The Launch of the Sega Master System (1986) | Classic Gaming Quarterly

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Episode 43 - The launch of the Sega Master System in 1986. This episode includes the history of Sega up through the Master System's launch.
Check out Paul Driscoll on the RGDS Podcast:
retrogamingdailyshow.libsyn.com
Eric Fraga's KZbin show "Cosmic Effect" can be found here:
/ cosmiceffectgaming
Sega was originally founded in the late 40's as "Service Games", known in Japan as Nihon Goraku Bussan. In the mid 1960's, they merged with David Rosen's company "Rosen Enterprises", becoming Sega Enterprises, Ltd. Sega first entered the home video game market with the "SG-1000" in 1983. This console was redesigned, creating the "Mark II" in 1984, and the Mark III was released in 1985. The Mark III was completely (cosmetically) redesigned and released in North America in 1986 as the "Sega System", later known as the "Master System". Depending on which bundle you bought, the system came packaged with Hang on and either Astro Warrior or Safari Hunt, the latter bundle also including the Sega Light Phaser. Five additional games were available for purchase at launch, including Choplifter, Fantasy Zone, World Grand Prix, Transbot, and Ghost House.
In 1987, the Master System was released in Great Britain by the massively-popular budget software publisher Mastertronic, who up to that point had been focused on releasing low-cost games for British 8-bit home computers like the ZX Spectrum. Mastertronic was purchased by Richard Branson and folded into the Virgin Group, becoming "Virgin Mastertronic". With little competition from other home console makers, most-notably Nintendo, while the aforementioned 8-bit home computers were beginning to show their age, the Master System went on to capture the lion's share of the market. The Master System was much more successful in Europe than in the United States, selling more than 3 times as many consoles there. So successful were Virgin Mastertronic at marketing the Master System, that the company was bought out by Sega in 1991, becoming Sega of Europe.
In 1989, the Master System was released in Brazil by Tectoy. Brazil's population was almost as large as the United States, and they had just as much interest in video games, but the country had also been largely ignored by Nintendo. Arcade games were quite popular; so popular in fact that Taito had a dedicated Brazilian division of the company. The Atari 2600 had been released there and achieved success, as well. The Master System was a massive success in Brazil, selling 5 million units which accounts for almost half of total worldwide sales.
While the Sega Genesis was ultimately a massive hit in the United States, it was an uphill battle thanks to the relative failure of the Master System here. But the trail blazed by Sega's 8-bit system in Europe and Brazil made the Mega Drive a much easier sell, and once again Sega beat Nintendo in those territories.
Show Notes:
- I only said "weekend rental" once in this episode.
- I made sure to add accurate closed captions, bearing in mind that Eric may be hard for some people to understand due to his Brazilian accent. These will also make it easier for non-English speakers to watch the show with translated captions, which I am hoping will make it more accessible to the Brazilian audience.
- The original Sega Master System launch lineup has been confirmed by two independent period-published periodicals; the Milwaukee Journal and the "Computer Entertainer" newsletter.
- This episode marks the first time that I have had guests on my show.
- This episode marks the first time that I have covered the launch of a true 8-bit system (TG-16 doesn't count!)
- This episode is, to date, the longest launch episode that I have produced.
- Most of the gameplay footage in this episode was created using a Genesis console that has been modified for optimal RGB video quality. Because the Genesis is not backwards-compatible with SG-1000 games, an unmodified Master System console was used, which is why those games show noticeable "jail bars".
- The footage demonstrating Double Dragon with FM sound was generated using a "Power Base Mini FM", which is an adapter that allows you to play Master System games on your Genesis while adding FM functionality. I bought it specifically to use in this episode. I was also a little bit drunk, which generally makes me loosey-goosey with the CGQ corporate card.
- Speaking of buying stuff for the show, I bought the boxed copies of Hang On/Astro Warrior and Hang On/Safari Hunt just so that I could use them to take the pictures used in this episode.
Music courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (www.smartsound.com/royalty-free-music/i­ncompetech)
#CGQuarterly #LaunchVids #SegaMasterSystem

[@CGQuarterly]

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[@tonymoretti2347]

Classic Gaming Quarterly Hey love your channel. Can you please do a episode where Warsong (Langrisser) for the Sega Genesis is mentioned .Its the truly a hidden gem that every you tuber doesn't talk about.

[@CGQuarterly]

That game came out in 1991, so I will try to cover it whenever I end up doing a "Sega Genesis in 1991" video.

[@AG-pm9oi]

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[@seanomalley6507]

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[@seanomalley6507]

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[@rodrigonascimento4868]

Finally a north american channel has actually talked about the Master Sytem in Europe and Brazil instead of just mentioning it. I am brazilian and some of my earliest memories are of me playing my sister's Atari 2600. Never stopped playing ever since. Still, I didn't know the NES existed until about 2009 when I started getting more into retrogaming and videogames history. That's how big the Master System was here. Great video.

[@espinafreAzul]

You mean never know the official NES right? The clones you probably see in some places such as rent store, or friends house.

