Kuwka_Atcha_Ratcha
Superstar
that shyt was so far ahead of its time,
for starters
the console was released in 1986.. with a SCART port, which is insane.
it also released with a built in version of ALEX THE KID, no cart needed. I remember having a NES and the first time I played master system and alex the kid was built in it blew my mind.
also... sega master system is still supported, and sold in brasil.
Big in Brazil: Sega's Unexpected Second Life
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Big in Brazil
The Sega Master System was an also-ran in the United States, but in Brazil, it’s still on the market—and still moving units. Here’s how it happened.
Featured Ernie Smith 16 Jul 2015 marketing, video games, retail, commerce, gaming, globalization, sega, brazil, tectoy
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Today in Tedium: Here’s a true fact that will blow your mind—the game-maker Sega started out as an American company, not as a Japanese one. Sure, much of its success came about after it moved to Japan, but it was not by any means a company that necessarily needed Japan, like notable competitors Nintendo, Sony, and NEC did. While the company had one solid era of major success in the American market—where the Sega Genesis went toe-to-toe with the Super NES and became one of the most popular systems of the ’90s—it was Brazil where Sega really came into its own. Today, we explain exactly why this was, and what this says about gaming culture. — Ernie @ Tedium
5M
The number of Master System consoles on the market in Brazil, based on sales figures compiled by UOL Games in 2012. That’s a larger install base in Brazil than for the Genesis, which sold three million copies during its lifetime. The website notes a stunning fact—despite being a console that’s nearly 30 years old, it still sells around 150,000 units per year in the country. That’s a level that holds its own compared to more modern consoles like the Sony PlayStation 4.
But why is the Master System so popular in Brazil?
There are a number of reasons for this, but it basically comes down to a canny partnership on the part of Sega, who found the market relatively early and never really let it go. Here’s what’s keeping the Master System alive:
Good timing: While the Master System was technically a more powerful system than the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega was constantly playing catch-up to Nintendo in the United States. It didn’t have the games everyone wanted because Nintendo had exclusive licenses with nearly every large game maker of the era. But Nintendo had ignored Brazil, a country with roughly two-thirds the population of the U.S. but nearly as much interest in games. Sega, on the other hand, had built a licensing agreement with Tectoy, a local toy manufacturer. That agreement ensured the Sega would always have a backer in Brazil. And because Nintendo had ignored the market at first, NES piracy was rampant by the time it got there.
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Nostalgia: Gamer memories of the Master System in Brazil rival those of the NES in the U.S., and because Sega eventually got out of the market for building new consoles, Tectoy was essentially left to market the Master System and Mega Drive (which you might know as the Genesis) by its lonesome. Rather than giving up on the system, the company adapted its approach, coming out with continually updated versions of the device and even producing new games long after the system had faded from view everywhere else.
Excessive import taxes: Around the time of the Playstation 4′s launch, it was revealed that Sony’s console had a pretty insane price for the Brazilian market. At a time when the system was selling for $399 in the U.S., an equivalent system was heading to Brazil for $1,899. “It’s not good for our gamers and it’s not good for the PlayStation brand,” Sony admitted, but said its hands were tied due to insanely high import taxes. Tectoy, meanwhile, doesn’t have this problem, because it produces the systems locally, meaning that you can get a Master System with 132 built-in games for around $50 in U.S. money at Walmart—a steal compared to the $712 price of the PS4 now.
“Buying original games in Brazil is so expensive that [it] even frightens. To give an idea, a just-launched game can cost up to BRL 250 in the country, almost half of the workers’ minimum salary. That explains why, according to surveys, Brazilians prefer to buy their games on travels abroad or from illegal sellers.”
— Juliana Mello, a writer for The Brazil Business, explaining how the country’s import laws limit the reach of modern games. Brazil is one of the largest markets in the world for video games, but because of a set of strict import taxes designed to ensure that locally built products get preference in the market, piracy has become rampant. Microsoft got around this problem with its Xboxes by creating factories to build consoles locally. As a result, the Xbox One, while still more expensive in Brazil than in the U.S., is still more than $100 cheaper than the cost of Sony’s Playstation models. (By the way, the exchange rate between the Brazilian Real and the U.S. dollar is 1 real for every 31 cents—so a single video game generally goes for around $80 in Brazil.)
for starters
the console was released in 1986.. with a SCART port, which is insane.
it also released with a built in version of ALEX THE KID, no cart needed. I remember having a NES and the first time I played master system and alex the kid was built in it blew my mind.
also... sega master system is still supported, and sold in brasil.
