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Mega Drive clones Mega thread


M-S

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Ok, so in this thread there's a lot to talk about, and I also needed to split Sega's 8-bit systems into another topic so I can focus on the 16-bit hardware, this is a sequel to the threads I made about clones of the NES and SNES:

 

(In retrospect, the SNES thread looks very incomplete and doesn't have a lot of information and details)

 

So, I just want to start with the fact that no clone console is ever going to have 100% compatibility, even FPGA ones, why? Because there's also no Mega Drive official model that has 100% compatibility, see, unlike Nintendo, Sega didn't thought the world would get tired of their games if they kept releasing new models every year or gave a license to third parties to do so. So I am going to list some of the specific models that have their own software just as an idea, a Mega Drive PC, a module for a computer that plays Laser Disk versions of Sega CD games, as well as some exclusive games, 3 arcade boards variations, and two Brazilian models that have either 4 EA games or a Guitar Hero clone (guitar peripheral included).

Now, taking these uncommon models aside and considering just the main ones there's still a lot to discuss, like:
Sega CD support

The only modern clone that can use the Sega CD on the expansion port is the Analogue Mega SG, and it still has some small problems, the reason why it's the only one is because companies don't think it's worth it putting the expansion port there since the add-on isn't that popular, but many clones have support for the Terraonion Mega SD that plugs in the cartridge port.

32X support

Nope, there isn't a single one, but Krikkz seems to be developing a 32X clone that will work on modern systems, we just need to wait.

 

Now, for the sake of simplicity I'm going to define three levels of compatibility, original models(it plays "everything"), Genesis 3(small incompatibilities with some games, doesn't even start others) and Nomad(doesn't play some games simply because it's portable). So, to start things out I'm going to talk about the special clones so I can get them out of the way.

 

Atgames/Genesis Mini Android Clones

There are some clones that use systems similar or almost identical to the emulated systems licensed or made by Sega in the past, these have SD and cartridge ports included, the drawbacks are the fact they are emulated, so, only games that just have a simple ROM file.

 

Portable/Nomad Clones

These are on the same level of an actual Nomad but with problems similar to the ones found in the Genesis 3, interestingly, I found some clones that have exactly the same outsides as the Atgames portables, but with cartridge slots, some with custom designs, and a clone on a cartridge that can plug into some portable SNES clones.

 

Clone Consoles

Now, one of the things that held me from doing this is the weird compatibility with these clones, first, there are only Systems-on-a-Chip(technically on 2 chips since there's also the 8-bit one) available on the market currently, no full hardware clones. But to the clones themselves, they seem to use the same chips with little variation, but compatibility and quality are wildly different for each one, most surpass Genesis 3 compatibility by not too much, but others don't. A common problem that I found is the Mono audio, the only one with Stereo audio that I found is the Hyperkin Mega Retron HD.

 

Since there are too many special cartridges for the Mega Drive I'm going to list the issues on another day

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Ok, so here are some of the games that have problems on clone consoles:

Virtua Racing: uses an extra chip to render polygons, not working on clone consoles is just a wiring issue that can usually be fixed.

Sonic & Knuckles lock-on: some clones don't recognize the cartridge that is locked on, I have no idea why, maybe another wiring problem?

J-Carts: these cartridges have built-in multi-taps, some clones simply don't take the controller inputs from it, again, probably another wiring issue.

Mega SD: this flash cartridge tries to make the hardware think it's receiving data from a Sega CD unit, again, the expansion port is not included in these clones for cutting costs, but some of them went even further and removed some parts that process data from the unit, this results in games not playing or not having audio.

Paprium: this game cartridge boots up a mini game if it detects the hardware isn't accurate, recent clones actually play it, but they sometimes have slowdowns, this is because the game was supposed to push the Mega Drive to the limit, using parts of the hardware that were never used by Sega, some clones removed these parts for cutting costs, you may think it's not a huge loss, but the homebrew community for the Mega Drive is very active, so there's a possibility that new games might have more incompatibilities with clones.

 

A lot of the info here is based on Sega Retro, if you are interested in a clone console it's a good place to check

Now, some of these HD consoles actually have a very good image, but one of the main complaints is the audio, which makes me wonder why none of these clone consoles use actual sound chips, the last product to use the sound chips from the Mega Drive came out in 2020, there are also a lot of other Yamaha chips that sound exactly like it, as well as a lot of clones.

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My experience with GOACS has been hit or miss.  Both with sped up sound in my genesis homebrew and flashcart support.  Mostly I buy triple systems and get VERY varying results.  Some work with the everdrive.  Some work intermittently.  Some not all all (even though they are NOT emulation based.)

 

My favorite clone was a portable that took batteries.  Unfortunately, trying to load the largest ROM I could find (Super Street Fighter) overwrote some important stuff and bricked it.  RIP.

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On 7/29/2022 at 9:02 AM, Gemintronic said:

My experience with GOACS has been hit or miss.  Both with sped up sound in my genesis homebrew and flashcart support.  Mostly I buy triple systems and get VERY varying results.  Some work with the everdrive.  Some work intermittently.  Some not all all (even though they are NOT emulation based.)

Yeah, as I mentioned, all of these recent clones seem to use the same chips, the TCT-683, but the difference between them is mostly about the wiring, Everdrives work better on systems that have tension controllers connected in the main board, but the problem is that Genesis clones are mostly made for the western market, and the Chinese must think that we don't care as much about quality as the Japanese or the Koreans.

On 7/29/2022 at 9:02 AM, Gemintronic said:

My favorite clone was a portable that took batteries.  Unfortunately, trying to load the largest ROM I could find (Super Street Fighter) overwrote some important stuff and bricked it.  RIP.

The portable ones aren't as bad if you think about what they do, battery life, screen quality and price are better than buying and modding a Sega Nomad.

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