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[Kazza]

Sega have finally released details of the upcoming Megadrive/Genesis Mini, and it all seems to be good news:
- M2 (the team behind the excellent Sega Ages series) confirmed to be handling the emulation
- Yuzo Koshiro will be doing the menu/theme music
- 40 42 games (including the first ever port of Castlevania Bloodlines)
- releasing worldwide on Sept 19th of this year
- $70 with one controller, $90 with 2 (edit: 3 button for the West/6 button version for Asia/Japan)

Edit (updated list of games - 20 30 announced so far - all 42 games announced (see below):

All regions:

Alisia Dragoon
Beyond Oasis
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Comix Zone
Columns
Contra: Hard Corps
Darius
Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Golden Axe
Gunstar Heroes
Landstalker
Mega Man: The Wily Wars
Monster World IV
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
Road Rash II
Shining Force
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Space Harrier 2
Streets of Rage 2
Super Fantasy Zone
Tetris
Thunder Force III
World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

EU / NA exclusive/semi-exclusives:

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Altered Beast
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
Dynamite Headdy
Earthworm Jim
Ecco the Dolphin
Eternal Champions
Kid Chameleon
Light Crusader
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Sonic Spinball
Sonic the Hedgehog
Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition
Strider
ToeJam & Earl
Vectorman
Virtua Fighter 2
Wonder Boy in Monster World

Japanese exclusive/semi-exclusives:

Assault Suit Leynos
Dyna Brothers 2
Dynamite Headdy
Game no Kanzume Otokuyou
Langrisser II
Lord Monarch
Madō Monogatari I
MUSHA
Party Quiz Mega Q
Powerball
Puyo Puyo 2
Puzzle and Action: Tant-R
Rent a Hero
Slap Fight MD
Snow Bros
Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition
The Hybrid Front
The Revenge of Shinobi
Yu Yu Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen

Rest of Asia exclusive/semi-exclusives:

Alien Soldier
Assault Suit Leynos
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Game no Kanzume Otokuyou
Langrisser II
MUSHA
OutRun 2019
Powerball
Puyo Puyo
Puyo Puyo 2
Puzzle and Action: Tant-R
Shining Force 2
Slap Fight MD
Snow Bros
Sonic the Hedgehog
Strider
Sword of Vermillion
The Revenge of Shinobi
Wonder Boy in Monster World


System UI:

You can see the UI in action here (the music was composed by Yuzo Koshiro of Streets of Rage/Revenge of Shinobi fame):





Accessories:

Mega Drive Tower Mini! (note: this is just for show and doesn't actually contain any Mega CD/Sega CD or 32X games):

Not yet announced for the West, so might need to order from Playasia or Amazon.jp

Spoiler: Outdated parts of original post

The 10 games confirmed so far are:

• Castlevania Bloodlines
• Comix Zone
• Gunstar Heroes
• Madō Monogatari
• Puyo Puyo Tsu
• Rent a Hero
• Shining Force
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Space Harrier 2
• Wrestleball

Note that the games available will vary region to region.

Edit:

Here's the preview from Sega Fez:

Video has been removed from Youtube

 

[Xaero Gravity]

I'll buy one simply to have another mini console in my collection, but I don't see myself using it very often considering I basically turned the PS1 mini into Sega emulator.

 

[JunkerWoland]

It's not going to happen, but if Monster World IV is put on this thing and made available on the Western version, I'll buy this stupid thing.

Otherwise, I'm not big on these mini-consoles, but depending on the quality of emulation and overall game selection, it could be a consideration.

::::edit::::
Just saw M2 is involved. At the very least, that certainly increases my overall interest.

 

[Orenji Neko]

Now that is damn good. So pleased to see Sega really putting in some serious effort on this thing. Not only did they drop AtGames, but they went for the best possible choice for the software with M2. I still have my Genny and likely most of the games they will include, but I'm still probably going to collect one of these.

 

[DiscoJer]

Seems rather pricey. The AT Games has put out numerous Genesis minis over the years for around $40, plus this year's Arcade Legends which will play Genesis roms from an sd card with a firmware update.

 

[Kazza]

Just saw M2 is involved. At the very least, that certainly increases my overall interest.

