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|Generation = [[:Category:Fourth_generation|Fourth generation]]

The Sega Genesis is a home video game console released on October 29, 1988 by [[SEGA|Sega ]] as the Mega Drive (メガドライブ Mega Doraibu), the name it is known as outside North America. The reason for the two names is that Sega was unable to secure legal rights to the Mega Drive name in North America. As a fourth-generation console, the Sega Genesis is Sega's third console and the successor to the [[Sega Master System ]] with which it has backward compatibility when the separately sold Power Base Converter is installed.

The Sega Genesis was the first of its generation to achieve notable market share in continental Europe and North America, where it competed against a wide range of platforms, including both dedicated gaming consoles and home computer systems. Two years later, [[Nintendo ]] released the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] , and the competition between the two would dominate the 16-bit era of video gaming. The console began production in Japan in 1988 and ended with the last new licensed game being released in 2002 in Brazil.

! | scope="col"|Processor:! | scope="col"|Motorola 68000 16/32-bit processor @ 7.67 MHz

 ==HardwareVariations==

===Sega Mega Drive/Genesis [Model 1]===[[File:Genesis_system.jpg|thumb|200px{|Model 1 Genesis]]The model 1 Sega Genesis is the largest model and features a headphone jack with a volume slider. There are at least seven motherboard revisions of the model 1 that are known to exist, labeled VA1 - VA7. Early revisions, which bear the text "HIGH DEFINITION GRAPHICS" in white above the cartridge slot, are considered to have the best audio output of any version of the Genesis. The VA7 is the latest revision, and internally they are similar to the model 2 Genesis, and they do not have the "HIGH DEFINITION GRAPHICS" text on them.  <div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsedwikitable" style="width:100%;">style===='''Japan"text-align:'''==left;"! colspan=2 width="100%"|Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Model 1 differences|-! Country !! Particularities|-<div class|style="mwtext-collapsible-contentalign:center">|Japan ||

</div>|-</div> <div class|style="mwtext-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="widthalign:100%center">===='''|Europe, Australia and & New Zealand:'''====   <div class="mw-collapsible-content">||

</div>|-</div> <div class|style="mwtext-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="widthalign:100%center">===='''|North America (as Sega Genesis)'''====   <div class="mw-collapsible-content">[[File:Genesis_system.jpg|200px]]||

</div>*Are considered to have the best audio output of any version of the Genesis.</div>|- <div class|style="mw-collapsible mwtext-collapsed" style="widthalign:100%center">===='''|Asia'''====   <div class="mw-collapsible-content">This console is a variant of the European Mega Drive and often mistaken for a Japanese Mega Drive as they are almost cosmetically identical.||

===Sega Mega Drive<br /Genesis [Model 2]===[[File:Genesis-model2.jpg|thumb|200px|Model 2 Genesis]]The model 2 was smaller than the model 1 and lacked a headphone jack but was capable of outputting stereo audio through its rear A/V multi-out port.>

Changing in {| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="width: 100%;" style="text-align: left;"! colspan=2 width="100%"|Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Model 2 differences|-! Country !! Particularities|-|style="text-align:center"|Japan ||*New square shape*No headphone jack*One custom multi-output for picture and sound (9-pin mini-DIN connector rather than the audio mixing circuts of 8-pin DIN connector on the original model 2 genesis gave it lesser )*Purple colored flaps on cartridge port*The text "High Grade Multi Purpose Intelligent Terminal" located behind cartridge port.*Packaged with six-button controller.*No power LED*Slide power switch*Model number HAA-2502|-|style="text-align:center"|Europe, Australia & New Zealand ||*New square shape*No headphone jack*A/V port switched to one custom multi-output for picture and sound (previously, only mono sound was used, as the stereo sound quality than came through the headphone jack)*Push-button power switch*Smaller power connector and different AC adapter used*RF modulator removed*Has a red power LED between the early model 1 genesispower and reset buttons*Auto-switching RF lead included*Model number MK-1631-50|-|style="text-align:center"|North America (as Sega Genesis) [[File:Genesis-model2.jpg|200px]]||*New square shape*No headphone jack*One custom multi-output for picture and sound (stereo)*Has a red power LED between the power and reset buttons*"Genesis" logo printed in the area above the cartridge slot*Model number MK-1631|- style="font-size:0; line-height:0;"! style="width:10%; padding:0" |! style="width:70%; padding:0" ||}

===Sega Mega Drive<br /Genesis [Model 3]===[[File:Genesis-model3.jpg|thumb|200px|Model 3 Genesis]]The sega genesis model 3 was released exclusively to North America in 1998 as a "budget system", and sold for $50. Many features were removed as cost cutting measures such as the expansion slot used by the sega cd, stereo sound, and a power LED.>

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="width: 100%;" style="text-align: left;"! colspan=1 width="100%"|Sega Genesis Model 3 differences|-! Particularities|-|[[File:Genesis-model3.jpg|200px|right]]*The genesis model 3 had compatability issues was released exclusively to North America in 1998 as a "budget system", and sold for $50 with virtua racing many features removed for cutting costs.*Smaller square shape*No expansion port*No headphone jack*No power LED, but there is a red mark underneath the sega 32xpower switch, which becomes visible when the Genesis 3 is turned on*One multi-output for picture and sound. It has the power base converter and could not necessary pin outs to be used with the sega cd due able to use the lack Genesis 2 Stereo A/V cable; though an apparent revision of the Genesis 3 was manufactured that is incompatible with stereo sound, despite also having the pin-outs*Does not support [[Sega CD]], [[Sega 32X]] or [[Power Base Converter]]*"Sega Genesis 3" written below cartridge slot*Model number MK-1461*Does not support [[Game Genie]] device*In addition, Japanese Mega Drive cartridges (which do not contain an expansion internal region lockout) can be played without a converter or modification, as the cartridge slot, which is the same shape as the original Japanese console, allows for these cartridges to be inserted freely.*Has compatibility issues with virtua racing.*An addressing bug was fixed with the genesis 3, which makes it incompatible with games that exploit this bug.|}

A addressing bug was fixed with the genesis 3, which makes it incompatable with games that exploit this bug.===Sega CDX<br /Multi-Mega======[[File:800px-Genesis-CDX-Console-Set.jpg|thumb|300px|Sega CDX]]===The sega CDX was released in 1994 in North America for $399, and in 1995 in Europe as the sega multi-mega for £350. The sega CDX is a sega genesis, and sega cd combined into one compact machine. About 5,000 CDX units were released in North America, and are considered rare and collectable. ==Variations=====Sega Mega Drive======Sega Mega Drive 2===Sega Mega Drive 3>

*[[Sega CD|Sega CD/Mega-CD]]*The '''Power Base Converter''' adds compatibility with both cartridge and card-based games on the Sega Master System in an add-on that also adds compatibility with the 3-D Glasses through a port in the front. Master System or Genesis controllers may be used for gameplay, as they share the same type of input jack. Both North American and Japanese versions are designed to only fit the Model 1, while an additional  version fitting the Model 2 Mega Drive was released in Europe.