Retro-Bit, who make lots of nice stuff, have signed a deal with Sega of America to manufacture officially licenced accessories for (but not limited to, it’s pointed out) the Genesis, the Saturn and the Dreamcast. While no specific products have been announced yet, a press release from Retro-Bit mentions that these accessories (in this case, controllers) will include plugs for the original console ports along with USB, Bluetooth and PC compatibility.
The new products will be unveiled at CES 2018, which runs from the 9th to the 12th of January. The President and CEO of Innex Inc (the distributor of Retro-Bit), Titi Nygo had this to say in the press release:
“With retro gaming on an upswing, we are pleased to offer officially SEGA licensed accessories in their original format as well as apply the innovative classic gaming enhancements that have become the hallmark of Retro-Bit. We’re excited to unveil the first of these new products and concepts at CES, and do so alongside an exciting 2018 product catalog.”
While there is a plentiful supply of third-party controllers for retro consoles out there, officially licenced and endorsed versions are a rarity. I for one, am looking forward to replacing my fraying and tremendously taped up Genesis controller. Buying a brand new but official unit seems like a great option compared to another pre-loved piece.
Considering it is Retro-Bit, there’s naturally quite a bit of excitement over the possibility of this deal going beyond accessories. It should be stressed that the press release specifically says, “a licensing agreement with SEGA of America to produce accessories for SEGA’s gaming platforms” so I wouldn’t get your hopes up.
However, Retro-Bit has previously manufactured consoles that can play Genesis and NES games. I’m sure that something similar but for the Dreamcast or Saturn would sell like hotcakes, but for the time being, let’s look forward to what goodies CES will bring us.
Growing up while the fifth generation of consoles reigned supreme meant that Brendan missed out on much of the 80’s and early 90’s of gaming the first time around. He either lacked the cognitive ability to play them, as naturally, he was a baby - or he simply didn’t exist yet. Undeterred, Brendan started a blog called Retro Game On in 2011. This followed his exploits as he collected and played everything he could get his hands on no matter what the release date. While RGO is mainly YouTube focused these days concentrating on video reviews and historical features, the itch to do some old fashion writing never went away. More recently, Brendan has been a staff writer for the gaming website, GameCloud, mostly focusing on the indie gaming scene in his locale of Perth, Australia.
