View source for Third generation of video game consoles

{{Short description|Gaming generation from 1983 to 2003}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{VG history|expandmenu=2}}

In the [[history of video games]], the '''3rd generation''' of [[Video game console|video game consoles]], commonly referred to as the '''8-bit era''', began on July 15, 1983, with the Japanese release of two systems: [[Nintendo]]'s [[Family Computer]] (commonly abbreviated to ''[[Famicom]]'') and [[Sega]]'s [[SG-1000]].<ref>{{citation|title=The video game explosion: a history from PONG to Playstation and beyond|author=Mark J. P. Wolf|year=2008|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=978-0-313-33868-7|page=115|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XiM0ntMybNwC&pg=PA115|access-date=April 19, 2011}}</ref> When the Famicom was released outside of Japan, it was remodeled and marketed as the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES). This generation marked the end of the [[ North American video game crash of 1983]], and a shift in the dominance of [[Home video game console|home video game]] manufacturers from the United States to Japan.<ref name="cgw_50">{{cite news|author=Daglow, Don L.|magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]]|date=August 1988|issue=50|page=18|title=Over the River and Through the Woods: The Changing Role of Computer Game Designers|quote=I'm sure you've noticed that I've made no reference to the Nintendo craze that has repeated the Atari and Mattel Phenomenon of 8 years ago. That's because for American game designers the Nintendo is a non-event: virtually all the work to date has been done in Japan. Only the future will tell if the design process ever crosses the Pacific as efficiently as the container ships and the letters of credit now do.}}</ref> [[Handheld console]]s were not a major part of this generation; the [[Game & Watch]] line from Nintendo (which started in 1980) and the [[Milton Bradley Company|Milton Bradley]] [[Microvision]] (which came out in 1979) that were sold at the time are both considered part of the previous generation due to [[Second generation video game console|hardware typical of the second generation]].

Improvements in technology gave consoles of this generation improved graphical and sound capabilities, comparable to [[Golden age of arcade video games|golden age arcade games]]. The number of simultaneous colors on screen and the palette size both increased which, along with larger resolutions, more [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprites]] on screen, and more advanced [[scrolling]] and [[pseudo-3D]] effects, which allowed developers to create scenes with more detail and animation. Audio technology improved and gave consoles the ability to produce a greater variation and range of sound. A notable innovation of this generation was the inclusion of cartridges with on-board memory and batteries to allow users to [[saved game|save their progress]] in a game, with Nintendo's ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' introducing the technology to the worldwide market. This innovation allowed for much more expansive gaming worlds and in-depth storytelling, since users could now save their progress rather than having to start each gaming session at the beginning. By the next generation, the capability to save games became ubiquitous—at first saving on the game cartridge itself and, later, when the industry changed to read-only optical disks, on [[memory card]]s, [[hard disk drive]]s, and eventually [[cloud storage]].

The best-selling console of this generation was the NES/Famicom from Nintendo, followed by the [[Master System]] from Sega (the successor to the SG-1000), and the [[Atari 7800]]. Although the previous generation of consoles had also used [[8-bit]] processors, it was at the end of the third generation that home consoles were first labeled and marketed by their "bits". This also came into fashion as [[Fourth generation of video game consoles|fourth generation 16-bit systems]] like the [[Sega Genesis]] were marketed in order to differentiate between the generations. In Japan and North America, this generation was primarily dominated by the Famicom/NES, while the Master System dominated the Brazilian market, with the combined markets of Europe being more balanced in overall sales between the two main systems. The end of the third generation was marked by the emergence of 16-bit systems of the fourth generation and with the discontinuation of the Famicom on September 25, 2003. However, in some cases, the third generation still lives on as [[dedicated console]] units still use hardware from the Famicom specification, such as the VT02/VT03 and OneBus hardware.

== Overview ==
=== 1983–1984 ===
The [[Video games in Japan|Japanese video game market]] was still a growing "wide open" market for [[video game consoles]] in 1983. Japan had a relatively small console market, where only 300,000 consoles had been sold up until 1983, compared to the millions that had been sold in the United States up until then. A number of Japanese manufacturers attempted to compete for the "wide open" Japanese console market with their own consoles.<ref name="GM214">{{cite magazine|date=June 15, 1983|title=Overseas Readers Column: Sega Unveiled "SC-3000" The First Personal Computer|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830615p.pdf#page=15|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|issue=214|page=28|lang=ja|access-date=April 25, 2021|archive-date=April 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425191534/https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830615p.pdf#page=15|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Epoch Cassette Vision]], released in 1981, was the [[List of best-selling game consoles by region|best-selling console in Japan]] at the time.<ref name="Horowitz">{{cite book |last1=Horowitz |first1=Ken |chapter=Nintendo "VS." the World |title=Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games |date=July 30, 2020 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=978-1-4766-4176-8 |pages=115–28 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y3D0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA115}}</ref> It was followed by the [[Bandai Arcadia]] (priced {{JPY|19,800}}), a Japanese version of the [[Arcadia 2001]] released in 1982, and the [[Atari 2800]] (priced {{JPY|24,800}}), a Japanese version of the [[Atari 2600]] marketed in May 1983.<ref name="GM214"/>

The third generation of consoles began when two Japanese companies, [[Sega]] and [[Nintendo]], decided to enter the console gaming market. On July 15, 1983, they both released new consoles in Japan, Sega's [[SG-1000]] and Nintendo's [[Famicom]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Plunkett |first1=Luke |title=The Story of Sega's First Console, Which Was Not The Master System |url=https://kotaku.com/the-story-of-segas-first-console-which-was-not-the-mas-5888800 |website=[[Kotaku]] |date=January 19, 2012 |access-date=April 25, 2021 |language=en-us |archive-date=March 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306195938/http://kotaku.com/the-story-of-segas-first-console-which-was-not-the-mas-5888800 |url-status=live }}</ref> Both companies previously had success as [[arcade game]] companies. Sega, one of Japan's largest arcade companies, was intending to compete in both the console and [[personal computer]] markets, with a [[home computer]] version called the [[SC-3000]] released at the same time.<ref name="GM214"/>  Meanwhile, Nintendo focused on making the Famicom more powerful than competing home systems so that it would be comparable to their ''[[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|Donkey Kong]]'' (1981) [[arcade video game]] hardware,<ref name="Nikkei6">{{cite magazine |title=【任天堂「ファミコン」はこうして生まれた】 第6回：業務用ゲーム機の挫折をバネにファミコンの実現に挑む |trans-title=How the Famicom Was Born – Part 6: Making the Famicom a Reality |magazine=Nikkei Electronics |date=September 12, 1994 |publisher=[[Nikkei Business Publications]] |lang=ja |url=http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/special/20081001/1019315/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006082447/http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/special/20081001/1019315/ |archive-date=October 6, 2008 |access-date=April 13, 2021 }}
*{{cite web |date=March 28, 2012 |title=Making the Famicom a Reality |website=GlitterBerri's Game Translations |url=https://www.glitterberri.com/developer-interviews/how-the-famicom-was-born/making-the-famicom-a-reality/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505103737/https://www.glitterberri.com/developer-interviews/how-the-famicom-was-born/making-the-famicom-a-reality/ |archive-date=May 5, 2012}}</ref> while at the same time selling it for cheaper than the Cassette Vision, selling the Famicom for {{JPY|14,800}} (about $150).<ref name="Horowitz"/> Nintendo unveiled the Famicom shortly before the Tokyo Toy Show in June 1983, becoming a sensation among toy show exhibitors, prior to Sega unveiling the SG-1000 at the Tokyo Toy Show.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Overseas Readers Column: Atari, Sega Exhibited Its Home Video Games At The Tokyo Toy Show|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=217|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=August 1, 1983|page=30|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830801p.pdf#page=16|access-date=May 20, 2021|archive-date=May 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520114011/https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830801p.pdf#page=16|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Famicom went on to become very popular in Japan, where it quickly beat the Cassette Vision to become Japan's all-time best-selling console.<ref name="Horowitz"/> Sega would become Nintendo's main competitor for console sales during the era.<ref name="cgw198808" /> Sega's SG-1000, which preceded Sega's more commercially successful [[Master System]], initially had little to distinguish itself from earlier consoles such as the [[ColecoVision]] and contemporary computers such as the [[MSX]], although it was able to achieve advanced visual effects, including [[parallax scrolling]] in ''[[Super Dimension Century Orguss#Videogames|Orguss]]'' and [[2.5D|sprite-scaling]] in ''[[Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom|Zoom 909]]''.<ref name="IGN-Sega">{{cite web|url=http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/974/974695p2.html |title=IGN Presents the History of SEGA: Coming Home |page=2 |publisher=IGN |first=Travis |last=Fahs |date=April 21, 2009 |access-date=March 27, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314223804/http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/974/974695p2.html |archive-date=March 14, 2012}}</ref>

