never released.
.
The controller uses the prevailing de facto standard Atari
-style 9-pin connector and can be connected without modification to all other machines compatible with that standard, including the Atari 2600
, Commodore Amiga
, Atari ST
, Commodore 64
, Amstrad CPC
and ZX Spectrum
with Kempston interface
or similar.
When Street Fighter II
was released (in Brazil only), a new six-button controller similar to the Sega Mega Drive
controller was also released. The current Brazilian Master System consoles come with two six-button controllers.
The later Mega Drive controllers generally work fine on the Master System, with buttons B and C corresponding to 1 and 2 respectively and the other buttons not doing anything. A few Master System games, such as Alien Syndrome
will not function properly with these controllers, and must be played with original Master System controllers, even on a Mega Drive equipped with a Power Base Converter.
The Light Phaser was a light gun
created for the Sega Master System, modeled after the Zillion
gun from the Japan
ese anime
series of the same name. The phaser was heavier than its Nintendo
counterpart, the Nintendo Zapper
, but considered by some to have a more responsive trigger and more accurate targeting. As with the Japanese-market Nintendo Zapper, the Light Phaser looked realistic enough to warrant parental pressure to alter the device so that police would not confuse it with a real gun. Altered Light Phasers are distinguished by a hand-painted neon orange tip and are much rarer than their solid color counterparts. Tec Toy
also released a blue Light Phaser in Brazil
.
For the Master System there were a lot of games in development that specifically can be played with the Light Phaser, among others the following:
There are two versions of Assault City; the other version can also be played with a gamepad
.
rapidly alternate between the left and right lenses being opaque, used in tandem with two different alternating images flashed from the TV synchronized with the switching of the 3-D Glasses to create a natural stereoscopic 3D effect. The Master System glasses can only be used in the original Master System, since it hooks up directly to the card port not found in the Master System II. This system allows 3-D graphics in full color. The technology takes advantage of the interlaced video output of contemporary CRT televisions, displaying the left image in the top field and the right image in the bottom field. Only eight Master System games are 3-D compatible.
With the use of the Power Base Converter, all peripherals are fully compatible with the Sega Mega Drive
.
ler is a joypad
with a built infrared system and a receiver for the signals. Manufactured by WKK Industries, it is not an official product from Sega
and was distributed only in small quantities.
The system was backwards compatible
with earlier SG-1000 titles. As well as the standard cartridge slot, it had a built-in slot, formerly known as expansion slot for Sega My Card
s, which were physically identical to the cards for the Sega SG-1000 "Card Catcher" add-on. While in Japan there were many titles in this format published for both the SG-1000 and Mark III, only a few were published in the West.
Sega Master System game cartridges released outside Japan had a different shape and pin configuration to the Japanese Master System/Mark III cartridges. This may be seen as a form of regional lockout
.
The latest version is the "Master System 3" (a completely different unit to the original "Master System III" which was a grey Master System II) released by Tec Toy. It has a brand new modern black design, with details in blue. Even with the visual changes, it was not renamed, save switching the roman number
in the name to a decimal number
. Although outwardly similar to the Master System II, the Master System 3 featured internal changes that allowed it to handle cartridges up to 8 megabits (1024 kilobytes) in size.
The Master System 3 came with 131 games built in, including games like Sonic the Hedgehog
, Alex Kidd
and Golden Axe
.
and PlayPal.
format. The cards held only 256K of data (cartridges held over 4 times that amount), but the advantage to both Sega and the consumer was the fact that the cards were cheaper to manufacture, and sold for less than the carts did. The console featured a range of built in games that played whenever a cart or card was not inserted; the different models of the console each featured different built-in titles. The Mark III was also backwards compatible with SG-1000 software.
Due to its architectural similarity to the Game Gear, software companies were easily able to make versions of their games for both the Master System and Game Gear. In fact, many Game Gear titles that were released in North America and Japan, were released alongside Master System versions of those games in Europe. As in North America, Sega launched the redesigned Sega Master System II in 1990. This system included Alex Kidd in Miracle World
, and later Sonic the Hedgehog
, as a built-in game.
with earlier SG-1000 titles. As well as the standard cartridge slot, it had a built-in slot, formerly known as expansion slot for Sega My Card
s, which were physically identical to the cards for the Sega SG-1000 "Card Catcher" add-on.
The Mega Drive is backward compatible with the Master System, despite having a differently shaped cartridge slot. Sega developed a pass-through device for the Mega Drive, allowing Master System cartridges to be played on the newer system. It was called the Power Base Converter in the US, the Mega Adapter in Japan and the Master System Converter in Europe. The somewhat large device plugs into the Mega Drive's cartridge slot, covering the entire circular top of the system. Master System cartridges and cards can then be inserted into the device and played on the Mega Drive using Mega Drive controllers. Due to its size and shape, the converter will not fit properly with the Mega Drive II, necessitating the use of the Europe-only Master System Converter II, or a third-party converter cartridge.
is built in the console, which was a number of labyrinth puzzles with a time limit. This game can be accessed from the system BIOS
by starting the system without a game cartridge inserted and holding Up and buttons 1 and 2 simultaneously.
Astro Warrior
is integrated into one version of the console (the Sega Base System, which was slightly less expensive and lacked the Light Phaser). Hang-On
and Safari Hunt
are also integrated into another version of the console. Additionally, the original North American release of the console (which included the built-in Snail Maze
) came bundled with a cartridge containing both Hang On and Safari Hunt. Some versions only had Hang-On built in. Alex Kidd in Miracle World
is integrated into Master System II consoles in North America, Australia and Europe. Sonic the Hedgehog
is integrated into newer PAL
Master System II consoles. It was later ported to the Sega Game Gear
.
