Why The Sega Master System Failed in the USA! - Retro Console History

[@Astrotrain99]

I live in the U.S. and got a Master System Christmas 1987. Only kid I knew who had one. Don't really remember how I ended up with it over an NES as I was 6 at the time. Guess my parents couldn't find an NES in stock, saw the Master System and said "close enough." Fell in love with it though and still holds a special place in my heart as my 1st gaming console. My cousin up the street had an NES so I had the best of both worlds and eventually got my own NES Christmas 1989.

[@Noobsaibot21]

I recall SMS being IR£49 when I got it (off Santa). The NES was IR£129. That's how I ended up with an SMS :) And happy enough with Rastan, Blackbelt, Terminator, Sonic 1, 2 & Chaos and many more games I grew up with and love

[@DennisAlexioAndyHug]

Consider yourself lucky. I wish I knew about it back then

[@thehumbleone1983]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@warzardtheboredtimelord2865]

I used my paper route money to buy one when it came out. I actually had a small contingent of SMS fans to play and barrow games with.

[@psychopoison]

From my school back in the 80´s (Brazil) 98% of the kids had a Master System, only a handful of kids had NES, First time I saw a NES was at my cousin home, He was playing Target Renegade and Ghostbuster, I thought that was so inferior (Graphic and sound).

[@kilerik]

In my childhood both SEGA and Nintendo didn't have official presence in Turkey, but there were companies which were importing consoles and selling them for infilated prices, making original consoles only for rich kids. The only reasonable way to have a console was to buy cheap Chinese NES knockoffs and pirated NES compatible cartriges. My mother wanted to buy me something special and she had no idea about consoles so she bought Sega Master System 2. I was first frustrated because that meant I couldn't trade cartriges with my friends (who all had Chinese NES knockoffs). Later I was amazed by the graphic quality of the games and I found out that there was a big playerbase revolving arounda a video casette store in a very luxury district of Istanbul. I always had 6 cartriges but I was always trading with the store and other players. This video brought up many good memories, thanks.

[@jesspace4069]

thats cool man its neat seeing how things went for people in other countries :D

[@typhoonth8689]

Same thing was in late Soviet Union. During the Perestroika since 1988 our market was flooded to the brim with unlicensed NES knock-offs, like Kenga, LIFA, SUBOR, Bitman, Dendy. In 80s Soviet-Chinese relationships got warmer. Unlicensed famiclones and Mega drive clones are selling in my home country to this day. Master System, on the other hand was very rare. It was only selling in Republics' capitals and large cities.

[@hermanvonroth1555]

Master System was a great success in Europe. But in Scandinavia, Nintendo was the bestseller (both NES and SNES) thanks to Bergsala AB, the first company outside Japan and USA to sell the NES. The Scandinavian market has a very interesting history, worth checking out! All the best from Sweden

[@NoraInuG]

Weren't the famiclones like Pegasus / Dendy / Terminator more popular in former Eastern European Bloc countries like Poland, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, and the Former Soviet Republics?

[@hermanvonroth1555]

@@NoraInuG That's true, although we got some Famiclones in Sweden aswell

[@sampsanyman162]

Yeah Nintendo mania was equal to America here in Finland. I was surprised when I learned that this wasn't the case in whole of Europe.

[@autobotjazz1972]

@@NoraInuG Yes as they were often all that was available to what was then called eastern Bloc or Warsaw pact nations as Nintendo and seeming Sega had no presence in them at the time. later they did , Nintendo actually gave the dendy its blessing for a time.

[@Halbared]

@@sampsanyman162 Not for the whole of Europe, but Nintendo did do well and sold more units across the continent.

[@phobos2k2]

The Sega Master System was my first love in video games. My friends on the next street had one and I would play Wonder Boy In Monster Land for hours when I would dog sit for them, lol. Despite all my begging, I never got one. Later I got an NES instead, which I learned to love as well. But that master system will always have a warm place in my heart.

[@jasonblalock4429]

It's funny, when I was a kid (in the 80s) I genuinely wanted a Master System, due to its better specs and 3D support. My parents went with Nintendo, presumably due to its better software library. I can't say they were wrong, exactly, but I've still always wondered how things would have gone if a few more households had gone for the technologically superior platform. (And either way, by the time the Genesis came out I could make my own purchasing choices, and so I did what Nintendon't.)

[@AsukaLangleyS02]

But a worse console, yeah nice purchasing choice...

[@AsukaLangleyS02]

@Rooflesoft Games No the SNES was better in every way hardware wise to the Genesis besides in clock speed so Sega used that as marketing for "blast processing'

[@segaunited3855]

@@AsukaLangleyS02 False. Genesis had more power. SNES had more sprites,colors and was better at handing DSP Memory. But Genesis had a hidden 32-bit Address Register and was superior at DMA Databanking. SNES only used an 8-bit Address Register.