I'm not so big on mini consoles either, but this is what piqued my interest too (along with the Castlevania announcement)

Seems rather pricey. The AT Games has put out numerous Genesis minis over the years for around $40, plus this year's Arcade Legends which will play Genesis roms from an sd card with a firmware update.

The AT Games versions in still going for around $70-$100 dollars where I am anyway, and with M2 on board for the emulation and Sega handling the hardware themselves, this is gong to be much better quality. Of course, it won't be able to compete price-wise with pirated roms downloaded from the internet.

 

[Hinedorf]

No Shinobi games?! *spits on ground*

I SUMMON MECHAGODZILLA

 

[Kazza]

Here's the preview section from Sega Fez:

 

[JunkerWoland]

I'm not so big on mini consoles either, but this is what piqued my interest too (along with the Castlevania announcement)

If they manage to offer something comparable to M2's work on Sega Ages, then this product potentially becomes a legitimately worthwhile and affordable way to play around 40 classic Genesis games on a modern television. Assuming the emulation is up-to-snuff, it'll really just depend on the game selection.

Of interest and a positive sign about the unit's software, Chris Kohler tweeted the JP edition's version of Vampier Killer offers region selection.

 

[Kazza]

If they manage to offer something comparable to M2's work on Sega Ages, then this product potentially becomes a legitimately worthwhile and affordable way to play around 40 classic Genesis games on a modern television. Assuming the emulation is up-to-snuff, it'll really just depend on the game selection.

I already have the Megadrive collection on steam, and I imagine there will be a large amount of overlap between the two collections. Although the M2 emulation will almost certainly be much better than the recent Megadrive collection, the steam version allows you to use the roms with whichever emulator you like, so that won't be a big factor for me personally. The fact that Sega seem to be putting in so much effort into this makes me much more inclined to buy it. Hopefully the remaining 40 games will include some surprises, such as more Konami games, some shoot'em ups (Thunderforce etc), and others.

At least it's looking like being a competent SNES/NES-style mini system, rather than a PS1 mini like disaster.

 

[JunkerWoland]

I already have the Megadrive collection on steam,

I don't own the Steam or console versions of that release, but I have some of same games+emulator from back when Sega was selling them individually & DRM-free; they're serviceable, but nothing special. Anyone who prefers playing with PC emulators won't really need (or probably want) this mini-console. The potential allure for me is having top-shelf emulation that I can conveniently play on a television.

 

[Spukc]

Let us hack it and finally put sonic 3 on it ffs

 

[Deleted member 738976]

Let us hack it and finally put sonic 3 on it ffs

If hackers can save the garbage that is the bargain bin Playstation Classic they can do the same for this. Though from the looks of things it doesn't need saving anymore since M2 came to the rescue.

 

[Lucumo]

No AT Games? Well, looks like I'm getting it. And yes, Madō Monogatari, although we likely won't get it here in the West. Hm, at least importing is an option. Will be interesting to see the full line-up of both, the European and the Japanese territory.

 

[Rodolink]

I love these mini consoles, and is great SEGA themselves are overseeing this. Can't wait to get it!

 

[GenericUser]

I can emulate Genesis games perfectly, don't need that.

 

[Spukc]

I can emulate Genesis games perfectly, don't need that.

YOU
DON’T
SAY?

 

[Chairman Tickles]

How many times do these publishers expect to resell the same games in shiny new packaging I wonder?

Works for Nintendo. Doesn't make it right. I think I've bought Mario 64 ~5x since 1996. I'm done with these Rom packs.

 

[GenericUser]

YOU
DON’T
SAY?

I was interested in the ps one classic because PS1 emulation is not perfect as far as I know, but genesis?

 

[Chairman Tickles]

We need a Sega Saturn Classic. Ain't gonna happen though.

 

[FranXico]

No Sonic 3?

 

[Deleted member 738976]

How many times do these publishers expect to resell the same games in shiny new packaging I wonder?

Works for Nintendo. Doesn't make it right. I think I've bought Mario 64 ~5x since 1996. I'm done with these Rom packs.

The difference is these classic systems offer you the controllers you were meant to play them with. Ever try playing Genesis games with an Xbox controller? It's not fun at all. I'll take the 6 button layout or nothing at all.

 

[Spukc]

I am just waiting until some knobhead comes in this thread and starts squaking about raspberry pi and how good it is .

 

[Orta]

Street Fighter aside, what Megadrive games used the full six button layout that might suggest they are being included on this?

