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New Sega Master System Hardware Debuts In Brazil

Posted by simoniker on from the never-forget dept.

jagripino writes "Brazilian SEGA licensee Tec Toy has announced a new edition of the Sega Master System hardware, the Master System Handy (Google Translation), another one in their series of portable SMS, following the SMS Compact and the pink SMS Girl. The system sports a new design, resembling a Dreamcast controller, comes with 27 built-in games and Composite Video Out (the previous compact systems had RF output only). No details yet on whether or not it has a cartridge port. Note to would-be importers: the system runs in PAL-M, it will work on NTSC TV sets in black & white. It's probably a trivial mod to make its output pure NTSC, but I won't know until I can get my hands on one." Definitely interesting to note that TecToy is a legitimate Sega licensee, unlike most third-party console hardware.

31 comments

  1. So, uh, what's on it? by Pluvius · · Score: 1

    Seems like that would be the most important bit of info.

    Rob (Gotta have Phantasy Star; don't see how it would be worth it otherwise)

    1. Re:So, uh, what's on it? by simoniker · · Score: 2, Informative

      Seems like there's a list of Master System games on the site, but it's not clear which of those is included, unfortunately.

    2. Re:So, uh, what's on it? by Trent05 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Rob (Gotta have Phantasy Star; don't see how it would be worth it otherwise)

      Phantasy Star was a classic and WAY ahead of its time I tought. There were other just kick-butt games for that system that never got the exposure they diserved, except for Shinobi.

      Shinobi - Rocked
      Double Dragon - FAR superior to the Nintendo version in graphics and it was 2 player!!!
      Wonderboy in Monsterland - Awesome side-scroller w/ some basic RPG elements
      ??Some Zelda-ripoff game. It was really well done, the graphics were sweet, and you could get a ship. Rented it one time, forget what it was??

      Anywho, I'm sure there were some other great ones too, but everyone else had NES sytems and only one of the rental stores carried games...grrrrrrrr

      --


      --
      The Marines: The few, the proud, the not very bright. - Slashdot tagline 04/21/05
    3. Re:So, uh, what's on it? by Fred+Or+Alive · · Score: 1

      I doubt it will have Phantasy Star, as I don't think they'll be putting battery backup in it. But a Portuguese version of Phantasy Star was made for the Brazilian market.

      --
      10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU ";
      20 GOTO 10
    4. Re:So, uh, what's on it? by jagripino · · Score: 1

      As someone else commented on the thread, the new system is unlikely to have Phantasy Star on it. And, if it had it, it would be in Portuguese, since an official translation was released here.

    5. Re:So, uh, what's on it? by Pluvius · · Score: 1

      Hmm. Nice to see that they have Alex Kidd in High-Tech World listed. That game was very unusual; there wasn't much action in it, but you had to walk around a school and solve puzzles so you could go to the arcade. Kind of like a computer adventure, I suppose, but it looked and acted like a platformer. I also owned Ghostbusters (much better than the NES version) and Monopoly (which had great graphics for the time).

      Then there was Missile Defense 3D on the ROM built into the console itself. I was always amused by those X3D press releases that talked about how revolutionary their 3D glasses were. Too bad Sega already did it fifteen years earlier. And they had an awesome 80's look to them, too.

      Rob

  2. SEGA == LOVE by tyoob · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So despite their previous announcements to the contrary, Sega's not REALLY out of the hardware business. They're just sneaky bastards!

    I, for one, still have my original SMS. I only have one game anymore, though, and that's Psycho Fox. But it's still good. The system's aged a bit better than the NES, despite having fewer titles.

    They should really see about making an NTSC one. It's bound to be a pretty trivial conversion for the manufacturers.

    --
    This sig was blatantly stolen from someone else.
    1. Re:SEGA == LOVE by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

      No, it's just that TecToy has never stopped manufacturing the Mega Drive (Genesis) and the Master System.

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
  3. I'll pass by lightspawn · · Score: 3, Informative

    since the Dreamcast is backward compatible with the SMS.

    P.S. source code is included, and the original developer needs somebody to maintain it. What are you waiting for?