[@Sylkis89]

Kinda similar in Poland, but even Sega wasn't known really. First of all, things like video games started only in the 90s, only after the Soviet occupation of Central and Eastern Europe collapsed and we were finally free, which allowed for western and far eastern novelties to pop up. So, initially it was actual computers - like commodore 64 and Amiga. No games consoles as such... for until mid 90s Pegasus was invented - a knock off Famicom. And it was the ruling system among consoles for until Playstation became a thing in the late 90s. Meanwhile, because of Pegasus computers were regarded to be the superior systems with better sound and graphics, etc. while pegasus was the cheap stuff for those who can't afford a computer. It wasn't until Playstation (ALWAYS modded to be capable of piracy, such were the times) started to change things up... only later on because of the popularisation of the internet people actually discovered what's Nintendo, Sega, etc. and all the classic games available on the internet to be emulated, but by the time it became a popular practice Playstation 2 was already an upcoming thing, so it was only for the connoisseurs and those who couldn't afford a modern gaming system or a modern computer capable of the contemporary 3D games, etc...

[@23GreyFox]

@Ryu In some parts of europe nintendo was dominating. I only saw a mastersystem and megadrive once. The controller of the NES was so much better than the mastersystem one.

[@23GreyFox]

@Ryu No, they are not equal in any way.

[@danielfotheringhamproducti7368]

As a British citizen, I am actually impressed! The Master System was definitely impressive in terms of graphics and even the number of games, including those only released in Europe!

[@ReviewTechUSA]

Excellent video. I remember getting this console for Christmas of 1988. such an underrated piece of hardware.

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks! I always wanted one when I was a kid, just because I played a lot of arcade games and had that association with Sega, but like most other kids I got a NES instead.

[@davidvasey5065]

Wow an American that got a Master System for Christmas when it was still relevant! Now that's a rare find!

[@GeneralLee131]

Oh wow, i didn't think i'd run into Rich on here.

[@demit189]

ReviewTechUSA PAPA RICH

[@ShanL2604]

ReviewTechUSA Hey Rich, good to see you here! I thoroughly enjoy your content!

[@jakestewart7079]

Dang, those graphics are so good. I had no idea the master system was that powerful.

[@KegRaider]

Master System was huge in Australia. I loved mine, it was amazing!

[@gammaboost]

You know, the "Seega" master system.

[@KegRaider]

@@rap6439 Actually, that is very true! I didn't use the original ones for long, I can't recall what brand I bought that were a lot better.

[@pauljosse]

In nz as well.

[@mikebigelow561]

In Brazil 🇧🇷 they love the master system so much you can still buy them new and games new as well.. Ones that knowbody would have guessed like "street fighter 2" and other games we got on newer machines...

[@JamieJoseph88]

I find that hard to believe, it may have competed better here then in the States but I've still seen more NES systems and games and I personally have no nostalgia for the system, though videos like this are fascinating nonetheless, my first gaming experience was with the NES

[@TCGView]

I remember getting this system as a child. I can't recall which version we got, but I remember we had to mail in to get Double Dragon. We mailed in December and got it at the end of February. It felt like forever! I remember playing DD every day after we got it.

[@thomassalas5191]

Genesis

[@redrooster303]

Back in the day you'd get a game and play the death out of it. Nowadays spoilt kids have hundreds of games and play them for 30 minutes and move on. Spoilt AF lol.

[@TheSektorz]

I'm surprised how small the market is for such a well-produced, expansive video on the Master System. Generic channels push out uninspired NES videos that get millions of views covering the same points over and over but this gets only 390k views? Sad. SEGA's awesome consoles are so underrated.

[@marmac7467]

Fantastic episode! My greatest memory with the Master System was when I was about 10 years old and I lived in a neighborhood of kids who all owned the NES except for one kid who had the Master System. I remember the first time I saw the console, I thought it looked so cool because it was black and had really cool sharp angles in the design. It looked so much cooler than my NES. The first game I ever played on the Master System was Wonder Boy and I thought the graphics were so much better than what I was used to on the NES. I also loved that little screwable joystick on the controller. I also played Rastan which at the time was incredible too and blew me away. I felt like I would never get a game like this on my NES so I asked for a straight up trade for his Master System and he said yes. I was so happy to have a Master System until his mom brought back my NES and took back the Master System after a week of noticing it was gone. My heart was broken.

[@penatio]

That sucks...

[@cr-cn4ky]

Rastan was a beautiful game,I would play Rastan in a room locked full of loneliness and play Rastan until I die of old age locked in that room.

[@josemarques131]

Lol

[@iPlaySEGA]

The SEGA Master System was my very first gaming system!!

[@GrimRize]

Same here, mine was the SMS II though, I was born in 86 and didn't get one till I was like 5 so around 91 and I think mine had Alex the Kidd built in from memory.

[@Mrcruzan]

My first game system as well

[@Utoobyourself]

Same here. My dad bought the power base version in 1986 at Crazy Eddie for $60. I still have the original receipt. Great memories. It came with Hang On and Astro Warrior

[@Utoobyourself]

El Padre con Verga Larga Its called Astro Warrior.

[@pzigotnofilterp7882]

@@GrimRize ME TOO

[@JoelElRican]

I grew up watch El Chapolin del Ocho when I lived in Miami as a kid. Had no idea they made a game with him in it LOL

[@CGQuarterly]

Sorry guys, I had the auto-generated subtitles published instead of the subs that I uploaded. All fixed now!

