Primarily because of its Genesis bundling , Sonic the Hedgehog contributed to the console 's North American popularity . During October – December 1991 , the Genesis outsold the Super NES by a two @-@ to @-@ one ratio , and at its January 1992 peak claimed 65 percent of the market for 16 @-@ bit consoles . Although Nintendo eventually again overtook Sega , this was the first time since December 1985 that the company did not lead the console market .