Editor's Note: You may have noticed from photography that our Mega Drive Mini review unit is actually the US version of the Genesis Mini-the same hardware. It has the same features and game lineup as the European model, and if there are no changes other than the appearance of the case, we will return to this review for updates.
Sega Mega Drive-or Genesis, widely known in North America-is considered one of the greatest consoles of all time, and its spectacular library of brilliant games is still in use today. To celebrate this machine and its game, Sega has launched the new Mega Drive Mini, which goes to great lengths: the reproduction of micro hardware surpasses similar efforts of Nintendo and Sony, with a larger title library and more sophisticated choices, while the imitation itself is made by M2 Delivered-A recognized master of bringing past games to today's hardware.
Sega's 16 masterpieces first appeared in the late 1980s. Despite the slow start, they still have to challenge the market leader Nintendo. Super NES vs Mega Drive saw the first skirmish in today's never-ending game console. war. At that time, bringing the arcade experience to the home was still the company's goal. Mega Drive has achieved impressive results throughout its life cycle, but similar to Nintendo, it is actually a first-party game such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Streets of Rage, taking Sega to the next level .
I've never stopped playing games or collecting games for it after falling in love with the system, but for many, it's been decades since they last held the iconic gamepad. That's why form factor is so important for mini gaming consoles-you want to convey this nostalgia through hardware that looks critically important to the look feel Just right. In this regard, Sega takes the authenticity of the mini console to a whole new level, where every button and panel on the system works in some way-it really looks and feels like a smaller version of the original console.
The power switch, reset button, and volume slider are all moveable parts (even if the volume slider doesn't actually do anything!), And the authenticity has improved to the point that even the expansion port cover can be removed. In detail to the next level, even the main cartridge slot has a working baffle that can be inserted into a small fax cart (not included). The controller is of course USB-based, but the ports on the console are still similar to real hardware, as opposed to the bezel design on the Super NES Classic. It even has proper holes for connecting Sega CD / Mega CD-its version is not available on some markets. Many of these details may be decorated on the window, but I think this is more because Sega is committed to making the product the right promise based on its physical form factor. The company seems to want everything to be as real as possible.
Detailed video review of Sega Mega Drive Mini-John Linneman grew up in North America, if you are interested in product photography, you can play games on "Genesis"!
The two bundled controllers themselves are also sturdy and perfectly replicate the look of the original three-button keyboard-although I feel that the d keyboard is a bit hard and the plastic feels significantly different from the original hardware. Some potential buyers are disappointed that Sega did not include a six-button board in the Mini's Western distribution, but I feel nostalgia plays an important role in the design and most players at the time probably only had the original three-button, button pad . The six-key keyboard is included in the Japanese version, and obviously, games such as Street Fighter 2 also benefit-so to get the most out of these games, users need to research other options.
Inside the case, the Mini is powered by the mysterious Allwinner-based ZUIKI Z 7213 system-on-a-chip-very little information is disclosed on this processor. It may be on a par with Nintendo's recent retro mini product, but it is unclear what the extended range of its features will be. In addition to the processor, the motherboard also has 512MB of flash memory for storing the accompanying games. In terms of I / O, in addition to the controller port, there is an HDMI video output-which provides 720p 60Hz output-and a micro-USB port for power.
After connecting the Mini to the display, you will see a simple, clean menu system. The game is displayed in a large grid format, and the cover is changed by changing the language in the options menu. There is also a nice spine view, which also highlights one of my favorite details-when looking at the "Japanese Super Drive" selection, the "Super Fantasy Zone" is presented in a smaller case-just like the real thing-and Road Run uses a slightly thicker box design, just like all the original EA versions of the period. It is this attention to detail that sets M2 apart from other things.
Speaking of attention to detail, when you change your language, not only does the art style change, but each game has different regional variations. In this case, it is important to include a multi-region ROM, because for many titles there are significant differences between different regions. For example, the Japanese version of Dynamite Headdy has other story elements, different artwork, and reduced punishment as a whole. On the contrary: Hard Corps' Japanese version is also easier, and of course, if you choose the European version, you will get a disinfected Probotector variant. You don't need to import different Minis to get all the different versions of the game-they already exist.
For European users, the most important thing is that if you choose to use the PAL area for gaming, the game will run at 60Hz instead of 50Hz, so you don't need to deal with slower games or trembling as the 50Hz output is resampled to 60Hz We saw it on PlayStation Classic. Of course, the original PAL mailbox was completely eliminated.
As you would expect, the settings menu offers a range of different video options. A total of three types are provided: column packing mode, stretched 16: 9 mode and CRT filter. Mega Drive can output different resolutions, but the two most common resolutions are 320×224 and 256×224-the latter is the same as Super NES and other systems of the era. Most games are 320 pixels wide. Here, the Mini's execution ratio is 3×3, with no linear filtering-so the pixels are very clear and the scrolling won't flicker.
When using widescreen mode, 5x scaling is used on the horizontal axis, but the vertical direction is now slightly stretched, resulting in uneven pixel scaling-for every four Mega Drive pixels using 3x scaling, the fifth pixel uses four pixels. When scrolling vertically, this causes visible lines to appear on the image, creating some weird artifacts that don't look right. However, the results are different for a 256-pixel-wide game-in widescreen mode, a perfect 6x scaling is used horizontally, while the vertical resolution suffers from the same problems mentioned earlier.
However, in these games, there are some problems with the "Oven" mode, in which the zoom ratio of every few pixels alternates between 4 and 5 times, resulting in very obvious flickering during scrolling. So why use widescreen mode? I can think of two reasons: if you are a tablet user, you can use the TV's built-in controls to adjust it to an appropriate 4: 3 aspect ratio. Or, in weird edge cases, you can connect the Mini to an appropriate CRT computer monitor for a smooth scrolling effect. However, to achieve 4: 3, you need to use a combination of widescreen mode and monitor adjustment to stretch the image to fill the entire screen. However, due to how the CRT works, you won't introduce any scaling artifacts because the image is not actually scaled. Looks good!