A marketing agreement between Sega and the producers of the anime Zillion
resulted in a game
based on the anime series in which the protagonists use a pistol which is nearly identical to the Light Phaser, including the cable.
A number of Master System games are available for download on Nintendo
's Wii
Virtual Console
in North America, PAL territories and Japan. The first game released for this service was Hokuto no Ken, on February 26, 2008, and later, Fantasy Zone
, released on March 11. Both were released in Japan, at a standard cost of 500 Wii Points
(though Hokuto no Ken costs 600 points, due to the game's source license). In North America, Wonder Boy
was the first SMS game released for the service on March 31, 2008. Fantasy Zone was also announced, but its release date was on April 14, 2008. In Europe, both Fantasy Zone and Wonder Boy were released on the same day. The option to switch to FM
audio, for the handful of games that used it, is available for all regions.
.
History of video game consoles (third generation)
In the history of computer and video games, the third generation began on July 15, 1983, with the Japanese release of both the Nintendo Family Computer and Sega SG-1000...
that was manufactured and released by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
in 1985 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(as the Sega Mark III), 1986 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and 1987 in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The original SMS could play both cartridges and the credit card-sized "Sega Card
Sega Card
The Sega Card, also known as "MyCard", is a storage medium in the form of card games for the Sega Master System. The cards were plugged into the expansion slot of the console and are also compatible with the Sega SG-1000/SC-3000 game consoles...
s," which retailed for cheaper prices than cartridges but had less code. The SMS also featured accessories such as a light gun and 3D glasses which were designed to work with a range of specially coded games.
The Master System was released as a direct competitor to the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
in the third videogame generation
History of video game consoles (third generation)
In the history of computer and video games, the third generation began on July 15, 1983, with the Japanese release of both the Nintendo Family Computer and Sega SG-1000...
The SMS was technically superior to the NES, which predated its release significantly, but failed to overturn Nintendo's significant market share advantage in Japan and North America.
In the European, Oceanic, and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian markets, this console allowed Sega to outsell Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, due to its wider availability. It enjoyed over a decade of life in those territories.
The console was redesigned several times both for marketing purposes and to add features, most notably in Brazil. The later Sega Game Gear
Sega Game Gear
The was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
is effectively a hand-held Master System, with a few enhancements.
In 2009, the Master System was named the 20th best video game console of all time (out of 25) by the video gaming website IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, behind both its competitors, the Atari 7800
Atari 7800
The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a video game console re-released by Atari Corporation in January 1986. The original release had occurred two years earlier under Atari Inc. The 7800 had originally been designed to replace Atari Inc.'s Atari 5200 in 1984, but was temporarily...
(ranked 17th best) and the Nintendo Entertainment System (1st). They cited the Master System's small games library, coupled with the highly uneven quality of the few games that were released: "Months could go by between major releases and that made a dud on the Master System feel even more painful."
History
Hideki Sato designed the (SG-1000), a cartridge-based system first released to the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese market on Friday, July 15, 1983 for ¥
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
15,000 (US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
241.50).
The SG-1000, along with its direct successor the SG-1000 II, marked Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business, though neither system was popular.
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on Sunday, October 20, 1985 for ¥
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
15,000 to compete with the Family Computer
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, following on from the SG-1000 and SG-1000 II.
Following its redesign as the Master System, the redesigned console was itself released in Japan in 1987, with the addition of a built-in Yamaha YM2413
Yamaha YM2413
The YM2413, aka OPLL, is a cost-reduced FM synthesis sound chip manufactured by Yamaha Corporation and based on their YM3812 . To make the chip cheaper to manufacture, many of the internal registers were removed...
FM sound chip, Rapid Fire Unit, and 3-D glasses adapter; all of which were separate accessories for the Mark III.
Neither the Mark III nor the Japanese Master System were commercially successful, due to strong competition from the Family Computer
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, which held the 95% of the market share there.
The last licensed release in Japan was Bomber Raid
Bomber Raid
Bomber Raid is a single-player, vertical scrolling shooter video game released for the Sega Master System in 1988 in Europe, and 1989 in the United States and Japan. It was the last game for the Master System in Japan.-Gameplay:...
, released by Sega on February 4, 1989.
North America
The Mark III was redesigned by Sato for release in other markets. This was mainly a cosmetic revamp and the internal components of the console remained virtually the same.The system was sold in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
under the name Sega Master System in June 1986, less than a year after the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
(NES) was released. The console sold for $200. The Master System was subsequently released in other locales and markets, including a second release in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1987
1987 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
under the new Master System name.
By 1988, Nintendo commanded 83% of the North American video game market share and the rights to the Master System in North America were sold to Tonka
Tonka
Tonka is an American toy company most known for its signature toy trucks and construction equipment.-History:On September 18, 1946 Mound Metalcraft was created in Mound, Minnesota with three men as partners, Lynn Everett Baker , Avery F. Crounse, and Alvin F. Tesch. The first products produced by...
, but its popularity continued to decline due to Nintendo's policies in spite of the company's success in gaining a position on the market for the system. One of Nintendo's policies was that its third-party licensees could not release any video game on competing consoles. The lack of third-party support left the Master System deprived of many arcade and NES hit titles. Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
and Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...
were the only two third-party companies publishing for the Master System in North America, but both companies stopped supporting the Master System in 1989 and neither company had released more than five video game titles for the platform.
