(Nintendo was better known for this kind of per-cartridge trick.)įrom a legal standpoint, the MegaSD is one of the easier classic game-backup solutions to recommend, since Sega CD discs didn't ship with copy protection. The most killer feature added to this cart is its support for the Genesis version of Virtua Racing, and this one is special because it was the only Genesis game to ship with an extra processor in its cartridge. Multiple firmware updates have been pushed to MegaSD owners since its launch, and these have ranged from timing updates for CD seek emulation to increased backup RAM storage support. Months after this article's original publication, we've returned to confirm some great news: TerraOnion has been on a support tear for this thing. Update: Great hardware with twists like MD+ support RetroRGB review of TerraOnion's MegaSD flash cart. RetroRGB explores some funky sound playback on SMS games due to its handling of that system's optional FM Synthesizer add-on, so you'll want to watch the below video to the end to see if that matters to you. If you want another reason to spend so much, MegaSD allows users to load Genesis, Mega Drive, and Sega Master System games by dumping them onto an SD card as ROMs (though exactly how you'll dump ROMs from your existing, legitimately acquired cartridges or CDs is up to you). (Next month's Turbografx 16 Mini includes a playable version of Snatcher, but it's the Japanese-only version, so for English-speaking Kojima fans, the Sega CD remains the best route to go.) If you want to play some of the era's best 16-bit games, particularly the arcade-perfect port of Final Fight and the English-language version of Hideo Kojima's Snatcher, the Sega CD is often the best way to access some of them. The Sega CD would then frequently swap that buffer with its own equivalently sized buffer, which it filled and manipulated with its own dedicated processor.įurther Reading Cryptography failure leads to easy hacking for PlayStation Classicīefore going hands-on with our own MegaSD review unit, RetroRGB's tests gave us a sense that the MegaSD's high asking price was merited-especially in a world where aging Sega CD hardware has become prohibitively expensive to buy. Truly, the Genesis always saw the Sega CD as a game cartridge and treated its 128Kb buffer accordingly. A new way to Snatcherįor the uninitiated, the Sega CD works by plugging into the Genesis's hidden male cartridge connector. In short: It appears to work exactly as advertised, complete with reduced CD-based loading times, identical gameplay, nearly identical CD-based audio, and some other nice-to-have features. But my tune changed upon seeing its first hands-on review from YouTube channel RetroRGB (embedded at the end of this article). I was originally hesitant to write up the MegaSD's announcement-especially since it comes from relatively unknown flash card manufacturer TerraOnion as opposed to Sega, and it costs a whopping €232 (roughly $261 USD).
It replicates the original Sega CD's functions without requiring a laser-driven disc drive while also remaining compatible with that add-on's peculiar system-communication style. This combination flash drive and FPGA board plugs into original Genesis and Mega Drive consoles (and the newer Analogue Mega Sg). Specifically, the Sega CD has received new life in the form of the MegaSD.
Last year, however, we saw arguably the first big product to fill in one major under-served niche: the early '90s CD add-on adapter.
SEGA CD EMULATOR FOR MAC UPGRADE
Fan-favorite companies are taking emulation seriously with products like the NES Classic and the Sega Genesis Mini, while enthusiasts are filling in the gaps to either upgrade original consoles' connectors or rebuild them as "hardware-emulated" FPGA systems. It's a great time to play old video games on modern TVs. A peek at the box shipping in late 2019 to buyers.