To enter the worldwide market, Nintendo approached the American company [[Atari, Inc.|Atari]], which had the majority share of the home video game market in North America, with a proposal for Atari to license the Famicom and distribute it.{{Sfn|Herman|2007|p=115|loc=2|ps=: "approached Atari with the opportunity to license the Famicom"}} An agreement was concluded, which was to be signed at the [[Consumer Electronics Show]] in July 1983.{{Sfn|Herman|2007|p=115|loc=3|ps=: "[..] final signings would be made at the CES [..]"}} At the same CES, however, [[Coleco]] exhibited its [[Coleco Adam]] home computer, which featured a version of Nintendo's ''Donkey Kong''. At that time, Atari had exclusive rights to distribute Nintendo games on home computers, and Coleco had exclusive rights to distribute the game on consoles.{{Sfn|Herman|2007|p=115|loc=}} However, since Atari understood that Adam was a home computer, they postponed signing the agreement with Nintendo and asked the company to resolve the issue with rights.{{Sfn|Herman|2007|p=116|loc=4|ps=: "Atari representatives told Nintendo to clear it up with Coleco"}} The problem was resolved, but during this time, the [[video game crash of 1983]] had occurred and Atari began to lose influence in the market. With this, Nintendo had no competitor left and the company eventually decided to enter the market on its own.{{Sfn|Herman|2007|p=116|loc=5|ps=: "[..] Atari was no longer the threat Nintendo feared [..]"}}

=== 1984–1986 ===
Nintendo were initially discouraged after the crash, with [[Nintendo of America]]'s market research being met with warnings to stay away from [[home consoles]] and US retailers refusing to stock game consoles. As a result, Nintendo instead introduced the Famicom to North America in the form of an arcade hardware, the [[Nintendo VS. System]], in 1984. It became a major success in North American arcades, giving Nintendo the confidence to release the Famicom in North America as a video game console, for which there was growing interest due to Nintendo's positive reputation in the arcades.<ref name="Horowitz"/>

The company introduced a version of the Famicom in January 1985 at the Winter CES as the Nintendo Advanced Video System, short for NAVS. The gamepads were wireless and worked with it using an infrared port, and the bundle would also include a [[light gun]]. It was planned that the NAVS would be available in the spring of 1985.{{Sfn|Herman|2007|p=116|loc=6|ps=: "Its controllers used infrared [..] light gun was also going to be sold with the unit"}} However, this did not happen and the console was shown again at the summer CES in June of that year, as an updated version called the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]].{{Sfn|Herman|2007|p=116|loc=}} The system was released in October 1985 as an experiment within [[New York City]] bounds with ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' game bundled. The experiment was successful and showed that people still wanted to play games despite the 1983 crisis. After that the system was released in all North America in February 1986 at a price of US$159.{{Sfn|Herman|2007|p=116|loc=7|ps=: "The $159 system was released nationally in February 1986"}}

In 1985, Sega succeeded the SG-1000 with the [[Master System]], which incorporated hardware scrolling, alongside an increased color palette, greater memory, [[pseudo-3D]] effects, and [[Stereoscopic video game|stereoscopic 3-D]], gaining a clear hardware advantage over the NES. However, the NES continued to dominate the North American and Japanese markets, while the Master System had more success in the European and South American markets.<ref name="ign_sega3">{{cite web|url=http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/974/974695p3.html|title=IGN Presents the History of SEGA: World War|page=3|publisher=IGN|author=Travis Fahs|date=April 21, 2009 |access-date=May 21, 2011|archive-date=March 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314223825/http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/974/974695p3.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Family Computer]] (commonly abbreviated the Famicom) became popular in Japan during this era, crowding out the other consoles in this generation. The Famicom's Western counterpart, the Nintendo Entertainment System, dominated the gaming market in North America, thanks in part to its restrictive licensing agreements with developers. This marked a shift in the dominance of home video games from the United States to Japan, to the point that ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' described the "Nintendo craze" as a "non-event" for American [[video game designer]]s as "virtually all the work to date has been done in Japan."<ref name="cgw_50"/> The company had an estimated 65% of 1987 hardware sales in the console market; [[Atari Corporation]] had 24% (including the [[Atari 7800]], [[Atari 2600|2600 Jr.]] and [[XEGS]]), Sega had 8%, and other companies had 3%.<ref name="cgw198808">{{cite news | title=Video Gaming World | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=August 1988 |author1=Katz, Arnie |author2=Kunkel, Bill |author3=Worley, Joyce | page=44}}</ref>

=== 1986–2007 ===
The popularity of the Japanese consoles grew so quickly that in 1988 [[Epyx]] stated that, in contrast to a video game-hardware industry in 1984 that the company had [[North American video game crash of 1983|described as "dead"]], the market for Nintendo cartridges was larger than for all home-computer software.<ref name="cgw198806">{{cite news | title=The Nintendo Threat? | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=June 1988 | page=50}}</ref> Nintendo sold seven million NES systems in 1988, almost as many as the number of units the [[Commodore 64]] sold in its first five years.<ref name="ferrell198907">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/1989-07-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_110_1989_Jul#page/n29/mode/2up | title=Just Kids' Play or Computer in Disguise? | work=Compute! | date=July 1989 | access-date=November 11, 2013 | author=Ferrell, Keith | page=28}}</ref> In 1988, ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'' reported that the rise of video game consoles had a positive impact on [[computer games]], sales of which grew 37% during the first quarter of 1988.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gellene |first1=Denise |title=The Joystick Lives: New Technology, Better Marketing Give Video Games a Second Life |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21593457/nintendo-report-1987-super-mario/ |access-date=September 13, 2021 |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |date=June 13, 1988 |pages=57 |archive-date=September 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913162724/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21593457/nintendo-report-1987-super-mario/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1989, however, ''Compute!'' reported that Nintendo's popularity caused most computer-game companies to have poor sales during Christmas that year, resulting in serious financial problems for some,<ref name="keizer198907">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/1989-07-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_110_1989_Jul#page/n5/mode/2up | title=Editorial License | work=Compute! | date=July 1989 | access-date=November 11, 2013 | author=Keizer, Gregg | page=4}}</ref> and after more than a decade making computer games, in 1989 Epyx converted completely to console cartridges.<ref name="ferrell198912">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/1989-12-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_115_1989_Dec#page/n7/mode/2up | title=Epyx Goes Diskless | work=Compute! | date=December 1989 | access-date=November 11, 2013 | author=Ferrell, Keith | page=6}}</ref> By 1990 30% of American households owned the NES, compared to 23% for all personal computers,<ref name="cgw199012">{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1990&pub=2&id=77 | title=Fusion, Transfusion or Confusion / Future Directions In Computer Entertainment | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=December 1990 | access-date=November 16, 2013 | page=26 | archive-date=January 10, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110025625/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1990&pub=2&id=77 | url-status=live }}</ref> and [[peer pressure]] to have a console was so great that even the children of computer-game developers demanded them despite parents' refusal and the presence of state-of-the-art computers and software at home. As ''Computer Gaming World'' reported in 1992, "The kids who don't have access to videogames are as culturally isolated as the kids in our own generation whose parents refused to buy a TV".<ref name="reeder199211">{{cite news|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=100|title=Why Edutainment Doesn't Make It In A Videogame World|author=Reeder|first=Sara|date=November 1992|magazine=Computer Gaming World|access-date=July 5, 2014|pages=130|archive-date=January 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110163522/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=100|url-status=live}}</ref>

