See also: Séga (musical genre)  

Sega (abbreviation of Service Ranges ) is a company américano-Japanese woman founded in 1954 by David Rosen which develops and publishes video games as well as terminals of arcades.

Sega was also a manufacturer of video game consoles, but following the financial problems due to the commercial failure of the Saturn and to the half-failure of the Dreamcast which could not profit from advertizing necessary vis-a-vis to the competition of the PlayStation 2 of Sony supports, Sega withdrew market of the consoles to devote itself exclusively to that of the plays and arcade.

History

The company Rosen Enterprise is founded with the Japan in 1954 by David Rosen, an American . It is intended for the creation of machines of entertainment, in particular bound for American military bases in Japan. In 1965, whereas Rosen decides to increase its company, it re-elects it Service Range . The Japanese employees contract the name in Sega (for SE rvices GA my) and this name is finally kept.

In 1966 is created and marketed Periscope , first video game of arcade (play in black and white where it is necessary to draw from the torpedes on other boats), which is a great success with the Japan. Sega amalgamates with the company Gulf&Western Industries .

Following the crash of the video games in 1983, Hayao Nakayama succeeds David Rosen with the head of Sega . David Rosen takes the head of the American subsidiary company then.

Sega creates and markets with the Japan its first console in 1983, SG 1000 Mark I . The company creates thereafter plays and consoles. After the commercial semi-failure of the Dreamcast in 2001, Sega announces that it will not be devoted any more but to the creation of video games. However, Sega is still very present in the creation of play and remains one of the principal manufacturers of terminals of arcade: the Lindbergh left at the beginning of 2006. At the beginning of 2007, it prepares a historical play while joining Nintendo. The two most famous characters, Mario and Sonic will be present. The play will be an adaptation of the Olympic Games of 2008 which will be held with Beijing.

Consoles

SG 1000 Mark I , SC 3000, SG 1000 2 Mark II (1983, 1984)

SG 1000, first console of Sega, leaves in 1983. Left in 1984, SC 3000 is the version microcomputer of the latter, and the plays of the two consoles are compatible (in condition however of having a keyboard for the SG 1000). The same year leaves SG 1000 2, the version improved of the SG 1000.

These consoles had a success restricted, mainly because of the presence on the market of the console BORN of Nintendo.

FG 1000 (1983)

Sega Mark III (1984), Master System (1986)

Left in 1986, the Master System is at the beginning the redrawn version of SG-1000 Mark III for the the United States, but this console 8-bit also leaves to Japan in 1987.

The Master System had also the characteristic to have in addition to the support cartouche for the plays, of a card reader of plays comparable with Hucard of the coregraphx of NEC or the current credit cards.

It has as a mascot Alex Kidd.

Megadrive (1989)

Sega leaves in 1989 its console to greater success: the Megadrive, so known under the name of Sega Genesis with the the United States. This console 16-bit was created in an original manner to compete with the TurboGrafx 16, but it is finally the new console launched by Nintendo in 1990 which appeared its larger competitor, that is to say: super Famicom, more known apart from Japan under the name of Super Nintendo Entertainment System or SNES. In 1992, Sega lived one historic moment by exceeding Nintendo for the first time with 55% of the market shares in North America and even succeeds in reaching 65% of these known as shares in 1993. Who more is, the success of Genesis was not limited only to the US market since it collected also much success to the Brésil, in Europe and Australia.

In 1993, Megadrive was redrawn and started again under the name of Megadrive II and " Sega Genesis 2". In spite of the efforts of Sega, Nintendo regained a good part of its shares as of the following year. Finally, in 1996, Sega stopped Sega Genesis to concentrate on other projects. Despite everything, Majesco left in 1998 a version of the aforesaid the console entitled " Sega Genesis 3".

Range GEAR (1990)

GameGear, left in 1990 in answer to the Game Boy Nintendo, is the first portable console of Sega. It was in fact the portable version of Master System, this is why a supplement called " Master Gear" left to allow to play plays Master System on GameGear. In spite of its capacities higher than those of Game Boy, it was a failure. One of the reasons was its weak autonomy (2 hours for 6 piles with GameGear against 6 p.m. with Game Boy for only 4 piles) compared to its less expensive competitor 30%, its stronger cost and its screen of bad quality (though it was very large).

Mega-CD (1992)

Mega-CD is a material supplement in Megadrive. It makes it possible the console of origin to play plays on CD. Thanks to this extension, the plays take a new dimension with musics of quality CD, animations and video sequences. In spite of its plays particularly innovating like interactive films, Mega-CD was a commercial failure because of its too high price and the disappointing graphic quality of the plays which had with the technical limitations of the console.

32X (1994)

The 32X is a material supplement in Megadrive which settles in the place of a cartridge. It makes it possible to pass the console of origin of 16-bit to 32-bit. In the beginning, the project was named Projet Jupiter and was to be a console with whole share planned for Christmas 1994. But in front of commercial uncertainty - had at the exit of Saturn one year after in Japan - the persons in charge of the project (Sega off America) re-elected the " project; Mars" project; and directed themselves towards a addon for Megadrive. On the level of the performances, the 32X lightens Megadrive by calculating all the 2D part with effects and the 3D, leaving with the console of origin the only calculation of the simple 2D, and improves sound quality of the plays. In spite of many qualities, the 32X was a commercial failure for SEGA, inter alia because of its late arrival on the market.

