???? – 1987retired
Action Max
“It played your VHS tapes like they were games. Honestly, it tried.”
“8-bit underdog with 3D glasses — it lost the race but never lost the plot”
The Master System was Sega's 8-bit home console, a remodeled export of the Sega Mark III, launched in Japan on October 20, 1985 before rolling out to North America, Europe, South Korea and Brazil. It ran games on both cartridges and credit card-sized Sega Cards, and came with delightful extras like a light gun and 3D glasses for specially designed titles. The Japanese version even packed in an FM audio chip and a rap
Released into the shadow of the Nintendo Entertainment System, its library was smaller and had fewer well-reviewed games, and Sega retired it in 1989. A cheaper redesign, the Master System II, followed in 1990 — stripped of the card slot and 3D glasses, but proof there was still life in the little machine. It never won its generation, but it left behind fond memories for everyone who picked up a Sega Card.
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“It played your VHS tapes like they were games. Honestly, it tried.”
“Same beloved heart as the C64, minus the keyboard, minus the buyers.”
“It buried its treasure, and the map was never quite the same.”