Question on a Sega Genesis and Controller I bought on Ebay

[Mark Shepherd]

Hello everyone,

 

I am new to the forum. I have a couple of questions. I know what most of you are going to say. Don't buy anything on ebay! I already tried this on a different video game forum and that is what most of the members there said. But anyway I did buy something on Ebay. And I have a couple of questions.

 

I bought a Sega Genesis Model II. And it came with a couple of controllers. The system works and plays games. Only one of the controllers works. The regular Sega Genesis controller works. But one is a turbo controller with six buttons and it does not work. Not in any of the ports that I tried it in. I am wondering if I have a weird or a bad system. Even though it works with the one controller.

 

The Sega Genesis Model II I have says it is made in Taiwan. I was expecting it to say made in Japan or at worst made in China. But it is made in Taiwan where I know a lot of fakes are made. Not sure about fake genesis but I know a lot of fake and reproduction games are made in Taiwan. When I open the system up the metal plate covering the motherboard has lots of rust spots on it. The cover of the genesis looks pretty much brand new. So I don't get that. Unless it is refurbished. But if it is refurbished why not replace the metal plate on the inside.

Well I have read that Sega Genesis Model II were made practically everywhere. In Japan, in China, in Malaysia, and even Taiwan. I am hoping that what I have isn't a fake. It works. But it feels really cheap. The plastic feels cheap. I remember Sega Genesis feeling stronger and tougher when I was a kid. The only thing that does not feel cheap when I hold it is the Turbo controller (that doesn't work) which says it is made in China.

 

So any thoughts? I was told that Sega Genesis Model II's even vary in quality depending on where it was made. I also read something online that if the metal plate covers the entire area where the breathing holes are on the bottom of the system then that means it is a bad Sega Genesis. And that the metal plate is only supposed to cover up the breathing holes partially. Also, someone on the other forum said that Sega Genesis are really common.

 

Thanks

[Osgeld]

Could be a bad controller or controller wire

 

And theres a ton of manufacturing of electronics in Taiwan its like 1 or 2 in the industry

Edited August 8, 2018 by Osgeld

[Mark Shepherd]

Thanks. I was told that on another forum too. That the controller wires decay with old age and hard use.

[Jeremy Popp]

Hello everyone,

 

I am new to the forum. I have a couple of questions. I know what most of you are going to say. Don't buy anything on ebay! I already tried this on a different video game forum and that is what most of the members there said. But anyway I did buy something on Ebay. And I have a couple of questions.

 

I bought a Sega Genesis Model II. And it came with a couple of controllers. The system works and plays games. Only one of the controllers works. The regular Sega Genesis controller works. But one is a turbo controller with six buttons and it does not work. Not in any of the ports that I tried it in. I am wondering if I have a weird or a bad system. Even though it works with the one controller.

 

The Sega Genesis Model II I have says it is made in Taiwan. I was expecting it to say made in Japan or at worst made in China. But it is made in Taiwan where I know a lot of fakes are made. Not sure about fake genesis but I know a lot of fake and reproduction games are made in Taiwan. When I open the system up the metal plate covering the motherboard has lots of rust spots on it. The cover of the genesis looks pretty much brand new. So I don't get that. Unless it is refurbished. But if it is refurbished why not replace the metal plate on the inside.

 

Well I have read that Sega Genesis Model II were made practically everywhere. In Japan, in China, in Malaysia, and even Taiwan. I am hoping that what I have isn't a fake. It works. But it feels really cheap. The plastic feels cheap. I remember Sega Genesis feeling stronger and tougher when I was a kid. The only thing that does not feel cheap when I hold it is the Turbo controller (that doesn't work) which says it is made in China.

 

So any thoughts? I was told that Sega Genesis Model II's even vary in quality depending on where it was made. I also read something online that if the metal plate covers the entire area where the breathing holes are on the bottom of the system then that means it is a bad Sega Genesis. And that the metal plate is only supposed to cover up the breathing holes partially. Also, someone on the other forum said that Sega Genesis are really common.