[@segaunited3855]

Owned both consoles by 1993.

[@AsukaLangleyS02]

@@skurinski Sega failed, get over it...

[@derektorres6260]

I have been a Sega fan since my brother got the SMS for Christmas in 86. I ended up buying the SMS2 because he didn't like to share. We've both owned every Sega console since except the CD, but he did have a cdxv

[@davidlevy706]

Nintendo's tactics were so effective, I was unaware that the Master System _existed_ until the Game Gear's US release in 1991 (when magazines mentioned that it was derived from the Master System). I never saw the Master System in a single store or knew anyone who owned it. I didn't encounter its games in person until seeing a handful for sale at a flea market in the mid-2000s.

[@KasumiRINA]

I didn't know SEGA made consoles before Mega Drive until KZbin.

[@segaunited3855]

@@KasumiRINA First saw Master System in 1988. It was known as the "Sega System" at the time. Didn't find out about 7800 until I was a teen. That's how much of a FAILURE it was.

[@dtester]

Where did you guys live? I was a in a major city and there was plenty of Sega, Atari, Nintendo around. Granted Nintendo was king, but you just had to open up a Toys R Us ad to see all the game systems that were out at the time and they always had a great selection of Sega games in my area.

[@dtester]

@@segaunited3855 yeah, despite what market share data says, although the 7800 might have sold more units than the SMS (perhaps because of its cheaper budget price) I seriously believe it had much less of an overall impact to the gaming scene than the SMS.

[@davidlevy706]

@@dtester I lived in central New Jersey, near the shore. I rarely visited major cities in those days, but my family received local television stations from New York and Philadelphia (on which I didn't see the Master System advertised or mentioned). My go-to store was a nearby Toys "R" Us, where I never noticed anything related to the Master System.

[@skins4thewin]

Jesus... What Nintendo was doing in the U.S. in the 80's was HIGHLY illegal. How they didn't have the pants sued off of them by Sega and others is beyond me.

[@Chaos89P]

I think Nintendo was sued by Sega in 89, citing antitrust laws in the States, but I'm probably wrong.

[@Halbared]

@SakthiV That was a different reason, Atari were wrong in their lawsuit, but the lawsuit over the 'monopoly' went the other way.

[@jadedheartsz]

they DID actually get sued in court over that and lost big time, though their punishment wasn't much of one-they were forced to give customers vouchers that entitled them to free SNES or NES games.

[@baroncalamityplus]

I got the SMS for Easter in 1986. Yes that date is correct. Sega Test marketed the Master System in the Spring of 1986 at Macy's in New York city. It was my favorite system of the generation. I had a NES as well but I much perfected Sega Master System.

[@segaunited3855]

Easter is a bit off. SEGA and Tonka Test Marketed Master System in May of 1986. Not Easter. Easter is referring to Atari 7800.

[@nick13b]

@@segaunited3855 who would have guessed!

[@brandon_leeroy135]

You lucky dog!

[@robbiereisman8954]

I was a kid in the US during the '80's and early '90's, and I loved the Master System. Phantasy Star blew me away. I didn't actually own one until I purchased a Master System 2 at Toys 'R Us in 1990 or so. However, my buddy Mike and I would play his Master System all the time in the late '80's.

[@MitsuhashiTakashi]

The power base converter in the us is how a lot of people played the mastersystem here

[@hammerheadms]

I had found one in a thrift store for $20 in 1996. My friend gave me all his old games since his Master System took a dump. Still play them to this day.

[@TheJadeFist]

Funny thing now is that power base converter costs about the same as an actual master system does now. So pick your poison, or buy both if you just want to collect it.

[@mattorama]

@@TheJadeFist I did some re-configuring of my game setup and ended up with a powerbase converter on my model 1, and my model 2 in the 32x/SCD setup. Works great.

[@TheJadeFist]

@@mattorama I'd like to get a Sega CD and a 32x, I was looking recently and the Sega CDs are like 200 dollars now (on Amazon/Ebay but those also include the Genesis/ Megadrive it connects to), I should have bought one when they were cheaper. As much as I'd like one, I really only want it for Sonic CD on original hardware, and it's on Steam and the windows 95 version is still like 5 bucks for a copy. Makes it a bit of a hard sell at this point. But it's cool that you got them in working order.

[@mattorama]

@@TheJadeFist There's no copy protection on Sega CD so if you buy the hardware, the software is free.

[@superpaul79]

I had a Master System because I wanted it. The other kids had NES, but I loved my Sega.

[@Scorpionbe]

Here in Belgium all my friends had a master system, including myself. It was great and still is. Our first console. I still play it today. There was only one kid that had a nes. After the master system everybody had a mega drive. Only that one kid, he had a snes, even on school, it was all sega here !

