Why Sega Master System Got COMPLETELY DESTROYED !

[@johnpenguinthe3rd13]

I'm American and I grew up with a Sega Master System in America. In my elementary school classes, almost everyone had a NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). Only two kids had a Sega Master System: me and this other kid named Brian. LOL. And then there was this ONE other kid named Nick who had an Atari 7800. The three of us were in our own little gaming niche while everyone else had the NES. The thing is, I LOVED the Sega Master System. I had a chance to play the NES at friends houses (a lot of Punch Out, Mario games, Ninja Gaiden and strangely enough Friday the 13th). Meanwhile, my friends played Sega Master System at my house and I took full advantage of the Master System version of Double Dragon (which had multiplayer on the Master System, unlike the one player experience on the NES). We played A LOT of two player Double Dragon on the Sega Master System together. The other game I played with friends a lot was Great Baseball (unlike the other "Great" sports games on Master System which were horrible, Great Baseball on Master System was a lot of fun and was fun as a one player game and especially fun as a two player game). Also, The # 1 thing I noticed is that a lot of stores carried NES games only... NO Sega or Atari games. For example, this old store named Ames (which was kind of like Walmart / K-Mart / Target) refused to carry Sega and Atari and were NES exclusive during the 80's and early 90's. According to my Aunt who worked there, Ames had an agreement with Nintendo to carry their games only during that time period (they didn't start to sell games from other companies till late 1991). I had to get my parents to bring me to Toys 'R Us since they were one of the few that sold Sega Master System games. Another really excellent store which sold Sega Master System games and the console was CRAZY EDDIE (and their slogan in their high energy commercials was accurate when they said "our prices are INSANE!!!". Very cheap prices for brand new tech. However, Crazy Eddie would get shutdown a few years later when it was learned they were running a CRIMINAL OPERATION behind the scenes... which explains why all their prices for new tech was really cheap. As it turned out, Crazy Eddie really was CRAZY. LMAO). Anyway... To conclude my essay: I loved the Sega Master System and it's the main reason why I still play video games today (currently playing on my Playstation 5). I loved it much more than the NES and Atari 7800 (the games on Sega Master System that I got were awesome. I especially loved the Master System RPGs like Phantasy Star, Spellcaster, YS, etc). It caused me to convince my parents to get a Sega Genesis when that released later and things spiraled from there (I currently own 31 different consoles and thousands of games).

[@zenbyo]

I remember showing a kid the 'Gain Ground' screenshots in the Sega magazine that i'd get in the mail and he was like 'look at those graphics!'. That was the first time i had heard that term used.

[@bltvd]

Poor Nick.

[@TheSnatchbuckler]

Toys R Us and I think it was KB Toys were my go-to places for SMS games. Was Sega all the way through to the death of the dreamcast.

[@zenbyo]

@@TheSnatchbuckler 'security you have a pickup' 😁

[@Astrotrain99]

I'm American as well and got a SMS Christmas 1987. Yeah not too many shops carried SMS back then from what I can recall. Where I lived it was either Toys 'R' Us or a regional chain called Brendle's that had them. I always liked going to Brendle's cause they had one of those SMS demo kiosk multi-game selectors. Could try out about a dozen or so SMS games to see if I liked them which was great ( not like I could rent SMS games anywhere to try lol ). I also had Double Dragon. Ended up getting it for free from a promotion where Sega ran a TV commercial for a mail away offer where you turned in a certain number of Proof of Purchase + shipping and they would send it you. Fun version of Double Dragon despite the flickering and more accurate to the arcade than the NES version.

[@exodous02]

As an American I think it had something to do with marketing. I didn't even know the Master System existed until the Genesis came out and that is the only because the Genesis came with a funky adapter to play games from an old system I had never even heard of. At the time I thought it was a system that came out only in Japan, I had no idea it was ever released in the US.

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

In Japan, it was called the SG-1000 when it first came out on July 15, 1983, the same day Nintendo had its new Family Computer System, or FamiCom, that we would get as the NES in 1985.

[@TheSyconerd]

And like the video said, there was limited titles that were popular so most consumers would have less incentives to buy something they never heard of with few games worth playing

[@therealjaystone2344]

Nintendo controlled the market in the US and bought it to other companies via contract to sell their games. At that time, greed was okay and American government never bat an eye on monopoly.

