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Celebrating 40 Years of the Master System: Unveiling the Overlooked Legacy of Sega’s Underrated Console

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TThere’s an enduring saying that history is penned by the victors, and this is just as true for video games as it is for any other arena. It’s easy to think of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) as the sole gaming console of the mid-to-late 1980s. For those who grew up in Nintendo’s key markets of Japan and North America, this bulky device was essentially the only option available, especially with its iron grip on third-party developers that crafted a monopoly on prominent titles. However, in Europe, where home computers thrived, the NES struggled against superior competitors.

The Sega Master System first made its debut in Japan in the fall of 1985, originally branded as the Sega Mark III. Powered by the renowned Z80 CPU (which was also utilized in home computers like the Spectrum, Amstrad, and TRS-80) and a robust Sega-designed video display processor, it comes equipped with 8kb of RAM, boasts a 64-color palette, and can render 32 sprites on-screen simultaneously, making the NES (which uses the antiquated 6502 processor) look like an antiquity.

Initially marketed in Japan as an extension of Sega’s SG-1000 series, this device resembled a budget-friendly home computer rather than a pure gaming console, complete with optional keyboard and printer. Nonetheless, as the NES surged in popularity across Japan and the United States, Sega reassessed its strategy, stripping away some computer functions before reintroducing the Mark III as the Master System in 1986. This sleek, angular console stood in stark contrast to the beige Betamax aesthetic of the NES.

Sega Master System titles were available in two formats: cartridges and Sega cards for shorter, more affordable games. Photo: booksR/Alamy

Included with the Master System was a light gun, and Sega also introduced 3D glasses compatible with specific games. “We refer to it as a 3D version of Outrun,” says programmer Chris White, who later developed the Master System emulator for Sega’s PlaySega website. “It definitely gave me a headache, and the flashing lenses caused mild disorientation, but it was a reflection of Sega’s willingness to experiment boldly.”

Initially, Sega managed the distribution of the Master System in the U.S., but they sought local partners to navigate the more fragmented European market. In the UK and France, later expanding to Spain, Virgin Mastertronic took on that role. “Sega’s partners had a stronger marketing position in Europe,” noted Nick Alexander, Virgin Mastertronic’s managing director during that time. “They also established better retail and distribution relationships compared to Nintendo. There was a running joke in Computer Trade Weekly, a video game trade magazine, stating that Nintendo viewed Europe as a land of dragons. They were out of touch and concerned, which is why they focused primarily on the U.S.”

Alexander, who led Virgin Games since 1983, embraced the company’s innovative, youth-oriented marketing approach. “We envisioned video games as equivalent to a band on tour,” he shared. “Thus, we procured a double-decker bus and traveled across the country, visiting school playgrounds and shopping centers. This garnered significant press attention. While Nintendo targeted family entertainment, we understood that in Europe, it resonated primarily with Germany. We aimed at teenagers, knowing that if we won them over, their younger siblings would also be drawn to the Master System. That was our formula for overshadowing Nintendo in Europe.”

While Nintendo had Mario, Sega possessed a significant asset: arcade heritage. The company ported many of its popular arcade hits to the console, including Space Harrier, Outrun, Golden Ax, and Afterburner, marketing it in the West as a home arcade experience. Even though these weren’t perfect conversions of the original games, they were notably faster and more vibrant than those previously available on home computers. For teenage arcade enthusiasts at the time, this felt revolutionary.

“Game center in my living room”… Shinobu of Sega Master System. Photo: ArcadeImages/Alamy

“Thanks to the impressive hardware of the Master System, games visually surpassed other Z80-based systems,” White asserts. “It gives developers the ability to create scrollable tilemaps and dynamically position sprites, which makes programming straightforward and alleviates a lot of processing demands from the CPU. This design shared numerous similarities with Sega’s arcade technology; in fact, it was originally derived from the graphics chip used in Sega’s arcade machines, the TMS9918. ”

For European developers, mastering the hardware was a dream. “We had been developing for the Spectrum and Amstrad, and our titles were being ported to the C64,” recalls Andrew Oliver, who, along with his brother Philip, created Dizzy games for Codemasters. “I vividly remember attending the CES show in Las Vegas, where Sega had an extensive booth that stood alongside Nintendo, promoting their message of ‘speed.’ Back then, computers were all about vibrant visuals and rapid execution. Ultimately, Codemasters signed a licensing agreement and obtained a development kit for the console. It operates on a Z80, similar to the Spectrum, yet the graphics chip is reminiscent of the C64, resulting in fast performance with impressive parallax scrolling and sprites. The programming process was quite straightforward.”

