Difference between revisions of "Sega Mega Drive"

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{{ConsoleBob
 
{{ConsoleBob
| logos=[[File:Megadrive EU Logo.png|320px]]
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| logo=Mega Drive Japanese logo.png
| consoleimage=Megadrive1.jpg
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| consoleimage=MD1 JP console set.jpg
| imgwidth=200px
+
| maker=[[Sega]]
| consoleimage2=Megadrive2.jpg
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| variants=Mega Drive 2, [[Genesis 3]], [[Mega Jet]], [[Nomad]], [[Mega Tech]], [[Mega Play]], [[Amstrad Mega PC]]
| imgwidth2=120px
+
| add-ons=[[Mega-CD]], [[Sega 32X]], [[Mega Modem]], [[Power Base Converter]]
| maker= [[Sega]]
+
| releases={{releasesMD
| variants=Mega Drive 2, [[Genesis 3]], [[Mega Jet]], [[Nomad]], [[Mega Tech]], [[Mega Play]], [[System C]], [[System 18]], [[Amstrad Mega PC]], [[Al-Alamiah AX-660]], [[Al-Alamiah AX-990]]
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| md_date_jp=1988-10-29{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20180322225726/https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/}}
| add-ons=[[Mega-CD]], [[32X]], [[Demo System DS-16]], [[ERX 308P]], [[ERX 318P]], [[Master Mega Converter]], [[MD 8bit Converter]], [[Mega/Master Adaptor]], [[Mega Modem]], [[Power Base Converter]], [[Pro MegaMaster]], [[Sprobe]], [[Super Magic Drive]]
 
| processor=[[68000]]
 
| releases={{releases
 
| md_date_jp=1988-10-29
 
 
| md_rrp_jp=21,000
 
| md_rrp_jp=21,000
 
| md_code_jp=HAA-2510
 
| md_code_jp=HAA-2510
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| md_date_us_1=1989-08-14
 
| md_date_us_1=1989-08-14
 
| md_rrp_us_1=200.00
 
| md_rrp_us_1=200.00
| md_code_us_1=MK-1600
+
| md_code_us_1=MK-1601
 
| md_type_us_1=NY/LA
 
| md_type_us_1=NY/LA
 
| md_date_us_2=1989-08
 
| md_date_us_2=1989-08
 
| md_rrp_us_2=200.00
 
| md_rrp_us_2=200.00
| md_code_us_2=MK-1600
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| md_code_us_2=MK-1601
 
| md_type_us_2=Nationwide
 
| md_type_us_2=Nationwide
  
 
| md_date_uk=1990-09-14
 
| md_date_uk=1990-09-14
| md_rrp_uk=189.99 {{fileref|CVG UK 106.pdf|page=13}}{{fileref|MegaDrive UK PrintAd 1990-10.jpg}}
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| md_rrp_uk=189.99{{magref|cvg|106|13}}{{magref|ace|37|51}}
 
| md_code_uk=1600-05
 
| md_code_uk=1600-05
 
| md_date_fr=1990-09
 
| md_date_fr=1990-09
 
| md_rrp_fr=1890
 
| md_rrp_fr=1890
 
| md_code_fr=1600-09
 
| md_code_fr=1600-09
| md_date_de=199x
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| md_date_de=1990
| md_date_es=199x
+
| md_code_de=1600-18
 +
| md_date_es=1990
 +
| md_rrp_es=38,900{{magref|micromania2|29|63}}
 +
| md_code_es=1600-06
 
| md_date_nl=1991
 
| md_date_nl=1991
 
| md_rrp_nl=399
 
| md_rrp_nl=399
| md_date_it=199x
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| md_code_nl=1600-20
| md_date_pt=199x
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| md_date_it=1990-11{{magref|k|22|21}}
| md_date_gr=199x
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| md_rrp_it=399,000{{magref|k|22|21}}
 +
| md_code_it=1600-13
 +
| md_date_se=1990
 +
| md_rrp_se=
 +
| md_code_se=1600-24
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| md_date_pt=1991
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| md_date_gr=1991
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| md_date_si=1993
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| md_rrp_si=24,990
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| md_date_ru=1994-04
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| md_date_pl=1992<ref>Video Club #20 page 23</ref>
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| md_date_cz=1992-10
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| md_rrp_cz=4,579{{magref|abc|37-16|31}}
  
 +
| md_date_au=1990-09{{magref|mz|6|50}}
 +
| md_rrp_au=349.00{{magref|mz|10|25}}
 +
| md_code_au=1600-03
 +
| md_date_nz=199x
 +
| md_rrp_nz=
 +
| md_code_nz=
 +
| md_date_cn=1993-10<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20210622072008/https://techmonitor.ai/technology/sega_starts_test_marketing_new_machine</ref>
 
| md_date_br=1990-12
 
| md_date_br=1990-12
 +
| md_rrp_br=70,000,00Cr${{ref|https://acervo.estadao.com.br/publicados/1990/11/22/g/19901122-35513-nac-0081-eco-9-not-aaweass.jpg}}
 
| md_code_br=010300
 
| md_code_br=010300
 
| md_date_kr=1990-05
 
| md_date_kr=1990-05
 
| md_rrp_kr=154,000
 
| md_rrp_kr=154,000
| md_date_in=1995
+
| md_date_in=1994-04{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20200621193514/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/economy/story/19940430-shaw-wallace-to-manufacture-market-sega-tv-games-in-india-810502-1994-04-30}}
 
| md_rrp_in=18,000
 
| md_rrp_in=18,000
| md_date_th=199x
+
| md_date_za=199x
 +
| md_date_mx=1991
 +
| md_date_tr=1992
 +
| md_date_ar=1992-06
 +
| md_rrp_ar=
 
}}
 
}}
 
}}
 
}}
The '''Sega Mega Drive''' (メガドライブ), called the '''Sega Genesis''' in North America and '''Super Gam*Boy''' (수퍼겜보이) (later '''Super Aladdin Boy''' (수퍼알라딘 보이) in South Korea, is a video game console developed by [[Sega]] in 1988. The Sega Mega Drive is [[Sega]]'s third home console, following the [[SG-1000]] (including [[SG-1000 II]]) and the [[Sega Master System]] ([[Sega Mark III|Mark III]]). It was codenamed the '''Sega Mark V''' during development and is part of what is now known as the fourth generation of video game consoles.
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<section begin=intro />The '''Mega Drive''' (メガドライブ), called the '''Sega Genesis''' in North America and '''Super Gam*Boy''' (수퍼겜보이), later '''Super Aladdin Boy''' (수퍼알라딘 보이) in South Korea, is a [[cartridge]]-based video game console developed by [[Sega]] in 1988.
  
The Mega Drive is widely considered to be Sega's most successful video game console. It sold [[wikia:w:c:vgsales:Fourth generation of video games#Sales figures|over 40 million]] consoles sold worldwide, [http://www.sega-16.com/2013/02/interview-joe-miller/ according to Sega], including more than 20 million in the United States, 8 million in Europe, 3.58 million in Japan, and 3 million in Brazil. It also had a software library consisting of more than one thousand games released for the system in total. As well as competing with Nintendo's Famicom (NES) and later Super Famicom (SNES) for market control, Sega also found itself fighting against [[NEC]]'s TurboGrafx-16 (PC Engine in Japan), [[SNK]]'s Neo Geo, the Atari Jaguar and numerous home computers in one of the biggest "console wars" of all time. The Mega Drive/Genesis outsold the SNES in [http://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/6341302.pdf North America], Europe, and South America, but was outsold by the SNES in Japan.
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Codenamed the '''Sega Mark V''' during development<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqdN_L4YaDE#t=7m45</ref> it is Sega's fifth video game console (following the [[SG-1000]], [[SG-1000 II]], [[Sega Mark III]] and [[Sega Master System]]) to be released, but only the second substantial hardware upgrade. The Mega Drive's selling point was its 16-bit main processor, which in adddition to superior graphics capabilities, allowed for a more advanced gaming experience previously limited to the arcades.
  
The Mega Drive/Genesis would be succeeded by the [[Sega Saturn]], and then the [[Sega Dreamcast]].
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The Mega Drive is Sega's most successful video game console, with 40 million hardware units sold worldwide,{{intref|Interview: Joe Miller (2013-02-07) by Sega-16}} including more than 20 million in the United States, over 9 million in Western Europe, 3.58 million in Japan, and 3 million in Brazil.{{ref|[[wikia:w:c:vgsales:Fourth generation of video games|Fourth generation of video games]]}}. It has a [[List of Mega Drive games|software library]] consisting of more than one thousand games; more than previous generations of Sega hardware combined.<section end=intro />
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As well as competing with [[Nintendo]]'s [[Famicom]] (NES) and later [[Super Famicom]], Sega also found itself fighting against [[NEC]]'s TurboGrafx-16 (PC Engine in Japan), [[SNK]]'s Neo Geo, the Atari Jaguar, and numerous home computers, driving the term "console war" as it attempted to acheive market dominance. While the Super NES ended up surpassing the Mega Drive in worldwide hardware sales (49 million), more software was sold for Sega's console, and its 16:1 attach ratio was double that of the SNES.{{intref|Press release: 1997-06-04: Sega Lowers Price on Hardware, Software}}
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The Mega Drive saw two major expansions to extend its shelf life, first with [[Sega Mega-CD]] in 1991 and later the [[Sega 32X]] in 1994. The Mega Drive would be succeeded by the [[Sega Saturn]] (also released in 1994), though was still receiving officially licensed games as late as 2000.
  
 
==Hardware==
 
==Hardware==
The Mega Drive was envisioned at the next technological step over other video game consoles available at the time. It is a "16-bit" machine, named after its use of a 16-bit CPU (in this case, the [[Motorola 68000]]), and was marketed as being superior to popular "8-bit" consoles dominating the market at the time, usually the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) but sometimes its immediate predecessor, the Sega Master System. 16-bit CPUs had been gaining popularity since the mid-80s, were widely used in [[arcade]] machines, and were almost expected to be found in new home computers - it was therefore considered logical that the next "generation" of dedicated video game consoles should follow suit.
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The Mega Drive was envisioned at the next technological step over other video game consoles available at the time. It is a "16-bit" machine, named after its use of a 16-bit CPU (in this case, the [[Motorola 68000]]), and was marketed as being superior to popular "8-bit" consoles dominating the market at the time, usually the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES) but sometimes its immediate predecessor, the Sega Master System. 16-bit CPUs had been gaining popularity since the mid-80s, were widely used in [[arcade]] machines, and were almost expected to be found in new home computers - it was therefore considered logical that the next "generation" of dedicated video game consoles should follow suit.
  
The Mega Drive builds on technology found in the Master System (and with adaptors, is fully backwards compatible), though as well as upping the technical specifications for more demanding gameplay, sound and graphics, makes a number of cruicial changes to the design of consoles which continue to this day. Firstly it added a third face button, {{C}}, to the (now ergonomically designed) [[Control Pad (Mega Drive)|control pad]]. The Mega Drive outputs sound in stereo, and makes an attempt to region lock games through software. Also, when utilising the right cables, the Mega Drive is natively able to produce a clearer image than its rivals (on top of its already higher resolution 320x240 display).
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The Mega Drive builds on technology found in the Master System (and with adaptors, is fully backwards compatible), though as well as upping the technical specifications for more demanding gameplay, sound and graphics, makes a number of crucial changes to the design of consoles which continue to this day. Firstly it added a third face button, {{C}}, to the (now ergonomically designed) [[Control Pad (Mega Drive)|control pad]]. The Mega Drive outputs sound in stereo, and makes an attempt to region lock games through software. Also, when utilising the right cables, the Mega Drive is natively able to produce a clearer image than its rivals (on top of its already higher resolution 320x240 display).
  
 
All Mega Drives ultilise a top-loading design (as opposed to the cumbersome VCR-style cartridge loading of the Western NES), while having removable controllers (unlike the Famicom). It was designed from day one to allow hardware expansions, and its use of dark plastic means that the "yellowing" of older systems (from bromine-based flame retardants reacting with oxygen) is less of an issue.
 