 

Thanks

 

I'll try to answer some of your questions. First of all, I buy and sell on ebay all the time with generally good results. You just have to know how to look for good stuff and weed out the junk. Always makes sure it's says tested/working or some similar language. Seller refurbished is even better because it most likely means a thorough cleaning has been done.

 

Sega (or any) controllers can fail in a number of ways. One of the wires can break causing some/all buttons not to work, the internal rubber conductive pads could fail, the primary PCB circuit components could fail. That being said, 90% of the time it just needs cleaned. I've refurbished tons of controllers I'll buy as "broken", only to take them apart and realize they just need cleaned.

 

I've also repaired several systems, and having a nice clean console on the outside, doesn't always mean it's clean on the inside. That metal shielding is prone to rust, so it may have been stored in a garage or attic for several years with changing temperatures and seasons. It's not necessarily a bad thing unless its' severe and you notice rust on the primary motherboard. Also, I've never seen a fake genesis model 2 before, I have however seen fake model ones and generally it's very obvious because of poor quality materials, buttons and logos. It's probably fair to say the model 1 plastic has a more robust higher quality feel that model 2's. Keep in mind, second revision consoles are always a cost savings measure.

 

If you really want solid answers, feel free to post pictures or a link to the auction and we can probably tell if it's somehow a fake. As for your last few points, having the metal plate cover the bottom entirely doesn't mean it's a "bad" sega genesis. I would say a majority of model 2's have the full motherboard, and only later more rare models have the 3/4 motherboard. These are more desirable due to chip design, but otherwise just another running design change for the console.

 

YES, sega genesis consoles are very common and easy to find. Why? Probably because the demand is not has high as say an SNES. They sold in nearly equal numbers, however you'll find genesis consoles everywhere. This is due to several reasons, but primarily collectors gravitate towards SNES (and all Nintendo products it seems).

 

If you have any issues with your genesis or controllers, let me know as I have several spares I've personally refurbished and guarantee they will work.

Edited August 8, 2018 by Jeremy Popp

[Mark Shepherd]

 

I've also repaired several systems, and having a nice clean console on the outside, doesn't always mean it's clean on the inside. That metal shielding is prone to rust, so it may have been stored in a garage or attic for several years with changing temperatures and seasons. It's not necessarily a bad thing unless its' severe and you notice rust on the primary motherboard. Also, I've never seen a fake genesis model 2 before, I have however seen fake model ones and generally it's very obvious because of poor quality materials, buttons and logos. It's probably fair to say the model 1 plastic has a more robust higher quality feel that model 2's. Keep in mind, second revision consoles are always a cost savings measure.

 

If you really want solid answers, feel free to post pictures or a link to the auction and we can probably tell if it's somehow a fake. As for your last few points, having the metal plate cover the bottom entirely doesn't mean it's a "bad" sega genesis. I would say a majority of model 2's have the full motherboard, and only later more rare models have the 3/4 motherboard. These are more desirable due to chip design, but otherwise just another running design change for the console

Thanks a lot. That pretty much covered it. I knew it was a good thing to wait a couple of days for the moderator to ok my account here. Could you hang ten on the pictures. I might post some pictures later. I really don't like the Model 1 genesis, I don't like the way it looks. However I know it is made stronger. And someone on another forum told me that I should keep away from ebay and instead troll around garage sale and thrift stores and places like that to find a good Sega Genesis. I know on my Sega Genesis model II the power button sticks in half the time I press it in. You are supposed to press it and it comes back up. Not stick in. I kind of hate that. Mainly the pictures I would show would be the rust on the metal plate. It really pisses me off. I was told that I could clean my controller, but I have no idea how to do it. Like I said on another forum something that small I try to open up and clean I usually break it.