Additionally, British developers believed that Sega offered a more useful platform than Nintendo. Mike Simpson, a programmer at the British publisher Personal Software Services, later acquired by MirrorSoft, shared, “We established a small in-house studio in Coventry, employing around 20 people to port various titles.” He continued, “Someone approached us about porting Xenon 2, a top-tier 16-bit Amiga game, to the Master System. It seemed like an impossible task, but we had to give it a shot. I was even invited to Japan for training in programming. I spent a week at Sega in Tokyo, getting insights from Mark Cerny,” [the later lead architect of PlayStation 4 and 5]. “I recall rows of tightly packed desks and conference room chairs being used as makeshift beds.”

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A classic console… Sonic the Hedgehog. Photo: Sega

Even with the arrival of the Mega Drive, the Master System maintained its popularity in Europe (and later in Brazil) and continued to be supported with simplified versions of Mega Drive hits like Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic Chaos, a beloved offshoot developed for both the Master System and Sega’s handheld devices (which shared the same hardware), stands out as a highlight of the series. Subsequently, Sega released a revamped Master System 2 at a budget-friendly price of £50, bundled with Sonic.

However, the Master System offered more than just ports and arcade classics. It has a rich legacy with iconic platformers like Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap, Psycho Fox, Fantasy Zone, Alex Kidd’s Miracle World, the groundbreaking role-playing adventure Phantasy Star, and the excellent Zelda-like Golbelius: Valley of Fate. These titles, as well as many often overlooked from the NES era, remain true gems. Unlike many classic Nintendo games, Master System titles are now more accessible to modern collectors.

Indeed, while the NES dominated in America to the point where “Nintendo” became synonymous with gaming, the Master System emerged victorious in Europe, Brazil, and elsewhere. Historical accounts may be harsh, but for those of us who lived through it, who read European gaming magazines or flipped through Sega catalogs in the annual Argos and Grattan Christmas sales, the Master System was more than a console; it was an arcade experience that foretold the future of gaming. A promise that the Mega Drive would continue to uphold.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Master the Art of Collaboration

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“Many scenarios can be represented using so-called game theory…”

Shutterstock/Anne Kosolapova

In a world where survival favors the strongest, the question arises: how do cooperative behaviors develop?

From the realm of evolutionary biology to the complexities of international diplomacy, numerous scenarios can be analyzed through the lens of game theory. These games consider not only the various actions and strategies available to each participant but also the corresponding payoffs—positive or negative outcomes that each player receives based on various results. Some games are classified as “zero-sum,” meaning one player’s gain directly translates to another player’s loss, while others are not.

A notable example of a non-zero-sum game is the Prisoner’s Dilemma, which presents a compelling situation. The basic scenario involves two “criminals” held in separate cells, unable to communicate with each other.

While there isn’t sufficient evidence to charge them with the most serious offenses, there’s enough to convict both on lesser charges. The authorities simultaneously present each prisoner with a deal: if one testifies against the other while the other stays silent, the betrayer walks free while the silent one serves three years. However, if both betray each other, they each face two years in prison. If they both choose to remain silent, they will each serve just one year for the lesser offense.

The “reward” each player receives can be viewed in terms of years served: if both stay silent, the outcome results in a payoff of -1 for each. If player A betrays player B, A’s payoff is 0 while B’s is -3. In the case of mutual betrayal, both players incur a payoff of -2. Therefore, how can players optimize their outcomes?

In certain scenarios, each participant’s strategy emerges as the optimal response to the other’s actions, leading to a concept known as Nash equilibrium. Both players act in a way that maximizes their individual benefits, resulting in a favorable outcome.

The challenge lies in how actions interact without prior knowledge of the other player’s intentions. Consider if you decide to remain silent; if your counterpart shares that thought, betrayal will yield a greater return for you. Conversely, if they plan to betray you, it’s in your best interest to do the same. Thus, the most logical option appears to be betrayal. This reasoning applies universally, leading both players to defect, resulting in a total payoff of -4.

