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A handful of years ago, SEGA released a miniaturized version of its classic Mega Drive, packing in some fan-favorite games that gamers loved from that era of gaming. Three years later, and they're ready to improve upon that, by releasing the Mega Drive Mini 2. Stylized just like the second variant of the Mega Drive, the mini version will offer Sega CD games as well. The throwback console was revealed during a livestream from Sega of Japan, and has no western release confirmed for now. It'll release on October 27th, and will retail for about $75 (¥9,980). The confirmed games are as follows:

Silpheed (SEGA CD)
Shining Force CD (SEGA CD)
Mansion of Hidden Souls (SEGA CD)
Sonic CD (SEGA CD)
Popful Mail (SEGA CD)
Virtua Racing (Mega Drive)
Bonanza Bros (Mega Drive)
Shining in the Darkness (Mega Drive)
Thunder Force IV (Mega Drive)
Magical Taruto (Mega Drive)
Fantasy Zone (new Mega Drive release)

Notable among these titles is Fantasy Zone, which never actually released for the Mega Drive itself. According to the livestream, this version of the game is a brand new port, and is based on Super Fantasy Zone, which did release on the Mega Drive in 1992.

 

[subcon959]

Model 2 just looks so cheap for some reason.

That was actually the whole point. It was a cost-reduced version without motorised tray to make it more affordable. It also was less likely to fail with less moving parts. I only have the Model 1 combo though as I agree it looks way better.

 

[spotanjo3]

Aside from the titles confirmed for the device, there's a handful of great shmups, the best home port (pre XBLA/PS3) of Final Fight, some of the FMV games like Road Avenger and Night Trap (granted, they haven't aged well, but they're classics of the genre)... and a little game called Snatcher from some Kojima bloke.

I know those too and not my things. Only FMV game I liked was Dragon's Lair but too grainy FMV. So I go with PC version of Dragon's Lair.

Thanks but I will pass this sweet mini console CD, thought!

 

[PacBunnyXV07]

No, the components in the Saturn are long since out of production. That would be very expensive to do now if even possible at all. None of the mini consoles are actual mini versions of the actual console. They're all just low powered SOC's running emulators.

They can find a way.

 

[spectral]

They can find a way.

Not at a reasonable price they can't. There is a shortage of modern chips. No one is going to start up a factory making nearly 30Yo chips for sega to make one cheap product.

 

[SonicRings]

Is there any reason to get this over the first one? Like, is this more powerful? Or is it the same hardware in a different shell with different games that won't even matter once you hack this?

Speaking of which, what even is the point? Just get an rpi or heck, use your laptop, and emulate all these games and more with better performance for free.

 

[tech3475]

Is there any reason to get this over the first one? Like, is this more powerful? Or is it the same hardware in a different shell with different games that won't even matter once you hack this?

Speaking of which, what even is the point? Just get an rpi or heck, use your laptop, and emulate all these games and more with better performance for free.

I would expect the same SoC but with an updated emulator and maybe more internal storage.

As to why, well they may be gifts, not everyone may want to pirate the games, they may like these as collectables, etc.

 

[raging_chaos]

Not at a reasonable price they can't.

They just put out a press release earlier this morning saying that they were considering the Dreamcast and Saturn but the only reason they didn't do it is that the current chip shortage would drive prices up. Another anniversary window comes up every 5 years, the chip shortage isn't going to last forever and such a device isn't going to cost beyond $200. The Sega Astro released for $130, in another few years I can see a Saturn Mini being released under $150.

ARM based SOC's are not the same platform as X86 based PCs. There's overhead involved with running an operating system, background apps and services, security software, etc. A dedicated device isn't doing all of that, stop raising your CPU expectations so high. Ever tried Lakka? Have you seen the crap hardware you can run Dreamcast and N64 games on? Using the same hardware with Windows ends up with extremely low framerates while running it on Lakka can actually be playable, and that's just by removing the Windows overhead while sticking to an x86 platform. If Shima made an ARM binary of SSF it would fly circles around x86.

 

[assassinz]

Now should we expect Nintendo to release an SNES Jr. mini console?

 

[Kwyjor]

Now should we expect Nintendo to release an SNES Jr. mini console?

Of course not. Why should we? Especially if Sega is limited the release of this due to a "chip shortage"?

(I am a little surprised that the SMB and Zelda Game & Watch units still seem to be readily available.)

