/vr/ - Retro Games

They absolutely did in Japan else they wouldn't have released three versions of it, i think they just realized after some tiem that there was no way they could compete with the NES and focused on the Mega Drive.

>>8556601
jap master system is extremely cucked FM audio aside, it's probably the only japanese console whose library in Japan is noticeably worse than its international one

>>8556587
They kind of did, but they weren't very competitive in the North American market, and you can't exactly conjure up success out of nothing. If people ain't buying, you have to try something else...

>>8556601
>i think they just realized after some tiem that there was no way they could compete with the NES and focused on the Mega Drive.
... and I think that this would be it. It was the smart thing to do, because the Genesis was pretty damn great, and actually competed extremely well with both the NES and the SNES.

>>8556767
Terrible grammar and sentence structure, incorrect use of an obnoxious meme word.
Take a lap.

The SMS was popular in Europe and Australia, to a certain extent in South America as well.
It's well known that Tonka was responsible for the US distribution, TecToy for South America but was it Sega themselves in the other aforementioned regions of Europe and Aus?

Nintendo had a chockehold on the market in the west and made draconian deals with publishers and distrubuters alike. Meanwhile, sega made a deal with some toy company to get a foot in the door, and they were horrible at marketing it and making it seem appealing as seen how they handled box art.

>>8558613
>The SMS was popular in Europe
It was? Granted it probably depended on the region but I've never seen one.

>>8558614
Yeah, Nintendo were playing pretty damn dirty. It worked, but it wasn't exactly conscionable.

>>8558613
I grew up with Genesis and Game Gear and had no idea what Master System was until the 2000s. Never saw one irl until I went to a game convention. Same with Turbografx16.

>>8558635
>The SMS was popular in Europe
I've heard Brits mention that Sega was more predominant with the SMS than Nintendo pre-SNES (and even during with the MegaDrive being popular). Outside of the popularity of their microcomputers like the speccy of course.
>>8558716
>had no idea what Master System was until the 2000s
What region/country? US? yeah well the SMS sold diddly squat over there didn't it.
For me growing up in Australia the SMS was popular and in more homes than the NES, it was heavily advertised in print and on television. So many kids at school had a SMS 2 in their homes compared to the 1 or 2 kids that had some kind of famiclone, and they usually were Asian and their family had bought it overseas, it was a novelty to see pirate multicarts with contra and shit on them, I saw a few NES'es over the years but the SMS2 was ubiquitous and far more common. I've never seen a Turbografx in person, on sale, or anything here in Australia.
https://youtu.be/-v4CCcXq5h4

Nintendo didn't distribute/support their consoles much outside of Japan prior to the SNES, it was only after being initially turned down by Atari (I think?) that they distributed the NES themselves in the US (at first in New York City only) due to the post-crash fears that there would be no consumer interest in another video game console. And then Mattel distributed the NES as well after that? Correct me if I'm wrong.

>>8556587
>Why didn't Sega support the master system?

Sega tried their hardest to support the Master System. Nintendo had a monopoly on the western market. But even with the Genesis/ Mega Drive, Sega sold the "power base Converter" for about $20.00, which allowed for SMS games to be backwards compatible. They also gave the Power Base Converter away in promotional deals.

>>8560968
Why the fuck weren't "Power base converters" more popular? would have been cool for the snes and n64

>>8560974
Nintendo was going to make an NES adapter for the Super NES, but it didn't pan out. Instead, they just released the New-Style NES.

>>8560974
>Why the fuck weren't "Power base converters" more popular? would have been cool for the snes and n64


In the case of the Mega Drive/ Genesis, the system is backwards compatible with the Master System by default. It has an 8-bit Z80 CPU, and a secondary audio chip that is the same one found in the Master System, built into the hardware. The only thing the Genesis/Mega Drive required was a cartridge converter, which is what the Power Base Converter essentially is. If Nintendo wanted to release their own, it would have been much pricier, because their "Power Base Converter" would have had extra 8-bit chips in it that the SNES doesn't have.