[@anonamatron]

It was in stores next to the giant NES section, but who cared about that next to the HUGE NES section?

[@TheTurnipKing]

It did pretty well for itself in Europe, where Nintendo's laisez faire aittitude to the contintent gave the system the breathing room to get established first. Nintendo's notorious licensing system in the eighties gave Nintendo a huge advantage: Basically if a game was getting released on the NES and other consoles, the way their licensing shook out, the NES had to be the "best" version.

[@RobsRetroGaming]

Sega MS is criminally underrated! SO many great games! I'm quite addicted to that system!

[@sheamichael2004]

Not as much as the Sega Saturn or the Sega Dreamcast, but I do think that it is slightly underrated compared to the Nintendo NES.

[@BusyMEOW]

Putt & Putter, Parlour Games, Wonderboy, Action Fighter with the doki_pen cheat code.. The master system version of Sonic is better than the megadrive version in my opinion.

[@blastproces]

personally I think the nes is the more versatile system with the better games. The ms was not given enough platform titles to compete

[@XVa-uj8m]

So is the Saturn, I became a die hard Sega fan after the Saturn, NOT the Genesis.

[@XVa-uj8m]

@@blastproces Too bad the color variety didn't compare even, where the PC Engine wrecked them both.

[@PaulDavies4]

I had a NES myself but I remember the advert for this it was a face on the screen with lots of colours and it talks about graphics. My friend had the console and I can remember playing double dragon on it with him.

[@lundsweden]

Here in Australia Sega Master System, Nintendo NES and the Commodore 64 were all pretty popular. By the late 80s the Amiga also pretty popular, and to some degree, the Atari ST.

[@abdulrazzaksaadah1832]

Amiga is one of the best of all time, unforgettable music

[@mootbooxle]

Got my NES in 1988…a bit later I had a neighbour who had a Master System that I would go and play sometimes. I feel like the graphics on the Master System are superior to the NES but the sound is inferior, with no way for the sound chip to change the duty cycle of the pulse waves, leaving it with very bland square waves playing all of the sounds.

[@fuzzluvver69]

I'm glad I grew up in the UK where there was a genuinely equal battle between the Master System and the NES both in terms of kids owning each and in terms of the quality of game library. I had the Master System, my friend had the NES, so we both got the best of both worlds!

[@Epic_C]

As a kid in the US, I always remembered Nintendo. I honestly don't even remember seeing Sega commercials for the MS, it only picked up after the Genesis release. So I don't think they marketed it well.

[@tabsntoot]

Nintendo heavily saturated the us market. Some brilliant games indeed. Right games at the right time. Unfortunately at the cost of sega but saying that it was a different story in other countries

[@EpsiIonEagle]

I’m American. While all of my friends had an NES, I had an SMS. Everyone wanted to come to my house to play Alex Kidd in Miracle World and Zillion.

[@chaospoet]

I knew ONE person who had one here in America. Luckily for me he was one street over from me. I got to experience it while it was still commercially relevant here. Have fond memories of playing games like Rambo and Double Dragon. I also remember watching (we were not allowed to even touch the game let alone play it) my friend's dad play Phantasy Star which was mind bending at the time. I eventually got one for myself (and the power base converter for Genesis as a back up) and it's still one of my favorite consoles to this day.

[@nowt1002]

Opposite way round in the UK, I knew one person who had a nes, lots of people had a master system. Mainly the master system 2 with Alex Kidd built in. The local video shop used to rent out master system games right up to 1999 when it closed, don't remember them ever having nes games.

[@tabsntoot]

bro you actually ‘made it’?

[@moonbeam_base]

Sega Genesis fanboy to the max, but even if MS had the third party support, the NES soundchip is just so classic. MS music never had the same classic charm to me.

[@bobbydazzler329]

Master System music sounded like a ballerina music box

[@PhaQ2]

I remember the first time I'd learn of the SMS in 1992. I went to a local video rental store and asked if he had any cheap gaming consoles for sale, and he brought one out. I bought the system after he explained what it was an how much he wanted for it. $20... And $5 or less for games.

[@tabsntoot]

so you had an insight your nes crazed buddies didn’t

[@sleepinglionarchives]

I appreciate these looks back. Because you focus on facts and not laughs, these sorts of vids will stand the test of time as historical documentation of gaming history

[@TheSnatchbuckler]

Great video. I was (at first) an involuntary Sega guy starting with when my folks got me a Master System for Christmas one year instead of a NES. Quickly grew to love it and stuck with Sega all the way through to the Dreamcast. It's sad their console business wasn't handled better.

