Sega Master System
Developer: Sega
Year Released: 1985
Generation: 3rd
The Master System was an 8-bit console originally released as the Sega Mark III in Japan and then redesigned and retitled as the Master System for release outside of Japan. The Sega Master System was one of the first legitimate direct challenges to Nintendo’s monopoly on the gaming market. The original Master System could play both cartridges and the credit card sized “Sega Cards”.
Succeeding the SG-1000, the Sega Master System was the first of Sega’s consoles to see widespread distribution, and went head to head with Nintendo’s Famicom/NES across the world.
In early 1988 arrangements were made with North American toy manufacturing powerhouse Tonka to market the system and its software. Turning the SMS’s fate over to Tonka proved a fatal mistake from which Sega never really recovered. With Tonka lacking experience in properly marketing and gathering support for a video game console, the SMS went nowhere.
The Master System was a superior system in every aspect to the NES, however the relative affordability of the NES- backed by a wide range of titles and Nintendo’s ruthless ‘inventory management’ marketing techniques- gave it a virtual lock on the 8-bit market. Most of the popular titles from this time were produced exclusively for Nintendo, leaving other console vendors- including Sega- out in the cold. Though it was unsuccessful at dethroning Nintendo in many regions, the Master System was able to outperform other rivals (notably the Atari 7800) to hit second place in the third generation of video game consoles.
While the Sega Master System did not perform as hoped, it helped set the stage for the next batch of Sega consoles, marking a new beginning for Sega. The next system would turn the home video game market on it’s ear, but could not have done so without the Sega Master System to open the door.