This era contributed many influential aspects to the history of the development of video games. The third generation saw the release of many of the first console [[role-playing video game]]s (RPGs). Editing and [[censorship]] of video games was often used in [[Internationalization and localization|localizing]] Japanese games to North America.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GBXqCAAAQBAJ&q=famicom+%22censorship%22&pg=PA9|title=I Am Error: The Nintendo Family Computer / Entertainment System Platform|last=Altice|first=Nathan|date=2015|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=9780262028776|pages=115|access-date=October 11, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134653/https://books.google.com/books?id=GBXqCAAAQBAJ&q=famicom+%22censorship%22&pg=PA9|url-status=live}}</ref> It was during this time that many successful video game franchises began, which went onto to becoming mainstays of the video game industry. Some examples are ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', ''[[Final Fantasy]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'', ''[[Dragon Quest]]'', ''[[Metroid]]'', ''[[Mega Man]]'', ''[[Metal Gear]]'', ''[[Castlevania]]'', ''[[Phantasy Star]]'', ''[[Megami Tensei]]'', ''[[Ninja Gaiden]]'', and ''[[Bomberman]]''.

In Europe during the late 1980s, the Master System had a stronger start than the Nintendo Entertainment System in some areas, with NES sales lagging behind the Master System in the United Kingdom.<ref name="NCE">{{cite magazine |title=The rise and rise of Nintendo |magazine=[[New Computer Express]] |date=August 3, 1989 |issue=39 (August 5, 1989) |page=2 |url=https://archive.org/details/NewComputerExpress039/page/n1/mode/1up}}</ref> By 1990, the Master System was the biggest-selling console in Europe, though the NES was beginning to have a fast-growing user base in the United Kingdom and this position had reversed by the end of the run of both consoles.<ref name="CVG">{{cite magazine |title=The Complete Machine Guide |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games|Computer + Video Games: Complete Guide to Consoles]] |date=November 1990 |volume=4 |pages=7–23 |url=https://archive.org/details/Complete_Guide_to_Consoles_Volume_IV_1990_EMAP_Publishing_GB/page/n7/mode/2up}}</ref>

The third generation also saw the beginning of the children's [[Educational game|educational console]] market.{{Citation needed|date=September 2019}} Due to their reduced capacities, these systems typically were not labeled by their "bits" and were not marketed in competition with traditional video game consoles.

In North America, the Atari 7800 and Master System were discontinued in 1992, while the NES continued to be produced until 1995. In Europe, the Master System was discontinued in the late 1990s. However it has continued to sell in Brazil through to the present day. In Japan, Nintendo continued to repair Famicom systems until October 31, 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/0710/16/news102.html|script-title=ja:初代「ファミコン」など公式修理サポート終了|access-date=January 20, 2008|date=October 16, 2007|work=ITmedia News|publisher=ITmedia|language=ja|archive-date=October 23, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023183833/http://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/0710/16/news102.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arcade-renaissance.com/2007/10/nintendo-of-japan-dropping-hardware.html |title=Nintendo of Japan dropping Hardware support for the Famicom |access-date=January 20, 2008 |author=RyanDG |date=October 16, 2007 |publisher=Arcade Renaissance |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209131423/http://www.arcade-renaissance.com/2007/10/nintendo-of-japan-dropping-hardware.html |archive-date=February 9, 2012}}</ref>

== Home systems ==


=== Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System ===
{{Main|Nintendo Entertainment System}}
The Famicom, released on July 15, 1983, in Japan and in the North American region in late 1985 (exact date lost to time) as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES),<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|last=Wolf|first=Mark J. P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=deBFx7QAwsQC&q=Famicom+July+15&pg=PA449|title=Encyclopedia of Video Games: A-L|date=2012|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313379369|pages=|access-date=October 11, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134655/https://books.google.com/books?id=deBFx7QAwsQC&q=Famicom+July+15&pg=PA449|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|449}} is an 8-bit cartridge-based console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It became the most popular console of the generation, selling over 60 million units. It was the first home system to feature a controller with a directional pad (designed by [[Gunpei Yokoi]]), which became an industry standard. While the NES was discontinued in North America on August 14, 1995, it was not until September 25, 2003, that the Famicom was discontinued in Japan.

=== Sega Mark III/Master System ===
{{Main|Master System}}
The Sega Mark III was released on October 20, 1985, for the Japanese market and was the third iteration of the SG-1000.<ref name="MK3">{{cite web|url=http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/mk3/|title=Mark III|publisher=Sega Corporation|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716112819/http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/mk3/|archive-date=July 16, 2014|access-date=March 31, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> The name was changed to the Master System and the design altered for release outside of Japan. It was designed to be more powerful than the NES in an attempt to give it an edge over the competition but despite good sales, it did not match the success of the NES, making it the second best selling console of the generation. This was the case in all regions apart from Brazil, where it continued to sell for years after the end of the generation.

=== Atari 7800 ===
{{Main|Atari 7800}}
The Atari 7800 was released in May 1986<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IExnDwAAQBAJ|title=The Video Games Textbook: History • Business • Technology|last=Wardyga|first=Brian J.|date=August 6, 2018|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781351172349|access-date=September 27, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134054/https://books.google.com/books?id=IExnDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> and was the successor to the Atari 5200.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/22/business/atari-video-game-unit-introduced.html|title=Atari Video Game Unit Introduced|last=Sanger|first=David E.|date=May 22, 1984|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 23, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=November 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191123004449/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/22/business/atari-video-game-unit-introduced.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It was the first console to be backward compatible without additional hardware. It was originally due for launch on May 21, 1984,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Atari, Inc.|last=Goldberg|first=Marty|publisher=Syzygy Co.|year=2012|isbn=978-0985597405|location=Carmel, New York|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/atariincbusiness0000gold}}</ref> but due to the sale of the company the launch did not happen until two years later and, coupled with a small library of games, the console did not sell as well as the Master System or NES.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|52}}

