Difference between revisions of "Mega Drive region converter cartridges"
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The [[Sega Mega Drive]] was [[Sega]]'s first console to offer games which were region locked, i.e. cartridges which can only be played on specific regional hardware. To overcome this problem one solution was to use a '''Mega Drive Region Converter'''. | The [[Sega Mega Drive]] was [[Sega]]'s first console to offer games which were region locked, i.e. cartridges which can only be played on specific regional hardware. To overcome this problem one solution was to use a '''Mega Drive Region Converter'''. | ||
− | From a Sega perspective there are three "main" regions - NTSC-J, the format used for consoles in Japan, NTSC-U, the format used in North America, and PAL, used in Europe and Australia. Other regions would pick one of the three formats - Brazil typically went for NTSC-U and Asia used a mixture of PAL and NTSC depending on the country. There are other forms of region locking too - Japanese cartridges are a different shape than their western counterparts and won't physically fit in some consoles (similar to the "region locking" of the [[Sega Master System]]). | + | From a Sega perspective there are three "main" regions - NTSC-J, the format used for consoles in Japan, NTSC-U, the format used in North America, and PAL, used in Europe and Australia. Other regions would pick one of the three formats - Brazil typically went for NTSC-U and Asia used a mixture of PAL and NTSC depending on the country. There are other forms of region locking too - Japanese cartridges are a different shape than their western counterparts and won't physically fit in some consoles (similar to the "region locking" of the [[Sega Master System]]). |
Traditionally this means a game intended for use with a North American Sega Genesis could not work on a European Sega Mega Drive. There are, in fact, many exceptions to this rule as not all software was region locked on the system, but in many cases there was still an obstruction. Region encoding would generally have a greater impact with the [[Sega Mega-CD]], [[Sega Saturn]] and [[Sega Dreamcast]] - in the early 1990s few people contemplated the idea of importing games as there were often no easy methods of doing so. | Traditionally this means a game intended for use with a North American Sega Genesis could not work on a European Sega Mega Drive. There are, in fact, many exceptions to this rule as not all software was region locked on the system, but in many cases there was still an obstruction. Region encoding would generally have a greater impact with the [[Sega Mega-CD]], [[Sega Saturn]] and [[Sega Dreamcast]] - in the early 1990s few people contemplated the idea of importing games as there were often no easy methods of doing so. | ||
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There are no official Mega Drive region converters but numerous unlicensed third party ones. Most typically originate from Asia where there was far less regulation on this sort of thing and numerous television standards between countries. In all cases a region converter is inserted into a Mega Drive system in-between the console and game cartridge, forming a "tower" (and avoiding sizing issues in the process). Some region converters have switches to toggle between regions, while others merely convert to a specific region. | There are no official Mega Drive region converters but numerous unlicensed third party ones. Most typically originate from Asia where there was far less regulation on this sort of thing and numerous television standards between countries. In all cases a region converter is inserted into a Mega Drive system in-between the console and game cartridge, forming a "tower" (and avoiding sizing issues in the process). Some region converters have switches to toggle between regions, while others merely convert to a specific region. | ||