[atarilovesyou]

I would say you are correct with the cheap feel of the Sega stuff vs the Nintendo stuff. I thought the same thing, but the consoles themselves just don't feel vry sturdy. I baby mine. The controllers lose their resistence quicker tham most pads, especially later made ones. Squeaky buttons are quite normal for the original pads. The Master System is the same...easily scratched, mostly made in China.

 

I had a new old stick MS game pad arrive looking like new but the 2 button didn't work. Tried to open it up but nothing to be done. Got a replacement.

 

People love to complain about aspects od ebay but as a buyer?...you have a pot of options. Been buying for well iver a decade and so far no real issues. Paypal always covers me and the 100% Ebay Guarantee is pretty comprehensive.

 

Your best bet in this case is to request a partial refund for the broken controller, if you are ok with the rest of the system. The biggest issue I have had are sellers who mark their stuff as in excellent condition when really it's not. Return shipping is usually in your own dime so that's something to consider.

[Mark Shepherd]

Well I have bought and owned a Sega Saturn. Sega Saturn was the first sega system that I owned. And I loved it. It didn't feel cheap to me. And the controllers were fine. They were responsive and everything. I was happy with. My friend owned a Sega Dreamcast and I didn't see it as being cheap or anything. It seemed sturdy. And I loved the controller for the Dreamcast it made sense and it was responsive.

 

But I agree with you on this Sega Genesis II that I own. It feels cheap. The controls feel squeaky. Or in my opinion sometimes just not responsive. I am spoiled on Nintendo I knew the Nintendo controls in my sleep. How hard I had to tap the button. Or sometimes I just barely tapped it. I got used to just barely tapping the buttons on a Nintendo controller and it would work fine. (The Nintendo Zapper gun was another issue. But everyone knew that was junk.)

 

Sega Genesis I notice that if I barely tap on a button then the controller won't respond. But I never thought I had that problem with my Sega Saturn. I usually thought that the newer a system was the poorer and worse the quality was. Ebay is a hassle to get a refund through and stuff. I will probably keep the bum controller maybe as a show piece or maybe I will find some guru somewhere who won't mind taking a look at it and refurbishing it. The bum controller I have is the only thing that doesn't feel cheap. But it also says made in China. When the system I have says made in Taiwan.

[Mark Shepherd]

Also, I've never seen a fake genesis model 2 before, I have however seen fake model ones and generally it's very obvious because of poor quality materials, buttons and logos. It's probably fair to say the model 1 plastic has a more robust higher quality feel that model 2's. Keep in mind, second revision consoles are always a cost savings measure.

 

Well Jeremy. There is always a first! Also I just noticed that my bank has "modernized" its bank statements that it is sending to me. Modern is their word. In other words my bank statements are on cheaper paper. They don't print the images of the checks (save ink and paper.) And they won't even puncture holes through them so I can store it in a binder. I just hope that their next move to modernization won't be giving me bank statements that have spots of rust.

[AMenard]

I would say you are correct with the cheap feel of the Sega stuff vs the Nintendo stuff. I thought the same thing, but the consoles themselves just don't feel vry sturdy. I baby mine. The controllers lose their resistence quicker tham most pads, especially later made ones. Squeaky buttons are quite normal for the original pads. The Master System is the same...easily scratched, mostly made in China.

I had a new old stick MS game pad arrive looking like new but the 2 button didn't work. Tried to open it up but nothing to be done. Got a replacement.

People love to complain about aspects od ebay but as a buyer?...you have a pot of options. Been buying for well iver a decade and so far no real issues. Paypal always covers me and the 100% Ebay Guarantee is pretty comprehensive.

Your best bet in this case is to request a partial refund for the broken controller, if you are ok with the rest of the system. The biggest issue I have had are sellers who mark their stuff as in excellent condition when really it's not. Return shipping is usually in your own dime so that's something to consider.

