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Soviet/USSR/Russian Master System with no card slot
![]() Last edited by Bock on Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:45 am; edited 3 times in total |
I have purchased from Russia this Master System that I had never seen before. It has no card slot, no reset button and output in SECAM standard.
You can see the serial number is B00001086 suggesting that very few were made at the time. It is dated 1990. |
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Here's the internals.
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Manual
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And photos of the manual.
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That just looks so odd lacking those familiar features, and there is no power light either. | |
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Congrats :)
Also no expansion port, A/V OUT, and "POWER ON" is centered, suggesting no power light either. Basically an SMS2 in a modified SMS1 case. The "missing link" so to speak. Remarkable that things like this still turn up after 20+ years, and who would've thought that SMS was officially released in Russia/Soviet Union. I wonder if the games had localised manuals or boxes, or if they just received the standard European titles without any localisation. |
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Wow, that is very awesome !
Looks like a SMS2 in SMS1 to me too as mentioned before, like MD1 VA7 which is MD2 in MD1 shell. |
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Amazing find!
Anything special on start-up screen / bios? |
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I kept mixing myself by the labelling but it is indeed a product of Soviet Union. I mistakenly assumed that 1990 being post Berlin Wall the Soviet Union was already dissolved but in fact it lasted until 1991.
For information, the unit was found in ACHINSK which is located in the very middle of the continent: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&cl... |
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Nah, the Master System II Internals are totally different...
There's a good one on your forums.. (too new to post links tho) smspower.org/uploads/Development/PALMasterSystemIIICBDM4JrPAL-2-Component.jpg |
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I wonder if it is possible Sega were testing the water, in a localised area, how well received this version was before a general release; but then totally changed the design to the SMS II?
Or perhaps it was just a cost saving design to release at the cheapest possible price point, not sure what the state of the country was like back then? |
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Or maybe the master system II was initially supposed to be like this but then, they decided the design was too old school ? | |
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heh, kinda interesting! Something licensed in Russia in 90's? It's hard to believe, but maybe somehow it possible. Is It working? Manual says there's should be built-in game - Alex Kidd in miracle world(АЛЕКС КИД в мире грёз)! So you can play without cartridge! And also on last page it says - Printed in Japan(Отпечатанно в Японии) wich I think not true! | |
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That's an interesting place for it to end up, it's actually on the Trans-Siberian Railway which runs all the way from Vladivostok in the Russian far east to Moscow. I'd guess they were shipped to Vladivostok and then transported across the country by rail, so maybe more might turn up in cities along that route. |
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Soviet/Russian Master System with no card slot (1990)
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Nice find!
The date codes on the ICs are all mid-1990 so it was probably manufactured in late 1990. It very much a still an SMS1 layout than a SMS2. I'd say it's most likely a product revision right between the SMS and SMS2. You have to remember at this stage there weren't really any accessories especially outside of Japan that used the expansion slot and I can imagine that game cards and 3D glasses sales where slim to none compared to game cart sales. So these features were probably removed for a better cost point. Anyway I think it's pretty cool. |
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Soviet Master system
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Well. As i know SMS in ussr was imported from sega to special Shops (there was shops in Ussr where you could buy imported electronics but only if you have special Bills that was equal to Inernational Rubble money)(cause for international trips you would get different Rubbles,that you could exchange to different currency, but in Local use was different Rubbles) Surely there was import only in Moscow and probably not more than 5000 units (really i think that there was only 2000) So there was no retail shops and no carts or other parts for SMS (except console in box) available. Produced in 1990 and imported in the end - to New Year hollydays. And at 1991 - Ussr collapsed so all contracts were terminated. As there were no games available in 90s for SMS (unless your parents were working in Germany or some other countries where was official distribution) kids were dissapointed and were playing only in built inn Alex Kidd.