View source for Master System

{{Short description|Home video game console}}
{{About|the game console|the British rock band|Mastersystem}}
{{featured article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| title = Master System
| logo = [[File:Sega-master-system-logo.png|frameless]]<br />[[File:Sega Mark III logo.svg|frameless]]
| image = <div style="white-space: nowrap; border: #dadada solid 1px;">{{nowrap|[[File:Sega-Master-System-Set.jpg|frameless|upright=1.15]]<br />[[File:Sega Mark III.jpg|frameless|upright=1.15]]<br />[[File:Sega-Master-System-MkII-wController.jpg|frameless|upright=1.15]]}}</div>
| caption = {{ubl|Top: North
American/European Master System|Middle: Japanese Sega Mark III|Bottom: Master System II}}
| aka = SEGA Master System
| developer = [[Sega]]
| manufacturer = Sega
| type = [[Home video game console]]
| generation = [[Third generation of video game consoles|Third]]
| releasedate = {{Collapsible list|title={{nobold|October 20, 1985}}|'''Mark III'''{{vgrelease|JP|October 20, 1985<ref name="MK3"/><ref name="Gamershigh">{{cite book|title=Gamers High! Futabasha Super Mook|date=2015|publisher=Futabasha|isbn=978-4-575-45554-0|page=55|language=ja}}</ref>|KO|November 1988<ref>{{cite web |title=家庭用 컴퓨터 시판 |url=https://newslibrary.naver.com/viewer/index.naver?articleId=1988101300099208002&edtNo=1&printCount=1&publishDate=1988-0-13&officeId=00009&pageNo=8&printNo=6960&publishType=00020 |website=매일경제 |date=October 13, 1988 |access-date=21 September 2022}}</ref>}} '''Master System'''{{vgrelease|NA|September 1986<ref name="CE"/>|EU|August 1987<ref name="EuroRelease">{{cite magazine|date=November 1987|title=Sega Release Schedule to November 1987 - UK|magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]]|issue=73|page=132|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/f/f5/CVG_UK_073.pdf}}</ref>|JP|October 18, 1987<ref name="MS" /><ref name=Gamershigh />|KO|April 1989<ref name="Korea1"/>|BR|September 1989<ref name="brasil_lancamento"/>}}}}
| lifespan = {{vgrelease|JP|1985–1991|NA|1986–1992|EU|1987–1996|KO|1988–1994|BR|1989–present<ref>{{cite web |title=The SEGA Master System in Brazil: History of a Forgotten Video Game Console |url=https://munibrezaie.com/2022/01/25/the-sega-master-system/ |website=Munib Rezaie: Media Blog and Academic Portfolio |date=January 25, 2022 |access-date=21 September 2022 |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922010919/https://munibrezaie.com/2022/01/25/the-sega-master-system/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}
| price = {{JPY|16,800|1985|round=-2}}<br>{{USD|200|1986|round=-1}}<br>{{GBP|99.95|1987|round=-1}}
| unitssold = {{nowrap|10-13 million}}<ref name="encyclopedia">{{cite book|last=Forster|first=Winnie|title=The Encyclopedia of Game Machines: Consoles, Handhelds, and Home Computers 1972–2005|publisher=Magdalena Gniatczynska|isbn=3-00-015359-4|year=2005|page=139}}</ref><ref name="GENSNES"/>{{efn|Master System sales by region:
* Japan: 1 million <small>(as of 1986)</small><ref name="business_japan"/>
* United States: 2 million <small>({{nowrap|as of 1993}})</small><ref name="sheff_1993"/>
* Western Europe: {{nowrap|6.8 million}} <small>{{nowrap|(as of 1993)}}</small><ref name="digest_60"/>
* South Korea: 720,000 {{small|(as  of 1993)}}<ref name="Korea"/>
* Australia: 650,000 {{small|({{as of|1994|lc=y}})}}<ref name="Sega MegaZone"/>
* Brazil: {{nowrap|8 million}} ([[Tectoy]] variants)<ref name="MDB"/>
 }}
| media = [[ROM cartridge]], [[Sega Card]]
| cpu = [[Zilog Z80|Zilog Z80A]]
| CPUspeed = 3.58 [[Hertz|MHz]] 
| memory = 8 KB [[Random-access memory|RAM]]<br />16 KB [[Video random-access memory|VRAM]]
| display = 256 × 192 resolution, 32 colors on-screen
| graphics = 
| sound = [[Texas Instruments SN76489]] [[Programmable sound generator|PSG]] via [[Video display controller|VDP]] <br> [[Yamaha YM2413]]{{efn|name=jpn|Japanese models only.}}
| compatibility = [[SG-1000]]{{efn|name=jpn}}
| predecessor = SG-1000{{efn|name=jpn}}
| successor = [[Sega Genesis]]
| related = [[Game Gear]]
}}

The {{nihongo foot|'''Master System'''|マスターシステム|Masutā Shisutemu|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}}<!-- See [[WP:JFN]] --> is an [[8-bit]] [[home video game console]] manufactured and developed by [[Sega]]. It was originally a remodeled export version of the '''Sega Mark III''', the third iteration of the [[SG-1000]] series of consoles, released in Japan in 1985. The Master System launched in North America in 1986, followed by Europe in 1987 and Brazil and Korea in 1989. A Japanese version was launched in 1987, with additions including a built-in [[Yamaha YM2413|FM audio chip]], a rapid-fire switch, and a dedicated port for the 3D glasses. The '''Master System II''', a cheaper model, was released in 1990 in North America, Australasia, and Europe.

The original Master System models use both [[ROM cartridge|cartridges]] and a credit card-sized format, [[Sega Card]]s. Accessories include a [[light gun]] and 3D glasses that work with specially designed games. The later Master System II redesign removed the card slot, turning it into a strictly cartridge-only system, and is incompatible with the 3D glasses.

As a [[Third generation of video game consoles|third-generation]] console, the Master System was released in competition with the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES). Its library is smaller and with fewer well-reviewed games than the NES, due in part to [[Nintendo]] licensing policies requiring platform exclusivity. Though the Master System had newer, improved hardware, it failed to overturn Nintendo's market share advantage in Japan and North America. However, it attained greater success in other markets, including Europe, Brazil, South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia.

The Master System is estimated to have sold between 10-13 million units worldwide. In addition, [[Tectoy]] has sold {{nowrap|8 million}} licensed Master System variants in Brazil. Retrospective criticism has recognized its role in the development of the [[Sega Genesis]], and a number of well-received games, particularly in [[PAL]] (including PAL-M) regions, but is critical of its limited library in the [[NTSC]] regions, which were dominated by the NES.

==History==
[[File:Sega-Sg-1000-MkIII-Console-BL.jpg|thumb|left|Mark III rear view]]

=== Mark III ===
Sega released its first [[video game console]], the [[SG-1000]], in Japan on July 15, 1983,<ref name="Sega">{{cite web|title=SG-1000|website=Sega Hard Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Sega|Sega Corporation]]|url=https://www.sega.jp/history/hard/sg1000/index.html|language=ja|access-date=February 13, 2025|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711235839/https://sega.jp/history/hard/sg1000/|archive-date=July 11, 2018|df=mdy-all}}</ref> the same day its competitor [[Nintendo]] launched the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Family Computer]] (Famicom).<ref name="Wired">{{cite magazine|last=Kohler|first=Chris|date=October 2009|title=Playing the SG-1000, Sega's First Game Machine|url=https://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/10/sega-sg-1000/|url-status=dead|magazine=Wired|publisher=Condé Nast Publications|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101073612/http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/10/sega-sg-1000/|archive-date=January 1, 2014|access-date=October 5, 2009}}</ref> In 1984, parent company [[Gulf and Western Industries]] divested its non-core businesses including Sega,<ref name="herald2">{{cite news |title=G&W Wins Cheers $1 Billion Spinoff Set |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:MIHB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB35D45A7276DB8&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0ECC86DE7A4704AD |newspaper=The Miami Herald |date=August 16, 1983 |access-date=October 10, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110080330/http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004 |archive-date=November 10, 2013 |url-access=subscription |via=[[NewsBank]]}}</ref> and Sega president [[Hayao Nakayama]] was installed as CEO. Nakayama and Sega co-founder [[David Rosen (businessman)|David Rosen]] later arranged a [[management buyout]] with financial backing from [[SCSK|CSK Corporation]], and installed CSK CEO [[Isao Okawa]] as chairman.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="nytimes_esco">{{cite news|last=Pollack|first=Andrew|date=July 4, 1993|title=Sega Takes Aim at Disney's World|pages=3–1|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/04/business/sega-takes-aim-at-disney-s-world.html?pagewanted=3|url-status=live|access-date=May 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526082802/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/04/business/sega-takes-aim-at-disney-s-world.html?pagewanted=3|archive-date=May 26, 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Annual sales master system (English version) (1985-1997).png|thumb|Annual sales of Master System (1985 - 1997)]]