All Mega Drives ultilise a top-loading design (as opposed to the cumbersome VCR-style cartridge loading of the Western NES), while having removable controllers (unlike the Famicom). It was designed from day one to allow hardware expansions, and its use of dark plastic means that the "yellowing" of older systems (from bromine-based flame retardants reacting with oxygen) is less of an issue.
  
===Official Variants===
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===Models===
:''Main article: [[Sega Mega Drive Models]]''
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{{MainArticle|Mega Drive consoles}}
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====Mega Drive====
 
====Mega Drive====
 
The original Mega Drive measures 28 cm×21.2 cm×7 cm. The top of the unit is split into two components: a circular emboss with the cartridge slot and a tagline (which was omitted on later versions), and a control panel containing the power and reset buttons and the volume slider for the headphones jack. Audio output through the original model was mono through the A/V port, while the headphone jack was used  for stereo sound. A third [[DE-9]] port on the back of the unit provided additional peripheral support, though was removed from later revisions.
 
The original Mega Drive measures 28 cm×21.2 cm×7 cm. The top of the unit is split into two components: a circular emboss with the cartridge slot and a tagline (which was omitted on later versions), and a control panel containing the power and reset buttons and the volume slider for the headphones jack. Audio output through the original model was mono through the A/V port, while the headphone jack was used  for stereo sound. A third [[DE-9]] port on the back of the unit provided additional peripheral support, though was removed from later revisions.
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<gallery widths="250px" heights="200px">
 
<gallery widths="250px" heights="200px">
Megadrive1.jpg|Japanese
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MD1 Japan early version.jpg|Japanese model
Genesis1.jpg|North American
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Genesis1.jpg|North American model
Megadrive1e.jpg|European
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Megadrive1e.jpg|European model
Sega Mega Drive (pal_asia).jpg|Asian
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Mega Drive Model 1 BR Tectoy.jpg|Brazilian model
Samsungmegadrive.jpg|South Korean
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Mega Drive 2 Model 1 BR Tectoy.jpg|Brazilian model (Mega Drive II)
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MD JP NonHD.jpg|Asian model
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SuperGamBoy.jpg|South Korean model
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
 
====Mega Drive 2====
 
====Mega Drive 2====
1993 saw this cost-reduced redesign (known as the Mega Drive II in Europe, and not explicitly referred to as anything other than "Genesis" in North America), at 22 cm×21.2 cm×5.9 cm, being introduced internationally. One of the major revisions from the original model was the removal of the headphones jack in favor of stereo output through a redesigned 9-pin A/V port. American and European models used a momentary switch for power while non-western models used a left-right switch. Furthermore, the audio mixing circuitry was modified, resulting in noticeably different quality audio output — [http://milkcrate.com.au/_other/sega_comparisons/ here is a page with audio samples, provided by little-scale].
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1993 saw this cost-reduced redesign (known as the Mega Drive II in Europe, and sold simply as "Genesis" in North America without the Sega prefix), at 22 cm×21.2 cm×5.9 cm, being introduced internationally. One of the major revisions from the original model was the removal of the headphones jack in favor of stereo output through a redesigned 9-pin A/V port. The Mega Drive 2 also used an external RF modulator (all non-Japanese Mega Drive models had an internal modulator), which was packed in with Western systems. American and European models also used a push-button toggle switch for power while non-Western models used a slide switch like the original model. Furthermore, the audio mixing circuitry was modified, resulting in noticeably different quality audio output — [http://milkcrate.com.au/_other/sega_comparisons/ here is a page with audio samples, provided by little-scale].
  
A common myth is that the Mega Drive 2 lacks a [[Z80]] — the truth is that it lacks a '''[[Zilog]]''' Z80. During the Mega Drive's lifetime, Sega received various off-the-shelf chips from different manufacturers, and sometimes would rebrand chips as their own or make them themselves, which is what happened here (and which is why each Mega Drive has a different manufacturer for its [[68000]]). If the Z80 was missing, most games would have no sound (or not all sound). In later revisions, the Z80 was integrated into a custom ASIC which also incorporated the major chips of the system.
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Contrary to popular belief, this model has a Z80, albeit in a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quad_flat_package QFP-44 form factor], which is not immediately identifiable compared to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_in-line_package DIP] Z80 used in the original Mega Drive. If the Z80 was missing, most games would have little to no sound. Beginning with the VA4 board revision, the Z80 was integrated into a custom ASIC which also incorporated the major chips of the system.
  
 
<gallery widths="250px" heights="160px">
 
<gallery widths="250px" heights="160px">
Megadrive2.jpg|Japanese
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Megadrive2.jpg|Japanese/Asian model
Genesis2.jpg|North American
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Genesis2.jpg|North American model
Megadrive2e.jpg|European
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Megadrive2e.jpg|European model
Super Aladdin Boy II.jpg|South Korean
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MD Super Aladdin Boy II KR New.jpg|South Korean model
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
 
====Genesis 3====
 
====Genesis 3====
:''Main article: [[Genesis 3]]''
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{{MainArticle|Genesis 3}}
[[File:Genesis3.jpg|right|thumb|A Genesis 3.]]The Genesis 3 was a small version manufactured by Majesco in 1998 for the American market, which they had been manufacturing for until then. It is much smaller than its predecessors and lacks all expansions and fixes memory controller bugs — both rendering some games unplayable and the Sega CD and 32X unusable.
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[[File:Genesis3.jpg|right|thumb|A Genesis 3.]]The Genesis 3 was a small version manufactured by Majesco in 1998 for the US market, which they had been manufacturing for until then. It is much smaller than its predecessors and lacks all expansions and fixes memory controller bugs — both rendering some games unplayable and the Sega CD and 32X unusable.
  
 
====Portables: Mega Jet and Nomad====
 
====Portables: Mega Jet and Nomad====
:''Main articles: [[Sega Mega Jet]] and [[Sega Nomad]]''
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:''Main articles: [[Sega Mega Jet]] and [[Sega Nomad]].''
 
The Mega Jet and Nomad were portable Mega Drive systems released near the middle/end of the system's lifetime. The Mega Jet, released in 1994, was originally designed for use on JAL airliners but was later released for Japanese consumers. The Mega Jet is a semi-portable system; the system has a built-in controller but requires an external power supply and a TV. The Nomad was a full portable in its own right, having an integrated screen and sound capabilities, in addition to a battery pack.
 
The Mega Jet and Nomad were portable Mega Drive systems released near the middle/end of the system's lifetime. The Mega Jet, released in 1994, was originally designed for use on JAL airliners but was later released for Japanese consumers. The Mega Jet is a semi-portable system; the system has a built-in controller but requires an external power supply and a TV. The Nomad was a full portable in its own right, having an integrated screen and sound capabilities, in addition to a battery pack.
  
====Arcade Hardware: Mega Tech, Mega Play, and the System C====
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====Arcade hardware: Mega Tech, Mega Play, and the System C====
:''Main articles: [[Mega Tech]], [[Mega Play]], [[System C]]''
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:''Main articles: [[Mega Tech]], [[Mega Play]], [[System C]].''
 
The Mega Drive hardware was adapted for arcade use several times over the course of its life. The Mega Tech and Mega Play allowed arcade operators to provide somewhat modified versions of popular Mega Drive games for arcade play — these systems use special cartridges containing games and players can choose from the games plugged into the system. The System C is a different board built from modified Mega Drive hardware, boasting improved color abilities and (in later revisions known collectively as the System C2) improved sample playback. The System C was primarily home to puzzle games — ''[[:Category:Columns|Columns]]'' and ''[[:Category:Puyo Puyo|Puyo Puyo]]'' were released on this hardware.
 
The Mega Drive hardware was adapted for arcade use several times over the course of its life. The Mega Tech and Mega Play allowed arcade operators to provide somewhat modified versions of popular Mega Drive games for arcade play — these systems use special cartridges containing games and players can choose from the games plugged into the system. The System C is a different board built from modified Mega Drive hardware, boasting improved color abilities and (in later revisions known collectively as the System C2) improved sample playback. The System C was primarily home to puzzle games — ''[[:Category:Columns|Columns]]'' and ''[[:Category:Puyo Puyo|Puyo Puyo]]'' were released on this hardware.
  
 
[[Data East]] is also known to have licensed Mega Drive hardware for an arcade version of ''[[High Seas Havoc]]''; not much is known about this board.
 
[[Data East]] is also known to have licensed Mega Drive hardware for an arcade version of ''[[High Seas Havoc]]''; not much is known about this board.
  
====Mega-CD Combos: JVC Wondermega/X'eye, Pioneer LaserActive, Sega Multi-Mega, and Aiwa Mega CD====
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====Mega-CD combos: JVC Wondermega/X'eye, Pioneer LaserActive, Sega Multi-Mega, and Aiwa Mega CD====
:''Main articles: [[Wondermega]], [[LaserActive]], [[Sega Multi-Mega]], [[Aiwa Mega CD]]''
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:''Main articles: [[Wondermega]], [[LaserActive]], [[Sega Multi-Mega]], [[Aiwa Mega CD]].''
 
Combination Mega Drive/Mega-CD units were developed over the course of the Mega-CD's lifetime. The Wondermega and LaserActive are standalone consoles; the LaserActive also plays LaserDiscs. The Multi-Mega is a portable audio CD player that can play Mega Drive and Mega-CD games when plugged in to wall power and a TV. The Aiwa Mega CD is a Mega Drive/Mega-CD packed into Aiwa's consumer-level portable CD stereos.
 
Combination Mega Drive/Mega-CD units were developed over the course of the Mega-CD's lifetime. The Wondermega and LaserActive are standalone consoles; the LaserActive also plays LaserDiscs. The Multi-Mega is a portable audio CD player that can play Mega Drive and Mega-CD games when plugged in to wall power and a TV. The Aiwa Mega CD is a Mega Drive/Mega-CD packed into Aiwa's consumer-level portable CD stereos.
  
====Computer Combinations: Sega Teradrive, Amstrad Mega PC, al-Alamiah Units====
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====Computer combinations: Sega Teradrive, Amstrad Mega PC, al-Alamiah units====
:''Main articles: [[Sega Teradrive]], [[Amstrad Mega PC]], [[Al-Alamiah AX-660]], [[Al-Alamiah AX-990]]''
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:''Main articles: [[Sega Teradrive]], [[Amstrad Mega PC]], [[Al-Alamiah AX-660]], [[Al-Alamiah AX-990]].''
 
The Teradrive and Mega PC are combination Mega Drive/IBM-compatible PCs made for the Japanese and UK markets, respectively. The three Al-Alamiah computers are combination Mega Drive/MSX computers for the Arabic market.
 
The Teradrive and Mega PC are combination Mega Drive/IBM-compatible PCs made for the Japanese and UK markets, respectively. The three Al-Alamiah computers are combination Mega Drive/MSX computers for the Arabic market.
  
====Modern System-on-a-Chip Compilations====
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====Modern System-on-a-Chip compilations====
 
A variety of companies now make licensed system-on-a-chip units in a variety of fashions that contain single-chip Mega Drive implementations and several licensed ROM images. [[TecToy]]-made SoaCs also contain several "new" MD games, however these are believed to be — and likely are — Java 2 Mobile Edition games running on additional hardware. For a full list of SoaCs, see the template at the bottom of the page.
 