The Mini itself attempts to replicate the CRT experience with custom filters, but to be honest, this is a disappointing effort. This is the most disappointing feature in M2 simulation because it only blurs and filters the image when applying weak scan lines. This is not a good implementation and I do not recommend using it. Overall, zooming is not perfect in every mode, but if you want to minimize zooming issues, most games use the default box mode for optimal playback. However, for games that are 256 pixels wide, such as Prodigy in Monster World and Monster World 4, you need a combination of widescreen mode and manual TV adjustments to get the best results.
With M2 controlling the project, I expect that simulation will bring many benefits, and the end result will be excellent. Aside from the weird scaling, there's nothing else to worry about: every game contains accurate visual simulations, so all the tricks used in games like Gunstar Heroes or Contra are as you wish.
However, the weirdness of the original hardware has been eliminated, such as the background color covering the visual effects and the occasional CRAM points in the corners. Technically, it's less accurate, but it produces better results on flat-panel displays. The two-person split-screen mode in Sonic 2 also works properly when displayed, just like in most PC simulators-that is, full 60 frames per second without interlacing. Technically, this is again incorrect, but it is the right choice for today's progress scan displays.
Overall, it's a reliable representation of the experience from a visual perspective, but what we started to encounter was audio. Simulating Mega Drive audio has been challenging for a long time, and it has increased the difficulty in audio reproduction due to the differences between different models of the original hardware. There are some errors here, especially on known troublesome games (such as Comix Zone), while others (such as Angry Streets 2) sound good. But the bigger issue is audio latency-the time interval between sounds should When to play indeed play. Compared to the original hardware, there is a certain lag here, about 10 to 11 frames. More than 160 milliseconds, the effect is not good.
As a simulation-based system, Mega Drive Mini presumably uses a frame buffer, so it also has a problem in other retro boxes-extra input lag. As far as I know, the input latency is a few frames more than the original hardware, so each title feels heavier than you want. Even when I played the Mega Drive Mini on a zero-latency CRT, the input delay provided by the simulation was obvious, and obviously the same was true for compounds with flat-panel display delays.
That said, I mostly use CRT to play these games on raw hardware, so the differences are big, but compared to most other modern solutions, this is still reasonable. For example, it is much faster than the latest Genesis / Mega Drive Collection released for the current console. However, for my money, this is the factor that has the biggest impact on the product-the input is not as clear or responsive as compared to the real content. After a while, you get used to it, but you never feel what it should be, but once again, if you are satisfied with NES or Super NES Classic, the results here are comparable-so this is not a problem that disrupts the transaction , But more things that need attention.
What really makes the Mega Drive Mini stand out is its game collection. Sega's 16-bit super console is equipped with one of the most feature-rich and interesting game libraries, and it's clear that Sega has invested a lot of energy and energy to license a series of amazing games. Not everything you might want is here, but it's hard to argue with the great titles it contains.
Sega has many of the best first-party games available and credited-the first two Sonic games must exist, but something like Shinobi 3 (one of the best action games of all time) does add game packs. "Monster World 4" is also included-I finally completed the game with raw hardware earlier this year. This version also has an English translation created for the digital download version years ago-a nice addition. Of course, Angry Streets 2 is still a classic, as is Gunstar Heroes in Treasure.
Overall, the Mega Drive Mini is a great product, but for retroists, there are better options: raw hardware or the stunning Analog Mega Sg.
What's more, it contains Dynamite Headdy, Treasure's best Mega Drive project, which is definitely a gem in the game. Then there are things like Konami, such as Contra and Castlevania, both of which are very expensive in their original form and are the two best action games on the system. Alisia Dragoon is another great choice-a unique action platformer from Game Arts, the studio behind Lunar and Grandia. I'm also glad to see Shiny Entertainment's Earthworm Jim included-I'm a big fan of this, and the Mega Drive version is excellent.
Including three less common games also interest me: The Rockman-Wily Wars, Tetris and Darius. The first title in the list is an interesting conversion of the first three Mega Man titles ported by Minakuchi Engineering (the development company behind my favorite Game Boy Mega Man game) and the development company behind Mega Man X3. Despite its flaws, I'm not a big fan of music, but it's a neat version because the first three games have full 16-bit adaptations. The game was originally released as a cassette in Japan and Europe, but it is only received in the United States through Sega Channel (a cable-based system), which allows you to download the game to a custom shopping cart.
Then came the Tetris-Sega Tetris modification, which was made for Japanese superdrives. Only a few copies exist, which makes it the most expensive Mega Drive game available. It's great to see it retained on the Mega Drive Mini, and it turns out it exists in the highest level of fan service on Sega and M2. Finally, there is Darius-there is a lot of guesswork and speculation about who developed this conversion-but either way, this is a complete conversion of the original Darius, which is what we did at Mega Never seen on Drive. Although the game has been ported to the PC engine, the sequel has received the original release on the system, but Darius 1 has not been released. Either way, providing a brand new port for the release version of Mini is very simple.
In short, from the excellent entertainment performance of the machine itself to the excellent simulation effects and simple outstanding game lineup, this product is amazing. The singularities of audio delay, input delay, and scaling prevent absolute perfection-but for purists, there is always an Analogue Mega Sg that can provide absolute authenticity. But for a product designed to recapture the magic of the special era of gaming consoles, it is simply first-rate. If you grew up on a 16-bit computer in Sega, but haven't played it in a while, this is a version not to be missed-probably the best mini retro game console to date.