[@scottwmoxham5626]

Same story for me but mine was voluntary. Mostly because of the Rocky game. I still have the systems.

[@Housestationlive]

with nowadays games quality, i won't be surprised if gaming industry should get another financial crash soon or later.

[@thecunninlynguist]

I kinda envy brazil that they kept it alive for so long and got some pretty kick ass ports.

[@zacharyrollick6169]

And I love the way they serialized games to their boxes.

[@bugradio]

Sega was not on my radar...until I got a 3D master system for Christmas one year. So, I was one of the minority Americans who had an SMS, and one of only THREE kids total in my whole school who owned one! I loved it, wished more folks knew about it back then, glad it's getting more attention these days. Thanks for the video! More SMS, please!

[@RetroGames4K]

I owned the Master system 2 here in Spain. I always found the master system superior to Nes, except on the sound chip. Here in Europe the war between Nes and Master System was really tough.

[@davidcohen9016]

I’m actually about to buy a used Master System. I realized it was Game Gear games without being cropped / zoomed it and it makes some so much easier. Like Sonic 2.

[@PinkyJujubean]

Nintendo had a lot of games that were considered cool and a lot of them were only on NES. Some of these games weren't the best but they were still wildly popular. It's hard to compete with a system that has Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, Metroid, Castlevania, etc

[@BanksOwnUs]

Here in the Netherlands, everyone had the Sega Mastersystem (II).

[@kevin.a.countis]

I had both of these consoles, but the NES won out in the living room

[@gameshack1985]

At least here in the UK it destroyed the NES. Literally no one owned a NES back then.

[@FalloutMemphis]

Facts

[@FalloutMemphis]

I had played Hangon, Kensieden, Vigalante and the built in maze game. Good times

[@HollowRick]

Yup haha

[@blitzerblazinoah6838]

Until Turtles

[@gigatywing3483]

Same here in New Zealand

[@Vincent_N89]

Master System was my first ever console as a kid 😊

[@madspunky]

I would say, here are the main reasons: -Super Mario Bros. 1 -Excitebike -Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! -The Legend of Zelda -Metroid -Super Mario Bros. 2 -Super Mario Bros. 3 Even if the Master System had better third party support, the NES would still have had a way better library.

[@kamsandwich6990]

Fun fact, sonic the hedgehog was a demake for the master system. It was released on genesis/mega drive first.

[@unit0122]

Congratulations on your 100k subscribers, Lady Decade! I'm a big fan of your channel since the very beginning! You really produce such high quality content!

[@stofopdenaald132]

Dutchie here, and imo the Master System is the superior 8-bit console. Loved mine, sold it, and regretted it ever since. Never was I drawn to the Nes, had friends who had one, but I was much more interested in the 16 bit consoles by then. Not long ago I found a Famiclone with some games, and find it way more interesting and fun than the original Nes. Can't find any info on it though. Has Virtual City on the front instead of Family Computer.

[@stuartzimmermann4180]

Loved my master system

[@zenmaster24]

80s sega kids represent! my video gaming childhood in australia ❤

[@reboxtherapy]

If you're forced to only have 1 or a few games, mostly for budget reasons, NES was the console. Super Mario bros, Zelda.

[@mrglasses8953]

The master system was more popular than the NES in the UK (I had one) but consoles ran a distant second to 8 bit microcomputers in the 80s.

[@RichardDzien]

It gets me every time i see Lady Decade posing with one of the consoles. Like a confused presenter on The Price is Right.

[@vintagepennies6899]

I got the master system on christmas the year after the nes came out. I got the nes the following year. So glad my mother got me the master system. I loved it. Even though i put way more time into my nes, the master system was such better hardware. Loved both, glad i was lucky enough to have both being that I grew up less than fortunate financially.

[@SteveBrandon]

I can't speak for the United States but Sega Master System seemed to hold its own against the NES a little better here in Canada, at least considering that most video rental stores that also rented games would have a decent selection of Master System games up to about 1990-91 when those stores ditched the Master System for the Genesis. Also, the Master System was initially distributed in Canada by Irwin, a Canadian toy manufacturer, so they might've been a little more successful at getting it in more stores in Canada per capita compared to the States.

