The Sega Mega Drive Mini is now available for pre-order ahead of a release in September this year. Sega is pricing the console, which comes with two three-button wired control pads, at £69.99/$79.99, with the release date marked as September 19.
Sega has announced the 16-bit console will arrive with 40 built-in games. While the line-up of bundled titles isn’t complete, there are a number of classics to get excited about. Ten games have been revealed thus far, including the original Sonic The Hedgehog and Echo The Dolphin. The announced line-up is as follows, with Sony promising more are coming soon:
- Echo The Dolphin
- Castlevania: The New Generation
- Space Harrier 2
- Shining Force
- Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
- Toejam and Earl
- Comix Zone
- Sonic The Hedgehog
- Altered Beach
- Gunstar Heroes
Interestingly, the console will follow the design of the original Mega Drive console, rather than the Mega Drive II. That means the built-in volume slider remains in play. The controllers are also USB-based, rather than the old proprietary Mega Drive ports. There’s also an opening for cartridges, but it appears the doors are far too narrow to accept old Mega Drive cartridges.
The retro-redo, which will be known by its original Genesis name in the US, was announced late last year, but we’d heard little about the console of late. Reports have also suggested the console will also be available in Japan with a different games line up.
The launch will come following mixed success for other such projects. Although limited, the Nintendo NES and SNES Mini consoles have been hugely popular, while the PlayStation Classic was a gigantic flop, judging by the deep price cuts following last year’s launch. As with other attempts, Sega’s success is likely to depend on the quality of the games line-up and emulation.
While this console is officially licensed, purists may seek the Analogue Mega SG, which is compatible with 16-bit cartridges and even comes with an adapter for Master System games. It’s available for pre-order, but, at $190, is more than double the price of the licensed console.
You can pre-order the Sega Mega Drive Mini for £69.99 from Amazon UK.
MegaDrive Mini or Mega SG? Which Sega revival project are you most excited by? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.