Should both players trust one another and remain silent, their total payoff would be -2. This implication—that the so-called survival of the fittest can yield suboptimal results compared to cooperative strategies—hints at the potential for collaboration.

A famous experiment from the 1980s involved 62 computer programs engaging in 200 rounds of Prisoner’s Dilemma. Crucially, these programs could adapt their strategies based on their opponent’s previous actions. Interestingly, self-serving strategies proved less successful compared to those grounded in altruism. A successful algorithm would cooperate initially but choose to defect only when the opponent had done so in prior rounds. Furthermore, these programs exhibited a forgiving nature, often returning to cooperation after prior acts of betrayal.

Thus, while “pure” game theory may lead to unfavorable outcomes, incorporating a touch of kindness can pave the way for improved results. Be generous, but remain vigilant against exploitation. Such findings lend credence to game theory.

These articles will be published weekly at:
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Source: www.newscientist.com

Clever Cockatoos Master the Art of Using Public Drinking Fountains

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tt-ylnz34s

In Sydney, Australia, Okkatoo has mastered the use of public water fountains by turning the handle, a feat not easy for birds. It appears they are imitating one another’s actions.

The Occato, or Kakatua Gallerita, engages in an intellectual competition, as some individuals have figured out how to open waste bins in eastern Sydney. In response, humans devise ways to keep these bins locked while continuing to find methods to open them.

Following reports of similar occurrences with Okkatoos using drinking fountains in western Sydney, Lucy Aplin from the Australian National University and her team temporarily marked 24 Occatos, accounting for a fifth of the local population. They documented the interactions at various drinking fountains, known as Bubblers in Australia.

Okkatoo using Sydney drinking fountain

Klump et al. 2025

During a 44-day observation, Cockatoos made 525 attempts to use a particularly popular fountain. Out of these, 105 attempts were made by 17 of the 24 marked birds. This indicates that about 70% of the more than 100 local birds attempted to use the fountain, according to researchers.

In their natural habitats, these birds typically drink from ponds or water stored in tree hollows near their roosts. However, Aplin notes they seem to prefer using the fountains instead, especially in the morning and evening, which are their regular drinking times before resting.

Researchers even observed more than 10 birds waiting for their turn at one bubbler, but the more dominant birds would often jump the queue.

Despite only 41% of the observed attempts being successful, the act of drinking from the fountain is certainly not a trivial task for these birds, according to Aplin.

“Birds must navigate their bodies through complicated movements,” she explains. “They often place one foot on the drinking fountain’s base and twist the handle with the other foot while leaning in to leverage their weight.”

She suspects that once an individual learns the technique, others follow suit by mimicking the actions.

“This serves as a clear example of culture—newly socially transmitted behaviors—which might surprise those who view culture as solely a human trait,” says Christina Zdenek from the University of Queensland, Australia. “Their innovative abilities in accessing new food and water sources are remarkable across the Tree of Life.”

Why are the Okkatoos doing this? Aplin posits that the water may taste superior to muddy pond water, or perhaps the bubbler offers a safer alternative from predators. It could also be a trend fueled by their thirst for innovation.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Rediscovering Larry Niven: The Master of Science Fiction and Ringworld Creator

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Ring World Throughout the Times

Ring World
Larry Niven (Golanz)

Ringworld by Larry Niven won both Hugo and Nebula awards in 1970, and received massive acclaim. It has been printed ever since.

It came out when humans had just landed on the moon and we seemed to be heading towards the stars. The title alone evokes a particular golden age of science fiction when (most male) writers wrestled with big physics and big ideas, imagining a distant future in which humans took on galaxy adventures.

Authors like Niven were pride in trying to get science right because they wanted to imagine what was in the universe. and Ring World Features New Scientist This month seemed like a good time to revisit Book Club and novels, and finally read it as a teenager.

How did this 55 year old work stand the test of time? After all, many books from this era are grossly dating. Because science has now made their plotline stupid. Sometimes, because sexual politics (or other cultural aspects) have begun to stink for decades.

First of all, this book is packed with ideas! You can see why it was a smash hit and eventually became part of a vast network of follow-up stories, prequels and spinoffs.

Considering how much internal lore is thrown at us, I found the novel surprisingly zippy and exposition light. Our 200-year-old hero, Louis Gridley Wu, was approached by alien Ness, known as a human-seasoned adventurer and puppeteer, and asked to come to a mysterious mission in exchange for access to new technology.