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

In the U.S., when Sega realized its Master System was losing ground to the NES, it forged a deal with Tonka to distribute the console, but this did no better (most notably because of Nintendo's licensing policy at the time) and in 1989 Sega, after its 16-bit Genesis console became a hot seller, ended its contract with Tonka for the MS.

[@TheyCallMeSledge]

I concur, in the U.S. no competitor, let alone SEGA stood a chance against the might of Nintendo and the grip it had on the North American market, which in it's own way was a blessing in disguise because it taught SEGA a lesson on how business is conducted in America in the late 80's to 90's, go hard or go home. That's probably why the Turbografx-16 failed miserably in the U.S. it was relying too much on it's brand name, NEC to gain recognition but NEC was more known as an electronics provider than one for video games. Even so, NEC was also in the losing end of that battle against SONY so the TG-16 was also dead in the water. I digress, the Master System drowned so that the Genesis could swim.

[@SteveBrandon]

@@TheyCallMeSledge I don't deny that the NES was a lot more popular in Canada, I just think the Sega Master System had a still small but marginally larger market penetration in Canada due to the initial Canadian distribution having been through Irwin Toys which also imported to Canada a handful of European market Sega Master System games that the US didn't get.

[@visisydandthevoid]

My neighbor had one and I was able to play it when they babysat. They had one game I loved playing but can’t remember the name of

[@STP.83]

It was my first gaming console here in Germany and I still love it. Here it was quite popular and all electronic markets and bigger supermarkets seemed to sell it.

[@theultimatepololo]

My first console and one of the most underrated systems ever, even nowadays when the Saturn has finally received the spotlight it deserves ....this little Sega 8 bit beauty still an overshadow gem of a console, what a 8 Bit power house, probably the most pure Sega system of all, because 90% of its better titles were made by Sega themselves. The Master System; the TRUE Master Race

[@blazr1976]

The first Phantasy Star was a masterpiece

[@robdigital1383]

Everyone I knew back then had a NES , the only place I saw a master system was in toys r us … (in Scotland btw )

[@therrock2587]

super mario back then is like the hulk hogan of the video game world & years after they came with sonic i owned a MS but everybody back then mostly had a NES , i think they didnt know Master System after they had a NES firstly

[@thabg007]

1st and only time i saw a master system was when I was a young teen, we went to some kids house, I was like what the heck is that thing? he turned it on and i said o NES like graphics but its sega, then i realized that gamegear is just a portable master system

[@cmdrarcturus8197]

Very thorough & brilliant review! I didn't grow up with the SMS here in the states, but it's gotten to be one of my favorite retro consoles. Since you touched upon it in this review, any chance that an Atari 7800 review is in the works for your list of "necessities for gracious living" in the future?

[@48hourrecordsteam45]

I feel the master system was crushed because 1.they didn’t pack in Alex Kidd 2. Didn’t have enough promotion that included Saturday morning cartoons for at least 3 of it’s ip’s & not enough tv commercials. Nintendo did - A lot of marketing and advertising 3.too many consolse, too many revision, 4.release too late couples in with 1-3

[@teleclic01]

In Italy Sega Master System was more popular than NES

[@brichan1851]

You and your husband are two of the most important voices in gaming historical documentation.

[@hippocrates72]

0:16 Co-Console _Ma-Ma-Max Headroom_

[@tf1090c]

I know that phrases like 'COMPLETELY DESTROYED' make for good titles, but at ~ 14 Million worldwide sales it was actually only a minor commertion faliure. Especially with an extremely high software tie ratio. Those who actually owned a Master Sytem generally loved it.

[@faberrarius5069]

I had a master system when I was a kid. It had some really fun games

[@elizandrolopez6295]

Another strong reason, to have nes games for free via emulation. Their greediness, monopoly, and annoying policies is the main reason still to have their games pirated. F... ventendo. 👎

[@outrunusa1222]

I don't care how many great, great, great, grand kids I will have in the future. There will always be someone telling the story of what Sega did wrong? How about a story showing and telling what they did right, or how they were the first ones to do or try something before it's time. The good things that Sega has accomplished and achieved won't be largely recognized until the day they ( in Altered Beast Voice) RISE FROM THEIR GRAVE! Sega used to be in Sony 's seat. Sega had their version of the top rated and popular games in every category at home and in the arcades. Their games have always been more graphicly impressive than their competition.