[@theSato]

Thanks for creating legitimate subtitles for this! I'm a little hard of hearing and they make it so much easier, so I don't have to keep rewinding to re-hear something that was said. I'm sure all the fully deaf people really appreciate it too.

[@CGQuarterly]

Sato Yeah, no problem! I am planning on doing this for all of my future videos, as well as going back and adding subs to some of my old ones.

[@pedroviskinho]

I appreciate that, i'm brazilian and sometimes I don't get everything that's said in English so subtitles are really helpful, i'm also a new subscriber, great video!

[@Dreamer066680]

Wow, that was simply the best launch video ever, covering all the regions in which master system sold with in depth insights from european and brazillian market. Great collaboration guys!

[@soulnystasego792]

in fact, Master System and Genesis ( AKA Mega Drive) was very popular here in Brazil. Was my first game console in 1989. Love this console.

[@carlosh5200]

Master System era um sonho de consumo no final dos anos 80.

[@woodhousepictures5376]

Amazing video, i loved seeing another side of the console from the brazillian perspective, fascinating

[@Paulo-sb4de]

Eric forgot to talk or missed his time, but tec toy also made modifications or exclusive games for Brazil, Street figther and monica e o castelo do dragão are examples

[@pandazpaa]

Paulo1 agree. That's some fascinating stuff from our vg story

[@RodFelix]

greetings from Brazil! master system was a huge hit here in the mid-80's congrats for the research and video edit! ur channel rocks! ps: gotta love this hat! sennathebest

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks, Rodrigo!

[@GameplayandTalk]

Fantastic episode, man. It was really good to hear first-hand perspectives on the European and South American markets. I keep hearing how much better the system did in those regions compared to North America, but being someone that's never lived outside the USA, it's hard to imagine what it was really like for them. Now I have a better understanding.

[@CGQuarterly]

Sup man! Thanks for stopping by. Glad you liked the episode. I think that Paul and Eric added a lot to the video, as well. Not the same as if I just say "The Master System was popular in the UK and Brazil..."

[@benjiroberts4434]

"SEGAS THE ONE" even 80s dad knows

[@KnutKniffte]

This was my first console ever, back in 1990, shortly after "The Wall" (I'm from the GDR). I was 5 at those times. Remember it like it was yesterday...

[@MasatoHuehara]

Excellent video, my first 8bit console was a Master System. Videos like these makes me more interest in this system every day. Ótimo trabalho Eric!

[@kermit1]

Appreciate all of the hard work and time it takes into making these videos. Love watching these mini documentaries nightly.

[@VERMISIMILITUDE]

One of the most wonderful videos I’ve watched on you tube. Such a thorough retrospective. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@montrolse]

Great interview of Eric fraga of the channel Cosmic effect of Brazil. Great video. Congratulations.

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks! Eric did an amazing job for this episode!

[@cauedossantossilva9389]

Eric is a legendary man in retro game niche here in B razil

[@Automatik234]

I was so happy, when I saw this in my sub box! Like always, it didn't disappoint! Great research and the guest appearances were also nice! Well done!

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks, that means a lot!

[@MoviesNGames007uk]

Thanks for making this video! I could watch stuff like this all day :)

[@SvengaliTiger]

I have been watching your launch videos for the past week and was searching for this video and then it gets uploaded today. Thanks a lot man. Brings back some memories

[@CGQuarterly]

Great timing, then!

[@chrisrobinson82]

Great video "Buttermancan" here love how you bring in Driscoll for that British perspective. Thanks for the in-depth historical coverage and enthusiasm in this video. I really appreciate the Brazilian viewpoint on this system and the archival footage used. Thanks again for the education ☺

[@CGQuarterly]

Hey Butter!! Thanks for the comment! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@JasonKnigge]

I was one of the 10% who owned a Master system instead of the NES. Great video you put together with views from Europe and Brazil. It's a great unknown system that is starting to get noticed by collectors. Phantasy Star is king among all 8-bit RPG's.

[@carrauntoohil86]

Your console reviews are unrivalled on youtube in my opinion. Thank you for the brilliant content. The Master System holds a special place in my heart as my first ever games console.

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks, man!

[@incognitoicognito4772]

Excellent rundown of the history of Sega. Love your stuff. Well considered, delivered professionally, and hard work put in to the attention of detail/footage/facts. This was my second gaming system (after the C64). My friend had it before me and four of us played California Games and Rampage. It was the first time I'd ever heard the term "almost arcade perfect" and I was completely blown away. This was a huge console this side of the pond 👍

[@vigotski]

I wasn't aware that the Master System had such a colorful and interesting story! Superb video! And nice Senna's cap ;)

[@Guihenrique16]

Wow, awesome episode Chris, much love for Master System here in Brazil, and what a surprise to see the "Cosmonal" Eric Fraga here. Even though someone below have said that he's "mumbling incomprehensible junk" just because of his accent, it can't be further from truth. I've seen a bunch of videogame reviewers in youtube, english, spanish and portuguese speakers, and believe, his channel is problably one of the best. The quality of images, the way he developes the review, like a very close friend talking to you, his knowledge, yes, that guy knows a lot about videogames, you can see how much effort and care he put in all his videos, just like yours. I'm sure you'll like it, all of you. And by the way, one of your videos recently appeared on a big brazilian website (couldn't find the link). Keep on with the awesome videos man, Brazil loves you!!!