[@andrewt6338]

I love SEGA! The SMS needs more of my attention soon!

[@matiasd.7755]

@@NB-1 some Master System models in Japan had an FM Yamaha builtin synthesizer. That sound is optional in consoles without it. The sound option was not avalaible outside of Japan but it is easily hacked into. And many games in whatever region do have support for the FM sound....

[@jesspace4069]

@@matiasd.7755 i never knew that wow

[@Chaos89P]

I wouldn't be surprised if a Master System Mini became a hit in the States.

[@hammerheadms]

I had a friend who had a Master System, and was teased mercylessly by Nintendo fanboys over it. Ironically none of those Nintendo fanboys had ever even seen up close a Master System, let alone played one. I used to tell my friend that the joke was on them because they all spent more time playing with the cartridge to get it to work instead of playing the game itself. Fast forward ten or so years, I had picked up a power base converter for my Genesis at a thrift store. My friend gave me all of his games since his Master System stopped working. Lucky day for me 😎.

[@Sinn0100]

The Sega Master System came with three games...not two. The "base set" came with Astro Warrior and Hang-On cart. The upgraded or "action set" had a cart with Hang-On and Safari Hunt. There was a third set sold with the 3d glasses but I don't know what it was called. In every single model sold there was a third game called Snail Maze. If you held buttons 1+2+Up while starting the machine it would go into this hidden game with 12 separate levels.

[@ReallyCoolSite]

I actually asked for a Master System over the NES. I thought the NES graphics were crap in comparison so I ended up with a Master System. I was proven right when I got my first job and someone convinced me to get a NES and ... it was crap. It felt like a downgrade in every way.

[@beard78748]

The first time I saw a Master System it was at a garage sale in 1991. I was nine and I had already been playing video games for a few years. I remember asking questions about what is a Master system to the teen that was trying to sell it. My friend bought it with 5 games for $20. I enjoyed playing it but since he was unable to find any new/used games it eventually got replaced with a SNES. I think the main reason I never saw one was because I lived in a small Texas town 90 mi away from Houston.

[@RetroRecollections]

Nice overview, it's amazing how unknown and underrated the console is in North America. Being in the UK, it was everywhere, it was my childhood console and I love it to this day :)

[@pnkflyd66]

1-800-USA-SEGA I remember calling that hotline many times for game play help.

[@szr8]

I remember that number too. What's interesting is that while Sega used a 1-800 (toll free) number, Nintendo used a 1-900 (high rate) number for their game help hotline.

[@b3h8t1n]

Master system was my ish 😍 I played at a friends house when I got sick of spending quarters at the arcade and begged my mother for one. Got a NES instead because she didn't hear of it. Later got a genesis and when the game gear came out and I wanted it because it had SMS ports I bugged her again. But it was too expensive. That's when I got my first job.

[@yesticles]

My Great Aunt had a Master System and like 25 games back in the day. We'd spend all of our Christmas Eve's at her house from 1989-2004, and even after she had upgraded to a Dreamcast in 99, I'd still be glued to the old Master System. This was the only place I had ever seen one in person until retro game stores started popping up locally. Back in the early 90's, none of my friends used to believe me when I would tell them Sega had a system before the Genesis.

[@Candle_Calmness]

1989-1994 * dontcha mean?

[@yesticles]

@@Candle_Calmness No, I was saying that those were the years that I had spent going to my great aunt's house for Christmas Eve.

[@NewportBox100s]

Another fantastic video! I would like to see a video on how the Master System still thrives in Brazil to this day. 🦄🦄🦄

[@TopHatGamingManChannel]

I made that video about three years ago, it is on here somewhere!

[@NewportBox100s]

@@TopHatGamingManChannel Epicness! I will find it. Cheers from Augusta GA, U.S

[@edrosa3485]

@@TopHatGamingManChannel ....looking for it.

[@BenJabituya]

I was more of a SEGA fanboy, growing up. I felt like an outcast to society while all my other friends had Nintendos. Mainly because of playing OutRun, Hang-On, AfterBurner and Space Harrier in arcades and at home on the Master System.

[@SnickterP]

Same here! Definitely got bummed when the supply of new games started to dwindle out. But Dad got us a Genesis around '89/'90 and boy did my Sega love take off from there.

[@DatOneGuy901]

i was one of the few Americans that grew up with a Master System in his home along with the NES i had,. my older brother had a Master System 1 (and would also later go on to buy a Turbo Graphix 16 as well) those early Master System titles like Rocky, Rambo, Alex Kidd and Phantasy Star are a big part of my childhood.

[@xenos_n.]

