# History of video games/Platforms/Master System
## History
### Launch

The Sega Master System was preceded by the SG-1000.
On October 20th, 1985, the Sega Master System launched in Japan.

### Legacy

Discontinued in Europe in 1996, the Master System sold over 20 million units. The Master System saw it's greatest success in Brazil, where it enjoyed a status similar to the NES in North America and remained popular and in production even in the year 2016. Elsewhere the Master System was a more modest success, where it sold 1 million units in Japan, 2 million units in North America, and 6.8 million units in Europe.
The Sega Master System was followed by the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Genesis.

## Technology
### Compute

The Sega Master System is powered by an 8-bit Zilog Z80 processor clocked at 3.58 megahertz, with an identical second source NEC D780C-1 CPU being used alternitively sometimes.
The Master System has eight kilobytes of RAM and 16 kilobytes of low latency VRAM.
The Master System uses a modified TMS9918 processor, called the Video Display Processor, with added features over the base design by adding mode 4. The VDP also includes a Texas Instruments SN76489 for sound.

## Accessories
### SegaScope 3D Glasses

The glasses were released at a cost of ~$50 in North America, Europe, and Japan in 1987.

### Game case

Games boxes for the Sega Master System games were made of durable plastic. Box art for these games was relatively uniform.

## Notable games
### 1986
#### Alex Kidd

Read more about Alex Kidd in Miracle World on Wikipedia.

### 1987
#### Phantasy Star

Phantasy Star is noted as an early example of a game with a female protagonist.
Read more about Phantasy Star on Wikipedia.

## Gallery
### Console Variants

* The redesigned Master System Mk II front.
* The redesigned Master System Mk II rear.
* The neon pink Master System Girl

### Marketing

* Sega Master System logotype.
* Sega Mark III logotype.

## References

* 1 2 "Sega Consoles: What You Need to Know About the Retro Game Giant". CBR. 5 May 2019. https://www.cbr.com/sega-consoles-retro-game-history/. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
* ↑ "Sega Master System (1986 - 1996)". Museum of Obsolete Media. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
* ↑ "Brazil's Obsession With the Sega Genesis Won't Slow Down" (in en-us). Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/brazils-obsession-with-the-sega-genesis-wont-slow-down-1788698522. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
* 1 2 3 4 "Sega Master System Architecture A Practical Analysis". Rodrigo's Stuff. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
* ↑ "Prototype Master System: M404 - Development - SMS Power!". www.smspower.org. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
* ↑ "TMS9918a - Development - SMS Power!". www.smspower.org. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
* ↑ Langston, J. B. (11 October 2020). "jblang/SN76489". Retrieved 7 November 2020.
* ↑ "SEGA MASTER SYSTEM TECHNICAL INFORMATION". Retrieved 7 November 2020.
* ↑ "That Time Nintendo and Sega Introduced 3D Gaming, In 1987". Kotaku. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
* ↑ "Collecting Sega Master System Games Is A Huge Pain In The Ass" (in en-us). Kotaku. https://kotaku.com/collecting-sega-master-system-games-is-a-huge-pain-in-t-1795243730. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
* ↑ "Happy 25th Birthday, Sega Master System!". Kotaku. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
* ↑ "The Laziest Box Art in Video Game History" (in en-us). Kotaku. https://kotaku.com/the-laziest-box-art-in-video-game-history-5886757. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
* ↑ "A Brief History of Women in Gaming: The 1980s - The Strong National Museum of Play". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 14 December 2020.