On July 31, 1984, Sega released the SG-1000 II,<ref name="Retroinspection">{{cite journal|last=McFerran|first=Damien|title=Retroinspection: Master System|journal=[[Retro Gamer]]|publisher=[[Imagine Publishing]]|pages=48–53|issue=44|issn=1742-3155|location=London, UK}}</ref> a revised version of the SG-1000 with several hardware alterations, including detachable controllers.<ref name="Wired" /> Hoping to better compete with Nintendo,<ref name=":02" /> Sega released the Mark III, another revision of the SG-1000,<ref name="kotaku1000">{{cite web|last=Plunkett|first=Luke|date=February 27, 2012|title=The Story of Sega's First Ever Home Console|url=http://kotaku.com/5888800/the-story-of-segas-first-ever-home-console|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140915093659/http://kotaku.com/5888800/the-story-of-segas-first-ever-home-console|archive-date=September 15, 2014|access-date=September 14, 2014|website=[[Kotaku]]|publisher=[[Gawker Media]]}}</ref> in Japan on October 20, 1985 at [[Japanese yen|¥]]15,000.<ref name="MK3">{{cite web|title=Sega Mark III|website=Sega Hard Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Sega|Sega Corporation]]|language=ja|url=https://www.sega.jp/history/hard/segamark3/index.html|access-date=February 13, 2025|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712025929/https://sega.jp/history/hard/segamark3/|archive-date=July 12, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Gamershigh"/> The Mark III was engineered by the same team as the SG-1000,<ref name="Edge">{{cite magazine|last=Parkin|first=Simon|date=June 2, 2014|title=A history of video game hardware: Sega Master System|url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/a-history-of-videogame-hardware-sega-master-system/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140605204323/http://www.edge-online.com/features/a-history-of-videogame-hardware-sega-master-system/|archive-date=June 5, 2014|access-date=September 13, 2014|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|publisher=[[Future plc]]}}</ref> including Hideki Sato and Masami Ishikawa, who had worked on the SG-1000 II and later led development of the [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive]].<ref name="siliconera">{{cite web|author=Sato|date=September 18, 2013|title=Sega's Original Hardware Developer Talks About The Company's Past Consoles|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2013/09/18/segas-original-hardware-developer-talks-about-the-companys-past-consoles/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202230217/http://www.siliconera.com/2013/09/18/segas-original-hardware-developer-talks-about-the-companys-past-consoles/|archive-date=December 2, 2013|access-date=November 23, 2013|website=Siliconera|publisher=[[Curse LLC]]}}</ref> According to Sato, the console was redesigned because of the limitations of the [[TMS9918|Texas Instruments TMS9918A]] graphics chip in the SG-1000, which did not have the power for the kinds of games Sega wanted to make. The Mark III's chip was designed in-house, based around the unit in [[List of Sega arcade system boards|Sega's System 2 arcade system board]].<ref name=":02">{{cite book|last1=Sato|first1=Hideki|author2=Famitsu DC|author2-link=Famitsu DC|url=https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File:Sega_Consumer_History_JP_EnterBrain_Book.pdf&page=23|chapter=Interview: The Witness of History|script-title=ja:セガ・コンシューマー・ヒストリー|trans-title=Sega Consumer History|series=Famitsu Books|publisher=[[Enterbrain]]|date=15 February 2002|pages=22–25|language=ja|isbn=978-4-75770789-4}} ([http://shmuplations.com/segahistory/ Translation] by Shmuplations. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814114513/http://shmuplations.com/segahistory/|date=2020-08-14}}).</ref>

Though its hardware was more powerful than the Famicom, the Mark III was not successful on launch. Problems arose from Nintendo's licensing practices with third-party developers, whereby Nintendo required that games for the Famicom not be published on other consoles. Sega developed its own games and obtained the rights to [[Porting|port]] games from other developers, but they did not sell well.<ref name="Retroinspection" />

=== North American release as Master System ===
[[File:Stockholms Spelmuseum by BugWarp (31).jpg|alt=A video game console with numerous video game boxes behind it.|left|thumb|The Master System was redesigned to appeal to Western tastes, with the packaging of the console and its games given a white grid design inspired by [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] products.]]

Though the SG-1000 had not been released in the United States,<ref name=":05">{{cite web|last=Plunkett|first=Luke|date=January 19, 2017|title=The Story of Sega's First Console, Which Was Not The Master System|url=https://kotaku.com/the-story-of-segas-first-console-which-was-not-the-mas-5888800|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306195938/http://kotaku.com/the-story-of-segas-first-console-which-was-not-the-mas-5888800|archive-date=March 6, 2017|access-date=March 3, 2017|website=Kotaku|publisher=[[Gizmodo Media Group]]}}</ref> Sega hoped that their console business would fare better in North America than it had in Japan.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wolf|first=Mark|title=Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology, and Art of Gaming · Volume 1|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|year=2012|isbn=9780313379369|pages=553}}</ref> To accomplish this, Sega of America was established in 1986 to manage the company's consumer products in North America. Rosen and Nakayama hired Bruce Lowry, Nintendo of America's vice president of sales. Lowry was persuaded to change companies because Sega would allow him to start his new office in [[San Francisco]]. He chose the name "Sega of America" for his division because he had worked for Nintendo of America and liked the combination of words. Initially, Sega of America was tasked with repackaging the Mark III for a Western release.<ref name="Horowitz 2016 6–15" /> Sega of America rebranded the Mark III as the Master System, similar to Nintendo's reworking of the Famicom into the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The name was chosen by Sega of America employees throwing darts against a whiteboard of suggested names. Plans to release a cheaper console, the Base System, also influenced the decision.<ref name=":3" /> Okawa approved of the name after being told it was a reference to the competitive nature of both the video game industry and martial arts, in which only one competitor can be the "Master".<ref name="Horowitz 2016 6–15" /><ref name=":3">{{cite magazine|date=June 2002|title=Bruce Lowry: The Man That Sold the NES|magazine=[[Game Informer]]|publisher=[[GameStop]]|volume=12|issue=110|pages=102–103}}</ref> The console's futuristic final design was intended to appeal to Western tastes.<ref name="Edge" /> The North American packaging was white to differentiate it from the black NES packaging, with a white grid design inspired by [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] computer products.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Horowitz|first=Ken|title=Playing at the Next Level: A History of American Sega Games|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|year=2016|isbn=9781476625577|pages=6–15}}</ref>

The Master System was first revealed in North America at the Summer [[CES (annual technology trade show)|Consumer Electronics Show]] (CES) in Chicago in June 1986. It was later launched in September 1986 at a price of $200 ({{Inflation|US|200|1986|fmt=eq|r=-1}}), initially sold in a package with the "Power Base" console, a light gun, two controllers, and a pack-in [[multicart]] with the games ''[[Hang-On]]'' and ''[[Safari Hunt]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=New, Advanced Videogame Systems Revealed |magazine=[[Computer Entertainer]] |volume=5 |issue=3 |date=June 1986 |page=1 |url=https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/d4e32107-2d52-4d81-88e8-f141f8e5a3c1}}</ref><ref name="Allgame">{{cite web|last=Beuscher|first=David|title=Sega Master System – Overview|url=http://allgame.com/platform.php?id=23|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102043846/http://allgame.com/platform.php?id=23|archive-date=January 2, 2010|access-date=March 31, 2014|website=[[AllGame]]|publisher=All Media Network}}</ref> Around the same time, Nintendo was exporting the Famicom to the US as the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], and both Sega and Nintendo planned to spend $15&nbsp;million in late 1986 to market their respective consoles; Sega hoped to sell 400,000 to 750,000 consoles in 1986.<ref name="takiff19860620">{{cite news|last=Takiff|first=Jonathan|date=June 20, 1986|title=Video Games Gain In Japan, Are Due For Assault On U.S.|page=2|newspaper=[[The Vindicator]]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QBhcAAAAIBAJ&pg=2846,1271636|url-status=live|access-date=April 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403104919/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QBhcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MlUNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2846,1271636|archive-date=April 3, 2017}}</ref> By the end of 1986, at least 125,000 Master System consoles had been sold, more than the [[Atari 7800]]'s 100,000 but less than Nintendo's 1.1 million.<ref name="CE">{{cite magazine |title=Comparing the New Videogame Systems |magazine=[[Computer Entertainer]] |volume=5 |issue=11 |date=February 1987 |page=13 |url=https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/7f8d19fd-3fc0-4187-9aaf-d7e46224c7ef}}</ref> Other sources indicate that more than 250,000 Master System consoles were sold by Christmas 1986.<ref>{{cite news|first=Stephen|last=Advokat|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/99559046/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210930214452/https://www.newspapers.com/image/99559046/|archive-date=September 30, 2021|title=Consumers eat up successors to Pac-Man; video games being gobbled up|date=January 30, 1987|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|access-date=December 31, 2020|page=2B|via=Newspapers.com|quote="Sega came on the scene late, offering its Master System ($150) in late September. Even so, it sold more than 250,000 units by Christmas."|url-status=live}}</ref>