I was lucky enough to be one of the few people in the United States to play The Master System quite a bit and I have lots of memories of it. Phantasy Star, Zillion, Fantasy Zone, ALF, Kung Fu Kid, Astro Warrior, Space Harrier, I got to play all those and more. Amazing system.

[@JamieTannerPresents]

a friend of mine in Canada had one of these, I really like this system. nobody else I knew had one lol

[@jesspace4069]

I'm from Canada and as a kid i never knew one person who had a Master System, I always thought the Genesis was Sega's first console in North America back then and most people I know too at least in Toronto and surrounding areas where I grew up :D

[@SomeOrangeCat]

A lot of Americans didn't even know it existed until the very beginning of the 16-bit Era, when Sega was advertising it as a low-cost alternative to the Genesis. I never even saw one first hand until I was in high school in the mid 1990s.

[@Bloodbane2099]

True it was so bad it seemed like the product was hidden from public eye,i was 17 (1997) before i knew it even existed when i ran into it in a flea market (yes im a old geezer now)

[@yesticles]

Even then, a lot of people my age were totally unaware of it. I was in elementary school in 1993 and none of my friends believed me when I told them the Genesis wasn't Sega's first console and that my Great Aunt had something called a "Master System" that was just like an NES but better. This was at the height of arguing Sega vs Nintendo at recess for me, so I had to embellish it a little bit, lol.

[@CommodoreFan64]

I was given a Game Gear for Christmas in 1990, so a lot of the later Master systems games that did not get released in the US ended up here on the Game Gear instead, which I guess is the next best thing, and despite all it's flaws some of my best gaming memories from my childhood where with the Game Gear.

[@mikered4103]

Love the streets of rage music in the background.

[@Choralone422]

While the base Master System was technically superior to the base model NES/Famicon in many ways (but not sound!) Nintendo did a good job of incorporating additional chips into cartridges to add additional capabilities (various MMC chips) to the NES for many years. They did the same with the SNES on many games. It was fairly rare to find an enhancement chip in most Master System or Genesis games. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_management_controller

[@Halbared]

Yes, those later games with the chip advantage were excellent.

[@thehumbleone1983]

I love Master System 👍👍👍👍👍 Sega 4 Life

[@kabochaVA]

12:03 Instead of "Alex Kidd in memoria", I read "Alex Kidd in memoriaM" I was wondering if he died... LoL Crazy how one letter can change everything!

[@jahjoeka]

Damn Nintendo was cold bloody bastards back then.

[@Amdecreations.]

The debates at school in my school in the UK was what was the better console, MS or NES.

[@sonicmario64]

I was only able to know about this console's existence because one of my cousins was able to own a Sega Master System when I was a kid. The version that they had included "Hang-On" and "Safari Hunt" built onto the console, and the games that my cousin had with it were "Ghostbusters", "Shooting Gallery", and "After Burner".

[@Devilot109]

The Master System is so good. I don't think I had one as a kid, but I think we had some leftover carts from one somehow? But I got heavily into it and a few other platforms that didn't really have much US presence, like the glorious MSX line of 8-bit computers (with one 16-bit one), via emulation when I was in my preteens and teens, so it's still nostalgic for me.

[@KingAlone516]

i was 4 in 1988 when i got the master system, a year later my sister got the nes which later became the main console we used. even though i was young i remember a lot of stores we went to did not carry games for it here in the U.S so we had to just rent them. Comparing the 2 the master system was the better console but the nes had the better and more memorable games.

[@SAM-ru4vx]

I knew people that had the power adapter for the genesis. used to play rastan, phantasy star, r-type on it.

[@awwrelic]

Still have mine. Bought it around 1995 for $4.99 at a local Electronic Boutique.

[@andyukmonkey]

I think the Master System didn't become properly succesful in Europe until the Megadrive starting selling well. Master System 2's are incredibly common in retro gaming shops today and the games are everywhere but I don't recall ever seeing a model 1. Overall I think the Master System slightly outsold the Megadrive in Europe. Sega only stopped making games for it because they suddenly had to concentrate on the Saturn in 1995.

[@Halbared]

I think that's likely, as the budget Master 2 was a great purchase for 50 quid in 1994.

[@natgrant1364]

My experience with Master System marketing was when I was telling a friend about Phantasy Star 2 on the Genesis. He recognized the name so I asked him where the first game was. He said it was on the Master System. Me: "The what?" Him: "Master System. It's Sega's old 8-bit machine." Me: "Oh. Never heard of it." And that was my experience with their marketing. I had almost the exact same experience with the Amiga. Same friend, even.

[@JeremyLeePotocki]

With regards to the Master System 2 when it was released in the North America the first batch did not have Sonic the Hedgehog preinstalled instead it had Alex Kid in Miracle World due to the game not being released at the time. The batches after that did have Sonic included. I had the original model with Hang On/Safari Hunt preinstalled, and my friend fell in love with the games that I had so he went, and got the first batch of the Master System 2 when it was first released.

