[ Nintendo (NES) ] [ Sega Master System ]

After a major decline in home gaming interest after the Atari 2600, the Nintendo Entertainment System would be the next landmark system that would once more revitalize the home gaming scene-this time for good. The NES contained 5-channel audio technology which allowed for much more elegant music and sound than was previously possible. The NES also allowed for dozens of colors on screen at once, so developers were able to add an unprecedented level of detail to their games. Super Mario Brothers remains one of the most recognizable games of all-time. 60 million consoles were sold and over 1,000 games were produced for it.

Manufacturer: Nintendo Released: 1983-1985 Display: 48 Colors & 5 Grayscale (256 x 240 Res.) Sound: 5-Channel Mono Processor: 8-Bit Ricoh 2A03 (1.79 MHz/5.37 MHz) Game Media: Cartridge (48KB Capacity) Controller: Detachable 4 Button Controllers, Lightguns Original Price: $200

Game Screenshots (Click to Enlarge)
Super Mario Bros.	Bubble Bobble	Legend of Zelda

The Sega Master System was released as direct competition to the Nintendo. With crisp and colorful graphics, rich sounds, and a wide array of game choices from the era, the Sega Master System created a lot of fans on its own and ended up selling some 13 million copies worldwide. There were 219 games released commercially for the Sega Master System including a variety of movie-to-game titles. Sonic the Hedgehog games became one of the main selling points for the Sega game consoles, much like Mario titles did for Nintendo. Certain Master System consoles came with two games (Hang On & Safari Hunt) built-in to allow for immediate playability.

Manufacturer: Sega Released: 1986 Display: 64 Colors, 32 Simultaneously (240 x 226 Res.) Sound: 9-Channel Mono Processor: 8-Bit Zilog Z80 (3.57 MHz) Game Media: Cartridge & Card (8-256KB Capacity) Controller: Detachable 2-6 Button Controllers, Lightguns Original Price: $200

Game Screenshots (Click to Enlarge)
Sonic the Hedgehog	Moonwalker	Safari Hunt