[@Merkantoine]

Sega: becomes a 3rd party and drops console development Sega does what nintendon't

[@gregwalker428]

I remember people still using a master system before the PS1 and Saturn came out.

[@imtekcs]

I know the master system was popular in the UK. It wasn't marketed well but has some great games like Phantasy Star, Alex Kidd, Altered Beast, Golden Axe, and others. I feel the problem in that era was that Sega master system didn't launch with a system mascot. Perhaps if it had launched with Sonic, maybe it would have been different. But like the video stated, they didn't have much experience or marketing this product

[@kgosi-nkili.]

😑very true. Especially when you're trying get into a sugar munching gaming market like that of the US.

[@imtekcs]

@@kgosi-nkili. yes I remember those sugary tie in cereals from that era. They weren't that good lol

[@Vincent_N89]

I had Alex Kidd built in to my Master System...The first video game I ever played ❤

[@imtekcs]

@@Vincent_N89 I had the Master System with 3 built in games. I know one was Hang On

[@imtekcs]

@@danwarb1 I know it strange, isn't it like the amstrad sold better than the commodore and amiga systems in the UK. Where as in the United States, the Amiga and Commodore were very popular

[@PetrisonRocha]

I'm from Brazil and EVERYONE had an SMS here on the late 80's/early 90's (I had one too). I was ignorant about franchises and developers because video game media was non existant, so whenever I compared it to the NES, all I could see was "graphics on the SMS are better".

[@Gimili10]

Honestly, the Master System's only flaw is that it couldn't compete for third party games.

[@lostfan5054]

So glad you tackled this topic!

[@ddg-dojodestroyergaming3682]

Whoa, was that Stephen Dorff in that Master System commercial??

[@bobbydazzler329]

Roberto Mancini

[@blue_ranger]

I really want to smack the one at 2:15 for slamming the cartridge like that. The sort of ar53h013 that also wraps the cables tightly around the controller after I bet. All my retro stuff still works and for good reason.

[@bobsmith9271]

It all came down to games. Nintendo had iconic franchises, like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kid Icarus, and Punch-Out. Sega had nothing on the same level, at that time.

[@YoYo-xn9tn]

En España por suerte fue un éxito la Sega Master System y podíamos disfrutar de sus grandes juegos... Ninja gaiden, land of ilusión, Donald duck, master of darknes, Sonic, Golden Axe Warriors, Renegade ect

[@BigmanDogs]

Master system was quite popular in parts of continental Europe. Mega drive even more so, it was more popular than the snes in my country.

[@jhoughjr1]

in the US around 91 it was getting neck and neck. I asked for a genesis but they were sold out so I got a snes. Was glad I did ultimately.

[@BigmanDogs]

@@jhoughjr1 I remember the main reason why the mega drive was more popular here was due to the sports games. Something crazy like 75% of mega drive owners in my country had the hockey game. Also, many of the great snes games were text based and this unsuitable for non-english speakers. Nintendo only stopped underperforming in Europe when the Wii came out. The N64 sold terribly in Europe.

[@Enzo012]

It was only completely destroyed in America though. It did reasonably well elsewhere, it was still being made in Mexico in 2005 or something.

[@hopduncan7905]

I loved the Master System, i just could never find gam3sfor it and I was shopping at childrens palace and toys r us at the time I owned it.

[@robone9978]

in brazil master systm was a succes from the hand od TecToy games....

[@blackpaladin3339]

I've always been a Nintendo and Sega fanboy. The NES has a special place in my heart, but that doesn't mean I dislike the Sega Master System. I remember my high school teacher had one hooked up on the television, and students who had high enough grades were allowed to play during breaks. (Games like Shinobi, Hang On/Astro Warrior, Double Dragon, and Football were up for play at the time.) However, that ended when one of the students did something dubious while his wife was in labor and had to bail. (I can't remember for the life of me, this was 30 years ago, mind you.) When he returned, the Sega Master System was removed, never to be seen again. However, I did buy one of my own on eBay for about 43 bucks USD and bought a few games for it. (Shinobi, R-Type, Rastan, Hang-On/Astro Warrior, Double Dragon... and the system's blood diamond, Phantasy Star") That reminds me, I oughta look up other game for the system I can add to my collection...

