The Sega Genesis Mini, called the Mega Drive Mini in areas outside North America, is a special console designed to resemble the original Sega Genesis. It uses the same 16-bit technology as the original console and includes 42 games provided by M2 through special software. It was released in North America and Japan in September 2019 and in Europe and the Middle East in October 2019. A later version, the Sega Genesis Mini 2, was released in October 2022 and includes 60 games from the Genesis and Sega CD.
Hardware and accessories
The Mini is half the size of the original Sega Genesis. Inside the unit is an ARM-based SOC ZUIKI Z7213 and 512 MB of flash memory. This includes four ARM Cortex-A7 central processing cores and an ARM Mali 400 MP2 graphics processing unit. It has 512 MB of flash storage and 256 MB of DDR3 memory. The Mini includes either one or two full-size replica controllers (depending on the region's bundle options), which connect through USB (original controllers are not compatible). It also includes a USB-to-Micro-B power cable (called a USB AC adapter in North America) and an HDMI video cable. Separate versions of the Mini are released for North America, Europe, Asia, and Japan, as the Mini reproduces the original console's decal and color variations from those regions. Korea is an exception, as the Mega Drive was released there by Samsung as the Super Gam*Boy and Super Aladdin Boy; these names are not included on the Korean Mini.
All games on the Mini include a save state feature to pause and resume progress. They can be played in the original 4:3 aspect ratio with optional wallpapers or stretched to 16:9 widescreen, with HUD elements adjusted to fit the screen. Some games have regional variants that can be accessed by changing the system's language settings (for example, switching the system language from English to Japanese changes Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine into Puyo Puyo).
The North American and European models of the Genesis Mini come with two three-button controllers, while the Japanese model includes two six-button controllers. Officially licensed six-button controllers made for the Mini are also sold separately in North America and Europe. In Japan, official model accessories such as miniature versions of the Mega-CD, Super 32X, Sonic & Knuckles lock-on Genesis cartridge, and Sonic the Hedgehog standard Mega Drive cartridge were sold separately. Miniature replicas of the Sega CD and Sega 32X were also made for North America and Europe but were only given to select members of the media.
The Mini 2 system is based on the Mega Drive 2 version of the original console and comes with over 50 games and a single six-button controller in all regions. It uses the same SOC chip as the first Mini but has more memory and storage. In addition to the first Mini's emulation features, the Mini 2 can emulate the sound outputs of the original Genesis or Genesis 2. Like the original Mega Drive Mini, a set of model accessories including a miniature Mega-CD 2, a miniature Virtua Racing cartridge, and a miniature Sonic CD disc was released in Japan alongside the system. These accessories are compatible with the first Mega Drive Mini and its accessories. A USB-powered Cyber Stick controller, based on the original flight stick produced by Sharp, was also released in Japan with the system. This controller provides analog input for games such as After Burner II, Night Striker, and Starblade.
Games
The Sega Genesis Mini includes 40 Sega Genesis games, and the selection may change based on where you live. Along with these games, the system also has two bonus games, Darius and Tetris, which are new versions made for the Mini that were never released for the original console.
The Sega Genesis Mini 2 includes 53 games that were released for both the Genesis and the Sega CD extra device. Like the original Mini, the Mini 2 also includes seven additional games that were never released for the Genesis, such as games that were not made for the console and new versions of arcade games.
Production and release
The Sega Genesis Mini was first introduced at the Sega Fes event in April 2018. This announcement was part of a growing trend to create smaller versions of classic video game consoles. The release was delayed in September 2018 and missed the console’s 30th-anniversary celebration. At that time, Sega ended its partnership with AtGames, a company whose 2017 Sega Genesis Flashback console received poor reviews for its quality. Instead of using AtGames’s software for a Japan-only version, Sega produced the Mini itself. The system was released worldwide on September 19, 2019, but in Europe and the Middle East, it was delayed until October 4, 2019, because of problems with distributing the product.
M2, a company that previously worked with Sega on the Sega Ages and Sega 3D Classics Collection, created the game versions for the Mini. Sega focused on high-quality production in its marketing for the Mini, as the company returned to making hardware after the last console it produced, the Sega Dreamcast, in 2001. The menu music for the Mini was composed by Yuzo Koshiro, who also wrote music for games in the compilation, including Beyond Oasis, Streets of Rage 2, and The Revenge of Shinobi. By the end of March 2020, the Sega Genesis Mini had sold more than 300,000 units.
A second version, the Sega Genesis Mini 2, was released worldwide on October 27, 2022. Yuzo Koshiro returned to compose the menu music for this version.