Ring World Evokes the golden age of science fiction when writers (mainly men) wrestled with big physics and big ideas

Woo and Nessus are to join their adventures with a belligerent “Kuchinti” alien like cats called Speakers and Animals (the animal in question is the other species) and a young human woman named Tierra Brown, who became apparent only later in the story. The gang travels to Ringworld of the same name and crashes after being fired by an ancient security system.

Ringworld is the star of this show. This is an ancient craft on an unthinkable scale. A world of ribbons looped around the stars, 1.6 million kilometers wide and an internal surface area of ​​3 million Earths. It has a diameter of 305 million kilometers and is made from a material with incredible tensile strength. In the Terra-formed innermost part of Ringworld, civilization has fallen, but life continues.

Woo and the gang have to find a way to move a vast distance across the inside of the ring and leave it. Along the way, as you can imagine, they have a lot of adventures.

There is something modern editors would probably want to cut about this 1970 novel convention, and they may want to give female characters more depth.

Meanwhile, science was thoroughly separated by readers at the time, so Niven’s follow-up, Ring World EngineerThe S, published 10 years later, was a counterargument for all people who understood the fundamental mechanism. Ring World.

This isn’t my favorite Niven. In other words An outdated world. However, revisit Ring World I starved him to return to his universe. I’m going to reaffirm some of his other classics The Mot of God’s Eyesimilarly Ring WorldThere are many interesting questions that you won’t be able to answer in the first book, so there’s a follow-up.

I would recommend Emily too…

Draco Izakaya
Larry Niven (TOR Publishing)

Strictly speaking, this section should be entitled “Larry Niven also recommended.” I recently exchanged emails with him to plan an interview and I asked him which of his books he would specifically recommend to me. He answered immediately Draco Izakaya. I didn’t have time to read it yet, but I’m very happy to be able to share this recommendation with the man himself..

Emily H. Wilson is the former editor of the new scientist and author of the Sumerian trilogy set in ancient Mesopotamia. The final novel in the series, Ninshuval, will be competing in August. You can find her at emilyhwilson.com or follow her on x @emilyhwilson and instagram @emilyhwilson1

Arts and science of writing science fiction

Explore the world of science fiction and learn how to create your own fascinating science fiction stories in this immersive weekend break.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Delicious Chocolate Competes for Top Spot at Master Lab

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Gabi Musat/500px/Getty Images

It is the rarest and most exclusive chocolate I have ever had. In fact, you can’t even buy it in the store. But that’s not that special. Just a few flat drops are slightly lighter in colour than most dark chocolate sealed in small plastic bags.

It smells like dark chocolate and tastes like that, but it doesn’t make it that bitter. Above all, for me, this is definitely true.

That’s important because what I’m eating wasn’t made using cocoa beans that were sourced from trees, like regular chocolate. Rather, it was grown in glass flasks by California cultureOne of several companies aiming to mass-produce chocolate in the bat using cell culture technology.

Cultivated chocolate may be even better than the types grown on trees, according to the company’s CEO Alan Perlstein, claiming that the level of chemicals, such as polyphenols, is high. There may be health benefitsthere is no contaminants such as heavy metals extracted from soil or pesticides, pesticides sprayed on crops, or taste currently on the market. “We are trying to create flavors that are almost unruly available through traditional chocolate production,” he says.

However, for many chocolate companies, the main attraction of getting raw wood from VATS instead of wood is its potentially unlimited supply. Climate change is hitting cacao farms violently, leading to shortages. Cocoa bean prices have quadrupled after staying relatively stable for decades.

So, can chocolate grown in VAT really compete with the diversity grown on trees at the price? And will consumers accept it?

It melts…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Exploring the Works of Science Fiction Master Larry Niven, Author of Ringworld

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Ring World Throughout the Times

Ring World
Larry Niven (Golanz)

Ringworld by Larry Niven won both Hugo and Nebula awards in 1970, and received massive acclaim. It has been printed ever since.

It came out when humans had just landed on the moon and we seemed to be heading towards the stars. The title alone evokes a particular golden age of science fiction when (most male) writers wrestled with big physics and big ideas, imagining a distant future in which humans took on galaxy adventures.

