Where To Buy Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Mini

It's great to see when a Nintendo site promotes where to buy a Sega Console. Years ago this would have created a stir... How times have changed

Awesome share. I've got the Analogue MegaNt, but this little dude is going next to my SNES Mini

I've read elsewhere that the Japanese SKU will get 6-button controllers, but US and EUR will only get 3-button variants. What in the actual?

My only reasonable justification for this would be that the JAP version will have games that more specifically benefit from 6 buttons that the US/EUR versions won't have.

But I know nothing about this, so if anyone does feel free to enlighten me.

I think after how the Playstation Classic turned out I'm going to wait for the reviews. Plus I want a Japanese console as if it comes with Contra Hard Corps it will be the easier version.

Seriously, no one should be pre-ordering this until they at least know the full library, see how the whole menu/UI looks and works, and get some hands on impressions. Sega might be saying they're doing it right this time, and so far so good, but this is the same Sega that also let AtGames officially produce all those crappy Genesis/Mega Drive Flashback consoles for quite a few years now. I wouldn't jump in until I at least know the quality is genuinely going ot be there this time around.

Surprised at the 3 button controllers, but I guess it was mainly Mortal Kombat and Streetfighter 2 that used the 6 buttons.
I think i’ll wait to see the full games line up

Doubt we'll get Sonic 3 & Knuckles; without these classics it's a no buy from me.

M2 are handling the software!!! WOW!

@sikthvash you won’t see sonic 3 on anything it’s not even on the megadrive/genesis collection there is a dispute over the soundtrack that looks like it won’t be resolved as Sega want to distance themselves from it

Welcome to license negotiations hell, SEGA!

If you ever get bashed for being 'off topic by Nl then I suggest you link them to this article!

I'm definitely going to get one, but a couple thoughts:

-I'm surprised about the decision of making the Western version's pads 3 button. I guess that it means we won't get fighting games, but I got to admit that using the 3 button pad again after decades wakes up some extra nostalgia in me.

-I already have the original console itself, I'm thinking about getting an Everdrive in order to play in an actual console the games I can't obtain for space and economic reasons and also have a newly bought Raspberry with a Mega Drive case, but... somehow this release feels exciting. I guess it's the official part of it, and the M2 involvement.

-With different libraries, a part of me will regret not getting a Japanese Mega Drive mini too, but... having to pay extra for the shipping kind of wipes that feeling.

Altered Beast is one of my favourites ever. I remember I played it for hours on my first pc. Great games.

Does it really matter if certain games are missing? The thing will be hacked within a month.

@timson72 ever tried hacking a controller to put extra buttons on it?

I have my eye on this one for sure. My main concerns are judging by the polls they did, are we getting multiple games in the series? Sonic 1 and 2 for instance, were in a poll competing for a top spot here, but both belong here! I hope this isn’t the case but am happy we’re getting games like castlevania. Also the button controller is what I grew up on but the 6 button is superior for fighting games, maybe the 8 bitdo pads will work. And lastly will this be hackable? I’d love to add some licensed sports titles and tmnt for sure, but if it will require a flash drive jutting out of my player 2 port, no thanks.

I thought we were getting Sonic 2? Or is that a Japanese difference?

@RupeeClock I get what your saying,but it's not the end of the world and at least it's not bloody AtGames doing it.

I'll be looking out for this but I probably won't pick it up until the full lineup is revealed. As it stands right now I'm very interested since it has Castlevania: Bloodlines.

Isn't this, like, the 30th Genesis mini to exist? ATGames or not, it feels like old news.

Where's the new Atari?

@impurekind
Why? A pre-order is free and can be canceled if, when you see the final list, you're not satisfied. History indicates that if you wait too long you'll have difficulty getting your hands on one of these retro consoles, unless Sega floods the market with them.

So far, even with this short list, the only disappointment is that they went with the "classic" three-button rather than six-button design for the controller.

I am fine with the 3 button controllers. Just make the connector USB and compatible with Retro-Bit's 6-button pads. I am already getting some for my Super Retro-Cade. And yes, I will be pre-ordering. I almost missed out on the SNES Classic because I didn't, but my wife was able to get one for me this last Christmas. Is it wrong I want to play with the SNES Classic and the Genesis Mini like action figures and make them fight eachother using different game titles as special moves......?

Just preordered it heh

Not preordering, as I want a hardware review first.

Assuming the emulation quality is great and it gets a great selection for the other 30 games, though? I'm down. Being an American, I find those 3-button controllers to be INCREDIBLY nostalgic.

Ecco the Dolphin? Now your speakin my language!

Ah an NES,SNES, and Sega Genesis in my home. Talk about a triple dose of nostalgia! Even if they are plug n plays.

@AirElephant A pre-order isn't free. You do hafta pay cash to reserve it. But yes it can certainly be cancelled.