[@yellowblanka6058]

Should ask the people complaining "How's your Portuguese?" - for a non-native English speaker, he's really not that bad. I've heard far worse.

[@MississippiMike]

@@yellowblanka6058 I'm not complaining, but I would have answered: "Meu português é bão demais da conta, caboclo. Obrigado". Be careful assuming that Anglophones don't speak other languages, it's not always the case. But I do agree with the premise of what you said, after all. You shouldn't shit on someone because of their accent, but it is inevitable that sometimes people get frustrated when they can't understand you. Even among us, you get judged by your regional accent all the time, it's just the way it is. I think he did well though.

[@yellowblanka6058]

@@MississippiMike - in my experience, most of the people who berate somebody for their English/accent have a tenuous grasp of their native language, let alone anything foreign to them. I'm not talking about somebody saying "It's a bit hard to understand this guy's English", but the "Mofo, speak English!" crowd.

[@MississippiMike]

@@yellowblanka6058 I know, I've seen some bad ones here, while at the same time butchering our written language with their "your a looser" kind of stellar spelling. Now that I watched the whole video, I can tell that his vocabulary is great, even if he is reading a script while editing (like most people would), that's some good writing there. He does need to work on his pronunciation of the letter R, especially at the beginning of the words, where he typically replaces it with an H sound, which sounds confusing and unintelligible, unless you're specifically used to Brazilian accents. Most people aren't and will not understand when he says "frame hate" while meaning "frame rate," although you could by context. My wife is Chinese and in her region, they mix the letter L with N, in both English and Mandarin... takes a while getting used to it! Judging by his accent he is from Rio, where they have a very particular way of pronouncing the letters R and S that works against them when learning English. Brazilians have many ways of pronouncing the R before a consonant, the rural "caipira" dialect (which is the variety I speak) being the closest to the rhotacized vowels that we have in North American English.

[@shredbraahh8606]

Just want to mention that you have an excellent documentary/narrator voice man. Thanks for the vids. Keep it up!!

[@MrSwiftretro]

Another fantastic video! Have been waiting for another one of these to come along

[@josecantu5605]

I'm so glad I subscribed to this channel. It really opened my eyes to gaming history. It's like the Smithsonian of gaming.

[@Retrorevelations]

CGQ and Gaming Historian are where it's at. In depth, quality videos.

[@Arcadiality]

Sterling work,as usual.Great vid.Thanks for explaining the UK side.We really didn't know anything about the video game crash back then. We were having a good crack at microcomputers,even though they look exceptionally antiquated now!! Didn't know about PAL-M.Very interesting.I love the fact Brazilian's are hugely nostalgic for the SMS.Even today new systems are in trade.I never had a SMS but tonnes of my mates did.I never had a mate with an NES,only knew a few lads at school that swapped those huge carts.We used to take the piss outta those huge carts. In my experience, the UK was certainly big Sega fans back then. ahhh lovely memories. Thank you for the vid!! Ya the man!! Leigh

[@marcelokodama238]

Superb Video! I got my Master System from a couple that was selling everything and moving to England. It came with more than 20 games. That was late 1993 (I already owned a NES and a SNES), but felt so good playing that good ol' Master System. By the way, just checked the CGQ+ channel and went back to my childhood. Thank you, Mr. Alaimo. You got yourself another subscriber! Keep up the good work!

[@RodniDemental]

Fantastic video, really appreciate you guys' in depth look.

[@thedrunkmonkshow]

I'm preemptively pausing the video at 0 seconds, hitting the like button, and leaving a comment because I have a strong feeling with the amount of time you took on this and how long the video is that you knocked it out of the park!! :D

[@CGQuarterly]

Oh man, that's a lot of pressure!

[@thedrunkmonkshow]

Thanks so much for taking the time to put together such an accurate and informative video. Even though I know a lot about the Master System since it was my first system and experienced here in the US it was nice to get the other side of the story from people who experienced it from their perspective in their part of the world at the same time. I also learned a few things that I didn't know or only knew part of it. It's amazing how video games connect us all worldwide and hugely impact our lives. In my eyes it's one of the most powerful works of art that is finally getting the respect and praise it deserves but it's a shame for so long it was marginalized and politicized for ignorant, nefarious reasons.

[@RMCRetro]

That was a fun retrospective. I'm with you on the colour pallette and graphic style, there was a real charm to the Master System. Also OpaOpa looks like the google Chrome icon :D

[@littleafterall]

Absolutely stunning video. All that motivation and dedication to retro gaming is amazing to me. Congrats.

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks!

[@robertdanker6193]

Amazing video!! Great job on the Master System! Very in depth.

[@CGQuarterly]

Hey guys! Hope you enjoy this one. Don't forget that you can support the show by buying an official CGQ t-shirt at amzn.to/2hmufQb

[@Arrahant]

Thanks for the new vid! Can't recall seeing a big one like this recently. An inside look into the Brazilian market is very welcome, since I never really understood the origin of the many unofficial and/or Brazil-only software and hardware. Love the combination of documentary-style backstories and gameplay in your work. Keep it up!

[@CGQuarterly]

Arrahant Thanks! I feel the same way; I learned a lot from the segment that Eric helped put together.