Big in Brazil: Sega's Unexpected Second Life
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Big in Brazil
The Sega Master System was an also-ran in the United States, but in Brazil, it’s still on the market—and still moving units. Here’s how it happened.
Featured Ernie Smith 16 Jul 2015 marketing, video games, retail, commerce, gaming, globalization, sega, brazil, tectoy
Share this post
Today in Tedium: Here’s a true fact that will blow your mind—the game-maker Sega started out as an American company, not as a Japanese one. Sure, much of its success came about after it moved to Japan, but it was not by any means a company that necessarily needed Japan, like notable competitors Nintendo, Sony, and NEC did. While the company had one solid era of major success in the American market—where the Sega Genesis went toe-to-toe with the Super NES and became one of the most popular systems of the ’90s—it was Brazil where Sega really came into its own. Today, we explain exactly why this was, and what this says about gaming culture. — Ernie @ Tedium
5M
The number of Master System consoles on the market in Brazil, based on sales figures compiled by UOL Games in 2012. That’s a larger install base in Brazil than for the Genesis, which sold three million copies during its lifetime. The website notes a stunning fact—despite being a console that’s nearly 30 years old, it still sells around 150,000 units per year in the country. That’s a level that holds its own compared to more modern consoles like the Sony PlayStation 4.
But why is the Master System so popular in Brazil?
There are a number of reasons for this, but it basically comes down to a canny partnership on the part of Sega, who found the market relatively early and never really let it go. Here’s what’s keeping the Master System alive:
Good timing: While the Master System was technically a more powerful system than the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega was constantly playing catch-up to Nintendo in the United States. It didn’t have the games everyone wanted because Nintendo had exclusive licenses with nearly every large game maker of the era. But Nintendo had ignored Brazil, a country with roughly two-thirds the population of the U.S. but nearly as much interest in games. Sega, on the other hand, had built a licensing agreement with Tectoy, a local toy manufacturer. That agreement ensured the Sega would always have a backer in Brazil. And because Nintendo had ignored the market at first, NES piracy was rampant by the time it got there.
Like what you‘re reading?
Consider subscribing to our freaking newsletter. We publish stuff like this twice a week.
Learn More, Hoser
Nostalgia: Gamer memories of the Master System in Brazil rival those of the NES in the U.S., and because Sega eventually got out of the market for building new consoles, Tectoy was essentially left to market the Master System and Mega Drive (which you might know as the Genesis) by its lonesome. Rather than giving up on the system, the company adapted its approach, coming out with continually updated versions of the device and even producing new games long after the system had faded from view everywhere else.
Excessive import taxes: Around the time of the Playstation 4′s launch, it was revealed that Sony’s console had a pretty insane price for the Brazilian market. At a time when the system was selling for $399 in the U.S., an equivalent system was heading to Brazil for $1,899. “It’s not good for our gamers and it’s not good for the PlayStation brand,” Sony admitted, but said its hands were tied due to insanely high import taxes. Tectoy, meanwhile, doesn’t have this problem, because it produces the systems locally, meaning that you can get a Master System with 132 built-in games for around $50 in U.S. money at Walmart—a steal compared to the $712 price of the PS4 now.
“Buying original games in Brazil is so expensive that [it] even frightens. To give an idea, a just-launched game can cost up to BRL 250 in the country, almost half of the workers’ minimum salary. That explains why, according to surveys, Brazilians prefer to buy their games on travels abroad or from illegal sellers.”
— Juliana Mello, a writer for The Brazil Business, explaining how the country’s import laws limit the reach of modern games. Brazil is one of the largest markets in the world for video games, but because of a set of strict import taxes designed to ensure that locally built products get preference in the market, piracy has become rampant. Microsoft got around this problem with its Xboxes by creating factories to build consoles locally. As a result, the Xbox One, while still more expensive in Brazil than in the U.S., is still more than $100 cheaper than the cost of Sony’s Playstation models. (By the way, the exchange rate between the Brazilian Real and the U.S. dollar is 1 real for every 31 cents—so a single video game generally goes for around $80 in Brazil.)
