Sega SC-3000
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| Manufacturer | Sega |
|---|---|
| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Third generation |
| Release date |
SG-1000
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| Discontinued |
SG-1000
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| Media | ROM cartridge, cassette tape, Sega Card |
| CPU | Zilog Z80 @ 3.58 MHz |
| Memory | 1 kB RAM, 2 kB VRAM |
| Display | 256 × 192 resolution, 16 colors, 32 on-screen sprites |
| Graphics | Texas Instruments TMS9928A |
| Sound | Texas Instruments SN76489 |
| Successor | Master System |
The SG-1000, also known as the Sega Computer Videogame SG-1000, is a cartridge-based home video game console manufactured by Sega and released in Japan, Australia, and other countries. It was Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business, and provided the basis for the more successful Master System. Introduced in 1983, the SG-1000 was released on the same day that Nintendo released the Family Computer (Famicom for short) in Japan. The SG-1000 was released in several forms, including the SC-3000 computer and the redesigned SG-1000 II, also known as the Mark II, released in 1984.
Developed in response to a downturn in arcades in 1982, the SG-1000 was created on the advice of Hayao Nakayama, president of Sega Enterprises, Ltd. Shortly after the release, Sega Enterprises was sold to CSK Corporation, which was followed by the release of the SG-1000 II. Due to the release of the Famicom, and the number of consoles present in the market at the time, the SG-1000 was not commercially successful.
In the early 1980s, Sega Enterprises, Inc., then a subsidiary of Gulf and Western, was one of the top five arcade game manufacturers active in the United States, as company revenues rose to $214 million. A downturn in the arcade business starting in 1982 seriously hurt the company, leading Gulf & Western to sell its North American arcade manufacturing organization and the licensing rights for its arcade games to Bally Manufacturing. The company retained Sega's North American R&D operation, as well as its Japanese subsidiary, Sega Enterprises, Ltd. With its arcade business in decline, Gulf & Western executives turned to Sega Enterprises, Ltd.'s president, Hayao Nakayama, for advice on how to proceed. Nakayama advocated that the company leverage its hardware expertise gained through years working in the arcade industry to move into the home console market in Japan, which was in its infancy at the time. Nakayama received permission to proceed, leading to the release of Sega's first home video game system, the SG-1000.
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