The Sega Master System is a third-generation 8-bit home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles. The Master System launched in North America in 1986, followed by Europe in 1987, and Brazil in 1989. It is the only console to have sold more than one million units in the US and Europe.
About Master System in brief
The Sega Master System is a third-generation 8-bit home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles, which was released in Japan in 1985. The Master System launched in North America in 1986, followed by Europe in 1987, and Brazil in 1989. The original Master System models use both cartridges and a credit card-sized format known as Sega Cards. Accessories for the consoles include a light gun and 3D glasses that work with a range of specially designed games. The later Master System II redesign removed the card slot, turning it into a strictly cartridge-only system and is incompatible with the 3D Glasses. The console was released to compete with the Nintendo Entertainment System. Its library is smaller and with fewer well-reviewed games than the NES, due in part to Nintendo licensing policies requiring platform exclusivity. Neither model posed a serious challenge to Nintendo in Japan, and according to Hideki Sato, Sega was only able to attain 10% of the Japanese console market. In North America, the Master System was launched in 1986 at a price of USD 200, including a multicart of the Hang-On and Safari Hunt games. In Europe and Brazil, the console was launched at a cost of USD 400,000. In the U.S. it was launched in 1987 at $200, including $200 multicart games and a $200 multipart of Hang-on and SafariHunt games.
It has been estimated that between 10 and 13 million units have been sold in the United States, Europe, Brazil, and Japan. It is the only console to have sold more than one million units in the US and Europe. The name was chosen by Sega of America employees throwing darts against a whiteboard of suggested names. Sega chairman Isao Okawa approved the name after being told it was a reference to the competitive nature of both the video game industry and martial arts, in which only one competitor can be the \”Master\”. The console’s futuristic final design was intended to appeal to Western tastes. The North American packaging was white to differentiate it from the black NES packaging, and the grid design was inspired by Apple products. The Sega MarkIII was more powerful than the Famicom, but the Mark III was not successful on launch. The Mark III’s chip was designed in-house, based around the unit in Sega’s System 2 arcade system board. For the North American release, Sega rebranded the MarkIII as the Master system, similar to Nintendo’s reworking of the FamICom into the Nintendotainment System. It did not sell well with a typical typical Master System game with a high price of ¥16,800, but still sold well in October 1987 for ¥14,800. In Japan, Sega hoped to sell 750,000 consoles, and both companies planned to spend 15million in late 1986 to late 1987 to sell their consoles.
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This page is based on the article Master System published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 07, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