[@XenoParadox]

Great video, though as a retro gamer myself, have I already known about this, but I wanted to know what the marketing was in the UK, Europe, and Brazil, plus, the TV commercials, magazines, and sales of units sold of the Sega Master System.

[@philscomputerlab]

Great video, I really enjoyed that. Thanks for adding CC, the Brazilian guy was a bit hard to understand :D

[@rellik187redrum]

Classic Gaming Quarterly thanks man, your console launch videos are really fun to watch, keep up the good work !!!

[@MarioFromMario]

Dude, your videos are phenomenal. You provide so much detail, communicate your points clearly and concisely, and you only give relevant and interesting information. Please keep it up!

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks, Sam!

[@workingclassfather1843]

Your launch videos are AMAZING! I just stumbled upon your channel, and I'm happy I clicked. thank you for your hard work sir!

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks, Dan!

[@TheBroz]

What a great video, top work putting it together and including the perspectives of other regions.

[@CGQuarterly]

Thank you very much!

[@Kazemaru]

I love the Master System, this is a great video!

[@miguelakira]

The Master System was really huge here in Brazil back in the day. NES clones couldn't compete!

[@levantaaaaaaaa]

Sega faliu

[@Jeancarvalho153]

That channel is just marverlous! I was looking for some good content about Sega Master System, and I was lucky to find it here, thanks CGQ!!!

[@CGQuarterly]

Glad you liked it!

[@djmercenary6588]

Wow, amazing video. Please make more, congrats to all involved!

[@JulioSoaresJr]

Eric of the channel Cosmic Effect bring me here, congratulations for the episode, one more inscribed! ;)

[@CGQuarterly]

Cool, dude! Eric is the man.

[@JulioSoaresJr]

Yeah dude, he's. He's one of the biggest collectors of videogames in Brazil and is very much admired and respected in the gamer scene here. He has built something "epic", a mobile called "SuperConsole" where there are several consoles connected simultaneously. Eric is a fantastic person, he's extremely passionate about games and loves what he does, very cool to see this collaboration between you.

[@andrecosta4870]

i like yours Senna hat ♥! Great work! i have a Master System 3 here in brazil with Alex kid in her Memory. Good times!

[@para_dies8071]

Commercials back in the day were gold

[@PapoPistola]

Top notch work as always. I respect the detail in all the videos you make, keep it up!

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks man, I appreciate it.

[@solofalcon]

This is what KZbin was meant for, quality content!

[@CafemanOld]

This video sucked me in and I had to watch it right now. I'm a SEGA fan but never even noticed the MS back in the day. I was "out of gaming" from 86 to about 90 (college years). I do own one now with about 20 games, don't play it much but won't sell it either. I've noticed the bountiful amount of games made for it outside of NA. High quality video as usual, and I appreciated the SEGA history and the UK/Brazil info.

[@SolidusGabriel]

I probably already said this before but your channel is one of the best gaming channels of KZbin. Keep doing this amazing work, my friend!

[@kranibal]

Just great! So much stuff I didn't know about. Must have spent huge amount of hours for such a great video. Thanks for posting.

[@tomaspostorivo]

Argentina and Brazil, both of us loved sega

[@iPlaySEGA]

It looks like ARG & BRA STILL ♥ SEGA because TecToy still releases SMS systems and even a new Mega Drive (Genesis) is announced. :D

[@tomaspostorivo]

iPlaySEGA!! that is true

[@djqkronicles24]

Nice video. Last year I found a Sega Master System boxed at a yard sale, for $20. The cards are interesting for America.

[@CGQuarterly]

Dude, that's a sweet scoop!

[@djqkronicles24]

Thanks Dude keep up the good work. I had a bit of a problem understanding the Brazilian guy and its understandable. Maybe you can do a follow up video to really let us know how important the master system was for Brazil. It was their NES.

[@pwnswoggle]

I enjoyed this video a lot. You guys produce great content. Super in depth research and information with an easy to follow delivery.

[@SamuraiSam]

A very thoroughly-researched and informative episode! Great job!

[@rkplay]

Adoro o cosmic effect

[@LaelGames7913]

e muito bom o brasileiro tentando falar ingreis

[@guspacho09]

Olá

[@thenodfather7790]

Looking back, in many ways Nintendo were Bastards. HOW can people dislike this video, (unless you don't like video games but there is nothing here to go out of your way to dislike and at most just pass by), this video was well made, a great collaboration, full of great information and has great video games to look at. Some people have no joy.

[@NaylorBelmont]

CGQ's vídeos are like a full documentary with lots of information. I've never seen a channel like this! Congratulations dude, from a brazilian fan.

[@RetroGamePlayers]

That was excellent! I LOVE this guy's voice at 21:45!! I remember he used to voiceovers for tons of things in the 80's and early 90's.

[@CGQuarterly]

Whaaaaat? A dislike already? Some people are just joyless!

[@trevorbozeman]

With the subtitles enabled, it was much easier to understand them! Another great video! They are always so enjoyable and very informative! You should definitely do a retrospective on all consoles (obliviously like the ones you've already done), even if another KZbinr has done a video "similar", I always find yours MUCH better! I also enjoy your game reviews at the end. Keep up the great work, you are definitely one of the best!