(In Russia there were a really hard times - average salary was about 60$-100$) So you can imagine parents reaction if you need to buy a game that cost you half of average salary. But in 1992 local retailer "Steepler" started to distribute Famiclone(dendy) and all kids was hunting fot dendy and games. Obviously no one cares about this weird SMS system. And as it was rare (2000-5000 units) almost all of them were thrown out to trash. Even now there is minority of people in Russia that knows what is Sega master system is.because all kids in russia played in Mega drive(as the first console from sega). So maybe somewhere in Russia still there is a soviet Sms(in someones storage) but we will never know cause no one cares about it. :-) thats my thoughts. And about hardware. Surely it was a localisation for Ussr. Translation of Manual is in High quality(trust me i know russian,cause its my native language) To reduce cost they throw everything they could. Also it may have influence to SMS 2 system cause it almost the same in functionality view. SECAM was standard TV output in Russia, they get it from France cause Ussr had best diplomatic relations with them(from all of west countries.) So yep its a rare ones. |
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I doubt they intended to release the MS2 there at all, ive seen that console version somewhere else too, with Alex Kidd built in, no card, no RGB, etc... | |
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sms
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Well maybe there is a chance that it is brasilian versiin just really unknown |
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One of these sold in the UK recently, annoyingly I didn't notice it in time. It came in a standard Alex Kidd SMS box with a picture of the normal SMS. Maybe it's not the original box, but the built in game fits at least. The listing noted that it's not the original power adapter (I guess that the original wasn't much use in the UK). The seller had a Russian name.
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Sega entered the Russian market again in 1994, through "Nissho Iwai" and local distributor "Forrus" (Форрус). They sold SMS II, GG, and MD. They even had their own Sega TV show.
News of Sega releasing consoles in Russia through Nissho Iwai (1994) [Russian] Russian Sega show featuring SMS II commercial (1994) Russian Sega pamphlet (I think MD on other side, but I don't think that I ever saved that, and the original source is probably long gone); ![]() |
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I recently found one of these in a retro store in Riga, the guy said he got it from Germany.
Note the serial number B00000301 which is quite low. Thanks to the Russian dude in these forums who gave a background of this machine, it is excellent information. I wrote a longer blog about the unit here but it seems my new account cant post links if you goto www . honkeykongcountry . ee you will see the post there |
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Nice !
Always wondered about the retro market in the baltic states as I've bought a couple of strange megadrive pirate stuff from estonia every now and then. Would love to hear from you. |
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Thanks for sharing. Another one from Russia. It looks like maybe no more than 2000 manufactured.
Looking at the dates on the chips, it looks like they manufactured this after they were already manufacturing SMS IIs. Maybe they thought this design was more appealing to the Russian market, or maybe they already had these shells made up for the original SMS II design. Note that back of shell has "CH3-CH4" embossed, this was used in North America. Australia and New Zealand used CH0-CH1 and CH2-CH3, whilst for Europe it wasn't selectable. Clearly the shell wasn't designed specifically for Russia as all the writing is in Latin alphabet/English. |
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price of this soviet model?
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Hi, my dad gives me long time ago this console and i just recently found out that, it isn't ordinary model of SMS.
It does work, although i had to buy adapter, but it is adapter for SMS2,can i damage it with it? Well my questions in about price, i don't want to sell it right know, but i would like to know. Thanks |
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Hello everione. Today i buy this model MS. Serial number: B00001068
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How can I contribute info about USSR SMS1 variant?
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Hiyas
I have a genuine Master System 1 which was produced for the USSR. I also made a video about it. I can't seem to post links however There is already a thread about it on these forums however I'd like to know how I can formally contribute more information (PCB image, IC info) so it can be included on the variations list on this site. Sorry for dumbass question, happy to help how I can thanks Louis |
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You can post links after you have posted a few more times. You can attach images to your posts to contribute them. | |
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The best way would be to post in the existing threads and use attachments. (In the case of a YT video we'll be able to download it using youtube-dl).
We currently don't have formal hardware database, but forums and attachment are designed to persist and can be used for reference if/when we end up building different type of contents. (Make 2 dummy posts below and you'll be able to post links. It's a unfortunate measure against bots we had to put in place) |
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Thank you for the feedback, I'll prepare the info with pics and details and make a post about it. | |
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Bit of topic but did you find it in Estonia ?