A variety of companies now make licensed system-on-a-chip units in a variety of fashions that contain single-chip Mega Drive implementations and several licensed ROM images. [[TecToy]]-made SoaCs also contain several "new" MD games, however these are believed to be — and likely are — Java 2 Mobile Edition games running on additional hardware. For a full list of SoaCs, see the template at the bottom of the page.
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====Hardware revisions====
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{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Hardware revisions}}
  
 
===Cartridges===
 
===Cartridges===
The Mega Drive runs games housed in plastic cartridges uniquely shaped to fit the system. Though the technology exists to run Sega Master System games, the [[Power Base Converter]] is required to convert between the differing pin connections and slot sizes.
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{{mainArticle|Sega Mega Drive cartridges}}
  
Official Mega Drive cartridges are generally smaller than their Master System/Mark III counterparts, with rounded edges and, in the case of "western" systems, bigger labels layered over the top and front of the cartridge. Region locking exists, albeit in a selection of rather crude forms - the [[TradeMark Security System]], which is missing in many early Mega Drive systems, through software checks implemented manually by developers (which did not begin to feature in new releases until 1993), and differences in cartridge shape. Region locking is easily circumvented through the use of adapters - troubles only arise when dealing with 50Hz/60Hz differences between NTSC and PAL systems, leading some games to run too slowly while others, too fast.
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===Technical specifications===
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{{mainArticle|Sega Mega Drive/Technical specifications}}
  
As with the Master System, Sega-manufactured Japanese, Korean and Asian cartridges are shaped differently to those seen in North America, South America, Europe and Oceania, however the differences largely concern the aesthetics - "Eastern" Japanese-style cartridges opting for a more rounded approach with ridges, while "Western" cartridges being more angular and simplistic. Unlike the Master System, the Mega Drive has end-labels for easier reading and storage in western regions.
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===Comparison===
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:''Main article: [[Sega Mega Drive/Hardware comparison]]''
  
Pin layout is the same between the two types, however the base of the cartridge determines whether it can be safely inserted into the system - two extra pieces of plastic prevent Japanese cartridges from being inserted in western systems - these can be removed with modification, or as mentioned above, circumvented with adapters. This extra plastic is not present in systems such as the [[Genesis 3]] and [[Sega 32X]], nor does it exist in Japanese Mega Drives.
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It was the most powerful console at the time of its release in 1988, surpassing the [http://necretro.org/PC_Engine PC Engine] ([http://necretro.org/TurboGrafx-16 TurboGrafx-16]), and it was not surpassed in power until the [[wikipedia:Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo]] in 1990. The Mega Drive is roughly comparable to its main rival, the SNES, released in 1990, with the Mega Drive having more raw processing power whereas the SNES has a larger color [[palette]] (see ''[[Sega Mega Drive/Hardware comparison (Super NES)]]'' article for a detailed technical comparison between the Mega Drive and SNES).
  
One interesting feature of Japanese cartidges is a inclusion of a cartridge "lock", which prevents the cartridge from being removed when the system turns on. A plastic piece from the system is slid across to a gap on the left hand side of a Japanese cartridge, securing it in place when the power switch is moved (similar tricks can be found in Super Nintendo consoles and the TurboGrafx-16). This locking mechanism is only present in Japanese Model 1 Mega Drives and is absent in all western models - the vast majority of western cartridges lack the gap required for cartridge locking, with exceptions being the likes of "special" cartridges, e.g. ''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]''.
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Compared to home computers at the time, it was not as powerful as the Japan-exclusive [[X68000]] (released 1987) or [[wikipedia:FM Towns|FM Towns]] (released 1989). However, the Mega Drive was more powerful than Western home computers in the late '80s, including the [[wikipedia:Amiga|Amiga]].
  
The lack of cartridge lock can be exploited, for example, to gain access to the level selection screen in ''[[Sonic 3D Blast]]''.
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==History==
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{{MainArticle|History of the Sega Mega Drive}}
  
====Official Cartridge Designs====
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===Localised names===
<gallery>
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{{aka
File:Altbeast md us cart.jpg|North American
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|us_name=Sega Genesis
File:Altbeast md eu cart.jpg|European
+
|uk_name=Sega Mega Drive
File:AlteredBeast MD JP Cart.jpg|Japanese
+
|jp_name=メガドライブ
File:Altered Beast MD BR Cart.jpg|Brazillian
+
|jp_trans=Mega Drive
File:AlteredBeast MD KR cart.jpg|South Korean
+
|kr_name=수퍼겜보이, 수퍼알라딘 보이
</gallery>
+
|kr_trans=Super Gam*Boy, Super Aladdin Boy
Cartridge designs for ''[[Altered Beast]]'' - though labels would change dramatically over the console's run, the physical shape would remain consistent.
+
|il_name=מגה דרייב
 
+
|cn_name=劲锋壹號
====Alternative Cartridge Designs====
 
Though Sega manufactured the bulk of Mega Drive cartridges, many were created externally by the likes of [[Electronic Arts]], [[Accolade]], [[Sunsoft]] and [[Codemasters]].
 
<gallery>
 
File:Doubledragon md us cart.jpg|[[Accolade]]/[[Ballistic]] used due to an initial unwillingness to seek an official license from Sega. (''[[Double Dragon]]'').
 
File:BrianLaraCricket MD EU Cart.jpg|[[Codemasters]]. The company would take things a step further with the introduction of the [[J-Cart]].  (''[[Brian Lara Cricket]]'').
 
File:Shaqfu md us cart.jpg|[[Electronic Arts]], with the infamous (and useless) coloured tab on the left hand side.  (''[[Shaq Fu]]'').
 
File:Batman MD JP Cart.jpg|[[Sunsoft]] design used in Japan. Sunsoft opted for smaller "left-opening" boxes too.  (''[[Batman]]'').
 
</gallery>
 
 
 
==Technical Specifications==
 
* System master clock rate: 53.693175&nbsp;MHz ([[NTSC]]), 53.203424&nbsp;MHz ([[PAL]]) {{fileref|Sega Service Manual - Genesis II - Mega Drive II (PAL) - 001 - June 1993.pdf}}
 
** Master clock cycles per frame: 896,040 (NTSC), 1,067,040 (PAL)
 
** Master clock cycles per scanline: [https://github.com/ekeeke/Genesis-Plus-GX/blob/master/core/system.h 3420]
 
 
 
===CPU===
 
{{multicol|
 
* Main CPU: [[Motorola 68000]] running at 7.6705&nbsp;MHz (NTSC) or 7.61&nbsp;MHz (PAL)
 
** The 68000 has a 24-bit address space, allowing access to up to 16&nbsp;[[Byte|MB]] of memory. Sega's memory map for the Mega Drive allowed games to be up to 4&nbsp;MB without the use of a memory mapper; games that tried to go up to 10&nbsp;MB would find their memory maps crushed by the Sega CD (which took the second 4&nbsp;MB block) and Sega 32X (which took 2&nbsp;MB of the third 4&nbsp;MB block). All devices are memory mapped.
 
*** Games using save memory also needed to have the memory in the cartridge map; larger games, such as ''[[Phantasy Star IV]]'', used a mapper to swap out cart space for SRAM during a save.
 
** [[wikipedia:Instruction set|Instruction set]]: 16-bit and 32-bit [[wikipedia:Complex instruction set computing|CISC]] instructions
 
** Bus width: [http://www.digitpress.com/faq/megadrive.htm 16-bit]
 
* Sound CPU: [[Zilog Z80]] running at 3.58&nbsp;MHz (NTSC) or 3.55&nbsp;MHz (PAL)
 
** Some games did not use the Z80, other games used it only for sample playback, but most used it for sound processing
 
** 8&nbsp;KB program RAM which the 68000 and the Z80 can freely write to (though the 68000 must request the Z80 bus)
 
** Can access 32&nbsp;KB of the 68000 memory map at once (while it should be used for accessing the cartridge, setting the bank register elsewhere can work on some hardware)
 
** Instruction set: 8-bit and 16-bit instructions
 
** Bus width: 8-bit
 
*CPU instruction performance: 1.8614 [[wikipedia:Instructions per second|MIPS]] (NTSC), 1.8466 MIPS (PAL) {{ref|http://www.drolez.com/retro/}}
 
** 68000 performance: 1.3423 MIPS (NTSC), 1.3318 MIPS (PAL)
 
** Z80 performance: 0.5191 MIPS (NTSC), 0.5148 MIPS (PAL)
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
=== Sound ===
+
==Games==
{{multicol|
+
{{mainArticle|Sega Mega Drive games}}
* FM [[wikipedia:Sound chip|sound chip]]: [[Yamaha]] [[YM2612]], clocked at the 68000 clock speed (7.6705&nbsp;MHz in NTSC, 7.61&nbsp;MHz in PAL)
+
[[File:MDAdd-ons.jpg|thumb|right|A Japanese Sega Mega Drive (Model 1) overloaded with add-ons including the [[Sega Mega-CD]] (Model 1), [[Sega 32X]], [[Remote Arcade System]] and [[Mega-CD Karaoke]].]]
** 6 channels of [[wikipedia:Frequency modulation synthesis|FM synthesis]], Operator Type-N
 
*** The third channel can enter a Special Mode, or multifrequency mode, where each individual operator has a different frequency
 
*** The sixth channel can enter a DAC mode where the sound program constantly streams 8-bit unsigned PCM data to mix directly into the output waveform
 
**** [[Pulse-code modulation|PCM]] [[wikipedia:Sampling (signal processing)|sampling]] quality: [[wikipedia:Audio bit depth|8-bit depth]], 8 to 22 kHz [[wikipedia:Sampling rate|sampling rate]]{{ref|http://www.alyjameslab.com/wa_files/FMDRIVE_USER_MANUAL.pdf}}
 
**** Stereo output capability{{fileref|GenesisTechnicalOverview.pdf}}
 
** 1 [[wikipedia:sine wave|sine wave]] [[wikipedia:Low-frequency oscillation|LFO]] (low frequency oscillator) channel
 
** Mapped to the Z80 address space — 68000 must request the Z80 bus to use
 
** Some Mega Drive 2 systems actually use the core from the chip's CMOS equivalent, the [[YM3438]]
 
** [[wikipedia:Interrupt request|IRQ]] interrupt capabilities: [https://github.com/mamedev/mess-cvs/blob/master/src/drivers/genesis.c IRQ2 sound interrupt]
 
* [[wikipedia:Programmable sound generator|PSG]] sound chip: Sega PSG ([[SN76489|SN76496]]),{{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/emu/sound/sn76496.cpp}} clocked at the Z80 clock speed (3.58&nbsp;MHz in NTSC, 3.55&nbsp;MHz in PAL) and built into the VDP — same as with the Master System
 
** Based on TI [[SN76489]]
 
** 4 audio channels: Three channels of pure [[wikipedia:Square wave|square wave]] tones, and one noise channel
 
*** The noise channel can play either [[wikipedia:White noise|white noise]] or "periodic noise" either at one of three preset frequencies or using the frequency of the third tone channel (consequently, that channel will be mute)
 
** Can be freely accessed by both the 68000 through the VDP and the Z80 through its memory map
 
* The cartridge connector has two pins which allow stereo sound mixing directly from cart. No game used this, however, but the 32X uses it for its [[wikipedia:Pulse-width modulation|PWM]] audio
 
* The Mega Drive 1 has mono audio output from the TV output and stereo output from a built-in headphone jack, plus a built-in volume control. Future models drop the headphone jack and do stereo output from the TV output
 
}}
 
 
 
===Graphics===
 
{{multicol|
 
* [[wikia:w:c:graphics:Graphics processing unit|GPU]] chipset:
 
** [[VDP]]: [[Sega]] 315-5313 ([[Yamaha]] YM7101) {{fileref|Sega Service Manual - Genesis II - Mega Drive II (PAL) - 001 - June 1993.pdf}}{{ref|http://segaretro.org/Mega_Drive_PCB_revisions}}
 
*** Based on [[Sega Master System]] VDP (in turn, based on TI [[TMS9918]])
 
*** All TMS9918 modes were removed and replaced with several new modes
 
*** Controls background playfields and foreground sprites{{fileref|GenesisTechnicalOverview.pdf|page=2}}
 
*** Clock rate: 13.3&nbsp;MHz
 
*** Pixel clock rate: [http://tinyurl.com/ofqowet 6.711648&nbsp;MHz]
 
*** Bus width: 16-bit
 
*** Memory bus clock rate: 6.711648&nbsp;MHz
 
*** IRQ [[wikipedia:Raster interrupt|interrupt]] capabilities: IRQ6 [[wikipedia:Vertical blanking interval|VBlank]] interrupt, IRQ4 H-Int (Horizontal Interrupt) scanline interrupt {{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mess-cvs/blob/master/src/drivers/genesis.c}}
 