NOMAD (1995)

Second attempt at Sega on the market of the portable console, NOMAD left in 1995, exclusively to America (and never in Japan). It had same technical capabilities as the Megadrive. Like the Range GEAR, it was a failure, in particular because of its price (180 dollars) and of its weak autonomy, without counting the very strong domination of the market by the Game Boy of Nintendo.

Saturn (1994)

Two year old fruit of work, this console 32 bit S undergoes the competition of the PlayStation, having a relatively high price (450 euros at the time) but much easier to exploit for the programmers, and slightly more powerful for the 2D (Either saying the ultimate console for the 2D). She is however a certain success in Japan, or she rather seriously competes with the machine of Sony, thanks in particular to the many Sega adapted plays of the arcade, to success incipient from the series Sakura Taisen, and to the support of editors such as Atlus or Capcom.

Dreamcast (1998)

Dreamcast is the first comforts 128 bits marketed. It integrates a modem of 56K for the United States and 33,6K elsewhere. That makes it possible to the players to clash on Internet and to be able to sail on Web sites. Sega consequently became occasion a supplier of access to the price of a local call.

History

As of 1996, Sega states to work on a new project of console, known then under the name of Dural (impressed with the one of the characters of Virtua Fighter). Microsoft is selected to provide the Operating system and Nec for the graphics processor. Two new projects derived from Dural are born: Blackbelt and Katana . The first is a Japanese project. In July 1997, Sega cancels Blackbelt , and Katana becomes the single project.

In 1998, Dreamcast arrives. After a series of tests and prototypes, the graphics processor selected will be Power VR II of Nec. November 17th 1998, Dreamcast leaves to Japan, then on September 9th, 1999, at the United States and finally on October 14th 1999 to Europe. This powerful console has the appearance of “a bomb” vis-a-vis the PlayStation of Sony and to the Nintendo 64. But Sony multiplies televised publicities and Sega, which does not have financial means of its competitor, cannot follow. Finally, in March 2001, the production of Dreamcast is definitively stopped and Sega announces occasion consequently the abandonment of the design of consoles to devote itself only to the plays.

The console

The console is derived from a terminal of arcade Naomi. The format used for the plays is the Gd-Romanian manufactured by Yamaha. It is about an hybrid between CD and the DVD of a capacity of 1,2 Go, which cannot be read by a PC. Dreamcast reads the GD-ROM in 32X, from where relatively short times of loading. Various accessories are available: memory card, flying, maracas, carpet of dance, gun, kit vibration, stick arcade, etc

Dreamcast has two operating systems: Sega OS and Windows CE. The first, present in the console, is more difficult to use for the programmers but makes it possible to use the maximum capacities of the material. Second is as for him directly charged since the GD-ROM by the plays which need some. The fact that the console recognizes Windows CE makes it possible to rather quickly adapt plays for PC on Dreamcast. Thanks to Windows EC, the emulators could develop quickly: it is thus possible to play Megadrive where with the Master System or with the Super Born on Dreamcast of 128 bits.

Whereas more no play was to be published for this model, two titles left recently to Japan: Radilgy on February 16th, 2006 and Under Defeat on March 23rd, 2006. They were an impressive success for a console which has not been produced any more for 6 years. The console was even redistributed for the occasion in the form of “packs” containing a model of occasion given to nine and one of the two plays. In parallel, Dreamcast counts on a community of players and fans who make perdurer this machine and try to push certain editors (in particular Japanese) to still leave new handsets.

Arcade

In addition to the consoles of living room and portable, Sega was and is still one of the principal editors and manufacturing terminals and systems of arcade.

Systems

Terminals

Credits

Dedicated

  • R360

  • Sega Rally
  • Cycraft
…

Internal structure

Sega is composed of several development teams and research, originally called AM1, AM2, AM3, etc (abbreviation of Sega has musement M achines Research and Development). These teams have for the majority be famous:

  • AM1 become Wow Entertainement , known inter alia for The House off the Dead

  • AM2 is known mainly for the series of plays of arcade Virtua Fighter and Shenmue
  • AM3 become Hitmaker , known mainly for the Crazy Taxi and the Virtua Tennis
  • AM4 become Amusement Vision , known for Super Monkey Ball
  • AM5 become Sega Rosso , known for Initial D
  • AM6 become Smilebit , known for Jet-set Radio
  • AM7 become OverWorks , known for Ski off Arcadia , Sakura taisen
  • famous AM8 Sonic TEAM after having developed Sonic the Hedgehog , Phantasy Star
  • AM9 become United Game Artists , known for Rez and Space Chanel 5
  • DIGITAL Media become Wave Master
  • TEAM Andromeda famous for the series Panzer Dragoon . This team was dissolved in 1998 and her members divided in the other development teams.

There exists a certain direction of the competition between these teams which had like consequence the creation of plays remarkable and innovating. Later, Sega amalgamated some of these teams. Sammy expressed its interest to amalgamate the teams above again in Sega, and did it the 1er  July 2004.

Plays

External bonds

  • French Official site
  • ZoneSega: French site specialized on world SEGA
  • SegaKore
  • objectif-sega.com: specialized site on all universe SEGA
  • System16: references of the terminals arcade SEGA

Simple: Sega

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