Sega Master System

From Sega Retro

Sega Master System console
Sega Master System II console

The Sega Master System (SMS for short) (Japanese: マスターシステム; Romaji: Masuta Shisutemu), was an 8-bit cartridge-based gaming console manufactured by Sega.

For information on the earlier Japanese version of the console, see SG-1000 Mark III.

History

The Sega Master System was the first of Sega's consoles to see widespread distribution. Though the SG-1000 Mark I had seen a limited release in PAL and Asian regions (as well as Japan), it was not considered a huge success, and as both the SG-1000 Mark I and SG-1000 Mark II could not compete effectively against Nintendo's Famicom in Japan, Sega went back to the drawing board, eventually creating the SG-1000 Mark III in an attempt to topple Nintendo's dominance in the video game market. It was released in Japan on October 20, 1985.

The SG-1000 Mark III was redesigned and sold for $200 in the United States in June 1986, one year after the Nintendo Entertainment System was released. The console was originally titled the "Sega Power Base", and was sold in two editions; the "Sega Base System" and the "Sega Master System". The former contained just the Power Base console and a controller, while the latter offered a second controller and a light gun. As the "Sega Master System" package proved to be more popular, the name was adopted for the console, replacing the term "Power Base" (however, this name wuld re-occur when the Power Base Converter was released in the US). The "Master System" name would also be adopted in PAL markets, and the Mark III would later be re-released in 1987 as the Master System in Japan also.

Later revisions of the hardware would include built in games such as Alex Kidd in Miracle World. All original Master Systems contain the "easter egg" Snail Race minigame.

Though the Master System was more technically advanced in some ways than the NES, it did not attain the same level of popularity among consumers in the United States. Its lack of success in the U.S. has been attributed to various causes, among them the difference in game titles available for each platform, and the slightly later release date of the Master System. The licensing agreement that Nintendo had with its third-party game developers may have had an impact as well; the agreement stated, in effect, that developers would produce games for the NES only. However, Sega did have the advantage of being able to pluck titles from their ever-growing arcade game library at the time, and so was able to build up a strong library of exclusive Master System titles. The Master System sold 125,000 consoles in the first four months, while in the same period, the NES would net 2,000,000. It is likely that Sega achieved better results with the Master System than Atari did with their Atari 7800 console, released in the same year.

Nintendo had 90% of the North American market at the time. After several months of poor sales, Hayao Nakayama, then CEO of Sega decided to invest less money into marketing the Master System, inevitably selling the North American rights to Tonka in 1988. The move was considered a very bad one, since Tonka had never marketed a video game console and had no idea on earth what to do about it, hence its popularity continued to decline.

In 1990, Sega was having success with its Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, and they took back the rights from Tonka for the SMS. They designed the Sega Master System II, a newer console which was smaller and sleeker but which, to keep production costs low, lacked the the reset button and card slot of the original. Sega did everything in its power to market the system, but nothing came out of it. By 1992, the Master System's sales were virtually nonexistent in North America, and production ceased.

Even in its re-designed state, Sega were unable to catch the Nintendo Famicom in Japan. They were also unable to beat the NES in Australia.

In Europe, the Sega Master System was marketed by Sega in many different countries, including a few which Nintendo weren't selling consoles to. The Europeans garnered lots of third party support for the SMS, forcing Nintendo to obtain licensing for some popular SMS titles in that market. Unlike the rest of the world, the Master System was able to out-sell the NES in Europe, mainly due to the numerous poor marketing decisions and delays from Nintendo's European distributors (which arguably still continue to this day). The Master System was supported until 1996 in Europe, but was finally discontinued so Sega could concentrate on the Sega Saturn.

Brazil was one of the SMS' most successful markets. It was marketed by Tec Toy, Sega's Brazilian distributor, and as there was limited competition, became the console of choice. Further re-releases of the console such as the Sega Master System III (and even a semi-portable SMS VI) were released, and several games were translated into Portuguese or localised for a Brazillian audience (for example, Wonder Boy in Monster Land featured Turma da Mônica, the main character from a popular children's comic-book in Brazil). Later in its life, Sega Game Gear games had been ported to the Master System, and several original Brazilian titles were made for the console. Tectoy also produced a licensed version of the wildly popular fighting game Street Fighter II, which, despite the limitations of the console, turned out to be pretty good.

The Sega Master System is still being produced in Brazil. The latest version is the "Master System III Collection". It uses the same design as the North American Master System II (Master System III in Brazil), but is white and comes with 74 games built-in on an internal ROM.

The Master System's mascot was Sega's Alex Kidd, a character that would be later replaced with Sonic the Hedgehog.

Overall, the SMS was mildly successful worldwide, but failed to capture the Japanese and North American markets. Sega learned from its mistakes, producing the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Genesis a console popular in both the European and North American regions respectively.