Shipping back is on the seller's dime if he was less than honest in his description. I bought what I thought was an Atari 520STFm from a guy in greece last month. His listing was about a 520STFm. When I received it I notice that the modulator jack was missing. The hole was there but no jack. I reached the guy via email and he admited that he had switched the mobo for an STF one. I filed a complaint with ebay and the told me that the guy had 3 days to send me a return shipping label or a full refund. After 3 days I received a full refund from the guy instead. I still have that 520STF laying around but used the money to get an Upgraded 520STE instead. Edited August 8, 2018 by AMenard

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Well Jeremy. There is always a first! Also I just noticed that my bank has "modernized" its bank statements that it is sending to me. Modern is their word. In other words my bank statements are on cheaper paper. They don't print the images of the checks (save ink and paper.) And they won't even puncture holes through them so I can store it in a binder. I just hope that their next move to modernization won't be giving me bank statements that have spots of rust.

 

At least you get your accepted checks back. My bank doesn't do this. For at least the last 3 or 4 years now, they have only provided me with images of my used and accepted checks. The really crazy thing is that with the scans I also get to see the account number it was deposited to!? Anyway to answer a few more questions, the much later 6 button controllers with the turbo switches are some of the worst that Sega ever released and most of them were released along side the Genesis model 3 in the late 90s. Most of those I've come across just have really shoddy wire within the controller cord that breaks. I much prefer to game on my Genesis with the original 3 button or 6 button controllers. I steer clear of the turbo ones because they either never work right and require repair, or mainly because they just don't feel right to me.

 

But I'm on the opposite side of the fence regarding the Genesis styling. I personally have always preferred the model 1 and only have model 2 units because I got them in bundles way back when. To me the model 1 will always been what I think of when I hear mention of the Sega Genesis.

 

As for ebay, I've not used it that often as I used to. At least not for retro gaming stuff, but I've always had good experiences buying on ebay. In fact my first Genesis I actually still play on nearly daily, I picked up in the late 90s, came from ebay and was the reason I signed onto ebay LOL.

[atarilovesyou]

Sorry, I should have mentioned pre-Satuen stuff feels cheap. They still had some misses after that but not many.

[Mark Shepherd]

As for ebay, I've not used it that often as I used to. At least not for retro gaming stuff, but I've always had good experiences buying on ebay. In fact my first Genesis I actually still play on nearly daily, I picked up in the late 90s, came from ebay and was the reason I signed onto ebay LOL.

Ha. That's funny. There must be some weird voodoo attached to me and buying Sega Products. I remember begging my parents for a Game Gear when I was a kid and they finally got me one. And then the next day they had second thoughts and took it back to target. They couldn't justify me having two portable systems. Also I got ripped off on a Sega Genesis (or an attempt at getting a Sega Genesis) at a pawn shop. Long story. I've usually had good experiences with Ebay the Sega Genesis debacle is becoming my last experience with ebay.

 

I feel like I am turning into my dad. I can't count how many times he would pick up video games or toys or whatever off the ground and say, "Pieces of Plastic Junk!" "Chinese Junk!" (Chinese meaning whatever Asian country made it.)

 

 

Edited August 8, 2018 by Mark Shepherd

[Mark Shepherd]

Atarilovesyou, it boggles my mind. Because Sega went out of business after they started making the really good and quality stuff. It's almost like they really conned and duped their way through until they started making the really good stuff. But then they went out of business!

Edited August 8, 2018 by Mark Shepherd

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Ha. That's funny. There must be some weird voodoo attached to me and buying Sega Products. I remember begging my parents for a Game Gear when I was a kid and they finally got me one. And then the next day they had second thoughts and took it back to target. They couldn't justify me having two portable systems. Also I got ripped off on a Sega Genesis (or an attempt at getting a Sega Genesis) at a pawn shop. Long story. I've usually had good experiences with Ebay the Sega Genesis debacle is becoming my last experience with ebay.

 

I feel like I am turning into my dad. I can't count how many times he would pick up video games or toys or whatever off the ground and say, "Pieces of Plastic Junk!" "Chinese Junk!" (Chinese meaning whatever Asian country made it.)