** [[wikipedia:DMA controller|DMA controller]]: Capable of [[wikipedia:Direct memory access|DMA]], high-speed fills and memory transfers, can transfer data from 68000 address space to VRAM/CRAM/VSRAM during active display and VBlank {{fileref|GenesisTechnicalOverview.pdf|page=3}}
 
** RGB/Composite Video Encoder: [[Sony]] [[:File:CXA1145P datasheet.pdf|CXA1145]] (NTSC/PAL){{fileref|Sega Service Manual - Genesis II - Mega Drive II (PAL) - 001 - June 1993.pdf}} / [[Fujitsu]] [[:File:MB3514 datasheet.pdf|MB3514]] (PAL) {{ref|http://segaretro.org/Mega_Drive_PCB_revisions}}
 
*** [[wikipedia:Colorburst|Colorburst]] clock frequency: 3.579545&nbsp;MHz (NTSC), 4.433618&nbsp;MHz (PAL) {{ref|http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/txt/vdppin.txt}}
 
* Screen [[resolution]]s:
 
** [[wikipedia:Progressive scan|Progressive scan]] resolutions:
 
*** NTSC: 320×224, 256×224
 
*** PAL: 320×224, 256×224, 320×240, 256×240
 
** [[Interlacing|Interlaced]] resolutions:
 
*** NTSC: 320×448, 256×448
 
*** PAL: 320×448, 256×448, [[wikipedia:480i|320×480]], 256×480
 
*** "Interlaced mode" doubles the height of all four; it was used by some games, such as ''[[Sonic 2]]'' for two-player mode.
 
* [http://emu-docs.org/Genesis/sega2f.htm Scanlines]:
 
** Progressive scan: 262 (NTSC), 312 (PAL)
 
** Interlaced: 524 (NTSC), 624 (PAL)
 
* Refresh rate: 59.92274&nbsp;Hz (NTSC), 50.31974&nbsp;Hz (PAL)
 
** Frame rate: 59.92274 frames/sec (NTSC), 50.31974 frames/sec (PAL)
 
* Four graphics layers: two tile planes (just a grid of tiles), "window" tile plane (cannot be transparent), sprite plane
 
**[[wikipedia:Tile engine|Tilemap]] background planes: 2 [[wikia:w:c:gaming:Parallax scrolling|parallax scrolling]] planes, with [[wikia:w:c:gaming:Parallax scrolling#Raster method|line & row scroll]] effects per plane (can scroll and overlap rows of tiles),{{ref|http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/content/sega-genesis-vs-super-nintendo}} vertical & horizontal line scrolling,{{ref|http://www.polygon.com/features/2015/2/3/7952705/sega-genesis-masami-ishikawa}} column scrolling (2 tiles per column), horizontal & vertical tile flipping, 1800 tiles per frame {{fileref|GenesisTechnicalOverview.pdf}}
 
**[http://www.polygon.com/features/2015/2/3/7952705/sega-genesis-masami-ishikawa Background window plane], behind scrolling planes
 
**[[Sprite]] plane: 80 sprites on screen, 20 sprites per scanline, 16 sprite sizes (8×8 to 32×32 pixels),{{fileref|GenesisTechnicalOverview.pdf}} 16 colors per sprite,{{ref|http://web.archive.org/web/20010114211400/fly.hiwaay.net/~jfrohwei/sega/genesis.html}} integer sprite zooming {{ref|http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/txt/msvdp.txt}} (up to 320x224),{{ref|http://www.polygon.com/features/2015/2/3/7952705/sega-genesis-masami-ishikawa}} definable sprite priorities, 32&nbsp;bytes per sprite,{{fileref|GenesisTechnicalOverview.pdf|page=2}} sprite flipping, virtual 512×512 sprite space {{ref|http://dreamjam.co.uk/emuviews/txt/genvdp.txt}}
 
**Note: Priorities can be defined between planes. {{fileref|GenesisTechnicalOverview.pdf|page=2}}
 
*[[Palette|Colors]] on screen: {{ref|http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/txt/genvdp.txt}}{{ref|http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/content/sega-genesis-vs-super-nintendo}}
 
** Standard: 64 colors
 
** Mid-frame palette swap: 75 colors
 
** Shadow/Highlight mode: 183-192 colors
 
** Direct color (homebrew) mode: 512 colors (160×224 resolution)
 
** [http://www.polygon.com/features/2015/2/3/7952705/sega-genesis-masami-ishikawa Color can be changed for each line]
 
** [http://emu-docs.org/Genesis/sega2f.htm 16 colors (4-bit) per pixel]
 
*Color [[palette]]: {{ref|http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/txt/genvdp.txt}}
 
** Standard: 512 colors
 
** Shadow/Highlight mode: 1536 colors
 
* [http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/txt/genvdp.txt Shadow/Highlight mode]: Hardware lighting, [http://www.polygon.com/features/2015/2/3/7952705/sega-genesis-masami-ishikawa shadow generation] (matching each character's shape), triples color palette and colors on screen, increases colors per tile
 
* [[VRAM|Video RAM]]: 65.1875&nbsp;[[Byte|KB]] (66,752&nbsp;[[byte]]s)
 
** 64&nbsp;KB internal [[VRAM]] — used to store graphics tiles, mappings for all layers, and horizontal scrolling
 
** 64 9-bit words of internal CRAM — used to store the color palette
 
*** 64 colors split into four 16-color lines; each tile can be drawn with one of these four color lines
 
*** The first color in each line is transparent and any color of the entire palette can be used as a "background color" (when no pixels are drawn at a location); consequently the Mega Drive can display 61 colors on screen at once (unless raster effects or the Shadow/Highlight modes are used, in which case this number increases depending on the extent used)
 
*** Colors are 9-bit RGB with 3&nbsp;bits per color component, allowing for 512 colors
 
*** Shadow/Highlight modes increase color gamut
 
** 80&nbsp;bytes internal VSRAM — used for vertical scrolling (10-bit words, up to 20 different vertical scroll values for each of the two scrolling playfields){{fileref|GenesisTechnicalOverview.pdf}}
 
* VDP fillrate: 13.3 million [[pixel]]s/sec
 
** Pixels per frame: 221,952 (NTSC), 264,309 (PAL)
 
** Sprite fillrate: 320 sprite [[wikipedia:Texel (graphics)|texels]] per scanline, 81,920&nbsp;texels (80× 32×32 sprites) per frame,{{ref|http://dreamjam.co.uk/emuviews/txt/genvdp.txt}} 4.908&nbsp;million texels/sec (NTSC), 4.122&nbsp;million texels/sec (PAL)
 
* VDP pixel bandwidth: 6.341934&nbsp;[[Byte|MB]]/sec (4-bit per pixel)
 
** Pixel bandwidth per frame: 103.354&nbsp;KB (NTSC), 123.078&nbsp;KB (PAL)
 
* DMA transfer rate: 864.754&nbsp;KB/sec (NTSC), 1355.782&nbsp;KB/sec (PAL) {{fileref|GenesisTechnicalOverview.pdf|page=45}}
 
** DMA transfer per frame: 14,777.5&nbsp;bytes (NTSC), 27,590&nbsp;bytes (PAL)
 
** Note: The term "[[Blast Processing]]" primarily referred to the fast DMA transfer rate.
 
* 3D polygons: Capable of rendering 3D polygons with stock hardware (without enhancement chips)
 
** Geometry transformation: Up to [https://github.com/AbigailBuccaneer/sgdk/blob/master/inc/maths3D.h 10,000 vertices/sec], 500 vertices per frame
 
** Rendering fillrate: 2-5 million pixels/sec
 
** Rendering performance:
 
*** Flat shading: [https://youtu.be/oHLc0AzD85g 737 polygons/sec], [https://youtu.be/UuYFmIEtLLk 74 polygons per frame]
 
*** [https://youtu.be/GgQxJjP2XFc Texture mapping]: 130 polygons/sec, 13 polygons per frame
 
* Other features: Semi-transparency, [[wikipedia:FIFO|FIFO]] memory circuit design, read/write of one line buffer method for drawing {{ref|http://www.polygon.com/features/2015/2/3/7952705/sega-genesis-masami-ishikawa}}
 
}}
 
 
 
=== Memory ===
 
{{multicol|
 
* System RAM: 136&nbsp;[[Byte|KB]]
 
** Main RAM: 64&nbsp;KB (repeated over the upper 2&nbsp;[[Byte|MB]] of address space)
 
** [[VRAM]]: 64&nbsp;KB
 
** Audio RAM: [http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/txt/gen-hw.txt 8&nbsp;KB]
 
* VDP internal RAM: 152&nbsp;[[byte]]s {{ref|http://dreamjam.co.uk/emuviews/txt/genvdp.txt}}
 
** CRAM (Color RAM): 72&nbsp;bytes (576&nbsp;[[bit]]s)
 
** VSRAM (Vertical Scrolling RAM): 80&nbsp;bytes (640&nbsp;bits)
 
* [[Cartridge]] memory: 512-5152 KB
 
** [[ROM]]: 512&nbsp;KB to [http://emu-docs.org/Genesis/ssf2.txt 5&nbsp;MB]
 
** [[SRAM]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20090204190244/consolasparasiempre.net/doc/MDPinRom.txt 8&nbsp;KB] to [http://www.second-dimension.com/docs/DXS-GEN24STH-01.pdf 32&nbsp;KB]
 
}}
 
  
==== Configuration ====
+
==Production credits==
* System memory buses: {{fileref|Sega Service Manual - Genesis II - Mega Drive II (PAL) - 001 - June 1993.pdf}}
+
===Japanese version===
** 16-bit system bus &mdash; 68000 & VDP <-> Main RAM & Cartridge ROM/RAM
+
{{creditstable|
** 8-bit system bus &mdash; Z80 & YM2612 <-> Audio RAM
+
*'''Team Leader:''' [[Masami Ishikawa]]
** 16-bit video bus &mdash; VDP <-> VRAM
+
*'''Outer Casing:''' [[Mitsushige Shiraiwa]]{{ref|1=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darrenwall/sega-mega-drive-genesis-collected-works-reprint}}
{{multicol|
+
*[[Hideki Sato]]
* System RAM chips: {{ref|http://segaretro.org/Mega_Drive_PCB_revisions}}
+
*[[Taku Matsubara]]
** Main RAM: 16-bit (2× 8-bit), [[wikipedia:Pseudostatic RAM|PSRAM]], 5.263157 MHz, 190&nbsp;[[wikipedia:Nanosecond|ns]] cycles {{fileref|HM65256B datasheet.pdf}}{{fileref|TC51832 datasheet.pdf}}
+
*[[Hiroyuki Ohtaka]]
** VRAM: 16-bit, [[wikipedia:Dual-ported RAM|Dual-Port]] [[VRAM]], 6.711648&nbsp;MHz, 148&nbsp;ns cycles {{fileref|HM53461 datasheet.pdf}}{{fileref|KM424C64 datasheet.pdf}}{{fileref|MB81461 datasheet.pdf}}
+
*'''Spec Design of OPN2 / Sound Driver:''' [[Kazuhiko Nagai]]
** Audio RAM: 8-bit, [[SRAM]]/[[wikipedia:Pseudostatic RAM|XRAM]], 3.030303 MHz, 330&nbsp;ns cycles {{fileref|TMM2063P datasheet.pdf}}{{fileref|UPD4168 datasheet.pdf}}{{fileref|KM6264B datasheet.pdf}}{{fileref|LC3664R datasheet.pdf}}
+
| source=Developer mentions{{ref|https://www.famitsu.com/news/201308/12038274.html}}{{fileref|Sega_Consumer_History_JP_EnterBrain_Book.pdf|page=23}}{{magref|harmony|130|18}}{{ref|https://www.facebook.com/hiroyuki.ohtaka/about_work_and_education}}{{ref|https://sbtransr02.wixsite.com/kazuhiko-nagai/my-works-1}}
* Cartridge ROM chips: 16-bit {{ref|http://www.smspower.org/Development/ROMPartNumbers}}
+
| console=MD
*** Most cartridges: [[wikipedia:Mask ROM|MROM]], 5&nbsp;MHz, 200&nbsp;ns cycles {{fileref|MB834200A datasheet.pdf}}{{fileref|MB838200B datasheet.pdf}}
 