In 1990, Sega was having success in North America with its Sega Genesis and as a result took back the rights from Tonka for the Master System. It designed the Sega Master System II, a low-cost Master System that lacked several of the original's features. In an effort to counter Nintendo's Super Mario Bros, the new system included Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
is a platform game for the 8-bit Sega Master System video game console. It was first released in Japan on Saturday, November 1, 1986, and then was distributed to Europe, Australia and the United States in 1987...
playable without any cartridges; hence replacing the built-in Snail Maze
Snail Maze
Snail Maze is a 1986 video game by Sega, part of the Sega Master System. Instead of being released on a cartridge, it was built into the system's BIOS and could be played by starting the system without a game cartridge inserted and holding Up and buttons 1 and 2 simultaneously. The later "Master...
and Hang-On
Hang-On
Hang-On is an arcade game released by Sega in 1985. It is the world's first full-body-experience video game. In the game, the player controls a motorcycle against time and other computer-controlled bikes. It was one of the first arcade games to use 16-bit graphics and Sega's "Super Scaler"...
/Safari Hunt
Safari Hunt
Safari Hunt is a video game developed and manufactured by Sega for the Master System in 1986. It is a Light-gun game and requires the Sega Light Phaser to play. It was released as a built in game in Version 2.4 of the Master System BIOS.-Gameplay:...
of the original system. Sega marketed the Master System II heavily; nevertheless, the unit sold poorly in North America. In 1991, Nintendo was forced by the U.S government to abandon the restriction it held on its third party licensees, but the Master System had already been eclipsed long ago with no signs of ever recovering. By early 1992, the Master System's sales were virtually nonexistent in North America and production ceased.
The last licensed release in the United States was Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)
The game's soundtrack was composed by chiptune musician Yuzo Koshiro. He adapted several pieces of music from the original 16-bit version, while the rest of the soundtrack consisted of his own original music. One of his original pieces, the "Bridge Zone" theme, was later sampled in Janet Jackson's...
, released by Sega in fall 1991. Some European games were released in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
for some time after.
Europe
In contradiction, the Master System was very successful in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for a gaming console. Sega marketed this console in many European countries, including several in which Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
did not sell its consoles. It enjoyed strong third party support in the continent, including from American video game publishers, that had not released titles for the platform in North America. In Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
it had some success, where it was distributed by Ariolasoft
Ariolasoft
Ariolasoft GmbH, later known as United Software, was a German computer game developer, publisher and distributor. It started as the software subsidiary of Ariola Records...
beginning in winter 1987, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
the console was distributed in 1987 by Mastertronic France
Mastertronic
Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was the dominant software publisher in the UK, a position achieved by selling cassette-based software at the £1.99...
, from September 1988 until September 1991 by Virgin Loisirs
Virgin Group
Virgin Group Limited is a British branded venture capital conglomerate organisation founded by business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding...
, and then from September 1991 onwards by Sega France
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
. The Master System sold more than a million units in this region.
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, it was distributed by Mastertronic
Mastertronic
Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was the dominant software publisher in the UK, a position achieved by selling cassette-based software at the £1.99...
(which later merged with the Virgin Group
Virgin Group
Virgin Group Limited is a British branded venture capital conglomerate organisation founded by business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding...
), and in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
it was distributed by Giochi Preziosi. In its first years it overshadowed the Nintendo Entertainment System, but it wasn't as successful as the Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
and Amiga 500
Amiga 500
The Amiga 500 - also known as the A500 - was the first “low-end” Commodore Amiga 16/32-bit multimedia home/personal computer. It was announced at the winter Consumer Electronics Show in January 1987 - at the same time as the high-end Amiga 2000 - and competed directly against the Atari 520ST...
Personal Computers, which were mostly used as gaming machines. The NES only gained a good market share in these territories later in its lifespan, after the release of the Sega Mega Drive. The console was produced far longer in Europe than in Japan and North America. It is generally considered a success in Europe, where it competed and managed to rival the NES. Because of the success in Europe, Sega decided to open its Sega Europe division.
The last licensed release in Europe was The Smurfs: Travel the World, released by Infogrames
Infogrames
Infogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
in 1996. Its successor, the Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
, which was also successful in Europe, was supported up until this time as well. However, both were discontinued so that Sega could concentrate on the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
.
Brazil
BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
was the most successful market for the Master System. Tec Toy
Tec Toy
Tectoy is a Brazilian videogame and electronics company. They are best known for publishing and distributing Sega's consoles and video games in that country. The company stock is also traded at Bovespa...
, Sega's distributor in Brazil, was responsible for marketing and sales. Both the Master System I and II have slight differences in the external appearance of the console, but are still extremely similar to the Master System outside of Brazil.
At least five versions of the console were released between 1989 and 1995 and several games had been translated into Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
. Various Brazilian characters featured his games, but in various times only substituting characters of other games (for example, the game Mônica no Castelo do Dragão featured Mônica, the main character from a popular children's comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
in Brazil, created by Maurício de Souza, using modifications in Wonder Boy in Monster Land
Wonder Boy in Monster Land
Wonder Boy in Monster Land is an action role-playing platform video game developed by Westone. It was released by Sega for the arcades in 1987 and for the Sega Master System in 1988; Activision released the game for the Amiga, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and Atari ST...
. Geraldinho, creation of the Brazilian cartoonist Glauco, had a game modified from Teddy Boy
Teddy Boy
The British Teddy Boy subculture is typified by young men wearing clothes that were partly inspired by the styles worn by dandies in the Edwardian period, styles which Savile Row tailors had attempted to re-introduce in Britain after World War II...
