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Thhere's an old maxim that history is written by the victors, and that's equally applicable to gaming as it is in any other field. Nowadays you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Nintendo's classic console was the sole gaming system in the 1980s era. If you were brought up in Nintendo's target markets of Japan and North America, this chunky contraption essentially was the primary option – Mario was their flagship character, and its tight grip on external studios secured exclusive rights for key releases from that period. But in Europe, where home computers ruled the era, the NES was beaten by a technologically superior rival.

Advanced Architecture

The Sega's 8-bit console was initially introduced in Japan in the fall of 1985 as the Sega Mark III. Built upon the celebrated Z80 central processing unit (employed by home computers such as the Spectrum, Amstrad and TRS-80) and a advanced graphics chip created by Sega, it included 8kb of RAM, a 64-color range and the power to display 32 simultaneous sprites at the same time – causing the competing console (using the antiquated 6502 CPU) seem dated.

Transformation and Marketing

Originally, it was sold in its home market as a continuation of Sega's SG-1000 series, which were resembling inexpensive microcomputers than games consoles, with their peripheral keyboards and printers. But as the NES exploded in both Japan and the US, the company reconsidered its strategy, eliminated certain computer functionalities and re-released the Mark III in the mid-80s as the new Master System – an dedicated gaming platform with a sleek, slimline, angular look, contrasting the beige Betamax visage of the NES.

The games are visually superior to other Z80 based systems as a result of Sega's graphics hardware.

Cutting-Edge Peripherals

Consumers received a light weapon, and manufacturers additionally offered a stereoscopic eyewear for the system and a range of compatible games. “I want to emphasize the stereoscopic racing game,” comments coder Chris White, who developed a simulation program subsequently adopted by Sega on its digital service. “Sure it made your head hurt and the alternate flickering of the lenses was enough to trigger a mild seizure, but it's indicative of a time when the company embraced innovation.”

Continental Marketing Tactics

Sega oversaw the distribution of the Master System in the US (in the beginning), but engaged domestic firms to address the divided European landscape. For the UK and France (and later Spain), the assignment was given to Virgin Mastertronic. “Collaborators enjoyed stronger brand positioning in Europe,” notes Nick Alexander, who was Virgin Mastertronic's managing director at the period. “They also had better retail and distribution relationships than rival companies maintained. The video game industry magazine the specialized magazine had a running joke that the company viewed Europe as mysterious territory – comprehension was lacking, they were nervous of it. Consequently, resources were concentrated stateside.”

Youth-Focused Marketing

Alexander, who had run the entertainment branch since the early 80s, adopted their rebellious, youth-oriented strategy. “I aimed to conceptualize the video game equivalent of a band going on tour,” he clarifies. “We acquired a two-level bus and drove it around the country. We took it to school playgrounds and shopping centres. Widespread publicity was generated. Nintendo had always marketed their products as family-friendly, but success was limited to specific regions was the German market. We pitched to teenagers and recognizing that securing their interest would mean family members would desire a Master System too. That's how we beat Nintendo in Europe.”

Arcade Legacy

And while Nintendo had Mario, Sega possessed its own advantages: its arcade heritage. The company set out to bring multiple beloved amusement machine games to the console including classics like Space Harrier and Golden Axe, marketing its new machine in the overseas territories as an home amusement center. While not flawless conversions of the arcade versions, these were much faster and visually enhanced than any earlier home computer translations. To those of us who were teenage arcade addicts at the era, it seemed incredibly advanced.

Developer Experience

For European developers, the Master System hardware was a dream. “Background included home computer development and our games were being ported to the C64,” notes Andrew Oliver, who with his brother Philip was developing the iconic franchise for Codemasters. “We went to the CES show in the entertainment capital and remember the company's exhibition. It was massive, and positioned near competitors – and the communication focused on: ‘It's all about speed.’ In those times, systems were judged by what was visually appealing and rapid. Therefore, an agreement was secured, we got the dev kits – it's a Z80, so we program it like a Spectrum, but visual capabilities resembled other systems. Performance was exceptional and you had all the nice parallax scrolling and graphical objects. Development was straightforward.”

Supportive Environment

European creators learned Sega to be more helpful than Nintendo. Programmer Mike Simpson at the English studio, eventually purchased. “A small team was established in Coventry, approximately twenty staff, and we were doing a variety of ports,” he explains. “Assignment involved converting the sophisticated title, a really high-end 16bit Amiga game, on to the Master System. Success appeared unlikely, so we had to have a go! Travel to Japan was arranged to master development techniques: Time was spent at Japanese offices receiving instruction from industry veteran [subsequently designing modern consoles]. Recollection includes crowded workspaces, and improvised sleeping arrangements existed!”

Lasting Legacy

Following the Genesis launch, the console's European success (eventually in South America), guaranteed continued software with streamlined successor ports such as the iconic hedgehog. The spin-off title Sonic Chaos, created for multiple platforms and portable gaming device (sharing technical foundations as the Master System), was {one of the highlights of the series|among the franchise's best|notable