Was planning to come and visit Tallinn and Tartu last summer in part to try and find some old videogames from the 90s era but with the pandemic... |
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I got this one from a games store in Riga, Latvia. I think the guy didn't know what he had, but he said he bought it around 1997 in Berlin.
I made a video about it here I don't think Estonia or Latvia Estonia is a lovely place to visit but I don't think it's a good destination for game hunting :) There are some items for sale in our local online classifieds but its usually somewhat over priced. Having said that, I did find a French SMS1 in a local second hand store recently but this and the USSR SMS1 are rare finds. These pickup experiences happened over several years of deliberate looking through stores on a weekly basis |
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How can I contribute info about USSR SMS1 variant?
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Insightful video. I enjoyed it. | |
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I finally got around to making some high quality pictures of the motherboard.
As you can see the design and model is quite unique, this is not like any other SMS board. The main chips and layout is there but the fabrication process is different. Also I can not work out what that Hitachi chip does in the top middle. I have verified this unit does output SECAM but I can not work out how it is generating SECAM, it uses the standard Sony CXA encoder which should only output PAL or NTSC. I made a video to document what I have learnt about this motherboard revision |
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Fascinating!
Not just this pcb, but also the general working of an SMS, thanks |
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LOL, I came here to post a link to the video. Glad you beat me to it Luis! What an interesting find...I wonder what would happen if you added a DIN and the missing components? | |
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I've been studying the fall of USSR lately (and the beginning of the russian republic) and considering how catastrophic the economy was in the country during the 90s, it just baffles my mind why on earth would they decide to release and try to actually sell those. | |
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Bob: I poked around at the pads and also looked at how the traces connect to them. I got some signals off the pads which did seem like RGBs but it wasnt quite normal. Looking at how the traces from the pads go directly back to the VDP, my guess is that if you out a DIN on here, it would act much like a French SMS and you would need that SCART cable with the box in the middle.
Even though this SMS has the Sony CXA encoder, the pads seem to be directly wired to the VDP which is what happens in the French system. I have that French cable and it would be interesting to test, but I want to find a better way to connect to the pads without permanently putting solder into these fresh pads. The reason then the system had the CXA encoder is to produce composite which is turned into RF (which the French system doesnt do and therefore does not have the CXA encoder) and Kenneth It is an interesting question. As a (very) amateur historian on this topic, I think that with hindsight ~30 years later its really hard to understand that the fall of the soviet union was not a given and it really was not a given to western companies who had little insight into the real internal running of the country. Precious few Western companies had cracked the market. Pepsi had been doing it since the 70s but that was really it. In January 1990 McDonalds opened in Moscow and it was a BIG thing. Such glorious western products at prices which were not cheap but also affordable for a very special treat. Things seemed great, it seemed like the country was opening up and there could be a way for the Soviet Union to function, finally Gorby got a win, his Perestroika reforms, so far kinda of pie in the sky to regular citizens, had brought something very real and desirable to Moscow. Then in ~May 1990 Pizza Hit opens up. That is just two companies but this really is huge for the USSR. Then by August of 1991 the whole Soviet Union is over. 18 months after McDonalds had opened. I think in hindsight its easy to say "yeah that dumpster fire was always going to go up in smoke" but I think it wasnt as clear because the soviets were very good at hiding the real state of their country. Then you have Western companies looking at Mcd and Pizza Hut and eyeing off ~300 million new consumers, that is a tantalizing market. Big risk and big reward. Incidentally McD survived the fall of the USSR because they had spent something like 17 years from first contact to opening of the store. They also did EVERYTHING themselves. Farms, transport centers, central producing facities, they vertically handled their whole segment. When everything fell apart they were in a better position to keep their supply chain going. Pizza Hit fared less well in the next few years. They had relied more on independent farmers from various regions around the USSR. I forget the exact facts but it was something like their cheese was produced in Belarus and basically overnight that was a whole new country which they had to "import" from, if that farm even existed. If you want more background on how McD got into the USSR, my friend and I recorded a podcast about it https://anchor.fm/comedyguy/episodes/92--The-story-of-McDonalds-in-the-Soviet-Un... |
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