As in Japan, the Master System in North America had a limited game library. Limited by Nintendo's licensing practices, Sega only had two third-party American publishers, [[Activision]] and [[Parker Brothers]].<ref name="Retroinspection" /> Agreements with both of those companies came to an end in 1989.<ref name="Horowitz 2016 6–15" /> Sega claimed that the Master System was the first console "where the [[box art|graphics on the box]] are actually matched by the graphics of the game",{{r|takiff19860620}} and pushed the "arcade experience" in adverts.<ref name="Edge" /> However, its marketing department was run by only two people, giving Sega a disadvantage in advertising.<ref name="Edge" /> As one method of promoting the console, at the end of 1987 Sega partnered with astronaut [[Scott Carpenter]] to start the "Sega Challenge", a traveling program set up in recreational centers where kids were tested on non-verbal skills such as concentration and the ability to learn new skills. ''[[Out Run]]'' and ''Shooting Gallery'' were two games included in the challenge.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Sharpe|first=Roger|date=December 26, 1987|title=Sega Challenge Travels Cross-Country Promoting Video|magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox]]|volume=51|issue=27|page=126}}</ref>

In 1987, amid struggling sales in the US,<ref name="Horowitz 2016 6–15">{{cite book|last=Horowitz|first=Ken|title=Playing at the Next Level: A History of American Sega Games|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|year=2016|isbn=9781476625577|pages=4–15}}</ref> Sega sold the US distribution rights for the Master System to toy company [[Tonka]], which had no experience with electronic entertainment systems.<ref name="Retroinspection" /> Sega had made the deal in order to leverage Tonka's knowledge of the American toy market, since Nintendo had marketed the NES as a toy to great success in North America.<ref name="Horowitz 2016 6–15" /> The announcement was made shortly after the 1987 Summer CES.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Sharpe|first=Roger|date=August 22, 1987|title=Sega Makes News with Tonka Toy Announcement|magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox]]|pages=35–36}}</ref> During this time, much of Sega of America's infrastructure shifted from marketing and distribution to focus on customer service, and Lowry departed the company.<ref name="Horowitz 2016 6–15" /> Tonka blocked [[Video game localization|localization]] of several popular Japanese games,<ref name="Retroinspection" /> and during 1988 were less willing to purchase [[EPROM]]s needed for game cartridge manufacture during a shortage. They also became less willing to invest in video games after taking massive loans in purchasing [[Kenner Products|Kenner Toys]] in 1987, followed by poor holiday season sales and financial losses.<ref name="Horowitz 2016 6–15" /><ref name="Retroinspection" />

On October 18, 1987, the Mark III was re-released as the Master System in Japan for ¥16,800,<ref name="MS">{{cite web|title=Master System|website=Sega Hard Encyclopedia|url=https://www.sega.jp/history/hard/mastersystem/index.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712005640/https://sega.jp/history/hard/mastersystem/|archive-date=July 12, 2018|access-date=February 13, 2025|publisher=[[Sega|Sega Corporation]]|language=ja}}</ref> but still sold poorly.<ref name="Retroinspection" /> Neither model posed a serious challenge to Nintendo in Japan,<ref name="business_japan">{{cite journal|author=Nihon Kōgyō Shinbunsha|year=1986|title=Amusement|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tJcSAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Sega+is+estimated+to+have+sold%22|journal=Business Japan|publisher=Nihon Kogyo Shimbun|volume=31|issue=7–12|page=89|access-date=January 24, 2012}}</ref> and, according to Sato, Sega was only able to attain 10% of the Japanese console market.<ref name=":02" />

=== Europe, Brazil, and other markets ===
The Master System was launched in Europe in August 1987,<ref name="EuroRelease" /> distributed by [[Mastertronic]] in the United Kingdom, Master Games in France, and [[Ariolasoft]] in West Germany,<ref name="Virgin Games">{{cite journal|last=Hewison|first=Richard|title=From the Archives: Virgin Games, Part 1|journal=Retro Gamer|publisher=Imagine Publishing|pages=50–55|issue=84|issn=1742-3155|location=London, UK}}</ref> the latter of whom had initially purchased UK distribution rights.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=September 11, 1986|title=Ariola Sega link|magazine=[[Popular Computing Weekly]]|volume=5|issue=37|page=6}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|date=December 1986|title=News|magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]]|issue=62|page=9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|date=December 1986|title=The master|magazine=[[Your Computer (British magazine)|Your Computer]]|volume=6|issue=12|page=19}}</ref> As Ariolasoft could not agree to a pricing agreement with Sega, Mastertronic signed a deal in 1987 to take control of UK distribution, and announced the deal at the 1987 Summer CES. The company announced the release of 12 titles by autumn.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=June 5, 1987|title=Mastertronic Ends Sega Saga|magazine=[[Popular Computing Weekly]]|volume=6|issue=22|page=10}}</ref> Mastertronic advertised the Master System as "an arcade in the home" and launched it at [[Pound sterling|£]]99 ({{inflation|UK|99|1987|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-1}}). Advance orders from retailers were high, but Sega proved unable to deliver inventory until [[Boxing Day]] on December 26, causing many retailers to cancel their orders. Mastertronic and Master Games entered financial crises and Ariolasoft vowed never to work with Sega again. Mastertronic had already sold a minority interest to the [[Virgin Group]] to enter the console business, and sold the remainder to avoid bankruptcy. The newly rebranded [[Virgin Mastertronic]] took over all European distribution in 1988.<ref name="Virgin Games" />

Virgin Mastertronic focused marketing the Master System on [[Porting|ports]] of Sega's arcade games and positioning it as a superior video game alternative to the [[Commodore 64]] and the [[ZX Spectrum]] computers. As a result of this marketing, coupled with Nintendo's less effective early approaches in Europe, the Master System began to attract European developers.<ref name="classics">{{cite web|last=McFerran|first=Damien|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/07/hardware_classics_sega_master_system|title=Hardware Classics: Sega Master System|website=Nintendo Life|date=July 22, 2014|access-date=September 13, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914044405/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/07/hardware_classics_sega_master_system|archive-date=September 14, 2014}}</ref> The Master System held a significant part of the video game console market in Europe until the release of Sega's succeeding console, the Mega Drive.{{Efn|[[Sega Genesis]] and Mega Drive are the same console. It was known as Genesis in North America and Mega Drive worldwide.|name=sgnote|group=lower-alpha}}<ref name="Retroinspection" /><ref name="classics" /> In 1989, Virgin Mastertronic began offering rentals of the Master System console and 20 games. The United Kingdom also hosted a Sega video games national championship, with the winner competing against Japanese and American champions on the British television show ''[[Motormouth]]''. Players competed in a variety of games, including ''[[Astro Warrior]]'', platform games, and sports games.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=December 2, 1989|title=Rent a Sega|magazine=[[New Computer Express]]|issue=56|page=2}}</ref> During the late 1980s, the Master System was outselling the NES in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The rise and rise of Nintendo |magazine=[[New Computer Express]] |date=3 August 1989 |issue=39 (5 August 1989) |page=2 |url=https://archive.org/details/NewComputerExpress039/page/n1/mode/1up}}</ref>

The Master System was successful in Europe, becoming the best-selling console in the region by 1990; by that time, however, the NES was beginning to have a fast-growing user base in the UK.<ref name="CVG4">{{cite magazine |title=The Complete Machine Guide |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games|Computer + Video Games: Complete Guide to Consoles]] |date=November 1990 |volume=4 |pages=7–23 |url=https://archive.org/details/Complete_Guide_to_Consoles_Volume_IV_1990_EMAP_Publishing_GB/page/n7/mode/2up}}</ref> In 1990 alone, Virgin Mastertronic sold 150,000 Master Systems in the United Kingdom, greater than the 60,000 Mega Drives and Nintendo's 80,000 consoles sold in the same period. In the whole of Europe that year, Sega sold a combined 918,000 consoles, greater than Nintendo's 655,000.<ref name="SP18">{{Cite magazine|date=May 1991|title=Segas sell better than Nintendos - official!|magazine=[[Sega Power]]|issue=18|page=6}}</ref>