 

 

 

Obviously a generational gap here...LOL. I was in the Army and 19 when I bought my Game gear new. I grew up on the Atari 2600 and it took some convincing to get my parents to buy me the Atari 7800 in the late 80s. But yeah Genesis systems are plentiful and there are other options besides Ebay to pick up bulk lots of games and systems from.

[AMenard]

Ha. That's funny. There must be some weird voodoo attached to me and buying Sega Products. I remember begging my parents for a Game Gear when I was a kid and they finally got me one. And then the next day they had second thoughts and took it back to target. They couldn't justify me having two portable systems. Also I got ripped off on a Sega Genesis (or an attempt at getting a Sega Genesis) at a pawn shop. Long story. I've usually had good experiences with Ebay the Sega Genesis debacle is becoming my last experience with ebay.

 

I feel like I am turning into my dad. I can't count how many times he would pick up video games or toys or whatever off the ground and say, "Pieces of Plastic Junk!" "Chinese Junk!" (Chinese meaning whatever Asian country made it.)

 

I also use JJGames when shopping for console. Everything is tested an garanteed to work. Bought a NES, SNES and Mod 1 Gen for less than they go on ebay.

[Mark Shepherd]

This almost feels like lead up to the video game crash of 1983. Crossbow you were around back then. I wish you could give us some kind of intel about what that was like.

Edited August 14, 2018 by Mark Shepherd

[Mark Shepherd]

Thanks Menard. Thanks for the reference. I'll check it out. Definitely cheaper is better these days. Because I am on a budget. No more crazy spending on games. Cheaper I mean moneywise not cheaper meaning the quality of the product. I notice that the games and systems that I usually pay less for or get a good deal on I generally have more of a positive gaming experience with it. And with the game. And when I pay a lot of money for a game I really expect the game to be really really good. And when it's just ok, or doesn't live up to my great expectations that basically equals into a negative gaming experience for me. I'm still hoping to find that thrift store that has little Samson for three bucks. But my luck I would buy it and it would be some bootleg porn or a game like bible games or something. I kind of think the whole video game industry is in a bit of a rut now anyway in my opinion because they just aren't making the same quality games that they used to make. And look at the Nintendo 3DS, they have gone through like seven revisions of that that thing. I thought video gaming went downhill when you started having Video Game expos where speakers would get up in front of an audience and talk about like a new Zelda game. Or Kid Icarus or something. And people applauding like they are at a Taylor Swift concert. It's like really? You're kidding right.

[icemanxp300]

I love my Sega Brand 6 -button controllers. Most of the time they just need cleaned. There is nothing to them you pop the screws out and take them apart. You then replace any rubbers that are torn w/new ones. Then take rubbing alcohol and q-tips and clean the connections on the board where the rubber pads touch. Clean until all black is done coming off. Then you should as well clean the black off the backs of the rubber pads.

 

If you still have problems take a small piece of IDE wire and strip back 3 inches or so. Grab a multi-meter and do a continuity check. Put the piece of stripped wire inside the end of the connector and then place one lead on that wire, place the other lead onto the inside wire on the circuit board. If you get continuity the wires are good. If not you will need a new cord.

 

I actually have a master system controller right now that was not giving me continuity so I went as far as cutting the end off it for all the wires and I still didn't get any continuity on a few wires. I know why it is bad, a previous owner had wrapped and twisted this cord so rough they literally broke the wires inside the casing somewhere.

 

I'm still looking through my junk bins to find a 7 wire replacement.

 

As far as Sega models, in my opinion model 2's are horrible. When running them on my 32" Trinitron the video quality is horrible. I say model 1 is the way to go. I do like model 3's as the cart slot is rounded so you can play Megadrive games.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

This almost feels like lead up to the video game crash of 1983. Crossbow you were around back then. I wish you could give us some kind of intel about what that was like.

 

Well, this will come as a shock to most of you I'm sure. But to be honest I never even knew there was a crash in the video game market back then.

