ConsoleHome video game console1983
Sega SG-1000
The SG-1000 is a home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business.
- First released
- 1983
- Made by
- Sega
- Generation
- 3
- Type
- Home video game console
Overview
The SG-1000 is a home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business. Developed in response to a downturn in arcades starting in 1982, the SG-1000 was created on the advice of Hayao Nakayama, president of Sega's Japanese arm, and was released on July 15, 1983, the same day that Nintendo released the Family Computer in Japan. It also had a limited release in Australia and New Zealand.
The SG-1000 was released in several forms, including the SC-3000 computer and the redesigned SG-1000 II released in 1984. The SG-1000 and the SC-3000 both support a library of 51 ROM cartridge games and 29 Sega My Card games.
A third iteration of the console, the Mark III, was released in 1985. It provided an improved custom video display processor over previous iterations and served as the basis for the Master System in 1986, Sega's first internationally released console. All SG-1000 games are fully compatible with the Mark III and the Japanese version of the Master System.
Specifications
- Manufacturer
- Sega
- Type
- Home video game console
- Generation
- Third
- Released
- SG-1000/SC-3000JP July 15, 1983; AUS November 1983SG-1000 IIJP July 31, 1984; TW 1986
- Discontinued
- SG-1000JP July 1984SG-1000 IIJP October 1985
- Media
- ROM cartridge, compact cassette, Sega My Card
- Processor
- Zilog Z80A
- Graphics
- Texas Instruments TMS9918A
- Memory
- 1 KB RAM (SG-1000); 2 KB RAM (SC-3000); 16 KB VRAM
- Video output
- 256 × 192, 16 colors, 32 sprites
- Sound
- Texas Instruments SN76489AN
- Successor
- Master System
Models
- SG-1000 II
- SG-1000
Model names as listed by IGDB.
More from Sega
- Sega Master System 1985
- Sega Genesis 1988
- Sega Game Gear 1990
- Sega CD 1991
- Sega 32X 1994
- Sega Saturn 1994
- Dreamcast 1998
Sources
- Wikipedia overview and specifications
- IGDB model names
- Sega-SG-1000-Console-Set.jpg
- Sega-Sg-1000-MkIII-Console-FL.jpg Evan-Amos Public domain
- Sega-SG-1000-MkII-Console-FL.jpg Evan-Amos Public domain
The overview is adapted from Wikipedia and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence.
Checked October 2026.
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