The Master System was also successful in Brazil, where launched in September 1989<ref name="brasil_lancamento">{{Cite web|url=http://jogos.uol.com.br/playstation3/ultnot/2009/09/04/ult530u7180.jhtm|title=Master System completa 20 anos de vida no Brasil|date=September 4, 2009|website=[[Universo Online]]|publisher=[[Grupo Folha]]|language=pt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227035251/http://jogos.uol.com.br/playstation3/ultnot/2009/09/04/ult530u7180.jhtm|archive-date=February 27, 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=February 21, 2014}}</ref> and was distributed by [[Tectoy]],<ref name="Retroinspection" /><ref name="classics" /> a Brazilian toy company startup focused on electronic toys. Tectoy had reached out to Sega about distributing their products and, despite Sega's hesitation given their situation with Tonka in the US, was eventually given liberty to manage Sega products in Brazil. Their success distributing Sega's laser tag gun based on the [[anime]] [[Zillion (TV series)|''Zillion'']] gave Sega the confidence to allow Tectoy to distribute the Master System.<ref name=":0" /> By the end of 1990, the installed base in Brazil was about 280,000 units.<ref name="brasil_megadrive">{{cite news|url=https://acervo.estadao.com.br/publicados/1990/11/22/g/19901122-35513-nac-0081-eco-9-not-aaweass.jpg|title=Tec Toy lança no País o videogame Mega Drive|date=November 22, 1990|newspaper=O Estado de S.Paulo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063644/http://acervo.estadao.com.br/publicados/1990/11/22/g/19901122-35513-nac-0081-eco-9-not-aaweass.jpg|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live|publisher=Grupo Estado|issue=35513|location=São Paulo|volume=111|page=81|language=pt|issn=1516-2931}}</ref> Tectoy introduced a telephone service with game tips, created a Master System club, and presented the program ''Master Tips'' during commercial breaks of the television show ''Sessão Aventura'' on [[Rede Globo]].<ref name="brasil_lancamento" /> Nintendo did not arrive in Brazil until 1993,<ref name="playtronic">{{cite news|url=http://acervo2.folha.com.br/7/61/8/78/4780861/1024/4780861.png|title=Estrela e Gradiente trazem jogos Nintendo|date=March 18, 1993|newspaper=[[Folha de S.Paulo]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230509/http://acervo2.folha.com.br/7/61/8/78/4780861/1024/4780861.png|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=dead|publisher=Grupo Folha|issue=23360|location=São Paulo|volume=73|pages=2–13|language=pt|issn=1414-5723}}</ref> and were unable to officially compete, as [[Video game clone|clones]] of the NES dominated the Brazilian market.<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|date=November 2006|title=Company Profile: Tec Toy|magazine=[[Retro Gamer]]|publisher=[[Imagine Publishing]]|issue=30|pages=50–53|issn=1742-3155}}</ref> Tectoy claimed 80% of the Brazilian video game market.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sega-16.com/2015/11/interview-stefano-arnhold-tectoy/|title=Interview: Stefano Arnhold (Tectoy)|last=Sponsel|first=Sebastian|date=November 16, 2015|website=Sega-16|publisher=Ken Horowitz|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122012118/http://www.sega-16.com/2015/11/interview-stefano-arnhold-tectoy/|archive-date=November 22, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=November 30, 2015}}</ref>

In South Korea, the Sega Mark III was released by [[Samsung]] under the name "Gam*Boy" in April 1989, followed by the Master System II, under the name "Aladdin Boy", in 1992.<ref name="Korea1">{{cite web |last1=Derboo |first1=Sam |title=A History of Korean Gaming: Part 1 |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/korea/part1/korea1.htm |website=Hardcore Gaming 101 |date=July 13, 2010 |access-date=4 December 2021}}</ref> By 1993, it had sold 720,000 units in South Korea, outselling the NES (released in the region by [[Hyundai Group]] as the "Comboy") and becoming the best-selling console in the region until 1993.<ref name="Korea">{{cite book |title=게임월드 |trans-title=Game World |date=1994 |lang=ko}}</ref> The Master System was also popular in New Zealand<ref>VIDEO GAMES AROUND THE WORLD EDITED BY MARK J.P. WOLF, Published by MIT Press, 2015, P.388</ref> and Australia; in the latter country, it was more successful than the NES,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Biggs |first1=Tim |title=Nintendo's NES launched 30 years ago this month in Australia, or did it? |url=https://www.smh.com.au/technology/nintendos-nes-launched-30-years-ago-in-australia-this-month-or-did-it-20170707-gx6ex0.html |access-date=5 October 2021 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=11 July 2017}}</ref> with 250,000 units sold there during 1990 alone.<ref>{{cite news|first=Gavin|last=Cantlon|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/120296512/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210930214214/https://www.newspapers.com/image/120296512/|archive-date=September 30, 2021|title=Cut-throat selling in video games|date=November 17, 1991|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=December 29, 2020|via=Newspapers.com|quote="Ozi Soft, [''sic''] has been distributing Sega video games since 1988 and also offers computer games. Christina Caddy, the company's public relations manager, said that last year it sold 250,000 units of the Sega Master system [''sic''], which carried an eight-bit console, at a recommended retail price of $99."|url-status=live}}</ref> By November 1994, 650,000 units had been sold in Australia.<ref name="Sega MegaZone">{{cite magazine|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Sega's Secrets|magazine=Sega MegaZone|location=Australia|publisher=Mason Stewart Publishing Pty Ltd|date=November 1994|page=23}}</ref>

=== Decline ===
[[File:Sega-Mastery-System-MkII-Console-FL.jpg|thumb|Master System II, a cost-reduced version released in 1990 by Sega]]
[[File:Sms3compacttransparent.png|thumb|Master System III Compact manufactured by Tectoy]]
[[File:Scompact.png|thumb|Master System Super Compact by Tectoy]]
Although the Master System was a success in Europe, and later in Brazil, it failed to ignite significant interest in the Japanese or North American markets, which, by the mid-to-late 1980s, were both dominated by Nintendo,<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Kent|first=Steven L.|url=https://archive.org/details/ultimatehistoryv00kent|title=The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World|publisher=Prima Publishing|year=2001|isbn=0-7615-3643-4|location=Roseville, California|pages=303, 343, 360|author-link=Steven L. Kent|url-access=limited}}</ref><ref name="MarketShare1988">{{Cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Nintendo's Market Share 1988|publisher=[[Ascential|EMAP]]|year=2001|location=London|page=35}}</ref><ref name="MarketShare1990">{{Cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Nintendo's Market Share 1990|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|year=1999|location=New York|page=60}}</ref> who held 83 percent of the North American video game market by 1988.<ref>{{cite news|last=McGill|first=Douglas C.|date=December 4, 1988|title=Nintendo Scores Big|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/04/business/nintendo-scores-big.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2|url-status=live|access-date=March 27, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524041326/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/04/business/nintendo-scores-big.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2|archive-date=May 24, 2013}}</ref> With Sega continuing to have difficulty penetrating the home market, Sega's console R&D team, led by Ishikawa and supervised by Sato,<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 3, 2015|title=How Sega Built the Genesis|url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2015/2/3/7952705/sega-genesis-masami-ishikawa|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151103090922/http://www.polygon.com/features/2015/2/3/7952705/sega-genesis-masami-ishikawa|archive-date=November 3, 2015|access-date=November 23, 2015|work=Polygon|publisher=[[Vox Media]]}}</ref> began work on a successor to the Master System almost immediately after the system's launch.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Harris|first=Blake J.|title=Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation|title-link=Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|year=2014|isbn=978-0-06-227669-8|location=New York, New York|page=386}}</ref><ref name="siliconera2">{{Cite web|author=Sato|date=September 18, 2013|title=Sega's Original Hardware Developer Talks About The Company's Past Consoles|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2013/09/18/segas-original-hardware-developer-talks-about-the-companys-past-consoles/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202230217/http://www.siliconera.com/2013/09/18/segas-original-hardware-developer-talks-about-the-companys-past-consoles/|archive-date=December 2, 2013|access-date=November 23, 2013|website=Siliconera|publisher=[[Curse LLC]]}}</ref> Another competitor in Japan arose in 1987, when Japanese computer giant [[NEC]] released the [[TurboGrafx-16|PC Engine]] (later released in North America as the TurboGrafx-16) amid great publicity.<ref name="IGNHistory">{{Cite web|last=Fahs|first=Travis|date=April 21, 2009|title=IGN Presents the History of Sega (page 4)|url=https://ign.com/articles/2009/04/21/ign-presents-the-history-of-sega?page=4|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221125331/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/04/21/ign-presents-the-history-of-sega?page=4|archive-date=February 21, 2014|access-date=October 5, 2013|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis}}</ref>

