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SG-1000From Sega Retro
The SG-1000 (Sega Game 1000) was a cartridge-based video game console manufactured by Sega. The SG-1000 was Sega's first console, and though was not seen as a huge success, gave the company more experience when dealing with future systems. It is now an extremely rare and sought after console.
HistoryThe SG-1000 was first released to the Japanese market in July 1983 for ¥15,000. It was a minor success for Sega, but was held back from the start on the basis it was released within the same month as the Nintendo Famicom. Unlike the Famicom, however, there was a computer version of the SG-1000 named the SC-3000, which inevitably outsold the SG-1000 due to the built-in keyboard and compatibility with add-ons such as the SP-400 and SF-7000. The SG-1000's SJ-200 joystick controller has been subject to criticism for often being stiff and unresponsive. The SG-1000 also sold well within the rest of Asia until 1985, especially in Taiwan which other game console manufacturers neglected. It was also distributed in Australia by John Sands, in New Zealand by Grandstand Leisure Limited, and may have seen release in other countries, such as France, Italy, Spain, and South Africa (though it was only distributed by Sega within Japan). The console in its original form never reached North America. Later models in Japan have black labels, rather than the standard blue. Black models are rarer than blue ones, and are worth considerably more. In July 1984, Sega released an updated version of the console called the SG-1000 II, which moved the rear expansion port to the front of the system (used for the SK-1100 keyboard) and updated controllers similar to that of the Famicom. This version of the console was still not a runaway success, but is seen as an improvement over the original design. Game manufacturer Tsukuda Original produced the Othello Multivision, an SG-1000 clone. Bit Corp's Dina 2 in one ColecoVision clone was brought to North America by a company called Telegames. Telegames called its clone the Telegames Personal Arcade, which could play Colecovision and SG-1000 games. Failure to capture the biggest share of the market led to the creation of the Sega Mark III, another revision of the hardware in Japan with improved video hardware and an increased amount of RAM. This would later be the basis of the Sega Master System, and both the Japanese Mark III and Master System are backwards compatible with the SG-1000. The last game to be officially released for the SG-1000 was The Black Onyx in 1987. The SG-1000 is extremely similar to the ColecoVision in design (which explains why the Telegames Personal Arcade is compatible with both system). In recent years, a number of SG-1000 games have been unofficially ported to the Colecovision, including Doki Doki Penguin Land and Girl's Garden, with more supposedly in development. Specifications
List of GamesSG-1000
Othello Multivision
Cancelled Titles
Gallery
Physical Scans
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