The SG-1000 is a home video game console made by Sega. It was Sega's first product in the home video game hardware industry. Created because of a decline in arcade games beginning in 1982, the SG-1000 was designed based on the advice of Hayao Nakayama, president of Sega's Japanese division. It was released on July 15, 1983, the same day Nintendo launched the Family Computer in Japan. It also had a small release in Australia and New Zealand.
The SG-1000 came in different versions, including the SC-3000 computer and the redesigned SG-1000 II, which was released in 1984. Both the SG-1000 and the SC-3000 support 51 ROM cartridge games and 29 Sega My Card games.
A third version, called the Mark III, was released in 1985. It included a more advanced custom video display processor than earlier models and became the foundation for the Master System, Sega's first console released worldwide in 1986. All SG-1000 games work with the Mark III and the Japanese version of the Master System.
History
In the early 1980s, Sega Enterprises, Inc., which was owned by Gulf and Western Industries, was one of the top five companies making arcade games in the United States. At that time, the company earned $214 million. However, the arcade business began to decline in 1982, which hurt Sega. As a result, Gulf and Western sold Sega’s North American arcade manufacturing business and the rights to produce arcade games to Bally Manufacturing. Sega kept its North American research and development team and its Japanese company, Sega Enterprises, Ltd. Because the arcade business was struggling, Sega’s president in Japan, Hayao Nakayama, suggested the company use its knowledge of hardware to enter the home console market in Japan, which was just starting to grow. Nakayama was allowed to move forward with this plan.
The first product developed was the SC-3000, a computer with a built-in keyboard. However, after learning that Nintendo planned to release a console for playing games only, Sega began creating the SG-1000 alongside the SC-3000. The "SG" in the console’s name stands for "Sega Game," and the console is sometimes called the "Mark I." To save money while making the console last a long time, Sega chose to use commonly available parts.
The SG-1000 was released in Japan on July 15, 1983, at a price of ¥15,000. It was released on the same day as Nintendo’s Family Computer (Famicom) in Japan. The SG-1000 was also released at the same time as the SC-3000 and its upgraded version, the SC-3000H. Although Sega only sold the SG-1000 in Japan, versions of the console were later sold in other countries. In November 1983, the SC-3000 was sold in Australia and New Zealand. It was also sold in France, Italy, and Spain, but not in the United States, United Kingdom, or Germany. An unauthorized copy of the SG-1000, called the Telegames Personal Arcade, was made and sold in the United States and Taiwan. This copy could play SG-1000 games and games from ColecoVision. Another version of the SG-1000 was sold in Taiwan by Aaronix. The console became popular in Taiwan for a short time before Famicom copies, which were cheaper, took over the market.
Part of the SG-1000’s success was because Sega released more games for it than Nintendo did for the Famicom. By the end of 1983, 21 SG-1000 games were released compared to only 9 Famicom games. Also, a recall of Famicom units happened because of a faulty circuit, which helped the SG-1000 sell better. In 1983, the SG-1000 sold 160,000 units, much more than Sega had expected (50,000 units). However, the three games released with the SG-1000 were not as well-known as the Famicom’s launch games, such as Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., and Popeye.
After the death of Gulf and Western’s founder, Charles Bluhdorn, the company started selling off businesses that were not central to its goals. In 1984, Nakayama and former Sega CEO David Rosen arranged for Sega Enterprises, Ltd. to be bought by its managers with financial help from CSK Corporation, a Japanese software company. Nakayama became the new CEO of Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
In 1984, Sega released the SG-1000 II, also called the "SG-1000 Mark II," at a price of ¥15,000. This version replaced the fixed joystick with two removable joypads. Hideki Sato, a former Sega hardware developer, disliked the original game cartridges, calling them "small black tombstones," and later said he was most proud of replacing them with the "cheerier" Sega My Cards. Sega also used the popular comedy duo Tunnels to promote the console. A company called Tsukuda Original Co., Ltd. created the Othello Multivision, which used parts from the SC-3000 and SG-1000.
