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Japanese Mega Drive (model 1) with controller

Mega Drive

メガドライブ

No. 00529 Oct 1988

Mega Drive

Manufacturer
SEGA
Type
Home video game console · 16-BIT
Note
Model HAA-2510

03

Overview

Overview

A 16-bit home console released by Sega in 1988, built around a Motorola 68000 main CPU with a Zilog Z80 handling sound. It was sold in North America as the Genesis.

Name in Japan
メガドライブ
Name in North America
Genesis
Name in Europe
Mega Drive

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Industrial Design

Industrial design

Its black casing was designed by a team led by Mitsushige Shiraiwa, drawing on audiophile equipment and automobiles; the Japanese model bore '16-BIT' lettering in a gold metallic finish.

05

Technical Specifications

Technical specifications

Model number
HAA-2510
CPU
Motorola 68000 @ 7.6 MHz + Zilog Z80 @ 3.58 MHz (sound)
Memory
RAM 64 KB / VRAM 64 KB / audio RAM 8 KB
Graphics
Sega VDP (315-5313)
Display
320×224 / 256×224 (NTSC), 512-color palette, 61 colors on screen
Bits (period term)
16-bit
Generation (Wikipedia)
4th generation

Values are from the sources below. Where sources differ, see the notes under Sources.

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Controller

Controller

Launched with a three-button control pad.

Six-button control pad (North American Genesis version)
Six-button control pad (North American Genesis version)

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Media Format

Media format

  • ROM cartridge

  • ROM cartridge

    A software medium housing ROM chips on a circuit board inside a plastic shell. The Famicom used this format from its 1983 launch; Nintendo's Western packaging called them 'Game Paks'.

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Launch & Context

Launch & historical context

Release (Japan)
29 Oct 1988[1]
Release (North America)
Aug 1989[1]
Release (Europe)
Sep 1990[1]
Launch price (Japan)
¥21,000[1]

Launched in Japan on October 29, 1988, with the tagline 'the 16-bit the era demanded' (時代が求めた16ビット).

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Notable Games

Notable games

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Gallery

Gallery

  • Japanese Mega Drive (model 1) with controller

    Mega Drive (Japanese model 1) with controller

  • Six-button control pad (North American Genesis version)

    Six-button control pad (North American Genesis version)

11

Timeline

Timeline

  1. 1983.07.15SG-1000SEGA
  2. 1986.02.21Famicom Disk SystemNintendo
  3. 1987.10.30PC EngineNEC
  4. 1988.10.29Mega DriveSEGA
  5. 1988.12.04PC Engine CD-ROM² SystemNEC
  6. 1989.04.21Game BoyNintendo
  7. 1990.04.26Neo Geo AESSNK

12

Related Consoles

Related consoles

About Sega →

13

Sources

Sources

  1. [1]
    Sega Genesis

    Wikipedia (EN)

    ReferenceAccessed 2026-09-26
  2. [2]
    メガドライブ

    Wikipedia (JA)

    ReferenceAccessed 2026-09-26
  3. [3]
    沿革

    株式会社セガ

    ManufacturerAccessed 2026-09-26
Notes on conflicting sources

bits: SEGA corporate history '16bit家庭用ゲーム機『メガドライブ』発売'. CPU clock: EN 7.6 MHz, JA 7.67 MHz. On-screen colors: EN 61, JA 64. Units: Sega 30.75M worldwide (EN/JA), 3.58M Japan (JA) but shipped/sold not specified, so unitsSold omitted. EU date is the PAL-region month (Sept 1990).

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Image Credits

Image credits

  • Mega Drive (Japanese model 1) with controller

    Japanese Mega Drive (model 1) with controller

    PhotoEvan-Amos

    Wikimedia Commons·Public domain

  • Six-button control pad (North American Genesis version)

    Six-button control pad (North American Genesis version)

    PhotoEvan-Amos

    Wikimedia Commons·Public domain