Often known as the Mega Drive, this console was first released in Japan in 1988. A year later it graced the US with its awesome presence, and has been a fond memory for many a gamer ever since. It is known as the genesis instead of the mega drive in the US because Sega was unable to legally call it as such. There were 4 other home consoles that came before the Genesis, but this is by far one of the best ever.
Released 2 year prior to the Super Nintendo, this console rocked the sales charts and gamers minds' alike. It lasted an insane 14 years before its last game was finally released, and had strong sales the entire time which totalled 29 million consoles sold.
Sega first wanted to partner with Atari to distribue the system in the United States, but they were unable to come to acceptable terms so Sega decided to go it alone. Their US release was initially a bit rock with the SNES to compete with, but once they came out with their mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, the system started selling like wildfire.