 

See, I was 8 when I got my first 2600 in '82 and where I live here in Oklahoma, Atari games were always to be found. In fact I remember the first actual Atari game I bought myself with my allowance money back then and it cost me just under $40. It was Ms. Pac-man in 1983 from the nearest TG&Y. Basically, because Oklahoma is what it is, a lot of stuff that affects other parts of the country more quickly takes its time to get to us. Point being is that I never knew there was a crash because games were always about $30 or so as I remember. And once the Nintendo came out in '85, is when I noticed that Atari games began to disappear. At the time I just thought that Nintendo was the new big thing and so it didn't dawn on me that there was ever a problem because again, the games were always for sale and available where I lived.

 

So honestly I only found out about the crash of '83 when I became much older and got into retro collecting in the late 90s. In fact I found out about the crash I want to say from an old article I read when I originally joined the 2600 Nexus...

 

Yes, I'm sorry to disappoint with a crap story. But the effects of the video game crash just weren't really felt or noticed here in Oklahoma. I know this because my mother became an Atari junkie very quickly once I picked up Ms. Pac-man and I know that if she had seen games on clearance that looked even mildly interesting to her, she would have picked them up at the time. But I just don't remember them ever being put on clearance or anything.

 

Now..having said that, I can tell you that in 1986, just before the "Fun is Back" revival of the 2600 jr and the release of the 7800, that several drugstores in the area did have the later silver release Atari games for sale for only a few bucks and my mother and I picked up all of them that we could find back then. But only a few short months later...Atari was back...LOL

[Mark Shepherd]

 

Well, this will come as a shock to most of you I'm sure. But to be honest I never even knew there was a crash in the video game market back then.

 

See, I was 8 when I got my first 2600 in '82 and where I live here in Oklahoma, Atari games were always to be found. In fact I remember the first actual Atari game I bought myself with my allowance money back then and it cost me just under $40. It was Ms. Pac-man in 1983 from the nearest TG&Y. Basically, because Oklahoma is what it is, a lot of stuff that affects other parts of the country more quickly takes its time to get to us. Point being is that I never knew there was a crash because games were always about $30 or so as I remember. And once the Nintendo came out in '85, is when I noticed that Atari games began to disappear. At the time I just thought that Nintendo was the new big thing and so it didn't dawn on me that there was ever a problem because again, the games were always for sale and available where I lived.

 

So honestly I only found out about the crash of '83 when I became much older and got into retro collecting in the late 90s. In fact I found out about the crash I want to say from an old article I read when I originally joined the 2600 Nexus...

 

Yes, I'm sorry to disappoint with a crap story. But the effects of the video game crash just weren't really felt or noticed here in Oklahoma. I know this because my mother became an Atari junkie very quickly once I picked up Ms. Pac-man and I know that if she had seen games on clearance that looked even mildly interesting to her, she would have picked them up at the time. But I just don't remember them ever being put on clearance or anything.

 

Now..having said that, I can tell you that in 1986, just before the "Fun is Back" revival of the 2600 jr and the release of the 7800, that several drugstores in the area did have the later silver release Atari games for sale for only a few bucks and my mother and I picked up all of them that we could find back then. But only a few short months later...Atari was back...LOL

Wow. Cool beans. You should be on a documentary talking about this. You probably just gave the best factual account of the 1983 video game crash. I have seen several documentaries about it. And they make it sound like a big deal. In 1983 I was only four years old! So no way I could remember. Yeah a generational gap. Ms. Pacman? The notorious Ms. Pacman?! Ahh..No that is definitely not a crap story. That actually kind of gave me chills. Really what it says is that it was a disappearing kind of crash or a silent crash. Meaning it happened. Like it definitely did happen. But it wasn't really even told as a news story. You just basically had to infer it as you got older and by the fact that Nintendo game out not soon after with a mega hit system. And not much heard from on Atari. But the crash did happen.

