History of video games/Platforms/Sega Genesis

History Development The system was preceded by the Sega Master System. Sega approached Atari about bringing the MegaDrive to the American market. After negotiations broke down Sega decided to launch the console in the United States on their own.Feature: Remember When Atari Turned Down Nintendo And Sega? https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/02/feature_remember_when_atari_turned_down_nintendo_and_sega 23 October 2020 Nintendo Life 3 February 2020 Following development of the base console a number of add on devices were developed. Development of the Sega CD was particularly problematic, with drive motors occasionally catching on fire in pre production units.I’ll Never Love a Console Like I Loved the Sega CD https://www.vice.com/en/article/gqmj3b/ill-never-love-a-console-like-i-loved-the-mega-cd-758 www.vice.com 28 November 2020 enMcFerran Damien The Rise and Fall of Sega Enterprises https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-22-the-rise-and-fall-of-sega-enterprises Eurogamer 28 November 2020 en 22 February 2012 Launch thumb|People playing a Sega Mega Drive in 1993. Japan In October of 1988 the Sega Mega Drive was released in Japan at a cost of 21,000 yen.HISTORY SEGA 60th Anniversary https://60th.sega.com/en/history/ SEGA 60th Anniversary site 18 November 2020 en On May 31st, 1991 the TerraDrive computer and Mega Drive hybrid system was released in Japan.10 Game Consoles That Exclusively Released In Japan https://gamerant.com/consoles-released-only-japan-exclusive/ 8 July 2021 Game Rant 4 July 2021 North America The Sega Genesis was launched in North America in 1989.The Launch of the Sega Genesis (1989) http://www.cgquarterly.com/2016/12/12/the-launch-of-the-sega-genesis-1989/ Classic Gaming Quarterly 14 November 2020 12 December 2016 Notably, future president of the United States Donald Trump attended the 1989 Genesis launch in Manhattan.The time President Donald Trump attended the SEGA Genesis launch in 1989 http://segabits.com/blog/2018/03/26/the-time-president-donald-trump-attended-the-sega-genesis-launch-in-1989/ The time President Donald Trump attended the SEGA Genesis launch in 1989 14 November 2020 The Genesis did very well in North American gaming market. This is especially impressive, as at launch time rival Nintendo held over 80% of the market for home video games in the United States of America,McGill Douglas C. Market Place; Nintendo Courts U.S. Investors https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/29/business/market-place-nintendo-courts-us-investors.html 2 May 2021 The New York Times 29 June 1989 and by 1990 would control over 90% of the American game market.Sega v Nintendo: Sonic, Mario and the 1990's console war https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27373587 2 May 2021 BBC News 12 May 2014 By launching quality first party exclusive games, courting unique third party developers with fewer artistic restrictions, listening to consumer feedback, and launching aggressive marketing campaigns, Sega was able to take on an entrenched industry titan and become one itself by briefly taking over half of the market for itself, An event widely considered to be one of the gaming industry's most important upsets.How Sega conquered the video games industry – and then threw it all away https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/games/sega-sonic-hedgehog-nintendo-sony-video-game-a9334771.html 2 May 2021 The Independent 31 March 2020 enThe Radical Environmentalism of the Sega Genesis https://www.vice.com/en/article/wnzdk9/the-radical-environmentalism-of-the-sega-genesis 2 May 2021 www.vice.com enKrisch Joshua A. How Sega vs Nintendo Became a Billion-Dollar Rivalry https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/a10516/how-sega-vs-nintendo-became-a-billion-dollar-rivalry-16787174/ 2 May 2021 Popular Mechanics 13 May 2014 Worldwide The Mega Drive saw a European release in 1990. Refresh To make the platform more competitive, Sega would release two major add ons to expand the system's capabilities. The Sega CD was released in 1992,Forsythe Dana Sega's 32X was one of video gaming's biggest disasters