About the Console

Sega Master System I

The SMS I is a large, tech-looking system measuring 14 3/8" W - 6 5/8" D - 2 3/4" H, with sharp corners (unlike the Genesis or SMS II) and black plastic casing. In comparison, the NES looks like a Cessna single-engine compared to the SMS' SR-71 design. After a one-inch base, the machine is formed upward and inward to form the cartridge slot plateau.

The SMS has an introduction screen which appears each time you turn on your SMS (with or without a game inserted). The Sega logo slowly "slides" into view mid-screen (with accompanying sound effect), and the text "Master System" appears underneath. A two-tone intro tune is played during this sequence, which is best compared to the opening tune in the 16-bit Genesis version of Sonic the Hedgehog (though, in the SMS' case, the singing choir is replaced by the simple tones).

Unlike the NES, the SMS has an instructional screen that appears if you turn on your system without having a cart or card inserted (the instructional screen appears after the introduction screen). Later on, Sega switched to built-in software, which automatically loads if you turn on your machine without a game present.

Sega Master System II

In what seems to be a tradition with game systems, Sega of America released the Sega Master System II in 1990 in order to increase its current user base via inexpensive (though downscaled) hardware. This "2nd generation" SMS (comparable to the Atari 2600 Jr. and remodeled NES) measures _ x _ x _. Very much the opposite of the original model, the SMS II looks similar to the remodeled 16-bit Genesis system. Smooth curves, rounded corners, variable degrees of black and gray colored plastic, plus an enlarged, white Pause button for those "dive for the system" type of action games. As an incentive, Sega included Alex Kidd in Miracle World as a built-in freebie.

Unlike the SMS I, however, the SMS II lacks the following features (they were dropped in order to reduce the price of manufacture):

  • Card port (resulting in the inability to play card based games and 3-D carts (since the 3-D glasses use the card slot))
  • Swinging, hinged cartridge slot doors (the SMS II cart port operates via a sliding cover)
  • Opening logo music tune and text "Master System", when powered up
  • Reset button
  • Power-on light
  • A/V output
  • Extension port

In France, the SMS 1 (and the SMS 2, which had the A/V port instead of RF jack) were sold with an RGB lead (model 3085). One end plugs into the SMS, the other into the SCART/Peritel socket on a TV, via a small box in the lead. It gives a clear picture. The box contains a small PCB, the purpose of which is to provide the blanking and function switching signals. (So my TV switches to RGB mode automatically when I turn on the console, and back again when I switch it off.) On the box it says: 'Adapteur R.V.B.'.

Pack-Ins

U.S. SMS I Pack-Ins

When released, U.S. SMS I pack-ins included (product # shown):

  • 3000 — Hang On/Safari Hunt ("Master" package; including base unit, 2 joypads, combo cart, light phaser and hook-ups; original retail price of approx. $200)
  • 3005 — Hang On/Astro Warrior ("Base" package; including base unit, 2 joypads, combo cart and hook-ups; original retail price of approx. $120)
  • 3001 — Missile Defense 3-D ("SegaScope" package; including base unit, 2 joypads, cart, 3-D Glasses, light phaser and hook-ups; original retail price of approx. $???)

There are also 3 (possibly 4) different built-in software variations of the SMS I. They are:

  1. Hang On/Safari Hunt
  2. Missile Defense 3-D
  3. Hang On/Astro Warrior (exist? I have yet to encounter one)
  4. Hang On

U.S. SMS II Pack-Ins

The SMS II was released with Alex Kidd in Miracle World built in, one joypad and necessary hook-ups.

Sega of America had a short-lived special offer with the Power Base Converter, offering Golden Axe Warrior as a free pack-in.

Europe SMS Pack-Ins

In Europe, players were given the same pack-ins as those in the states -- concerning the original "Sega Master System." They also received the following:

  • 3010 — Sega Master System Power Base, Hang-On cart, 2 controllers, hook-ups
  • Sega Master System II, w/Alex Kidd in Miracle World built-in; Sonic the Hedgehog cart pack-in, joypad(s?), hook-ups
  • Sega Master System II, w/Sonic the Hedgehog built-in, joypad, hook-ups
  • "Sega Master System Plus", a SMS I with light gun and Operation Wolf cart (?), joypad(s?), hook-ups
  • "Sega Super System", SMS I with 3D glasses (game?), joypad(s?), hook-ups
  • "Sega Super System Plus", SMS I with light gun, 3D glasses, Missile Defense 3D and Operation Wolf carts, joypad(s?), hook-ups
  • SMS II, Sonic 1, Sonic 2 (assuming Sonic 1 built-in, Sonic 2 as cart), joypad, hook-ups
  • SMS II, Sonic 1, Columns, Super Monaco Grand Prix, 3rd game (title?), (Sonic built in, other three as a three game cart (Master Games 1)), joypad(s?), hook-ups
  • SMS II, Lion King, controller, hook-ups

Australia SMS Pack-Ins

In Australia, at least 6 pack-ins exist:

  • The SMS I with Alex Kidd in Miracle World built-in, joypad(s?), and hook-ups.
  • The SMS II with Alex Kidd in Miracle World built-in, two joypads, hook-ups, and a Double Dragon pack-in cart.
  • The SMS II with Alex Kidd in Miracle World built-in, hook-ups, joypad(s?), and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 pack-in cart.
  • The SMS II with Sonic the Hedgehog built-in, all necessary hook-ups and one joypad.
  • "Sega Master System Plus"; SMS I, two joypads, light phaser, and Hang On/Safari Hunt built-in
  • "Sega Super System Plus"; SMS I, two joypads, light phaser, 3D Glasses, Hang On/Safari Hunt built-in, 3D Outrun (cart?)

