Sega Mega Drive
Photo 1: Evan-Amos, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (Sega-Mega-Drive-EU-Mk1-wController-FL.jpg) Photo 2: Evan-Amos, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (Sega-Genesis-6But-Cont.jpg)
Video game console, 1990, Sega. The Mega Drive, sold in North America as the Genesis, was Sega's 16-bit console and the machine of the "console war" with the Super Nintendo. It has a 68000 processor, the same as the Amiga and Atari ST, a Z80 for sound and compatibility with the Master System through an adapter, and its library of arcade conversions and Sonic the Hedgehog made Sega, for a while, the leading console maker in Europe and America. It was released in Japan in 1988, in America in 1989 and in Europe in 1990.
| Years | 1990 to 1997 (Europe) |
|---|---|
| Processor | Motorola 68000 at 7.6 MHz, Zilog Z80 at 3.58 MHz for sound |
| RAM | 64 KB plus 64 KB video RAM and 8 KB sound RAM |
| Graphics | Sega VDP, 320 x 224, 64 colours on screen from 512, 80 sprites |
| Sound | Yamaha YM2612 FM synthesis, 6 channels, plus SN76489 |
| Media | ROM cartridges |
| Controllers | 2 ports, 3-button and later 6-button gamepads |
| Price (1990) | £189 in Europe |
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