[@CGQuarterly]

It *really* frustrates me to read this because, knowing that Eric might be hard for some people to understand, I made absolutely sure that the captions that I submitted with this video were 100% accurate so that anyone who had problems with his accent could just turn the captions on. As for the second half of your comment, have some respect. His English is probably a lot better than your Portuguese.

[@CafemanOld]

hahaha... funny response. you just gotta roll with it. :) (Clarifying: I'm responding to CGQ's "Whaaaaaat?" )

[@trevorbozeman]

Classic Gaming Quarterly - I was confused at first cuz I thought your response was in regards to my comment, haha. But I agree with you 100%. It was awesome to see how the console was/debuted in another country. Really fascinating!

[@CGQuarterly]

Trevor Bozeman Not at all! Was talking to that rub-a-dub-dub guy. Thanks for watching the vid!

[@supercellonova]

Now I miss my master system

[@ToploadedGaming]

So cool to see other perspectives from the world. Thanks for putting this together.

[@thrillhouse_vanhouten]

Your channel's a treasure trove of information. Thank you for everything you do!

[@mjallen1308]

I could listen to that Brazilian guy talk all day.

[@MetalHeadJagger]

this episode had me learn and hear a lot of things about sega that i never knew about the master system had the potential to be equal comletition to the NES but The NES was just way too popular

[@Kevinacharles]

That's the funny thing. In the UK, the Master System was more popular. I only learned recently through watching retro gaming channels how unpopular the Master System was in the States.

[@smthomas2000]

Technically the Master System was more powerful than the NES. In England at least the Master System was way more popular than the NES. I believe this was the case in most of Europe and South America.

[@RetroRepairs]

Problem is Europe accounted for a relatively small part of the gaming market. Win in Japan and the US, and you win overall. Brazil's love for Sega evidently wasn't enough to save it.

[@smthomas2000]

@@RetroRepairs I disagree but we are each allowed our own opinion. I would say the downfall of Sega started when Sega USA developed 32x while Sega Japan developed the Saturn. It put them behind the market and they never caught up. It's a really shame but they make a lot of money still so I guess they don't mind.

[@Halbared]

@@smthomas2000 'Way more' is not really accurate. Both the NES and he master sold 1.5 million units in the UK. By 1990 the NES had caught up with the master system When the Megadrive was released and he master became a bargain machine, it helped keep the sales strong.

[@StandingUpForBetter]

Very well done! The 3D Sega Master System was my first 8 bit system but I still learned so much from this episode. Again, well done!

[@Binmaru]

I'm 3 years late! But THANK YOU for uploading this vid!! I just recently moved and sold off all of my consoles.. miss them, but this had just the right amount of nostalgia I needed

[@davebladegun3009]

Damn it! Can't you see I'm trying to get some things done? The fact that I've got to stop what I'm doing and watch this is really gonna put me behind today.

[@davebladegun3009]

Seriously though, I just got super hyped when I saw this notification on my phone. Your system launch episodes are always cool :-)

[@CGQuarterly]

Trust me, I know how it is!

[@davebladegun3009]

Are you running everything exclusively on your XRGB Mini now? I don't see the PVM anymore.

[@CGQuarterly]

Dave Bladegun No. I still have 2 PVMs set up in the room, but I have to use the XRGB to capture the gameplay footage, so that's why that's what's on my desk. If I'm just playing for leisure instead of for the show (which doesn't happen that often, sadly), then I sit at one of my PVMs. Actually, since you can't use a Light Phaser with a flat screen TV, I had to hook my system up to a PVM, and then send the outputs of the PVM to my Framemeister, in order to record the Safari Hunt footage. That made for a big mess on the desk!

[@davebladegun3009]

I hear you, dude. I have most of my systems running RGB to a PVM, and then using the PVM outputs to feed my Framemeister the signal --- which I will admit makes me fully retarded because well, it' just overkill. I'm probably just a little too crazy over this stuff. It's totally worth it for you to have the Framemeister going, though, it gives all your recorded gameplay a super polished, crisp look.

[@lforster2]

Loved this thank you. Absolutely loved my Master System back then. Fond memories

[@googleboughtmee]

Enjoyed this immensely. You make some of the best docs around. Also love the way different regions are covered instead of the common US-centric view.

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@mysteriotube1233]

whats up with all the dislikes i found this video amazingly educative and a great look back at an epic console

[@CGQuarterly]

Haters gonna hate, basically. There are people subscribed to my channel just so that they can leave "dislikes". Glad you liked it, though!

[@mysteriotube1233]

Classic Gaming Quarterly well u have a new sub from me really enjoyed the video

[@magnumforcemopar402]

Nintendo fan girls can't handle any other consoles no matter what.

[@odeiup]

Magnum force Mopar I can. Then again I like a lot of consoles.

[@Undone007]

Chris - I feel like a big part of your/your channel's appeal is in having your narration (you have an awesome voice and you're passionate about what you're talking about), handing it off to anyone else makes it feel like a generic documentary I would watch on some obscure cable channel or like an old G4TV show.

