Japanese Master System board shots

Yep, same here.

Other thing is, back in the 1980's, I'd have never known about the screw hole (they were covered with a little plastic disc) had the demo kiosk not had the plastic disc removed from the pads.

 

The one on the Japanese system works for both button s too. What you do is hold down the button then while it's held down press the rapid button. So you can have either one or the other button as rapid or both as rapid. It is a bit fiddly at first but you soon get use to it.

Yakumo

 

I recall getting a US Master System back when it was in its heyday as a Christmas present. It had the screw-in holes, covered by a piece of plastic you could pop out.

We never did figure out back then why there wasn't anything to put in 'em.

 

Hmm, I think that the early US Master Systems must have used Japanese pads with the hole covered up before they started using the ones that were released in Eupoe. Makes sense since nobody in the US that had the screw hole pads had the little joysticks to go in them. My little joysticks came with the pads and even have a place in the main packing.

Yakumo

 

Didn't realize that. I always thought that the button was just a simple on or off button and you couldn't selectively switch the rapid fire.

That might have been it for the controllers. Maybe sometimes Sega didn't have enough produced of the specialized screwhole-less pads so they sometimes put the Japanese pads in the boxes. Didn't the Japanese Master System (not counting the Mark III) actually come out after the American system though?

This is definitely a topic to research though, the packaging in of these pads seems kind of sporadic. Anybody who has owned a Master System since new care to post when they got their system and what type of pads they have? I got mine in early January 1987 and I have completely screwhole-less pads.

[edit] Also, if you get a chance, mention what package you got along with the pack-in/built-in games that came with it. I had the Master System package that came with 2 controllers, light gun, and Hang-On/Safari-Hunt built into the system (I forget what the official package name was for this).

 

I got the SuperScope 3D set (came with Missile Defense 3D, the 3D glasses, and the Light Phaser gun) and both my controllers had the screw hole. This was in late 1987 I believe.

 

<quote>I got the SuperScope 3D set (came with Missile Defense 3D, the 3D glasses, and the Light Phaser gun) and both my controllers had the screw hole. This was in late 1987 I believe.</quote>

I have the same version except I think I got mine in 1988, it does not have screwholes.

 

The first-run pads in the US & Europe also had the wire cooming out of the side like Mark III pads rather than the top like all the later ones.

Also, if you give me a day or two I'll get some board pics of my recently acquired Korean Samsung Gam*Boy for comparison with the JP/US pics - it's pretty similar to the Japanese unit, but has an on-board 220V power supply and hard-wired power lead.

 

I got a PAL master System back in chritmas 1987 with Hang On and Safari Hunt built in plus that hidden snail game (hey I should see if the Japanese unit has that) The pads that came with that had no screw holes.

Yakumo

 

No it doesn't.

 

Oh well At least it has the cool Space Harrier boot up screen instead of that buuuuuu DU-DU :lol:

Yakumo

 

LOL CLASSIC! ray:

 

hahahahahaha!
MY brother and I used to always make fun of that boot up sequence.
Doo Roo!

 

Hi My first post here..

I had a very early PAL Sega Master System in the UK - I worked for a UK cindependent computer shop called Logic Sales in North London and made sure I got hold of one of the first ones that came into stock - I certainly had the pads with the screw in joysticks..

I also remember late later models lost this feature...

 

The biggest difference is that the Japanese Master System has FM sound built-in. I doubt that any European/America{s/n} SMS had this, correct?

 

Not sure about Europe, but the North American SMS units were completely devoid of FM sound. A shame too. Particularly after hearing SMS Shinobi running with FM sound via emulation one day...night and day difference.

 

European Master Systems also had no FM sound A real sad day for western gamers when Sega decided to remove the FM chip.

yakumo

 

It's not really a matter of removal... The Mark III appeared in Japan in 1985, then the SMS in America in 1986. Then in 1987 in Japan, the FM unit came out as well as a new SMS unit incorporating the U.S. design. So it's just a story of missed opportunity since the FM pack hadn't been developed yet when the US SMS came out.

 

Not only were SMS pads with the joystick holes released in the U.S., but the first ones actually came with the joysticks to screw into the holes. I have a set. These have the wire coming out of the left side rather than the top as has been mentioned.

Later, Sega stopped including the joystick, but must have had extra stock of the old pads so the put a little plastic button into the former joystick screwhole.

Finally, at some point they got around to making controllers with no hole at all.

So, it was a matter of when the system was bought. I think all the same applies to Europe, as well.

Anagrama, if you take pics of your Gam*Boy, be sure to include pictures of the controller, too, as that's one of the coolest things about the Gam*Boy in my opinion. I had to sell my Gam*Boy a couple years ago because I was hard-up for money and just didn't really feel like I needed the system. Sometimes I regret it, though, as it was a nice rarity...though they seem to be becoming more common nowadays, probably more communication with Korea thanks to the Internet. My Mega Adapter (like a Power Base Converter, but for Mark III carts) is what I really should have kept, I didn't even get that much for it when I sold it.


...word is bondage...