Master System

The Master System, often called the Sega Master System or SMS, is a third-generation (8-bit) video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan (as the Sega Mark III), 1986 in North America, 1987 in Europe and 1989 in Brazil. The system was commercially successful, especially in Europe and Brazil.

Models

The two most common models are the Master System Mark 1 and the Master System Mark 2. The Mark 1 console has the same 8 pin DIN connector for video output as the mark 1 Sega Megadrive/Genesis. The Mark 2 Master System supports only RF output by default and requires a hardware modification to output RGB. It is also possible to play almost all Master System games on a Sega Megadrive, either by use of the officially released Sega Master System converter or by using a flash cartridge such as the Everdrive.

Models tested

• Sega Megadrive (NTSC/Japan) + Sega Master System converter (XRGB3, XRGB Mini)
• Sega Megadrive (NTSC/Japan) + Everdrive (XRGB3, XRGB Mini, OSSC)

XRGB-2 Specific settings

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XRGB-3 Specific settings

The Sega Master System is problematic when used with the XRGB3 in B1 mode and many displays or secondary video processors. It is highly recommended to use a RGB cable with raw/pure sync. You may also need to manually adjust the AFC level to remove the screen warping effect, if your display/secondary processor will tolerate this.

XRGB-Mini Specific settings

No special settings are required. Do not adjust V-WIDTH or H-WIDTH if you want to use scanlines. If the aspect ratio appears wrong on your TV (if sprites look too fat) try setting the mini to 480p output mode.

OSSC Specific settings

You may need to set the analog sync LPF to 10 or 33MHz for best results.