Sega Megadrive Information, Specifications and Accessories
The Sega Mega Drive, known as this in most regions outside of North America, whereas in North America it is known as the Sega Genisis. The Mega Drive is a 16-bit home video game console which was developed and sold by Sega Enterprises, Ltd. The Mega Drive was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega first released the console as the Mega Drive in Japan in 1988, followed by a North American debut under the Genesis moniker in 1989. In 1990, the console was distributed as the Mega Drive by Virgin Mastertronic in Europe.
The system supports a library of more than 900 games created both by Sega and a wide array of third-party publishers and delivered on ROM-based cartridges.
It can play Master System games when the separately sold Master System Converter is inserted. The Mega Drive has benefited from several peripherals and network services, as well as multiple first-party and third-party variations of the console that focus on extending its functionality and performance.
In Japan, the Mega Drive did not fare well against its two main competitors, Nintendo's Super Famicom and NEC's PC Engine console, although it did achieved considerable success in North America, Brazil and Europe. Contributing to its success were its library of arcade game ports, the popularity of the Mega Drive-exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog series, several popular sports game franchises, and aggressive youth marketing that positioned the system as the cool console for adolescents. The release of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System two years after the Mega Drive resulted in a fierce battle for market share in the United States and Europe that has often been termed as a "console war" by journalists and historians. As this contest drew increasing attention to the video game industry among the general public, the Mega Drive and several of its highest-profile games attracted significant legal scrutiny on matters involving reverse engineering and video game violence. Controversy surrounding violent titles such as Night Trap and Mortal Kombat led Sega to create the Video game Rating Council, a predecessor to the Entertainment Software Rating Board.
The system supports a library of more than 900 games created both by Sega and a wide array of third-party publishers and delivered on ROM-based cartridges.
It can play Master System games when the separately sold Master System Converter is inserted. The Mega Drive has benefited from several peripherals and network services, as well as multiple first-party and third-party variations of the console that focus on extending its functionality and performance.
In Japan, the Mega Drive did not fare well against its two main competitors, Nintendo's Super Famicom and NEC's PC Engine console, although it did achieved considerable success in North America, Brazil and Europe. Contributing to its success were its library of arcade game ports, the popularity of the Mega Drive-exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog series, several popular sports game franchises, and aggressive youth marketing that positioned the system as the cool console for adolescents. The release of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System two years after the Mega Drive resulted in a fierce battle for market share in the United States and Europe that has often been termed as a "console war" by journalists and historians. As this contest drew increasing attention to the video game industry among the general public, the Mega Drive and several of its highest-profile games attracted significant legal scrutiny on matters involving reverse engineering and video game violence. Controversy surrounding violent titles such as Night Trap and Mortal Kombat led Sega to create the Video game Rating Council, a predecessor to the Entertainment Software Rating Board.
The European version was released on November 30, 1990. Building on the success of the Master System, the Mega Drive became the most popular console in Europe. Since the Mega Drive was two years old at the time of its release in the region, more games were available at launch compared to the launches in other regions. Ports of arcade titles like Altered Beast, Golden Axe and Ghouls 'n Ghosts, available in stores at launch, provided a strong image of the console's power to deliver an arcade-like experience. The release of the Mega Drive in Europe was handled by Virgin Mastertronic, which was later purchased by Sega in 1991 and became Sega of Europe.
To compete with Nintendo, Sega was more open to new types of games than its rival, but still tightly controlled the approval process for third-party games and charged high prices for cartridge manufacturing. Technicians from American third-party video game publisher Electronic Arts reverse engineered the Mega Drive in 1989, following nearly one year of negotiations with Sega in which EA requested a more liberal licensing agreement than was standard in the industry before releasing its games for the system.
Sega was able to outsell Nintendo 4 Christmas seasons in a row due to the Mega Drives' head start, a lower price point, and a larger library of games when compared to the Super Nintendo at its release. Sega had 10 games for every 1 game on SNES!.
To compete with Nintendo, Sega was more open to new types of games than its rival, but still tightly controlled the approval process for third-party games and charged high prices for cartridge manufacturing. Technicians from American third-party video game publisher Electronic Arts reverse engineered the Mega Drive in 1989, following nearly one year of negotiations with Sega in which EA requested a more liberal licensing agreement than was standard in the industry before releasing its games for the system.