). Brazil also produced many original games, like Sítio do Pica Pau Amarelo (based on the works of Monteiro Lobato
Monteiro Lobato
José Bento Renato Monteiro Lobato was one of Brazil's most influential writers, mostly for his children's books set in the fictional Sítio do Picapau Amarelo but he had been previously a prolific writer of fiction, a translator and an art critic...
), Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum
Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum
Castelo Ra-Tim-Bum is a Brazilian children's program produced and broadcast by TV Cultura, and the Network Service of Television. Targeted toward children and youth, and following a teaching approach, the program premiered on May 9 in 1994 to stop being produced in 1997...
(from the TV Cultura
TV Cultura
TV Cultura is Brazilian television network headquartered in São Paulo and a part of Fundação Padre Anchieta. It focuses on cultural subjects but also has sports as entertainment options.- History :...
series) and TV Colosso
TV Colosso
TV Colosso was a Brazilian children's television series produced by Rede Globo, that began on April 19, 1993, and finished on January 3, 1997. The show utilized puppets, body puppets, remote-controlled animatronics and bluescreen puppets...
(from the Rede Globo
Rede Globo
Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
series).
As of 2010, both Master System and Sega Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
are still being produced in Brazil, now with several games running direct from the memory, and, as of 2006, the cartridge slots have been removed from the Master System, as the cartridges aren't marketed anymore.
The latest version is called Master System Evolution, and includes 132 built-in games.
In 2002, Tec Toy
Tec Toy
Tectoy is a Brazilian videogame and electronics company. They are best known for publishing and distributing Sega's consoles and video games in that country. The company stock is also traded at Bovespa...
, motivated by the success of the Sega Master System in the Brazilian market, decided to continue producing more games. By the end of the 1990s, there were well over 70 Brazilian variants of the original Master System games. The system was re-released again by changing the color of the console to a white hue. A number of games were exclusively released in the Brazilian market for the Master System.
Later, Game Gear games were ported to the Master System and several original Brazilian titles were made for the system. Tec Toy also produced a licensed version of the fighting game Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
for the Master System. The console production was familiar to the Brazilians, which explains the success in that market.
One of the more notable Master System consoles in Brazil was wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
Master System Compact developed by Tec Toy
Tec Toy
Tectoy is a Brazilian videogame and electronics company. They are best known for publishing and distributing Sega's consoles and video games in that country. The company stock is also traded at Bovespa...
. The console transmits the A/V signal through RF
Radio frequency
Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...
, dispensing cable connections. It was produced from 1994 to 1997 and is still a target for console collectors. A similar version, called Master System Girl, was also released in an attempt to attract female consumers. The only difference in this version is a strong pink casing and pastel buttons.
In 2009, Master System Evolution (a new version) was released in Brazil.
Technical specifications
CPU:- The Master System's CPU is a 8/16-bit Zilog Z80Zilog Z80The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog and sold from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes...
. The maximum addressable memory is 64 Kb.
Video:
- Graphics: VDP (Video Display Processor) derived from Texas InstrumentsTexas InstrumentsTexas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
TMS9918ATexas Instruments TMS9918thumb|VDP TMS9918Athumb|VDP TMS9918Athumb|VDP TMS9928AThe TMS9918 is a Video Display Controller manufactured by Texas Instruments.-General information:...
- Up to 32 simultaneous colors available (one 16-color palette for sprites or background, an additional 16-color palette for background only) from a palette of 64 (can also show 64 simultaneous colors using programming tricks)
- Screen resolutions 256×192 and 256×224. PAL/SECAM also supports 256×240
- 8×8 pixel characters, max 463 (due to VRAM space limitation)
- 8×8 or 8×16 pixel sprites, max 64
- Horizontal, vertical, and partial screen scrolling
Audio:
- Sound (PSGProgrammable sound generatorA Programmable Sound Generator is a sound chip that generates sound waves by synthesizing multiple basic waveforms, and often some kind of noise generator, and combining and mixing these waveforms into a complex waveform, then shaping the amplitude of the resulting waveform using...
): Texas Instruments SN76489Texas Instruments SN76489The SN76489 Digital Complex Sound Generator is a TTL-compatible Programmable Sound Generator chip from Texas Instruments. It contains three square wave tone generators and one white noise generator, each of which can produce sounds at various frequencies and sixteen different volume levels...
(note that the Sega Master System, Game Gear, and Mega Drive used a slightly altered clone of the newer SN76489A, while the older SG-series used the original SN76489)- 4 channel mono sound (3 Square WaveSquare waveA square wave is a kind of non-sinusoidal waveform, most typically encountered in electronics and signal processing. An ideal square wave alternates regularly and instantaneously between two levels...
s, 1 White noiseWhite noiseWhite noise is a random signal with a flat power spectral density. In other words, the signal contains equal power within a fixed bandwidth at any center frequency...
) - 3 tone generators, 10 octaves each, 1 white noiseWhite noiseWhite noise is a random signal with a flat power spectral density. In other words, the signal contains equal power within a fixed bandwidth at any center frequency...
generator
- 4 channel mono sound (3 Square Wave
- Sound (FM): Yamaha YM2413Yamaha YM2413The YM2413, aka OPLL, is a cost-reduced FM synthesis sound chip manufactured by Yamaha Corporation and based on their YM3812 . To make the chip cheaper to manufacture, many of the internal registers were removed...
