Here are some of the consoles we would have loved to see get the high def mini, form factor, plug & play treatment:

N64 Mini

When Nintendo quickly followed up the NES Classic Edition with the SNES, many of us hoped we were witnessing the birth of a new trend.  Perhaps they’d go back into the archives and create retro mini consolized Game Boy units, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Virtual Boy.  The possibilities were endless.

The most exciting of these of course would be an N64 Mini.  When Sony went ahead and released a Playstation Classic in 2018, it seemed the 5th generation of home consoles were ready for a new war of living room supremacy.  Unfortunately neither Nintendo nor Sega took the bait, leaving Sony’s entry into the classic edition segment the most recent console to receive such treatment.

As for Nintendo, it makes sense why they didn’t go all in with an N64 Mini – and the reason is their own Nintendo Switch Online service, which hopes to attract gamers of all disciplines to their Switch platform through the availability of abundant retro titles (many from the N64).  It’s a shame too because an N64 Mini would have been spectacular.

CD-i

While CD-i refers to a media format more than a single piece of hardware, Phillips replied to Tweets from users begging for a CD-i Mini with a response that sounded like such an announcement might actually follow.  Sadly, at present, it never has.

The CD-i library is surprisingly robust – with 214 total games released from 170 different developers.  Perhaps most famous among these coming in the form of the officially licensed Nintendo titles:  Hotel Mario, Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda’s Adventure.

3DO

From afar 3DO is remarkably similar to CD-i; it refers to a media format that could be licensed so that actual console hardware could be manufactured and distributed by a wide variety of brands.

While CD-i encompassed a wide variety of multimedia applications (encyclopedias on CD, edutainment titles, etc.), 3DO was more game-centric.  Over 200 titles were officially released by the end of its run, including some very faithful ports of arcade titles like Super Street Fighter II Turbo.

Amiga CD-32

Did you know that back in 1993 Commodore tried its hand at a 32-bit console to do battle with the likes of Sony, Nintendo and Sega?  The CD-32 was based upon their Amiga computer line but failed to make much of a dent in the market.

Now here’s where things get interesting from a Mini perspective.  Retro Games Ltd. has already done all the heavy lifting in creating an HDMI mini version in their Amiga A500 Mini.  All they would need to do to drive we console gamer types crazy with desire is develop a second shell shaped like the CD-32 and give the A500 controller a black paint job.  Here’s hoping they’ll consider it.

PC Classic

Back in 2019 a company called Unit-e announced a PC Classic console, one that would come chock full of games from the DOS era of home computing.  Despite a very strong public reaction, the PC Classic has yet to manifest and even updates from the company have gone cold.

Of all the possible mini classic editions, the PC would certainly be the easiest to achieve as there would be no licensing to procure from a hardware or branding standpoint.  The only licensing involved would be that of the games themselves and with tens of thousands to choose from even from a single era, finding a few dozen titles interested in participating is all but a given.

Here’s hoping Unit-e sees this one through to fruition.

Sega Saturn

We’ll end this list with what is perhaps the system most likely to see the light of day.  When Sega threw its hat in the classic edition ring with the Genesis Mini back in 2019, the talk of where they could go from there was immediate.  After all, why not go on with a Sega CD Mini, a Saturn Mini, a Dreamcast Mini?  To the surprise and delight of many, Sega listened and, in 2022, followed up with the Genesis Mini 2, a unit packed with different Genesis and some Sega CD titles (and a 6-button controller rather than the 3-button of the original Genesis Mini).

All of this to say, Sega clearly gets the demand here and, of all the brands mentioned on this list, has everything needed (including the massive back catalog of titles) to continue producing these things.  And, unlike Nintendo, doesn’t have any current hardware on the market to be concerned with competing against.

The post A Look At Those Mini Classic Editions We (Probably) Won’t Be Getting appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

The American Genesis 2 will be launching on October 27th, 2022 and, like the foreign Mega Drive incarnation, will include 50 fresh classic titles (23 of which have been announced so far) and will include both original Genesis games as well as some from the Sega CD catalog.

Differentiating 2019’s Genesis Mini from the Mini 2 at a glance will be a non-affair given that the latter is shaped like a miniature Model 2 console and will come standard with the 6-button controller rather than the original package’s 3-button.  Note, however, that the Genesis 2 will only include a single controller compared to the original package’s pair.

Sega says that both controllers will be compatible with either system.

In addition, Sega has said that the Genesis Mini 2 will be powered by an entirely new system-on-ship (SoC); one which will include additional flash storage and greater processing power needed to properly emulate the Sega CD hardware.

