Sega Mega Drive

In 1988, Nintendo controlled 95% of the American console market. The gaming industry had become a one-company show. Then Sega released a sleek black machine with "16-BIT" embossed in gold across its face, and everything changed.

The Mega Drive emerged from Sega's arcade division, where their System 16 boards were powering hits like After Burner and Shinobi. Designer Mitsushige Shiraiwa gave the console a deliberately mature aesthetic, inspired by high-end audio equipment rather than children's toys. The gold lettering wasn't subtle - it was a statement. This was twice the machine Nintendo was selling.

Launched in Japan on 29 October 1988, the Mega Drive struggled against Nintendo's dominance there. But when it crossed the Pacific as the Genesis in 1989, backed by the most aggressive marketing campaign gaming had ever seen, it found its audience. "Genesis does what Nintendon't." By 1991, a blue hedgehog named Sonic had given the console its killer app, and Sega had grown from an $813 million company to a $3.6 billion giant. The first console war had begun, fought in living rooms and playgrounds across the world.

Gizmo is a collection of design-led art prints built around the machines that shaped how we made music, wrote code, played and connected with the world. Synthesisers and drum machines. Cameras and home computers. Calculators and handheld devices that once felt like the future.

Each print is a carefully constructed illustration that isolates what made an object memorable - its proportions, controls, typography, surfaces, and small acts of engineering intelligence. Not retro sentimentality, but honest observation: what made these machines distinctive, how they looked when they were new, and why their forms still resonate.

Adapted from and inspired by Simon Tyler's forthcoming book Gizmo: Retro-Tech We Loved and Lost, published by Laurence King in May 2026.

All prints are produced to order on 250gsm archival matte paper using pigment-based inks, chosen for colour accuracy and long-term stability.

Each print is rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, sealed for moisture protection, ready for framing on arrival.

Large · 70 × 50 cm · 28 × 20 in

XLarge · 100 × 70 cm · 40 × 28 in

UK: Free · 3-5 working days

Europe: €8.50 · 3-7 working days · No customs charges

USA & Canada: $8.95 / $12.00 CAD · 5-10 working days

Australia: $14.00 AUD · 5-10 working days

Rest of World: £14.95 · 7-14 working days

All prints are produced to order and dispatched within 1-3 working days. Orders placed before 5pm GMT ship the same day. You'll receive tracking information by email once dispatched.

Orders outside Europe may be subject to local customs charges on delivery - these are the responsibility of the recipient.

Full delivery information →

Returns accepted within 30 days. Email returns@axisophy.com with your order number and we'll provide return instructions.

Return postage is the customer's responsibility except where the print arrives damaged or there's been an error - in which case we'll arrange a replacement or refund immediately, no return needed.

Full returns policy →