New Sega Master System Hardware Debuts In Brazil

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.

Comments

SEGA == LOVE

[tyoob]

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.

NTSC

[ColaMan]

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.)

Re:NTSC

[jagripino]

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.

Re:So, uh, what's on it?

[Trent05]

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

Re:snail maze game?

[Fred Or Alive]

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).