[@CGQuarterly]

First, let me just saw that I always appreciate constructive criticism, and I think that your opinion is quite valid. I too often am disappointed when a KZbin channel that I enjoy watching has a guest on, because I subscribed for the host, and not for someone else. But just hear me out on this one. One of the criticisms that I get from viewers is that I only tell the stories of these launches from the American perspective. My response has always been that I'm not the person to tell them what happened in their own country, and that one of their fellow countrymen should make similar content specific to them. For this episode, there's just no way to have a legitimate discussion about the Master System without talking about the two places where it was wildly successful. I think that having people who grew up with the system in those countries talk about it instead of me gives more authenticity to this episode, and to be honest the Brazilian segment of the show in particular wouldn't have been anywhere near as good as it ended up being because Eric wrote that whole script drawing on his own personal experiences, as well as submitting about 20GB of video material for me to draw from. To say that he went above & beyond to help make this episode as good as I think it turned out is an understatement. While I wrote the rough draft of the UK-centric segment, Paul heavily edited it to make it both more accurate and more authentic. In both cases, there are tidbits of information in those segments that wouldn't have been there if I had just done all the research myself, and to me it's those little details that make a video like this go from "good" to "great". Anyway, that's just my 2 cents on this one. I honestly do appreciate your comment though, and it makes me feel appreciated that someone would be disappointed that someone's voice other than mine is on my videos.

[@Undone007]

Thanks for the response, and honestly you've always gotten back to me on my comments so I'm happy to give my thoughts - I really try to support channels that are from actual gamers and not the corporate junk that's taking over KZbin (like everything else I guess). Definitely cheering for you! Just a brief couple thoughts - I think the idea of having a local view of a game launch, especially one like the Master System where it really wasn't flourishing in the US like it was overseas/in Brazil, makes sense and is actually a pretty cool idea. BUT... There has to be a way you can use their input without handing over the figurative controls and taking yourself out of the narration - if I wanted to hear about the Master System from a Brazilian perspective in really bad English, one of the cool things about KZbin is I'm sure I would have some choices to pick from, I'm not watching your videos for that. I think trying to work through yourself is typically going to have the best results - for example, rather than having narration about the UK, interview him, summarize his thoughts, give them a brief introductory segment but then get right back in there, etc. - keep "the CGQ guy" front and center with the soothing radio voice. Keep trying stuff though! I hope I don't come across the wrong way via internet-induced meaning loss and sound like I'm trying to tell you what to do or something, just what I'd like to see from a viewers perspective. The video is great other than my complaints and I still don't understand how these are of such high quality when you're working on them alone part-time.

[@CGQuarterly]

Steve R You don't come across in a negative way at all. At this point, I am still experimenting with my channel and seeing what works. Input from the community is a big part of my trying to grow and improve. Some people would tell me to not listen to other people and just do what I think is right, but that's how you get stuck in a vacuum and start to stagnate.

[@fireheartis1]

I for one enjoyed your two guest and hearing how a system fared in other countries besides America. Too see that the Master System which was a great but underrated system in the States fared much better in the Brazilian and British market was kind of cool. Plus those British commercials were so funny and cheesy lol. I mean come on "Do me a favor and Plug me into a Sega" that was so goofy but funny at the same time. It's no wonder they did better. Nintendo pretty much screwed Sega with the Master System in the States and Canada really. Too see those exclusive games from both countries was great and made me wish I lived there at the time lol. Anyways great job as always Chris and when it comes to showing off how consoles far in other countries keep having guest all you want.

[@chaddt]

fireheartis1 I was digging the insights of people in other countries. I was hoping to hear a bit about the Korean versions licensed by Samsung (Gam*boy and aladdinboy). Perhaps someone should do a little video to educate people about the Korean censorship of Japanese media's effect on gaming in Korea... or at least the products of those laws such as the Hyundai ComBoy. Perhaps I will do it when the time is right.

[@ordoveritas]

I must have seen this episode about 10 times by now. Growing up in Sweden I was the only one of my friends that had a master system .. NES was the norm back then. Showed them Phantasy Star and most was blown away.

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@eduardoferrazfraga]

Chris, it was a joy to watch and also you've found the nicest gamer from Brazil! Awesome video!

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks Eduardo!

[@97channel]

We didn't really have much of a console market here in the UK until the 16-bit era. Ironically, that's when the Master System took off. We were not a wealthy nation back in the 80's. £30 for a single game was just ludicrous to your average person, a week's wages for some people. Compare that to £2 for a game on the Speccy or the C64, it was a no brainer. It was within the realms of affordability for a school kid from pocket money or newspaper-round wages. The C64 had a hefty outlay to buy the hardware, whereas the ZX was about the same price as the consoles. What machine you ended up with, depended upon how generous Santa was feeling that Christmas. And what you got, you cherished for years to come. There was an uptake of consoles to some degree, it wasn't unheard of. The Atari 2600 had been the console of choice during the early 80's, then the significantly cheaper 2600 Jnr, around the mid to late 80's. The NES was highly desirable, but the uptake was somewhat limited. We were fine with our beloved computers, or at least our parents were. Sega Master System was a thing, certainly heavily advertised, but the sales weren't lighting up. It was after the launch of the Mega Drive that it began to take off. The redesigned Master System II was marketed as a budget alternative, an entry level Sega, and that really struck a chord. Still being somewhat shy of opening our wallets. there was an appeal in having a great many of the top name Sega games available on a system which didn't cost as much. The trade off in graphics and sound wasn't always a huge deal, just having the games at all was often good enough. Sonic The Hedgehog being available as a built in option was really tempting. But where the Master System had a surge during this era, the NES was slowly declining. I wouldn't say that the Master System is hailed as the greatest thing ever, unlike how it seems to be in Brazil, but there's certainly no shortage of love for it over here. I'd go as far to (cautiously.) say that you'd probably find an overall slight lean towards the Master System than the NES.