Sega was able to outsell Nintendo 4 Christmas seasons in a row due to the Mega Drives' head start, a lower price point, and a larger library of games when compared to the Super Nintendo at its release. Sega had 10 games for every 1 game on SNES!.
The 32-bit era and beyond..
In order to extend the life of the Mega Drive, Sega released two add-on's to increase its capabilities: a CD-based peripheral known as the Mega CD (Sega-CD in America), a compact disc-based add-on that can play its library of games in CD-ROMf ormat. They also released a 32-bit add-on known as the Sega 32X, it's a 32-bit peripheral which uses ROM cartridges and serves as a pass-through for Mega Drive games. Over 2.2 million Mega CD units were sold worldwide, and an estimated 665,000 32X units were sold by the end of 1994.
Following the launch of the next-generation 32-bit Sony PlayStation and the Sega Saturn, sales of 16-bit hardware and software continued to account for 64% of the video game market in 1995. Sega underestimated the continued popularity of the Mega Drive and did not have the inventory to meet demand for the product.
Sega sold 30.75 million Mega Drive units worldwide. Of these, 3.58 million were sold in Japan, and sales in Europe and the U.S. are roughly estimated at 8 million and 18 million as of June 1997, at which time Sega was no longer manufacturing the system, respectively.
In order to extend the life of the Mega Drive, Sega released two add-on's to increase its capabilities: a CD-based peripheral known as the Mega CD (Sega-CD in America), a compact disc-based add-on that can play its library of games in CD-ROMf ormat. They also released a 32-bit add-on known as the Sega 32X, it's a 32-bit peripheral which uses ROM cartridges and serves as a pass-through for Mega Drive games. Over 2.2 million Mega CD units were sold worldwide, and an estimated 665,000 32X units were sold by the end of 1994.
Following the launch of the next-generation 32-bit Sony PlayStation and the Sega Saturn, sales of 16-bit hardware and software continued to account for 64% of the video game market in 1995. Sega underestimated the continued popularity of the Mega Drive and did not have the inventory to meet demand for the product.
Sega sold 30.75 million Mega Drive units worldwide. Of these, 3.58 million were sold in Japan, and sales in Europe and the U.S. are roughly estimated at 8 million and 18 million as of June 1997, at which time Sega was no longer manufacturing the system, respectively.
The standard controller features a rounded shape, a directional pad, 3 main buttons, and a "start" button. Sega later released a six-button version in 1993. This pad is slightly smaller and features 3 additional face buttons, similar to the design of buttons on some popular arcade fighting games such as Street Fighter 2.
The system is backward compatible with the Master System. The first add-on released, the Master System Converter (Power Base Converter in America), allows Master System games to be played on the Mega Drive. A second model, the Master System Converter 2, was released only in Europe for use with the Mega Drive 2.
Other peripherals were released to add functionality. The Menacer is a wireless, infrared light gun peripheral used with compatible games.
In November 1993, Sega released the Sega Activator, an octagonal device that lies flat on the floor and translates the player's physical movements into game inputs. Several high-profile games, including Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition, were adapted to support the peripheral. The device was a commercial failure, due mainly to its inaccuracy and its high price point. IGN editor Craig Harris ranked the Sega Activator the 3rd worst video game controller ever made!.
Both EA and Sega released multitaps to allow more than the standard two players to play at once. Initially, EA's version, the 4 Way Play, and Sega's adapter, the Team Player, only supported each publisher's titles. In response to complaints about this, Sega publicly stated that "We have been working hard to resolve this problem since we learned of it" and that a new Team Player which would work with all multitap games for the console would be released shortly.
The system is backward compatible with the Master System. The first add-on released, the Master System Converter (Power Base Converter in America), allows Master System games to be played on the Mega Drive. A second model, the Master System Converter 2, was released only in Europe for use with the Mega Drive 2.
Other peripherals were released to add functionality. The Menacer is a wireless, infrared light gun peripheral used with compatible games.
In November 1993, Sega released the Sega Activator, an octagonal device that lies flat on the floor and translates the player's physical movements into game inputs. Several high-profile games, including Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition, were adapted to support the peripheral. The device was a commercial failure, due mainly to its inaccuracy and its high price point. IGN editor Craig Harris ranked the Sega Activator the 3rd worst video game controller ever made!.
Both EA and Sega released multitaps to allow more than the standard two players to play at once. Initially, EA's version, the 4 Way Play, and Sega's adapter, the Team Player, only supported each publisher's titles. In response to complaints about this, Sega publicly stated that "We have been working hard to resolve this problem since we learned of it" and that a new Team Player which would work with all multitap games for the console would be released shortly.
