Genesis

In 1989, Sega tried a second time to take control of the home video game market with the Sega Genesis. This time, the story would be different, as Sega was keen to ensure. Nintendo's contractual grip on third-party developers was lifted in a court setting, and Sega's machine was quickly becoming heavily supported. Major companies like Electronic Arts strongly supported the machine, as well as many newer, lesser-known developers. Sega also advertised the Genesis aggressively and extensively.

The Sega Genesis

The superb timing of the release (well before Nintendo's next effort in the console market, the SNES or Super Nintendo Entertainment System, known as Super Famicom in Japan) was another major factor in its original success, as well as the attractive price: $190. Another important factor, however, was that the Genesis had a superb catalog of games that could attract anyone. It was the first machine to boast backward compatibility (in the Genesis' case with its predecessor, the Master System), too, which was made possible through the Power Base Converter, which was released at the same time as the system. The system boasted a 7.6MHz processor (more than twice that of the Master System), a color palette of 512, audio ability that was superior to other consoles of the time, and, perhaps most importantly, a 16-bit CPU - twice that of the Master System and NES.

Competition was practically nonexistent (NEC's TurboGrafx-16 being the closest rival to the Genesis upon release), and it left consumers with little question as to what to buy when looking for a console. The NES was aging, and Nintendo knew it. This brought about the making of the Super NES. Sega realized that it had a serious competitor in this new system. The Genesis' already well-established user base gave Nintendo a hard time when it tried to gain customers upon release of the SNES, and Sega's machine outsold Nintendo's for some time.

In 1991, the Genesis, and thus, Sega created a mascot. This little character's first game hit a chord with the masses and established him as a legend in gaming. Of course, we are talking about Sonic the Hedgehog (which was later ported to the Master System and Game Gear). Kids around the globe bought all they could of what bore the little rodent's image. Sonic had added to Sega's popularity immeasurably, and rightly so. The original remains a classic.

 

« Previous Page

Show Me More »