• Home
  • Our Books
  • Our Film
  • Games
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Login

Perspectives on all eras of videogames, computers, technology, and pop culture since 2003

Login

Login
Armchair ArcadeArmchair Arcade
Armchair ArcadeArmchair Arcade
  • Home
  • Our Books
  • Our Film
  • Games
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Login

Did the Atari 7800 Pro System beat the Sega Master System in the US?

Did the Atari 7800 Pro System beat the Sega Master System in the US?
Did the Atari 7800 Pro System beat the Sega Master System in the US?

Did the Atari 7800 Pro System beat the Sega Master System in the US?

November 7, 2017 Posted by Bill Loguidice Editorial No Comments

For the longest time it’s been accepted more or less as fact that the Atari 7800 sold 3.77 million consoles (recently lowered to 3.5 million on Wikipedia with no source), with a large proportion of that in the US (or sometimes indicated as JUST the US numbers). Similarly, the Sega Master System (SMS) was said to have sold around 2 million units in the US, making up part of the total of 13 million units or so sold worldwide. This disparity always seemed a bit strange to me because I was of course around when both of those consoles were struggling to compete against the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

The Atari 7800. Source: Evan-Amos

The Atari 7800. Source: Evan-Amos

My memory of the time was that in the US, the Atari 7800 was available at fewer retailers, had fewer games, had fewer high profile games, had far less advertising, and had far less magazine coverage (game reviews and the like). While both consoles had a tiny fraction of the sales and presence of the NES, it just didn’t seem likely that the 7800 would outsell the SMS given the other imbalances. Compounding the idea that the 7800 overtook the SMS was the fact that Atari’s 2600jr and XEGS consoles were both for sale wholly or for the better part of this generation of systems’ primes.

Fortunately, in a thread on AtariAge, it looks like this cognitive dissonance has been resolved. The 3.77 million consoles sold number is simply wrong.

In that AtariAge thread, forum goer mr-me has provided some of the best analysis of the available numbers. It’s worth it to read-through the entire thread, but long story short, the 3 million+ number that’s been commonly given is clearly for combined console and cartridge sales. It appears that worldwide, let alone North America or just the US, the 7800 likely sold only a little over 1 million total consoles from 1986 – 1990. In that same time period, about 2.6 million Atari 7800 cartridges were sold, creating a 5:2 cartridge-to-console attach rate (versus 6:1 on the NES and Sega sides). So that’s where the mysterious 3.77 million number came from.

In summary, even if we lower the SMS numbers a bit, it’s still not going to have sold as few consoles as the 7800. This makes sense given the 7800’s smaller worldwide game library (~59 games versus the SMS library of ~341, and discounting the 7800’s backwards compatibility with Atari 2600 games) and all the other factors against that I previously discussed.

Related

Tags: AtariAtari 2600atari 7800atari vcsgenesisNESNintendoSegasega master systemsms
No Comments
Share

About Bill Loguidice

Bill Loguidice is a Founder and Managing Director for Armchair Arcade, as well as a critically acclaimed technology author and journalist.  He is also the co-founder of creative services firm, Armchair Creative Services, and a noted videogame and computer historian and subject matter expert. See full bio

You also might be interested in

Hardware Mod to Support Standard Paddles on Atari Flashback 9 and 9 Gold
Hardware Mod to Support Standard Paddles on Atari Flashback 9 and 9 Gold

Hardware Mod to Support Standard Paddles on Atari Flashback 9 and 9 Gold

Oct 15, 2019

What follows is a guide on how to modify the AtGames Atari Flashback 9 and 9 Gold (HDMI versions only) to use standard Atari-style paddle controllers. Without this modification, only Flashback 9-specific paddles may be used. Note that this guide is provided solely as a reference and all responsibility falls on the person performing the modifications, with any such modifications voiding all warranties. In other words, you perform these actions at your own risk, so make sure you know what you're doing and know the potential risks.

AtGames Partners With Atari to Publish 2018 Line-Up of Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One Games
AtGames Partners With Atari to Publish 2018 Line-Up of Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One Games

AtGames Partners With Atari to Publish 2018 Line-Up of Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One Games

Nov 7, 2018

Press release: Companies Partner to Deliver “Atari® Flashback Classics” and[...]