As for making their plug n plays scarce, Sega has always been generous with their distribution of these nostalgic little things. Sega Does What Nintendon't.

None of these links work for Canada. Come on NintendoLife, show your Commonwealth family some love.

@AirElephant Ah, I thought pre-orders usually mean you putting down some money in advance.

@impurekind @Tempestryke Dunno about other sites, but Amazon lets you reserve an item online and doesn't charge you until release. You can even put money in your Amazon wallet and gradually pay it off, like pre-release layaway.

So preorders are pretty much "free" until the game ships out.

@Ralizah I stand corrected.

I know its tiny and probably impossible, but I heard a pretty popular 'Youtuber' (name escapes me now) yesterday, say this thing will take original cartridges. Is this true? Maybe he was just a bit over excited about the announcement, but no harm asking.

Anyone clarify this?

Did someone says Bloodlines?

The 16 bit war. When all you could compete on was games. Memories...

Probably won't buy this. Never was a huge Genesis fan and the only three games I want (Sonic/Knuckles, Ecco, Aladdin), two I have on my Wii Virtual Console via Wii U and the other will never come out due to licensing issues.

I remember at first Sega and Nintendo had a close fight in the 16 bit era. Once Nintendo let Mortal Kombat 2 come out uncensored and then released Donkey Kong Country, they dominated the decade and ended up winning.

Super Nintendo was the last time Nintendo competed on specs (though you could argue GameCube was also competed on specs). With the massive success of the Switch, I still wonder how much stronger they could be if they competed on a specs level with PlayStation and Microsoft.

@readyletsgo Maybe with an adapter?

@mikegamer ah maybe, just like with the SNES mini.

Looking at the MDmini now, it's the size of a cartridge, doubt it very much that it'll play carts native.

Oh well, at least I have my Hyperkin Mega HD to play my carts.

This gotta be April Fools joke!

@readyletsgo Meh, IDK then

Nope. They had me at Castlevania Bloodlines and lost me at 3 button controllers.

Why are the controllers missing three buttons?

While the full game list hasn't been announced yet, it's likely going to have a lot of the same games that have been re-released endlessly on the various Sega game compilations (Sonic Mega Collection+, Sega Genesis Collection, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, Sega Genesis Classics, Sega Genesis Flashback). Unless it has something REALLY good that isn't available on any of those, pass.

@mikegamer
I pre-ordered two of them........ am I insane?

@readyletsgo
It wasn’t yesterday that the video was posted by any chance?

@Fandabidozi no I think it was the day after announcing it. So, Saturday? Maybe Sunday? Can't remember, just had YouTube on in the background, wasn't paying full attention to my TV, just heard them say it. But it's not true, the system looks tiny, no way a normal Megadrive cart would fit.

Mean Bean Machine is fun and all, but hope we can get some original Puyo Puyo action!

Aw it's only rated T for Teen, I guess we won't be seeing those Mortal Kombat and Splatterhouse games on here. Heck I just realize Eternal Champions was never included in any of the Sega Genesis compilations at all except the AtGames systems cause including the game on it will make it an M-Rated compilation. I guess we'll be missing Eternal Champions on this as well which is sad then again M-Rated and the bad reputation is what kept consumer from getting the PlayStation Classic so I hope this helps Sega.

The advertising motto for this thing should be, "Genesis does what Nintendid."

Seriously though, I have no plans to get this, but I'm glad that it's a thing that exists. Love Sega, love the Genesis, and Sega's return to console-making (after a fashion) is long overdue and has been long awaited. I just hope they don't find a way to biff it the way Sony did.

@Lodmot Not at all, it looks like a solid product. M2 working on it is icing on the cake.

The more I think about this, the less I want it. I loved the Genesis back in the day but $99.99 CDN plus tax for just the 3 button controller (in North America) and only 40 games? I don't know, I was able to justify the price for the NES and SNES Classics but I guess that's because I've always been more of a Nintendo gamer, plus I hacked the SNES Classic and got pretty much every game made for the machine added to it (still with memory storage to spare...seriously Nintendo didn't utilize the storage to its fullest capacity). With the Genesis, I can get the Sega Genesis Classics game off the eShop for $39.99 CDN (and sometimes I've seen it go on sale) and get 50 games, plus the convenience of playing it literally anywhere. I think that might be better bang for my good ol' Canadian Loonie!

I'm surprised they're using the three button controllers. The kid in me loves the design, but I found the 6-button pad more comfortable and the extra buttons were very useful in some games, like Comix Zone. I already own the listed games on several compilation discs, I want some new games that haven't had many recent rereleases.

If the controllers are USB, can I buy USB six button controllers to use instead?

I just preordered mine. But I'm annoyed that the west isn't going to be getting the 6 button controller. But after a conversation with a few Sega heads on Twitter, the Mega Drive Mini might not really need the 6 button pad. There are only a few 6 button compatible games, and those games had support for 3 buttons too. There was no 6 button only titles on the MegaDrive.