 

I know a lot of it had to do with bad business dealings with Atari. But that was before today when we know everything that goes on in the tech world. They probably didn't even have something known as the "Tech world" in 1983. Another reason for basically a silent crash or a silent disappearing of Atari.

 

Basically I think what we can learn from that is that this Silent crash kind of thing could still happen! Perhaps even today with mega success of Xbox and Sony. But I don't hear people being really enthusiastic about getting games anymore. Or they are just playing old games. I think it's noble that Atari continued to try to keep strong arming and giving it valiant tries. My college basically has a big exhibit about the video game crash of 1983 and of course they show photographs in New Mexico and I think Texas of all of the Atari games thrown in landfills. Well Thanks. Wow it almost sounds like your Mom kept the information from you! Pretty much like today. Who would actually tell us if there was a video game crash? Definitely not the media! I watch Fox and friends and they will talk about some fancy schmancy product a new game system or something. But then in a couple of months that game system might be on clearance. Or no one wants it. You can't really trust the news for knowing.

Crossbow you should get a kick out of this commercial.

Parents upset over new Nintendo console

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTzyz2TgGls

 

 

[Mark Shepherd]

As far as Sega models, in my opinion model 2's are horrible. When running them on my 32" Trinitron the video quality is horrible. I say model 1 is the way to go. I do like model 3's as the cart slot is rounded so you can play Megadrive games.

Well like Adam Sandler says, "Something that should have been brought to my attention yesterday!!" Yeah bud, I notice that too. Actually I just have a 27 inch. And I don't like the video quality at all. And I am not using the RF, but the actual audio video cables. And I don't have a way to plug in a SCART cable. In fact I didn't even know what a Scart cable was until I looked online about how to actually connect the Genesis to your TV! Because the RF cable and its quality is so bad. I guess there is some kind of adapter you can get for the SCART cable. Well it's like when you start learning about this stuff and you kind of don't like the system you bought anyway, it's like you are spending more time trying to learn how to connect the system with wires and plugs and things than actually getting any enjoyment out of the system.

 

I am probably going to throw in the towel on the Genesis I bought. But good to know that there is kind of a consensus here that the Model 1's were better. If only the Sega Saturn would have released some of their older games like on a disk, and had a few more good games, Like cough, Dragon Warrior VII or Oddworld. I wouldn't be messing around with this Genesis debacle.

 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Well, there is more to this I suppose to explain at least why I was oblivious to it. Ms. Pac-man for the record on the 2600 is an amazing game! You might be confusing that for the Atari released Pac-man which, I was NOT interested in owning as I had played it at friends's houses and knew it wasn't the pac-man we really wanted.

 

The crash was apparently in the paper, and in the news...etc. But I was still required to go to bed at 9pm just before Hill Street Blues came on so I never really saw the local news and I certainly had zero interest in reading a new paper back then. So yeah, far as I knew, Atari was still being sold in my local stores and I never noticed the prices suddenly going down etc. so never realized there was a problem. I never even knew about the Tramiel acquisition or anything like that. Far as I knew Atari was the same Atari since the late 70s when my mom's friends had their heavy sixers and I played breakout, dodge'em...etc.

 

Another really interesting thing is that I really don't recall any console wars between Intellivision and Atari, or the Coleco. Fact of the matter was that I knew NO ONE at the time that owned either of those systems. You either had an Atari 2600, or you pretty much didn't have anything where I lived and grew up. There was one kid in my neighborhood who had a 5200 but he was older and a real jerk to us younger kids so we never played on it or experienced it. I had another friend of mine who owned a C64 but he also preferred to play games on his 2600 since we all had one and traded and borrowed carts back and forth all the time. Naturally most of that changed when the NES came out. By then I was more into getting my first computer than playing console games.

 

Okay..that is way more history than any of use wanted in this thread..

