The Rise and Fall of Sega in the Console Market

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This chapter explores the journey of Sega in the video game console market, from the release of the SG-1000 to the struggles faced by the Master System in the US. It delves into Sega's ambitions to compete with Nintendo, their advantages over the competition, and the significance of graphical capabilities in gaming consoles. The chapter also touches upon the launch of the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) and the role of popular games like Sonic in driving console success.

In the 1980’s Nintendo was on top of the world, with the NES achieving over 90% market share of home video games globally. So how did they fall ALL the way down to ~10% in just a few short console generations? And how did they then build themselves back up (and down and up again) to the top of the world again? Spoiler: it all hinged on one very small, yet very large and durable platform… the Game Boy. Fire up your favorite portable entertainment device and tune in for the epic story of Nintendo’s fall from grace and journey back to the top — capped off by our robust discussion of where they go from here, and whether this 130+ year old company may still (!) be misunderstood and mis-valued.

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Carve Outs:

Kara Swisher in Vanity Fair (and our old episode with her!)
Hardcore History (finally!)
The Tetris movie
Daryl Morey on Invest Like the Best

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‍Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.