The Mega Drive library was initially modest, but eventually grew to contain games to appeal to all types of players. The initial pack-in title was Altered Beast, which was later replaced with Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991. Top sellers included Sonic the Hedgehog, its sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Disney's Aladdin. During development for the console, Sega Enterprises focused on developing action games, while Sega of America was tasked with developing sports games. A large part of the appeal of the Mega Drive library during the console's lifetime was the arcade-based experience of its games, as well as more difficult entries such as Ecco the Dolphin. Compared to its competition, Sega advertised to an older audience by hosting more mature games, including the uncensored version of Mortal Kombat.
As Sega was a prolific arcade developer in the 1980s, early Mega Drive games included arcade ports such as Altered Beast, Golden Axe, and Super Hang-On. Console teams would develop titles in acclaimed series such as Castle of Illusion, Phantasy Star, Shinobi, and Streets of Rage. Alex Kidd was the mascot of Sega's previous console, but he would not receive any Mega Drive sequels after Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle due to Sega of America wanting to replace him with the titular character from Sonic the Hedgehog as mascot. The Sonic the Hedgehog series was a big hit both commercially and critically, with the original game being the best selling game on the system. Sega of America would also help set up Sega Technical Institute and Sega Interactive, who worked on titles such as Comix Zone and Eternal Champions respectively in an attempt to appeal more to western audiences.
In addition to games developed by Sega's internal studios, Sega would collaborate with various other developers to publish more games for the system. These developers include Ancient with Beyond Oasis, BlueSky Software with Vectorman, Camelot with Shining Force, Climax Entertainment with Landstalker, Johnson Voorsanger Productions with ToeJam & Earl, Novotrade International with Ecco the Dolphin, Technopop with Zero Tolerance, Treasure with Gunstar Heroes, Vic Tokai with Decap Attack, and Virgin Games with Disney's Aladdin.
Initially, the Mega Drive suffered from limited third-party support due to its low market share and Nintendo's dominance . Notably, the arcade hit Street Fighter 2 by Capcom initially skipped the Mega Drive, instead only being released on the SNES. However, as the Mega Drive continued to grow in popularity, Capcom eventually ported a version of Street Fighter 2 on the system known as Street Fighter 2 : Champion Edition, which would go on to sell over a million copies.
As Sega was a prolific arcade developer in the 1980s, early Mega Drive games included arcade ports such as Altered Beast, Golden Axe, and Super Hang-On. Console teams would develop titles in acclaimed series such as Castle of Illusion, Phantasy Star, Shinobi, and Streets of Rage. Alex Kidd was the mascot of Sega's previous console, but he would not receive any Mega Drive sequels after Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle due to Sega of America wanting to replace him with the titular character from Sonic the Hedgehog as mascot. The Sonic the Hedgehog series was a big hit both commercially and critically, with the original game being the best selling game on the system. Sega of America would also help set up Sega Technical Institute and Sega Interactive, who worked on titles such as Comix Zone and Eternal Champions respectively in an attempt to appeal more to western audiences.
In addition to games developed by Sega's internal studios, Sega would collaborate with various other developers to publish more games for the system. These developers include Ancient with Beyond Oasis, BlueSky Software with Vectorman, Camelot with Shining Force, Climax Entertainment with Landstalker, Johnson Voorsanger Productions with ToeJam & Earl, Novotrade International with Ecco the Dolphin, Technopop with Zero Tolerance, Treasure with Gunstar Heroes, Vic Tokai with Decap Attack, and Virgin Games with Disney's Aladdin.
Initially, the Mega Drive suffered from limited third-party support due to its low market share and Nintendo's dominance . Notably, the arcade hit Street Fighter 2 by Capcom initially skipped the Mega Drive, instead only being released on the SNES. However, as the Mega Drive continued to grow in popularity, Capcom eventually ported a version of Street Fighter 2 on the system known as Street Fighter 2 : Champion Edition, which would go on to sell over a million copies.
The Sega Mega Drive has often been considered among the best video game consoles ever produced. In 2009, IGN named it the 5th best video game system of all time!.
See Information,Specifications and Reviews on Sega Mega Drive Games
See Information,Specifications and Reviews on other Retro Games
See Information,Specifications and Reviews on Sega Mega Drive Games
See Information,Specifications and Reviews on other Retro Games