- Mono FM synthesis
- Switchable between 9 tone channels or 6 tone channels + 5 percussion channels
- Included as a built-in "accessory" with the Japanese Master System (1987)
- Supported by certain games only
Onboard RAM:
- Boot ROM: 64 kbit (8 KBKilobyteThe kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
) to 2048 kbit (256 KB), depending on built-in game - Main RAM: 64 kbit (8 KB), can be supplemented by game cartridges
- Video RAM: 128 kbit (16 KB)
- Game Card slot (not available in the Master System II)
- Game Cartridge slot (not included on newer Brazilian models, as these have built-in games)
- Japanese and South Korean consoles used 44-pin cartridges, the same shape as SG-1000 cartridges
- All other consoles use 50-pin cartridges with a wider shape
- The difference in cartridge style is a form of regional lockoutRegional lockoutRegional lockout is the programming practice, code, chip, or physical barrier used to prevent the playing of media designed for a device from the country where it is marketed on the version of the same device marketed in another country.-Video games:...
- Expansion slot
- Unused, pinout compatible with 50-pin cartridges (but opposite gender) in all regions
Dimensions::
- Width: 365 mm
- Depth: 170 mm
- Height: 69 mm
Media input
One of the most unusual features of the Sega Master System is its dual media inputs: one cartridge slot and one card slot. The card slot accepted small cards about the size of a credit card, much like the later PC Engine/TurboGrafx.The cards and cartridges both serve the purpose of holding software. However, the cartridges had a much higher capacity, while the cards were much smaller. Sega used the cards for budget games, priced lower than the typical game.
Almost all cards are games, but the 3-D glasses card served an entirely different purpose. The 3-D glasses plug into the console via the card slot, and allow 3-D visual effects for specially designed cartridge games. In this fashion, both media inputs worked in tandem.
The card slot was removed in the redesigned Master System II, providing support for only cartridges. This helped to reduce the cost of manufacturing the console since the cards were unpopular and few card-based games were made. Most of the card games were later re-released as cartridges.
A floppy disk drive add-on for the original Master System was developed but was never released.
Game controllers
- Controller 3: 2 buttons, hole for a screw-in thumbstick
- Controller 4: 6 buttons, very similar to the Mega Drive's 6 button pad; released in Brazil only.
- Control Stick: 2 buttons and a stick similar to a gear stick, but on the right side and the buttons are on the left side.
- Light Phaser: Light gunLight gunA light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games.Modern screen-based light guns work by building a sensor into the gun itself, and the on-screen target emit light rather than the gun...
, not compatible with Mega Drive light gun games. - Sega Remote Control System: remote controlRemote controlA remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
ler - Sega Sports Pad: trackballTrackballA trackball is a pointing device consisting of a ball held by a socket containing sensors to detect a rotation of the ball about two axes—like an upside-down mouse with an exposed protruding ball. The user rolls the ball with the thumb, fingers, or the palm of the hand to move a cursor...
controller - Sega Handle Controller: (Steering Wheel controllerRacing wheelA racing wheel is the preferred method of control for use in racing video games, racing simulators, and driving simulators. They are usually packaged with a large paddle styled as a steering wheel, along with a set of pedals for gas, brake, and sometimes clutch actuation, as well as various shifter...
for driving-/airplane games) - SG Commander: a standard controller with built in rapid fire.
Standard controllers
The Master System controller has only 2 buttons, one of which additionally performs the function of the traditional "Start" button; the pause button is on the game console itself. The original controllers, like Sega's previous systems, has the cord emerging from the side; in 1987 the design was changed to the now-typical top emerging cord. Some controllers also include a screw-in thumb stick for the D-padD-pad
A D-pad is a flat, usually thumb-operated directional control with one button on each point, found on nearly all modern video game console gamepads, game controllers, on the remote control units of some television and DVD players, and smart phones...
.
The controller uses the prevailing de facto standard Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
-style 9-pin connector and can be connected without modification to all other machines compatible with that standard, including the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
, Commodore Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
with Kempston interface
Kempston Interface
The Kempston Interface, produced by Kempston Micro Electronics, was the generic name for any interface on Sinclair's ZX Spectrum series of computers that allowed joysticks complying with the de facto Atari 2600 standard to be used with the machine. It was one of the most widely supported standards...
or similar.
When Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
was released (in Brazil only), a new six-button controller similar to the Sega Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
controller was also released. The current Brazilian Master System consoles come with two six-button controllers.
The later Mega Drive controllers generally work fine on the Master System, with buttons B and C corresponding to 1 and 2 respectively and the other buttons not doing anything. A few Master System games, such as Alien Syndrome
Alien Syndrome
Alien Syndrome is a run and gun arcade game developed by Sega in 1987.-Gameplay:Two players control two soldiers named Ricky and Mary, who must fight their way through large eight-way scrolling levels rescuing their comrades who are being held by aliens...
will not function properly with these controllers, and must be played with original Master System controllers, even on a Mega Drive equipped with a Power Base Converter.
Light Phaser
Light gun
A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games.Modern screen-based light guns work by building a sensor into the gun itself, and the on-screen target emit light rather than the gun...
created for the Sega Master System, modeled after the Zillion
Zillion (anime)
Zillion, full title , is a Japanese anime television series that ran from April 12, 1987 to December 13, 1987 on Nippon Television in Japan and was produced by Tatsunoko Production and Sega...
gun from the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series of the same name. The phaser was heavier than its Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
counterpart, the Nintendo Zapper
NES Zapper
The NES Zapper, also known as the Beam Gun in Japan, is an electronic light gun accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Japanese Famicom. It was released in Japan for the Famicom on and alongside the launch of the NES in North America in October 1985...