https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/segas-32x-was-one-of-video-gamings-biggest-disasters SYFY WIRE 14 November 2020 en 19 June 2019 and gave the system a CD drive with massively improved storage capacity as a result. The Sega 32x was released in November 1994 for $160, and massively increased the system's raw power, though not nearly enough to be competitive with the new consoles it was meant to fend off. Both add ons would have exclusive games that could not be played on a standard Genesis or Mega Drive. Legacy The Genesis influenced a number of contemporary systems. The Sega Genesis was directly followed by the ill fated Sega Saturn. A portable Genesis was also made as the Nomad. A Mega Drive module was also produced for the Pioneer LaserActive. The Sega Genesis was discontinued in 1997 outside of Brazil. However the console continued to be a popular choice in certain markets after this date. Sega partner Tectoy was still selling 150,000 consoles annually as of 2016.Sega's Genesis (known outside of North America as the Mega Drive) to re-enter production https://www.techspot.com/news/66951-sega-genesis-known-outside-north-america-mega-drive.html TechSpot 14 November 2020 In 2016 Tectoy began taking preorders for a 2017 revision of the console for the Brazilian market at a cost of 399 Brazilian real.Hall Charlie Temper your enthusiasm for the new Sega Genesis https://www.polygon.com/2016/11/9/13564880/sega-genesis-brazil-replica-hdmi Polygon 14 November 2020 en 9 November 2016TecToy unveils its new limited edition SEGA Genesis SEGA Nerds http://www.seganerds.com/2016/10/31/tectoy-unveils-its-new-limited-edition-sega-genesis/ 14 November 2020 In 2010 Mega Drive gaming was still popular in Egypt.Videogames of Egypt http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2010/03/videogames-of-egypt.html 8 November 2020 29 million Sega Genesis consoles were sold.Genesis vs. SNES: By the Numbers - IGN https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/20/genesis-vs-snes-by-the-numbers 13 November 2020 en Technology Compute The Genesis is powered by a primary 16-bit Motorola 68000 processor clocked at 7.6 megahertz.Mega Drive Architecture A Practical Analysis https://www.copetti.org/projects/consoles/mega-drive-genesis/ Rodrigo's Stuff 7 November 2020 en 18 May 2019 A secondary 8-bit Z80 coprocessor was clocked at 3.5 megahertz. The Genesis has 64 kilobytes of RAM dedicated to the primary processor, and 8 kilobytes dedicated to the Z80 coprocessor.Winning The Console Wars – An In-Depth Architectural Study https://hackaday.com/2015/11/06/winning-the-console-wars-an-in-depth-architectural-study/ 28 October 2020 Hackaday 6 November 2015 Some games used cartridge based chips to allow for 3D graphics.The Great Polygon Mystery http://www.gamezero.com/team-0/articles/features/polygon.html www.gamezero.com 21 November 2020 The Sega Genesis was initially considered easier for developers to use then the competing SNES due to it's straightforward design instead of reliance on support hardware.It's no SNES http://www.gamezero.com/team-0/articles/features/no_snes/ www.gamezero.com 21 November 2020 Graphics The Genesis uses a custom chip called the Video Display Processor (VDP) clocked at 13 megahertz for rendering graphics. The VDP has 64 kilobytes of RAM, 128 bytes of color RAM, and 80 bytes of vertical scroll RAM.First steps with the Sega MegaDrive VDP Marc's Realm https://darkdust.net/writings/megadrive/firststeps darkdust.net 7 November 2020 The Genesis could render 80 sprites and 64 simultaneous colors from 512 total colors.WAR! - Nintendo Vs. Sega http://www.gamezero.com/team-0/articles/features/war/ www.gamezero.com 21 November 2020 Blast Processing was technically a feature supported by the Genesis VDP, though it was simply a technique used to generate images with more colors and was never widely used on official Genesis games.Linneman John Sega's legendary Blast Processing was real - but what did it actually do? https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2019-blast-processing-retro-analysis Eurogamer 7 November 2020 en 31 March 2019Life Nintendo The Man Responsible For Sega's Blast Processing