[@franwex]

I didn’t even know of the master system here in America until many years later.

[@segaunited3855]

Plenty of people owned Master Systems in 1987-1990 and I knew plenty who did in '88. To find SMS at the time, you had to go behind Store Shelfs, NOA put all their stuff at the Front of the Store. People who wanted the "Sega System" could get it anywhere, they just had to go behind the Shelfs to get it.

[@tetsujin_144]

I remember seeing Master System in stores as a kid and thinking the game cards were a really great feature. But I didn't get any consoles at all until the mid-90s as I'd mostly used Commodore 64 until upgrading to a PC later on. I rented some consoles, and had been interested in trying some non-Nintendo ones (esp. Turbografx) but most places just rented Nintendo. I'm not too inclined to add a Master System to my collection, but I might get the Power Base Converter for my Genesis and try out the platform sometime.

[@NotSoHeavyD3]

OH and for the full releases of both systems they had multiple skus. You could get a NES Control deck with 2 controllers and SMB for $80 (which is what I bought at the time.) or the similar sku for the SMS which was AstroWarrior/Hangon and 2 controllers for $100. (They both had the more expensive SKUs with light guns.)

[@segaunited3855]

The NES Control Deck was far more widely distributed than the Deluxe Set. The Deluxe Set was limited exclusively to the Mid Atlantic Area in Mid Autumn '85. Nintendo didn't even produce that many of them. SMS came with one SKU during its Spring/Summer 1986 Test Market which had a built in Maze game. The Test Market SKUs came bundled with Hang On.

[@lion-orichie398]

This is something that I’ve never understood since 1986... The Sega Master System was released after the NES, And Yet they decided to put the “ Pause “ & “ Reset “ buttons on the console, instead of on the controller... I remember having to play with the console close by, so I can pause the games... One time my friend was helping me, while I played Alex Kidd In A Miracle World... I said to my friend “ Pause the game , please “... And he pressed “ Reset “ by accident... Damn, and I had gotten so far in the game ! ! !

[@briansmith8361]

It's interesting how the success of a product varies by country, and I knew almost nothing about the Sega Master System until about 15 years ago. Yes, I live in North America, so this country didn't show the Sega Master System much love.....but I love it! It's definitely an underrated system!

[@cornflakesbaby]

Well played good Sir as usual, pip pop and all that rot! Off subject, that's a very young Stephen Dorff in the commercial at 0:59

[@DavidWonn]

Only one friend of mine had a Master System... but he also had a NES like everyone else here in the States. I was definitely curious about the SMS, but we generally ended up playing the NES most of the time.

[@sammyyo461]

I grew up as a Nintendo kid, but learning all of these facts, trivia, and history of it's once formal rival really gives me a great admiration of SEGA!! They were really quite the ambitious games development team with many of their classic titles(both console and Arcade games) still holding up really well and newer releases are still quite good and so stylish!! > w

[@GCJACK83]

Fun fact: The Master System versions of Sonic One and Sonic Two are the exact same as the Game Gear versions. Absolutely no changes in graphics or sound were made on either of them. Sega would also go on to release all other Sonic GG games for the Master System, from Chaos to Triple Trouble and Tails' Adventure.

[@ultrairrelevantnobody1862]

They were made for the Master System first then ported to the Game Gear.

[@GCJACK83]

@@ultrairrelevantnobody1862 Yep, which for those who only played the Game Gear versions, explains the horrendous screen crunch.

[@lazarushernandez5827]

@@GCJACK83 The Game Gear was essentially a portable Master System, I had a 3rd party adapter that let you play SMS carts on the Game Gear, and you had to deal with graphics formatted for a TV screen on the GGs LCD (screen crunch, small type etc), but they worked without a hitch.

[@JTVega]

I remember, Sega Master System didn't have a big presence in advertisement back in 1987 It wasn't being sold in many stores. The only thing I remember is the advertisement for the system was the 1-800 number to order to get that system.

[@t.y.talksbotsfiguresandgam3822]

5 games that works great but we're sleepers on the Sega Master System. Kenseiden, The Ninja, Choplifter, Zillion, Cyborg Hunter. I think games back then would have made Sega the #1 choice if there was fair competition between the 2 systems.

[@mybiasedopinions4793]

Before I watch this vid, Id like to give my two cents on one of the main reasons the Master System failed in the US. Nintendo basically threatened both developers and distributors/stores, that if they made games or sold games for any other companies (Sega) they would no longer allow them to makes or sell Nintendo products. Which was finally declared illegal by the US Supreme Court. So by the time the Genesis came along, developers could now make games for Sega as well, without Nintendo coercing them to do otherwise.

