Mega Drive



"Genesis does what Nintendon't."

The Mega Drive (called Genesis in the US for legal reasons) was Sega's entry in the 4th console generation.

This system did not perform too well in Japan, coming out after NEC's PC Engine. On the other hand, it was Sega's most successful system in the West, even outselling the SNES during much of its run. Consequently it amassed a vast library of very high quality titles, and is now considered a classic system.

Specs
Compared to long-time rival SNES, the Mega Drive had a more "brute force" approach, boasting a more powerful CPU but a simpler video and sound chipset. This can be seen in polygon games like Race Drivin or Steel Talons, which run acceptably on the Mega Drive but far worse on the SNES. The Mega Drive could do fewer colors, although skilled artists could still do awesome graphics on it. The two systems had radically different approaches to music: the Mega Drive did FM synthesis, the SNES had a sample-based processor. Again, in the right hands, the Mega Drive could sound fantastic, but most Western developers used the GEMS sound driver and never bothered changing its default settings, which gave it a reputation for bad sound.

Backwards compatibility
The Mega Drive is internally backwards-compatible with Master System games, but its cartridge slot is different. So a simple adapter, the Power Base Converter, is required. This device also takes Master System games in the Sega Card format. However, the Mega Drive is not at all compatible with the SG-1000, even though its Sega Card titles are physically identical. Later revisions of the coverter lack the Card Slot.

Variants
The system had several hardware revisions. The three main ones in the US market are the original "High-Definition Graphics" model, the Genesis 2, and Genesis 3.

The Genesis 2 introduced a number of cost-cutting changes. Most visibly, the DE-9 port on the back is removed (used by the Japan-only Mega Modem accessory), as well as the front headphone jack, and the video connector is different. But worse, the sound chip was clumsily integrated with the video processor, which makes the music sound muffled and distorted. Check some comparisons. If this irks you, look into the triple bypass mod. Another annoying change of this model was an a new lockout system that broke compatibility with some early unlicensed titles.

The Genesis 3 was a late, low-cost revision. It lacks compatibility with Master System, 32X, and Sega CD games, as well as Virtua Racing. It also only outputs mono sound. There are mods to restore most of these features (not Sega CD though).

The Nomad was Sega's own handheld version of the Mega Drive. It's bulky, battery-hungry, and the screen is terrible by modern standards. But back then it was damn impressive! If you have one, look into display mods.

Clones
There's a number of Mega Drive clones available, both official and not.

The Super Retro Trio, Retron3, and Retron5 are pretty good. The Retron5 is basically an emulation box with support for original cartridges and controllers. One of the best features is the ability to use patches on original cartridges. Great for hacks and translations.

Analogue's SG Mega is a fancier alternative. Like Analogue's other systems, is based on a FPGA chip and runs everything perfectly. There are additional audio options so you can tweak based on what type of sound chips your original Genesis had. Compatibility with other devices is pretty great as well. With adapters, you can also play Master System, Game Gear, and SG-1000 titles. And those few MS titles that don't work with Genesis controllers finally do! It also includes an edge connector for Sega CD support! The 32x usage might be possible with the DAC. Like the Super NT, it has a built-in game: the formerly unreleased Ultracore by DICE.

Be wary of anything made by AtGames. Most, if not all, of their clones have terrible sound emulation.

Sega jumped into the mini-console fad with the Mega Drive Mini / Genesis Mini, and the result was positive. Emulation was provided by M2 and is very good. It includes a lot more games than either the NES Mini or the SNES Mini - abd two new arcade ports, Darius and Tetris. Better yet, no game is exclusive to any region's variant (just change the system's region setting).

Flash carts
As usual, Krikzz delivers quality with the Mega Everdrive series. The more expensive models have advanced features (larger ROM sizes, better load speeds, Master System support, FM sound support, Mega CD emulation support). Alternatively, the MegaSD by TerraOnion is basically on par with the most high-end Mega Everdrive, and they cost roughly the same.

Videos
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