SEGA SC-3000 Console

Included:

Home Computer Console

AV Cable

Power supply

Condition:

It’s 30 years old, but in excellent condition for it’s age. See photos.

 

Desccription:

 

The SC-3000 (Sega Computer 3000) is the first and only computer to be designed and manufactured by Sega. It was first released in July of 1983 in Japan, and serves as the home computer equivalent of the SG-1000 cartridge-based video game console. The SC-3000, often known simply as the “Sega Computer” or even just the “Sega”, is an 8-bit home computer almost identical in nature to the SG-1000, but with a built-in keyboard and support for more hardware expansions.

Unlike later Sega systems, the SC-3000 did not receive a worldwide release, but in markets where it did compete, including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy and Finland, the computer fared well as a low price, entry-level machine for the home. By 1985, the SC-3000 had been displaced by more popular computer standards, but is nevertheless said to have fared better than the SG-1000 console on the global stage, and has a strong group of followers to this day.

The SC-3000 was also Sega’s last home computer to be released to the general public. The company would partner with Amstrad and IBM for the Amstrad Mega PC and TeraDrive respectively in later years, but other endeavours such as the extremely rare Sega AI Computer saw only a small fraction of the success the SC-3000 received, and were built with very different aims.

As a home computer, the SC-3000 was designed to be an affordable machine for use in a home environment, primarily for business and educational use. However, as with most home computers of the era, the device became a method of playing video games.

The SC-3000 comes with a 64-key keyboard mounted on the top of the unit, a cartridge port on the right hand side and two DE-9 joystick ports on the left. On the back, the system has a power switch and power supply, cassette, printer, monitor and television ports typical of the era. It is a relatively light and compact machine which is most commonly found in black, though white and red variants were also available in Japan.

The SC-3000 is fully compatible with almost all software and accessories designed for the SG-1000 or SG-1000 II, save for some BASIC cartridge variants and peripherals such as the SK-1100. In many situations the reverse is also true – the SK-1100 allowing the SG-1000 to interface with some SC-3000 software and accessories.

There are two major models of the SC-3000 – the original SC-3000 model with rubberised keys, and a second generation SC-3000H variant from later in the year, with a full-travel mechanical keyboard. Contrary to popular belief, both systems are otherwise identical aside from keyboard technologies, although the improved keyboard led to the SC-3000H being more expensive at launch. A third model, known as the SC-5000 is also known to exist, but very little is known about this unit.