Gimmick Is Sorry For Creating "That Ghastly Phrase" https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/11/the_man_responsible_for_segas_blast_processing_gimmick_is_sorry_for_creating_that_ghastly_phrase Nintendo Life 7 November 2020 20 November 2015Life Nintendo Sega's Blast Processing? We Did It On The SNES First, Says Former Sculptured Software Dev https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/05/segas_blast_processing_we_did_it_on_the_snes_first_says_former_sculptured_software_dev Nintendo Life 7 November 2020 4 May 2020 Storage Genesis cartridges typically maxed out at 4 megabytes, though a few 5 megabyte cartridges exist.A Brief and Abbreviated History of Gaming Storage – Techbytes https://blogs.umass.edu/Techbytes/2014/02/10/history-of-gaming-storage/ 18 October 2020 Cartridges were region locked through a combination of software and hardware methods, with mixed results and variations on usage while the console was on the market.Trademarks and Region Locks on the Sega Genesis https://nicole.express/2020/trademarks-and-region-locks.html nicole.express 13 February 2021 Networking The Sega Channel was an expensive service that allowed games to be temporarily downloaded over a cable connection.The Sega Channel Blew My Ten-Year-Old Mind https://kotaku.com/the-sega-channel-blew-my-ten-year-old-mind-1792825606 27 October 2020 Kotaku en-us The third party X-Band service allowed some games to be played online.X-BANDing http://www.gamezero.com/team-0/articles/features/x-banding/ www.gamezero.com 21 November 2020 Notable Games thumb|Mega Drive games being sold in a retro games store in 2016. 1991 Sonic the Hedgehog The flagship fast paced mascot platformer and system seller for the console. Read more about Sonic the Hedgehog on Wikipedia. Controls +Mega Drive/Genesis Controller/Saturn ControllerDreamcast ControllerGamecube ControllerDualshock 2/3/SixaxisXbox Duke/Xbox 360 ControllerGame Boy AdvanceNintendo DSNintendo 3DSWiimoteWii Classic ControllerDualshock 4/DualsenseXbox One/Series X/S ControllerJoy-Con Pair/Nintendo Switch Pro ControllerLeft Joy-ConRight Joy-ConDescriptionD-Pad LeftD-Pad or Control Stick LeftD-Pad or Left Control Stick LeftD-Pad LeftD-Pad or Circle Pad LeftD-Pad LeftD-Pad or Left Control Stick LeftLeft Control Stick LeftRight Control Stick RightMove left Left optionD-Pad RightD-Pad or Control Stick RightD-Pad or Left Control Stick RightD-Pad RightD-Pad or Circle Pad RightD-Pad RightD-Pad or Left Control Stick RightLeft Control Stick RightRight Control Stick RightMove right Right optionD-Pad UpD-Pad or Control Stick UpD-Pad or Left Control Stick UpD-Pad UpD-Pad or Circle Pad UpD-Pad UpD-Pad or Left Control Stick UpLeft Control Stick UpRight Control Stick UpLook up Up option Climb up (Knuckles) (2013, Origins)D-Pad DownD-Pad or Control Stick DownD-Pad or Left Control Stick DownD-Pad DownD-Pad or Circle Pad DownD-Pad DownD-Pad or Left Control Stick DownLeft Control Stick DownRight Control Stick DownDuck Roll Down option Climb down (2013, Origins)A/B/CB/A/YA/B/XCircle/Cross/TriangleB/A/YA/BA/B/X1/2/AA/B/XCircle/Cross/TriangleB/A/YA/B/XD-Pad Down/D-Pad Left/D-Pad RightB/A/YJump Spindash (Jam, 3D, Ages, 2013, Origins) Fly (Tails) (2013, Origins) Swim (Tails) (2013, Origins) Glide (Knuckles) (2013, Origins) Climb (Knuckles) (2013, Origins) Hammer (Amy) (Origins Plus)StartTriangleStart/PausePlayStartPlusPlusOptionsMenuPlusMinusPlusPause Zero Wing thumb|A reference to Zero Wing on the side of a highway in 2004. Originally released as an arcade game in 1989.“Gameography” in “Metagaming” on Manifold @uminnpress https://manifold.umn.edu/read/metagaming/section/961c02b1-ddaa-4e79-9194-6018a4585562 Manifold @uminnpress 27 October 2020 The Japanese version of Zero Wing had 35 different endings, a notable feat for the time.The "All Your Base" Game Had 32 Secret Japanese Endings https://kotaku.com/the-all-your-base-game-had-32-secret-japanese-endings-1788642574 Kotaku 27 October 2020 en-us The poor English translation of Zero Wing sparked the early 2000's internet meme "All your base are belong to us".25 years later, 'All Your Base Are Belong to Us' holds up https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/all-your-base-are-belong-to-us-25th-anniversary/ The Daily Dot 27 October 2020 4 June 2016 Read more about Zero Wing and All your base are belong to us on Wikipedia. Art Alive! An early art program for the console.Art Alive! https://segaretro.org/Art_Alive! Sega Retro 20 May 2021 en 2021-05-01 Read more about Art Alive! on Wikipedia. 