@SepticLemon So much for Street Fighter II Championship Edition and Super Street Fighter II coming to the machine. You have to be forced to use the Start Button to swap between punches and kicks, without pausing.

Till now I played Genesis games always online. Try it.

(Don't link to homebrew or emulators, please.)

I pre-ordered via Amazon, I'm tempted to order another one though. Hoping it will be Streets of rage 2 that makes the cut.

@Wavey84 Well, I actually bought the 8-Button Pad, and at a price point of $15. Seems worth it to me.

Waiting for the hacked version. I waited for the hacked versions of the NES and SNES minis and boi was it worth it!

@Tempestryke lol that was before sculptors

You should add the officially licensed six button controllers from Amazon for those of us in the US and Europe that have to put up with the three button controller.

@MrJed For strange as it may sound: Yes, I did hack my controller to add some buttons.

I hacked my 360 controller to add two buttons on the back.

@retro_player_22 Eternal Champions is on the US/EUR version.

Can you guys do a guide on where to buy fresh produce? I'm over here wasting away because I don't know where to get any

I recently cancelled my preorder. I was hopefully with M2 at the helm, but still with expectations truly in check. Sound lag and various frames of input lag in recent reviews has since dissuaded me. A lovely little collectors item I'm sure.

Mines waiting for me at home after a long week - weekend is gonna be good!

@Wavey84 yes, stop complaining and just pay more money!

Or you could just buy Sega Genesis Collection on Switch and get most of these games without having to buy this.

Dam play-asia only for the japan model such heavy import fee's in the Uk anything over 15 be it 15$ or another has a big import tax from outside of the eu.

I wonder why Road Rash II was selected over the original game?? 🤔🤔

@joey302 Better all around? The first was good, but 2 was like what Sonic 2 did for Sonic 1 - except without monumental sales. 😂

I got mine day of and it’s brilliant. Just waiting for extension cables off eBay and a way to add more games.

@NovaPrime Eternal Champions was included on the Sega Genesis Mini thanks to me. Sega wouldn't had included that game had I never made that comment since at the time I made that comment they had only announced the first 10 batch of games, all of which were not Eternal Champions.

@MaseSco idk i had a blast with the first one and while I have RR 2&3 AND Sega CD RR, i always found myself going back to the first RR over & over again!

I got the asian version and i dare say its the best “classic mini” console yet. Im giving sega the win over nintendo on this one. Cant wait for the pc engine mini next year.

@joey302 I played the first after the second and I found it enjoyable. I'd happily play either over the third, which isn't a bad game at all - just not as good as the first ones.

Played mine last night. I htought I was going to invest in some 6 button controllers but changed my mind after playing, as I found the solution pressing start better than I envisaged (at least on Eternal Champions).

42 really is alot of games, and am now thinking twice whether I eventually hack this bag of tricks. I was surprised they missed off virtua racing as, at the time, it was such a ground breaking title. Other than that most of the key historic games / genres are well covered (other than sports - Mutant League Sports would have been the way to go as would avoid NHL/NFL licensing issues).

@MaseSco agreed. Either way it was one of the many nice surprises of the Genesis mini lineup! 😊

@joey302 I totally agree! I didn't even think any titles outside Sega would be present. So to see Road Rash & Castle of Illusion put together in a package by M2 was a definite purchase for me.

@rob7979 Agreed. I think EA could've released FIFA International Soccer as EA Soccer or Football just to get around the licensing and remove all the FIFA stuff. Or even pull Sensible Soccer out of retirement.

@MaseSco Tetris was a huge addition being it was Japan only and it’s very expensive to locate a physical cartridge being so rare. World of Illusion is nice and the Capcom & Konami games surprised me too especially Mega Man Wily Wars! But Darius was the biggest surprise to me as it was never released before anywhere!!

@gcunit There's a small handful of six button controller compatible games on the Sega mini console:

Beyond Oasis
Comix Zone
Contra Hard Corps/Probotector
Eternal Champions
Shinobi 3
Virtua Fighter 2
Street Fighter 2

Of those games, only Street Fighter has a more or less mandatory use for it, unless you want to press start every time you want to perform an alternate punch or kick on the three button controller. Start acts as a sort of "shift" button, so that each of your three buttons now has a double function.

But in all the other games, it's more or less up to the player. Obviously, it's handier to have six buttons in the games that support them, but there's also three button settings in those other games, such as Eternal Champions, so ultimately, it's up to the user.

For me, it isn't even an issue, seeing as I'm never going to play the inferior version of Street Fighter anyway, because I can already play that on the SNES Mini.

@MaseSco good point, although not sure how well those football games sold in North America at the time (for the record I loved both at the time, although only SS holds up well today IMP). Maybe Speedball 2 would have been an awesome compromise?