[@shannonmanley9217]

Your Awesome Lady Decade. Keep those videos coming. God Bless and take care.

[@KrunchyTheClown78]

Pretty much the same story with the Atari 7800. Nintendo had the 3rd parties on lockdown. Atari barely had the money to make games in house, sadly.

[@Darkkfated]

It's such a shame. I liked my Master System MORE than my NES in a lot ways (I was lucky - my dad was a video game fanatic - I literally grew up with a Colecovision controller in my hands) so we had BOTH. Ys, Phantasy Star, Golvellius: Valley of Doom, Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord, SpellCaster, Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, Zillion, and far superior ports of Double Dragon and Rampage... I have so many fond memories of going over to my dad's on the weekends and playing almost nothing but Master System (and later, Genesis) games.

[@ventisette.]

It’s not like Nintendo had an illegal monopoly in the US or anything…

[@celinedrules]

I loved the SMS. I was stoked when I found out about the hidden maze game and Wonderboy games were the best of all time.

[@jrcapone1980]

My best friend 3 doors down had a Sega MS, I got a Nintendo. He switch over to Nintendo.

[@JamesNGames]

The Sega Master System, a gaming console that unfortunately fell short of its intended success. Despite its impressive capabilities and a valiant effort to compete with its rivals, it struggled to capture the market's attention. Factors such as fierce competition, limited game library, and marketing missteps contributed to its eventual downfall. However, its legacy lies in paving the way for Sega's future triumphs and serving as a reminder that even the most ambitious ventures can face challenges.

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

That's right, thanks to Nintendo's strict licensing guideline that called for each licensee to make five games a year and for them to be exclusive to the NES for two years. Some were able to get around this limit: Konami, for example, did so by forming a secondary label called Ultra Games (and PALCOM in Europe and the U.K.), which allowed Konami to have 10 games a year for the NES; after Nintendo relaxed these restrictions in 1991, Konami closed down Ultra.

[@JMFSpike]

If not for Nintendo's shady business practices, the 80's would have probably been the first console war between Sega and Nintendo, and it probably would have went down similarly to SNES vs Sega Genesis/Mega Drive too. The Master System would have no doubt gotten most 3rd party heavy hitters like Mega Man, Castlevania, Contra, Blaster Master, Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, Bionic Commando, some of those Capcom Disney titles etc.

[@HeathenDance]

I think that is just a myth. What made Nintendo super popular were the Super Mario games, period. This was what made kids like me REALLY want a Nintendo system. In my case, both the NES and the Game Boy. If it wasn't for Super Mario Land, I wouldn't have annoyed my parents to buy me a Game Boy. Then, of course, the door was open for those 3rd party titles. And what made the Mega Drive popular was the inclusion of Sonic the Hedgehog, both as Sega's hero, and a platformer included with the system. Sonic was Sega's bodyguard, and it's not surprising that the Sega Saturn didn't do well. It didn't have a groundbreaking Sonic title. Nintendo 64, on the other hand, relied heavily on Super Mario 64 to pave its way, even being released after the Playstation and the Saturn.

[@bdillmore40]

Big Sega fan here, I will admit that the NES did crush the Master System however I do enjoy both! Today I love collecting for both, but I get more excited seeing Master System games because they're more uncommon to find than NES games are!

[@jesickaaddams7199]

Yeah i moved to the UK in 2014 master system games are way more common here than nes games back back when I was in the states I almost never came across master system

[@devo076]

I worked for Funcoland back in the 90s (used game retailer like GameStop used to be), and we never did any business with Sega Master systems. No one ever brought in any Master system games or a console. No Turbografx either. We had tons of old Nintendo games though, and lots of Genesis stuff.

[@erlingcypriansen]

Sega master System ❤

[@mightymulatto3000]

I played Choplifter backwards for years due to a busted controller.

[@cehaem2]

One more thing - Big N marketed their consoles as toys. Their sales reps went out and targeted shops selling toys which guaranteed a whole different level of market coverage.

[@NateTheGnat]

The Master System was like the ugly caterpillar who went into his cocoon and became a beautiful butterfly Genesis.

[@cepopeye]

I feel like I sincerely never get tired of hearing the same Sega history over and over and over on Lady Decade

[@houseoftheted637]

The Master System is a cool system 😎

[@houseoftheted637]

Back in the day, I had no idea that the master system existed. Micro computers ruled. 😎

[@kgosi-nkili.]