 

Back on topic...I've actually found the Sega Genesis to be a tank of a console. Sure it might feel a bit cheap compared to the NES or SNES, but I can honestly say I've seen more NES and SNES systems with cracks and chips in their cases than I've seen Genesis systems with damage to the cases. Also I've only encountered maybe 2 Genesis systems that didn't work when I first received them. I've also found that the original controllers and the earlier 6-button controllers are also build really well. The later 6-button that was released with the Genesis 3 is total crap though and I pretty much gut those for the rubber contacts as that is the only useful part of those controller in my opinion.

[Mark Shepherd]

Thanks for the input. I guess I am kinda of going through a I wish things were like they used to be phase. Or I wish things were American made phase. I just saw recently an episode of Leave it to Beaver where Beaver is accused of cheating on his report card. And he sticks to his story that he didn't do it. I thought it was weird that no video games at all were mentioned in the show! But hey it was in the 1960s. No Atari yet. And I guess people like The Beev would grow up to be your Nolan Bushnells and David Cranes. Anyway I posted this same topic on a different video game forum. And someone else basically concurred that the third party controllers for the Genesis were not worth getting. I guess the controllers you are describing were actually made by Sega for the genesis.

Here is what someone else said on a different forum.

I remember those turbo controllers from back in the day. They were junk and the one I owned did exactly what you are describing

 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Honestly, I've always felt that 3rd party controllers were inferior for pretty much all game consoles. I can remember being especially dissappointed with 3rd party controllers for the 2600. As I stated previously my mother played it as much and possible more than I did because she would stay up late to roll the score in Ms. Pac-man, Seaquest...Q-bert...etc. As a result, we went through Atari controllers very often. Usually within 2 months or so. I can remember we tried all that we could find. The Pointmaster was one of the worst because they would always crack right in the bottom middle of the case itself causing direction control issues. I remember we had some of the Amiga power sticks and I think those were dead in just a week or two? I can tell you that I never knew about the Wico brand controllers. Probably because they were priced much higher than my folks were willing to spend back then. So we pretty much bought the rebuild kits from Atari when we found those in the stores and of course the Gemstick. So those earlier days pretty much have held up all the way to modern times sadly.

 

And yes the sega branded controllers I'm talking about were made by sega, but had a thicker shell around the controller and the direction pad is super loose on them as well. Buttons feel wrong..just not a good controller to use and of the 3 I've gotten in lots with stuff, only 1 was semi working and only needing a clean. The other two required cable replacements.

 

To touch back on the Model 1 genesis were you talking about. There isn't anything really wrong with the earlier models that have the full sized main board and rf shield. They don't sound quite as good as the earlier models. The other model 2 you mentioned is known as the 3/4 model and that is because the mainboard occupies 3/4 of the space. Those models apparently can have either really good video or possibly very poor video depending on which video encoder it comes with. The 3/4 are considered to have very decent audio that is nearly as good as the earlier model 1 hi-dif lettered models. But I can't speak on that as I've never owned a 3/4 model Genesis 2 to compare with my model 1s I have in my collection.

 

For most people and especially those that are just in it to play the games, most of the model 2 units will be fine for them and they might not even notice the differences between them. Then you have people like me who seem to notice the difference in everything!!! even in a placebo environment LOL!

[Mark Shepherd]

I just thought it was weird watching the Angry Video Game nerd videos. That a Sega Genesis controller could actually work in a Atari 2600! Or maybe it was the Collecovision. One of those old old school consoles. I don't know I have never owned an Atari 2600. Really the only reason I would want one is for Yars revenge. And I like the way they look with the wood covering. I believe the Angry Video Game nerd said either the Atari 2600 or Collecovision (pretty sure it was Colecovision) you could use Sega Genesis controller. Because the controllers for the colecovision were basically useless. It was whatever system played the game Montezuma's revenge. Because it was a platformer and it played easier using a Sega Genesis controller! The more I am learning about video games the less any of this makes any sense. But I guess at the heart and core of all video game systems they are computers. Sounds like it is becoming more of a dark mission for me to find a good system that I am happy with. Well at least Calibur11 is an American company and they are making cases for Xbox.