By 1984, Nintendo’s Famicom was becoming more successful than the SG-1000. The Famicom had better hardware, allowing smoother movement and more colorful graphics. Nintendo also added more games by working with outside developers, while Sega was less willing to partner with companies it competed with in arcades. The SG-1000 also faced competition from other consoles, such as those made by Tomy and Bandai. These challenges led to the release of the Sega Mark III in Japan in 1985, which later became known as the Master System worldwide.
Technical specifications
The SG-1000 uses an 8-bit Zilog Z80A central processing unit that can run at 4 MHz. However, it actually operates at 3.58 MHz. Its Video Display Processor (VDP) is a Texas Instruments TMS9918A, which can show up to 15 colors. The sound processor is a Texas Instruments SN76489AN. The system has 8 kilobits (1 kilobyte) of main RAM and 128 kilobits (16 kilobytes) of video RAM (VRAM). The controller is fixed to the system in the original model but can be removed in the SG-1000 II. Video and audio output are sent through an RF switch. Power is provided by a 9 V DC connector connected to an AC adapter.
The SC-3000 has hardware similar to the SG-1000 but includes a built-in rubber keyboard and 16 kilobits (2 kilobytes) of main RAM. The SC-3000H has the same technical features as the SC-3000 but uses a plastic keyboard instead. Some keycaps on the SC-3000H are different. BASIC cartridges with up to 32 kilobytes of extra RAM were available for use.
Many extra devices were available for the SG-1000 series. The SK-1100 keyboard, priced at ¥13,800 when released, connects through the expansion slot and works with all models. Multiple controllers were created, including the SJ-200 joystick for the SG-1000 and the SJ-150 joypad for the SG-1000 II. A racing wheel called the SH-400 was made for games like Monaco GP. The C-1000 Card Catcher, sold for ¥1,000, allowed players to use Sega My Card titles. Additional accessories were only for the SC-3000, such as the SR-1000 cassette deck, the SP-400 4-color plotter printer, and the SF-7000 expansion device, which added a floppy disk drive and more memory.
Game library
Sega's collection of games for the SG-1000 and SC-3000 includes 51 cartridges. These games feature titles created by Sega and games originally made for the Othello Multivision console by Tsukuda Original Co., Ltd. There are also 29 Sega My Card games that require the Card Catcher add-on. The SC-3000 had 26 educational and programming cartridges that could only be used with the SG-1000 and the SK-1100 keyboard attachment. Examples of games for these systems include Flicky, Congo Bongo, Sega-Galaga, and Girl's Garden, which was the first game created by Yuji Naka, the developer of Sonic the Hedgehog. Licensed games such as Golgo 13 were also available. Game packaging and manuals included both Japanese and English text until 1984, when manuals were changed to Japanese only, and the size of the cartridge boxes was reduced. Hideki Sato said Sega did not have enough staff to make games for the console at the time. Games for the SG-1000 and SC-3000 continued to be made after the Mark III launched in 1985. The last two games for these systems were The Castle in 1986 and Loretta no Shōzō: Sherlock Holmes on February 18, 1987. The final Sega My Card game for these systems was The Black Onyx, also released in 1987. In 2006, the GameTap subscription service added an emulator for the SG-1000 and several playable games.
Reception
The SG-1000 console series (including the Mark III) sold over 1.4 million units in Japan by 1988, with the original SG-1000 model selling 400,000 units in Japan. The SC-3000 home computer sold 120,000 units in Japan during 1983 and sold about 300,000 units worldwide.
The SG-1000 had little influence on the video game industry but is known as Sega's first video game console. Retro Gamer writer Damien McFerran described it as "an abject failure" but called it and the SG-1000 II "the Japanese forefathers of the Master System." Chris Kohler of Wired criticized the controller's joystick and the lack of an RCA output, a way to connect to a TV. He noted that the console was released in the same month as Nintendo's Famicom, which had popular games like Donkey Kong and better hardware. Kohler said few people remember the SG-1000, and its games were not highly regarded. However, Luke Plunkett of Kotaku acknowledged that while the SG-1000 had problems, it was important for Sega's growth in home console development.
Hideki Sato praised the SG-1000's innovations but admitted the console had limitations because the video game market was new and Sega had little experience making consoles. Sato explained, "We knew how to make arcade games, but we did not know much about console development. At the time, the idea of a 'consumer' market for video games was not common—it was just a 'new business' idea."