    1. Re:I'll pass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      uhm, what are YOU waiting for? Learn to program instead of whining for someone to take it over :-P

    2. Re:I'll pass by Joe+Tie. · · Score: 1

      While I don't have the time to do anything with the code, I sure will send him a postcard now! I've gotten a huge amount of use out of that program.

      --
      Everything will be taken away from you.
    3. Re:I'll pass by GerbilSoft · · Score: 1

      "Backwards compatible" isn't the same as some guy writing an emulator.

      On the other hand, the Genesis is hardware compatible with the SMS, as it has the Z80 and a compatible video mode. All you need is a cartridge interface and the SMS BIOS, which is provided by the Power Base converter.

  4. NTSC by ColaMan · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You'll find that "most" tv's are multi-format compatible, being able to automatically detect and display PAL,NTSC and all of their variants without any hassles.

    (Blessed is the One-Chip-Multi-Format TV decoder, for it makes it's manufacturer a crapload of money, even in 10,000-unit quantities.)

    --

    You are in a twisty maze of processor lines, all alike.
    There is a lot of hype here.
    1. Re:NTSC by jagripino · · Score: 2, Interesting
      I doubt they can read PAL-M though. The Brazilian version of PAL is different from all the European ones in that it runs on 60Hz, just like NTSC. But the color information is encoded differently, as in the European PALs (there are many variations, B, D, G, etc).

      Of course, I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

    2. Re:NTSC by CronoCloud · · Score: 1

      Why the heck do the Brazilians use PAL of any sort. I thought the Western Hemisphere was pretty much all NTSC?

  5. Abandonware? Quasi-legal ROMs? by PurifyYourMind · · Score: 1

    I haven't kept up on the emulation scene lately, so I don't know the legality of possessing ROMs these days. This looks like a really cool product, but is it legal to have the ROMs that'd be included? I guess there's some confusion on which 20-something ROMs is on the thing, but I'd be interested in a more general answer too. Thanks.

    1. Re:Abandonware? Quasi-legal ROMs? by Leynos · · Score: 2, Informative
      Tectoy is the official licencee for Sega in Brazil, so it's perfectly legal. They've been publishing Sega's games there for years, up to and including the Dreamcast. They also produced a number of Brazil only Master System games, mostly ported from the Game Gear (eg, Gunstar Heroes and Sonic Blast), but they also released a quite respectable port of Street Fighter II. They were still releasing Master System up to 1998.

      I believe the Dreamcast is still being manufactured there under licence too.

      Later.

      --
      "Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?"
    2. Re:Abandonware? Quasi-legal ROMs? by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

      And don't forget Duke Nukem 3D for the Genesis! It looked about as good as Doom for SNES - but with no extra chips.

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
  6. snail maze game? by zorcon · · Score: 1

    but does it come with the SMS's original on-board Snail Maze game? Cause, w/o that, what's the point...I mean, that's all anyone really needs in life right?

    1. Re:snail maze game? by Fred+Or+Alive · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I doubt it, that was only ever on models without built in games, and I don't think any without built in games were made after the Master System 1. Even then, all the Master System 1's I've seen in the UK[1] have had built in games (Safari Hunt and Hang On IIRC), although SMS1's still have the nice startup animation, not the crappy still Sega logo on SMS2's.

      [1] One thing I love is the way Sonic Jam's museum lists all the Master System versions as Latin America only, which is strange as those games were all released in the UK too (SMS was dropped around 1994 in the UK IIRC, Brazil does have a few exclusives after that).

      --
      10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU ";
      20 GOTO 10
    2. Re:snail maze game? by Leynos · · Score: 1

      The Sonic 10th Aniversary pack that came with Sonic Adventure 2 lists that misinformation as well. It's kind of disappointing when a company doesn't know it's own history.

      --
      "Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?"
  7. Tec Toy's achievements by hoferbr · · Score: 1

    That is great news for Tec Toy...
    Tec Toy last great vg was a version of the Dreamcast, but since that console wasn't that successful, the company was nowhere to be seen.
    They were also responsible for a Mega Drive (Genesis in the US) version of Duke Nukem, and it was quite good. But probably their biggest accomplishment was a modem for the Mega Drive called Mega Net that allowed its users to read email and even play games online (Mortal Kombat, Fifa'94, and a few others). And the accessory was launched when the Mega Drive was in its prime (1994 i think), years before Dreamcast, the first successful online compatible video game.

