SG-1000

The SG-1000 is a third-generation video game console produced by SEGA and released in 1983. It was SEGA's first entry into the video game console market, and made as a response to the downturn of arcades in 1982, which they were one of the top five manufacturers of. After selling off their arcade manufacturing organization and licensing for their arcade games to Bally Manufacturing, SEGA president Hayao Nakayama advocated that they use their hardware expertise to shift to the home console market. The SG-1000 was released on July 15, 1983 in Japan, the same day as Nintendo's Famicom. Though never officially released outside of the Japanese market, rebranded versions appeared in several markets worldwide, including Australia, Italy, Spain, and Taiwan.
Due to the SG-1000's steadier release of games (21 games by the end of 1983, compared to only nine Famicom games), as well as a recall on all Famicom units due to a faulty circuit, the SG-1000 garnered 160,000 units sold, exceeding SEGA's expectations of 50,000. Former SEGA consumer development head Hideki Sato states that because SEGA didn't expect the console to sell so well, they were inspired to delve further into the home console market. However, as time went on, the Famicom overtook sales numbers, as none of the system's games had the brand recognition of Nintendo's exclusives such as Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., and Popeye. Nintendo was also having more support from third party developers, who SEGA was hesitant to collaborate with since they were competing in the arcade market. Afterwards, SEGA would release another third generation console, the SEGA Master System.
Category:Sega Consoles
Category:SEGA