The 23 games announced for the Western Genesis Mini 2 thus far:

• After Burner II
• Alien Soldier (Japanese)
• Bonanza Bros.
• Fantasy Zone 
• Lightening Force
• Mansion of Hidden Sls. (CD)
• Night Striker  (CD/ Japanese)
• The Ninjawarriors  (CD/ Japanese)
• The Ooze
• OutRun
• OutRunners
• Rainbow Islands Extra
• Rolling Thunder 2
• Shining Force CD  (CD)
• Shining in the Darkness
• Silpheed  (CD)
• Sonic 3D Blast
• Sonic CD  (CD)
• Splatterhouse 2
• Star Mobile (previously unreleased)
• Super Hang-On
• Vectorman 2
• Virtua Racing

While Amazon is taking preorders for the North American unit already, strangely an international shipping charge of nearly $22 takes the $80 system to just over $100 total.  Whether or not Amazon USA will begin taking preorders for the console without the international transportation rate tacked on is yet to be determined.

To learn more, Sega of Japan now has an official North American Genesis Mini 2 site.

The post North American Genesis 2 Becomes Official appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

In the event that you missed it, Sega has confirmed a new retro mini console follow-up to its 2019 Genesis Mini. While the new Mega Drive 2 looks a lot like the second iteration of the Mega Drive (Genesis) hardware, the real claim to fame over the first is an entirely new list of preinstalled games, this time taking from both the Genesis Cartridge and Sega CD libraries.

They initially announced 11 game titles (click here for a refresher), and now they’ve followed up with an official announcement naming games 12-22.

Genesis Cartridge Games:

After Burner II
Columns III: Revenge of Columns
Megapanel
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
Out Run
Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R
Splatterhouse 2
Star Mobile

SEGA CD Games:

Night Striker
The Ninja Warriors
Starblade

Also of note is that while Sega has announced an official Japanese release date for the new system (October 27) for roughly $70 US, they have yet to officially announce a North American counterpart to the Mega Drive 2. It’s a safe bet they will give the success of the 2019 Genesis Mini and, given that some of the text-heavy RPG titles would be extremely difficult to play without localization, simply importing a Japanese unit isn’t a foolproof workaround.

The post Sega Announces 11 More Titles For Upcoming Mini appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

I envisioned a miniature standalone piece of hardware that does its best to look like an actual Sega CD to plop next to your Genesis Mini chock full of Sega CD titles. What Sega is apparently putting out is another Genesis (Mega Drive), this time mimicking the Genesis Model 2 hardware.

The Model 2 Genesis was what we now call a “slim” incarnation of a console – a more cost-effective, scaled-back version of the original hardware with a smaller form factor. The original was released in 1993 and eliminated the headphone jack, used a smaller AV-out, and ran off a simpler, cheaper board.

However, separating the new Genesis 2 Mini from its predecessor will be the inclusion of a preinstalled library of 50 different titles from the 42 games that came on 2019’s Genesis Mini, among these several Sega CD exclusives such as Sonic CD and Popful Mail.

While the entire list is yet to be finalized, Sega is promising the inclusion of more 3rd party titles this time around and some of the more hardware-intensive Genesis titles like their 1992 home arcade port of Virtua Racing.

It looks to aim for around a $79 MSRP (the same as the 2019’s asking price) and, while it will include 7 additional games, will only include a single 6-button controller this time compared to the former’s inclusion of a pair of 3-button units.

The confirmed games list so far:

• Silpheed (CD)
• Shining Force CD (CD)
• Sonic CD (CD)
• Mansion of Hidden Sls (CD)
• Popful Mail (CD)
• Virtua Racing (Genesis)
• Bonanza Bros (Genesis)
• Shining in the Darkness (Genesis)
• Thunder Force IV (Genesis)
• Magical Taruruto (Genesis)
• Fantasy Zone (Genesis)

Here’s where things get interesting. While the unit itself may again look like a miniature Genesis, Sega plans on offering a miniature Sega CD add-on that can attach, to look just like the original Genesis/CD combo (complete with replica cartridge for the slot and disc for the drive). This will, of course, all be non-functional as the board inside the Genesis will be responsible for the game emulation but collectors will likely appreciate the ability to have a complete miniature for nostalgia. The add-on will cost $35.

