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Would anyone happen to know when the Master System was discontinued in japan, North America and Europe?

1992 is often considered the EoL for the SMS but its not totally clear when it was discontinued in Europe due to popularity even into 1993. However, by 1993 It was not considered relevant in Japan it was also officially discontinued in North America the year prior.

NA - 1992
JP - 1993
EU - 1996

I assume you could predict the SMS' discontinuation in Europe was probably between 1994 and 1997 with the boom of 32bit CD based options and 3D graphics. The site linked below notes it at 1996.

The Japanese date is just an assumption as I couldnt find any solid source that notes it at a specific date.

https://segaretro.org/History_of_the_Sega_Master_System

IllusionOfMana wrote

1992 is often considered the EoL for the SMS but its not totally clear when it was discontinued in Europe due to popularity even into 1993. However, by 1993 It was not considered relevant in Japan it was also officially discontinued in North America the year prior.

NA - 1992
JP - 1993
EU - 1996

I assume you could predict the SMS' discontinuation in Europe was probably between 1994 and 1997 with the boom of 32bit CD based options and 3D graphics. The site linked below notes it at 1996.

The Japanese date is just an assumption as I couldnt find any solid source that notes it at a specific date.

https://segaretro.org/History_of_the_Sega_Master_System

Thanks for the reply,
But I think I didnt word the question correctly.
The question should have been when was the original Master Sytem discontinued.
The Master System II would have definetly gone onto those dates you provided so did the original master system run side by side with the SMS II for a time or was it discontinued straight away?

Not sure if this will help but I can certainly say the SMS couldn't be considered discontinued in the UK until 1995 at the very earliest, since I was really late to the party and bought my Master System 2 console brand new from Argos (UK retailer) in March 1994, and I definetely remember Virgin Megastore was still selling brand new SMS games (and brand new SMS2 consoles) for a good while after I bought my console too. I distinctly remember seeing Daffy Duck In Hollywood for sale in Virgin Megastore, and that was released around November/December of 1994.

EDIT: Sorry I didn't see your post above so this probably isn't relevant. I'll leave it here anyway.

TheAssassin wrote

Not sure if this will help but I can certainly say the SMS couldn't be considered discontinued in the UK until 1995 at the very earliest, since I was really late to the party and bought my Master System 2 console brand new from Argos (UK retailer) in March 1994, and I definetely remember Virgin Megastore was still selling brand new SMS games (and brand new SMS2 consoles) for a good while after I bought my console too. I distinctly remember seeing Daffy Duck In Hollywood for sale in Virgin Megastore, and that was released around November/December of 1994.

EDIT: Sorry I didn't see your post above so this probably isn't relevant. I'll leave it here anyway.

It looks like in the UK the SMS II was around till 1996 by all reports. But the original SMS was I believe around 1990 - 1991 in europe still not sure though. Do you know of any UK magazines that would have that info?

SMS I was still present in spain (and no sights of SMS II) on December 1990 (I have a Spanish magazine with a report about current consoles).

megaocio21frontpage.PNG (3.8 MB)

megaocio21page1.PNG (3.22 MB)

megaocio21page2.PNG (1.45 MB)

I imagine stock of the SMS1 would have lasted for as long as it lasted... Arguably it wasn't obsolete as the SMS2 lacked a card slot, so people might still want the original. Having said that, I don't remember seeing the SMS1 in the UK at the same time as the SMS2.

When no new games are being released, I would regard the system as discontinued. In that case I would say:

Japan: 1989 (last game Bomber Raid)
USA: 1991 (last game Sonic the Hedgehog)
Europe: 1996 (last game The Smurfs Travel the World) I'm sure it varies from country to country in Europe though.

Ok here is what I have so far:

JAPAN:
Mark III 1985-1987
SMS 1987-1989

USA
SMS 1986-1991
SMS II 1990 -1992

EUROPE
SMS 1986-1991
SMS II 1991-1996

AUSTRALIA
SMS 1987-1991
SMS II 1991-1995

SOUTH KOREA
Mark III 1988-1989
SMS 1989-1991
SMS II 1991-1995

BRAZIL
SMS 1989-1991
SMS II 1991-2003

all input welcome

Keep in mind if a Sega HQ of a region states its discontinuation then that's when it stops for that region, not when the last game is produced. Else wed have to consider it still alive or revived due to the amount of home brew that still happens for it lol.