[@mybiasedopinions4793]

There was literally one store where I lived that actually sold the Sega Master System and it's games. And no surprise, they did not sell NES products either.

[@adamcoleman6504]

I honestly didn’t know the Master System existed until a few years ago, it was all about the NES in my part of Canada anyway-really speaks to the effectiveness of Nintendo’s marketing strategy (as you pointed out Top Hat!) Very informative, thanks for the video!

[@JM-hx9ew]

It's the hat that pulled me into this video. Thank you for the good find, sir.

[@autobotjazz1972]

The Sega master system arrived in North America way too late and Nintendo had plenty of time to put in place deals, contracts and other things to make it very hard to cut into their market share. As for the Genesis from what i have read it seems the exacs in Japan were losing face over how poorly it was doing in Japan compared to the US and removed the very people who had made it such a success. Then continued to trip over their own dicks going forward.

[@DarDarBinks1986]

Technically, I have a Master System via the Genesis. I'm just missing a Power Base Converter or Mega SD FPGA cart.

[@thepolacek]

I grew up in Nebraska (USA). I never saw a master system on the shelf. I honestly never heard of it until 2010 or so.

[@jorgecuelar3391]

Aahh the 80's😍... I remember getting a SMS because i was bonkers😂 about R type, Time Soldiers, Rastan, Out Run, Wonder Boy & Double Dragon (2 player simultaneus) I only knew 2 other friends that shared the SMS passion All my other friends had the nes (i also liked the nes but the nes did not have those arcade ports well DD yes but 1player only) but i remember that getting SMS games were hard to find maybe Tonka sucked at the distribution... I live in the Mex/Usa border... Thanks👍👍great video greettings from mexico

[@catvideojogos]

I love SEGA and I love to collect SMS games today , back in the days I was a MEGADRIVE BOY ! SEGA IS STRONGER THAT YOU !!

[@joshuahumes5548]

They should make a Sega Master system mini

[@Chaos89P]

Might end up selling well in the States, thanks to hindsight.

[@borrellipatrick]

Every neighborhood was 9 kids out of 10 had an nes and that one kid had a master system.

[@juiceala]

Nintendo played dirty

[@subzero8679]

As a kid, I had no Idea that the Master System even existed. I didn't even find out about it until like the mid 2000's when I was in my twenties haha!!! I don't remember sewing any ads for it back in the 80's.

[@losalfajoresok]

thanks a lot for more history lessons!

[@K-Blao]

I remember my dad stomping our Sega into pieces because he kept tripping over the controllers that we left out. He was a Vietnam vet with PTSD. Sega Master System has always carried a bittersweet memory for me.

[@K-Blao]

@Stefano Pavone thanks for the condolences

[@NotSoHeavyD3]

OH, and at the time the SMS came out in the US there weren't a lot of games for the NES yet. The flood of games actually came in early 87. (But at that point there were a ton more games for the NES than for the SMS.)

[@segaunited3855]

Sega Master System was first Test Marketed in NYC and San Francisco on May 23,1986. This was exactly 7 months to the Day Nintendo first Introduced Nintendo Entertainment System to the Mid Atlantic Region on October 18,1985 and begin distributing it Cross Country to Larger Cities starting November 1,1985. Master System made its way to Chicago when it was first Introduced at the Summer CES, The West Coast finally got SMS in June, but SMS didn't fully launch Nationwide until September 18,1986. Exactly nine months to the day NES finally got a full Nationwide Rollout on February 19,1986. Also, the flood of Games for NES was Holiday 1986 into Early 1987.

[@WhatHoSnorkers]

Good vid! I had a SEGA Master-System II! E-SWAT wasn't great, but Sonic 2 was!

[@carolinehusky]

Meanwhile, here in France, even the SG-1000 found its niche in the form of the Sega Computer (SG-3000). And the Master System was almost a matter of national pride... The NES never even stood a chance!

[@Halbared]

It's difficult to tie Master system numbers down for France, but it's possible it might have been 1.6 million, NES was on 1.4 million.

[@IkariMetalSlugger]

If only it had caught on in the U.S.

[@brianoconnell6459]

Technically it did, in the form of the Game Gear. The games from the MS ran on the GG with a minimum of tweaking (the debug machine they used for it with the Genesis in the US was a slightly modified Power Base adapter).

[@lazarushernandez5827]

@@brianoconnell6459 You could buy an adapter for the Game Gear that allowed you to play Master System games. I had one, it functioned like a pass through.

[@Maulbert]

@@brianoconnell6459 What are you smoking? The Game Gear sold less (10.6 million) than the Master System (13 million). It was a massive failure. Sega's only true success was the Genesis/Mega Drive. None of Sega's other hardware even cracked 15 million in sales.