>>8561042

Sega even released Phantasy Star 1 for the Mega Drive in Japan, and it wasn't a port. It was the Master System ROM on a Mega Drive cartridge with no changes at all, because the Mega Drive can play Master System games through hardware compatibility. T

>>8560974
There is something like this for the N64 but it's third party

>>8556587
Sega of America has always been shit and got lucky with the Genesis

>>8560968
I have both the model 1 and model 2 versions
>>8560974
Not sure they’re possible in those consoles

>>8558635
Yes. Sega represented the console market in the 80s and early 90s at the time. People stuck to me Speccy but if you had a console you bet your ass it was a Sega.

>>8561079
>I have both the model 1 and model 2 versions

I didn't know that there was a model 2 version of the Power Base Converter. Was it released in the UK/EU based regions? Because Sega of America cancelled the Master System officially in 1991.

>>8561156
Master system converter
Never heard them being called power base converters, maybe it was an American thing

>>8561171
>maybe it was an American thing
Pretty much. I think the "Power Base" was what Sega called the console itself in 'Murrica, much like how the NES console is called a "Control Deck", but the branding for the Master System was a bit of a clusterfuck in the U.S. in the early days.

>>8560924
Yeah, it was definitely different. I'm american and I've still never seen a real master system in person before. Some of that is probably on me, as I've been to several conventions focused on old games, and have seen all kinds of random game hardware (apple pippin still stands out), but still, I feel like it was pretty rare to see one in the US. Meanwhile I spent the entire 2000s tripping over NES stuff.

I don't think NEC ever sold consoles in Australia. They did pretty badly in the US, so maybe they decided to cut their losses.

>>8561027
>Nintendo was going to make an NES adapter for the Super NES, but it didn't pan out
It couldn't work because of the NES's dual bus architecture so they gave up on NES backward compatibility.

>>8561214
>>8561171
Yes that's right, it was called the Power Base in the US. If you remember that guy who spent forever trying to push the "Sega System" meme, well that is part of the same naming clusterfuck.

There's a reason they called MD the Genesis here, cuz after the way Master System was handled they needed an image reboot and to just pretend that the old box never happened.

>>8558613
>reddit spacing

>>8561090
Not where I lived. I have seen exactly 1 Sega console in this country with my own eyes and it was a Megadrive, everything else in the 90s was NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, and Playstation.

>Speccy
The computers of those eras which got around here were Applie IIs, Commodore 64s, and Atari Whatevers.

>>8558613
>to a certain extent in South America as well.
This is a meme spread by youtubers, Famiclones where far way more popular than the Master System, the deal is that Nintendo didn't get a single penny from the clones meanwhile Sega had deals in Brazil only.

>>8558613
>popular in Aus
Correct. I didn't even have a single friend who even owned a NES growing up.

Master System chads RISE UP!

>>8558614
>horrible at marketing it and making it seem appealing as seen how they handled box art.

I actually liked the style of the SMS box art. Simplistic, but better than the other shit we were getting in the US.

>>8556587
they only shafted burgers

>>8560974
I am not trolling with what I am going to say

This is what the "sega system" was. A way for Sega to keep your investments into the Sega ecosystem lasting into future generations. Mostly everything from the Master System works forward with the Genesis, and many Genesis things work backwards with the Master System. That is what the Sega System was. A standard that Sega decided to ditch since the cd/32x were so tainted. If they did better I bet we would have seen Saturn supporting MS and Gen.

>>8562014
>i am not trolling
>Sega system
Is this why this thread was made?

>>8561890
I can't name a single place where Sega wasn't everywhere Nintendo was. Sega even out lasted Nintendo is some areas when agreements were ending; Sega renewed them for decades in some poorer countries.

>>8562018
I doubt the OP knows about Sega System memes.

My point was that is what the Sega System is. If the patents were renewed you could even search them up, but they were not renewed in 2013. Controller port and cartridge port were both the last to lapse in 2013.

