SG-1000 emulators

Sega SG-1000

Developer	Sega
Type	Home video game console, Home computer
Generation	Third generation
Release date	1983 (SG-1000, SC-3000) 1984 (SG-1000 II)
Discontinued	1984 (SG-1000) 1985 (SG-1000 II)
Successor	Mark III / Master System
Emulated	✓

The SG-1000, also known as Sega Game 1000, was a third-generation 8-bit home video game console released by Sega on July 15, 1983, and had a Zilog Z80 CPU at 3.58 MHz with 1 KB of RAM. This system marked Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business. The SG-1000 didn't see much success in its home country, mostly due to competition from the technically superior Famicom. It did, however, enjoy a brief period of popularity in Taiwan before the latter market was inundated by unlicensed Family Computer clones.

Sega's use of off-the-shelf components in developing the console, which was also shared with the ColecoVision, led to at least one unauthorized clone of the SG-1000, manufactured and sold by Taiwan-based Bit Corporation as the Dina 2-in-1. Indeed, the Dina had support for SG-1000 games and ColecoVision titles to a certain extent.

The SC-3000 (also known as Sega Computer 3000) was its home computer counterpart and has a built-in keyboard.

Emulators

Name	Platform(s)	Latest Version	Arcade variant	SC-3000	SF-7000	Accessories	Retro Achievements	Netplay	License	Active	Recommended
PC / x86
MasterGear		4.9.3	✗	✓	✓	?	✗	✓	Proprietary	✓	✓
MAME		git artifacts 0.270 libretro core	✓*	✓	✓	?	✗	✗	GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause	✓	✓
BizHawk		2.10-rc1	✓	✗	✗	?	✓	✗*	MIT GPL	✓	✓
ares		v140	~	✗	✗	?	roadmap	✗	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
Genesis Plus GX	*	libretro core	✗	✗	✗	~	✓	~	MAME license (Non-commercial)	✓	~
Kega Fusion		3.64	✗	✓	✓	~	✗	✓	Proprietary	✗	~
Gearsystem		libretro core 3.5.0	✗	✗	✗	?	✓	✗	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	~
blueMSX	**	libretro core 2.8.2	✗	✓	✓	?	✓	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	~	~
MEKA		0.8-alpha (2023-08-26)	✗	✓	✓	~	✗	✗	Non-commercial	✓	~
Snepulator		git	✗			~	✗	✗	MIT (Permissive)	✓	TBD
FinalBurn Neo		Stable WIP builds libretro core	✗	✗	✗	?	✓	~	Non-commercial	✓	✗
higan (火眼)		v110	✗	~	✗	?	✗	✗	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✗	✗
vdmgr		0.2.6	✗	~	✓	?	✗	✗	Proprietary	✗	✗
DarcNES		9b0401/9b0313	✗	~	✗	?	✗	✗	Non-commercial	✗	✗
CLK		2024-09-08	✗	✗	✗	?	✗	✗	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✗
Retro Virtual Machine		2.1.9	✗	✗	✗	?	✗	✗	Proprietary	✓	TBD
CoolCV		0.6.9	✗	✗	✗	?	✗	✗	Proprietary	✓	✗
TwoMbit		1.0.5	✗	✗	✗	?	✗	✗	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✗	✗
FreezeSMS		4.6	✗	✗	✗	?	✗	✗	Proprietary	✗	✗
Essgee		git	✗	✓	✗	?	✗	✗	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✗
RetroCopy		0.960 1.00 Beta 5				?	✗	?	Proprietary	✗	✗
Mobile / ARM
Snepulator		v24.05 (Snepulator MS) v24.05 (Snepulator SG) git	✗	?	✗	~	✗	✗	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
MasterGear		4.9.3	✗	✓	✓	?	✗	✗	Proprietary	✓	✓
Genesis Plus GX	*	libretro core	✗	✗	✗	~	✓	~	Non-commercial	✓	~
blueMSX	**	libretro core	✗	✓	✓	?	✓	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	~	~
GearMasterPlayer		1.0.5	✗	✗	✗	?	✗	✗	Proprietary	✗	~
FinalBurn Neo		Stable WIP builds libretro core	✗	✗	✗	?	✓	~	Non-commercial	✓	✗
MEKA		git20191218	✗	✓	✗	~	✗	✗	Non-commercial	✗	✗
Consoles
Genesis Plus GX		1.19.1 1.7.5 RC1	✗	✗	✗	~	✓	~	Non-commercial	✓	✓
S8DS		0.7	✗	✓	?	?	✗	✗	?	✗	✓
SMS Plus GX		1.19.1 r64 0.2b (DC)	✗	?	?	?	✓	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✗	~

*Only available on PC as a libretro core (e.g., RetroArch).