=== Comparison ===
{|class="wikitable"
|+ Comparison of third-generation video game home consoles
|-
! colspan="2" style="width: 5%"|Name
! style="width: 19%;" | [[SG-1000]]
! style="width: 19%;" | [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Family Computer/<br />Nintendo Entertainment System]]
! style="width: 19%;" | [[Master System|Sega Mark III/<br />Master System]]
! style="width: 19%;" | [[Atari 7800]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" | [[Manufacturer]]
| [[Sega]]
| [[Nintendo]]
| [[Sega]]
| [[Atari Corporation]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" | Image(s)
| style="background:white;" | [[File:Sega-SG-1000-Console-Set.jpg|170px]]<br />[[File:SG1000Mk2.jpg|170px]]
| style="background:white;" | [[File:Nintendo-Famicom-Console-Set-FL.jpg|200px]]<br />[[File:NES-Console-Set.jpg|170px]]<br />[[File:NES-101-Console-Set.jpg|170px]]
| style="background:white;" | [[File:Sega Mark III.jpg|170px]]<br />[[File:Sega-Master-System-Set.jpg|170px]]<br />[[File:Sega-Master-System-MkII-wController.jpg|170px]]
| style="background:white;" | [[File:Atari-7800-Console-Set.jpg|200px]]<br />[[File:Atari-7800-wControl-Pad-L.jpg|170px]]
|- style="vertical-align: center"
! colspan="2" | Release date
|{{vgrelease|JP|July 15, 1983|AUS|November 1983}}
|{{vgrelease|JP|July 15, 1983|NA|late 1985|BR| 1985|EU|September 1986|WW|1987}}
|{{vgrelease|JP|October 20, 1985|NA|October 1986|WW|June 1987|BR|September 4, 1989}}
|{{vgrelease|NA|May 1986|WW|July 1987}}
|-
! rowspan="3" |Launch prices
![[US$]]
|{{N/A}}
|{{ubl||US$180 ({{inflation|US|180|1985|r=-1|fmt=eq|cursign=US$}})<ref name="US Price">{{cite news|title=New components add some Zap to video games|last=Levin|first=Martin|date=November 20, 1985|work=San Bernardino County Sun|page=A-4}}</ref><ref name="US Price2">{{cite news|title=Video Robots - The Nintendo Entertainment System, now at Macy's|date=November 17, 1985|work=New York Times}}</ref>|}}
|{{ubl||US$199.99 ({{inflation|US|199.99|1986|r=-1|fmt=eq}})|}}
|US$140 ({{inflation|US|140|1986|r=-1|fmt=eq}})
|-
![[GBP]]
|{{N/A}}
|{{N/A}}
|{{ubl|||£99.95 ({{inflation|UK|99.95|1987|r=-1|fmt=eq|cursign=£}})<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/ace-magazine-02|title=ACE Magazine- Master System Advert|date=November 1987|pages=85|issue=2}}</ref>}}
|{{N/A}}
|-
![[JP¥]]
|JP¥15,000 ({{inflation|JP|15000|1983|r=-2|fmt=eq|cursign=¥}})<ref name="Sega">{{cite web|url=http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/sg1000/|title=SG-1000|publisher=[[Sega|Sega Corporation]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716103528/http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/sg1000/|archive-date=July 16, 2014|access-date=February 12, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
|{{ubl|JP¥14,800 ({{inflation|JP|14800|1983|r=-2|fmt=eq|cursign=¥}})<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISaoBQAAQBAJ|title=Children in the Information Age: Opportunities for Creativity, Innovation and New Activities|last1=Sendov|first1=Blagovest|last2=Stanchev|first2=Ivan|date=May 17, 2014|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=9781483159027|pages=58|access-date=September 27, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134656/https://books.google.com/books?id=ISaoBQAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>||}}
|{{ubl|JP¥15,000 ({{inflation|JP|15000|1985|r=-2|fmt=eq|cursign=¥}})<ref name="MK3" />||}}
|{{N/A}}
|-
! rowspan="3" | [[Data storage device|Media]]
!Type
|
* [[ROM cartridge|Cartridge]]
* [[Magnetic tape data storage|Cassette]] (with keyboard attachment)
* [[Datacard|Data card]] (Card Catcher required)
|
* Cartridge
* 3″ [[floppy disk]] (''Famicom Disk System required, Japan and Hong Kong'')<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2019-retro-revisiting-famicom-disk-system|title=Revisiting the Famicom Disk System: mass storage on console in 1986|last=Linneman|first=John|date=July 27, 2019|website=Eurogamer|access-date=October 27, 2019|archive-date=October 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020023259/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2019-retro-revisiting-famicom-disk-system|url-status=live}}</ref>
|
* Cartridge
* Data card (first model only)
|Cartridge
|- style="vertical-align: center"
![[Regional lockout]]
|{{Yes|Unrestricted}}
|{{No|Region locked}}
|{{No|Region locked}}
|{{No|Region locked}}
|- style="vertical-align: center"
![[Backward compatibility]]
|{{N/A}}
|{{N/A}}
|{{Yes|[[SG-1000]] (Japanese systems only)}}
|{{Yes|[[Atari 2600]]}}
|-

! colspan="2" | [[List of best-selling video games|Top-selling games]]
|N/A
|{{Indented plainlist|
*[[Pack-in game|Pack-in]]: ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' {{Small|(approx. 40&nbsp;million units)}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2010/sep/13/games-gameculture|title=Super Mario Bros: 25 Mario facts for the 25th anniversary|last=Stuart|first=Keith|date=September 13, 2010|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=November 2, 2018|archive-date=August 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809081435/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2010/sep/13/games-gameculture|url-status=live}}</ref>
*Stand-alone:
*''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', 18 million <small>(as of May 21, 2003)</small><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ownt.com/qtakes/2003/gamestats/gamestats.shtm |title=All Time Top 20 Best Selling Games |access-date=January 31, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060221044930/http://www.ownt.com/qtakes/2003/gamestats/gamestats.shtm |archive-date=February 21, 2006 |date=May 21, 2003}}</ref>
*''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'' {{Small|(approx. 10&nbsp;million units)}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tech.uk.msn.com/features/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4825211|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309234939/http://tech.uk.msn.com/features/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4825211|archive-date=March 9, 2008|title=The games that sold consoles|first=Patrick|last=Goss|publisher=MSN|access-date=September 24, 2011}}</ref>
}}
|{{ubl|''[[Hang-On]]'' and ''[[Safari Hunt]]'' (built-in)|''[[Alex Kidd in Miracle World]]'' (pack-in)|''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit video game)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (pack-in)}}
|''[[Pole Position II]]'' (pack-in)<ref>{{cite web|title=Pole Position II for Arcade (1983) - MobyGames|periodical=MobyGames|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/pole-position-ii|access-date=March 29, 2016|language=de|archive-date=May 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522000952/https://www.mobygames.com/game/pole-position-ii|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! colspan="2" | Accessories<br />(retail)
|
* Bike Handle Controller
* Card Catcher
* Sega Handle Controller
* Sega Rapid Fire Unit
* SK-1100
|
* [[Family Computer Disk System|Famicom Disk System]] (''Japan and Hong Kong'')
* [[NES Advantage]]
* [[NES Four Score]]
* [[NES Max]]
* [[NES Satellite]]
* [[NES Zapper]]
* [[Power Pad|NES Power Pad]]
* [[R.O.B.|NES R.O.B.]]
* [[Famicom 3D System]] (''Japan only'')
*[[List of Nintendo Entertainment System accessories|More...]]
|
* [[Light Phaser]]
* [[Sega 3-D Glasses|SegaScope 3D Glasses]]
* Sega Control Stick
* [[Game controller#Steering wheel|Sega Handle Controller]]
* [[Paddle controller|Sega Paddle Control]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.retrocopy.com/sms.aspx |title=-Sega Emulation Overview - another overview |website=Retrocopy.com |access-date=April 30, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423191509/http://www.retrocopy.com/sms.aspx |archive-date=April 23, 2010 }}</ref>
* [[Pro Action Replay|Sega Pro Action Replay]]
* [[Master System#Remote Control System|Sega Remote Control System]]
* Sega Rapid Fire Unit
* Sega SG Commander
* [[Pointing device#Trackball|Sega Sports Pad]]
|
* [[XG-1|Atari XG-1 Light Gun]]
|- style="vertical-align: center"
! colspan="2" | [[Central processing unit|CPU]]<br />[[clock speed]]
|[[Nippon Electric Company|NEC]] [[NEC μPD780C|780C]] ([[Zilog Z80|Z80]]-derived)<br />(3.58&nbsp;MHz (3.55&nbsp;MHz [[PAL]])<ref name="sg1000">{{cite web|url=http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/sg1000/data.html|title=SG-1000 data|website=Sega.jp|language=ja|access-date=December 10, 2015|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203134913/http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/sg1000/data.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|[[Ricoh 2A03]] ([[MOS Technology 6502|6502]]-derived)<br />(1.79&nbsp;[[Megahertz|MHz]] (1.66&nbsp;MHz PAL))<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZnpAgAAQBAJ|title=Vintage Game Consoles: An Inside Look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the Greatest Gaming Platforms of All Time|last1=Loguidice|first1=Bill|last2=Barton|first2=Matt|date=February 24, 2014|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781135006518|access-date=September 27, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134656/https://books.google.com/books?id=wZnpAgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|149}}
|[[Zilog Z80A]]<br />(4&nbsp;MHz)
|Custom [[MOS Technology 6502|6502C]]<br />(1.19&nbsp;MHz or 1.79&nbsp;MHz)
|- style="vertical-align: center"
! colspan="2" | [[Graphics processing unit|GPU]]
|
* Texas Instruments [[TMS9918]]
* [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]] YM2217 [[Video display controller#List of example VDCs|VDP (Video Display Processor)]] (later models) 
|[[Ricoh]] [[Picture Processing Unit|PPU (Picture Processing Unit)]]
|[[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]] YM2602 [[Video display controller#List of example VDCs|VDP (Video Display Processor)]]
|
* [[Atari 7800#Technical specifications|Atari MARIA]]
* [[Television Interface Adaptor|Atari TIA (Television Interface Adaptor)]]
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Sound chip|Sound chip(s)]]
|
* [[Texas Instruments SN76489]]
* [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]] VDP [[Sound chip#Programmable sound generators (PSG)|PSG]] (later models)
|
* NTSC: [[Ricoh 2A03]]<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UlByDwAAQBAJ|title=Bits and Pieces: A History of Chiptunes|last=McAlpine|first=Kenneth B.|date=November 15, 2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190496098|access-date=September 27, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134116/https://books.google.com/books?id=UlByDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|147}}
* PAL: [[Ricoh 2A03|Ricoh 2A07]]<ref name=":2" />{{Rp|109}}