BIG D wrote

Ok here is what I have so far:

*A lot of sites say the SMS II was released in 1990 yet there is no evidence in any magazines, help needed here!

Huh? I quoted a few magazines for you in the previous edition of this topic! :)

http://www.smspower.org/forums/17072-MasterSystemIIReleaseDate#102481

Big D, I don't know about other European countries, but the SMS wasn't released in the UK till 1987. This is something I have researched pretty thoroughly.

I think the early German and Italian semi prototype releases predate the UK release, so it's likely they were in 1986.

Quote

BRAZIL
SMS 1989-1991
SMS II 1991-2003

Brazil's Model 2 was released as Master System III Compact. The reason is that when the SMS2 was released in other regions, Tec Toy wasn't ready to discontinue the first model and switch the manufacturing process to the new model. So they kept the first design with the new BIOS.and sold it with the Master System II name.

I'm pretty sure the Master System III was not released until 1992 or early 1993.

The Master System BIOS on my Master System II has a 1988 copyright. It has Missile Defense, so I think it's a TecToy SMS1 rebranded as SMS II. Anyway, you can't take copyright dates as a realiable source.

Confusing, huhh?

TinchoDJ wrote

Quote

BRAZIL
SMS 1989-1991
SMS II 1991-2003

Brazil's Model 2 was released as Master System III Compact. The reason is that when the SMS2 was released in other regions, Tec Toy wasn't ready to discontinue the first model and switch the manufacturing process to the new model. So they kept the first design with the new BIOS.and sold it with the Master System II name.

I'm pretty sure the Master System III was not released until 1992 or early 1993.

The Master System BIOS on my Master System II has a 1988 copyright. It has Missile Defense, so I think it's a TecToy SMS1 rebranded as SMS II. Anyway, you can't take copyright dates as a realiable source.

Confusing, huhh?

According to some sources I found, Master System II, or Master System III Compact, was released in Brazil in 1992.
But, besides the handheld version which I think it was called Master System IV or Master System Super Compact, Tec Toy continued to issue Master System consoles as "collector's edition" (or something) with several built-in games until last year, I guess.

TheAssassin wrote

Big D, I don't know about other European countries, but the SMS wasn't released in the UK till 1987. This is something I have researched pretty thoroughly.

As Maxim posted it had a test release in Germany so technically it was released in Europe in 1986

Centrale wrote

BIG D wrote

Ok here is what I have so far:

*A lot of sites say the SMS II was released in 1990 yet there is no evidence in any magazines, help needed here!

Huh? I quoted a few magazines for you in the previous edition of this topic! :)

http://www.smspower.org/forums/17072-MasterSystemIIReleaseDate#102481

I forgot about that thread Centrale, thanks.
Well it sounds like the US release was 1990 I will edit this.
Thanks again

Anyone see any other changes that are needed to the list?

Author	Message
BIG D Joined: 09 Jan 2018 Posts: 228 Location: Melbourne, Australia	Master System discontinue date? Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 8:45 am
	Would anyone happen to know when the Master System was discontinued in japan, North America and Europe?

IllusionOfMana Joined: 08 Sep 2018 Posts: 270	Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 10:43 pm
IllusionOfMana Joined: 08 Sep 2018 Posts: 270	1992 is often considered the EoL for the SMS but its not totally clear when it was discontinued in Europe due to popularity even into 1993. However, by 1993 It was not considered relevant in Japan it was also officially discontinued in North America the year prior. NA - 1992 JP - 1993 EU - 1996 I assume you could predict the SMS' discontinuation in Europe was probably between 1994 and 1997 with the boom of 32bit CD based options and 3D graphics. The site linked below notes it at 1996. The Japanese date is just an assumption as I couldnt find any solid source that notes it at a specific date. https://segaretro.org/History_of_the_Sega_Master_System

