Master System

The Sega Master System , also called SMS , is a video Game console 8 bits produced by Sega.

History

The console which preceded Master System with the Japan is the SG-1000 Mark III.

The SG-1000 Mark III is produced after SG-1000 Mark 1 and SG-1000 Mark II. It leaves in 1985 to Japan. The mascot of this console is then Alex Kidd.

The console is redrawn before being sold with the the United States under the name Sega Master System in June 1986, that is to say one year after the exit of the BORN. Its selling price is then of 200 Dollar S.

The console leaves then a little everywhere in the world, including in Japan, in 1987 under its new name. But the Japanese version was not only one simple recarrossage of the SG-1000 Mark III since it incorporated for the sound a module FM which certain plays exploited.

Although Master System is on certain BORN points more advanced than, it does not reach the same level of popularity in the United States. This lack of success has multiple causes. One can quote the quantity of plays which played in the advantage of BORN, as well as the year which separates the exit from the two consoles. The agreement which existed between Nintendo and its editors had certainly an impact. Indeed, the contract of the editors stipulated that those were to produce only for the console of Nintendo. During the first four months following its exit, Master System was sold with 125.000 specimens against 2.000.000 for the BORN ones during the same time.

Nintendo has 90% of the North-American market then. Hayou Nakayama, which is then chairman of Sega, decides not to deploy too many efforts marketing to develop on this market dominated by Nintendo. In 1988, the rights concerning the console for North America are sold with Tonka, but its popularity continues to decline.

In 1990, Sega has success with the Megadrive and repurchases the rights of Master System to Tonka. Master System II is then drawn. This new version is more compact, does not have more button " reset" , nor of port accepting the cartouches with the format chart (plays of the size of a credit card, a little thicker). These two last modifications are made in a preoccupation with a reduction of the production costs.

In 1992, the sales of Master System in North America are almost non-existent and the production ceases. With the Japan, the situation is hardly more brilliant, the Famicom of Nintendo (Japanese Version of BORN) dominating the market.

In Europe, Master System was marketed in many countries, of which some where Nintendo did not sell consoles. The console was supported until in 1996 on this continent, dates from which Sega decides to concentrate on the Saturn.

In Australia, Master System was less better sold than the BORN ones but the defeat was less cuisante that in North America.

The Brésil was one of the most important markets for Master System. In this country, the console was distributed by the company tce Toy, the Brazilian distributer of Sega. Master System III was even produced in Brazil and of many plays were translated for the Brazilian ones. The characters of these plays were even modified to like the Brazilian public.

Later, certain titles of the Game GEAR were related to Master System and there were even certain titles developed exclusively for the Brazilian market. The production of the console took finally fine in 1997.

All in all, the success of Master System was correct except for the Japanese markets and North-American. Sega takes account of these various failures at the time of the exit of the Megadrive which will be a success in Europe, Latin America and in the United States.

Features

  • principal Processor: Zilog Z80 8 bit with 3,6 MHz
  • main Memory: 64 Kibit (8 Kio)
  • Read-only memory: 1024 Kibit (128 Kio)
  • Graphics processor: Texas Instruments TMS9918 derived VDP (Video Processor Display)
      • video
    • RAM: 128 Kibits (16 Kio)
    • Colors: Up to 16 simultaneous colors for a pallet of 64
    • Resolution of screen: 240x226 pixels, view of text: 32x38
    • Characters: 8x8 pixels, 488 at the most, sprites of 8x8 pixels, 16 at the most, scrolling horizontal, diagonal, vertical hardware
  • sound Processor: Texas Instruments SN76489 4 channels (mono)
    • 3 generators of sound of 4 octaves each one, 1 generator of white vibrations.
  • 1 port for charts (on Mark III and Master System 1 only)
  • 2 port levers DB-9
  • integrated Plays: Alex Kidd In Miracle World integrated in certain Master System I and II. A first version of the SMS I integrated the play of motor bike Hang it and Snail Maze , a play hidden accessible while supporting simultaneously on top and buttons 1 and 2 to starting from the console without play.

See too

  • List of plays Master System
  • List of plays to the launching of video game consoles

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