 Sega announced the release of the Mega @-@ CD in Japan for late 1991 , and North America ( as the Sega CD ) in 1992 . It was unveiled to the public for the first time at the 1991 Tokyo Toy Show , to positive reception from critics . The Mega @-@ CD would go on to be released in Japan on December 12 , 1991 , initially retailing at JP ¥ 49 @,@ 800 . Though the unit sold quickly , the small install base of the Mega Drive in Japan meant that sales declined rapidly after launch . Within its first year in Japan , the Mega @-@ CD only sold 100 @,@ 000 units . Third @-@ party development of games for the new system suffered because Sega took a long amount of time to release software development kits . Other factors impacting sales included the high launch price of the Mega @-@ CD in Japan and only two titles being available at launch . 
