11/10/2023
Sega Gensis
Basic Facts
Name: Sega Genesis (North America), Sega Mega Drive (Japan, Europe, Brazil)
Type: 16-bit console
Date: 1988 (Japan), 1989 (North America), 1990 (Brazil)
4th Generation of Video Games
Designed to go head-to-head against the NES, the Master System released seven years after the NES, and while it was a bit more advanced than the competition, it never really caught on in North America. While the Master System was a major hit in Europe and became the dominant system in Brazil, in the US and Canada it was always considered to be the poor man's NES, with no "killer app" Master System owners envied their friends who were all playing Super Mario Bros. 3 on their Nintendo systems.
After years of battling for a piece of the market, Sega devised a new strategy. Instead of piggybacking off of the current market of 8-bit gaming, they would be the first true 16-bit console to market with a system that was not only superior but to expand its power with the use of a series of peripherals.
The name of the system was dubbed the Sega Mega Drive, however in the United States, the rights to the name Mega Drive were already owned by another company, so after a trademark dispute, Sega opted to use a different name for the system in North America. The Mega Drive became known as the Sega Genesis in the U.S. and Canada, making it the first console named after a book of the Bible, indicating that it was bringing forth a new age in video games, and it did indeed.
In 1991 the tipping point started to occur. With Nintendo owning the lion's share of the market, thanks to the Super Mario Bros. franchise, Sega finally found a game that resonated equally as well, Sonic the Hedgehog. Designed primarily for American audiences, Sonic was a fast-paced and innovative platformer and an instant hit. Gamers started scrambling to run out and get the now two-year-old Genesis console just to play the hot new game.
Today the Genesis is still well known as one of the best consoles ever, with popular ports of their games releasing in droves for Next-Gen consoles, including the massive collection Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (titled Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection internationally). In Brazil, it remains a dominant force, with the Mega Drive still being manufactured by Tec Toy with new games being released specifically for Brazil.