Sega released its next console, the [[16-bit computing|16-bit]] Mega Drive, in Japan on October 29, 1988.<ref name="RetroinspectionMD">{{cite journal|journal=Retro Gamer|publisher=Imagine Publishing|title=Retroinspection: Mega Drive|last=Sczepaniak|first=John|issue=27|year=2006|pages=42–47|issn=1742-3155|location=London, UK}}</ref> The final licensed release for the Master System in Japan was ''[[Bomber Raid]]'' in 1989.<ref name="Retroinspection" /> That same year, Sega was preparing to release the new Mega Drive as the Sega Genesis in North America. Displeased with Tonka's handling of the Master System, Sega reacquired the marketing and distribution rights to the Master System for the United States. In 1990, Sega released the remodeled Master System II, designed as a lower-cost version without the Sega Card slot.<ref name="Retroinspection" /><ref name="Allgame" /> Sega promoted the new model, but it sold poorly.<ref name="Retroinspection" /> By early 1992, production of the Master System had ceased in North America, having sold between 1.5&nbsp;million and 2&nbsp;million units,<ref name="sheff_1993">{{cite book|last=Sheff|first=David|title=Game Over |year=1993|publisher=[[Random House]]|location=New York, New York|isbn=0-679-40469-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gxyXUi336egC&q=master+systems|edition=1st|author-link=David Sheff|access-date=January 16, 2012|page=349}}</ref><ref name="startribune">{{cite news |title=16-Bit Hits – New video games offer better graphics, action |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:STMB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EFE44C5DC10D939&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0ECC86DE7A4704AD |newspaper=[[Minneapolis Star Tribune]] |url-access=subscription |via=[[NewsBank]] |date=October 15, 1991 |access-date=April 7, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110080330/http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004 |archive-date=November 10, 2013}}</ref> behind both Nintendo and [[Atari Corporation|Atari]], which controlled 80 percent and 12 percent of the market respectively.<ref name="NYTdismiss">{{cite news|title=Company News; Nintendo Suit by Atari Is Dismissed|date=May 16, 1992|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/16/business/company-news-nintendo-suit-by-atari-is-dismissed.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=September 19, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023164857/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/16/business/company-news-nintendo-suit-by-atari-is-dismissed.html|archive-date=October 23, 2014}}</ref> The last licensed Master System release in North America was ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit video game)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (1991).<ref name="Retroinspection" /><ref name="RGamerMaster" />

In Europe, where the Master System was the best-selling console up until 1990,<ref name="CVG4"/><ref name="SP18"/> the NES caught up with and narrowly overtook the Master System in Western Europe during the early 1990s; however, the Master System maintained its lead in several markets such as the UK, Belgium, and Spain.<ref>{{cite magazine | magazine=[[Screen Digest]] | title=Finance & Business | date=March 1995 | url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/208776076/Screen-Digest?secret_password=2ntzw5zfrtsy8kxequmg | pages=56–62 | access-date=May 23, 2021}}</ref> In 1993, the Master System's estimated active [[Installed base|installed user base]] in Europe was 6.25&nbsp;million units, larger than that of the Mega Drive's 5.73&nbsp;million that year but less than the NES's 7.26&nbsp;million.<ref name="digest_60">{{cite journal|date=March 1995|journal=[[Screen Digest]]|publisher=Screen Digest Ltd.|page=60|title=Sega Consoles: Active installed base estimates}}</ref> Combined with the Mega Drive, Sega represented the majority of the European console market that year.<ref name="digest_61">{{cite journal |date=March 1995 |title=Total 8-bit and 16-bit Cartridge Consoles: Active installed base estimates |journal=Screen Digest |publisher=Screen Digest Ltd. |page=61}} ([[cf.]] here [https://books.google.com/books?id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&q=nintendo+active+installed] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324035924/https://books.google.com/books?ei=L0UeT47oMouEhQeoldjNDQ&id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&dq=sega+active+installed&q=nintendo+active+installed|date=March 24, 2017}} and here [https://books.google.com/books?id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Western+Europe+8550+13390+13510+9570%22] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022622/https://books.google.com/books?ei=200eT4yAK8y1hAfsncjRDQ&id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22EU+as+listed+%3A+6730+10430+10460+7.410%22&q=%22Western+Europe+8550+13390+13510+9570%22|date=March 24, 2017}})</ref> The Master System II was also successful and helped Sega to sustain their significant market share. Releases in Europe continued into the 1990s, including ''[[Mercs]]'', ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit video game)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' (both 1992), and ''[[Streets of Rage 2]]'' (1994).<ref name="Retroinspection"/>

The Master System has had continued success in Brazil, where dedicated "plug and play" consoles emulating the original hardware continue to be sold by Tectoy, including portable versions. These systems include the '''Master System Compact'''<ref name="Retroinspection" /> and the '''Master System III''',<ref name="retrogamer_tectoy">{{cite journal|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|title=Company Profile: Tec Toy|journal=Retro Gamer|publisher=Imagine Publishing|year=2006|issue=30|pages=50–53|issn=1742-3155|location=London, UK}}</ref> and Tectoy has also received requests to remake the original Master System.<ref name=":0" />  In 2012, [[Universo Online|UOL]] reported that Tectoy re-releases of the Master System and Mega Drive combined sold around 150,000 units per year in Brazil.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uol.com.br/start/ultimas-noticias/2012/07/30/vinte-anos-depois-master-system-e-mega-drive-vendem-150-mil-unidades-por-ano-no-brasil.htm |title=Vinte anos depois, Master System e Mega Drive vendem 150 mil unidades por ano no Brasil |trans-title=Twenty years later, Master System and Mega Drive sell 150,000 units a year in Brazil |last=Azevedo |first=Theo |date=July 30, 2012 |website=[[Universo Online|UOL]] |publisher= |access-date=July 16, 2023 |lang=pt }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/brazil-is-a-video-game-alternate-universe-where-sega-beat-nintendo|title=Brazil Is An Alternate Video Game Universe Where Sega Beat Nintendo|last=Smith|first=Ernie|date=July 27, 2015|work=Atlas Obscura|access-date=December 11, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621140933/http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/brazil-is-a-video-game-alternate-universe-where-sega-beat-nintendo|archive-date=June 21, 2017}}</ref> By 2016, Tectoy said they had sold 8&nbsp;million units of Master System branded systems in Brazil.<ref name="MDB">{{cite web|url=http://jogos.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2016/05/12/console-em-producao-ha-mais-tempo-master-system-ja-vendeu-8-mi-no-brasil.htm|title=Console em produção há mais tempo, Master System já vendeu 8 mi no Brasil |trans-title=Console in production for a longer time, Master System has sold 8 million in Brazil |last=Azevedo|first=Théo|date=May 12, 2016|website=[[Universo Online]]|publisher=[[Grupo Folha]]|language=pt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514115923/http://jogos.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2016/05/12/console-em-producao-ha-mais-tempo-master-system-ja-vendeu-8-mi-no-brasil.htm|archive-date=May 14, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=May 13, 2016|quote=Comercializado no Brasil desde setembro de 1989, o saudoso Master System já vendeu mais de 8 milhões de unidades no país, segundo a Tectoy.}}</ref>

==Technical specifications==
The Master System's main [[Central processing unit|CPU]] is an [[8-bit computing|8-bit]] [[Zilog Z80|Zilog Z80A]] rated for 4 [[Hertz|MHz]], but runs at 3.58 MHz. It has 8 [[kilobyte|KB]] of [[read-only memory|ROM]], 8 KB of [[Random-access memory|RAM]] and 16 KB of video RAM ([[Video random-access memory|VRAM]]). Video is provided through an [[RF switch]] (though Model 1s with an AV port can also output [[composite video|composite]] and even [[Component video#RGB analog component video|RGB]] video) and displays at a resolution of 256&nbsp;×&nbsp;192 pixels and up to 32 colors at one time from a total palette of 64 colors;<ref name="MS" /> the [[Video display controller|Video Display Processor]] (VDP) graphics chip was designed by Sega for the Mark III.<ref name=":02" /> The Master System measures {{convert|365|x|170|x|abbr=on|70|mm|in}},<ref name="MS" /> while the Mark III measures {{convert|318|x|145|x|abbr=on|52|mm|in}}.<ref name="MK3" /> Both consoles use two slots for game input: one for Mega Cartridges and one for [[Sega Card]]s, along with an expansion slot and two controller ports.<ref name="MS" /><ref name="MK3" /> Sound is provided by the [[Texas Instruments SN76489]] [[Programmable sound generator|PSG]] built into the VDP, which can provide three [[Square wave (waveform)|square wave]] channels and one [[White noise|noise]] channel. The Japanese version also integrates the [[Yamaha YM2413]] [[Frequency modulation synthesis|FM]] chip,<ref name="MS" /> an optional feature on the Mark III. With few exceptions, Master System hardware is identical to the hardware in the Mark III. Games for the console are playable on the Sega Genesis using the Power Base Converter accessory,<ref name="Retroinspection"/> and on the Game Gear using the Master Gear Converter.<ref name="RetroGamer">{{cite journal|year=2009|title=Retroinspection: Sega Game Gear|journal=Retro Gamer|location=London, UK|publisher=Imagine Publishing|issue=41|pages=78–85|issn=1742-3155}}</ref> Compared to the base NES, the Master System has four times as much system memory, eight times as much video memory, and a higher CPU [[clock rate]].<ref name="Edge"/>

