Sega Genesis
- Manufacturer
- Sega
- Production
- 1989–1997
- Generation
- Gen 4
- Type
- Home
- Launch price
- $189
- Media
- Cartridge
- Units sold
- 30.8M
About Sega Genesis
The Sega Genesis, known as the Mega Drive outside North America, is a 16-bit fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega released it in October 1988 in Japan as the Mega Drive, and in August 1989 in North America as the Genesis. In 1990, it was distributed as the Mega Drive by Virgin Mastertronic in Europe, Sega Ozisoft in Australasia, and Tectoy in Brazil. In South Korea, it was distributed by Samsung Electronics as the Super Gam*Boy and later the Super Aladdin Boy.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Library & collector facts
915licensed games
- North America: 712
- Japan: 539
- PAL: 752
Lineage
Release timeline
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- October 29, 1988
- 🇺🇸 North America
- September 1, 1990
- 🇪🇺 Europe / PAL
- September 1, 1990
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- September 1, 1990
- Lifespan
- 8 years on market
Pricing
Launch price (1989)
- 🇺🇸 USD
- $189
- 🇯🇵 JPY
- ¥21,000
- 🇬🇧 GBP
- £190
Launch titles & exclusives
Altered Beast · Last Battle · Space Harrier II · Super Thunder Blade · Tommy Lasorda Baseball · World Championship Soccer · Ghouls 'n Ghosts · Truxton · Forgotten Worlds · Mystic Defender
Altered Beast (early NA bundles); Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 onward — the system-seller bundle that defined the platform)
Sonic the Hedgehog 1/2/3 & Knuckles · Streets of Rage trilogy · Phantasy Star II/III/IV · Shining Force I & II · Gunstar Heroes · Comix Zone · Vectorman · Toejam & Earl · Ranger X · Alien Soldier · Castlevania: Bloodlines · Rocket Knight Adventures · Eternal Champions · Earthworm Jim 1 & 2 · Dynamite Headdy · Beyond Oasis · The Story of Thor
Tectoy continued producing Mega Drive games in Brazil into the 2010s; Pier Solar and the Great Architects (2010, indie release) is widely cited as the highest-profile late release
Pier Solar CIB (~$200+); Adventures of Batman & Robin (~$300+ CIB); Mickey Mania (rare CIB); Tempo (~$150+); Sega Genesis Classics gold-color promotional carts
Variants of Sega Genesis
Hardware specs
- Cpu
- Motorola 68000 @ 7.6 MHz, Zilog Z80 @ 3.58 MHz
- Ram
- 64 KB RAM, 64 KB VRAM, 8 KB audio RAM
- Sound
- Yamaha YM2612, Texas Instruments SN76489
- Weight
- ~1.2 kg (2.6 lb)
- Dimensions
- 280 × 70 × 210 mm
- Display Output
- Progressive: 320×224, 256×224 (NTSC) or 320×240, 256×240 (PAL) pixels, 512 color palette, 61 colors on-screen, Interlaced: 320×448, 256×448 (NTSC) or 320×480, 256×480 (PAL)
Hardware revisions
- Model 1(1988)
original launch hardware ('Genesis Model 1' with 'High Definition Graphics' badge), separate Power Base Converter for SMS support, EXT port for the (cancelled) Mega Modem, the only model that handles the analog YM2612 sound chip's true output — collector-prized for FM audio
- Model 2(1993)
cost-reduced redesign, slightly different audio output (collector debate about which sounds 'better'), more reliable
- Model 3(1998)
cheaper plasticky redesign, no headphone jack, no expansion port
- Nomad(1995)
portable Genesis with composite TV-out, ~3 hours on 6 AAs (poor battery life)
- Tectoy Mega Drive 4(Brazil)
built-in games with HDMI output (modern production)
Launch colorways & special editions
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Beta Edition (gold)
- Various JP color variants
- Nomad portable Genesis (1995, NA-only handheld)
- Tectoy Mega Drive Brazil variants in many colors
Modding scene
- Difficulty
- soft-mod
- Custom firmware
- N/A; flashcarts: MegaSD (FPGA, plays CD and 32X too), Mega EverDrive Pro
Reception & legacy
Strong — Sega's aggressive 'Genesis Does What Nintendon't' campaign and a 2-year head start over the SNES gave it real competitive footing in NA
Mortal Kombat blood-code controversy (1992 SNES had sweat, Genesis had blood, contributed to the 1993 congressional hearings and ESRB creation); Sonic 2 'Sonic 2sday' simultaneous worldwide launch (1992) was a landmark marketing innovation
Sega's commercial peak; nearly tied Nintendo in NA during 16-bit era; Sonic established as cultural icon; the 1993 congressional hearings prompted by Genesis-vs-SNES Mortal Kombat directly created the ESRB rating system
References
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Sega Genesis in the news
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