I figured I would write up a quick review of the Sega Genesis Mini that
was released yesterday. I pre-ordered this bad boy back in July and it
showed up at my door yesterday (thanks Amazon).

I few years back Sega licensed the release of a retro Genesis console
from a company called At Games. Hardware wise the unit was great. It
was about 60% the size of the original Genesis, came with wireless
Genesis controllers and even accepted Genesis game carts. Aside from
all of the that, the unit was horrible at emulation. The sound was crap
and there was quite a bit of control lag which made playing most games impossible.

I guess Sega heard the cries from retro gamers and with the success of
the Nintendo minis and the Commodore 64 mini (I'm going to leave the playstation mini alone as it was horrible all around) they decided to
try to do it themselves.

What you get is an amazing retro experience. The audio is bang on, no
input lag, 4:3 display with a CRT filter to give you authentic game
play and a great games library or 42 games including some classics like Streets of Rage 2 and Shinobi III. The Genesis mini also lets you save
games at any point so you don’t have to complete the whole of Shinobi
III in one sitting.

As someone who owns all of the mini consoles that have been released
along with most of their original counterparts, this one has been one
of the best implementations of a classic 16bit gaming system. Then
again I might be biased as I was a huge Sega fan, and still am!

--
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Re: Sega Genesis Mini
By: Netsurge to All on Fri Sep 20 2019 09:59 pm

As someone who owns all of the mini consoles that have been released
along with most of their original counterparts, this one has been one
of the best implementations of a classic 16bit gaming system. Then
again I might be biased as I was a huge Sega fan, and still am!

Thanks for the review. I have the atari flashback 7 (horrible device) and the C64 mini (great device). Been considering the atari handheld and can't get around to deciding. I've been on the fence with the sega and it's nice to get a review. Are all teh games playable? Any nasty gameplay bugs that you've noticed?
Daniel Traechin
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Thanks for the review. I have the atari flashback 7 (horrible device)
and the C64 mini (great device). Been considering the atari handheld and can't get around to deciding. I've been on the fence with the sega and it's nice to get a review. Are all teh games playable? Any nasty
gameplay bugs that you've noticed?

I have a few real 64s but am currently using my c64 mini to work on setting
up the very first BBS I ever ran using Image BBS. The c64 mini is an awesome device.

Every game is playable and I have yet to run into any bugs (I haven't played all of them though).

Compared to the @Games Genesis that was released a few years back, this one
is awesome. The audio is true to it's original ancestor and there is no noticeable input lag. The controllers are almost a 100% match to the
originals and they come with fairly long cables.

Every other mini has had some sort of hack released for it that allows you to add your own ROMs and I'm sure a hack for the Genesis is right around the corner.

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Re: Re: Sega Genesis Mini
By: Netsurge to calcmandan on Fri Oct 04 2019 02:54 am

I have a few real 64s but am currently using my c64 mini to work on setting up the very first BBS I ever ran using Image BBS. The c64 mini is an awesome device.

I have one 64 that currently is collecting dust until i can get help diagnosing and repairing it. Just acquired it off ebay

Every game is playable and I have yet to run into any bugs (I haven't played all of them though).

Me too. Though many of the games aren't the type i find enjoyable, i got the mini to relearn basic and 6502 assembly. i'm going to create new games for the platform and hopefully some software

Compared to the @Games Genesis that was released a few years back, this one is awesome. The audio is true to it's original ancestor and there is no noticeable input lag. The controllers are almost a 100% match to the originals and they come with fairly long cables.

I recently read the @games device was crapola. I was going to list the c64 fullsize for xmas, but that would ruin my mojo in the den. going to stick with the mini.


speaking of retro gaming, i just acquired a gameboy advanced sp at the local flea market. got it for $40 with a game of my chcoice and a free new battery. I picked up four other games. Reflecting
on my purchase, i may sell it on ebay and get a gameboy color then mod it with a new backlit screen. 8-bit guy did a vid on that.

i'm torn, dont know. i like the star wars games i picked up. and it can play all the previous model games.

Daniel Traechin
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I have one 64 that currently is collecting dust until i can get help diagnosing and repairing it. Just acquired it off ebay

do you know what the issue is? i have a lot of experience with commodore hardware can you describe the issue? a dead test cart comes in real handy
for these types of issues

Me too. Though many of the games aren't the type i find enjoyable, i got the min i to relearn basic and 6502 assembly. i'm going to create new games for the plat form and hopefully some software

i wrote a lot of crack intros and some demos back in the day. 6502 assembly
is still one of my favorites.

I recently read the @games device was crapola. I was going to list the
c64 fulls ize for xmas, but that would ruin my mojo in the den. going to stick with the mi ni.

its on my xmas list.

speaking of retro gaming, i just acquired a gameboy advanced sp at the local fle a market. got it for $40 with a game of my chcoice and a free new battery. I pic ked up four other games. Reflecting
on my purchase, i may sell it on ebay and get a gameboy color then mod
it with a new backlit screen. 8-bit guy did a vid on that.

my wife says i have a problem with portable gaming devices. i collect them
and currently have over 20 of them. it is an investment i tell her lol

|15frank |08// |15netsurge
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Re: Re: Sega Genesis Mini
By: Netsurge to calcmandan on Wed Oct 09 2019 10:01 am

do you know what the issue is? i have a lot of experience with commodore hardware can you describe the issue? a dead test cart comes in real handy for these types of issues

I get parallel bands sometimes. Most times I get nothing. I asked on lemon and got some advice but I've been sick all week so getting around to fixing it has been a low priority. Got a video on youtube


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlpSDJqBqE0&feature=youtu.be

i wrote a lot of crack intros and some demos back in the day. 6502 assembly is still one of my favorites.