Budget Atari and Capcom arcade cabinets to see release this fall!
Budget Atari and Capcom arcade cabinets to see release this fall!

Budget Atari and Capcom arcade cabinets to see release this fall!

Feb 20, 2018

As reported by Polygon, Tastemakers is releasing a new Arcade1Up series of[...]

Leave a CommentCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Posts

  • What Is Different in High-Stakes Online Games
  • All Spins Win Casino Review FAQ & Honest Breakdown
  • How to Improve Latency for Gaming VPN?
  • Exploring what makes a casino one of the best in Canada
  • Casino Games Evolved from Ancient Dice Games and Medieval Card Playing into Modern Digital Entertainment
  • The Ultimate Online Blackjack Games for Casino Connoisseurs
  • Gaming Fatigue: What Causes It and How to Prevent It
  • 7 Cool Ways to Enhance a Casino Experience
  • The impact of sports analytics on betting success: Should you trust predictions?
  • Online Gambling in Scandinavia – A Complete Guide

Recent Comments

  • leads dubai on Should You Be Focusing More On Local Marketing?
  • Aiodensghost on Official Game List for My Arcade Atari Gamestation Pro
  • keyboredom on Quick guide on how to play on the Internet Arcade
  • Bill Loguidice on Official Game List for My Arcade Atari Gamestation Pro
  • Melanie Levenstein on Official Game List for My Arcade Atari Gamestation Pro
  • George on How to Predict CS:GO/CS2 Skins Prices?
  • Bill Loguidice on Retro Games Ltd to release The Spectrum, fully working ZX Spectrum, and here’s the game list!
  • Derek on Retro Games Ltd to release The Spectrum, fully working ZX Spectrum, and here’s the game list!
  • Bill Loguidice on Retro Games Ltd to release The Spectrum, fully working ZX Spectrum, and here’s the game list!
  • Simon on Retro Games Ltd to release The Spectrum, fully working ZX Spectrum, and here’s the game list!

Archives

Categories

Explore

android (46) apple (37) ar (37) Arcade (167) Atari (75) atgames (173) book (99) books (98) casino (512) esports (47) firmware (43) Flashback (45) gambling (536) Gaming (41) home arcade (115) htc vive (42) humble bundle (282) humble store (67) ios (37) led (35) legends (40) legends arcade family (46) legends gamer (33) legends pinball (39) legends ultimate (71) Microsoft (40) Nintendo (70) pc gamer (67) pc gaming (53) pinball (43) playstation (55) PS4 (36) retro (34) Sega (38) slots (83) sony (51) steam (145) switch (34) technology (35) update (42) virtual pinball (36) virtual reality (116) vive (34) viveport (42) vr (121)

Affiliates

+ Amazon

The everything store

+ Humble Bundle

Game deals, including name your price bundles

+ Playasia (Play-Asia.com)

Import games and collectibles

+ DJI Store

Amazing drones and related technology

+ Razer

Amazing PC gamer products!

fullSTEAMahead365 Your total news and information resource for all things Science, Technology, Engineering / Mathematics, Art, and Medicine / Health.

Human Advancement Never Stops.

Key Site Statistics

Posts published: 2,573
Latest publish date: June 20, 2025 @ 9:46 am
Registered user count: 99,026

Contact Us

If you have a question, would like to provide feedback, or otherwise wish to get in touch with us, use this form.

Send Message

Blog Posts by Date

November 2017
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930  
« Oct   Dec »

Social Media and RSS

Support Armchair Arcade

All editorial content © 2003 - 2025 Armchair Arcade, Inc., an Armchair Creative Services, LLC, property. All rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. All trademarks and copyrights are retained by their respective owners. No content is to be removed or reused from the Armchair Arcade Website for commercial purposes without explicit permission from the principal Armchair Arcade staff, or the original trademark or copyright holders. Armchair Arcade, Inc., is not responsible for the content of any external sources or links. Further, endorsement of any external sources or links is neither implied nor suggested.

We thank you for your support and encourage you to contact us for any reason, including, but not limited to, questions, concerns, business endeavors, or praise. Especially praise.

Armchair Creative Services, LLC, may earn compensation for sales from links on posts through affiliate and other programs. Editorial rigor and objectivity standards are strictly adhered to and any compensation has no effect on coverage or opinions.

Prev Next