SEGA CD

The SEGA CD, called the Mega-CD in regions outside of North America, was an add-on for the SEGA Genesis released by SEGA in the early 1990s shortly after the release of the console itself. As the name suggested, it was compatible with CD-ROMs instead of ROM cartridges, which were making headway as a storage medium for music and video games at the time. With Nintendo announcing a partnership with Sony for a CD-ROM add-on for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (which would fall through and lead Sony to creating their own console), among other things, SEGA was pressured to make a console compatible with them.
The CD would be first unveiled at the Tokyo Toy Show, and retailed as the Mega-CD in Japan in 1991. Though reception was positive and it sold quickly, the small install base meant that sales declined. While it sold 200,000 units in Japan during the release month, it only sold another 200,000 after three years. The SEGA CD fared better in other regions due to aggressive marketing, much like the base Genesis, and was praised for its library, but criticized for its high price. Third party development for the system also suffered due to SEGA taking a long time to make developer kits. It sold 2.24 million units before being discontinued to focus on the SEGA Saturn. Former SEGA of America senior producer Scott Bayless commented that the unsuccessful market was due to a lack of direction for the add-on, with it being “a fundamental paradigm shift with almost no thought given to the consequences.” SEGA’s poor support of the SEGA CD was considered to be the beginning of the devaluation of its brand.
==Gallery==
Genesis CDX.png|The Genesis CDX, a semi-portable system that had both the Genesis and CD.
SEGA CD & 32X.png|A Sega Genesis with a SEGA CD and 32X.
Category:SEGA
Category:Sega Consoles
Category:Add-Ons