SEGA GENESIS (1989) 16 Bit
SEGA MEGADRIVE - 1988
SEGA GENESIS 1 -1989 ($250.00 at launch)
SEGA GENESIS 2 -1992
SEGA GENESIS 3 -1998 ($75.00 at launch)
CPU: Motorola 68000 at 7.61 MHz
Sega's genesis foray into the console business was an outstanding success. Its main competitor was the Nintendo NES system. It came out after the NES system but it was a strong and viable alternative to the Nintendo system. It seemed to please the sports fans much more than the NES system. Madden football became a strong point with the owners of this system. Who can forget Sonic the Hedge hog? This is the entry into the well known mascot for this system. You will find many different versions of this unit. From the initial unit down to the last unit. It is a must to all collectors.
One should know about the JVC version though. It is a suped up version of the genesis, with better sound and capabilities. It is highly sought after and is a beautiful system to obtain.
Also Look for the Sega Nomad. This baby is a portable version of the Sega genesis. It can play stand alone or it can be connecte to the television set. The Sega Genesis is probably one of the most underrated consoles that I can think of. It was released in the United States in 1989, at the time that the Nintendo NES system was doing extremely well. Technologically it is much superior to the Nintendo NES system in both graphics and sound quality. People forget that Sega was already a leader in the Arcade scene, and was considered to have a substantial knowledge base on video entertainment and had researched what the consumers wanted. It ushered in the era of the 16 bit computer age*. The consumers who decided to buy the Genesis noticed this technological advantage. A robust library of high quality games adds merit to the worthiness of the Sega Genesis. You would be hard pressed not to find a large number of games that you enjoy playing from the available games for this system. The available library is HUGE. I remember when the talking sports games first became available for this system. It was quite remarkable at the time to hear a play by play analysis of the game you’re playing. I was quite impressed to say the least. I should note also that this was the system that really got Electronic Arts up and going. Their sports games to include Madden Football, was phenomenal and really helped launch this system. The Genesis sold very well and was a serious competitor to Nintendo. It eventually had to compete with the Nintendo SNES system when Nintendo decided to bring out their 16- bit system to the market. The Sega Genesis comes in many models and names depending on which country it was produced for. It’s important to know which model you have if you plan on using the peripheral add-ons like the 32x adaptor or the CD adaptor or the Sega Master System adaptor. These adaptors do not work on the Sega Genesis 3 model. (This model is an economical stripped down version of the Genesis system released by a third party company). Sega dropped its Genesis production roughly around 1996. The third party Majesco brought the Genesis 3 to the market in 1998 for a price just under $75.00. If you are looking for a Japanese Sega Genesis game you will be disappointed to find out there is no such system. In Japan as well as in other countries, the Sega Genesis is named Sega Mega Drive. The usage of Mega drive was already copyrighted in the United States, thus the system was released with the name being Sega Genesis.
A few unique accessories were produced to be used with this system. One of my favorite accessories is the Batter Up controller. It is a controller that is shaped like a bat that you can use on the baseball games. It is quite advanced for its time and very imaginative. They are not easy to find anymore, but definitely is a must if you’re collecting this system.
ACCESSORIES:
- Sega Master System game Adaptor
- Sega Mouse
- Sega 6 button control pad
- Sega Genesis Menacer Light Gun
- Sega Genesis Cleaning kit
- Sega Genesis Team player (multi-tap)
- Sega Joystick MK-1627
- Sega Wireless controllers
- Turbo touch 360
- Electronic Arts Genesis 4-Player adaptor
- Sega Genesis Activator Ring
- TeeVGolf
- Sega Genesis Game Genie
- Batter up (Sports Sciences Inc.)
- XBAND Videogame Modem
- Interacts program pad
- Sega 32X adaptor
- Sega CD add-on
- Pure quality and a MUST system to have!!!!
- Extremely durable and easy to obtain replacement parts
- Reasonable graphics but what do you expect???
- Huge available library. Impossible to own all games
*Intellivision and NEC Turbografx were released earlier, but never obtained the popularity of the Sega Genesis.
Sega Genesis 1- (pre-packed with Altered Beast and 2 controllers (1989-1991)).
(pre-packed with Sonic the Hedgehog and 2 controllers (1991-1992)).
It comes complete with Head phone jack and a volume control.
Sega Genesis 2 – (pre-packed with Sonic the Hedgehog 2). It has no volume control or
Head phone jack. It’s squarer than the original and smaller
Sega Genesis 3- (pre-packed with one controller and NO CART). You can find this
system for less than 20 bucks these days.
ALAN SAYS:
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SEGA NOMAD (16 BIT) - 1995
SPECS:________________
Processor speed: 7.68 MHz
Color capacity: 64
Sound: 6 channels FM
Memory: 64 Kb RAM
Resolution: 320 x 224
Format: NTSC
Software type: Cartridge
The Sega Nomad is one of my favorite systems since it plays the Sega Genesis cartridges and is one of the most under-rated portable game systems produced. It never really sold well due to the late release. The Sega Genesis was well established but nearing the end of its reign when the Nomad was released. Consumers were interested in the newer consoles and were not particularly interested in investing $180.00 on a Sega Nomad. The Sega Nomad is basically a portable Sega Genesis system. It has a backlit display that is approximately 3 inches. The controller is built in and has six-button capacity. It has the capacity to play on a television through the video connection. It also has a controller port, which allows you to use any standard Genesis controller. If you’re traveling and you don’t have a television monitor it will also play as a stand-alone. It is similar to the Turbo Express hand held system in which it plays the actual consoles cartridges and does not need a special NOMAD cartridge. It is an excellent portable game player and I would highly recommend buying one due to the fact that there are a huge variety of Genesis game cartridges available. The price of the Sega Nomad is definitely worth it when you figure in the portability and the versatility of the system. An interesting note is that the Nomad is an American release. There is a similar system that was released in Japan called the Sega Mega Jet. It was a portable system that used the Sega Mega Drive cartridges, but it lacked a display screen. The original systems were used on the Japanese airlines, which you could rent and use them on the airplanes monitors. The Sega Mega Jet could be considered the prototype of the Sega Nomad. This is an excellent system and I would pick one up if you’re a Genesis fan.
Limited Editions: NONE
As you can see in the picture. The japanese version is NOT a stand alone unit. You need to connect it to the television monitor. Compare this unit to the American Sega Nomad unit. It does not have a screen. Thes units cost you much more than the american version and are harder to find. You can find them in my store though.
As you can see. It comes as a stand alone screen, but has the capacity to add joy sticks and connect to the television. It sucks the energy from batteries, but has a nice battery pack adapter. Its kind of bulky and heavy, but its a nice unit to take traveling if you like genesis games. It can play all the genesis cartridges and the sound is actually pretty nice. It is rugged and I would definitely recommend buying one if your a collector of fine video equiptment.
Sega Genesis 3 version:
It is a stripped down version of the genesis. I do not recommend buying this version.
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Genesis 2 version.
Its boxy and lacks style.
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JVC X'Eye is beautiful. I would go for this unit. It plays both cartridges from genesis as well as Sega CD games. It has amped up sound. This is the unit I recommend!!!
Useful Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Mega_Drive