 

[Shotpun]

I was interested in the ps one classic because PS1 emulation is not perfect as far as I know, but genesis?

No software emulation is ever perfect, but I'd say PS1 emulation is around 4/5 on the best emulators today, mostly just some small glitches you might not even notice on certain games. PS1 Classic on the other hand is maybe at 2/5 at its best.

Can't say I'm an expert on Genesis emulation, but in general on a good emulator probably only the audio might not always be entirely correct in every game and you might not even notice it unless you put an original genesis next to it.

 

[Deleted member 738976]

Street Fighter aside, what Megadrive games used the full six button layout that might suggest they are being included on this?

It's not so much we need all 6 buttons, it's just that the shape of that version of the controller makes it better than the original.

Comix Zone
Eternal Champions
Ranger-X
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Streets of Rage 3
The Story of Thor: A Successor of the Light
ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron
Virtua Fighter 2
Virtua Racing

 

[Chittagong]

Looks absolutely amazing. Great to see it’s a proper 1st party product with a passionate team, and a huge number of games.

 

[Soodanim]

If there's a unique selling point, I'll be interested. As it stands I have a Mega Dive and a Saturn controller on order from Retro-Bit, and I own the ROM packs sold on Steam. Until further notice, I'm good!

 

[Chairman Tickles]

The difference is these classic systems offer you the controllers you were meant to play them with. Ever try playing Genesis games with an Xbox controller? It's not fun at all. I'll take the 6 button layout or nothing at all.

Sega never stopped making original controllers. Can still get them brand new. USB adapter and BAM, got the console experience on your PC.

I'd prefer if they offered a subscription based PC or console service.

 

[Maguro]

I am a hardcore Japanese Sega mega Drive collector so I don't really need this. But it's awesome they include the 6 button controller, the original ones are the best controllers for 2D games ever produced. Yes even better than the Sega saturn version 2 controller.

40 games Is pretty good although most of them are probably already included in those collections you can buy everywhere.

The selling point is Castlevania bloodlines if you ask me, a game that goes für no less than 300 bucks these days. It's a great game.

 

[petran79]

Lets see if M2 or Konami will have better emulation of bloodlines

Can't say I'm an expert on Genesis emulation, but in general on a good emulator probably only the audio might not always be entirely correct in every game and you might not even notice it unless you put an original genesis next to it.

Retroarch does solve the issue of adjusting the game speed to monitor refresh, especially with gsync and freesync monitors

 

[Bullet Club]

Awesome. Great news about M2 being involved.

 

[Shotpun]

Lets see if M2 or Konami will have better emulation of bloodlines



Retroarch does solve the issue of adjusting the game speed to monitor refresh, especially with gsync and freesync monitors

I meant the accuracy of audio emulation in general, but I thought the refresh rate difference between original (NTSC) Genesis analog output and modern digital 60Hz so small that you can't easily hear it from the sound? Or does that cause some crackling or something?

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

My first console!

SAY GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 

[Starlight Lotice]

This and Sakura Wars really made by day this morning!

I hope hope hope hope HOPE we get Rent a Hero and Bloodlines on the NA/EU side and provide us the Japanese Bare Knuckle 3 as well as SoR3 to toggle the difficulty settings.

I wonder if they will include Super Fantasy Zone for Americans and Valis SD for Europeans?

I also wonder if they will add Trouble Shooter 1 and 2 if they get Vic Tokai's permission? No way I am paying £££s for a physical cart. (For Japan I mean)

Any chance of Sonic 3 & Knuckles getting on this thing?

After this I hope they do a Master System/Game Gear Mini as well.

So excited for this as they could outdo Nintendo if they can do it right and give us an English version of an unreleased game such as Monster World IV or Rent a Hero!

They at the very least need to get Rocket Knight, Alisia Dragoon and Crusader of Centy it as those three games are what people NEED to play! Great games and I own all 3.

 

[petran79]

I meant the accuracy of audio emulation in general, but I thought the refresh rate difference between original (NTSC) Genesis analog output and modern digital 60Hz so small that you can't easily hear it from the sound? Or does that cause some crackling or something?

It gets more technical here


Unfortunately, Exodus seems to have the same issue that most stand-alone emulators do: it is accurate to a fault.

NTSC is defined as refreshing at 60/1.001Hz (59.94..)