    1. Re:Tec Toy's achievements by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Is that the same as the Xband modem? If not there's at least one other competing product. I used to have a genesis xband modem but I gave it away with the rest of my genesis stuff in a trade.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Tec Toy's achievements by jagripino · · Score: 1

      There were two versions of the Mega Drive/Genesis modem here in Brazil, the first one was a solution engineered by Tec Toy *I don't think if would allow online games, though) and the second one is a Xband clone, which would allow "online" (direct dial-up) games.

      There was also a third version which was released by a bank for online banking with the Mega Drive!

    3. Re:Tec Toy's achievements by hoferbr · · Score: 1

      Wow... how wrong was I. The first version of MegaNet didn't support online games, and the second version was indeed based on Xband.
      from http://ssdc.ucsd.edu/news/mexico/h96/mexico.199604 04.html :
      Catapult Entertainment of Cupertino, CA, will sell its XBAND unit for the Sega Mega Drive in Brazil through Tec Toy Industria de Brinquedos. Tec Toy has a 75% share of the video game market and was the first company outside Japan to manufacture Sega products. XBAND is the only real-time online video game network for game consoles. Tec Toy also introduced Mega Drive cartridges to provide home banking, and access to Internet for Email, information and shopping. Tec Toy says there are one million hard-core video game players in Brazil. Investors in Catapult include Viacom, Blockbuster, and Nissho Iwai.

  8. Cool Beans by fiftyvolts · · Score: 1

    I loved my SMS I, unfortunately it has basically died of natural causes it's so old. This has lead me to the legal use of some ROMS (which is more than most people say ;-) I hope that I'll be able to get my grubby little hands on this device!

    --
    100% Crunchier
  9. Where can I get one? by BTWR · · Score: 1

    I have a friend in Brazil and this seems PERFECT for him! Where can I buy one?

    1. Re:Where can I get one? by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

      You mean importing it from Brazil, then sending it back to Brazil? It'd be cheaper (and a much getter gift) to get him a Dreamcast, and a CD with a ton of SMS ROMs+emulator! Obligatory link... DC Emulation

      Or just send him the money and tell him to get an used Dreamcast, they're pretty cheap 'round here.

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
    2. Re:Where can I get one? by BTWR · · Score: 1
      You mean importing it from Brazil, then sending it back to Brazil?

      Yeah, I do mean that. More expensive, yeah. But it's so much better as a present than cash or a modified dreamcast which he won't understand (unfortunately).

    3. Re:Where can I get one? by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

      > Yeah, I do mean that. More expensive, yeah.
      > But it's so much better as a present than cash
      > or a modified dreamcast which he won't
      > understand (unfortunately).

      First of all, you do not need a modded Dreamcast to run burned CDs; the only mod available, as far as I know, is a region chip. But they are not relevant, as you can use a boot disk to play. Burning the emulator CDs may be tricky, but you can find detailed tutorials at:

      [ www.dcemulation.com ]

      Now, I must insist: a Master System would be an AWFUL gift, it could even destroy your friendship - I know I'd be royally annoyed if somebody gave me that piece of junk!

      You know, this reminds me of when my aunt gave me a dorky t-shirt as a birthday gift. It was so... bleh... I could not even force myself to pretend that I liked it! Sure, she wasted her time and money to buy something that she honestly thought I'd appreciate... but in the end it was a very bland, uninteresting gift.

      And so would be a Sega Master System. Puh-leeze, that is an almost 20 year old system, damnit! It's an old piece of junk - except for nostalgics, who can either play its games under emulation, or buy an used machine and a bunch of games for a fraction of the new one's price.

      If your friend likes games, get him a respectable machine, like a Dreamcast, or maybe a Gameboy Advance SP. I am sure he will appreciate it a lot more.

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
  10. WAYYYYYY old news by mrshowtime · · Score: 1

    Last time I checked, the portable Master System came out almost a decade ago; it's called a GAME GEAR! :)

    --
    "Jeremy, you need to get to an internet cafe and cut and paste some appropriate sentiments about me from the world wide