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The Mega SG or the Sega Genesis Mini?

RAIDEN1

Member
From this video I saw last night it seems Sega still hasn't quite nailed the emulation of their beloved MegaDrive/Genesis...even more than 30 years later....not to say M2 efforts are bad, but in some areas such as sound, and the sound sync its not quite on point....its Sega's best attempt yet no doubt...but instead of bringing this out, they should have brought out a Dreamcast Mini....which would have been MORE than welcome....throw is some indie titles in there too...and they may just have had a smash-hit on their hands...

 

radewagon

Member
but instead of bringing this out, they should have brought out a Dreamcast Mini....which would have been MORE than welcome....throw is some indie titles in there too...and they may just have had a smash-hit on their hands...

I mean, that's just not true. It would be great for niche gamers like you or myself, but it really would not make anywhere near the impact of a Genesis Mini.

And to answer your question, the Mega SG is probably the better option. I'm going to have both because reasons, but the Mega SG is a thing of beauty.
 

dolabla

Member
Mega SG. I have it and love mine. It's 1080p with lots of options. And of course you can play your real carts or use the hacked firmware to play off an SD card. I haven't done the latter since I like using real carts.

I'm still going to buy the Mini, but only as a collectors item. I'll probably never open it.
 
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KellyM

Member
Mega Drive Mini,,, for me, The Mega SG is nice,,,but it way more expensive, You get a lot of games for the Sega Genesis Mini, As someone said, the Mega Drive or Genesis mini will do better than the Dreamcast mini, If I had a choice I would rather have a Saturn mini over a Dreamcast one. Like with Nintendo's mini consoles you can't compare this to something like a Mega SG. Also don't you have to buy the games for the Sega SG? That is just as bad as buying a 6 button controller and if you look at other videos besides just Game Sack ( the one that seems the most negative) You will find others found other USB controllers work for the Sega Genesis Mini, If you have the carts on hand then spend the over 200 on the Mega SG, I think most will get the Mega Drive or Genesis mini,
 

alienator

Member
MiSTer FPGA so u can have snes, nes, megadrive and pc engine in one neat little box as fpga's . (along so much more fpga cores its ridiculous! yes i love my MiSTer ;)
 
The Mega SG would be nice if Mega Drive games were still in print. As I don't like second hand stuff I consider the Mega Drive Mini being the only option for me.

Also, the Mega Drive/Genesis had several iterations with radically different audio processing, so M2 may in fact have nailed it unbeknownst to some commentators.

Plus, with the Mega Drive/Genesis Mini you get some very rare (expensive) titles and two new conversions, Mega Man: The Wily Wars has almost eliminated slowdown, plus, you get multiple versions from other regions of most of the included games. Last but not least; I love the original three-button controllers, which have been properly replicated. Some commentators have said the buttons felt stiff...well, they are brand new and not worn out. :pie_eyeroll:

I'm glad I have supported SEGA on their endeavor.
 
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I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the MiSTer project. It has a nearly perfect Genesis/Megadrive core, and plays SNES, NES, Game Boy, Game Gear, Neo Geo(almost ready) etc.
 

Pimpbaa

Member
Last but not least; I love the original three-button controllers, which have been properly replicated. Some commentators have said the buttons felt stiff...well, they are brand new and not worn out. :pie_eyeroll:

Something similar happened with the new revision of the Switch. Some commentator said that it had a new revision of the joy cons because it felt different. But it was obvious he was comparing it to his I would assume well worn joy cons. Any new controller you buy is going to feel different. If those buttons on the Genesis pad are still stiff after a few months, then they may have miss the mark a bit there.
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
You can choose between :

Showing the company that owns the IPs and hardware that you have interest in said games and hardware

OR

NOT showing the company that owns the IPs and hardware that you have interest in said games and hardware
Especially when they put lots of effort in it!
 

Ban Puncher

Member
TvfIY3f.jpg
 

Cynn

Member
I mean, that's just not true. It would be great for niche gamers like you or myself, but it really would not make anywhere near the impact of a Genesis Mini.

And to answer your question, the Mega SG is probably the better option. I'm going to have both because reasons, but the Mega SG is a thing of beauty.
I disagree totally. The market has more than had its fill of Genesis options out there for years now. The Dreamcast has never seen any new hardware and ignoring the droves of DC fans, the general public I think would very much be interested in a mini console with graphics as clean as the Dreamcast.

A Dreamcast mini isn’t just a nostalgia play. Games like Crazy Taxi, Jet Set, Sonic Adventure 1/2, Virtua Fighter 3tb, SEGA Rally, Daytona USA and the eta look and play very well still. Especially as collected in a mini console. People core and casual would eat that right up.
 
It's a bit of a hard comparison to make. The Mega SG costs like, $100 more. I'm sure it is a great product, but it is a bit of a pricey one, especially since you have to buy the game cartridges separately. I think the Mega SG is more for people who want to collect Genesis/ Mega Drive games and play them on an HDTV with the best accuracy possible.

The other option to that, would be to just find a real genesis/ Mega Drive and use a frame miester, or scrape an old CRT monitor off of somebody's lawn.

The Genesis/ Mega Drive Mini is better in smaller doses. They have a solid selection of built-in games and little effort is required to set them up and get them running.

One suggestion I have is the Hyperkin Megaretron HD. Which is a clone console that uses a SOAC design. I have seen these go for roughly $40-$50, and the emulation and audio are very serviceable. Plus this unit has excellent compatibility with all cartridges. The system also has HDMI and component output for CRT's.



Of course there's also a Raspberry Pi or a Mister, if you want to go the DIY route. There's so many different options to play genesis/ Mega Drive games.
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
I haven’t religiously followed these releases, but looking at the difference between Nintendo’s Classic releases, and the Super NT (same company as here)...

I’d say the Genesis Mini if you have a casual interest. It looks cool and reproduces the hardware exactly,, it’s relatively cheap, plays almost all the big hit games people want for a nostalgic revisiting, and its likely that any slight emulation errors wouldn’t be as notable to this kind of desire.

Mega SG if you’re hardcore about your Genesis love, and really plan to spend time delving into the library and have to have the best.

Both if you want the repro design and controllers, the Mega SG advantages, and money is no object. 😋
 

ShirAhava

Plays with kids toys, in the adult gaming world
The analog DAC + Sega SD makes the Mega SG a no-brainer for me

The Mini is great for more casual genesis fans
 
Also, the Mega Drive/Genesis had several iterations with radically different audio processing, so M2 may in fact have nailed it unbeknownst to some commentators.
Yes, that was what was going through my head when I heard the DF retro analysis, he does mention something to the effect that there is no "definite" genesis sound, but yet still manages to complain about it a little.

I have a model 1 with the High Definition Graphics text and the Aux port, it sounds amazing... but I'm just too lazy to keep it plugged in at all time, especially considering that I play mostly Shinobi 3 and Streets of Rage 2 on it these days. I recall as a kid I had my Genesis after some other friends, and I always wondered why some games sounded so much worse at my home, I always thought that this was my cables that caused distortions, I found the truth only a couple of years ago, so I went on a hunt to get back that amazing original Genesis sound.
 
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