[@RemixedVoice]

97channel Great comment. luckily, the people in the UK were able to burn computer games to trade with all their friends using blank cassettes, haha!

[@97channel]

I meant to reply to this ages ago... Oh yes indeed, a big C-120 cassette stuffed full of pirated... erm, I mean "backup" games. I had an Action Replay cartridge for my C64, you could compress a 10 minute load time right down to about 2 or 3 minutes and load it up on any regular machine. One cassette would be an entire collection on its own. A great many arcade and console games were ported onto the C64 and they were usually pretty decent conversions, so we never felt like we were missing out on much.

[@kimmolaine8069]

Ah, the classic "SEGA!" opening. :)

[@sani8646]

Man, great memories with the Master System, I still have my Master System bought new in 87, Good Stuff man !

[@franklinbrown7389]

I just love these videos. So informational yet a joy to watch. I appreciate all the research. You do a great job at giving the viewer reference of the environment in which these consoles launched. I also liked the international perspective as it gives the story a lot more depth.

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks, Franklin!

[@Argantonis]

Why do you have a sign from a Finnish construction site on your wall?

[@ChescoYT]

My childhood of Christmas 1988

[@puckthemoon7337]

Great video, nice work! The Master system was big in Australia too.

[@JazGalaxy]

Excellent job on the B-roll. You do a great job and only seem to be getting better.

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks a lot! You gotta love that B-roll.

[@DJDopeB]

Do the launch of the Sega Dreamcast please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@DJDopeB]

Beto R2P Pois é, a história do console é muito interessante.

[@nickcurrier1546]

Anybody saying that they can't understand Eric must not have ever talked to anyone outside of the united states. I had no problem understanding him whatsoever.

[@CGQuarterly]

That's what I'm saying! Maybe it's because I'm in California and we have people from all over the world here, but Eric sounded great to me.

[@PetrisonRocha]

I'm Brazilian myself and I had kind of a hard time trying to understand him. :P

[@madfinntech]

I'm not even a native speaker and I can understand him just fine.

[@pedrofelck]

I'm Brazilian and I had no problem understating anyone in the video, but I think my brain worked harder to understand Eric haha

[@HCRAYERT.]

I understood Eric really well

[@jmcc2k10]

Grear in-depth history of all the consoles i owned as a lad, defo earned a sub after that video, you can tell a lot of work went into it. Thanks

[@geekrj]

Joel Santana English.

[@MasatoHuehara]

kkkkk mas foi bem informativo.

[@geekrj]

Foi sim, foi ótimo. Mas tive que comentar. rs BR BR kk

[@leusuzuki763]

Ele é brasileiro? Quero dizer, não o Eric Fraga, o dono do canal.

[@geekrj]

Provavelmente não. O outro é BR msm, da pra ouvir kkk

[@leusuzuki763]

Artur Pitanga​​, o sotaque entrega. Mas se bem que o dono do canal parece um pouco brasileiro. Pode ser que ele seja fluente e mora nos EUA há muito tempo. Tanto faz também :P. Conheci o canal agora e gostei.

[@Wanking_wanker]

America: naw Japan: naw Europe&Brazil: *I NEED IT*

[@groalerable]

always appreciate your videos, commendable research and insight

[@keiranninjaspirit]

I luckily got my master system with a lot of begging to my mum in 1987 and i loved the machine as i just had a spectrum 48k. This is a great video and very informative to hear how Sega formed in the beginning...well done..THumbs up!!

[@TampaTec]

Hangon was annoying to play anything the biker touches he'll explode like a mine. 💥

[@burntyper]

vergonha desse sotaque do norte desse cara

[@nesvailton]

burntyper Pq vergonha? Qual o problema em se falar com sotaque? E a Bahia é nordeste, não norte.

[@burntyper]

Isack Almeida todos

[@nesvailton]

burntyper Depois dessa resposta percebi que é só uma criancinha mal criada, vá brincar vá.

[@justneagle]

Thank you for all your hard work on these. History lessons are much appreciated!

[@CGQuarterly]

Thanks, Justin. Glad you liked it.

[@ZakkHung]

As always, great video! What an awesome and informative history lesson to boot. Once again, very much worth the wait! Please keep up the good work. A+ content!!

[@AChannelFrom2006]

Sega Master System > Nintendo Entertainment System

[@redocious8741]

hardware no games no controller yes

[@KirkJacobsonHere]

Now imagine those games had Nintendo not signed developers up with terrible monopolistic contracts, that prevented them from creating for other machines and limited the number of games they could make. They not only held the market back, but put several great teams entirely out of business.

[@Hizzoner21]

Ehh... I had both...completely disagree.

[@magnumforcemopar402]

Ivor Couisetyne it's a fact jr.

[@turricanrocks1552]

valcarni1 Nintendo Entertainment System >>>>>>>>>>>>Segain't FAIL System.