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Sega Sg-1000 Mark Iii




  manufacturer Sega
  type Video Game Console
  generation 8-bit Era
  lifespan October 20 , 1985
  media Cartridge
  topgame '' Alex Kidd ''
  predecessor SG-1000
  successor Sega Master System


The SG-1000 Mark III is an 8-bit Video Game Console made by Sega . It was the original Japan ese incarnation of the Sega Master System .


HISTORY

The Mark III was released in Japan on October 20 , 1985 to compete with the Famicom , following on from the SG-1000 Mark I and SG-1000 Mark II . The Mark III was built similarly to the Mark II, with the addition of improved video hardware and an increased amount of RAM .

The system is Backwards Compatible with earlier SG-1000 titles. As well as the standard cartridge slot, it has a built-in slot for "Sega Cards", which are physically identical to the cards for the Sega SG-1000 "Card Catcher" add-on.

The Mark III was redesigned as the Sega Master System for release in other markets. This was mainly a cosmetic revamp; the internals of the console remained virtually the same. The redesigned console was itself released in Japan in 1987 , but with the addition of a built-in Yamaha YM2413 FM sound chip ''(this had been an optional extra on the Mark III)'', Rapid Fire Unit, and 3-D glasses adapter.

Sega Master System game cartridges released outside Japan had a different shape and pin configuration to the Japanese Master System/Mark III cartridges. This may be seen as a form of Regional Lockout .

Neither the Mark III nor the Japanese Sega Master System were commercially successful, due to strong competition from the Nintendo Famicom . The final Japanese game release was Bomber Raid , on February 4 , 1989 .


SPECIFICATIONS

  • CPU: 8-bit 3.579545 MHz Zilog Z80

  • Graphics: VDP (Video Display Processor) derived from Texas Instruments TMS9918

  • Up to 32 simultaneous colors available from a palette of 64 (can also show 64 simultaneous colors using programming tricks)

  • Screen resolutions 256x192 and 256x224

  • 8x8 pixel characters, max 488 (due to VRAM space limitation)

  • 8x8 or 8x16 pixel sprites, max 64

  • Horizontal, diagonal, vertical, and partial screen scrolling

  • Sound (PSG): Texas Instruments SN76489

  • 4 channel mono sound

  • 3 sound generators, 4 octaves each, 1 white noise generator

  • Sound (FM): Yamaha YM2413

  • 9 channel mono FM sound

  • available as plug-in module for Mark III

  • built into Japanese Master System

  • supported by certain games only

  • ROM: 64 kbit (8 kB)

  • Main RAM: 64 kbit (8 kB)

  • Video RAM: 128 kbit (16 kB)

  • Game Card slot



SEE ALSO