I loved my cousins mega system more than the nes/famicom. I loved it so much it made me wish I was born in the early 80s than the late 80s to enjoy it properly.

[@flemmingallanthomsen9284]

MY First Real Console I owned then I was getting a NES sadly for one Game Basically TMNT Nes Sega In Europe was KING it had Super Hang On and the light gun game build in Hands Down the Best SMS game was and still is Phantasy Star 1 I finished tho i Never Owned it one of my Biggest Gaming Mistakes Ever

[@KevinJones-bt7ib]

The master system was popular in the uk, it was also cheaper than the nes

[@raziel8321]

the master system is an incredibly interesting video game console. a very interesting story and quite successful worldwide. more successful than the Nintendo NES in some countries. and one of the longest supported consoles. just not in the US. Because the Master System had 3 different phases in its lifetime, there are big differences between the games. the later 90's europe titles can hardly be compared with the classic 80's 8 bit games.

[@lazarushernandez5827]

Miami was one of the markets that saw an early release of the 7800. I remember getting it a few years before the NES or the Master System showed up. By the time Nintendo and Sega brought over their consoles, you really didn't see the 7800 on store shelves here. The Master System was in a lot of stores during its time; Toys R Us, Babbage's and Electronic Boutique carried the platform around here. Of Course the NES was also on the same stores, with more shelf space dedicated to it.

[@daryljr5361]

I really love the classic music in the background

[@kennethfelipe823]

My younger brothers friend had the master system. We would swap on occasion. Gosh I’m old.

[@oskarjohansson5757]

Love that you put the music from Little Nemo

[@tonystout1545]

Let's look at something I have never heard discussed about the Master System verses Nintendo Entertainment System: Console physical form factor and overall appearance. NES looked sleek and modern. Master System was a weird pyramidal form with some strange heiroglyphs on the top. What was it aiming for, an Egyptian audience?

[@volvoguy804]

Master System could never take me away from my Contra, Mario, Zelda, Mega Man, and Castlevania.

[@volvoguy804]

@@Blas4ublasphemyIt was ok. Terrible music and sound compared to NES though.

[@xendraven]

A necessity for gracious living, in the UK at least

[@kaox44]

I grew up in Laos, we were lucky to have electricity once in a while. So our top video games

[@adultmoshifan87]

Personally, if I were a 20 or 30 something living in the US when the NES was taking off, I would’ve responded to Nintendo’s anti-competition policy and forcing of stores to sell games at high prices by making my own 30 in 1 game cartridge! I wouldn’t do any of that shady stuff Vince Perry later did with Action 52, I would take my time, employ a good few people to make the 30 games, give them 6 months and I would release the cartridge on both the NES and Sega Master System! The NES version, because Nintendo didn’t allow their stockists to sell unlicensed games, I’d sell via magazine ads, an infomercial and I’d look into doing deals with convenience stores and small independent toy stores as a way of having it sold in brick and mortar stores! The Master System version I’d sell in the same way but I’d also be able to sell that version anywhere Master System games are sold! Once the Genesis arrives, I’d promote the Master System version of my cart as being playable on the Genesis via the Power Base Converter!

[@Riz2336]

That master system was a weird one. I never knew anyone who had one and the only thing I've seen is a few games in a used game store. Needless to say it flopped bad in CA

[@LinktheSamoyed]

Weird, I grew up in Australia and I always felt that the NES trumped the Master system here or maybe that since I was "a Nintendo kid" I probably was in my own bubble.

[@BurleyBoar]

Another good video. Thank you. Seeing the dapper bearded gentleman at the start my brain clunked over and realized how much latent sexism I need to do get rid of. I am a man who likes dapper bearded men, so when he came up it made for the full inversion. A women commenting on video games with a man showing off the hardware. Then cuerkunk again in my head - a person talking about video games using an attractive person to punch up the video game they are talking about. Thank you for helping me bash down the latent sexism in my head.

[@lonreed9743]

I got the Game Gear then, which is a portable SMS really. I loved it and the games along with the TV Tuner was awesome!

[@Naturenerd1000]

The Sega Master System won in Brazil. Lol

[@symm286]

@ladydecade will you play the built in snail maze game for us?