Difference between revisions of "Mega-Tech System"

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:''For the UK Magazine, see [[MegaTech]].''
 
[[Image:MegaTech.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Sega Mega-Tech arcade machine.]]
 
[[Image:MegaTech.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Sega Mega-Tech arcade machine.]]
 
The '''Mega-Tech''' was an arcade cabinet released by Sega in Europe in 1989 based on the [[Sega Mega Drive|Mega Drive]] home console hardware. Its design was similar to Nintendo's PlayChoice-10: players chose games from a menu of eight titles, with credits buying more play time (usually 1 minute per credit) rather than extra lives or continues; reaching a game over screen did not end the play session, and players could start over or choose a different game as long as there was some play time remaining. The unit featured eight internal cartridge slots, allowing the arcade operator to change what games were available to play.
 
The '''Mega-Tech''' was an arcade cabinet released by Sega in Europe in 1989 based on the [[Sega Mega Drive|Mega Drive]] home console hardware. Its design was similar to Nintendo's PlayChoice-10: players chose games from a menu of eight titles, with credits buying more play time (usually 1 minute per credit) rather than extra lives or continues; reaching a game over screen did not end the play session, and players could start over or choose a different game as long as there was some play time remaining. The unit featured eight internal cartridge slots, allowing the arcade operator to change what games were available to play.

Revision as of 13:29, 25 October 2010

For the UK Magazine, see MegaTech.
Sega Mega-Tech arcade machine.

The Mega-Tech was an arcade cabinet released by Sega in Europe in 1989 based on the Mega Drive home console hardware. Its design was similar to Nintendo's PlayChoice-10: players chose games from a menu of eight titles, with credits buying more play time (usually 1 minute per credit) rather than extra lives or continues; reaching a game over screen did not end the play session, and players could start over or choose a different game as long as there was some play time remaining. The unit featured eight internal cartridge slots, allowing the arcade operator to change what games were available to play.

The cabinet housed two monitors; the game itself ran on the bottom screen while the top screen displayed information including gameplay time remaining (which flashed green when time runs short), the list of games available, gameplay instructions, and a short synopsis of each game.

The Mega-Tech launched with some of the best titles available at the time, including Thunder Force II, Altered Beast, Tetris, Last Battle, Space Harrier II, Golden Axe and The Revenge of Shinobi. Other popular Mega Drive games became available as time passed, such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Eventually a few Master System games were ported, but the amount of games ported was small. Apart from providing additional data for the top screen the games were unchanged from the original releases, so cheats still worked and extra lives or continues could be collected during play.

The Mega-Tech was succeeded by the Mega Play, which reduced the game menu from eight to four titles and changed to a more standard system of credits buying lives or continues rather than time. Mega Play games were heavily modified due to this, with cheats and extra lives no longer being available.

Hardware

Sega Mega-Tech hardware.

The Mega-Tech hardware is a Mega Drive modified to include a timer control for arcade operations. It lacks expansion hardware support and so cannot be connected to the 32X and Mega CD. The board features eight cartridge ports. The games supplied used the Japanese cartridge design. The labels were silver and red and only had "Mega-Tech" printed on them. Standard Mega Drive games do not work with the Mega-Tech hardware, and its cartridges are not compatible with other Mega Drive designs due to the extra information on them stored to run the second monitor, and differences in the length of the edge connector, number of pins, pinouts, and spacing.

Games

Games released for Mega-Tech hardware include:


Sega Mega Drive
Topics Technical specifications (Hardware comparison) | History | List of games | Magazine articles | Promotional material | Merchandise | Cartridges | TradeMark Security System
Hardware Japan | North America | Western Europe | Eastern Europe | South America | Asia | South Korea | Australasia | Africa
EZ Games | LaserActive | Mega Jet | Mega PC | Mega Play | Mega-Tech System | Nomad | Teradrive | Mega Drive Mini | Mega Drive Mini 2
New Mega Drive | Tianli VCD/DVD Players | "Consoles on a chip" | Licensed clones (Magic 2 | Mega Game II | Power Pegasus | Super Bitman)
Unlicensed clones
Add-ons Game Box | Power Base Converter | Mega-CD | 32X (Mega-CD 32X) | Mega Modem | Demo System DS-16
Cases Sega Genesis Nomad Carrying Case | System Carry Case
Controllers Control Pad | Six Button Control Pad | 6 Button Arcade Pad | Arcade Power Stick 6B | Konami Justifier | MK-1470
Action Chair | Activator | Arcade Power Stick | Keyboard | MegaFire | Mouse | Mega Stick | Menacer | Remote Arcade System | Ten Key Pad | Third Party Controllers
Accessories 4 Way Play | Cleaning System | Control Pad Extension Cord | Genesis Speakers | Headset | HeartBeat Catalyst | Microphone | Region converter cartridges | Mega Terminal | Nomad PowerBack | RF Unit (Mega Drive 2) | SCART Cable (Mega Drive 2) | Stereo Audio Video Cable | Team Player | Video Monitor Cable | Third Party Accessories
Network services Sega Channel | Sega Game Toshokan | Mega Anser | Mega Net | TeleBradesco Residência | XB∀ND
Development tools ERX 308P | ERX 318P | Sprobe | SNASM68K | SNASM2 (Mega Drive) | SNASM2 (32X) | PSY-Q Development System (Mega Drive) | PSY-Q Development System (32X) | 32X CartDev | Sega Mars Development Aid System | Sega 32X Development Target
Unreleased Edge 16 | Floppy Disk Drive | Mega Play 1010 | Sega VR | Teleplay System | Video Jukebox