− | In no cases do Mega Drive region converters solve coding issues. For example, a game designed for 60Hz NTSC televisions will run roughly 17% slower on a 50Hz PAL television due to the difference in refresh rate (and likewise a European game running on an NTSC TV will likely run too fast). Resolutions can also differ - PAL Mega Drives can in theory display 320x240 images while NTSC ones can only achieve 320x224, though very few games take advantage of the extra sixteen rows of pixels. | + | In no cases do Mega Drive region converters solve coding issues. For example, a game designed for 60Hz NTSC televisions will run roughly 17% slower on a 50Hz PAL television due to the difference in refresh rate (and likewise a European game running on an NTSC TV will likely run too fast). Resolutions can also differ - PAL Mega Drives can in theory display 320x240 images while NTSC ones can only achieve 320x224, though very few games take advantage of the extra sixteen rows of pixels. |
− | It should be noted that some devices such as the [[Game Genie (Mega Drive)|Game Genie]] can also act as region converters. More recent consoles by [[AtGames]] have region converting features built in (and of course there is always the option of | + | It should be noted that some devices such as the [[Game Genie (Mega Drive)|Game Genie]] can also act as region converters. More recent consoles by [[AtGames]] have region converting features built in (and of course there is always the option of modifying the internals of the console manually.) |
− | + | <!-- Just leaving this here for when it's relevant:{{magref|gamepro|38|45}} --> | |
− | {| | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |- | ||
+ | ==Magazine articles== | ||
+ | {{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==Physical scans== | ||
+ | {{AccessoryReleaseTable| | ||
{{AccessoryRelease | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
− | | | + | | cover=Datel Pro Universal Adaptor MD UK Cover.jpg |
− | + | ||
− | |||
− | |||
| name=Professional Universal Adapter | | name=Professional Universal Adapter | ||
| brand=[[Datel]] | | brand=[[Datel]] | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|UK||{{gte}} 1991}} |
− | | image1= | + | | image1=ProfessionalUniversalAdaptor MD.jpg |
| image1name= | | image1name= | ||
}} | }} | ||
Line 45: | Line 40: | ||
| brand=[[Datel]] | | brand=[[Datel]] | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|UK||{{gte}} 1991}} |
| image1=UniversalAdapter MD.jpg | | image1=UniversalAdapter MD.jpg | ||
Line 60: | Line 55: | ||
| brand=[[Datel]] | | brand=[[Datel]] | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|UK||{{gte}} 1991}} |
| image1=UniversalAdapter MD.jpg | | image1=UniversalAdapter MD.jpg | ||
Line 75: | Line 70: | ||
| brand=[[Fire]] | | brand=[[Fire]] | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1= | | image1= | ||
Line 90: | Line 85: | ||
| brand=[[Fire]] | | brand=[[Fire]] | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1= | | image1= | ||
Line 105: | Line 100: | ||
| brand=[[Freetron]] | | brand=[[Freetron]] | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1=MegaKey MD Freetron.jpg | | image1=MegaKey MD Freetron.jpg | ||
Line 120: | Line 115: | ||
| brand=[[Freetron]] | | brand=[[Freetron]] | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1=MegaKey MD Freetron Alt.jpg | | image1=MegaKey MD Freetron Alt.jpg | ||
Line 135: | Line 130: | ||
| brand=[[Freetron]] | | brand=[[Freetron]] | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1=MegaKey2 MD Alt.jpg | | image1=MegaKey2 MD Alt.jpg | ||
Line 150: | Line 145: | ||
| brand=[[Gold Dragon]] | | brand=[[Gold Dragon]] | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1= | | image1= | ||
Line 163: | Line 158: | ||
| brand=[[Honey Bee]] | | brand=[[Honey Bee]] | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1=GameAdaptor MD.jpg | | image1=GameAdaptor MD.jpg | ||
Line 176: | Line 171: | ||
| brand=[[Honey Bee]] | | brand=[[Honey Bee]] | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1=GameAdaptor MD black.jpg | | image1=GameAdaptor MD black.jpg | ||
+ | | image1name= | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
+ | | front=MemoryModule MD TW Box.jpg | ||
+ | |||
+ | | name=Memory Module | ||
+ | | brand=[[Megacom]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1991}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | | image1= | ||
+ | | image1name= | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
+ | | front= | ||
+ | |||
+ | | name=Memory Module | ||
+ | | brand=[[Megacom]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1991}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | | image1=MegacomMemoryModule MD.jpg | ||
+ | | image1name= | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
+ | | front= | ||