*** Some cartridges: MROM/[[EPROM]], 7.6705&nbsp;MHz (NTSC) or 7.61&nbsp;MHz (PAL), 130/131&nbsp;ns cycles {{fileref|MB838200B datasheet.pdf}}{{ref|http://www.second-dimension.com/docs/DXS-GEN24STH-01.pdf}}{{fileref|M27C322 datasheet.pdf}}
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
==== Bandwidth ====
+
==Magazine articles==
{{multicol|
+
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}}
* Internal processor bandwidth:
 
** 68000 internal bus: 14.630317&nbsp;MB/sec (NTSC), 14.514923&nbsp;MB/sec (PAL)
 
** Z80 internal bus: 3.414154&nbsp;MB/sec (NTSC), 3.385543&nbsp;MB/sec (PAL)
 
** VDP internal CRAM/VSRAM: 12.801452&nbsp;MB/sec
 
* System RAM bandwidth: 25.73&nbsp;MB/sec
 
** Main RAM: 10.038675&nbsp;MB/sec
 
** VRAM: 12.801452&nbsp;MB/sec
 
** Audio RAM: 2.889922&nbsp;MB/sec
 
* Cartridge ROM bandwidth: 9.536743&nbsp;MB/sec (most cartridges), 14&nbsp;MB/sec (some cartridges)
 
}}
 
  
===Memory Map===
+
==Promotional material==
 +
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Promotional material}}
  
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
+
==Logos by regions==
|+ Mega Drive Memory Map
+
{|class="prettytable sortable" style="background: #f2f2f2;"
 
|-
 
|-
! width="50"| Start
+
! style="width:100px;" style="text-align: center;" |'''Logo'''
! width="50"| End
+
! style="width:100px;" style="text-align: center;" |'''Region'''
! width="50"| Size
+
|- style="background: silver;"
! Description
 
 
|-
 
|-
| $000000
+
|<gallery>Mega Drive Japanese logo.png</gallery>
| $3FFFFF
+
|Used in Japan, Asia, Africa,<br> parts of Eastern Europe and<br> South Korea (from 1997)
| $400000
 
| [[ROM]] [[Cartridge]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
| $400000
+
|<gallery>Genesis logo.png</gallery>
| $7FFFFF
+
|Used in North America<br>and parts of South America
| $400000
 
| Expansion Port Area (used by the [[Sega CD]])
 
 
|-
 
|-
| $800000
+
|<gallery>MegaDrive BR logo.png</gallery>
| $9FFFFF
+
|Used in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay<br>and Uruguay
| $200000
 
| Unallocated (used by the [[Sega 32X]])
 
 
|-
 
|-
| $A00000
+
|<gallery>Megadrive EU Logo.png
| $A0FFFF
+
Megadrive EU Logo alt.png
| $10000
+
</gallery>
| Z80 Memory
+
|Used in Western and Eastern Europe,<br> Asia, Africa and Australasia
 
|-
 
|-
| $A10000
+
|<gallery>MegaDrive AS logo.png</gallery>
| $A10FFF
+
|Used in Asia
| only various meaningful
 
| System registers
 
 
|-
 
|-
| $A11000
+
|<gallery>Mega Drive SE logo.png</gallery>
| $A11FFF
+
|Used in Scandinavia
| only $A11100 and $A11200 meaningful
 
| Z80 control (/BUSREQ and /RESET lines)
 
 
|-
 
|-
| $A12000
+
|<gallery>Notavailable.svg</gallery>
| $AFFFFF
+
|Used in South Korea (Super Gam*Boy)
| only several meaningful
 
| Assorted registers
 
 
|-
 
|-
| $B00000
+
|<gallery>Notavailable.svg</gallery>
| $BFFFFF
+
|Used in South Korea (Super Aladdin Boy)
| $100000
 
| Unallocated
 
 
|-
 
|-
| $C00000
 
| $DFFFFF
 
| $1F; mirrored
 
| VDP
 
|-
 
| $E00000
 
| $FFFFFF
 
| $10000; mirrored
 
| Work RAM (games usually only use the uppermost mirror, at $FF0000)
 
 
|}
 
|}
  
===Input===
+
==External links==
{{multicol|
+
* [https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive Sega of Japan catalogue page (Japanese)]
* Controller input: Two male [[DE-9]] controller ports; one female [[DE-9]] expansion port (early MD1s only)
 
** Controller ports support two modes: parallel and serial
 
** Parallel supports 7-bit bidirectional, with the console setting the direction of each bit.
 
** Parallel also supports optional active-low interrupts on the TH line. (mapped to 68000 IRQ 2)
 
** Serial mode supports up to 4800 bps. (used by the Mega Modem on port 3)
 
* Expansion port: Used for Sega CD.
 
** Provides access to /FDC ($A120xx) and /DISK to indicate Sega CD presence.
 
** Maps Sega CD PRG RAM to $000000 when no cartridge is present, $400000 otherwise.
 
}}
 
 
 
===Upgrades===
 
====Sega Virtua Processor====
 
:''See [[Cartridge#Specifications|Sega Virtua Processor Specifications]]''
 
 
 
The [[Sega Virtua Processor]] (SVP) enhancement chip used in the ''[[Virtua Racing]]'' (1994) cartridge adds the following specifications:
 
 
 
{{multicol|
 
* GPU: [[Samsung]] [[:File:SSP1601 datasheet.pdf|SSP1601]] DSP @ 23&nbsp;MHz (25&nbsp;MIPS)
 
* 3D polygon graphics: 9000 polygons/sec
 
* Audio: 2 [[wikipedia:Pulse-width modulation|PWM]] channels
 
* RAM: 131&nbsp;KB (2&nbsp;KB instruction [[wikipedia:Cache (computing)|cache]], 1&nbsp;KB [[SRAM]] cache, 128&nbsp;KB [[wikipedia:FPM DRAM|FPM&nbsp;DRAM]])
 
}}
 
 
 
====Sega CD====
 
:''See [[Sega Mega-CD#Technical Specifications|Sega Mega-CD Technical Specifications]]''
 
  
The [[Sega CD]] (Mega CD) add-on, released in 1991, adds the following specifications:
+
==References==
 
+
<references/>
{{multicol|
 
*CPU: Motorola 68000 @ 12.5&nbsp;MHz (2.19&nbsp;MIPS)
 
*GPU: Sega [[wikipedia:Application-specific integrated circuit|ASIC]] [[wikipedia:Coprocessor|coprocessor]]
 
*Sound chip: [[wikipedia:Ricoh|Ricoh]] [[wikipedia:Ricoh RF5c68|RF5c164]]
 
*Graphics: [[Sprite]]/[[wikipedia:Tile engine|tilemap]] [[wikia:w:c:gaming:2.5D|scaling & rotation]]
 
**Colors on screen: 128 colors ([[wikipedia:Hold-And-Modify|HAM]]), 256 colors (FMV)
 
**3D polygon graphics: 960 polygons/sec
 
*Sound: 8 PCM channels (16-bit, 32&nbsp;kHz), 1 streaming CD-DA channel (16-bit, 44.1&nbsp;kHz)
 
*RAM: 848&nbsp;KB (768&nbsp;KB main, 64&nbsp;KB audio, 16&nbsp;KB cache)
 
}}
 
 
 
====Sega 32X====
 
:''See [[Sega 32X#Technical Specifications|Sega 32X Technical Specifications]]''
 
 
 
The [[Sega 32X]] add-on, released in 1994, adds the following specifications:
 
 
 
{{multicol|
 
*CPU: 2× [[SuperH|Hitachi SH-2]] ([[wikipedia:32-bit|32-bit]] [[wikipedia:Reduced instruction set computing|RISC]]) @ 23&nbsp;MHz (59.8&nbsp;MIPS)
 
*Sound chip: 32X: [[wikipedia:Q-Sound|Q-Sound]]
 
*Sound: 10-bit PWM, [[wikipedia:Surround sound|surround sound]]
 
*Graphics: 32,768 colors on screen
 
**3D polygon graphics: 50,000 polygons/sec
 
*RAM: 256&nbsp;KB main RAM, 256&nbsp;KB VRAM
 
}}
 
 
 
==History==
 
===Background===
 
The 1980s was an experimental period for the video game industry, but also one of great importance. At the beginning of the decade dozens of companies were getting in on the video game craze, but by the end, video gaming was often associated with just one name - [[Nintendo]].
 
 
 
With very little competition on the home console front, Nintendo and their Nintendo Entertainment System (NES; Famicom in Japan) had dominated the video game market. In the US they had tied up developers and regulated the industry on their own, and it seemed that nothing could unseat the Japanese powerhouse. But as time moved on, many began to question what the future of Nintendo's system held - arcades were entering their golden age, and a once-revolutionary system was starting to look dated.
 
 
 
A frustrated Sega had had two major attempts at unseating the NES. Once with the noticably inferior SG-1000, and again with the Sega Master System, which despite having built a following in Europe, had failed to resonate with the Japanese or North American public. But as arcade hardware manufacturers began to create games with more complex visuals and soundscapes than the NES could provide, Sega saw an opportunity for success — using scaled down versions of commonplace arcade components that would fit more easily in a consumer's budget, the plan was to create a console capable of providing a closer arcade experience at home.
 
 
 
===Development===
 
Sega began its one and a half year "Mark V" development process shortly after the release of the Master System (a.k.a. Mark IV) in mid-1986. As was now tradition, the Mega Drive was built on Sega's existing Sega Master System hardware to keep manufacturing costs down and make hardware and software backwards compatible; however, there was also a push this time to get the system to succeed Sega's [[System 1]] and [[System 2]] arcade boards. The project was spearheadded by [[Masami Ishikawa]], who had also been a key player in the production of the Master System, and also the [[Sega Mark III]].
 
 
 
As was the custom at the time, the Mark V was designed with very little input from the software developers within Sega, meaning design was focused more on efficiency - decreasing the workload of the main CPU by delegating tasks to other processors, while maximising graphics performance. For much of its development lifespan, the Mark V was set to be an 8-bit machine, led by features such as [[Texas Instruments]]' advances in its "Dual-Port Memory" RAM architecture (which had yet to be implemented in a video game environment). It was also the first video game system to use several new complex circuit designs, including FIFO memory, read/write of one line buffer method for drawing, and interlace display.{{ref|http://www.polygon.com/features/2015/2/3/7952705/sega-genesis-masami-ishikawa}}
 
 
 
After rumours of [[Nintendo]]'s Super Famicom emerged, a decision was made by Sega's then CEO, [[Hayao Nakayama]] to adopt something akin to the company's successful [[Sega System 16]] arcade architecture. While the console was not able to match arcade hardware, Masami Ishikawa was asked by his manager to double the graphic memory capacity to improve the console's performance, so he redesigned the way the timing worked with the memory access 
cycle while minimizing the additional 
circuit size and number of IC pins needed.{{ref|http://www.polygon.com/features/2015/2/3/7952705/sega-genesis-masami-ishikawa}}
 
 
 
It is thought [[Hideki Sato]] made the casting decision to use a 16-bit processor, as it became apparent that this was the future for Sega's arcade business. By using the [[Motorola 68000]], the most suitable 16-bit processor on the market at the time, Sega was able to recycle designs from its 16-bit arcade boards, as well as use pre-existing knowledge of 16-bit games found elsewhere in the company (although this had its downsides - nobody in Sega's CS Team had worked with a 68000, so they had to be retrained). The [[Z80]], being present for Master System compatibility, would be used to process sound while in Mega Drive mode.
 