Famicom Disk System:
* [[Family Computer Disk System|Nintendo 2C33]]<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GBXqCAAAQBAJ|title=I Am Error: The Nintendo Family Computer / Entertainment System Platform|last=Altice|first=Nathan|date=May 2015|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=9780262028776|pages=164|access-date=September 27, 2020|archive-date=February 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207094553/https://books.google.com/books?id=GBXqCAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
|
* [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]] VDP [[Sound chip#Programmable sound generators (PSG)|PSG]] ([[Texas Instruments SN76489|SN76496]])<ref name= smspower>{{cite web
| url = http://www.smspower.org/Development/SN76489?sid=ae16503f2fb18070f3f40f2af56807f1
| date = November 12, 2005
| title = SN76489 sightings
| author = Maxim, Charles MacDonald
| website = SMS Power!
| access-date = February 14, 2018
| archive-date = January 13, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200113150213/https://www.smspower.org/Development/SN76489?sid=ae16503f2fb18070f3f40f2af56807f1
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

Japan only:
* [[Yamaha YM2413]]
|
* [[Television Interface Adaptor|Atari TIA]]

Optional cartridge chip:
* [[POKEY]]
|- style="vertical-align: center"
! colspan="2" | [[Computer memory|Memory]]
|
3 [[Kibibyte|KB]] [[Random-access memory|RAM]]<ref name="sg1000" />
* 1 KB main RAM
* 2 KB [[Video memory|video RAM]]
|
4.277 KB (4380 [[byte]]s) RAM
* 2 KB main RAM)<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|149}}
* 2 KB video RAM<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ercrDwAAQBAJ|title=The Game Console: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox|last=Amos|first=Evan|date=November 6, 2018|publisher=No Starch Press|isbn=9781593277727|pages=68|access-date=September 27, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134108/https://books.google.com/books?id=ercrDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 256 [[byte]]s sprite attribute RAM
* 28 bytes palette RAM

Upgrades:
* [[Memory management controller|MMC]] chips: Up to 8&nbsp;KB work RAM and 12&nbsp;KB video RAM<ref>{{cite web|url=http://problemkaputt.de/everynes.htm|title=NES Specifications|website=Problemkaputt.de|access-date=December 10, 2015|archive-date=January 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113132250/https://problemkaputt.de/everynes.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Famicom Disk System: 32&nbsp;KB work RAM, 8&nbsp;KB video RAM<ref name=":3" />
|
24.031 KB (24,608 bytes) RAM
* 8 KB main [[Pseudostatic RAM|XRAM]]
* 16 KB video XRAM<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smspower.org/Development/RAM|title=RAM - Development - SMS Power!|website=Smspower.org|access-date=December 10, 2015|archive-date=December 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212070407/http://www.smspower.org/Development/RAM|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(256 bytes sprite attribute table)
* 32 bytes palette RAM<ref name=msvdp>{{cite web|url=http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/txt/msvdp.txt |title=Sega Master System VDP documentation |website=Cgfm2.emuviews.com |author=Charles MacDonald |access-date=July 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318183214/http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/txt/msvdp.txt |archive-date=March 18, 2014}}</ref>
|
4 KB RAM
* 4 KB main RAM<br />(200 bytes [[Framebuffer|line buffer]])
|- style="vertical-align: center"
!  rowspan="6" | Video
! [[Display resolution|Resolution]]
| 256×192<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=August 8, 2013|title=Famitsu August 8, 2013|department=Sega Consumer 30th Anniversary Book|magazine=Famitsu|language=ja|page=12}}</ref>
| 256×240<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/evolution-of-nintendos-consoles-switch-switch-lite/2900-1082/3/|title=Evolution Of Nintendo's Consoles: Switch, Switch Lite, 3DS, Wii, SNES, And More|last1=Espineli|first1=Matt|last2=Thang|first2=Jimmy|date=July 15, 2019|website=GameSpot|language=en-US|access-date=November 11, 2019|archive-date=November 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111005149/https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/evolution-of-nintendos-consoles-switch-switch-lite/2900-1082/3/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 256×192, 256×224, 256×240
| 160×200 or 320×200

|-
! [[Palette (computing)|Palette]]
|21 colors<ref name=sg1000/>
|54 colors<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|149}}
|64 colors
|256 colors (16 [[hue]]s, 16 [[Luma (video)|luma]])

|-
! Colors on screen
| 16 simultaneous (1 color per sprite)
| 25 simultaneous (4 colors per sprite)
| 32 simultaneous (16 colors per sprite)
| 25 simultaneous (1, 4 or 12 colors per sprite)

|-
! [[Sprite (computer graphics)|Sprites]]
|
* 32 on screen (4 per [[Scan line|scanline]])
* 8×8 or 16×16 [[pixel]]s
* Integer sprite zooming up to 32×32 pixels
|
* 64 on screen (8 per scanline)<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oxuvDwAAQBAJ|title=Making Games for the NES|last=Hugg|first=Steven|date=August 8, 2019|publisher=Puzzling Plans LLC|isbn=978-1-07-595272-2|pages=31|access-date=September 27, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134658/https://books.google.com/books?id=oxuvDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 8×8 or 8×16 pixels<ref name=":4" />
* Sprite flipping<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IExnDwAAQBAJ|title=The Video Games Textbook: History • Business • Technology|last=Wardyga|first=Brian J.|date=August 6, 2018|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-351-17234-9|access-date=September 27, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134054/https://books.google.com/books?id=IExnDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|119}}
|
* 64 on screen (8 per scanline)
* 8×8 to 16×16 pixels
* Integer [[2.5D|sprite zooming]] up to 32×32 pixels<ref name="richard" />
|
* [[Display list]]
* 100 sprites (30 per scanline without background)
|-
! Background
|[[Tile engine|Tilemap]] playfield, 8×8 tiles
|Tilemap playfield, 8×8 tiles
|Tilemap playfield, 8×8 tiles, tile flipping<ref name=msvdp/>
|N/A
|-
! [[Scrolling]]
|N/A
|Smooth hardware scrolling, vertical/[[Side-scrolling video game|horizontal]] directions<br />MMC chips: IRQ interrupt, diagonal scrolling, line scrolling, split‑screen scrolling
|Smooth hardware scrolling, vertical/horizontal/diagonal directions,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/master/data.html|title=Master System|website=Sega|language=ja|script-title=ja:マスターシステム 各種データ|access-date=December 10, 2015|archive-date=April 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407085454/http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/master/data.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Interrupt request|IRQ]] [[Raster interrupt|interrupt]], [[Parallax scrolling#Raster method|line scrolling]], split‑screen scrolling<ref name=richard>{{Cite web|url=http://www.smspower.org/uploads/Development/richard.txt|title=Sega Master System Technical Information|website=Smspower.org|access-date=September 26, 2014|archive-date=June 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624130810/http://www.smspower.org/uploads/Development/richard.txt|url-status=live}}</ref>
|Coarse scrolling, vertical/horizontal directions