1992 Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Ecco the Dolphin Game creator Ed Annunziata was a prolific reader of the works of scientist John C. Lilly, who closely studied dolphins.The Ketamine Secrets of ‘Ecco the Dolphin’ https://www.vice.com/en/article/exmjpz/the-ketamine-secrets-of-segas-ecco-the-dolphin-347 7 March 2021 www.vice.com enJex Shaun A Momentary Lapse of Reason: The Story of Ecco - Old School Gamer Magazine https://www.oldschoolgamermagazine.com/a-momentary-lapse-of-reason-the-story-of-ecco/ 7 March 2021 19 January 2019 Annunziata is also said to have been influenced by the work of musician Pink Floyd. Read more about the original Ecco the Dolphin game on Wikipedia. 1993 Disney's Aladdin NBA Jam Mortal Kombat II - Retained the gore effects from the Arcade version. Sonic CD The intro movie to Sonic CD is considered by many to be iconic.The greatest video game animated opening of all time is more beautiful than ever in this HD upscale of Sonic CD's intro https://nintendowire.com/news/2021/02/10/the-greatest-video-game-animated-opening-of-all-time-is-more-beautiful-than-ever-in-this-hd-upscale-of-sonic-cds-intro/ 3 July 2021 Nintendo Wire 10 February 2021Iconic Sonic CD Intro Has Been Remastered To 720p By Fans https://www.thegamer.com/sonic-cd-intro-remaster/ 3 July 2021 TheGamer 8 February 2021 Read more about Sonic CD on Wikipedia. Controls +Genesis/Mega Drive ControllerGamecube ControllerDualshock 2/3/SixaxisXbox Duke/Xbox 360 ControllerJoy-Con (2) Pair/Switch (2) Pro ControllerLeft Joy-Con (2)Right Joy-Con (2)Dualshock 4/DualsenseXbox One/Series X/S ControllerDescriptionD-PadD-Pad/Control StickD-Pad/Left Control StickLeft Control StickRight Control StickD-Pad/Left Control StickMove Change option Duck Look upA/B/CCircle/Cross/TriangleB/A/YA/B/XD-Pad Down/D-Pad Left/D-Pad RightB/A/YCircle/Cross/TriangleB/A/YJump Select Spindash Peel Out (Sonic) Drop Dash (Sonic) (Origins) Fly (Tails) (2011, Origins) Swim (Tails) (2011, Origins) Glide (Knuckles) (Origins Plus) Hammer (Amy) (Origins Plus)StartStart/PausePlayStartPlusMinusPlusOptionsMenuStart Game Pause 1994 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Sonic & Knuckles Wacky Worlds An indirect successor to Art Alive!.Wacky Worlds https://segaretro.org/Wacky_Worlds Sega Retro 20 May 2021 en 2021-05-19 It featured Sonic the Hedgehog and competed against Nintendo's Mario Paint.The Story of Mario Paint Gaming Historian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54bXwb5DfRI 20 May 2021 en 1995 Knuckles' Chaotix A spinoff of Sonic the Hedgehog that has Knuckles as the protagonist. Controls +Genesis/Mega Drive ControllerDescriptionD-Pad LeftMove Left Left OptionD-Pad RightMove Right Right OptionD-Pad DownDuck Down OptionD-Pad UpLook Up Up OptionARecall Partner SelectBHOLD! SelectCJump SelectStartStart Pause 2004 CrazyBus An infamous homebrew title. Special edition consoles HeartBeat Personal Trainer- A rare North America variant of the Sega Genesis equipped with motion sensors.HeartBeat Personal Trainer https://segaretro.org/HeartBeat_Personal_Trainer Sega Retro 20 May 2021 en 2019-06-04 Just 1,000 versions of this were produced, with a small number of accompanying exclusive games reliant on motion controls.10 Rarest Console Exclusive Games (& How Much They're Worth) https://www.thegamer.com/rarest-console-exclusive-games-how-much-worth/ 20 May 2021 TheGamer 2020-05-11Hosie Ewen Near mint: A conversation with game collectors https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-08-20-near-mint-a-conversation-with-game-collectors 20 May 2021 Eurogamer 2017-08-20 en CSD-GM1 - CD Player with integrated Mega Drive. Gallery Genesis Consoles Controllers & Accessories Games Genesis Internals Development There is a WikiBook on Genesis Programming. External Resources Sega Genesis Sega Mega Drive References 2100%__NOTOC__