BIG D Joined: 09 Jan 2018 Posts: 228 Location: Melbourne, Australia	Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:23 pm
	IllusionOfMana wrote 1992 is often considered the EoL for the SMS but its not totally clear when it was discontinued in Europe due to popularity even into 1993. However, by 1993 It was not considered relevant in Japan it was also officially discontinued in North America the year prior. NA - 1992 JP - 1993 EU - 1996 I assume you could predict the SMS' discontinuation in Europe was probably between 1994 and 1997 with the boom of 32bit CD based options and 3D graphics. The site linked below notes it at 1996. The Japanese date is just an assumption as I couldnt find any solid source that notes it at a specific date. https://segaretro.org/History_of_the_Sega_Master_System Thanks for the reply, But I think I didnt word the question correctly. The question should have been when was the original Master Sytem discontinued. The Master System II would have definetly gone onto those dates you provided so did the original master system run side by side with the SMS II for a time or was it discontinued straight away?

TheAssassin Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 177	Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:39 pm
TheAssassin Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 177	Not sure if this will help but I can certainly say the SMS couldn't be considered discontinued in the UK until 1995 at the very earliest, since I was really late to the party and bought my Master System 2 console brand new from Argos (UK retailer) in March 1994, and I definetely remember Virgin Megastore was still selling brand new SMS games (and brand new SMS2 consoles) for a good while after I bought my console too. I distinctly remember seeing Daffy Duck In Hollywood for sale in Virgin Megastore, and that was released around November/December of 1994. EDIT: Sorry I didn't see your post above so this probably isn't relevant. I'll leave it here anyway.

BIG D Joined: 09 Jan 2018 Posts: 228 Location: Melbourne, Australia	Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:46 pm
	TheAssassin wrote Not sure if this will help but I can certainly say the SMS couldn't be considered discontinued in the UK until 1995 at the very earliest, since I was really late to the party and bought my Master System 2 console brand new from Argos (UK retailer) in March 1994, and I definetely remember Virgin Megastore was still selling brand new SMS games (and brand new SMS2 consoles) for a good while after I bought my console too. I distinctly remember seeing Daffy Duck In Hollywood for sale in Virgin Megastore, and that was released around November/December of 1994. EDIT: Sorry I didn't see your post above so this probably isn't relevant. I'll leave it here anyway. It looks like in the UK the SMS II was around till 1996 by all reports. But the original SMS was I believe around 1990 - 1991 in europe still not sure though. Do you know of any UK magazines that would have that info?

kusfo Joined: 29 Mar 2012 Posts: 886 Location: Spain	Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 6:19 am
kusfo Joined: 29 Mar 2012 Posts: 886 Location: Spain	SMS I was still present in spain (and no sights of SMS II) on December 1990 (I have a Spanish magazine with a report about current consoles). megaocio21frontpage.PNG (3.8 MB) megaocio21page1.PNG (3.22 MB) megaocio21page2.PNG (1.45 MB)

Maxim Site Admin Joined: 19 Oct 1999 Posts: 14745 Location: London	Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 6:46 am
	I imagine stock of the SMS1 would have lasted for as long as it lasted... Arguably it wasn't obsolete as the SMS2 lacked a card slot, so people might still want the original. Having said that, I don't remember seeing the SMS1 in the UK at the same time as the SMS2.

tommy1983 Joined: 18 Dec 2009 Posts: 114 Location: Norway	Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 8:27 am
	When no new games are being released, I would regard the system as discontinued. In that case I would say: Japan: 1989 (last game Bomber Raid) USA: 1991 (last game Sonic the Hedgehog) Europe: 1996 (last game The Smurfs Travel the World) I'm sure it varies from country to country in Europe though.

BIG D Joined: 09 Jan 2018 Posts: 228 Location: Melbourne, Australia	Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 8:58 am Last edited by BIG D on Sun Jun 09, 2019 1:27 am; edited 1 time in total
	Ok here is what I have so far: JAPAN: Mark III 1985-1987 SMS 1987-1989 USA SMS 1986-1991 SMS II 1990 -1992 EUROPE SMS 1986-1991 SMS II 1991-1996 AUSTRALIA SMS 1987-1991 SMS II 1991-1995 SOUTH KOREA Mark III 1988-1989 SMS 1989-1991 SMS II 1991-1995 BRAZIL SMS 1989-1991 SMS II 1991-2003 all input welcome

IllusionOfMana Joined: 08 Sep 2018 Posts: 270	Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:43 pm
IllusionOfMana Joined: 08 Sep 2018 Posts: 270	Keep in mind if a Sega HQ of a region states its discontinuation then that's when it stops for that region, not when the last game is produced. Else wed have to consider it still alive or revived due to the amount of home brew that still happens for it lol.