I’m really thrilled that Sega is going to continue on with producing miniature incarnations of their legacy hardware and have felt all along that after the Genesis, the Sega CD was a very natural course of progression. I’m not, however, thoroughly convinced the way they are approaching it will be entirely clear to users. The idea of being able to purchase the mini CD drive add-on is neat but it would have made more sense to me to either produce the unit out of the box with the two combined or even just make this unit a miniature CD attachment that hooks up to 2019’s Genesis Mini. And while it’s cool they are mixing and matching titles from both platforms, I think it would have been even better if it just included 50 Sega CD titles.

The Sega CD is one of those systems that is falling away to obscurity at an alarming rate, some purity in its Mini incarnation would have been very welcome here.

All such minor complaints aside, that Sega is returning to the retro mini ranks like this is a very encouraging sign that fans may get a Saturn and Dreamcast Mini yet.

The post So We’re Getting a Sega CD Mini – Sorta appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

The world at large is focused on the forthcoming PlayStation 5 and XBox Series X releases and amid all of the preorder frenzy, Sega quietly suggested that its next retro mini classic system is in the works.

Sega creative producer Yosuke Okunari spoke about the future of the company’s mini consoles in a Famitsu interview following the release of the Japan-only Game Gear Micro.  Putting to rest consumer fears that the next new old project to come out of the Sega camp would follow such restrictions, Okunari went on in the interview to say that the project scope for the next one (like the Genesis Mini before it) will once again be global.

While it seems hopeful fans the world over immediately suspected it to be a Dreamcast Mini being hinted at in the discussion, Okunari went on to throw a clever curve:  “I think for the next one, we may go with a concept close to the Mega Drive Mini.  If I have to say some names, it could be an SG-1000 Mini or a Dreamcast Mini.”

In the event that you aren’t up on your Sega company portfolio, the SG-1000 was the company’s first official home console and the Dreamcast was their last.  In short, Okunari was simply stating in so many words that it could be any of Sega’s consoles being considered for the next one.  The big takeaway though, is that there is indeed going to be a next one.

So which is it going to be?  The internet is guessing Dreamcast but would it be wise for Sega to jump from the Genesis Mini directly to the last console the company ever produced?  Let’s look at the possibilities.

Sega SG-1000

The SG-1000 is a home video game console manufactured by Sega and released in Japan, Australia,and other markets in 1983. It was Sega’s first entry into the home video game hardware business.

Likelihood: Very Unlikely

Okunari himself stated Sega would again be targeting the whole world with this next one just like they did with the Genesis Mini.  It wouldn’t make sense to develop a mini that wasn’t even officially released to North America.  Plus the original only moved 160,000 units total.

Sega Master System

The Master System is Sega’s third-generation 8-bit home video game console. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, which itself was the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles.  It was released in Japan in 1985 and featured enhanced graphical capabilities over its predecessors. The Master System launched in North America in 1986, Europe in 1987, and Brazil in 1989.

Likelihood: Moderate

If Sega were doing it to keep up with the dominance Nintendo has demonstrated with the Classic Mini scene, they would have had a Master System Mini packaged up and ready to go shortly after Nintendo burned through its NES Classic inventory in mere milliseconds back in 2016.  There would still be a strong market, feeding on the retro movement now but for Sega it would seem an odd move to go from their 16-bit offering (2019’s Genesis Mini) back to the far less popular 8-bit hardware as the followup.

Sega CD

The Genesis had a mountain of peripherals and add-ons to enhance the gaming experience but perhaps none more unique and certainly none as successful as the Sega CD attachment.  The Sega CD is, as the name suggests, a CD-ROM accessory for the Genesis designed and produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released in 1991 in Japan, 1992 in North America, and 1993 in Europe.

Likelihood: Fairly Unlikely

What holds this one back from being a major consideration is the simple fact that it would have likely been designed and marketed as a fairly quick followup to September of 2019’s Genesis Mini.  Since, technically, it was never a stand-alone console in the first place, it would have worked best as an alternative Genesis Mini package, possibly in limited edition.  Completionists and nostalgia junkies alike would have bought up inventories in a fever pitch.  Since Okunari said it could be anywhere from one to two years before the release of the next Mini, the Sega CD seems a more distant candidate than it would have been initially.

Sega Saturn

The Sega Saturn is Sega’s fifth generation video game console and successor to the highly successful Genesis. Developed and manufactured by Sega, the Saturn released in Japan in 1994,  North America and Europe in 1995.  Boasting dual-CPU architecture and eight processors working in conjunction, it was one of the most powerful but underutilized architectures of the generation.  Its game library contains several near identical ports of arcade games as well as a plethora of original titles.

