Editing Sega Genesis
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| topgame = ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (15 million) | | topgame = ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (15 million) | ||
| onlineservice = [[Sega Meganet]]<br>[[Sega Channel]]<br>[[XBAND]] | | onlineservice = [[Sega Meganet]]<br>[[Sega Channel]]<br>[[XBAND]] | ||
− | | compatibility = [[ | + | | compatibility = [[Master System]] (Through use of the Power Base Converter peripheral) |
| predecessor = Master System | | predecessor = Master System | ||
| successor = [[Sega Saturn]] | | successor = [[Sega Saturn]] | ||
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In its first foray into [[Online console gaming|online gaming]], Sega created [[Sega Meganet]], which debuted in Japan on November 3, 1990. Operating through a cartridge and a peripheral called the "Mega [[Modem]]," this allowed Mega Drive players to play a total of seventeen games online. A North American version, dubbed "Tele-Genesis," was announced but never released. Another phone-based system, the Mega Anser, turned the Japanese Mega Drive into an online banking terminal. | In its first foray into [[Online console gaming|online gaming]], Sega created [[Sega Meganet]], which debuted in Japan on November 3, 1990. Operating through a cartridge and a peripheral called the "Mega [[Modem]]," this allowed Mega Drive players to play a total of seventeen games online. A North American version, dubbed "Tele-Genesis," was announced but never released. Another phone-based system, the Mega Anser, turned the Japanese Mega Drive into an online banking terminal. | ||
− | In 1994, Sega started the [[Sega Channel]], a game distribution system using [[cable television]] services [[Time Warner Cable]] and [[Tele-Communications Inc.|TCI]]. Using a special peripheral, Genesis players could download a game from a library of fifty each month and demos for upcoming releases. Games were downloaded to internal memory and deleted when the console was powered off. The Sega Channel reached 250,000 subscribers at its peak and ran until July 31, 1998, well past the release of the Sega Saturn | + | In 1994, Sega started the [[Sega Channel]], a game distribution system using [[cable television]] services [[Time Warner Cable]] and [[Tele-Communications Inc.|TCI]]. Using a special peripheral, Genesis players could download a game from a library of fifty each month and demos for upcoming releases. Games were downloaded to internal memory and deleted when the console was powered off. The Sega Channel reached 250,000 subscribers at its peak and ran until July 31, 1998, well past the release of the Sega Saturn. |
In an effort to compete with Sega, third-party developer Catapult Entertainment created the [[XBAND]], a peripheral which allowed Genesis players to engage in online competitive gaming. Using telephone services to share data, XBAND was initially offered in five U.S. cities in November 1994. The following year, the service was extended to the SNES, and Catapult teamed up with [[Blockbuster Video]] to market the service, but as interest in the service waned, it was discontinued in April 1997. | In an effort to compete with Sega, third-party developer Catapult Entertainment created the [[XBAND]], a peripheral which allowed Genesis players to engage in online competitive gaming. Using telephone services to share data, XBAND was initially offered in five U.S. cities in November 1994. The following year, the service was extended to the SNES, and Catapult teamed up with [[Blockbuster Video]] to market the service, but as interest in the service waned, it was discontinued in April 1997. | ||
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In 1993, Sega introduced a smaller, lighter version of the console, known as the '''Mega Drive 2''' in Japan, Europe, and Australia{{efn|Spelled as '''Mega Drive II''' (with a Roman numeral) in the PAL region.}} and simply sold as '''Genesis''' (without the Sega prefix) in North America. This version omits the headphone jack in the front, replaces the A/V-Out connector with a smaller version that supports stereo sound, and provides a simpler, less expensive [[mainboard]] that requires less power. | In 1993, Sega introduced a smaller, lighter version of the console, known as the '''Mega Drive 2''' in Japan, Europe, and Australia{{efn|Spelled as '''Mega Drive II''' (with a Roman numeral) in the PAL region.}} and simply sold as '''Genesis''' (without the Sega prefix) in North America. This version omits the headphone jack in the front, replaces the A/V-Out connector with a smaller version that supports stereo sound, and provides a simpler, less expensive [[mainboard]] that requires less power. | ||
− | + | Sega released a combined, semi-portable Genesis/Sega CD unit called the Genesis CDX (marketed as the Multi-Mega in Europe). This unit retailed at $399.95 in the U.S. (roughly $100 more than the individual Genesis and Sega CD units put together, since the Sega CD dropped its price to $229 half a year before), and was bundled with ''[[Sonic CD]]'', ''[[Sega Classics Arcade Collection]]'', and the Sega CD version of ''[[Ecco the Dolphin]]''. The CDX features a small [[Liquid crystal display|LCD]] screen that, when the unit is used to play audio CDs, displays the current track being played. With this feature and the system's lightweight build (weighing two pounds), Sega marketed it in part as a [[portable CD player]]. | |
− | + | Late in the 16-bit era, Sega released a [[Handheld game console|handheld]] version of the Genesis called the [[Genesis Nomad]]. Its design was based on the Mega Jet, a Mega Drive portable unit featured on airplane flights in Japan. As the only successor to the [[Game Gear]], the Nomad operates on 6 [[AA battery|AA batteries]], displaying its graphics on a 3.25-inch (8.25-mm) LCD screen. The Nomad supports the entire Genesis library, but cannot be used with the Sega 32X, the Sega CD, or the Power Base Converter. | |
Exclusive to the Japanese market was the [[Sega TeraDrive|TeraDrive]], a Mega Drive combined with an [[IBM PC compatible]] computer. Sega also produced three [[List of Sega arcade system boards|arcade system boards]] based on the Mega Drive: the System C-2, the MegaTech, and the MegaPlay, which support approximately 80 games combined. {{clear}} | Exclusive to the Japanese market was the [[Sega TeraDrive|TeraDrive]], a Mega Drive combined with an [[IBM PC compatible]] computer. Sega also produced three [[List of Sega arcade system boards|arcade system boards]] based on the Mega Drive: the System C-2, the MegaTech, and the MegaPlay, which support approximately 80 games combined. {{clear}} | ||
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During his keynote speech at the 2006 [[Game Developers Conference]], Nintendo president [[Satoru Iwata]] announced that Sega would make a number of Genesis/Mega Drive games available to download on the [[Wii]]'s [[Virtual Console]]. There are select Sega Genesis games available on the Xbox 360 through [[Xbox Live Arcade]], such as ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' and ''Sonic 2'', as well as games available via the [[PlayStation Network]] and [[Steam (software)|Steam]]. | During his keynote speech at the 2006 [[Game Developers Conference]], Nintendo president [[Satoru Iwata]] announced that Sega would make a number of Genesis/Mega Drive games available to download on the [[Wii]]'s [[Virtual Console]]. There are select Sega Genesis games available on the Xbox 360 through [[Xbox Live Arcade]], such as ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' and ''Sonic 2'', as well as games available via the [[PlayStation Network]] and [[Steam (software)|Steam]]. | ||
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