I literally said I am not trolling. Don't get caught up by the actual trolls that tried 5 years ago to meme about a long dead patent.

>>8562010
I don't think I had any game back in the 90s which didn't have pretty cool boxart.
We got a nice cover for Megaman over here.

>>8562020
I'm only going by own experiences, but I do know what Nintendo was quite big here in Scandinavia. I'm sure that Sega was here too, because I did see it a little bit, and heard it mentioned on odd occasion, but it was not very visible to me.

>>8561985
Strange, it was the opposite here in TAS, didn’t know anyone with a master system but me and my cousins as well as some friends had NES and I couldn’t find any master systems
Only got to play it through the master system converter

The game boom didnt even start until just after that gen. Atari basically had exhausted consumers by releasing tonnes of garbage game with nice looking packages and suddenly people felt like you were getting shit for what you paid for. Add to that economically there was a bit of a shit time too. These things popped off later in and around 88, and thats when gaming came back huge. Everyone had a nintendo too, and it was well marketed and well known in NA, with way more localized games.

I had a SMS, grew up just fine. Still have it

>>8561576
They couldn't decide whether the Master System was the name of the console itself or the name of a bundle, just like how the NES calls its bundles "[something] Set".

>>8562324
No this was never an issue in stores it was cataloged as master system

>>8556587
I own over 100 Sega Master System games and have played every single one. I can't name a system that felt comfier to me.

The games are simple. The graphics and mechanics are straightforward. The sound chip makes every game feel like the pain of growing older. You know that first bit for the Duck Tales Moon level on the NES? Every Master System soundtrack has that feel.

>>8562324
The only people who had this brain problem were the tongue-slapping wunderkind at Tonka who not only couldn't figure out how to sell the damn thing, but who also seemed to think they were writing for a Hammacher Schlemmer catalog.

>>8562324
I don’t think so mate
This sounds like Sega of Americas ineptitude yet again
There was nothing that didn’t have the master system branding

>>8562473
Apparently other regions seems to have the same problem too. This is from a catalog with descriptions in English, French and German.

>>8562495
Not really
The console still said master system

Lol

>>8562495
Wonder why this angered the nanny...

>>8564030
It was cp

>>8562172
In NSW I only ever saw a NES in a big Grace Bros in Sydney around 1990. They had Mario 3 on display which was neat. You still in Tas bro? Launnie or Hobart?

They absolutely did. It’s just that no one really cared in America and Japan (their two biggest regions) because Nintendo had a vice grip over the market. In Europe and South America they were pumping out games for it like no tomorrow. Europe was still getting Master System games up until 1994 and Brazil stills gets them even today. They did support it and they wanted it to succeed, it’s just no one noticed in the two places they needed it most

>>8561171
>Master system converter
>Never heard them being called power base converters, maybe it was an American thing

Yes, it was. And the 'power base converter' was nothing special. There are people out there who made their own. And there are third party after market ones you can purchase. This was a product that was sold for anywhere between $20-$30 US back when they were new.

>>8564372
Launnie

>>8564396
I mean the thing about them is they match the console

>>8558613
>popular in Australia
I did not know a single person who had a master sysytem.

>>8556767
>No Dragon's Trap
>No Shinobi World
>No Asterix games
>No Mickey/Donald games
>No 8-bit Sonic games
>No Golden Axe Warrior
>No Master of Darkness
>No Power Strike II
Japanese Master System had no games

>>8564472
Zoomer detected. Hey Hey its Saturday would even reference Master system.

>>8564470
>I mean the thing about them is they match the console

Sega discontinued the Master System in North America by 1991. I think Sonic the Hedgehog 1 was the last Master System game Sega released in the US. The rest of the 8-bit Sonic games were released primarily on the GameGear, which was also nothing more than a portable Master System with an extended colour pallet. They never released a 'power base converter 2' for the Model 2 Genesis.

>>8560924
>What region/country? US?
Yes. I only knew what I read in magazines or stuff like Funcoland catalogs (no internet) until 2001-02.