Specifications

CPU

  • 8-bit Zilog Z80
    • 3546893Hz for PAL/SECAM, 3579545Hz for NTSC

Graphics

  • VDP (Video Display Processor) derived from Texas Instruments TMS9918
    • Up to 32 simultaneous colors (16 for sprites, 16 for background) available from a palette of 64 (can also show 64 simultaneous colors using programming tricks)
    • Screen resolutions 256x192 and 256x224. PAL/SECAM also supports 256x240
    • 8x8 pixel characters, max 488 (due to VRAM space limitation)
    • 8x8 or 8x16 pixel sprites, max 64
    • Horizontal, diagonal, vertical, and partial screen scrolling

Sound

  • Sound (PSG): Texas Instruments SN76489
    • 4 channel mono sound
    • 3 sound generators, 4 octaves each, 1 white noise generator
  • Sound (FM): Yamaha YM-2413
    • 9 channel mono FM sound
    • built into Japanese Master System
    • available as plug-in module for Mark III
    • supported by certain games only

ROM/RAM

  • ROM: 64 Kbits (8KB) to 2048 Kbits (256KB), depending on built-in game
  • Main RAM: 64 Kbits (8KB)
  • Video RAM: 128 Kbits (16KB)

Game Slot

  • Game Card slot (Mark III and Master System 1 only)
  • Game Cartridge slot
    • Japanese consoles use 44-pin cartridges, same shape as Mark I and Mark II
    • Non-Japanese consoles use 50-pin cartridges with a different shape
    • The difference in cartridge style is a form of regional lockout
  • Expansion slot

Peripherals

Guts

RF Converter: MGB3-VU3401, 8E388        
PCB Component Side Markings: (c) SEGA 1988         
:       SEGA (R) M4  POWERBASE / NTSC  171-5533-01       
:       837-6629  19 AUG 1988         
CON2: 35 Pin Card Slot  209-5020 K16R         
CON3: 50 Pin Cartridge Slot  PSB4D255-4R1 M18R         
CON4: 50 Pin Card Edge         
IC1:  Zilog Z0840004PSC Z80CPU 8828 SL0965         
IC2:  0821EX SEGA MPR-11460 W46         
IC3:  NEC JAPAN D4168C-20 8829P5007         
IC4:  SEGA (R) 315-5216 120U 8820 Z79         
IC5:  SEGA 315-5124 2602B 84 18 89 B         
IC6:  NEC JAPAN D4168C-15-SG 8828XX215         
IC7:  NEC JAPAN D4168C-15-SG 8828XX215
IC9:  SONY 8M09 CXA1145

SMS Control Pad Information:

  • female plug on end view:
5 4 3 2 1 
 9 8 7 6        
  • pin 1: Up
  • pin 2: Down
  • pin 3: Left
  • pin 4: Right
  • pin 5: No Connection
  • pin 6: Button 1 (Start)
  • pin 7: No Connection
  • pin 8: Common (Ground?)
  • pin 9: Button 2

Miscellaneous

Can Game Gear games be played on the SMS?

The Game Gear can run SMS carts, of course, but that may very well be due to intentional downward compatibility of the GG to the SMS, and such may not work in reverse. The only hardware difference known between the two on a chip level is that the GG can define 4096 possible colors, while the SMS can only define 64 colors, but that may be enough. If the GG has more colors, than it must have a different method of setting each of the color registers than the SMS did: The SMS color can be determined by one byte, so probably only needed one register, whereas a number from 0 to 4095 needs two bytes, and therefore the GG chips probably have two color registers, or one register with a special system which allows both bytes to be written one half at a time.

The Game Gear was probably designed to allow the color registers to be set by either the 64 color method (for downward compatibility), or the 4096 color method, whereas the SMS was created before the GG, so it would not support a GG-specific game's method of setting colors.

The possible problems resulting from this incongruity -alone- might be:

  1. A complete crash (if the GG game tried to set registers that did not exist or had nothing to do with color)
  2. Completely scrambled colors (if the GG uses the same registers to write the colors, but in a different way)
  3. No picture at all (if the GG writes colors using registers that had no function in the SMS, so no SMS color reg would ever be written to, and all would default to black, so no picture)

It may still be possible that the two are still compatible, but only if Sega intentionally created the GG to set colors in a matter that would cause the SMS to use it's nearest approximation, or if each cart were programmed to be SMS-compatible.

External links

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