[@benyboybob]

So glad I grew up here in the UK

[@GeekHero_Bubba]

Well I do appreciate this video Sir. This was extremely informative as usual.

[@DennisAlexioAndyHug]

So glad I found this channel

[@_zoinks2554]

For the life of me I can't understand how anyone could dislike THGM? Good video in the Master System old chap!

[@jackofallgamesTV]

Back in the day, my best friend and one of his other friends had a pact: intentionally have one get the NES and the other the SMS. Then they would haggle with each other for "off system games". Both were happy with that arrangement, and both would have hated to go the other way. Ironically a third friend of ours had the 7800.

[@dr666demento]

Nintendo blew it in the UK nearly as bad. Mattel (who were still stinging from the failure of the Intellivision) were in charge of UK distribution for the NES - which is why that console failed hard there.

[@CommodoreFan64]

That, and region being already use to the glut of cheap 8-bit home micro computers that mostly used compact cassette tapes for their storage medium balked at the prices of NES games when budget ZX Spectrum, and Commodore 64 games where 2 - 10 GBP at the most, and even though I'm from the US it was the reason my family did not get an NES till Christmas of 88 since I already had a C64, along with an Apple II IE from an uncle a few years later, and games on floppies could be bought much cheaper, or copied.

[@segaunited3855]

Consoles in General failed in the UK and were outdone by low end underpowered PCs like ZX Spectrum and Amstrad. SEGA AND Nintendo never had a chance there. Sony came in and pretty much flexed their large Deep Pockets and took a Monopoly out there especially on consoles since by 1995, Game Consoles were finally starting to catch on.

[@Halbared]

@@segaunited3855 I think the power of Sega and NIntendo doing the hard work with the SNES/Megadrive that scared the likes of Commodore/Atari into making the mistakes they made, and it was easy pickings for Sony later on.

[@Halbared]

@@CommodoreFan64 I had a C64! ANd then I got a NES! I did love my C64 games, but I sold it to concentrate on the NES, since I felt the games were better, yes they were expensive, but they lasted. I do regret it, as I have fond memories of Bruce Lee, Forbidden Forest, Spy versus Spy etc.

[@neojason8349]

I loved my Master System. This video takes me back.

[@Artzei]

I really wish Sega could start to make some Master System & Game Gear collections instead of constant Mega Drive re-releases. Honestly, with these last couple of years, there has been maybe a bit too much Mega Drive stuff, so much so that it feels like an broken record that goes on and on.

[@lazarushernandez5827]

This is true, the Genesis/Mega Drive was Sega's greatest console success, but that wasn't the only arena they competed in. The Master System has great games, the Saturn has great games, the Dreamcast has great games, and Sega has a long list of arcade titles that some have never had the chance to experience. The recent Dragon's Trap remake was originally a Master System game, in fact the new graphics run directly over the original game (even the original SMS save codes work on it!), the Phantasy Star franchise originated on the SMS. They (Sega) have plenty of IP that could see a return or refresh (not just Sonic).

[@Derecuda]

I would love to get a Master System or a converter for my Super Retro Trio+ to experience some great 8 bit Sega games. I think you touched on it before, but I feel you should have mentioned that the Master System is still, or very recently an extremely popular system in Brazil. It's probably had a longer life span than any system ever with its extreme popularity in the region. That story seems legendary to me.

[@NESADDICT]

My neighbor borrowed her uncles Sega so I did play it like one time at her house as a kid. I'm surprised I was even exposed to it as a North American kid.

[@Twintania]

The only people I knew who had a master system was my best freind's family and my grandma otherwise I have never seen one or its games in the wild except game stores which is a shame.. I recently just picked up the system and im trying to get a good libray going for it pretty underrated

[@SharifSourour]

LOL & Happy Console Gamer just released his top 10 Sega Master System games. Perhaps you two bumped into each other at the same bookshelf at the Akashic library?

[@evilinsecticon3813]

He should have mentioned the power base converter. It allowed me to play

[@BongWeasle]

I still think choplifter on the master system is one of the best arcade conversions ever. Cracking game. The master system was and is a great console.

[@Astrotrain99]

Agreed. I loved Choplifter. One of my favs on the system from my childhood collection.

[@GeoNeilUK]

One thing you missed out, Nintendo's devious licensing practices with the NES were ruled illegal in court aroundabout 1991 when the MegaDrive came out. That definitely helped.

[@segaunited3855]

You mean 1990. Nintendo of America and Minoru Arikawa were the ones pushing it. Nintendo of Europe did fairly lackluster during the 80s. NES tanked in the UK and lost handily to Master System across Europe. NES also was outsold by Master System in Australia by 4 to 1.