 

[PacBunnyXV07]

They just put out a press release earlier this morning saying that they were considering the Dreamcast and Saturn but the only reason they didn't do it is that the current chip shortage would drive prices up. Another anniversary window comes up every 5 years, the chip shortage isn't going to last forever and such a device isn't going to cost beyond $200. The Sega Astro released for $130, in another few years I can see a Saturn Mini being released under $150.

ARM based SOC's are not the same platform as X86 based PCs. There's overhead involved with running an operating system, background apps and services, security software, etc. A dedicated device isn't doing all of that, stop raising your CPU expectations so high. Ever tried Lakka? Have you seen the crap hardware you can run Dreamcast and N64 games on? Using the same hardware with windows and trying to emulate systems ends up with extremely low framerates while running it on Lakka can actually be playable, and that's just by removing the Windows overhead while sticking to an x86 platform. If Shima made an ARM binary of SSF it would fly circles around x86.

Sega should just make a Dreamcast DX where its every sega console in on package.

 

[Taleweaver]

Notable among these titles is Fantasy Zone, which never actually released for the Mega Drive itself. According to the livestream, this version of the game is a brand new port, and is based on Super Fantasy Zone, which did release on the Mega Drive in 1992.

... Yeah, that's certainly notable. So they took the game, ported it to the console and then... Decided it wasn't super enough so they dumped the prefix?

 

[subcon959]

... Yeah, that's certainly notable. So they took the game, ported it to the console and then... Decided it wasn't super enough so they dumped the prefix?

Super Fantasy Zone was actually released for the Mega Drive back in the 90s so none of it makes sense lol

 

[tech3475]

... Yeah, that's certainly notable. So they took the game, ported it to the console and then... Decided it wasn't super enough so they dumped the prefix?

The quote makes it sound like they took SFZ and just effectively made a ROM hack so it’s closer to the arcade game.

 

[duwen]

Speaking of which, what even is the point? Just get an rpi or heck, use your laptop, and emulate all these games and more with better performance for free.

That's all true, but there's still something to be said for supporting the developer and purchasing official releases of titles that (in some cases) haven't been rereleased in decades.

As I mentioned a few pages back; if they can get a new official translation for the Sega CD version of Shin Megami Tensei (not out of the realm of possibility as Sega owns Atlus) and Snatcher (which has only ever had one official English translation released) on this then I'll definitely consider purchasing it.

 

[dh3lix-pooch]

Stfu and take my money..to.. weak.. to.. resist.

 

[subcon959]

Interview with Yosuke Okunari of SEGA

https://www-famitsu-com.translate.g...tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

 

[depaul]

Sorry I am being uninterested but almost every hombrew'ed console can play full Sega CD set just fine.
I was hoping for a Saturn mini, or even a Dreamcast mini...

 

[SonicRings]

That's all true, but there's still something to be said for supporting the developer and purchasing official releases of titles that (in some cases) haven't been rereleased in decades.

I'm sorry, but I don't think you should be supporting the same company who delisted the classic Sonic games from online platforms an entire month before the release of Sonic Origins, which itself is going to have Denuvo, day 1 DLC, pre-order dlc, an abhorrent pre-order DLC chart that doesn't even make sense, a high price tag, and non-existent regional pricing.

They want our money? Sell us the games we want. Allow us to purchase the originals. Show faith in their remaster (Origins) by allowing the originals to stay up.

 

[PacBunnyXV07]

I'm sorry, but I don't think you should be supporting the same company who delisted the classic Sonic games from online platforms an entire month before the release of Sonic Origins, which itself is going to have Denuvo, day 1 DLC, pre-order dlc, an abhorrent pre-order DLC chart that doesn't even make sense, a high price tag, and non-existent regional pricing.

They want our money? Sell us the games we want. Allow us to purchase the originals. Show faith in their remaster (Origins) by allowing the originals to stay up.

Do you want Sega to make good quality games or not. How bout you stfu and stop complaining about mundane shit.

 

[Marc_LFD]

Man, oh man, that U.K. promo video of the Sega CD was absolutely terrible and then the portion of the Genesis games looks as though it was played by an amateur. Plus, it went for far too long.

Sega 32x/CD had good games, but Sega themselves did not help it. They marketed it as a FMV system and that's boring, games are supposed to be fun!

Anyway, I'll probably pre-order this if it has a quality selection and I'd appreciate if they'd bring it to the West as there are a lot of fans who want it, too.