 
 
Nakayama claims to have officially named the console "Mega Drive", with "Mega" representing superiority over rival machines, and "Drive" representing the speed of the chosen Motorola 68000 processor - the heart of the console. Unfortunately for Sega, the "Mega Drive" trademark could not be registered in North America and had to be replaced with the name "Sega Genesis". The trademark was held by a company known as "Mega Drive Systems", who specialised in creating storage devices for home computers.
 
 
 
While the console managed to have its graphics performance marginally improved on request from Sato, the delay caused by choosing a CPU meant Ishikawa hit a brick wall with his console design. The architecture was not as flexible as desired - the Mega Drive could not easily be expanded, and this presented problems when Sega began development on the [[Sega Mega-CD]] a few months down the line. Scaling and rotations of sprites were once planned for the system's "Video Display Processor", but were cut from the specification due to higher production costs. The colour palette was also limited by this turn of events - the VDP was getting too big, making it harder to manufacture and fit on the motherboard.
 
 
 
While not the first home machine to contain a 16-bit processor, the the Mega Drive was the first to print the words "16-BIT" in big, gold lettering onto the console itself, thus starting what is often named as the "bit wars", something featured heavily in advertising campaigns up until the Nintendo 64 in the mid-1990s.
 
 
 
The revised Sega Mega Drive 2 and all future consoles (bar the [[Teradrive]]) were produced by different teams under Hideki Sato. Masami Ishikawa moved back to the company's arcade operations in the early 1990s.
 
 
 
===Release===
 
====Japan====
 
The Sega Mega Drive was first released in Japan on October 29, 1988 with two launch titles, ''[[Space Harrier II]]'' and ''[[Super Thunder Blade]]'', and retailing at ¥21,000. Life was difficult for Sega - Nintendo's Famicom held a monopoly on the market, while NEC's PC Engine had already established the groundwork for a new "16-bit" generation a year prior, growing ever more popular by the day. From a home computer perspective, the MSX2 was continuing its dominance similar to its predecessor (also still supported at this point), the MSX1. The PC-9801 and the still relatively new Sharp X68000 were also fighting for the "professional" computer market, though these were out of reach of many Japanese consumers at the time.
 
 
 
Most major Japanese developers and publishers of the day were in the pockets of Nintendo, NEC and Microsoft/ASCII, with Sega fighting an up-hill battle from day one. The Mega Drive found itself following the trends of arcade games at the time — [[:Category:Mega Drive shoot-'em-up games|shoot-'em-ups]] — and Sega also tried to woo over home computer developers (especially Sharp X68000 developers), establishing strong links with the likes of [[Toaplan]] and [[Telenet Japan]], as well as initially gathering interest from [[Namco]] and [[Capcom]].
 
 
 
Sega's catelogue of arcade ports kept the system alive, but the talk and subsequent launch of the Super Famicom in late 1990 kept Sega in third place (behind the PC Engine) for most of the generation. The release of [[SNK]]'s Neo Geo AES may have also had an impact in the console's runnings. However, the situation could have been bleaker, as releases like the ''Shining'' games, ''[[Langrisser]]'', ''[[Puyo Puyo]]'', and the [[Sega Mega-CD]] kept the console from fully dropping out early.
 
 
 
The Mega Drive was axed in Japan by the end of 1995, with Sega releasing [[Pepenga Pengo|its last first-party game]] in December and [[Compile]] releasing [[Madou Monogatari I|the last game for the region]] the following year. Sega were very much keen on backing their [[Sega Saturn]] console instead, a move which saw it achieve much greater success than the Mega Drive in the years that followed.
 
 
 
====North America====
 
Having achieved very little progress in cracking the American market with the Sega Master System, Sega's plans for the Mega Drive (renamed "Genesis") were far bolder, with aggressive marketing tactics in place from day one which openly criticised Nintendo and their Nintendo Entertainment System, which, much like Japan, dominated the video game console market. The Genesis launched in late 1989, and although had struggled against the PC Engine in Japan, quickly eclipsed the US-variant, the TurboGrafx-16.
 
 
 
The early Genesis game library and marketing campaigns in North America focused on the arcade-at-home stance, although Sega also took the decision to create celebrity-sponsored sports titles (as well as the famed ''[[Michael Jackson's Moonwalker]]''), a tactic which proved reasonably successful. Sega also partnered with Disney to create platformers such as ''[[Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (Mega Drive)|Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse]]'' and ''[[QuackShot]]'', the relationship running for several years into the mid-90s.
 
 
 
Most notably was Sega's strong ties with [[Electronic Arts]], which saw rapid growth on the Mega Drive not least due to ''[[John Madden Football]]''. EA stemmed from their history as computer game publishers during this period and turned in to a major player of the video game landscape, eventually becoming the world's largest video game publisher.
 
 
 
The Genesis made huge gains over Nintendo during the console's first couple of years, although for many it was assumed that the successor, the Super Nintendo, would reclaim its crown upon release. Though this eventually did occur, Nintendo's plans were set back dramatically by the release of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' on that day, June 23, 1991, as well as a wealth of high quality titles and strong advertising campaigns depicting the SNES, much like the NES, as the weaker system. Though damaged, Nintendo never truly went away - a number of strange Sega marketing blunders during 1994-1995 and the strong support coming from Japan helped the Super Nintendo almost close the distance.
 
 
 
Sega became disinterested in the Genesis by the mid-90s, focusing instead on the [[Sega Saturn]]. It did, however contract [[Majesco]] to continue manufacturing Mega Drives in the US through 1997 and 1998, and the few third party developers and first party studios that stayed on board produced games like ''[[Vectorman 2]]'' and ''[[Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island]]'' and many compilations. In an ironic twist of fate, a straight port of ''[[Frogger]]'' would be the last officially released Mega Drive game released in the country - ''Frogger'' had been a series Sega held a license over for much of the 1980s, and coincidentally was one of the last SNES releases in the region too.
 
 
 
According to the NPD's North American market data published from 1994 to 2002 (re-published by the University of British Columbia, University of Texas and University of Tokyo in 2004), the Genesis outsold the SNES in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001, while the SNES only outsold the Genesis in 1997, demonstrating that the Genesis outsold the SNES overall in North America. {{ref|http://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/6341302.pdf}}
 
 
 
====Europe====
 
Sega did not form any direct distribution channels in Europe until the mid-1990s, so the Mega Drive's launch in Europe was somewhat disorganised. For one, the PAL Mega Drive was delayed - originally set to be released in 1989, it was pushed back to March 1990 due to manufacturing issues, and did not reach consumers until later in the year. By the time the Mega Drive hit places like Spain, for example, it was almost on its last leg in Japan. The late release saw a handful of games, primarily those released in 1990 in Japan or North America (most notably games released by [[Renovation Products]]), skip the European Mega Drive altogether, although this would be made up for in later years by more local releases.
 
 
 
"Europe" itself was not treated as one region until the late 1990s, so each country received games and hardware at different points in time (although only weeks and months, as opposed to years, separated launches). In the United Kingdom, the Mega Drive launched on September 14, 1990 during the [[ECES 1990|European Consumer Electronics Show]] (ECES) for the price of £189.99 (complete with ''[[Altered Beast]]''), however the delay meant that many keen gamers had imported systems prior to this date (and magazines were reviewing imported games).
 
 
 
[[Virgin Mastertronic]] distributed the console in the UK, as they had with the Master System though also extended their reach to France and Germany. Sega bought the Mastertronic side of the company in August 1991 and began distributing consoles and software themselves, thus establishing [[Sega Europe]].
 
 
 
Success of the Mega Drive was initially somewhat hard to measure, not least because in much of Europe, consoles were not particularly popular (with the exception of the successful Master System). Whereas Japan and North America had opted for dedicated video game consoles during the 1980s, most of Europe was content with home computers, of which 16-bit varieties (the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST) had been launched around 1985-1987. Many consumers therefore did not initially see a need for the Mega Drive - it was more expensive to adopt, yet less functional than a 16-bit computer, and was thus seen as a novelty item for wealthier families or something engineered for kids.
 
 
 
Though Nintendo had had a similar problem with the NES (and would continue to do so with the SNES, released very late in 1992), Sega reversed their fortunes with the release of ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', on the same date as the US, June 23, 1991 (though some magazines thought it had a July release). This attracted numerous big software houses (such as [[Virgin Games]], [[Acclaim Entertainment]], and [[Ocean Software]]) and building a strong portfolio of games. Much of this success was built on the Sega Master System, which although had faced huge competiton from computers, had a respectable install base and was the most successful home console in much of Europe.
 
 
 
Like North America, the Mega Drive was replaced, perhaps prematurely, by the Sega Saturn in 1995 and discontinued in 1998 after 8 years in the European market. However, during its half-decade of service had become not only the most successful console of all time, but had began to change opinions on gaming as a whole. The IBM PC was putting traditional 16-bit computers out of action, with mice and keyboards being favoured over joysticks - games built for joysticks, which had once thrived on machines by Atari, Sinclair, Amstrad and Commodore found themselves on consoles instead. The Mega Drive also helped launch the hugely popular ''FIFA'' series, which continues to exist to this day.
 
 
 
The Mega Drive was the system of choice in the United Kingdom (there, it was known as the #1 retro games console of all time), and extended its dominance to France, Spain, and Portugal. It was also big in Germany, Italy, Greece and Scandinavian countries, although much of the story is undocumented. Australia, though not in Europe, relied much on European stock, with the Mega Drive being a successful console there, like the Master System was before it.
 
 
 
====Brazil====
 
In Brazil, the Mega Drive handled by [[TecToy]], who was also responsible for the Master System's distribution in the country, where, similar to the Master System, it became the system of choice throughout much of the 1990s. TecToy tried to produce a number of original titles in 1996 and following, presumably ending at ''[[Show do Milhao 2]]'' (2001?), part of a partnership with a popular regional game show.
 
 
 
====South Korea====
 
In South Korea, the console was distributed by [[Samsung]].
 
 
 
====Asia====
 
''Main article: [[Mega Drive consoles in Asia]]''
 
 
 
From Sega's perspective, everything east of Europe and west of Japan/South Korea is classed as "Asia". This is a very large region and covers dozens of countries, but the markets are generally considered to be quite small as we're dealing with second world and potentially even third world countries. The company made more of an effort to localise for specific countries with the [[Sega Master System]], but generally targeted fewer countries and was not tremendously successful.
 
 
 
===Legacy===
 
Despite successes in North America and being the console of choice for Europe, Brazil and many smaller markets, the Sega Mega Drive ultimately failed to woo its homeland of Japan, which was the deciding factor when developing the console's successor, the Sega Saturn, which ironically flopped in most regions ''aside'' of Japan. Despite this, the Mega Drive is often used to represent Sega's "glory years", with numerous compilations and emulators released by the company since the late 1990s.
 
 
 
The Mega Drive also saw Sega play the console add-on game with the [[Sega Mega-CD]], which impressed gamers in Japan with a rich variety of games released on the new compact disc technology, however overseas, marketing focused on "full motion video" games that continuously failed to impress. Sega also tried various forms of online gaming several times — the first-party [[Sega Meganet]] and [[Sega Channel]] and third-party [[XB∀ND]]. Various other add-ons would be made over the years.
 
 
 
Finally, in a combination of poor communication between [[Sega of America]] and [[Sega of Japan]] and the desire to keep the Mega Drive afloat, Sega of America released the [[Sega 32X]], an add-on which added its own additional capabilities to the Mega Drive, such as a larger color palette and a two fast CPUs to facilitate higher quality 3D rendering than what was seen on the Mega Drive (which went as advanced as ''[[F1]]'' unaided). The 32X was released too late, had manufacturing errors at launch, and was too expensive to impress, and promptly fell flat on its face.
 
