KW-502
From Sega Retro
KW-502 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Manufacturer: King-Wei Electronics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distributor: Songa, Subor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The KW-502 called also SB-16C is an unlicensed Sega Mega Drive console clone believed to have been manfactured by King-Wei Electronics in the early 1990s. The KW-502 is one of the few Mega Drive clones with an entirely unique shell, loosely based off the original Mega Drive design, and has appeared in various guises across parts of Asia and South America.
Hardware
The KW-502 is based on the design of the original Mega Drive, complete with volume switch and claimed support for the Sega Mega-CD. By default it appears to have shipped with its own six button controllers, however some distributors appeared to favour designs closer to official Sega products.
As with the majority of cloned hardware, the KW-502 lacks the same level of build quality seen with a standard Mega Drive, being physically weaker and more prone to overheating or breaking. The video signal is also thought to be of a lesser quality than those produced by real Mega Drives.
Earlier KW-502s were locked to a specific television standard, while later models became region free.
Distribution
KW-502 was released as Saba and was a successor of KW-501.
Subor was able to distribute the SB-16C (successor to SB-16B) themselves both in China and Russia.
In Argentina, Kuanse Amusements distributed the console as the Songa or Magic 2 (presumably the first of a small handful of Songa consoles) starting around 1994. The console is relatively common in this region of South America as a result, with some spilling over to Brazil and Uruguay, however Tec Toy is expected to have limited sales on the grounds that it held the official Sega license in this area.
Gallery
Promotional material
also published in:
- (AR) #29: "Octubre 1994" (1994-xx-xx)[1]
also published in:
- (AR) #31: "Diciembre 1994" (199x-xx-xx)[2]
Physical scans
Mega Drive, (Castle II) |
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References