The Sega Genesis, also known as the Mega Drive, was released on August 14, 1989 in North America. It is a 16-bit home video game console developed and sold by Sega Enterprises and was Sega’s largest success in its console creating career. It was the main competitor to the SNES and kicked off an era known as the “Console Wars”. For gaming aficionados its underdog status gained it the moniker the “cool console”.