 
 
Selected Mega Drive games are available through the [[Wii]]'s [[Virtual Console]] service, [[Xbox Live Arcade]] and the [[PlayStation Network]]. In addition, many PC compilations have been released. [[AtGames]] currently holds a license to reproduce legacy Sega hardware and has released a number of Mega Drive "[[:Category:Consoles on a chip|consoles on a chip]]", some even containing cartridge slots. The Sega Mega Drive is also a top choice of platform for emulation, with a number of free Mega Drive emulators available to the public. Some, such as [[KGen]] are known to have been used by Sega themselves.
 
 
 
 
 
==Games==
 
===List of Games===
 
:''Main article: [[List of Mega Drive Games]]''
 
===Launch Titles===
 
[[File:MDAdd-ons.jpg|thumb|right|A Japanese Sega Mega Drive (Model 1) overloaded with add-ons including the [[Sega Mega-CD]] (Model 1), [[Sega 32X]], [[Remote Arcade System]] and [[Mega-CD Karaoke]].]]
 
====Japan====
 
*''[[Space Harrier II]]''
 
*''[[Super Thunder Blade]]''
 
====North America====
 
*''[[Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle]]''
 
*''[[Altered Beast]]''
 
*''[[Last Battle]]''
 
*''[[Space Harrier II]]''
 
*''[[Thunder Force II]]''
 
*''[[Tommy Lasorda Baseball]]''
 
====Europe====
 
{{multicol|
 
*''[[Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle]]''
 
*''[[Altered Beast]]''
 
*''[[Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf]]''
 
*''[[Forgotten Worlds]]''
 
*''[[Ghouls'n Ghosts]]''
 
*''[[Golden Axe]]''
 
*''[[Last Battle]]''
 
*''[[Mystic Defender]]''
 
*''[[Rambo III (Mega Drive)|Rambo III]]''
 
*''[[Revenge of Shinobi]]''
 
*''[[Space Harrier II]]''
 
*''[[Super Hang-On]]''
 
*''[[Super League Baseball]]''
 
*''[[Super Thunder Blade]]''
 
*''[[Thunder Force II]]''
 
*''[[Truxton]]''
 
*''[[World Cup Italia '90]]''
 
*''[[Zoom!]]''
 
}}
 
 
 
==Gallery==
 
<gallery>
 
File:Mega Drive Japanese logo.png|Japanese logo
 
File:Genesis logo.png|North American logo
 
File:Megadrive EU Logo.png|European/Australian logo
 
File:MegaDrive BR logo.png|Brazillian logo
 
File:MegaDrive AS logo.png|Asian logo
 
</gallery>
 
 
 
==Promotional Material==
 
===Print Advertisements===
 
<gallery>
 
MD JP PrintAdvert 1.jpg|JP (1)
 
MD JP PrintAdvert 2.jpg|JP (2)
 
MD JP PrintAdvert 3.jpg|JP (3)
 
MD JP PrintAdvert Sonic.jpg|JP (''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' bundle)
 
File:MD US PrintAdvert.jpg|US (1)
 
File:MD US PrintAdvert Alt.jpg|US (1; revised version)
 
File:MD US PrintAdvert 2.jpg|US (2)
 
File:MD US PrintAdvert 3.jpg|US (3)
 
File:MD US PrintAdvert StackUp.jpg|US (4)
 
MD UK PrintAdvert 1.jpg|UK (1)
 
MegaDrive UK PrintAd 1990-10.jpg|UK (1990-10)
 
MegaDrive UK PrintAd 1990-11.jpg|UK (1990-11)
 
SegaEuropesNo1 SMS MD UK PrintAd.jpg|UK (1991-02)
 
MoonwalkerBundle MD UK PrintAd.jpg|UK (1991-04)
 
MegaDrive100Reasons MD UK PrintAd.jpg|UK (1992-05)
 
MD FR PrintAdvert.jpg|FR (1)
 
MD-GG IT PrintAdvert.jpeg|IT (1)
 
MD IT PrintAdvert.jpg|IT (2)
 
File:MD_BR_PrintAdvert.jpg|BR (1)
 
SegaMegaDrive ES PrintAd 1990-09.jpg|ES (1)
 
MegaDrive ES PrintAd 1991-06.jpg|ES (1, variation)
 
PreciosSega05 MD ES PrintAd 1992-04.jpg|ES (2)
 
SegaMegaDrive ES PrintAd 1992-06.jpg|ES (3)
 
SegaMegaDrive ES PrintAd 1992-09 01.jpg|ES (4)
 
SegaMegaDrive ES PrintAd 1992-09 02.jpg|ES (5)
 
SegaMegaDrive ES PrintAd 1992-09 03.jpg|ES (6)
 
SegaMegaDrive ES PrintAd 1992-10.jpg|ES (6, variation)
 
SegaMegaDrive ES PrintAd 1992-11.jpg|ES (7)
 
PacksMegaDrive ES PrintAd 1993-05 01.jpg|ES (8-1)
 
PacksMegaDrive ES PrintAd 1993-05 02.jpg|ES (8-2)
 
PacksMegaDrive ES PrintAd 1993-05 03.jpg|ES (8-3)
 
PacksMegaDrive ES PrintAd 1993-05 04.jpg|ES (8, variation 1)
 
PacksMegaDrive ES PrintAd 1993-06.jpg|ES (8, variation 2)
 
File:1993_06_-_Pack_Megadrive_Flashback.jpg|ES (9)
 
File:1993_11_-_Mega_Drive.jpg|ES (10)
 
File:1993_12_-_Mega_Drive_1.jpg|ES (11-1)
 
File:1993_12_-_Mega_Drive_2.jpg|ES (11-2)
 
File:1994_05_-_Mega_7.jpg|ES (12)
 
File:1994_06_-_Mega_7.jpg|ES (12, variation)
 
File:1994_10_-_Mega_Drive.jpg|ES (13)
 
 
 
MD2 AU PrintAdvert 1993-11-21.jpg|AU (1993-11-21)
 
MD2 AU PrintAdvert 1993-12-05.jpg|AU (1993-12-05)
 
MD2 AU PrintAdvert 1994-02-20.jpg|AU (1994-02-20)
 
MD2 AU PrintAdvert 1994-04-03.jpg|AU (1994-04-03)
 
MD2 AU PrintAdvert 1994-07-03.jpg|AU (1994-07-03)
 
MD2 AU PrintAdvert 1994-10-16.jpg|AU (1994-10-16)
 
MD2 AU PrintAdvert 1995-06-18.jpg|AU (1995-06-18)
 
</gallery>
 
 
 
===Pamphlets===
 
<gallery>
 
File:Sega_Megadive_AU_Pamphlet.pdf|Australian Pamphlet
 
</gallery>
 
 
 
===Television Advertisements===
 
<gallery>
 
MD JP TVAdvert Sonic.mp4|JP (''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' bundle)
 
MD US TVAdvert ArcadeExperience.mp4|US ("we bring the arcade experience home")
 
MD US TVAdvert NewGeneration.mp4|US ("new generation")
 
MD US TVAdvert GenesisDoesSports.mp4|US ("Genesis does sports")
 
MD UK TVAdvert CyberRazorCut 1.mp4|UK ("Cyber Razor Cut")
 
MD UK TVAdvert CyberRazorCut 2.mp4|UK ("Cyber Razor Cut" 2)
 
MD UK TVAdvert CyberRazorCut 4.mp4|UK ("Cyber Razor Cut" 4)
 
MD UK TVAdvert Squeezer.mp4|UK ("Squeezer")
 
MD DE TVAdvert SegaTV.mp4|DE ("Sega TV")
 
MagnumSet MD DE TVAdvert.mp4|DE (Magnum Set)
 
MD NL TVAdvert 1.mp4|NL
 
MD2 AU TVAdvert 1.mp4|AU
 
SuperGamBoy MD KR TVAdvert 1.mp4|KR (Super Gam*Boy)
 
SuperAladdinBoy MD KR TVAdvert.mp4|KR (Super Aladdin Boy)
 
</gallery>
 
  
 
{{MegaDrive}}
 
{{MegaDrive}}
 
{{Sega Consoles}}
 
{{Sega Consoles}}
 
[[Category:Sega Mega Drive| ]]
 
[[Category:Sega Mega Drive| ]]

Latest revision as of 15:06, 26 March 2024

Mega Drive Japanese logo.png
MD1 JP console set.jpg
Sega Mega Drive
Manufacturer: Sega
Variants: Mega Drive 2, Genesis 3, Mega Jet, Nomad, Mega Tech, Mega Play, Amstrad Mega PC
Add-ons: Mega-CD, Sega 32X, Mega Modem, Power Base Converter
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
JP
¥21,00021,000 HAA-2510
Sega Mega Drive
US
(NY/LA)
$200.00200.00 MK-1601
Sega Mega Drive
US
(Nationwide)
$200.00200.00 MK-1601
Sega Mega Drive
DE
1600-18
Sega Mega Drive
ES
38,900Ptas38,900[4] 1600-06
Sega Mega Drive
FR
1890F1890 1600-09
Sega Mega Drive
NL
ƒ399399 1600-20
Sega Mega Drive
PT
Sega Mega Drive
UK
£189.99189.99[2][3] 1600-05
Sega Mega Drive
SI
24,990 tolarjev24,990
Sega Mega Drive
SE
1600-24
Sega Mega Drive
GR
Sega Mega Drive
IT
399,000£399,000[5] 1600-13
Sega Mega Drive
TR
Sega Mega Drive
CZ
4,579 Kč4,579[7]
Sega Mega Drive
PL
Sega Mega Drive
AU
$349.00349.00[9] 1600-03
Sega Mega Drive
NZ
Sega Mega Drive
MX
Sega Mega Drive
AR
Sega Mega Drive
BR
R$70,000,00Cr$70,000,00Cr$[11] 010300
Sega Mega Drive
CN
Sega Mega Drive
KR
₩154,000154,000
Sega Mega Drive
RU
Sega Mega Drive
ZA
Sega Mega Drive
IN
₹18,00018,000

The Mega Drive (メガドライブ), called the Sega Genesis in North America and Super Gam*Boy (수퍼겜보이), later Super Aladdin Boy (수퍼알라딘 보이) in South Korea, is a cartridge-based video game console developed by Sega in 1988.

Codenamed the Sega Mark V during development[13] it is Sega's fifth video game console (following the SG-1000, SG-1000 II, Sega Mark III and Sega Master System) to be released, but only the second substantial hardware upgrade. The Mega Drive's selling point was its 16-bit main processor, which in adddition to superior graphics capabilities, allowed for a more advanced gaming experience previously limited to the arcades.

The Mega Drive is Sega's most successful video game console, with 40 million hardware units sold worldwide,[14] including more than 20 million in the United States, over 9 million in Western Europe, 3.58 million in Japan, and 3 million in Brazil.[15]. It has a software library consisting of more than one thousand games; more than previous generations of Sega hardware combined.

As well as competing with Nintendo's Famicom (NES) and later Super Famicom, Sega also found itself fighting against NEC's TurboGrafx-16 (PC Engine in Japan), SNK's Neo Geo, the Atari Jaguar, and numerous home computers, driving the term "console war" as it attempted to acheive market dominance. While the Super NES ended up surpassing the Mega Drive in worldwide hardware sales (49 million), more software was sold for Sega's console, and its 16:1 attach ratio was double that of the SNES.[16]

The Mega Drive saw two major expansions to extend its shelf life, first with Sega Mega-CD in 1991 and later the Sega 32X in 1994. The Mega Drive would be succeeded by the Sega Saturn (also released in 1994), though was still receiving officially licensed games as late as 2000.

Hardware

The Mega Drive was envisioned at the next technological step over other video game consoles available at the time. It is a "16-bit" machine, named after its use of a 16-bit CPU (in this case, the Motorola 68000), and was marketed as being superior to popular "8-bit" consoles dominating the market at the time, usually the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) but sometimes its immediate predecessor, the Sega Master System. 16-bit CPUs had been gaining popularity since the mid-80s, were widely used in arcade machines, and were almost expected to be found in new home computers - it was therefore considered logical that the next "generation" of dedicated video game consoles should follow suit.