Sega produced several iterations of the Master System. The Master System II, released in 1990, removed a number of components to reduce cost: the Sega Card slot, reset button, power light, expansion port, and startup music and logo.<ref name="Allgame" /> In most regions, the Master System II's A/V port was omitted, leaving only RF output available; this was reversed in France, where the local version of the Master System II had only A/V video output available and omitted the RF hardware.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smspower.org/masterful/rgb.html|title=SMS 2 RGB|website=www.smspower.org}}</ref> In Brazil, Tectoy released several licensed variations; the Master System Super Compact functions wirelessly with an RF transmitter, and the Master System Girl, molded in bright pink plastic, was targeted at girls. The Master System 3 Collection, released in 2006, contains 120 built-in games.<ref name="retrogamer_tectoy" /> Handheld versions of the Master System were released under several brands, such as [[Coleco]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/26/coleco-tiptoes-back-with-sega-filled-handheld|title=Coleco Tiptoes Back with Sega-filled Handheld|last=Ransom-Wiley|first=James|date=October 26, 2006|website=[[Joystiq]]|publisher=[[AOL]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407080626/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/26/coleco-tiptoes-back-with-sega-filled-handheld|archive-date=April 7, 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=April 22, 2010}}</ref>

=== Accessories ===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:0.5em 0 0.5em 1.4em;"
|-
|[[File:Sega-Master-System-Controllers.jpg|none|90px|alt=Two Master system controllers]] || [[File:SMS-Light-Phaser.jpg|none|90px|alt=A Master System Light Phaser]] || [[File:Sega-Masters-Sys-3D-Glasses.jpg|none|90px|alt=A pair of Sega 3D glasses]]
|-
| width="90" | {{center|Master System controllers}} || width="90" | {{center|Light Phaser}} || width="90" | {{center|SegaScope {{Nowrap|3-D}} glasses}}
|}
A number of cross-compatible accessories were created for the Mark III and Master System. The controller consists of a rectangle with a [[D-pad]] and two buttons. Sega also introduced additional Mark III controllers, such as a [[Paddle (game controller)|paddle controller]].<ref name=controllers>{{cite web|title=Sega Mark III Controllers|website=Sega Hard Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Sega|Sega Corporation]]|url=https://www.sega.jp/fb/segahard/mk3/controller.html|language=ja|access-date=February 12, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140803043318/https://www.sega.jp/fb/segahard/mk3/controller.html|archive-date=August 3, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref> A combination steering wheel and flight stick, the Handle Controller, was released in 1989. The Sega Control Stick is an arcade-style joystick with the buttons on the opposite side as the standard controller. Unreleased in Europe, the Sega Sports Pad utilizes a [[trackball]] and is compatible with three games. Sega also created an expansion for its controller, the Rapid Fire Unit, that allows for auto-fire by holding down one of two buttons. This unit connects between the console and the controller.<ref name="Retro117" /> A [[light gun]] peripheral, the Light Phaser,<ref name="Allgame" /> was based on the weapon of the same name from the Japanese anime ''[[Zillion (TV series)|Zillion]]''.<ref name="retrogamer_tectoy" /> It is compatible with 13 games and released exclusively in the West.<ref name="Retro117" />

A pair of 3D glasses, the SegaScope 3-D, were created for games such as ''[[Space Harrier 3-D]]'', although Mark III users need an additional converter to use them. The SegaScope 3-D works via an [[active shutter 3D system]], creating a [[Stereoscopic video game|stereoscopic]] effect.<ref name=3D>{{cite web|title=SegaScope 3-D|website=Sega Hard Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Sega|Sega Corporation]]|url=https://www.sega.jp/fb/segahard/master/3dglass.html|language=ja|access-date=February 12, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407192553/https://www.sega.jp/fb/segahard/master/3dglass.html|archive-date=April 7, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The glasses need to be connected to the Sega Card slot, and thus do not function with the Master System II due to lack of the card slot. A total of eight games, including ''[[Zaxxon 3-D]]'' and ''[[OutRun 3-D]]'', are compatible with the glasses.<ref name="Retro117" />

The Mark III has an optional RF transmitter accessory, allowing wireless play that broadcasts the game being played on a [[Ultra high frequency|UHF]] television signal.<ref name=Telecon>{{cite web|title=Telecon Pack|website=Sega Hard Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Sega|Sega Corporation]]|url=https://www.sega.jp/fb/segahard/mk3/telcon.html|language=ja|access-date=February 12, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140803043532/http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/mk3/telcon.html|archive-date=August 3, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===Game Gear===
{{main|Game Gear}}
[[File:Sega-Game-Gear-FR.jpg|thumb|right|The Game Gear was based on the Master System's architecture.|alt=A picture of a Game Gear]]
Developed under the name "Project Mercury"<ref name="RetroGamer" /> and designed based on the Master System's hardware,<ref name="IGNGG">{{cite web|last=Buchanan|first=Levi|date=October 9, 2008|title=Remember Game Gear?|url=http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/918/918381p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423010222/http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/918/918381p1.html|archive-date=April 23, 2010|access-date=March 29, 2009|website=[[IGN]]|publisher=Ziff Davis}}</ref> the Game Gear is a [[handheld game console]]. It was first released in Japan on October 6, 1990,<ref name="encyclopedia" /> in North America and Europe in 1991, and in Australia and New Zealand in 1992.<ref name="RetroGamer" /> Originally retailing at JP¥19,800 in Japan,<ref name="encyclopedia" /> $149.99 in North America, and £99.99 in the United Kingdom,<ref name="RetroGamer" /> the Game Gear was designed to compete with the [[Game Boy]], which [[Nintendo]] had released in 1989.<ref name="allgamegg">{{cite web|last=Beuscher|first=David|title=Sega Game Gear – Overview|url=http://www.allgame.com/platform.php?id=25|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114094408/http://www.allgame.com/platform.php?id=25|archive-date=November 14, 2014|access-date=July 8, 2013|website=AllGame|publisher=All Media Network}}</ref> There are similarities between the Game Gear and the Master System hardware; Master System games are playable on Game Gear using the Master Gear Converter accessory.<ref name="Journal du lapin">{{Cite web|last=Dandumont|first=Pierre|date=2017-11-26|title=Ces jeux Game Gear qui sont en fait des jeux Master System|url=https://www.journaldulapin.com/2017/11/26/game-gear-master-system/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210930/https://www.journaldulapin.com/2017/11/26/game-gear-master-system/| archive-date=2021-09-30|access-date=July 7, 2020|website=journaldulapin.com|language=fr}}{{cbignore}}</ref> A large part of the Game Gear's game library consists of Master System ports. Because of hardware similarities, including the landscape screen orientation, Master System games are easily portable to the handheld.<ref name="RetroGamer" /> In particular, many Master System ports of Game Gear games were done by Tectoy for the Brazilian market, as the Master System was more popular than the Game Gear in the region.<ref name=":0" />

==Game library==
{{See|List of Master System games}}
{{See also|List of TecToy Master System 131 games}}
[[File:PhantasyStarBattle2.png|thumb|right|''[[Phantasy Star (video game)|Phantasy Star]]'' for the Master System became one of Sega's successful franchises.|alt=A gameplay image from Phantasy Star]]

Master System games came in two formats: [[ROM cartridge]]s held up to 4 [[megabit|Mbit]] (512 KB) of code and data, while [[Sega Card]]s held up to 256 Kbit (32 KB). Cartridges were marketed by their storage size: One Mega (1 Mbit), Two Mega (2 Mbit), and Four Mega (4 Mbit). Cards, cheaper to manufacture than the cartridges, included ''[[Spy vs. Spy (1984 video game)|Spy vs. Spy]]'' and ''[[Super Tennis (Master System)|Super Tennis]]'',<ref name="Retroinspection"/><ref name="Allgame"/> but were eventually dropped due to their small memory size.<ref name=":02" /> The size of the release library varies based on region; North America received just over 100 games, with Japan receiving less. Europe, by contrast, received over 300 licensed games, including 8-bit ports of Genesis games and [[PAL]]-exclusive releases.<ref name="Retro117">{{Cite magazine|last=Buchanan|first=Adam|date=July 2013|title=The Collector's Guide: Sega Master System|magazine=[[Retro Gamer]]|pages=20–31}}</ref> The first Mark III-specific cartridge was ''[[Fantasy Zone]]'', released on June 15, 1986,<ref name="Sega titles - Sega JP">{{cite web |title=Software List |url=https://sega.jp/history/hard/segamark3/software.html |website=Sega Hard Encyclopedia |publisher=[[Sega|Sega Corporation]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621034428/https://sega.jp/history/hard/segamark3/software.html |access-date=May 15, 2023 |archive-date=2019-06-21 |language=ja}}</ref> and ''Bomber Raid'' was the final release on February 4, 1989, a few months after the launch of the Mega Drive.<ref name="Sega titles - Sega JP" /> The final North American release was ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' in October 1991.<ref name="Retroinspection" /><ref name="RGamerMaster">{{cite journal|last1=Thorpe|first1=Nick|date=March 22, 2014|title=The History of Sonic on the Master System|url=https://archive.org/stream/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_179#page/46/mode/2up|journal=[[Retro Gamer]]|issue=179|pages=46–51}}</ref> Games for PAL regions continued to be released until the mid-1990s.<ref name="Retroinspection" /><ref name="Retro117" />