, but considered by some to have a more responsive trigger and more accurate targeting. As with the Japanese-market Nintendo Zapper, the Light Phaser looked realistic enough to warrant parental pressure to alter the device so that police would not confuse it with a real gun. Altered Light Phasers are distinguished by a hand-painted neon orange tip and are much rarer than their solid color counterparts. Tec Toy
Tec Toy
Tectoy is a Brazilian videogame and electronics company. They are best known for publishing and distributing Sega's consoles and video games in that country. The company stock is also traded at Bovespa...
also released a blue Light Phaser in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
For the Master System there were a lot of games in development that specifically can be played with the Light Phaser, among others the following:
- Marksman ShootingMarksman Shooting & Trap ShootingMarksman Shooting & Trap Shooting is a light gun, shooter game released for Sega Master System 1986. The Light Phaser is supported. Players must beat the qualification score before moving on to the next round. Otherwise, it results in an instant game over. Red spots on the target must be hit before...
- Trap ShootingMarksman Shooting & Trap ShootingMarksman Shooting & Trap Shooting is a light gun, shooter game released for Sega Master System 1986. The Light Phaser is supported. Players must beat the qualification score before moving on to the next round. Otherwise, it results in an instant game over. Red spots on the target must be hit before...
- Safari HuntSafari HuntSafari Hunt is a video game developed and manufactured by Sega for the Master System in 1986. It is a Light-gun game and requires the Sega Light Phaser to play. It was released as a built in game in Version 2.4 of the Master System BIOS.-Gameplay:...
- Shooting Gallery
- Gangster Town
- Missile Defense 3-D
- Rescue Mission
- Rambo IIIRambo III (video game)Rambo III is a series of video games based on the film of the same name. Like in the film, their main plots center on former Vietnam-era Green Beret John Rambo being called back to duty one last time to rescue his former commander, Colonel Sam Trautman, who was captured during a covert operation...
- WantedWanted (video game)Wanted: Weapons of Fate is a video game developed by GRIN and published by Universal Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive based on the film of the same name...
- Operation: WolfOperation WolfOperation Wolf is a one-player shooter arcade game made by Taito in 1987. It spawned three sequels: Operation Thunderbolt , Operation Wolf 3 and Operation Tiger .-Description:...
- Assault CityAssault CityAssault City is a light gun, rail shooter released for Sega Master System in the year 1990. There were two versions of Assault City released for the Master System, the original version, was a joypad only game...
- Laser GhostLaser GhostLaser Ghost is a light gun shooter arcade game intended to build on the success of the movies Ghostbusters and Poltergeist III. There are three guns set up, representing the three members of a ghost hunting team...
- Space GunSpace Gun (video game)is a first-person, shoot 'em up arcade game released by Taito in 1990. It was later distributed for various home games consoles in 1992, and in 2005, it was included as part of the compilation Taito Legends on the PlayStation 2, PC and Xbox...
There are two versions of Assault City; the other version can also be played with a gamepad
Gamepad
A gamepad , is a type of game controller held in two hands, where the digits are used to provide input. Gamepads generally feature a set of action buttons handled with the right thumb and a direction controller handled with the left...
.
SegaScope 3-D Glasses
The LCD shutter glassesLCD shutter glasses
Liquid crystal shutter glasses are glasses used in conjunction with a display screen to create the illusion of a three dimensional image, an example of stereoscopy. Each eye's glass contains a liquid crystal layer which has the property of becoming dark when voltage is applied, being otherwise...
rapidly alternate between the left and right lenses being opaque, used in tandem with two different alternating images flashed from the TV synchronized with the switching of the 3-D Glasses to create a natural stereoscopic 3D effect. The Master System glasses can only be used in the original Master System, since it hooks up directly to the card port not found in the Master System II. This system allows 3-D graphics in full color. The technology takes advantage of the interlaced video output of contemporary CRT televisions, displaying the left image in the top field and the right image in the bottom field. Only eight Master System games are 3-D compatible.
- Blade Eagle 3-DBlade Eagle 3-Dis a vertical rail shooter video game, developed and published by Sega and was first released on March 26, 1988 in Japan for the Mark III as Gold Cartridge, December 31, 1988 in North America and later in Europe.- Gameplay :...
- Line of FireLine of Fire (video game)Line of Fire is a shoot 'em up video game, played from a first person perspective, and developed by Sega. The cabinet features two light guns, and a design which allows the player to sit down while playing the game. It was first released in arcades in 1989 before being converted to home computers...
(hold buttons 1 and 2 while switching the system on for 3-D mode) - Maze Hunter 3-D
- Missile Defense 3-D (also requires the Light Phaser gun)
- Out Run 3-DOut Runis an arcade game released by Sega in 1986. It was designed by Yu Suzuki and Sega-AM2. The game was a critical and commercial success. It is notable for its innovative hardware , pioneering graphics and music, a choice in both soundtrack and route, and its strong theme of luxury and relaxation...
(can also be played in 2-D mode without glasses) - Poseidon Wars 3-D (can also be played in 2-D mode without glasses)
- Space Harrier 3-DSpace Harrier 3-DSpace Harrier 3-D is a video game developed by Sega in 1988 for the Sega Master System. It is a sequel to the original Space Harrier.-Plot:...
(can also be played in 2-D mode without glasses via a code) - Zaxxon 3-DZaxxonZaxxon is a 1982 arcade game developed and released by Sega. Some sources claim that Japanese electronics company Ikegami Tsushinki also worked on the development of Zaxxon...
(playable in 2-D via a code)
With the use of the Power Base Converter, all peripherals are fully compatible with the Sega Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
.