The Mega Drive builds on technology found in the Master System (and with adaptors, is fully backwards compatible), though as well as upping the technical specifications for more demanding gameplay, sound and graphics, makes a number of crucial changes to the design of consoles which continue to this day. Firstly it added a third face button, C, to the (now ergonomically designed) control pad. The Mega Drive outputs sound in stereo, and makes an attempt to region lock games through software. Also, when utilising the right cables, the Mega Drive is natively able to produce a clearer image than its rivals (on top of its already higher resolution 320x240 display).

All Mega Drives ultilise a top-loading design (as opposed to the cumbersome VCR-style cartridge loading of the Western NES), while having removable controllers (unlike the Famicom). It was designed from day one to allow hardware expansions, and its use of dark plastic means that the "yellowing" of older systems (from bromine-based flame retardants reacting with oxygen) is less of an issue.

Models

Main article: Mega Drive consoles.

Mega Drive

The original Mega Drive measures 28 cm×21.2 cm×7 cm. The top of the unit is split into two components: a circular emboss with the cartridge slot and a tagline (which was omitted on later versions), and a control panel containing the power and reset buttons and the volume slider for the headphones jack. Audio output through the original model was mono through the A/V port, while the headphone jack was used for stereo sound. A third DE-9 port on the back of the unit provided additional peripheral support, though was removed from later revisions.

Asian, Japanese and South Korean models have a cartridge locking mechanism which prevents cartridges from being removed when the power is on (which is why "Eastern" cartridges, as well as the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge and various others, have a cut-out on their left sides). Later runs included the TradeMark Security System, missing in early builds causing small compatibility issues, despite the feature having been planned early on.

Mega Drive 2

1993 saw this cost-reduced redesign (known as the Mega Drive II in Europe, and sold simply as "Genesis" in North America without the Sega prefix), at 22 cm×21.2 cm×5.9 cm, being introduced internationally. One of the major revisions from the original model was the removal of the headphones jack in favor of stereo output through a redesigned 9-pin A/V port. The Mega Drive 2 also used an external RF modulator (all non-Japanese Mega Drive models had an internal modulator), which was packed in with Western systems. American and European models also used a push-button toggle switch for power while non-Western models used a slide switch like the original model. Furthermore, the audio mixing circuitry was modified, resulting in noticeably different quality audio output — here is a page with audio samples, provided by little-scale.

Contrary to popular belief, this model has a Z80, albeit in a QFP-44 form factor, which is not immediately identifiable compared to the DIP Z80 used in the original Mega Drive. If the Z80 was missing, most games would have little to no sound. Beginning with the VA4 board revision, the Z80 was integrated into a custom ASIC which also incorporated the major chips of the system.

Genesis 3

Main article: Genesis 3.
A Genesis 3.

The Genesis 3 was a small version manufactured by Majesco in 1998 for the US market, which they had been manufacturing for until then. It is much smaller than its predecessors and lacks all expansions and fixes memory controller bugs — both rendering some games unplayable and the Sega CD and 32X unusable.

Portables: Mega Jet and Nomad

Main articles: Sega Mega Jet and Sega Nomad.

The Mega Jet and Nomad were portable Mega Drive systems released near the middle/end of the system's lifetime. The Mega Jet, released in 1994, was originally designed for use on JAL airliners but was later released for Japanese consumers. The Mega Jet is a semi-portable system; the system has a built-in controller but requires an external power supply and a TV. The Nomad was a full portable in its own right, having an integrated screen and sound capabilities, in addition to a battery pack.

Arcade hardware: Mega Tech, Mega Play, and the System C

Main articles: Mega Tech, Mega Play, System C.

The Mega Drive hardware was adapted for arcade use several times over the course of its life. The Mega Tech and Mega Play allowed arcade operators to provide somewhat modified versions of popular Mega Drive games for arcade play — these systems use special cartridges containing games and players can choose from the games plugged into the system. The System C is a different board built from modified Mega Drive hardware, boasting improved color abilities and (in later revisions known collectively as the System C2) improved sample playback. The System C was primarily home to puzzle games — Columns and Puyo Puyo were released on this hardware.

Data East is also known to have licensed Mega Drive hardware for an arcade version of High Seas Havoc; not much is known about this board.

Mega-CD combos: JVC Wondermega/X'eye, Pioneer LaserActive, Sega Multi-Mega, and Aiwa Mega CD

Main articles: Wondermega, LaserActive, Sega Multi-Mega, Aiwa Mega CD.

Combination Mega Drive/Mega-CD units were developed over the course of the Mega-CD's lifetime. The Wondermega and LaserActive are standalone consoles; the LaserActive also plays LaserDiscs. The Multi-Mega is a portable audio CD player that can play Mega Drive and Mega-CD games when plugged in to wall power and a TV. The Aiwa Mega CD is a Mega Drive/Mega-CD packed into Aiwa's consumer-level portable CD stereos.

Computer combinations: Sega Teradrive, Amstrad Mega PC, al-Alamiah units

Main articles: Sega Teradrive, Amstrad Mega PC, Al-Alamiah AX-660, Al-Alamiah AX-990.

The Teradrive and Mega PC are combination Mega Drive/IBM-compatible PCs made for the Japanese and UK markets, respectively. The three Al-Alamiah computers are combination Mega Drive/MSX computers for the Arabic market.

Modern System-on-a-Chip compilations

A variety of companies now make licensed system-on-a-chip units in a variety of fashions that contain single-chip Mega Drive implementations and several licensed ROM images. TecToy-made SoaCs also contain several "new" MD games, however these are believed to be — and likely are — Java 2 Mobile Edition games running on additional hardware. For a full list of SoaCs, see the template at the bottom of the page.

Hardware revisions

Main article: Sega Mega Drive/Hardware revisions.

Cartridges

Main article: Sega Mega Drive cartridges.

Technical specifications

Main article: Sega Mega Drive/Technical specifications.

Comparison

Main article: Sega Mega Drive/Hardware comparison

It was the most powerful console at the time of its release in 1988, surpassing the PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16), and it was not surpassed in power until the Neo Geo in 1990. The Mega Drive is roughly comparable to its main rival, the SNES, released in 1990, with the Mega Drive having more raw processing power whereas the SNES has a larger color palette (see Sega Mega Drive/Hardware comparison (Super NES) article for a detailed technical comparison between the Mega Drive and SNES).

Compared to home computers at the time, it was not as powerful as the Japan-exclusive X68000 (released 1987) or FM Towns (released 1989). However, the Mega Drive was more powerful than Western home computers in the late '80s, including the Amiga.

History

Main article: History of the Sega Mega Drive.

Localised names

Also known as
Language Localised Name English Translation
English (UK) Sega Mega Drive Sega Mega Drive
English (US) Sega Genesis Sega Genesis
Japanese メガドライブ Mega Drive
Korean 수퍼겜보이, 수퍼알라딘 보이 Super Gam*Boy, Super Aladdin Boy
Chinese (Simplified) 劲锋壹號
Hebrew מגה דרייב

Games

Main article: Sega Mega Drive games.
A Japanese Sega Mega Drive (Model 1) overloaded with add-ons including the Sega Mega-CD (Model 1), Sega 32X, Remote Arcade System and Mega-CD Karaoke.

Production credits

Japanese version

Source:
Developer mentions[18][19][20][21][22]


Magazine articles

Main article: Sega Mega Drive/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Sega Mega Drive/Promotional material.

Logos by regions

Logo Region
Used in Japan, Asia, Africa,
parts of Eastern Europe and
South Korea (from 1997)
Used in North America
and parts of South America
Used in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay
and Uruguay
Used in Western and Eastern Europe,
Asia, Africa and Australasia
Used in Asia
Used in Scandinavia
Used in South Korea (Super Gam*Boy)
Used in South Korea (Super Aladdin Boy)

External links

References

  1. https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/ (Wayback Machine: 2018-03-22 22:57)
  2. Computer & Video Games, "September 1990" (UK; 1990-08-16), page 13
  3. ACE, "October 1990" (UK; 1990-09-xx), page 51
  4. Micromanía (segunda época), "Octubre 1990" (ES; 1990-xx-xx), page 63
  5. 5.0 5.1 K, "Novembre 1990" (IT; 1990-xx-xx), page 21
  6. Video Club #20 page 23
  7. ABC, "Ročník 37, 16" (CZ; 1993-04-24), page 31
  8. Megazone, "August 1990" (AU; 1990-0x-xx), page 50
  9. Megazone, "November 1990" (AU; 1990-11-xx), page 25
  10. https://web.archive.org/web/20210622072008/https://techmonitor.ai/technology/sega_starts_test_marketing_new_machine
  11. https://acervo.estadao.com.br/publicados/1990/11/22/g/19901122-35513-nac-0081-eco-9-not-aaweass.jpg
  12. https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/economy/story/19940430-shaw-wallace-to-manufacture-market-sega-tv-games-in-india-810502-1994-04-30 (Wayback Machine: 2020-06-21 19:35)
  13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqdN_L4YaDE#t=7m45
  14. Interview: Joe Miller (2013-02-07) by Sega-16
  15. Fourth generation of video games
  16. Press release: 1997-06-04: Sega Lowers Price on Hardware, Software
  17. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darrenwall/sega-mega-drive-genesis-collected-works-reprint
  18. https://www.famitsu.com/news/201308/12038274.html
  19. File:Sega_Consumer_History_JP_EnterBrain_Book.pdf, page 23
  20. Harmony, "1994 8" (JP; 1994-08-01), page 18
  21. https://www.facebook.com/hiroyuki.ohtaka/about_work_and_education
  22. https://sbtransr02.wixsite.com/kazuhiko-nagai/my-works-1


Sega Mega Drive
Topics Technical specifications (Hardware comparison) | History | List of games | Magazine articles | Promotional material | Merchandise | Cartridges | TradeMark Security System
Hardware Japan | North America | Western Europe | Eastern Europe | South America | Asia | South Korea | Australasia | Africa
EZ Games | LaserActive | Mega Jet | Mega PC | Mega Play | Mega-Tech System | Nomad | Teradrive | Mega Drive Mini | Mega Drive Mini 2
New Mega Drive | Tianli VCD/DVD Players | "Consoles on a chip" | Licensed clones (Magic 2 | Mega Game II | Power Pegasus | Super Bitman)
Unlicensed clones
Add-ons Game Box | Power Base Converter | Mega-CD | 32X (Mega-CD 32X) | Mega Modem | Demo System DS-16
Cases Sega Genesis Nomad Carrying Case | System Carry Case
Controllers Control Pad | Six Button Control Pad | 6 Button Arcade Pad | Arcade Power Stick 6B | Konami Justifier | MK-1470
Action Chair | Activator | Arcade Power Stick | Keyboard | MegaFire | Mouse | Mega Stick | Menacer | Remote Arcade System | Ten Key Pad | Third Party Controllers
Accessories 4 Way Play | Cleaning System | Control Pad Extension Cord | Genesis Speakers | Headset | HeartBeat Catalyst | Microphone | Region converter cartridges | Mega Terminal | Nomad PowerBack | RF Unit (Mega Drive 2) | SCART Cable (Mega Drive 2) | Stereo Audio Video Cable | Team Player | Video Monitor Cable | Third Party Accessories
Network services Sega Channel | Sega Game Toshokan | Mega Anser | Mega Net | TeleBradesco Residência | XB∀ND
Development tools ERX 308P | ERX 318P | Sprobe | SNASM68K | SNASM2 (Mega Drive) | SNASM2 (32X) | PSY-Q Development System (Mega Drive) | PSY-Q Development System (32X) | 32X CartDev | Sega Mars Development Aid System | Sega 32X Development Target
Unreleased Edge 16 | Floppy Disk Drive | Mega Play 1010 | Sega VR | Teleplay System | Video Jukebox
Sega Home Video Game Systems
83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11
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
AI Computer Game Gear
Saturn
Pico Beena