The Sega Mark III and the Japanese Master System{{what|what is this?|date=July 2025}} are [[Backward compatibility|backwards-compatible]] with SC-3000/SG-1000 cartridges, and can play Sega Card games without the Card Catcher peripheral.<ref name="MK3" /><ref name="MS" /> However, educational and programming cartridges for the SC-3000 require the SK-1100 keyboard peripheral, which is compatible with the Mark III.<ref name=SK>{{cite web|title=SK-1100|website=Sega Hard Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Sega|Sega Corporation]]|url=http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/sg1000/sk1100.html|language=ja|access-date=February 12, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222070731/http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/sg1000/sk1100.html|archive-date=February 22, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Mark III-specific games were initially available in card format (labelled My Card Mark III to distinguish themselves from games designed for the SC-3000/SG-1000), starting with ''[[Teddy Boy Blues]]'' and ''[[Hang-On]]'', both released on October 20, 1985.<ref name="Sega titles - Sega JP" />

Of the games released for the Master System, ''[[Phantasy Star (video game)|Phantasy Star]]'' is considered a benchmark [[role-playing game]] (RPG), and became a [[Phantasy Star|successful franchise]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Semrad|first=Steve|date=February 2, 2006|title=The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time, Page 8|url=http://www.1up.com/features/egm-200-greatest-videogames?pager.offset=8|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140118230906/http://www.1up.com/features/egm-200-greatest-videogames?pager.offset=8|archive-date=January 18, 2014|access-date=December 11, 2016|website=[[1UP.com]]}}</ref> Sega's flagship character at the time, [[Alex Kidd]], was featured in games including ''[[Alex Kidd in Miracle World]]''. ''[[Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap]]'' was influential for its blend of platform gameplay with RPG elements.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mott|first=Tony|title=[[1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die]]|publisher=Universe Publishing|year=2013|isbn=978-0-7893-2090-2|location=New York, New York|page=177}}</ref> Different Master System consoles included built-in games, including ''[[Snail Maze]],'' ''Hang-On''/''Safari Hunt'', ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World'' and ''Sonic the Hedgehog''.<ref name="Retroinspection" /> Battery-backup save game support was included in eight cartridges, including ''[[Penguin Land]]'', ''Phantasy Star'', ''[[Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished|Ys]]'', and ''[[Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord|Miracle Warriors]]''.<ref name="Sega titles - Sega JP" />

The more extensive PAL region library includes 8-bit entries in Genesis franchises such as ''[[Streets of Rage]]'',<ref name="Retro117" /> a number of additional ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' games,<ref name="RGamerMaster" /> and dozens of PAL exclusives such as ''[[The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck]]'', ''[[Asterix (1991 video game)|Asterix]]'', ''[[Ninja Gaiden (1992 video game)|Ninja Gaiden]]'', ''[[Master of Darkness]]'', and ''[[Power Strike II (Master System video game)|Power Strike II]]''.<ref name="Retro117" /> ''[[Retro Gamer]]''<nowiki/>'s Damien McFerran praised the "superb" PAL library of "interesting ports and excellent exclusives", which was richer than the North American library and provided a "drip-feed of quality titles".<ref name="Retroinspection" />

After the Master System was discontinued in other markets, additional games were released in Brazil by Tectoy, including ports of ''[[Street Fighter II: Champion Edition]]'' and ''[[Dynamite Headdy]]''.<ref name="Retroinspection" /> Tectoy created Portuguese translations of games exclusive to the region. Some of these would tie in to popular Brazilian entertainment franchises; for example, ''Teddy Boy'' became ''Geraldinho'', certain ''[[Wonder Boy]]'' titles became ''[[Monica's Gang]]'' games, and ''[[Ghost House (video game)|Ghost House]]'' became ''Chapolim vs. Dracula: Um Duelo Assutador'', based on the Mexican TV series ''[[El Chapulín Colorado]]''. Tectoy also ported games to the Master System, including various games from the Genesis and Game Gear.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web|last=Sponsel|first=Sebastian|date=November 16, 2015|title=Interview: Stefano Arnhold (Tectoy)|url=http://www.sega-16.com/2015/11/interview-stefano-arnhold-tectoy/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122012118/http://www.sega-16.com/2015/11/interview-stefano-arnhold-tectoy/|archive-date=November 22, 2015|access-date=November 30, 2015|website=Sega-16|publisher=Ken Horowitz}}</ref><ref name=":1"/> Aside from porting, the company developed ''[[Férias Frustradas do Pica-Pau]]'' after finding out that [[Woody Woodpecker]] (named Pica-Pau in Portuguese) was the most popular cartoon on Brazilian television,<ref name=":03" /> along with at least twenty additional exclusives.<ref name="Retro117" /> These titles were developed in-house by Tectoy in Brazil.<ref name=":03" />

Due in part to Nintendo's licensing practices, which stipulated that third-party NES developers could not release games on other platforms, few third-party developers released games for the Master System.<ref name="Retroinspection" /> According to Sato, Sega was focused on porting its arcade games instead of building relationships with third parties.<ref name=":02" /> According to Sega designer [[Mark Cerny]], most of Sega's early Master System games were developed within a strict three-month deadline, which affected their quality.<ref name="Cerny">{{cite web |last=Horowitz |first=Ken |date=December 5, 2006 |title=Interview: Mark Cerny |url=http://www.sega-16.com/2006/12/interview-mark-cerny/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017130701/http://www.sega-16.com/2006/12/interview-mark-cerny/ |archive-date=October 17, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |website=Sega-16 |publisher=Ken Horowitz}}</ref><ref name="Guardian Sonic">{{cite web|last=Parkin|first=Simon|date=September 13, 2013|title=Sonic the Hedgehog: past, present and future|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/13/sonic-the-hedgehog-sonic-lost-world|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625195411/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/13/sonic-the-hedgehog-sonic-lost-world|archive-date=June 25, 2014|access-date=June 6, 2014|website=[[The Guardian]]|quote=They made 40 games in this way&nbsp;...But by my judgment only two were really worth playing.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Totilo|first=Stephen|date=March 10, 2014|title=A Candid Talk With Mark Cerny, Who Designed The PS4, Among Other Things|url=http://kotaku.com/a-candid-talk-with-mark-cerny-who-designed-the-ps4-am-1540179832|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140604101656/http://kotaku.com/a-candid-talk-with-mark-cerny-who-designed-the-ps4-am-1540179832|archive-date=June 4, 2014|access-date=June 6, 2014|website=[[Kotaku]]|publisher=[[Gizmodo Media Group]]}}</ref> ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' compared new Sega games to "drops of water in the desert".<ref name="cgw198811">{{Cite magazine|last1=Kunkel|first1=Bill|last2=Worley|first2=Joyce|last3=Katz|first3=Arnie|date=November 1988|title=Video Gaming World|url=https://archive.org/stream/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_53#page/n53/mode/2up|url-status=live|magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]]|page=54|issn=0744-6667|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405041224/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1988&pub=2&id=53|archive-date=April 5, 2016}}</ref> Games for the Master System took advantage of more advanced hardware compared to the NES; ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World'', for example, showcases "blistering colors and more detailed sprites" than NES games.<ref name="AKinMW">{{cite web|last=Buchanan|first=Levi|date=January 25, 2008|title=Alex Kidd in Miracle World Review|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/01/25/alex-kidd-in-miracle-world-review-2|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311222135/http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/01/25/alex-kidd-in-miracle-world-review-2|archive-date=March 11, 2014|access-date=March 31, 2014|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Mott|first=Tony|title=1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die|publisher=Universe Publishing|year=2013|isbn=978-0-7893-2090-2|location=New York, New York|page=108}}</ref> The Master System version of ''[[R-Type]]'' was praised for its visuals, comparable to those of the TurboGrafx-16 port.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=October 2002|title=Retro Reviews: R-Type|magazine=Game Informer|publisher=GameStop|volume=12|issue=114|page=114}}</ref>