Many older systems used a refresh rate close-to, but not-quite an exact 60/1.001, which was not an issue for a CRT.

Many displays hooked up to a computer today, or the video cards in use, do not sync up to a perfect 60/1.001 either.

And this is the problem that front-ends like RetroArch have finally solved. RetroArch sacrifices absolutely perfect emulation speed in favor of providing a good user experience.

I don't know about the Genesis, but the SNES output a refresh rate of 60.08Hz, and not the standard 59.94Hz. And your monitor might be running at a perfect 60.00Hz rather than either of those.

This means that a game will either stutter, tear, have audio glitches, or a combination of all three when played in an emulator.

What RetroArch does is allow the emulator to run at an uncapped framerate, and then sync that to the monitor's refresh rate using V-Sync. The audio is then resampled ever-so-slightly so that it remains perfectly synchronized to the new video speed.

This results in absolutely smooth, stutter-free video with audio that is perfectly in sync without any glitching, even if it means that the game is technically running a fraction of a percent faster or slower than the original hardware.

Hopefully now that it is open source, it will be possible to port this code over to being a new core for RetroArch, so that we can have accurate emulation with the benefits that the RetroArch front-end provides.



Another advantage that RetroArch brings, which is particularly useful for Genesis games, is that it has an extensive shader system. Being able to use the MDAPT filter to de-dither Genesis games without having to blur the image is a huge improvement in my opinion.

 

[Lucumo]

40 games Is pretty good although most of them are probably already included in those collections you can buy everywhere.

Not really, my last console was a Mega Drive and on PC it's limited to Steam (DRM). So apart from somehow buying MD games new, it's my only choice.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

This and Sakura Wars really made by day this morning!

It's been a Segatastic day, hasn't it?

 

[Maguro]

Already got one ; ] Just kidding, it's the MegaDrive Megatron from Transformers.

 

[Shotpun]

It gets more technical here

Right, you were talking about that issue. I tend to forget it even exists as I'm not sensitive to it and don't notice it unless I purposefully start looking for it.

Cool that RetroArch has a solution for it though.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

It's been a Segatastic day, hasn't it?

Still 2 more days to go! Looking forward to more announcements!

 

[Maguro]

Actual image of the device

 

[JimiNutz]

No Sonic 3?

How the fuck are they not including Sonic 1-3. That's like that bare minimum that I would expect. Same with the Mega Drive Collection. What the fuck Sega?

 

[Lucumo]

How the fuck are they not including Sonic 1-3. That's like that bare minimum that I would expect. Same with the Mega Drive Collection. What the fuck Sega?

I mean, Sonic 2 is in the ten revealed games for the Japanese version. Was there any announcement that Sonic 1 and 3 won't be present in any region?

 

[Starlight Lotice]

Already got one ; ] Just kidding, it's the MegaDrive Megatron from Transformers.

I was going to say it is the Transformers Mega Drive!

Off-Topic but I recognise your avatar from the Sapphire game on the PC Engine CD, if Konami/NEC ever decide to do a Mini themselves, would you add Sapphire to the line up?

 

[Maguro]

I was going to say it is the Transformers Mega Drive!

Off-Topic but I recognise your avatar from the Sapphire game on the PC Engine CD, if Konami/NEC ever decide to do a Mini themselves, would you add Sapphire to the line up?

Yes i would. I would probably add all the good expensive games, Ys....and some Bonk entries.

 

[TLZ]

Finally!

But I don't have nostalgia for this version. I had the Mega Drive 2.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

Yes i would. I would probably add all the good expensive games, Ys....and some Bonk entries.

Definitely! Cryoon, the Thunder series, Bomberman 94 and perhaps Cotton as well if I wanted to be cheeky.

Screw it....SEGA please add Panorama Cotton on the Mini!

 

[JimiNutz]

I mean, Sonic 2 is in the ten revealed games for the Japanese version. Was there any announcement that Sonic 1 and 3 won't be present in any region?

After they didn't include Sonic 1-3 in the Megadrive Collection it just seems likely that they won't in this either.

 

[Lucumo]

After they didn't include Sonic 1-3 in the Megadrive Collection it just seems likely that they won't in this either.

I mean, you were stating it as a fact, even though we don't know the full list. Just wait and see instead of already complaining beforehand.