Sega announced plans for a miniature version of its 16-bit Genesis console but considering the company hadn’t put out any meaningful hardware in nearly two decades the last was the Dreamcast in 1998. With other classic failing to impress like the Nintendo and also PlayStation classic.
Fortunately, it seems as though Sega may have surprised us all. Sega’s Genesis Mini doesn’t arrive until next month but we’re getting a preview of the system, in celebration of the console’s 30th anniversary North American launch. And by all accounts, the system “excels at everything it seeks to do.”
The Genesis Mini looks just like, well, a mini Genesis, to the point that it seems more like a toy than a console. (Sega says it’s 55 percent smaller than the original Genesis.) It connects to your TV via an included HDMI cable, comes with two three-button USB controllers that are solid replicas of the original Genesis gamepads, and features 42 built-in games.
Sega is handling all of the hardware and that’s a good thing. Sega painstakingly recreated the look and feel of the original console, down to the non-functioning volume slider, cartridge slot and expansion port.
For software emulation, the company turned to longtime partner M2. The library of 42 games has been known for some time now and while it’s impossible to make everyone happy here licensing issues ensure that, Sega did a respectable job of mixing and matching popular titles in with some more obscure and rare games.
For reference, here’s the full list:
• Sonic The Hedgehog
• Ecco the Dolphin
• Castlevania: Bloodlines
• Space Harrier 2
• Shining Force
• Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
• ToeJam & Earl
• Comix Zone
• Altered Beast
• Gunstar Heroes
• Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
• World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
• Thunder Force III
• Super Fantasy Zone
• Shinobi III
• Streets of Rage 2
• Earthworm Jim
• Sonic The Hedgehog 2
• Contra: Hard Corps
• Landstalker
• Mega Man: The Wily Wars
• Street Fighter II’: Special Champion Edition
• Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
• Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
• Beyond Oasis
• Golden Axe
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
• Sonic The Hedgehog Spinball
• VectorMan
• Wonder Boy in Monster World
• Road Rash II
• Strider
• Virtua Fighter 2
• Alisia Dragoon
• Kid Chameleon
• Monster World IV
• Eternal Champions
• Columns
• Dynamite Headdy
• Light Crusader
• Tetris
• Darius
The Sega Genesis Mini arrives on September 19 priced at $79.99 and is available to pre-order from writing.