**Only available outside of Windows as a libretro core (e.g., RetroArch).

Accessories

Name	Genesis Plus GX	Kega Fusion	Snepulator	MEKA	BlastEm	PicoDrive
Sega Graphic Board	✓	?	✓	✓	?	?
Keyboard	✗	✓	?	✓	?	?
Floppy Disk Drive	?	✓	?	✓	?	?
System Converter	✗	?	?	?	?	✗
HyperShot	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
Data Recorder SR-1000	?	?	?	?	?	?
Bike Handle	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗

Sega Graphic Board

Also known as Terebi Oekaki. Includes a graphic board attached to a cartridge. Can be used on SG-1000, SC-3000, Sega Mark III, and Japanese / Korean models of Master System. Another version made for the International Master System models was planned to be released.

MEKA supports both variants of the Graphic Boards.

Keyboard

Named Sega Keyboard SK-1100. It essentially adds some of the missing features of the SC-3000 to an SG-1000 or Sega Mark III. It is not compatible with the Japanese / Korean models of Master System due to pinout differences in their respective expansion ports.

Kega Fusion, Meka, and MAME support this keyboard.

Othello Keyboard

A built-in keyboard found in Othello Multivision, an SG-1000 clone from Tsukuda Original. It is solely used to play the Othello variant of the game used as a BIOS. It cannot be used with the stand-alone version of Othello for SG-1000, which was distributed as a common cartridge.

Meka and MAME support this special keyboard.

Floppy Disk Drive

Known as Super Control Station SF-7000. Allows the SC-3000 to use 3" (proprietary format) floppy disks manufactured by Sega. Not widely popular due to their high retail price (¥79,800). It also includes its own IPL (BIOS), as the SC-3000 does not include any kind of built-in software, unlike MSX computers.

MEKA, Kega Fusion, and MAME support reading disk images, although is unknown if they allow data writing to them.

HyperShot

Cross-compatible two-button controller manufactured by Konami to be used in any piece of hardware that uses DE-9 ports. On SG-1000, it is used with Hyper Sports, although it can be used with the bootleg conversions of Hyper Olympic / Sports games from MSX1 on Sega Mark III / Master System.

Data Recorder SR-1000

Datacorder that allows common cassette tapes to be read and written with the BASIC software from SG-1000 or SC-3000. On SG-1000 (or Sega Mark III), the presence of a SK-1100 is required. On standard SG-1000 games, it can be used on:

• C-So!
• Championship Lode Runner
• Lode Runner

MAME supports reading and writing cassette tape images. blueMSX also had planned tape support for their SC-3000 driver as well.

Modem

A modem used for SC-3000 manufactured by John Sands, released only in Australia. It allows a special software named SegaCom to be connected to the Internet through dial-up. The modem connects itself in the cartridge port, in the same vein as connecting a Model 2 Sega CD to a Sega Genesis.

No known emulator supports this, and the SegaCom ROM is not dumped.

Handle Controller & Bike Handle

Known as SR-400 and BH-400, both are driving controllers compatible with the following games:

• GP World
• Hang-On II
• Monaco GP
• Safari Race
• Zippy Race
• Zoom 909

No emulators support these controllers for now.

RAM Adapter

An 8KB RAM Adapter to be used in SG-1000, sold only in Taiwan without a license from Sega. It allows certain MSX1 conversions to be played on the system.

Genesis Plus GX, MEKA, and MAME do support this accessory as a form of cartridge mapper.

Arcade

Sega also used the SG-1000 hardware to run Arcade games. Here's a known list of Arcade games:

• Champion Boxing
• Champion Pro Wrestling
• Doki Doki Penguin Land
• Super Derby
• Super Derby II

The first three games are pretty much the same as their SG-1000 counterparts, but Super Derby and Super Derby II are special medal-type games intended to be used with 1-9 players. MAME features full support for the common SG-1000 Arcade games, but for the Derby ones, it is still preliminary.