[@GeoNeilUK]

@@segaunited3855 "You mean 1990." 1990 is "aroundabout 1991." "Nintendo of America and Minoru Arikawa were the ones pushing it." Pushing for what? The actual court ruling in he USA that put an end to the Nintendo Seal of Monopoly? The very same Seal of Monopoly that Nintendo of America and Minoru Arikawa could have put an end to at any time? (or better still, not have put into practice in the first place) "Nintendo of Europe did fairly lackluster during the 80s." Irrelevant. This video is discussing the Sega Master System in North America. "NES tanked in the UK and lost handily to Master System across Europe." Irrelevant. This video is discussing the Sega Master System in North America. "NES also was outsold by Master System in Australia by 4 to 1." Irrelevant. This video is discussing the Sega Master System in North America.

[@Halbared]

@@segaunited3855 The NES did fine in the UK, sold 1.5 million units. And across the whole of Europe sold the most 8 bit units.

[@NotSoHeavyD3]

You should clarify something. The October 85 release of the NES in the US was a limited release in the LA and NYC markets only. It didn't see full release until 6 months later in March/April 86.

[@RCaIabraro]

I loved the Master System. The 3D glasses in particular were amazing. I used the hell out of them.

[@robertdanker6193]

Got into the Master System a few years ago, as I only had an nes during those days. Really enjoyed it as it had alot of great games!

[@maxwelsh6121]

My American friend had one and loved it, and they had a big section at Toys R Us or maybe it was Lionel. That's been a good few hours playing it and while a couple of games like California games seems better on the Master System I got to say I was not persuaded to own one by the fact that he had a near complete collection and I only had a few NES games and if I had bought a Master System I could have borrowed his games... but honestly the games just didn't do it for me for the most part although of course some are quite good. I think Nostalgia is clouded my perception for other titles, I hear Double Dragon is better on the Master System and I bought a Master System converter for my CDX and bought the game and played it and maybe it's better but Nostalgia will continue to tell me the NES version is superior regardless

[@lazarushernandez5827]

Double Dragon was fun to play on both, the big thing with the SMS version was 2 player simultaneous just like the arcade original, the NES version had 2 players but you took turns.

[@maxwelsh6121]

@@lazarushernandez5827 well theres a great point i didnt consider. I like the gb version too , btw...

[@wrayday7149]

There is another important aspect that you are missing out on.... the media marketing blitz Nintendo was doing. As a kid, to see morning shows/cartoons of your favorite characters and upcoming games was mind blowing.... and Sega never had an answer for that until the 90's with Sonic. The Power Zone. Captain N - The Games Master Super Mario Bro - Super Show Legend of Zelda cartoon. The Wizard. in 1988 you could play Altered Beast Super Mario 3

[@ramonmatos1622]

Sega, is the best!! I miss it 😭

[@VulpisFoxfire]

Huh. I had a Master System myself. Liked the angular look of the light gun over the Nintendo Zapper. Also liked the use of the DB-9 connector for the game port, meaning you could plug in an Atari 2600 stick (or in my case, one with the cable off of a broken C64 mouse that let me short one of the fire-button linesfor autofire, which made Afterburner easier to play). Never did get the card-based games, though, or the 3D attachment. It was also amusing that the conbertor for the Genesis was one of the few add-ons that didn't need it's own power supply, since it was mainly just an edge-connector adapter and passthru, since the Genesis basically had all the SMS hardware in it already.

[@ildabaothfrozendevourer2100]

Awesome. I recently found and bought a master system. $8! Altered beast in it's true form is the coolness unchained.

[@sicilianotoronto]

I remember one person who had this, but it seemed like the Genesis took off more here in Canada.

[@segaunited3855]

Master System had limited distribution in Canada. That's the only part of North America where it failed. SEGA focused far more distribution resources in South America for Master System where it was a phenomenal success.

[@AcornElectron]

Digitiser, Slopes AND THGM all in one half hour? Awesome Sunday!

[@LyingSecret]

Yeeeeeeeeeah!

[@nikodemasskidzevicius4566]

For grandpa!

[@leefischer5814]

Never seen or was aware of the Master System's existence back then. Though later on was aware of the Turbo GRAFX.

[@dhaddine5472]

I got a SMS. Was the only kid in my class that had one. Instead of being teased, kids thought it was really cool when they came over.

[@goodolddoug889]

I literally didn't know the console existed until the SNES was already out and I saw occasional references to a so-called "Master System" in magazines.

[@Optidorf]

The Master System was actually quite popular in the UK, France and Spain. In Belgium and the Netherlands Nintendo was a lot more popular (read: the only console you could find in retail).

[@Scorpionbe]

I don't know where you got that from Belgium, but where i come from it was all Sega,. Everybody had one, even on school.

[@Halbared]

The numbers were close in western europe, with slim margins either side.