|- style="vertical-align: center"
! colspan="2" | Audio
|[[Monaural|Mono]] audio with:<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GBXqCAAAQBAJ|title=I Am Error: The Nintendo Family Computer / Entertainment System Platform|last=Altice|first=Nathan|date=May 2015|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=978-0-262-02877-6|pages=253|access-date=September 27, 2020|archive-date=February 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207094553/https://books.google.com/books?id=GBXqCAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Three [[Square wave (waveform)|square wave]] channels/voices
* One [[White noise|noise]] generator
|Mono audio with:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamecrate.com/gaming-literacy-introduction-nes-sound-and-8-bit-sound-illusions/17881|title=Gaming Literacy: An introduction to NES sound and 8-bit sound illusions|last=D'Argenio|first=Angelo|date=January 15, 2018|website=Gamecrate|access-date=December 5, 2019|archive-date=December 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225021218/https://www.gamecrate.com/gaming-literacy-introduction-nes-sound-and-8-bit-sound-illusions/17881|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Two square wave channels
* One [[triangle wave]] channel
* One noise generator
* One [[Differential pulse-code modulation|DPCM]] channel, [[Audio bit depth|6-bit audio]], 4.2 to 33.5&nbsp;kHz [[Sampling (signal processing)|sampling]] rate

Japan only upgrades:
* Optional cartridge chip
* One [[Sample-based synthesis|wavetable synthesizer]] (''Famicom Disk System'')
|Mono audio with:
* Three square wave channels
* One noise generator

Japan only:
* Two operator [[Frequency modulation synthesis|FM synthesizer]]
* Nine [[Frequency modulation synthesis|FM synthesis]] channels
|Mono audio with:<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|121}}
* Two square waves

Optional cartridge chip:
* Four square wave channels
* One noise generator
|}

===Other consoles===
<gallery class="center">
File:Philips Videopac G7400.jpg|[[Philips Videopac+ G7400|Videopac+ G7400]] (1983)
File:Nichibutsu My Vision.jpg|[[My Vision]] (1983)
File:Casio-PV1000-Console-Set.jpg|[[PV-1000]] (1983)
File:Tomy-Tutor-wControllers.jpg|[[Tomy Tutor]] <br /> Pyūta Jr. was a console version released in 1983
File:Super-Cassette-Vision-Console-L.jpg|[[Super Cassette Vision]] (1984)
File:BBC-bridge-companion.png|[[BBC Bridge Companion]] (1985)
File:No image available.svg|[[Video Challenger]]<br />Released in 1987
File:No image available.svg|[[Halcyon (console)]]<br /> Unreleased (Planned for 1985)
File:Telegames-Personal-Arcade-Console.png|[[Dina (video game console)|Dina]] ([[Telegames Personal Arcade]])<br />Released in 1986
File:Nintendo-Famicom-Disk-System.jpg|[[Family Computer Disk System]] (1986)
File:No image available.svg|[[LJN Video Art]]<br />Released in 1987
File:Atari XEGS.jpg|[[Atari XEGS]] (1987)
File:Action-Max-System.jpg|[[Action Max]] (1987)
File:ViewMaster-Interactive-Vision-wController-L.jpg|[[View-Master Interactive Vision]] (1989)
File:VTech-Socrates-Set-FL.jpg|[[VTech Socrates]] (1988)
File:Amstrad-GX4000-Console-Set.jpg|[[Amstrad GX4000]] (1990)
File:C64GS-Console-Set.jpg|[[Commodore 64 Games System]] (1990)
File:Dendy Junior with cart and joypads.jpg|[[Dendy (console)|Dendy]] (1992) <br /> {{small|([[Famiclone]])}}
</gallery>

=== Sales comparison ===
{{See also|List of best-selling game consoles|List of best-selling game consoles by region}}

The NES/Famicom sold by far the most units of any third generation console, particularly [[Video games in Japan|in Japan]] and [[North America]]. In North America [[1989 in video games|in 1989]], between Nintendo and Sega, there was a 94% to 6% split in [[market share]] between the NES and the Master System, in Nintendo's favor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2014/10/30/sonic-helped-sega-win-early-90s-console-wars|title=How Sonic Helped Sega to Win the Early 90s Console Wars|date=October 30, 2014|website=Kotaku UK|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813184137/https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2014/10/30/sonic-helped-sega-win-early-90s-console-wars|archive-date=August 13, 2017|access-date=September 10, 2019}}</ref> The NES sold {{nowrap|1.1 million}} units in North America [[1986 in video games|during 1986]], much more than the Master System (125,000) and Atari 7800 (100,000) combined.<ref>{{cite news |title=Comparing the New Videogame Systems |work=[[Computer Entertainer]] |date=February 1987 |page=13 |url=http://www.ataricompendium.com/archives/newsletters/video_game_update/computer_entertainer_feb87.pdf#page=13 |access-date=May 29, 2021 |archive-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704140419/http://www.ataricompendium.com/archives/newsletters/video_game_update/computer_entertainer_feb87.pdf#page=13 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[1990 in video games|By 1990]], Nintendo had a 93% North American market share, followed by Sega with a 3.8% share, [[NEC]] with 1.3% and Atari with 1.1% share.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ramirez |first1=Anthony |title=Waiting for the Zapping of Nintendo |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/08/business/waiting-for-the-zapping-of-nintendo.html |access-date=September 13, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 8, 1990 |archive-date=September 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913234500/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/08/business/waiting-for-the-zapping-of-nintendo.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Nintendo maintained its North American lead [[1991 in video games|through 1991]], when it had a market-share of 80% that year, much more than Atari (12%) and Sega (8%) combined.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/16/business/company-news-nintendo-suit-by-atari-is-dismissed.html|title=COMPANY NEWS; Nintendo Suit by Atari Is Dismissed|date=May 16, 1992|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 7, 2019|archive-date=October 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023164857/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/16/business/company-news-nintendo-suit-by-atari-is-dismissed.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This was due to Nintendo's strong lineup of both first-party titles (such as ''Super Mario Bros.'', ''Metroid'', ''Duck Hunt'', and ''The Legend of Zelda'') and third-party titles along with Nintendo's strict licensing rules that required NES titles to be exclusive to the console for two years after release, putting a damper on third-party support for other consoles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/june03/dumbestmoments/index23.shtml|title=The 25 Dumbest Moments in Gaming |date=June 13, 2003|website=GameSpy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080320090353/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/june03/dumbestmoments/index23.shtml|archive-date=March 20, 2008|access-date=August 30, 2018}}</ref>

