SEGA Master System

The SEGA Master System, or simply Master System, is a third-generation home console released by SEGA in 1986. Succeeding the SG-1000, SEGA's first console and a Japan exclusive, the Master System was meant as a direct competitor to the Nintendo Entertainment System. The Master System was constructed with hardware superior to that of the NES, but failed to overturn Nintendo's significant market share advantage in Japan and North America. It also had a smaller selection of positive-reviewed games, mostly due to Nintendo's strict licensing policies requiring platform exclusivity. However, it attained significantly more success in Europe and Brazil. The Master System is the longest-lasting home game console ever, lasting 30 years outside of North America.
The console was designed by the same team that had designed the SG-1000. In fact, it was originally released in 1985 in Japan as a remodeled export version of the console, called the SEGA Mark III. The CPUs in the SG-1000 and SG-1000 II were Zilog Z80s running at 3.58 MHz, while the Master System ran on a Z80 running at 4 MHz. According to Edge, lessons from the SG-1000's lack of commercial success were used in the hardware redesign of the Master System, and the console was designed to be more powerful than the NES.
==Hardware Revisions==
===SEGA Mark III===
As mentioned above, the Master System was initially released in Japan as an enhanced version of the SG-1000, known as the SEGA Mark III. It featured controllers similar to that of the NES, as well as a chip designed in-house based on SEGA’s System 2 arcade system board. It was released in other regions with a redesign and the Master System name. However, a Japanese version of the Master System would also be released, which had exclusive features such as a built-in FM audio chip, a rapidfire button, and a dedicated port for 3D glasses.
===Master System II===
Several years after its initial launch, the Master System II was released as a more compact, cost-reduced version of the original model. It lacked the SEGA Card slot that the original had, and overall had a rounder, less-angular shape, making it resemble the Genesis, which released two years prior. SEGA promoted it heavily, but it sold poorly.
==Accessories==
===Controller===
The controllers for the Master System had a very similar design and shape to that of the NES. They were rectangular in shape and had a directional pad and two buttons, one of which was often used as a Start button. Other variants of the controller were also released, such as one that had a joystick on top of the D-pad, the Handle Controller that was a combination of a steering wheel and fight stick, and the SEGA Control Stick that had an arcade-style joystick with the buttons on the opposite side of the normal controller. An expansion for the controllers, called the Rapid Fire Unit, allowed auto-fire by holding down one of the buttons.
===Light Phaser===
The Light Phaser was a light gun comparable to the NES Zapper. It was based on the weapon of the same name from the Japanese anime Zillion. Like other light guns, it could fire infrared lights that would be picked up by sensors on top of the TV, replicating actual gunfire in-game. It only released in the west and was compatible with 13 games.
===SegaScope 3D Glasses===
The SegaScope 3D Glasses was only compatible with the SEGA Mark III and Japanese Master System. It works via an active shutter system creating a stereoscopic effect. They need to be connected to the SEGA Card Slot, and thus do not function with the Master System II. Eight games were compatible with the glasses.
== Fanon Games ==
Any page that has the Category Master System Games will be placed here.
Category:Sega Consoles
Category:Sega Master System