SG-1000

SG-1000 console

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 extremely sought after console.

History

The SG-1000 was test marketed in Japan in 1981 and 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 joystick controllers have 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 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.

In July 1984, Sega released an updated version of the console called the SG-1000 Mark II, which featured a connector for an optional plug-in keyboard (the SK-1100), a slot for Sega Cards 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 Tsukada Original produced the Othello Multivision, an SG-1000 clone. Bit Corp's Dina 2-in-1 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 SG-1000 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.

Specifications

• CPU: NEC 780C (clone of Zilog Z80)
  • 3.579545MHz for NTSC, 3.546893MHz for PAL
• Main RAM: 16 Kbits (2KB)
• VRAM: 128 Kbits (16KB)
• Sound: Texas Instruments SN76489
  • 4 channel mono sound
  • 3 sound generators, 4 octaves each, 1 white noise generator
• Screen resolution: 256x192 (16 colors)

• Ports:
  • 1 Printer
  • 1 Cartridge
  • 1 Cassette
  • 1 Composite video
  • 2 Joystick

List of Games

SG-1000

• Bank Panic (1985)
• The Black Onyx (1987)
• Bomb Jack (1985)
• Borderline (1983)
• The Castle (1986)
• Chack'n Pop (1985)
• Champion Baseball (1983)
• Champion Billiards (1986)
• Champion Boxing (1984)
• Champion Golf (1983)
• Champion Ice Hockey (1985)
• Champion Kendou (1986)
• Champion Pro Wrestling (1985)
• Championship Lode Runner (1985)
• Champion Soccer (1984)
• Champion Tennis (1986)
• Choplifter (1985)
• Congo Bongo (1983)
• C_So! (1985)
• Doki Doki Penguin Land (1985)
• Dragon Wang (1985)
• Drol (1985)
• Elevator Action (1985)
• Exerion (1983)
• Flicky (1984)
• Girl's Garden (1984)
• Golgo 13 (1984)
• GP World (1985)
• Gulkave (1986)
• Hang On II (1985)
• H.E.R.O. (1985)
• Home Mahjong (1984)
• Hustle Chumy (1984)
• Hyper Sports (1985)
• Lode Runner (1984)
• Mahjong (1983)
• Monaco GP (1983)
• Ninja Princess (1986)
• N-Sub (1983)
• Orguss (1984)
• Othello (1985)
• Pacar (1983)
• Pachinko (1983)
• Pachinko II (1984)
• Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns (1985)
• Pop Flamer (1983)
• Rock n' Bolt (1985)
• Safari Hunting (1983)
• Safari Race (1984)
• Sega Flipper (1983)
• Sega Galaga (1983)
• Serizawa Hachidan no Tsumeshogi (1983)
• Shinnyuushain Tooru-Kun (1985)
• Sindbad Mystery (1983)
• Soukoban (1985)
• Space Armor (1984)
• Space Invaders (1985)
• Space Slalom (1983)
• Star Force (1985)
• Star Jacker (1983)
• Super Tank (1986)
• Terebi Oekaki (1986)
• Wonder Boy (1986)
• Yamato (1983)
• Zaxxon (1985)
• Zippy Race (1983)
• Zoom 909 (1985)

Othello Multivision

• 007 James Bond (1984)
• Challenge Derby (1984)
• Challenge Soccer

• Guzzler (1983)
• Okamoto Ayako no Match Play Golf (1984)
• Q*bert
• San-nin Mahjong (1984)
• Space Mountain

Cancelled Titles

• Champion Ski
• Great Escape 2 (Othello Multivision)
• Yie Ar Kung-Fu

Gallery

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  SG-1000 logo

• 

  Alternate SG-1000 logo

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  SG-1000 box

• 

  Alternate SG-1000 box

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SG-1000	SG-1000 II				Mega Drive					Mega Drive II
SC-3000								Mega-CD		Mega-CD II					Genesis 3
		Sega Mark III									32X				Dreamcast
			Master System				Master System II
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