In Europe, competition was much tougher for the NES, which was trailing behind the Master System up until 1990, despite the former's hegemony of the North American and Japanese markets.<ref name="CVG"/><ref name="NCE"/> NES sales began picking up from about 1990,<ref name="CVG"/> after which sales were more evenly split between the NES and Master System through 1994; the NES eventually overtook the Master System in Western Europe by a narrow margin, though the Master System maintained its lead in several markets such as the United Kingdom, Belgium and Spain.<ref name="digest_1995">{{cite journal |title=Consoles: Active Installed Base Estimates |journal=[[Screen Digest]] |date=March 1995 |page=60 |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/208776076/Screen-Digest?secret_password=2ntzw5zfrtsy8kxequmg |access-date=May 19, 2021 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211124142424/https://www.scribd.com/doc/208776076/Screen-Digest?secret_password=2ntzw5zfrtsy8kxequmg |url-status=live }}</ref> In other regions, the Master System was the most successful console in Brazil,<ref name="MDB"/> South Korea,<ref name="Korea"/> and Australia,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Biggs |first1=Tim |title=Nintendo's NES launched 30 years ago this month in Australia, or did it? |url=https://www.smh.com.au/technology/nintendos-nes-launched-30-years-ago-in-australia-this-month-or-did-it-20170707-gx6ex0.html |access-date=November 23, 2021 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=July 11, 2017 |archive-date=March 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318193515/https://www.smh.com.au/technology/nintendos-nes-launched-30-years-ago-in-australia-this-month-or-did-it-20170707-gx6ex0.html |url-status=live }}</ref> while the [[Dendy (console)|Dendy]] (a Taiwanese [[Famiclone]] of the NES/Famicom) was the most successful in the [[former Soviet Union]].<ref name="Dendy"/>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Console 
! Firm
! Units sold worldwide
! [[Video games in Japan|Japan]]
! [[Americas]]
! Other regions
|-
| [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] <br /> {{small|(Family Computer / Famicom / NES)}} 
|[[Nintendo]]|| 61.91 million <small>(2009)</small><ref name="consolidatedsales">{{cite web|title=Consolidated Sales Transition by Region|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/consolidated_sales_e1603.pdf|access-date=July 26, 2020|publisher=Nintendo|archive-date=April 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427084600/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/consolidated_sales_e1603.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nintendo.com/systemsclassic?type=nes |title=NES |access-date=December 4, 2007 |publisher=Nintendo |work=Classic Systems |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070804161605/http://www.nintendo.com/systemsclassic?type=nes |archive-date=August 4, 2007}}</ref>|| 19.35 million <small>(2009)</small><ref name="consolidatedsales"/> || 34 million <small>(2009)</small><ref name="consolidatedsales"/> || 8.56 million <small>(2009)</small><ref name="consolidatedsales"/>
|-
| [[Master System]] <br /> {{small|(including licensed [[Tectoy]] variants)}} 
|[[Sega]]|| {{#expr:1+(2+8)+(6.8+0.72+0.65)}} million <small>(2016)</small> || 1 million <small>(1986)</small><ref>{{cite journal|title=Amusement|journal=Business Japan|year=1986|volume=31|issue=7–12|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tJcSAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Sega+is+estimated+to+have+sold%22|access-date=January 24, 2012|author=Nihon Kōgyō Shinbunsha|page=89|publisher=Nihon Kogyo Shimbun|archive-date=February 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207093826/https://books.google.com/books?id=tJcSAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Sega+is+estimated+to+have+sold%22|url-status=live}}</ref> || [[Video games in the United States|United States]]: 2 million <small>(1992)</small><ref>{{cite book|last=Sheff|first=David|title=Game Over|year=1993|publisher=[[Random House]]|location=New York|isbn=0-679-40469-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gxyXUi336egC&q=master+systems|edition=1st|author-link=David Sheff|access-date=January 16, 2012|page=349|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134659/https://books.google.com/books?id=gxyXUi336egC&q=master+systems|url-status=live}}</ref> <br /> [[Video games in Brazil|Brazil]]: 8 million <small>(2016)</small><ref name="MDB">{{cite web|url=http://jogos.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2016/05/12/console-em-producao-ha-mais-tempo-master-system-ja-vendeu-8-mi-no-brasil.htm|title=Console em produção há mais tempo, Master System já vendeu 8 mi no Brasil|language=pt|access-date=May 13, 2016|publisher=[[Universo Online]]|first=Théo|last=Azevedo|quote=Comercializado no Brasil desde setembro de 1989, o saudoso Master System já vendeu mais de 8 milhões de unidades no país, segundo a Tectoy.|date=May 12, 2016|archive-date=April 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424021047/https://jogos.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2016/05/12/console-em-producao-ha-mais-tempo-master-system-ja-vendeu-8-mi-no-brasil.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> || [[Western Europe]]: 6.8 million <small>(1993)</small><ref name="digest_1995"/> <br /> [[Video games in South Korea|South Korea]]: 720,000 {{small|(1994)}}<ref name="Korea">{{cite book |title=게임월드 |trans-title=Game World |date=1994 |lang=ko}}</ref> <br /> [[Video games in Australia|Australia]]: 650,000 {{small|(1994)}}<ref name="Oz">{{cite magazine |title=Statistics: Sega Hardware in Oz |magazine=[[Mega Zone]] |date=November 1994 |issue=45 |page=23 |url=https://archive.org/details/megazoneau45/page/n22}}</ref>
|-
| [[Dendy (console)|Dendy]] <br /> {{small|(unlicenced [[Famiclone]])}} 
|[[Micro Genius]]|| 6 million {{small|(1998)}} || {{N/A}} || {{N/A}} || [[Former USSR]]: {{nowrap|6 million}} {{small|(1998)}}<ref name="Dendy">{{cite news |title=Приставка Dendy: Как Виктор Савюк придумал первый в России поп-гаджет |trans-title=Dendy Prefix: How Viktor Savyuk Came Up With The First Pop-gadget In Russia |url=https://secretmag.ru/business/trade-secret/nintendo-so-slonom-kak-viktor-savyuk-pridumal-pristavku-dendy.htm |access-date=October 9, 2021 |work=[[The Firm's Secret]] |date=August 9, 2016 |language=ru |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142332/https://secretmag.ru/business/trade-secret/nintendo-so-slonom-kak-viktor-savyuk-pridumal-pristavku-dendy.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Famicom Disk System]] 
|Nintendo|| 4.5 million {{small|(1990)}} || 4.5 million {{small|(1990)}}<ref name="NLife">{{cite web |last1=McFerran |first1=Damien |title=Feature: Slipped Disk - The History of the Famicom Disk System |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/11/feature_slipped_disk_the_history_of_the_famicom_disk_system |website=[[Nintendo Life]] |access-date=January 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219221055/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/11/feature_slipped_disk_the_history_of_the_famicom_disk_system |archive-date=December 19, 2019 |date=November 20, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> || {{N/A}} || {{N/A}}
|-
| [[Atari 7800]] 
|[[Atari Corporation|Atari]]|| 1 million {{small|(1988)}} || {{Unknown}}|| 1 million {{small|(1988)}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Press Release: Axlon To Develop New Video Games For Atari; Bushnell Returns |url=https://atariage.com/forums/uploads/monthly_01_2008/post-9346-1201143700.jpg |access-date=October 9, 2021 |publisher=[[Atari Corporation]] |date=June 1, 1988 |archive-date=October 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009152445/https://atariage.com/forums/uploads/monthly_01_2008/post-9346-1201143700.jpg |url-status=live }}</ref>
|{{Unknown}}
|-
| [[Sega SG-1000]] 
|Sega|| 400,000 {{small|(2007)}} || 400,000 {{small|(2007)}}<ref name="Keio">{{Cite book|last1=Kamada|first1=Shun|url=http://seminar.econ.keio.ac.jp/tamada/thesis/mitasai/2007/game.pdf|title=2007 年度三田祭論文 〜 家庭用テレビゲーム産業と|last2=Tanaka|first2=Hidenori|last3=Kanazawa|first3=Masatake|publisher=[[Keio University]]|year=2007|page=6|language=ja|trans-title=2007 Mita Festival Paper: With the Home Video Game Industry|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420005512/seminar.econ.keio.ac.jp/tamada/thesis/mitasai/2007/game.pdf|archive-date=April 20, 2009}}</ref> || {{N/A}} || {{Unknown}}
|-
| [[Super Cassette Vision]] 
|[[Epoch Co.]]|| 300,000 {{small|(2007)}} || 300,000 {{small|(2007)}}<ref name="Keio"/> || {{N/A}} || {{Unknown}}
|-
|[[Atari XEGS]]
|Atari
|130,000 {{small|(1989)}}
| {{N/A}} 
|100,000 {{small|(1987)}}<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=May 1988|title=The Ever-Changing Atari Marketplace: Six Antic Years|url=https://www.atarimagazines.com/v7n1/marketplace.html|magazine=[[Antic (magazine)|Antic]]|volume=7|issue=1|access-date=December 9, 2021|archive-date=December 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212195001/https://www.atarimagazines.com/v7n1/marketplace.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|[[Video games in France|France]]: 30,000 {{small|(1989)}}<ref name="SVM">{{cite magazine|date=December 1989|title=Guerre Dans Le Salon|trans-title=War in the Living Room|url=https://abandonware-magazines.org/affiche_mag.php?mag=48&num=2280&album=oui|magazine=[[Science & Vie|Science & Vie Micro]]|issue=67|pages=126–8|lang=fr|access-date=December 9, 2021|archive-date=December 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208070551/https://abandonware-magazines.org/affiche_mag.php?mag=48&num=2280&album=oui|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

