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

[Frank Cifaldi]

I'm guessing because internally at Sega it's the third hardware revision of
the Genesis? As you yourself say, TMSS wasn't in the original release.

On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 6:33 AM, Devin Monnens <dmonnens at gmail.com> wrote:


> 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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