Any favorites? Anything make it to the mini?

its on my xmas list.

I'm hoping, by xmas, I'll be on my actual C64. Dev on the mini will work for me. The mojo I spoke of is a really nice rig between my pc and mini using a kvm switch to go back and forth. Warning, the mini freezes if kvm'd away while it's up. Fair warning.


Sounds like a problem only from a wive's eyes. None of your bros would say such a thing.

Mine said the other day. "you're getting another gadget? Oh what am I saying with my shoes and makeup." i'm like, selfchecked!!! Bought a lottery ticket that night, didn't win anything tho.











Daniel Traechin
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I get parallel bands sometimes. Most times I get nothing. I asked on
lemon and got some advice but I've been sick all week so getting around
to fixing it has been a low priority. Got a video on youtube

Without hardware diags it is hard to pinpoint but it could be a bad VIC-II chop, bad modulator (the caps inside the modulator are notorious for failing) or it could be localized electrical interference from something in your
house.

If you want to try to resolve it yourself then I strongly suggest getting a diag cart which will help pinpoint your issue. This is the one I own: https://www.thefuturewas8bit.com/diag-264.html

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Re: Re: Sega Genesis Mini
By: Netsurge to calcmandan on Fri Oct 11 2019 01:25 am

Without hardware diags it is hard to pinpoint but it could be a bad VIC-II chop, bad modulator (the caps inside the modulator are notorious for failing or it could be localized electrical interference from something in your house.

I need to get a new power supply before anything. I plugged it in with the original PSU that it came with originally and could've inadvertently fried something on the first plugin. The first time I plugged in I saw some semblance of basic on my tv, but now i just get the parallel lines. So, It's possible i fried it.

If you want to try to resolve it yourself then I strongly suggest getting a diag cart which will help pinpoint your issue. This is the one I own: https://www.thefuturewas8bit.com/diag-264.html

The cart will be the first thing I get after the power supply is obtained. Right now I can't afford it. They want ~$50 from where I've looked and that's outside my budget.

I really don't want to fix it myself. I posted a request for help on the commodore subboard on fido but no one has replied. I got some help on lemon but I didn't seek anyone local out to help me.

If you're willing to help I can crack the case open after getting the powersupply and get a number of images.

I also don't have any diagnostic equipment to measure continuity. My knowledge of electricity is about the 5th grade level.

Daniel Traechin
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I need to get a new power supply before anything. I plugged it in with
the original PSU that it came with originally and could've inadvertently fried something on the first plugin. The first time I plugged in I saw some semblance of basic on my tv, but now i just get the parallel lines. So, It's possible i fried it.

Bad PSUs are notorious for rendering capacitors bad. Do you have access to a commodore monitor? One where you can test the machine without using the RF modulator port?

If you can get your hands on a multimeter, you could check the capacitors inside the modulator, these tend to be the most susceptible to frying when using a bad PSU. Crack open the case and send me some pictures so I know what revision you have and I can guide you from there.

|15frank |08// |15netsurge
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Re: Re: Sega Genesis Mini
By: Netsurge to calcmandan on Sat Oct 12 2019 09:33 am

Bad PSUs are notorious for rendering capacitors bad. Do you have access to a commodore monitor? One where you can test the machine without using the RF modulator port?

I don't have a commodore monitor yet. It's my goal to have an entire original set of hardware. As my budget allows, of course. We have an old tv, I may be able to break out and see how to connect it.

If you can get your hands on a multimeter, you could check the capacitors inside the modulator, these tend to be the most susceptible to frying when using a bad PSU. Crack open the case and send me some pictures so I know wha revision you have and I can guide you from there.

I will get a multimeter and watch youtube vids on how to use it. Never played with electricity in any serious respect ever before.

I saw somewhere online that sells cap sets for the c64. I may just recap it in a refurbishment measure.

Right now I'm injured with a bad neck strain and pinched nerve from a fainting incident. it's getting better though. I've also been pouring money into my plane, which isn't cheap.

I'll get back with you with pics. I believe I'm a member of your bbs. I'll login and see about posting pics on your image area, if you have one.

Daniel Traechin
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Re: Re: Sega Genesis Mini
By: Netsurge to calcmandan on Sat Oct 12 2019 09:33 am

By the way, are you paying any attention to the 8-bit guy's quest for his dream computer? He's creating a new 8-bit system made witih off-the-shelf parts that he intends to sell. He hoped to get a price point around $50 but it won't happen. He has other youtube celebs working with him on the case design, kernel dev, and documentation. They're going to deliver a product that looks and feels like an 80s system down to the spiral bound book complete with their version of basic.

I'm looking forward to it. I intend to get a developer board when it becomes available and will attempt creating a laptop. Want to use it as a day-to-day device.

Meanwhile, I dream of having a c64 laptop to use as a dev box because I have a load of games on my mind i'd like to develop that can be marketed. Anyhoo, if you have checked it out search 8-bit guy on youtube. he has a great channel. Also created some new games for 8 bit systems the last few years. Guy's sort of a hero of mine.


Daniel Traechin
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