== Software ==
===Milestone titles===
* ''[[Alex Kidd in Miracle World]]'' (SMS) by [[Sega]] featured Sega's original mascot, [[Alex Kidd]].<ref name="neo">{{cite journal
 |author = Junior Sagster
 | date = June 2012
 | title = Alex Kidd - O mascote "renegado" da Sega
 |journal = Neo Tokyo
 |issue = 77
 |publisher = Editora Escala
 | issn = 1809-1784
 }}</ref>
* ''[[Castlevania (1986 video game)|Castlevania]]'' (NES) by [[Konami]] is loosely based on [[Bram Stoker]]'s ''[[Dracula (novel)|Dracula]]'', featuring Count Dracula as the main antagonist of the series. This game initiated the ''[[Castlevania (series)|Castlevania]]'' series.
* ''[[List of Dragon Ball video games#1980s|Dragon Ball: Dragon Daihikyō]]'' (SCV) by [[Epoch Co.|Epoch]] was the first game based upon the now long-running manga and anime series, ''[[Dragon Ball]].''<ref name="bandailist">{{cite web|url=http://bandainamcoent.co.jp/cs/list/dragonball/lineup/|title=ラインナップ|website=Dragonball Game Portal|publisher=[[Bandai Namco Entertainment]]|language=ja|script-title=ja:ラインナップ ドラゴンボール ゲームポータルサイト バンダイナムコエンターテインメント公式サイト|access-date=October 23, 2019|archive-date=December 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214031330/https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/cs/list/dragonball/lineup/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''[[Dragon Quest (video game)|Dragon Quest]]'' (NES) by [[Chunsoft]] and [[Enix]] introduced the [[Dragon Quest|''Dragon Quest'' series]] in 1986.
* ''[[Final Fantasy (video game)|Final Fantasy]]'' (NES) by [[Square (video game company)|Square]] started the [[Final Fantasy|''Final Fantasy'' series]] in 1987.
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' (NES) by [[Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development|Nintendo R&D4]] and [[Nintendo]] initiated the [[The Legend of Zelda|''Legend of Zelda'' series]] in 1986.
* ''[[Mega Man 2]]'' (NES) by [[Capcom]] was the breakthrough title in Capcom's ''[[Mega Man (original series)|Mega Man]]'' series. The series had a number of additional hits on the NES, and later spawned several successful spin-off series.
* ''[[Metal Gear (video game)|Metal Gear]]'' (MSX2) by [[Konami]] initiated the [[Metal Gear (series)|''Metal Gear'' series]] in 1987. It was released for the [[MSX]]2 computer and remade on the NES shortly after.
* ''[[Metroid (video game)|Metroid]]'' (NES) by [[Nintendo Research & Development 1|R&D1]] and Nintendo initiated the [[Metroid|''Metroid'' series]] in 1986.
* ''[[Ninja Gaiden (NES video game)|Ninja Gaiden]]'' (NES) by [[Tecmo]] initiated the ''[[Ninja Gaiden]]'' series in 1988, and was acclaimed for its extreme difficulty, high quality music, and for having one of the earliest uses of cutscenes in video games.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ninja-gaiden-review/1900-6170886/|title=Ninja Gaiden Review|website=GameSpot|access-date=January 8, 2022|archive-date=January 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108043218/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ninja-gaiden-review/1900-6170886/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''[[Phantasy Star (video game)|Phantasy Star]]'' (SMS) by [[Sega#SEGA Studios|Sega Consumer Development Division 2]] and [[Sega]] is considered one of the benchmark role-playing video games,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.1up.com/features/egm-200-greatest-videogames?pager.offset=8| title=The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time| access-date=January 18, 2014| publisher=[[1UP.com]]| first=Steve| last=Semrad| date=February 2, 2006| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://archive.today/20140118230906/http://www.1up.com/features/egm-200-greatest-videogames?pager.offset=8| archive-date=January 18, 2014| df=mdy-all}}</ref> and is among the first to use a [[science fiction]] setting, and to feature a female protagonist.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DbFxAgAAQBAJ|title=Service Games: The Rise and Fall of SEGA: Enhanced Edition|last1=Pettus|first1=Sam|last2=Munoz|first2=David|last3=Williams|first3=Kevin|last4=Barroso|first4=Ivan|date=December 20, 2013|publisher=Smashwords Edition|isbn=9781311080820|pages=26|access-date=September 27, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134659/https://books.google.com/books?id=DbFxAgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' (NES) by [[Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development|Nintendo R&D4]] and [[Nintendo]] was bundled with the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] and became the best-selling video game of all time, a title it held until 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/wiisportsresort/0/3|title=Iwata Asks: Wii Sports Resort|last=Iwata|first=Satoru|date=June 4, 2009|website=Nintendo|page=4|access-date=October 23, 2019|quote=As it's sold bundled with the Wii console outside Japan, I'm not quite sure if calling it "World Number One" is exactly the right way to describe it, but in any case it's surpassed the record set by Super Mario Bros., which was unbroken for over twenty years.|archive-date=July 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725233103/http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/wiisportsresort/0/3|url-status=live}}</ref> Countless imitations of the game appeared over the course of the console generation.
* ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' (NES) by [[Nintendo]] is widely considered the best sidescrolling platform game of the generation, as well as topping many "Best Game" lists for the NES.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/why-super-mario-bros-3-one-greatest-games-ever-made/|title=Why Super Mario Bros 3 is one of the greatest games ever made|last=Gilbert|first=Henry\|date=August 15, 2012|website=GamesRadar|access-date=October 23, 2019|archive-date=October 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003031613/https://www.gamesradar.com/why-super-mario-bros-3-one-greatest-games-ever-made/|url-status=live}}</ref> Its jumping physics and world map segments, where players can choose their path, served as a formula for later 2D Mario games.

== See also ==
{{Portal|1980s|Video games
}}
* [[1980s in video games]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book|last=Herman|first=Leonard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XiM0ntMybNwC&pg=PA115|title=A New Generation Of Home Video Game Systems|work=The Video Game Explosion: A History from PONG to Playstation and Beyond|year=2007|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=9780313338687|editor-last=P. J. Wolf|editor-first=Mark}}

{{Third generation game consoles|state=expanded}}
{{History of Video Games}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of Video Game Consoles (Third Generation)}}
[[Category:Third-generation video game consoles| ]]
[[Category:Video game consoles by generation|03]]
[[Category:1980s in video gaming|.Consoles03]]
[[Category:1990s in video gaming|.Consoles03]]
[[Category:1980s toys|Video game consoles03]]
[[Category:1990s toys|Video game consoles03]]