Master System consoles in North America

Though the Sega Master System always played second-best to the Nintendo Entertainment System (so much so that few even remember the Master System's existence in this region), many bundles and console revisions were given to the North American audience.

United States

The Sega Base System

Sega redesigned the Sega Mark III for a western audience, but for a number of years they seemed unsure what to call the redesigned console. Initially, it was simply given the vague title of "Sega System", with the bundle names seemingly given more attention than the console itself. The console unit itself was strictly called the "Sega Power Base", before being renamed later down the line.

Two packages were originally offered to the US when the system showed up in 1986 - this "Sega Base System" (the cheaper, lesser option) and the "Sega Master System" (the more expensive, better option). The base system, was, as you would expect, basic. It contained merely the Sega Power Base and two control pads, and no built-in games.

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  Front of box

The Sega Master System (with Hang-On and Safari Hunt)

The other option, the Sega Master System, was more thoughtful, giving the user two control pads, a Light Phaser and both Hang-On and Safari Hunt built in.

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  Front of box

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  Back of box

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  Top of box

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  Bottom of box

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  Side of box

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  Contents of box

The Sega Master System (with Hang-On)

At some point, Sega redefined what it was to be a "Master System". This version of the Master System simply contains Hang-On, which was built-in to the console, and two control pads. We are unsure exactly when this bundle was released, so it may have been earlier than the above.

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  Front of box

Sega Base System (with Hang-On)

These "second generation" Master System bundles arrived a couple of years down the line. These would be the mould for most international models. They have a different typeface describing the system (underlined in colour) and the "SEGA" logo replaces the "The Sega" text seen in earlier models. From this point onwards all bundles were called "Sega xxx System" as opposed to "The Sega xxx System". It's also where things start to get complicated.

The "Base System" survived, but the bundle was changed so that it contained a copy of Hang-On (mis-represented by the screenshot on the front of the box) as well as two control pads. This means the new "Base System" is identical to one of the old "Master System"s.

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  Front of box

Sega SegaScope 3-D System

Sega also released a model attempting to push their 3-D Glasses accessory. The "SegaScope 3D System" package inlcudes were two controllers, a Light Phaser and a pair of 3-D glasses.

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Master System Plus

Another pre-Tonka model, now bundled with a Light Phaser and Safari Hunt and Hang On built in.

Canada

The Sega Master System

Canada's history is similar to the US', except they dropped any name that wasn't "Sega Master System". Consoles were distributed by Irwin Toy, a practise that would continue until shortly after the Sega Mega Drive's release. This model was released in 1986 and is identical to the first US "Sega Master System" model. Canadian releases can be distinguished by the IRWIN logo in the top left.

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  Front of box

Sega Master System

Canada also saw their packaging redesigned, with Safari Hunt and Hang On built in for good measure.

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  Front of box