Authors like Niven were pride in trying to get science right because they wanted to imagine what was in the universe. and Ring World Features New Scientist This month seemed like a good time to revisit Book Club and novels, and finally read it as a teenager.

How did this 55 year old work stand the test of time? After all, many books from this era are grossly dating. Because science has now made their plotline stupid. Sometimes, because sexual politics (or other cultural aspects) have begun to stink for decades.

First of all, this book is packed with ideas! You can see why it was a smash hit and eventually became part of a vast network of follow-up stories, prequels and spinoffs.

Considering how much internal lore is thrown at us, I found the novel surprisingly zippy and exposition light. Our 200-year-old hero, Louis Gridley Wu, was approached by alien Ness, known as a human-seasoned adventurer and puppeteer, and asked to come to a mysterious mission in exchange for access to new technology.

Ring World Evokes the golden age of science fiction when writers (mainly men) wrestled with big physics and big ideas

Woo and Nessus are to join their adventures with a belligerent “Kuchinti” alien like cats called Speakers and Animals (the animal in question is the other species) and a young human woman named Tierra Brown, who became apparent only later in the story. The gang travels to Ringworld of the same name and crashes after being fired by an ancient security system.

Ringworld is the star of this show. This is an ancient craft on an unthinkable scale. A world of ribbons looped around the stars, 1.6 million kilometers wide and an internal surface area of 3 million Earths. It has a diameter of 305 million kilometers and is made from a material with incredible tensile strength. In the Terra-formed innermost part of Ringworld, civilization has fallen, but life continues.

Woo and the gang have to find a way to move a vast distance across the inside of the ring and leave it. Along the way, as you can imagine, they have a lot of adventures.

There is something modern editors would probably want to cut about this 1970 novel convention, and they may want to give female characters more depth.

Meanwhile, science was thoroughly separated by readers at the time, so Niven’s follow-up, Ring World EngineerThe S, published 10 years later, was a counterargument for all people who understood the fundamental mechanism. Ring World.

This isn’t my favorite Niven. In other words An outdated world. However, revisit Ring World I starved him to return to his universe. I’m going to reaffirm some of his other classics The Mot of God’s Eyesimilarly Ring WorldThere are many interesting questions that you won’t be able to answer in the first book, so there’s a follow-up.

I would recommend Emily too…

Draco Izakaya
Larry Niven (TOR Publishing)

Strictly speaking, this section should be entitled “Larry Niven also recommended.” I recently exchanged emails with him to plan an interview and I asked him which of his books he would specifically recommend to me. He answered immediately Draco Izakaya. I didn’t have time to read it yet, but I’m very happy to be able to share this recommendation with the man himself..

Emily H. Wilson is the former editor of the new scientist and author of the Sumerian trilogy set in ancient Mesopotamia. The final novel in the series, Ninshuval, will be competing in August. You can find her at emilyhwilson.com or follow her on x @emilyhwilson and instagram @emilyhwilson1

Arts and science of writing science fiction

Explore the world of science fiction and learn how to create your own fascinating science fiction stories in this immersive weekend break.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Control Your Brain’s Master Switch to Optimize Your Thinking

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Place your fingers on the back of your skull, approximately at the same height as the top of your ear. Here, deep in your hair, skin, and bones, near a fluid-filled cavity at the base of your brain, you’ll find tiny bundles of pigment cells the color of lapis lazuli. this is, coeruleus – Latin for “blue dot”. Although it is only a few millimeters in size, it has the power to control people’s thoughts in a way that is hard to imagine considering its small size.

Research has revealed that this structure helps regulate our mental processing. It’s sometimes called the brain’s “master switch,” but it’s better to think of it as a gearbox. ‘You can set the pace of your brain to match the specific mental task you’re doing,’ says turned neuroscience researcher Writer Miss Stroney. When we’re in the right gear, we feel like we’re enjoying the task at hand. But more often than not, we get stuck in the wrong direction, which can lead to dreamy procrastination and intense frustration.

Until recently, we knew little about how to control these transitions, but that is changing. It turns out that the little blue dots in your brain may be trainable and have an immediate impact on your cognition and mental health. This means that with the right techniques, you can shift gears that affect your mental state, from your ability to concentrate and the level of stress you feel, to your ability to take creative leaps and think on your feet.

It took almost two and a half centuries for the locus coeruleus to receive due recognition. The structure is…

Source: www.newscientist.com