Sega is making a return to stores on Thursday with a mini Genesis console based on the original system. Sega Genesis launched in October 1988 in Japan and a year later in North America. Sega is making a return to stores on Thursday with a mini Genesis console based on the original system. Sega Genesis launched in October 1988 in Japan and a year later in North America. As for whether the Genesis Mini could help boost struggling retailers at the end of a console cycle, analysts aren't hopeful.