For each title we have compiled its own portal page, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, together with links to relevant resources. Now, let’s explore the 7 Mega Drive emulators at hand. Even if a user owns a legally purchased Mega Drive cartridge, this does not mean that using an emulator to play the game will be legal in a particular country. However, the vast majority remain copyrighted, and the emulators below do not include any non-legal ROMs. There are some Mega Drive ROMs which have been released in the public domain.

The games are known as ROMs, reflecting that the media used a ROM cartridge. Hopefully, there will be something of interest here for anyone who wants to relive their misspent youth. To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled a list of 7 high quality Mega Drive emulators. To maintain interest in the platform, Sega also released the Mega-CD (Sega CD in North America) which offered an improved specification over the original console and the ability to play audio CDs, as well as the video game console add-on, 32X, which was inserted into the system like a normal game cartridge.īesides the Sonic series, the Mega Drive was particularly strong in the number of sports titles released, with EA Sports’ titles being especially popular. The Sega Mega Drive spawned a number of variants including the a redesigned version of the console called Mega Drive 2. Demand for the Mega Drive took off with the release of the classic game, Sonic the Hedgehog. When released in Japan the console did not meet anticipated sales, but it was more popular in the North American and European markets. In the graphics department, the console offers a typical resolution of 320 x 224 pixels, with a 512 colour palette (up to 64 displayable at any one time), with up to 80 sprites.

At its core is a Motorola M6800 16 bit processor running at 7.67 MHz with a Zilog Z80 8-bit co-processor to handle sound. However, at its launch the console’s specifications surpassed competitors in many respects.

Sega was unable to obtain trademark rights in North America, and it was released in that market under the name of Sega Genesis.īy current console standards, the Mega Drive’s specification seem positively pedestrian. The console was developed by Sega Corporation in 1988. The Sega Mega Drive (Sega Genesis) was a leading 16-bit video game console system.

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