In 2005, Sega reached a deal with the company [[AtGames]] to release emulated Master System software in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China.<ref name="AtGames">{{cite journal|date=March 1, 2005|title=Sega expands distribution in Greater China.|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-133132727.html|url-status=dead|journal=Screen Digest|publisher=Screen Digest Ltd.|url-access=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921211913/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-133132727.html|archive-date=September 21, 2014|access-date=September 13, 2014}}</ref> Several Master System games were released for download on Nintendo's [[Wii]] [[Virtual Console]], beginning with ''[[Black Belt (1986 video game)|Hokuto no Ken]]'' in 2008 in Japan and ''[[Wonder Boy (video game)|Wonder Boy]]'' in North America.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cruis'n USA and Wonder Boy Now Available on Wii Shop Channel!|url=https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/4uQJLEZJ2G__3IJq5TXii66HmIjir-lJ|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723150857/http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/4uQJLEZJ2G__3IJq5TXii66HmIjir-lJ|archive-date=July 23, 2008|access-date=March 15, 2010|publisher=[[Nintendo]]}}</ref> Master System games were also released via the [[GameTap]] online service.<ref name="game tap">{{cite news|last=Leupold|first=Tom|date=February 3, 2006|title=Games on tap, or 'History of the Gaming World, Part I'|newspaper=[[Oakland Tribune]]|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-7039983.html|url-status=dead|url-access=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924050610/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-7039983.html|archive-date=September 24, 2014}}</ref>

==Reception and legacy==
Due to the continued release of new variants in Brazil, the Master System is considered by many video gaming publications to be the longest lived gaming console in video games history, a title it took from the [[Atari 2600]].<ref>{{cite web|date=2020-01-11|title=5 Consoles That Lasted The Longest (& 5 That Lasted The Shortest)|url=https://gamerant.com/consoles-lasted-longest-shortest-time-most-least-popular/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210930/https://gamerant.com/consoles-lasted-longest-shortest-time-most-least-popular/| archive-date=2021-09-30|access-date=2020-09-22|website=Game Rant|language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2014-01-17|title=The 5 longest console lifespans|url=https://za.ign.com/ps4/64636/feature/the-5-longest-console-lifespans| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210930/https://za.ign.com/ps4/64636/feature/the-5-longest-console-lifespans| archive-date=2021-09-30|access-date=2020-09-22|website=IGN Africa|language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Adams|first=Kara Jane|date=2020-07-26|title=Sega Master System|url=https://medium.com/@KaraJaneAdams/sega-master-system-7e769af3f444| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210930/https://medium.com/@KaraJaneAdams/sega-master-system-7e769af3f444| archive-date=2021-09-30|access-date=2020-09-22|website=Medium|language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Sales of the Master System have been estimated between 10&nbsp;million and 13&nbsp;million units, not including later Brazil sales.<ref name="encyclopedia"/><ref name="GENSNES">{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/20/genesis-vs-snes-by-the-numbers|title=Genesis vs. SNES: By the Numbers|last=Buchanan|first=Levi|date=March 20, 2009|website=[[IGN]]|publisher=Ziff Davis|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302144504/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/20/genesis-vs-snes-by-the-numbers|archive-date=March 2, 2014|url-status=live|access-date=March 31, 2014}}</ref> It saw much more continued success in Europe and Brazil than it did in Japan and North America.<ref name="Retroinspection"/> In 1989, the Master System was listed in the top 20 products of [[NPD Group]]'s Toy Retail Sales Tracking Service.<ref name="retailers">{{cite magazine|last=Leccesse|first=Donna|title=Retailers say video is a dream come true; Nintendo is leading the way to better sales.|magazine=Playthings|publisher=Sandow Media LLC.|date=May 5, 1989|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-7613047.html|url-access=|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921211908/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-7613047.html|archive-date=September 21, 2014|access-date=September 13, 2014}}</ref> However, the ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' 1992 Buyer's Guide indicated a souring interest in the console. Four reviewers scored it 5, 4, 5, and 5 out of a possible 10 points each, focusing on the better value of the Genesis and lack of quality games for the Master System.<ref name="egmbuyersguide1992">{{cite magazine|author1=Steve|author2=Ed|author3=Martin|author4=Sushi-X|date=January 1992 |title=EGM Rates The Systems Of 1992!!! |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=Sendai Publishing |pages=74|url= https://archive.org/stream/Electronic_Gaming_Monthlys_1992_Video_Game_Buyers_Guide/electronic_gaming_monthlys_1992_video_game_buyers_guide_-_1991_unk#page/n73/mode/2up}}</ref> In 1993, reviewers scored it 2, 2, 3, and 3 out of 10, noting its abandonment by Sega in North America and lack of new releases.<ref name="egmbuyersguide1993">{{cite magazine|author1=Steve|author2=Ed|author3=Martin|author4=Sushi-X|date=January 1993|title=Electronic Gaming Monthly's Buyer's Guide |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |publisher=Sendai Publishing |pages=32}}</ref> By contrast, over 34&nbsp;million NES units were sold in North America alone, outselling the Master System's life time units globally nearly three times over.<ref> [https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/consolidated_sales_e1603.pdf "Consolidated Sales Transition by Region"] (PDF). Nintendo. March 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2022.</ref><ref name="GENSNES" /> According to Bill Pearse of ''Playthings'', the NES gained an advantage through better software and more recognizable characters.<ref name="playthings">{{cite magazine|last=Pearse|first=Bill|title=Nintendo and Sega gear up for battle. (Nintendo of America Inc. and Sega Inc. compete for 16-bit video game market; includes related articles) (Industry Overview)|magazine=Playthings|publisher=Sandow Media LLC.|date=January 1, 1992|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-11866263.html|url-access=|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028104226/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-11866263.html|archive-date=October 28, 2014|access-date=September 13, 2014}}</ref> Sega closed the gap with Nintendo in the [[Fourth generation of video game consoles|next generation]] with the release of the Genesis, which sold 30.75&nbsp;million consoles compared with the 49&nbsp;million [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] consoles.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zackariasson|first1=Peter|last2=Wilson|first2=Timothy L.|last3=Ernkvist|first3=Mirko|title=The Video Game Industry: Formation, Present State, and Future|chapter=Console Hardware: The Development of Nintendo Wii|publisher=Routledge|year=2012|isbn=978-1-138-80383-1|page=158}}</ref><ref name="RetroSonic2">{{cite journal|journal=Retro Gamer — the Mega Drive Book|title=Sonic Boom: The Success Story of Sonic the Hedgehog|page=31|publisher=Imagine Publishing |location=London, UK|year=2013|issn=1742-3155}}</ref>

Retrospective feedback of the Master System praises its support toward development of the Sega Genesis, but has been critical of its small game library. Writing for ''[[AllGame]]'', Dave Beuscher noted that the Master System "was doomed by the lack of third-party software support and all but disappeared from the American market by 1992."<ref name="Allgame" /> ''[[Retro Gamer]]'' writer Adam Buchanan praised the larger PAL library as a "superb library of interesting ports and excellent exclusives".<ref name="Retro117" /> Damien McFerran, also of ''Retro Gamer,'' recognized its importance to the success of the Genesis, stating, "Without this criminally undervalued machine, Sega would not have enjoyed the considerable success it had with the Mega Drive. The Master System allowed Sega to experiment with arcade conversions, original IP and even create a mascot in the form of the lovable monkey-boy Alex Kidd."<ref name="Retroinspection" /> In 2009, the Master System was named the 20th best console of all time by ''[[IGN]]'', behind the [[Atari 7800]] (17th) and the NES (1st). ''IGN'' cited the Master System's small and uneven NTSC library as the major problems: "Months could go by between major releases and that made a dud on the Master System feel even more painful."<ref name="top25">{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/top-25-consoles/20.html|title=Top 25 Videogame Consoles of All Time: SEGA Master System is Number 20|year=2009|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222061903/http://www.ign.com/top-25-consoles/20.html|archive-date=February 22, 2014|url-status=live|access-date=March 31, 2014}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Sega hardware}}
{{Third generation game consoles}}
{{Home video game consoles}}
{{Portal bar|Video games|Electronics|1980s|1990s}}

[[Category:Master System| ]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1986]]
[[Category:1991 disestablishments in Japan]]
[[Category:1996 disestablishments in Europe]]
[[Category:Home video game consoles]]
[[Category:Third-generation video game consoles]]
[[Category:1980s toys]]
[[Category:1990s toys]]
[[Category:Z80-based video game consoles]]
[[Category:Discontinued video game consoles]]