>>8564550
Ah well, I’ve had all 3 of its best games since the 80s
Wonder Boy 3
Golden Axe Warrior
Phantasy Star
I don’t know if it had any other games on that level of good

>>8564640
Sonic, Mickey Mouse, Miracle World, Wonderboy 2.

The weird thing about the original SMS is how well it is actually supported. The Sega Genesis/ MD can run SMS games with a cartridge converter, or I think most ever drive carts support SMS ROM's too. The GameGear also has a Master System converter as well. Castle of Illusion staring Mickey Mouse on the Game Gear is literally the Sega Master system ROM in a GameGear cartridge. If you have a modded GameGear with a TV out connection castle of Illusion will display at the same resolution as the Master System game. no screen crop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn1bHWfS7kA

>>8565442
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn1bHWfS7kA [Embed]

Master System version. It's the same ROM:
https://youtu.be/BE-rFtBnvjY?t=170


Now compare SMS Sonic 1 to GG Sonic 1. They technically are still the same game, but the GG game was modified with screen crop, warning signs, and Sonic has a different sprite. The GG game has slightly nicer colours too using the 4096 colour Palette.
Game Gear Sonic 1:
https://youtu.be/-D00HFMfmro?t=95
SMS Sonic 1:
https://youtu.be/SQPvA0OvR24?t=112

>>8561171
>maybe it was an American thing
The thing had a different name in each regional market.

https://segaretro.org/Power_Base_Converter
>The Power Base Converter, known as Mega Adaptor (メガアダプタ) in Japan, Master System Converter in Europe and Adaptador Para os Jogos Master System in Brazil, is a peripheral for the Sega Mega Drive allowing it to play Sega Master System cards or cartridges.

>>8558635
SMS was the go to console in the UK, it was cheap and affordable to the working classes that couldn't afford the home computing the middle class was into.

>>8565442
>game gear converter
Why? SMS was all MD backports and Game Gear was all MD ports.

>>8566532
Ok, but the UK is only one part of Europe. If you look at Eastern Europe, it was awash with Famiclones, which were inexpensive.

>>8566595
Sure

>>8566536
> SMS was all MD backports and Game Gear was all MD ports
false and false

>>8566659
I'm a stout SMS enjoyer anon, don't talk pish

>>8556601
It mighted started earlier in Japan but they absolutely did not support it long enough. The Sonic games, Castle of Illusion, Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap (which had a region switch for an alternate title), etc. did not have their Master System versions physically released.
>>8556587
According to Wikipedia, IT'S STILL GOING STRONG IN BRAZIL. wtf

>>8566758
TecToy still has the license, and sells stuff like that at a really low price. Don't think it's all that popular though.

>>8566659
>false and false

Most of the late SMS era games were ports of the GameGear versions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nqW2z5J-8U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3j5ixrNguM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zSqNzOgXUY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWQ7vVuZT08&t=110s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N289dmrJob8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEhpirqH3nA

But every once in a while, the GG version would be different. Like OutRun, or Streets of Rage.

>>8567282
8-bit Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin was ported from Master System to Game Gear. In general, not too many Game Gear to Master System ports outside of the obvious TecToy ones (Dynamite Headdy, Sonic Blast).
Master System Ristar is also a homebrew (also, check out the description, what the hell happened).

>>8567346
>Master System Ristar is also a homebrew (also, check out the description, what the hell happened).

Oh it is? I thought it was released in the UK, or something. Not bad for a home brew.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKcWryFWc_s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReiSJYQM88k

>>8567369
>Oh it is? I thought it was released in the UK, or something. Not bad for a home brew.

It's a TecToy release. Which I guess is like an official homebrew.

>>8556587

This just sums up Sega in the media in Europe full stop. The printed press went from sucking Nintendos dick to sonys dick, if you ever wondered why Sega had such piss poor rep (even when it wasn't even deserved), there you go.

>>8567457
No, it's literally a homebrew: https://www.smspower.org/Hacks/RistarTheShootingStar-GG-GG2SMS
That must be a reproduction box.