The third console curse: Which was the biggest stumble?

[Soundwave]

HoloDust said:

curl-6 said:

Well, I learned something new today!
I never knew the SG-1000 was its own thing; as someone not that familiar with Sega when I always thought it was kinda like the Famicom to the Master System's NES, a JP only version of the same console that looked different and released earlier. Cool stuff.

Although if we get technical we could also argue for stuff like the Colour Game TV for Nintendo which muddy the waters still further.

I'm gonna let the poll and such stay as is for now, so as not to wipe the input received so far. We can just consider it third major console as stuff like SG-1000 and Colour Game TV didn't see global release.

Yeah, SG-1000 was very similar to ColecoVision, which, while as an actual start of 3rd generation in '82 was quite superior to Atari 2600, was not enough for SG-1000 to go head to head against Famicom in 83.

SEGA MarK III, aka Master System, 2 years later, is then in turn quite better system than NES - but Famicom/NES were quite cleverly designed - give consumers very solid base console and then have them pay really expensive cartridges that pack additional hardware as well for even better looking games.

Yep, though Nintendo got there way first with what I would say was a full generation leap over devices like Atari and Colecovision and indeed the SG-1000.

When people say "Nintendo always used underpowered hardware!" and especially point to the NES, they really don't know what they're talking about. The SG-1000 and Famicom, released on the same exact day and the Famicom would be more like a Sega Dreamcast versus a Sony Playstation 1 (SG-1000). 

Like I'm sure the SG-1000 has fun games, but performance wise, even the first Super Mario Bros. game (which isn't near the top for the Famicom/NES in graphics) looks, plays, and feels like it's from a generation ahead of all these games:

The Sega Master System was released 2 1/2 years after the Famicom, of course it had better hardware by then, but again 2 1/2 years is a huge gap, and while the Master System had better visual capability, it wasn't a generational leap past the Famicom, the Mega Drive was but that wouldn't release until late 1988 in Japan, a full 5 1/2 years after the Famicom. 

Last edited by Soundwave - on 15 October 2024