+ | |||
+ | | name=Memory Module | ||
+ | | brand=[[Megacom]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1991}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | | image1=MegacomMemoryModule MD Red.jpg | ||
+ | | image1back=MegacomMemoryModule MD Back Red.jpg | ||
+ | | image1name= | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
+ | | front= | ||
+ | |||
+ | | name=Japanese Game Converter | ||
+ | | brand=[[Prism Leisure]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | | image1= | ||
+ | | image1back= | ||
+ | | image1name= | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
+ | | front=SuperMegaKey MD Box Front.jpg | ||
+ | | back= | ||
+ | | spinemissing= | ||
+ | | square=yes | ||
+ | |||
+ | | name=Super Mega Key | ||
+ | | brand=[[Realtec]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | | image1=SuperMegaKey MD.jpg | ||
+ | | image1name= | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
+ | | front= | ||
+ | | back= | ||
+ | | spinemissing= | ||
+ | | square=yes | ||
+ | |||
+ | | name=Video Game Cartridge Converter | ||
+ | | brand=[[Realtec]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||1992}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | | image1= | ||
| image1name= | | image1name= | ||
}} | }} | ||
Line 191: | Line 265: | ||
| brand=?? | | brand=?? | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1=CodeBuster MD.jpg | | image1=CodeBuster MD.jpg | ||
+ | | image1back=CodeBuster MD Back.jpg | ||
| image1name= | | image1name= | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{AccessoryRelease | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
− | | front= | + | | front=GameAdaptor MD Box Front SE-16B.jpg |
| back= | | back= | ||
| spinemissing= | | spinemissing= | ||
| square=yes | | square=yes | ||
− | | name=Game Adaptor | + | | name=Game Adaptor (or Mega Adaptor) |
| brand=?? | | brand=?? | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
− | | image1= | + | | image1=GameAdaptor MD Alt.jpg |
− | | image1name= | + | | image1back=GameAdaptor MD Alt back.jpg |
+ | | image1name=SE-16B | ||
+ | | image2=GameAdaptor MD Alt2.jpg | ||
+ | | image2back=GameAdaptor MD Alt2 back.jpg | ||
+ | | image2name=SE-16B (Alt) | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{AccessoryRelease | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
− | | front= | + | | front=MD Megacom Game Module & Protector Green Box Front.jpg |
− | | back= | + | | back=MD Megacom Game Module & Protector Green Box Back.jpg |
| spinemissing= | | spinemissing= | ||
− | |||
− | | name=Game | + | | name=Game Module & Protector |
| brand=?? | | brand=?? | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
− | | image1= | + | | image1=MD Megacom Game Module & Protector Green Front.jpg |
− | | image1name= | + | | image1back=MD Megacom Game Module & Protector Green Back.jpg |
+ | | image1name= | ||
}} | }} | ||
Line 235: | Line 314: | ||
| brand=?? | | brand=?? | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1=GameModuleandProtector MD.jpg | | image1=GameModuleandProtector MD.jpg | ||
Line 242: | Line 321: | ||
{{AccessoryRelease | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
− | | front= | + | | front=GameModule&ProtectorII MD Box Front.jpg |
| back= | | back= | ||
| spinemissing= | | spinemissing= | ||
| square=yes | | square=yes | ||
− | | name= | + | | name=Game Module & Protector II |
| brand=?? | | brand=?? | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1993}} |
− | | image1= | + | | image1= |
| image1name= | | image1name= | ||
}} | }} | ||
Line 265: | Line 344: | ||
| brand=?? | | brand=?? | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1=MagicKeyIII MD.jpg | | image1=MagicKeyIII MD.jpg | ||
Line 271: | Line 350: | ||
}} | }} | ||
+ | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
+ | | front=MegaConverter MD KR Box Front.jpg | ||
+ | | back=MegaConverter MD KR Box Back.jpg | ||
+ | | spinemissing=yes | ||
+ | | square=yes | ||
+ | |||
+ | | name=Mega Converter | ||
+ | | brand=?? | ||
+ | |||
+ | | dateprice={{DatePrice|KR||{{gte}} 1990}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | | image1=MegaConverter MD KR.jpg | ||
+ | | image1back=MegaConverter MD KR Back.jpg | ||
+ | | image1name= | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
+ | | front=MegaConverter MD Box Front.jpg | ||
+ | | back= | ||
