Sega

Sega Corporation is a former home computer and console manufacturer, which had success in both arcades and the home console market before leaving the console business in 2001 to concentrate on software development for multiple platforms. Sega was originally founded in 1940 as Standard Games (later Service Games) in Honolulu, Hawaii, by Martin Bromely, Irving Bromberg and James Humpert to provide coin-operated amusements for American servicemen on military bases. The company subsequently moved to Tokyo, Japan in 1951 and in May 1952 "SErvice GAmes of Japan" was registered.

Sega entered the video game console market in 1983 with the introduction of the SG-1000 in Japan, with further releases in Australia, New Zealand and Europe (although not North America). This was soon followed in 1986 by the 8-bit cartridge-based console, the Sega Master System and its handheld version, the Sega Game Gear in 1990. Subsequent consoles included the Mega Drive (known as Genesis in the US) in 1988 and its handheld version, the Sega Nomad, which was released only in North America and Japan.

In 1995 Sega released the Sega Saturn, which utilised a 32 bit processor and preceded both the PlayStation and the Nintendo 64. However, poor sales led to the console being abandoned within 3 years. This led to a decline in the console market for Sega, and the Sega Dreamcast was launched in 1998/1990 in order to redeem the company from overwhelming debt. Although the Dreamcast became the fastest-selling video game console until the 2000 launch of Sony's PlayStation 2, but it failed to gather a foothold in the market against the Sony PlayStation and the Nintendo 64, with the launch of the PS2 merely sealing its fate. In 2001, Sega discontinued the Dreamcast, thus ending its life as a video game hardware manufacturer.

Consoles

• SG-1000
• Master System
• Mega Drive (Genesis)
• Saturn
• Dreamcast

Handhelds

• Sega Game Gear
• Sega Mega Jet
• Sega Nomad

Other systems

• Sega Multi-Mega/Sega CDX - an Audio CD portable with the functionalities of a Sega Mega Drive and Sega Mega-CD/Sega CD.
• Sega TeraDrive - A 16-bit PC with an integrated Mega Drive. Came with a Software Development Kit to allow creation of Mega Drive games. The system was only released in Japan.
• Sega Neptune - A Sega Mega Drive/32X hybrid. It never passed the prototype stage. Only two empty cases are known to exist.
• Sega Pico - an educational gaming system.
• Sega PC - a division or label of Sega that produced PC versions of Sega games.