Likelihood: Very Likely

Contrary to common misconception, while the Saturn may have gotten destroyed by contemporary rival Sony with the original PlayStation (then later that generation by Nintendo with the N64), the truth is 9.6-million units moved globally compared to the Dreamcast’s 9.13-million makes it Sega’s most successful piece of hardware in North America behind the Genesis.  A Dreamcast Mini makes sense but almost like the askew logic of releasing the 16-bit Genesis Mini then trying to go back and release an 8-bit Master System Mini, Sega might be wise to keep things in order by releasing a Saturn Mini before a Dreamcast Mini.

Dreamcast

Released in 1999 as first in the sixth generation of video game consoles (preceding Sony’s PlayStation 2, Nintendo’s GameCube, and Microsoft’s Xbox).  The Dreamcast would become Sega’s final home console, marking the end of the company’s eighteen year run in the home console market.  In contrast to the expensive and complex hardware of the Saturn, the Dreamcast was designed to reduce production costs and retail pricing by running “off-the-shelf” components, including a Hitachi SH-4 CPU and an NEC PowerVR2 GPU.  Sega ended up pulling the plug only two years after release (2001), making the Dreamcast one of the shortest-lived major console life cycles in the history of home video gaming.

Likelihood: Extremely Likely

If fans had their way, the Dreamcast Mini would be the candidate hands down.  And while it makes a lot of sense to release such a console while the demand is high, the only downside is that it doesn’t leave Sega a whole lot of places to go from here.  Nintendo paved a very clear and successful path with the retro mini segment by starting with their earliest offering (the NES) then following it up with the 16-bit SNES Classic.  If the company decides to continue, it makes sense that they would release the systems in their original order.

Sega has already painted themselves into a bit of a corner by starting with their 16-bit Genesis but that’s not to suggest they can’t buck the trends and bounce all over their hardware catalog as they see fit.  We’d like to see all of the above consoles get another chance to shine but if we had to pick just one, we’d say the Dreamcast has probably got the best shot at being Sega’s next retro mini system.  However, unlike the first time around, we hope it won’t end up being their last.

The post Is The Sega Dreamcast Mini Really Going Be A Thing? appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

When you think of early CD-based consoles, you’d be forgiven for thinking of the PlayStation One by default. The PSone (as it was so aptly shortened to in the early 2000’s) was a heavy hitter, selling over 102 million units in its lifetime. But ultimately, it definitely wasn’t the first console to use CD’s – although arguably, it was the first as far as mainstream attention goes. That’s not to say that any previous use of the technology should be forgotten, though, so counting backwards from the release of the original PlayStation (December 3rd, 1994 in Japan), let’s delve into what’s out there.

As far as I can tell there were only two other CD-based consoles released in ’94, with one likely being a lot more memorable to you than the other. The Sega Saturn released mere weeks before the PSone, however, its sales numbers are eclipsed by it totalling only 9.26 million units. This was also Sega’s second last effort in the console industry and it’s been suggested that it’s mismanagement in the corporate world led to its death rather than the hardware. Some think it was discontinued way too early for one, and other decisions, like there never being any exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog game released resulted in it not having a mainstream ‘killer app’ that consoles have always needed to survive.

Not to say the hardware wasn’t perfect either, though. While there was the ability to load from CD’s, its unique dual-CPU architecture (including eight processors) was difficult to program for leading to poor third party support.

In hindsight, fans of the system are quick to tell you of its fantastic SHMUP and 2D fighting library. There’s also a handful of playable 3D titles available too – so really, the Saturn is definitely worth collecting for in the present. However, it’s sad that it stood no chance against the monumental PlayStation back in the day (I’m a fanboy, can’t you tell?).

The Bandai Playdia Quick Interactive System (as it was so called) is the other 1994 release, launching exclusively in Japan on the 23rd of September. While I was unable to find sales numbers, it’s assumed its market penetration was quite low as it was marketed solely to kids with its games library consisting of nothing but edutainment and multimedia titles. Every single game was released by Bandai too, although amazingly, they squeezed out 39 titles between 1994 and 1996 utilising such licences as Hello Kitty and Dragon Ball Z. It’s unlikely you’d want to play any of them beyond their novelty factor, though, as the games are very basic, incorporating mostly FMV and menu selection. You’ll need to be able to read Japanese too.

The Playdia. Source: Wikipedia Creative Commons

Moving into 1993, we have the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, Amiga CD32 and the curiously named Fujitsu FM Towns Marty. You’ve likely heard of the 3DO before, releasing in the October of 1993. The 3DO actually didn’t have a central manufacturer, with its design being licenced out to Panasonic, Sanyo and GoldStar over its lifetime. It had a short shelf life of only three years, though, and had quite the botched launch because of its extremely high price ($700) and only a single game available initially. Ultimately, while there were over 200 games released in that period including some super early 3D titles, most were shovelware because of the 3DO Company’s lax licencing policy.