+ | | spinemissing= | ||
+ | | square=yes | ||
+ | |||
+ | | name=Mega Converter | ||
+ | | brand=?? | ||
+ | |||
+ | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | | image1=MegaConverter MD.jpg | ||
+ | | image1name= | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
+ | | front=MegaConverter MD Box Front Alt.jpg | ||
+ | | back= | ||
+ | | spinemissing= | ||
+ | |||
+ | | name=Mega Converter | ||
+ | | brand=?? | ||
+ | |||
+ | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | | image1=MegaConverter MD Alt.jpg | ||
+ | | image1name= | ||
+ | }} | ||
{{AccessoryRelease | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
| front= | | front= | ||
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| brand=?? | | brand=?? | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1=MegaDriveConverter MD.jpg | | image1=MegaDriveConverter MD.jpg | ||
Line 295: | Line 416: | ||
| brand=?? | | brand=?? | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1=MegaKey MD.jpg | | image1=MegaKey MD.jpg | ||
+ | | image1name= | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
+ | | front= | ||
+ | | back= | ||
+ | | spinemissing= | ||
+ | | square=yes | ||
+ | |||
+ | | name=Mega Key | ||
+ | | brand=?? | ||
+ | |||
+ | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | | image1=MegaKey MD Alt.jpg | ||
| image1name= | | image1name= | ||
}} | }} | ||
Line 310: | Line 446: | ||
| brand=?? | | brand=?? | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1=MegaKey2 MD.jpg | | image1=MegaKey2 MD.jpg | ||
| image1name= | | image1name= | ||
+ | | image2=MegaKey2 MD back.jpg | ||
+ | | image2name= | ||
}} | }} | ||
+ | |||
{{AccessoryRelease | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
− | | front= | + | | front= |
| back= | | back= | ||
| spinemissing= | | spinemissing= | ||
| square=yes | | square=yes | ||
− | | name= | + | | name=Mega Key 3 |
| brand=?? | | brand=?? | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
− | | image1= | + | | image1=MegaKey3 MD.jpg |
− | | image1name= | + | | image1name= |
}} | }} | ||
{{AccessoryRelease | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
− | | front= | + | | front= |
| back= | | back= | ||
| spinemissing= | | spinemissing= | ||
| square=yes | | square=yes | ||
− | | name= | + | | name=Mega Key (Portuguese) |
| brand=?? | | brand=?? | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
− | | image1= | + | | image1=MegaKey MD PT.jpg |
+ | | image1back=MegaKey MD PT back.jpg | ||
| image1name= | | image1name= | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{AccessoryRelease | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
− | | front= | + | | front=SuperKey MD Box Front.jpg |
+ | | back= | ||
+ | | spinemissing= | ||
+ | | square=yes | ||
+ | |||
+ | | name=Super Key | ||
+ | | brand=?? | ||
+ | |||
+ | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | | image1=SuperKey MD.jpg | ||
+ | | image1name=AC-3000 | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{AccessoryRelease | ||
+ | | front=TVGCCC MD box.jpg | ||
| back= | | back= | ||
| spinemissing= | | spinemissing= | ||
Line 355: | Line 510: | ||
| brand=?? | | brand=?? | ||
− | | | + | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1990}} |
| image1=TVGCCC MD.jpg | | image1=TVGCCC MD.jpg | ||
+ | | image1back=TVGCCC MD back.jpg | ||
| image1name= | | image1name= | ||
}} | }} | ||
− | |} | + | {{AccessoryRelease |
+ | | front=Bitman Mega Key RU Box Front.jpg | ||
+ | | back=Bitman Mega Key RU Box Back.jpg | ||
+ | | spinemissing=yes | ||
+ | | square=yes | ||
+ | |||
+ | | name=Bitman Mega Key | ||
+ | | brand=[[Bitman]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | | dateprice={{DatePrice|||{{gte}} 1994}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | | image1=MegaKey2 MD.jpg | ||
+ | | image1name= | ||
+ | | image2=MegaKey2 MD back.jpg | ||
+ | | image2name= | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==References== | ||
+ | <references/> | ||
{{MegaDrive}} | {{MegaDrive}} | ||
[[Category:Mega Drive accessories]] | [[Category:Mega Drive accessories]] |
Latest revision as of 03:21, 23 September 2024
The Sega Mega Drive was Sega's first console to offer games which were region locked, i.e. cartridges which can only be played on specific regional hardware. To overcome this problem one solution was to use a Mega Drive Region Converter.