Centrale Joined: 06 Apr 2015 Posts: 89	Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 1:50 pm
Centrale Joined: 06 Apr 2015 Posts: 89	BIG D wrote Ok here is what I have so far: *A lot of sites say the SMS II was released in 1990 yet there is no evidence in any magazines, help needed here! Huh? I quoted a few magazines for you in the previous edition of this topic! :) http://www.smspower.org/forums/17072-MasterSystemIIReleaseDate#102481

TheAssassin Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 177	Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 1:22 am
TheAssassin Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 177	Big D, I don't know about other European countries, but the SMS wasn't released in the UK till 1987. This is something I have researched pretty thoroughly.

Maxim Site Admin Joined: 19 Oct 1999 Posts: 14745 Location: London	Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 6:29 am
	I think the early German and Italian semi prototype releases predate the UK release, so it's likely they were in 1986.

TinchoDJ Joined: 12 Jan 2005 Posts: 187 Location: Reconquista, Santa Fe, Argentina	Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 12:24 pm
	Quote BRAZIL SMS 1989-1991 SMS II 1991-2003 Brazil's Model 2 was released as Master System III Compact. The reason is that when the SMS2 was released in other regions, Tec Toy wasn't ready to discontinue the first model and switch the manufacturing process to the new model. So they kept the first design with the new BIOS.and sold it with the Master System II name. I'm pretty sure the Master System III was not released until 1992 or early 1993. The Master System BIOS on my Master System II has a 1988 copyright. It has Missile Defense, so I think it's a TecToy SMS1 rebranded as SMS II. Anyway, you can't take copyright dates as a realiable source. Confusing, huhh?

extra skater Joined: 19 Jun 2016 Posts: 15	Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 11:40 pm
extra skater Joined: 19 Jun 2016 Posts: 15	TinchoDJ wrote Quote BRAZIL SMS 1989-1991 SMS II 1991-2003 Brazil's Model 2 was released as Master System III Compact. The reason is that when the SMS2 was released in other regions, Tec Toy wasn't ready to discontinue the first model and switch the manufacturing process to the new model. So they kept the first design with the new BIOS.and sold it with the Master System II name. I'm pretty sure the Master System III was not released until 1992 or early 1993. The Master System BIOS on my Master System II has a 1988 copyright. It has Missile Defense, so I think it's a TecToy SMS1 rebranded as SMS II. Anyway, you can't take copyright dates as a realiable source. Confusing, huhh? According to some sources I found, Master System II, or Master System III Compact, was released in Brazil in 1992. But, besides the handheld version which I think it was called Master System IV or Master System Super Compact, Tec Toy continued to issue Master System consoles as "collector's edition" (or something) with several built-in games until last year, I guess.

BIG D Joined: 09 Jan 2018 Posts: 228 Location: Melbourne, Australia	Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2019 1:21 am
	TheAssassin wrote Big D, I don't know about other European countries, but the SMS wasn't released in the UK till 1987. This is something I have researched pretty thoroughly. As Maxim posted it had a test release in Germany so technically it was released in Europe in 1986

BIG D Joined: 09 Jan 2018 Posts: 228 Location: Melbourne, Australia	Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2019 1:26 am
	Centrale wrote BIG D wrote Ok here is what I have so far: *A lot of sites say the SMS II was released in 1990 yet there is no evidence in any magazines, help needed here! Huh? I quoted a few magazines for you in the previous edition of this topic! :) http://www.smspower.org/forums/17072-MasterSystemIIReleaseDate#102481 I forgot about that thread Centrale, thanks. Well it sounds like the US release was 1990 I will edit this. Thanks again

BIG D Joined: 09 Jan 2018 Posts: 228 Location: Melbourne, Australia	Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2019 1:28 am
	Anyone see any other changes that are needed to the list?

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