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Sega mega drive

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Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection

The Sega Mega Drive, or Sega Genesis as it was known in the United States, is considered one of the best video consoles of all time. It was Sega's third console and was launched in the Japanese market in 1988, and in the United States in 1989. and in Europe and Latin America in 1990.

A true 16-bit masterpiece that became the successor to the Master System and the main competitor of the console Nintendo's SNES. The library of games is truly spectacular, with titles that still continue to be attractive to many people of all ages, who even consider some of them such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Streets of Rage among the best retro video games.

After years of fighting for market share, Sega came up with a new strategy. Instead of taking advantage of the current 8-bit gaming market, they would be the first true 16-bit console on the market with a system that was not only superior but expanded in power with the use of a number of peripherals.

The first 16-bit console

The new console was called Sega Mega Drive, however, in the United States, another company already had the rights to this name, so Sega decided to use a different name for the North American market. The Mega Drive was named Sega Genesis in the United States and Canada.

The Sega Genesis was the first video console to be named after a book of the Bible, it was intended to indicate that its launch marked a new era in the history of video games and, it really was, because it was the first 16-bit console.

Although, a year earlier NEC and Hudson Soft had launched the TurboGrafx-16 console on the Japanese market. However, it was not a complete 16-bit system, since only the graphics card was 16-bit, the CPU was still 8-bit. Additionally, Sega Genesis was released to the US market a few weeks before the TGX16.

The video console was launched in Japan in October 1988, but it did not have the expected success, its sales level was very low, the TurboGrafx-16, named PC Engine in Japan, had hit the market a year earlier, outselling to the Nintendo Famicom, the Japanese version of the Super Nintendo (NES), which limited Sega's participation in this market.

In August 1989, Sega released the SEGA Genesis video console to the North American market, the console included an original cartridge of the hit game Altered Beast. Michael Katz, CEO of Sega of America at the time, designed a very aggressive marketing campaign, which focused on games that were aimed at the American audience, even using celebrities to promote the games.

The war of the video consoles begins

At the end of the 1980s, the Sega Genesis video console achieved good sales in the North American market. However, it did not exceed Nintendo's market share, which maintained its dominance in this market and its positioning seemed to be strengthened with the launch of Super Mario Bros 3, which was a success.

This situation led to the video console war, Nintendo largely dominated with the NES, its share in the Japanese market was 92%, while in the North American market it reached 95%, Sega sought to expand its share in the North American market and in other markets. emerging such as European and Latin American.

Other consoles TGX-16 and Neo-Geo also sought to expand their market share, but were relegated in the middle of the dispute that occurred between the two large companies that dominated the fourth generation of video consoles.

In the early 1990s, Sega launched a master strategy by establishing a game franchise for the Sega Genesis console and lowering its price in the market, which paid off with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog, a game that was At the level of Super Mario Bros, it was innovative, with a fast pace of play and its success was immediate, taking the sales levels of the Sega Genesis console to a new level.

Sega's success also increased in other markets, although it was not successful in Japan, it became the best-selling 16-bit console in Europe and Latin America.

However, Nintendo's entry into the 16-bit era with the Super Nintendo tipped the balance in its favor. The SNES became the main console and although sales increased steadily, the SNES continued to dominate the market.

Features and technical specifications

It is a fourth generation console, its design was very innovative, as we have mentioned, it was the first video game system to operate completely at 16 bits. One of its innovative features was to include a wide catalog of games aimed at adolescents and adults, in which fighting, speed and sports games could be found.

The game library could be expanded thanks to an adapter that allowed the use of games created for the Sega Master System console, which made it a very versatile console, capable of satisfying the tastes of audiences of all ages.

The console was designed by a team led by Hideki Sato and Masami Ishikawa, the hardware had some truly impressive technical characteristics for the time, such as:

  • Processor: Motorola 68000, some consoles included similar CPUs (clones) made by Hitachi and Signetics. The Signetics 68K CPU was only used in the first versions of the console, because it did not reach the expected level of efficiency.
    • PAL consoles: 16 bits at 7.61 MHz.
    • NTSC consoles: 16 bits at 7.67 MHz.
  • Secondary processor: Zilog Z80, used as main CPU in master system compatibility mode.
    • PAL consoles: 3.55 MHz.
    • NTSC consoles: 3.58 MHz.
  • RAM Memory: 64KB
  • Sound RAM memory: 8 Kb.
  • Boot ROM: 2 Kb, the initial models of the console did not include boot ROM, but it was included in later models. The function of this Brand Security System system is to verify the game when it is launched on the console, blocking games that do not contain the license code.
  • Main sound chip: Yamaha YM2612, 6 channels operating at 7.6 MHz.
  • Secondary sound chip: Texas Instruments SN76489, 4 channels.
  • Graphics: the console includes a video display processor (VDP) that allows you to control the playing field and the sprites (a set of images of the characters and objects present in the game)
    • Screen resolution: 320 X 224 (40H x 28V).
    • Palette: 512 colors.
    • On-screen colors: 61 colors, up to 183 with screen and shadow/lighting effects.
  • Video port: It has two video outputs:
    • Antenna RF Video
    • RGB video.

Models and game cartridges of the Mega Drive video console

The first model that was launched on the market was the Model 1, this console included a volume control on the top, which became one of the distinctive features, which also included headphones with stereo sound.

It also had an EXT DE-9F port on the back, a 9-pin female D connector, widely used in computers of the time. This port was used to connect peripherals, in Japan it was used to connect the Meganet peripheral modem.

One of the most interesting curiosities of the console is that the cartridges were not the same type for all games, the cartridge slot included in the console accepted different types of cartridges. Most games came on a traditional standard cartridge, which was an improved version of the cartridge created for the Sega Master System console.

Sega redesigned the Mega Drive console and in 1993 launched the Model 2, a smaller console with reduced costs, it had a stereo audio output, without a headphone connection, a new sound chip was included, but it was an unfavorable change. since the sound quality deteriorated. An on/off switch was included in the Japanese version.

The cartridges sold in Japan and the Asian market had some small differences, a strategy used by Sega to prevent these cartridges from being used in consoles sold in the North American, European and Latin American markets.

Four of the most notable games for Sega Mega Drive

  • Sonic The Hedgehog: Released in 1991, this game catapulted Sega to the top of the market, Sonic is the fastest blue hedgehog in the world, he has great powers and has to stop Dr Eggman in order to save the planet from his evil plans.
  • Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (1992): A very interesting version that includes Tails as Sonic's companion included new levels and challenges.
  • Ecco the Dolphin (1992): an action game with 25 levels in which the player must follow the orders of an Ecco, a friendly dolphin who seeks to save his ecosystem.
  • Dynamite Headdy (1994): a game in which the hero must fight against Dark Demon, a villain who seeks to take over all the puppets, and against Trouble Bruin, an evil bear.

final words

It was one of the best-selling video game consoles of the 16-bit era, and remained one of the most popular in the years following its release. The system was widely used in the North American market, where it was known as SEGA Genesis. During its heyday, the SEGA Mega Drive was widely considered the best 8-bit video game console of its time and was able to take on 16-bit consoles like the SNES and Sega Mega Drive 2. However, other companies also contributed significantly. significantly to the console's success, such as PC Engine in Japan.

In short, it is a work of art just like the SNES, which at the time all gamers fell in love with.

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