From a Sega perspective there are three "main" regions - NTSC-J, the format used for consoles in Japan, NTSC-U, the format used in North America, and PAL, used in Europe and Australia. Other regions would pick one of the three formats - Brazil typically went for NTSC-U and Asia used a mixture of PAL and NTSC depending on the country. There are other forms of region locking too - Japanese cartridges are a different shape than their western counterparts and won't physically fit in some consoles (similar to the "region locking" of the Sega Master System).
Traditionally this means a game intended for use with a North American Sega Genesis could not work on a European Sega Mega Drive. There are, in fact, many exceptions to this rule as not all software was region locked on the system, but in many cases there was still an obstruction. Region encoding would generally have a greater impact with the Sega Mega-CD, Sega Saturn and Sega Dreamcast - in the early 1990s few people contemplated the idea of importing games as there were often no easy methods of doing so.
There are no official Mega Drive region converters but numerous unlicensed third party ones. Most typically originate from Asia where there was far less regulation on this sort of thing and numerous television standards between countries. In all cases a region converter is inserted into a Mega Drive system in-between the console and game cartridge, forming a "tower" (and avoiding sizing issues in the process). Some region converters have switches to toggle between regions, while others merely convert to a specific region.
In no cases do Mega Drive region converters solve coding issues. For example, a game designed for 60Hz NTSC televisions will run roughly 17% slower on a 50Hz PAL television due to the difference in refresh rate (and likewise a European game running on an NTSC TV will likely run too fast). Resolutions can also differ - PAL Mega Drives can in theory display 320x240 images while NTSC ones can only achieve 320x224, though very few games take advantage of the extra sixteen rows of pixels.
It should be noted that some devices such as the Game Genie can also act as region converters. More recent consoles by AtGames have region converting features built in (and of course there is always the option of modifying the internals of the console manually.)
Magazine articles
- Main article: Mega Drive region converter cartridges/Magazine articles.
Physical scans
Box | Name | Brand | Date & Price | Images | Documentation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Professional Universal Adapter | Datel | UK: (≥ 1991)
|
|
||
Universal Adapter | Datel | UK: (≥ 1991)
|
|
||
Universal Adapter | Datel | UK: (≥ 1991)
|
|
||
Nitro Adaptor | Fire | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Nitro Adaptor 2 | Fire | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Mega Key | Freetron | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Mega Key | Freetron | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Mega Key 2 | Freetron | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Mega Key | Gold Dragon | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Game Adaptor | Honey Bee | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Game Adaptor(?) | Honey Bee | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Memory Module | Megacom | (≥ 1991)
|
|
||
Memory Module | Megacom | (≥ 1991)
|
|
||
Memory Module | Megacom | (≥ 1991)
|
|
||
Japanese Game Converter | Prism Leisure | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Super Mega Key | Realtec | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Video Game Cartridge Converter | Realtec | (1992)
|
|
||
Code Buster | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Game Adaptor (or Mega Adaptor) | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Game Module & Protector | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Game Module & Protector | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Game Module & Protector II | ?? | (≥ 1993)
|
|
||
Magic Key III | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Mega Converter | ?? | KR: (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Mega Converter | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Mega Converter | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
MegaDrive Converter | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Mega Key | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Mega Key | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Mega Key 2 | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Mega Key 3 | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Mega Key (Portuguese) | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Super Key | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
TV Game Computer Cartridge Converter | ?? | (≥ 1990)
|
|
||
Bitman Mega Key | Bitman | (≥ 1994)
|
|
References