SG-1000

No. 00215 Jul 1983

SG-1000

Manufacturer: SEGA
Type: Home video game console · 8-BIT

Overview

An 8-bit home console released by Sega in 1983; "SG" stands for "Sega Game." Using ROM cartridges and the Sega My Card, it marked the start of Sega's home hardware business.

Name in Japan: SG-1000

Industrial Design

Industrial design

A boxy upright body with the player-one joystick wired directly into the console.

Technical Specifications

Technical specifications

CPU: Zilog Z80A互換 @ 3.58 MHz
Memory: RAM 1 KB / VRAM 16 KB
Graphics: Texas Instruments TMS9918A
Display: 256×192, 16 colors (15色+透明), 32 sprites
Bits (period term): 8-bit
Generation (Wikipedia): 3rd generation

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

Controller

The 1P joystick was hardwired to the console; the later SG-1000 II (1984) replaced it with two detachable joypads.

Media Format

Media format

ROM cartridge
Sega My Card

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'.

Launch & Context

Launch & historical context

Release (Japan): 15 Jul 1983[1]
Release (Australia): Nov 1983[1]
Launch price (Japan): ¥15,000[1]

Released in Japan on July 15, 1983, the same day as Nintendo's Family Computer. Sales in its first year reportedly reached 160,000 units in Japan, exceeding an initial target of 100,000.

Notable Games

Notable games

No games from this platform are in the archive yet.

Gallery

SEGA SG-1000 with controller

Timeline

Related Consoles

Related consoles

About Sega →

Sources

[1]
SG-1000
Wikipedia (EN)
ReferenceAccessed 2026-09-26
[2]
SG-1000
Wikipedia (JA)
ReferenceAccessed 2026-09-26
[3]
沿革
株式会社セガ
ManufacturerAccessed 2026-09-26

Notes on conflicting sources

bits: SEGA corporate history lists '8bit家庭用ゲーム機『SG-1000』発売'. Worldwide unit estimates vary (EN: 400,000 in Japan; JA: ~400,000-1,000,000 worldwide) and shipped/sold is unclear, so unitsSold omitted. EN lists compact cassette as media (via SC-3000 peripherals); omitted. Model number not verified. sega.jp/history/hard returned 403.

Image Credits

Image credits

SEGA SG-1000 with controller
SEGA SG-1000 with controller
PhotoEvan-Amos
Wikimedia Commons·Public domain