Remote Control System
The remoteRemote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
ler is a joypad
Gamepad
A gamepad , is a type of game controller held in two hands, where the digits are used to provide input. Gamepads generally feature a set of action buttons handled with the right thumb and a direction controller handled with the left...
with a built infrared system and a receiver for the signals. Manufactured by WKK Industries, it is not an official product from Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
and was distributed only in small quantities.
Variants
During its lifespan, the Master System was built in several variations.Mark III
The Mark III was built similarly to the SG-1000 II, with the addition of improved video hardware and an increased amount of RAM.The system was backwards compatible
Backward compatibility
In the context of telecommunications and computing, a device or technology is said to be backward or downward compatible if it can work with input generated by an older device...
with earlier SG-1000 titles. As well as the standard cartridge slot, it had a built-in slot, formerly known as expansion slot for Sega My Card
Sega Card
The Sega Card, also known as "MyCard", is a storage medium in the form of card games for the Sega Master System. The cards were plugged into the expansion slot of the console and are also compatible with the Sega SG-1000/SC-3000 game consoles...
s, which were physically identical to the cards for the Sega SG-1000 "Card Catcher" add-on. While in Japan there were many titles in this format published for both the SG-1000 and Mark III, only a few were published in the West.
Sega Master System game cartridges released outside Japan had a different shape and pin configuration to the Japanese Master System/Mark III cartridges. This may be seen as a form of regional lockout
Regional lockout
Regional lockout is the programming practice, code, chip, or physical barrier used to prevent the playing of media designed for a device from the country where it is marketed on the version of the same device marketed in another country.-Video games:...
.
Master System II
In 1990, Sega was having success in North America with its Mega Drive and as a result took back the rights from Tonka for the Master System. It designed the Sega Master System II, a low-cost Master System that lacked the reset button, expansion port (which was never used), and card slot of the original. Since the card slot was used as a connector to synchronize the 3D glasses with the original Master System, the SMS2 couldn't use the 3D glasses.Master System 3
Roman numerals
The numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
in the name to a decimal number
Decimal
The decimal numeral system has ten as its base. It is the numerical base most widely used by modern civilizations....
. Although outwardly similar to the Master System II, the Master System 3 featured internal changes that allowed it to handle cartridges up to 8 megabits (1024 kilobytes) in size.
The Master System 3 came with 131 games built in, including games like Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)
The game's soundtrack was composed by chiptune musician Yuzo Koshiro. He adapted several pieces of music from the original 16-bit version, while the rest of the soundtrack consisted of his own original music. One of his original pieces, the "Bridge Zone" theme, was later sampled in Janet Jackson's...
, Alex Kidd
Alex Kidd
is a video game character whose popularity peaked during the late 1980s and who was the protagonist of both a series of video games released by Sega and their fictional universe, as well as in numerous spin-off merchandise such as novelizations and comics...
and Golden Axe
Golden Axe
Golden Axe is a side-scrolling beat 'em up and hack & slash arcade video game released in 1989 by Sega for the System 16-B arcade hardware. It is the first game in the Golden Axe series....
.
Re-release
The Sega Master System was re-released in a smaller handheld form factor in late 2006. This small handheld device is powered by 3 AAA batteries, has a brighter active matrix screen, and contained 20 Game Gear and Sega Master System games. It was released under several brands including ColecoColeco
Coleco is an American company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as "Connecticut Leather Company". It became a highly successful toy company in the 1980s, known for its mass-produced version of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls and its video game consoles, the Coleco Telstar and...
and PlayPal.
Game Gear
The Master System technology lived on in Sega's Game Gear, which was based on the technology found in the Master System. The console had two game formats which were cartridges and a Sega Game CardSega Card
The Sega Card, also known as "MyCard", is a storage medium in the form of card games for the Sega Master System. The cards were plugged into the expansion slot of the console and are also compatible with the Sega SG-1000/SC-3000 game consoles...
format. The cards held only 256K of data (cartridges held over 4 times that amount), but the advantage to both Sega and the consumer was the fact that the cards were cheaper to manufacture, and sold for less than the carts did. The console featured a range of built in games that played whenever a cart or card was not inserted; the different models of the console each featured different built-in titles. The Mark III was also backwards compatible with SG-1000 software.
Due to its architectural similarity to the Game Gear, software companies were easily able to make versions of their games for both the Master System and Game Gear. In fact, many Game Gear titles that were released in North America and Japan, were released alongside Master System versions of those games in Europe. As in North America, Sega launched the redesigned Sega Master System II in 1990. This system included Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
is a platform game for the 8-bit Sega Master System video game console. It was first released in Japan on Saturday, November 1, 1986, and then was distributed to Europe, Australia and the United States in 1987...
, and later Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)
The game's soundtrack was composed by chiptune musician Yuzo Koshiro. He adapted several pieces of music from the original 16-bit version, while the rest of the soundtrack consisted of his own original music. One of his original pieces, the "Bridge Zone" theme, was later sampled in Janet Jackson's...
, as a built-in game.
Compatibility
The Mark III was backwards compatibleBackward compatibility
In the context of telecommunications and computing, a device or technology is said to be backward or downward compatible if it can work with input generated by an older device...
with earlier SG-1000 titles. As well as the standard cartridge slot, it had a built-in slot, formerly known as expansion slot for Sega My Card
Sega Card
The Sega Card, also known as "MyCard", is a storage medium in the form of card games for the Sega Master System. The cards were plugged into the expansion slot of the console and are also compatible with the Sega SG-1000/SC-3000 game consoles...
s, which were physically identical to the cards for the Sega SG-1000 "Card Catcher" add-on.