Released less than a month before the 3DO was the Amiga CD32. As you can probably tell from its name, CDs and being 32bit capable were the two main selling points it was going for. It touted its self as the first 32bit console ever released, and while it being the first ever is arguable (as you’ll soon see) it utilised CDs for more than just better soundtracks. For one, since it was manufactured by the (at the time ailing) Commodore, if you added a bunch of stuff like a keyboard, mouse, RAM etc. you’d have yourself an equivalent of the Amiga 1200 PC. After all, a huge portion of its games library was ported over from Amiga PC systems. However, if you added a MPEG Video Module, you’d also have yourself a fully functioning Video CD player. It was such a CD-centric system that during the Christmas period of ‘93 in the UK, the CD32 accounted for 38% of all CD-ROM sales. Sadly, though, it disappeared the following year as Commodore entered bankruptcy.

It was in the February of that same year, though, that the Japanese only FM Towns Marty was released. This was actually the very first 32bit console, beating the CD32 by about seven months. This interesting console included a floppy disk drive as well as a CD drive, however, it was so obscure, expensive and running hardware so unique (a similar story to the Saturn) that it just never took off and had very few games released for it.

As a side note, however, I can’t help but mention that there was a version called the FM Towns Car Marty designed for use in vehicles. This fascinating deviation even included an early consumer-level GPS complete with audio and video guidance, but for all its fascinating properties, it just wasn’t enough to thrust it into the public’s eye. While both versions (and a few others based on the initial console) are an interesting footnote in history, it was ultimately a commercial failure only moving 45,000 units.

The FM Towns Marty. Source: Wikipedia Creative Commons

Moving back even further to 1991, we don’t have a console, but an add-on. The Sega CD (or Mega-CD as it was known elsewhere) was an accessory that attached to your Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive depending on your country of choice) that allowed CD based games to be played. Plenty of people know about this so I won’t dwell on it too long, but the abridged version of its history is that all the Sega CD specific games were either FMV titles (most notably a controversial game called Night Trap) or basically the same Genesis cartridge games but with better soundtracks thanks to the disks. Although interestingly, its commercial lifespan survived until 1996 and it sold 2.24 million units – which is a lot more than what some other consoles in this article can claim (and also its younger add-on sibling, the 32X).

Lastly for 1991, only days prior to the Sega CD, the Philips CDi was launched. Marketed as more of an interactive CD player rather than a games console, it included releases such as interactive encyclopedias and edutainment titles. The games weren’t great, though, and included a bunch of FMV titles (are you starting to see a theme?) and some particularly terrible Zelda games. It did sell a million units – however, this was between 1991 to 1998 and it eventually lost Philips a colossal one billion dollars. Whoops.

The CDi. Source: Wikipedia Creative Commons

So, we’ve made it to 1991 – three years before the PlayStation. Surely this is as far back as CD technology in gaming goes? The CD only came out in 1982 after all and for a long time was a very expensive format. But hang on! Obviously, the CDi wasn’t the first – I probably would have mentioned it otherwise. The first wasn’t released in 1990 or even ‘89 either, but incredibly, 1988. Six years before the PlayStation! And while it wasn’t technically a console, it was an add-on much like the Sega CD.

The CD-ROM² System was released on the 4th of December, 1988 and holds the title as the first gaming system ever to use CDs. This was an add-on for the TurboGrafx-16 (also known as the PC Engine) and likely deserves its own article since it took many forms over the years. For instance, if you’re American, you may recognise it as the TurboGrafx-CD which found its way to your countries shores in 1990. Ultimately, nearly 150 games were released for the format including licences such as Street Fighter, Castlevania, Populous and even Space Invaders. It was by no means a commercial failure which has been a depressing running theme for this article.

And, like I alluded to before, that wasn’t the only theme. FMV and edutainment titles were very common on these early CD consoles, and many didn’t utilise the extra storage space for 3D graphics, the texture maps and the associated game engines they required until very close to the PlayStations launch. Although arguably, this may not have been possible anyway earlier on because of the available technology. Regardless, next time you’re playing any console from the last 20 years (as the vast majority of them used disks) remember where it started. It’s been a thing for far longer than you may have realised.

The post Remembering the CD-Based Consoles Before the PSone appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.