[game_preservation] Why is the TMSS Sega console referred to as "Genesis III" in the court case?

[Devin Monnens]

Still reading through Steve Kent's book, and pulled up another confusing
term. In the Accolade v. Sega Enterprises court case, they refer to Sega's
latest system int he court documents as the "Genesis III".

The most recent version of the Genesis console, the "Genesis III",

> incorporates the licensed TMSS. When a game cartridge is inserted, the

> microprocessor contained in the Genesis III searches the game program for

> four bytes of data consisting of the letters "S-E-G-A" (the "TMSS

> initialization code"). If the Genesis III finds the TMSS initialization

> code in the right location, the game is rendered compatible and will

> operate on the console. In such case, the TMSS initialization code then

> prompts a visual display for approximately three seconds which reads

> "PRODUCED BY OR UNDER LICENSE FROM SEGA ENTERPRISES LTD" (the "Sega

> Message"). All of Sega's game cartridges, including those disassembled by

> Accolade, contain the TMSS initialization code.



http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/977/977.F2d.1510.92-15655.html

The records also state that the "Genesis III" was released in October of
1991, and the Genesis 3 wasn't released until 1998. (October also seems to
be when the Genesis Does What Nintendon't commercial was released - they
show the new Model 1 in the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3YeqpD7HUY They're also showing it in the
Christmas 1992 video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JE7ajIl5YE and
pretty much every commercial I saw up until 1995, when the Model 2 is shown
-  oddly, I haven't been able to locate a release date for the Model 2).

We know that *Onslaught* by Accolade won't work on systems that have the
TMSS code because they put the header in the wrong place. Original Genesis
1 models will play them.


>From what I've gathered, the TMSS code was added in late Genesis 1 models.

The original ones say "High Definition Graphics" on the system itself.
Later models do not have this label and have the TMSS code, so they will
not play *Onslaught*. (However, you can play it using a Game Genie).

Since the "Model III" is just an update of the Model 1, why is it called
Genesis III in the court records?


-- 
Devin Monnens
www.deserthat.com

The sleep of Reason produces monsters.
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