The Mega Drive is backward compatible with the Master System, despite having a differently shaped cartridge slot. Sega developed a pass-through device for the Mega Drive, allowing Master System cartridges to be played on the newer system. It was called the Power Base Converter in the US, the Mega Adapter in Japan and the Master System Converter in Europe. The somewhat large device plugs into the Mega Drive's cartridge slot, covering the entire circular top of the system. Master System cartridges and cards can then be inserted into the device and played on the Mega Drive using Mega Drive controllers. Due to its size and shape, the converter will not fit properly with the Mega Drive II, necessitating the use of the Europe-only Master System Converter II, or a third-party converter cartridge.
Games
On the original release of the Master System, a hidden game known as Snail MazeSnail Maze
Snail Maze is a 1986 video game by Sega, part of the Sega Master System. Instead of being released on a cartridge, it was built into the system's BIOS and could be played by starting the system without a game cartridge inserted and holding Up and buttons 1 and 2 simultaneously. The later "Master...
is built in the console, which was a number of labyrinth puzzles with a time limit. This game can be accessed from the system BIOS
BIOS
In IBM PC compatible computers, the basic input/output system , also known as the System BIOS or ROM BIOS , is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface....
by starting the system without a game cartridge inserted and holding Up and buttons 1 and 2 simultaneously.
Astro Warrior
Astro Warrior
is a shoot 'em up video game developed and manufactured by Sega for the Master System in 1986.-Game description:The game is a basic top down shooter that was common at the time, similar to Zanac for the NES. The game plays through three levels with a boss at the end of each. Astro Warrior's three...
is integrated into one version of the console (the Sega Base System, which was slightly less expensive and lacked the Light Phaser). Hang-On
Hang-On
Hang-On is an arcade game released by Sega in 1985. It is the world's first full-body-experience video game. In the game, the player controls a motorcycle against time and other computer-controlled bikes. It was one of the first arcade games to use 16-bit graphics and Sega's "Super Scaler"...
and Safari Hunt
Safari Hunt
Safari Hunt is a video game developed and manufactured by Sega for the Master System in 1986. It is a Light-gun game and requires the Sega Light Phaser to play. It was released as a built in game in Version 2.4 of the Master System BIOS.-Gameplay:...
are also integrated into another version of the console. Additionally, the original North American release of the console (which included the built-in Snail Maze
Snail Maze
Snail Maze is a 1986 video game by Sega, part of the Sega Master System. Instead of being released on a cartridge, it was built into the system's BIOS and could be played by starting the system without a game cartridge inserted and holding Up and buttons 1 and 2 simultaneously. The later "Master...
) came bundled with a cartridge containing both Hang On and Safari Hunt. Some versions only had Hang-On built in. Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
is a platform game for the 8-bit Sega Master System video game console. It was first released in Japan on Saturday, November 1, 1986, and then was distributed to Europe, Australia and the United States in 1987...
is integrated into Master System II consoles in North America, Australia and Europe. Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)
The game's soundtrack was composed by chiptune musician Yuzo Koshiro. He adapted several pieces of music from the original 16-bit version, while the rest of the soundtrack consisted of his own original music. One of his original pieces, the "Bridge Zone" theme, was later sampled in Janet Jackson's...
is integrated into newer PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
Master System II consoles. It was later ported to the Sega Game Gear
Sega Game Gear
The was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
.
A marketing agreement between Sega and the producers of the anime Zillion
Zillion (anime)
Zillion, full title , is a Japanese anime television series that ran from April 12, 1987 to December 13, 1987 on Nippon Television in Japan and was produced by Tatsunoko Production and Sega...
resulted in a game
Zillion (video game)
Zillion, known as in Japan, is a space adventure platform video game designed for the Sega Master System as a companion for the Zillion anime in 1987. The game is a free-scrolling platform/adventure in the vein of Metroid. It also has objects to be inspected and the necessity of enable things by...
based on the anime series in which the protagonists use a pistol which is nearly identical to the Light Phaser, including the cable.
A number of Master System games are available for download on Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
in North America, PAL territories and Japan. The first game released for this service was Hokuto no Ken, on February 26, 2008, and later, Fantasy Zone
Fantasy Zone
thumb|Fantasy Zone arcade PCB is a surreal arcade game released by Sega in 1986. It was later ported to a wide variety of consoles, including the Sega Master System. The player controls a sentient spaceship named Opa-Opa who fights nonsensical invader enemies in the titular group of planets, full...
, released on March 11. Both were released in Japan, at a standard cost of 500 Wii Points
Wii Points
Nintendo Points are a currency that Nintendo uses for its Wii and Nintendo DSi systems through the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop respectively...
(though Hokuto no Ken costs 600 points, due to the game's source license). In North America, Wonder Boy
Wonder Boy (video game)
is a 1986 video game published by Sega and developed by Escape...
was the first SMS game released for the service on March 31, 2008. Fantasy Zone was also announced, but its release date was on April 14, 2008. In Europe, both Fantasy Zone and Wonder Boy were released on the same day. The option to switch to FM
Frequency modulation synthesis
A 220 Hz carrier tone modulated by a 440 Hz modulating tone with various choices of modulation index, β. The time domain signals are illustrated above, and the corresponding spectra are shown below ....
audio, for the handful of games that used it, is available for all regions.
In Popular Culture
A console bearing a resemblance to the Master System is seen frequently on the cartoon Regular ShowRegular Show
Regular Show is an American animated television series created by J. G. Quintel...
.
External links
- Sega Master System at Sega Archives (official website by Sega of Japan) (in Japanese)
- Sega Master System at SegaFans
- Sega Master System Museum
- SMS Console Database
- SMS Power - Unreleased games discussion/exhibition.