Revision as of 16:00, 1 April 2013

This short article is in need of work. You can help Sega Retro by adding to it.

The Sega Mega Drive debuted in North America in August 1989, with a regionwide release in September of that year. Due to trademark issues, it was renamed the "Sega Genesis", and has always operated under this name under this region.

In the US, the console was distributed by Sega between 1989 and 1997. It was then passed to Majesco, who kept the system alive for an extra two years before it was shelved. In Canada, the Mega Drive was distributed by Irwin Toy in its early years, however Sega inevitably took back the distribution rights when the console proved successful. Many Canadian units and games were imported from the US.

All North American units output an NTSC signal.

United States

Genesis (with Altered Beast)

The first release of the Genesis console, which was bundled with the arcade conversion of Altered Beast, one of the more popular arcade titles of the time.

Mega Drive, *US (Genesis with Altered Beast)*
Cover
Console Control Pad Altered Beast

Genesis (with Sonic the Hedgehog)

Like other regions, the Genesis was bundled with the first Sonic the Hedgehog game.

Mega Drive, *US (Genesis with Sonic the Hedgehog)*
Cover
Console Control Pad Sonic

Genesis (Sonic System)

The above Sonic bundle must have been a success for Sega, as they decided to repackage the product under the name "Sonic System". It is currently unknown if there are any other changes.

Mega Drive, US (Genesis, "Sonic System")
Cover
Console Control Pad Sonic

Genesis: The Core System

During 1991, Sega released a bare-bones bundle after the Altered Beast package. "The Core System" contains nothing but the console, cables and a controller.

Mega Drive, US (Genesis, "The Core System")
Cover
Console Control Pad

Genesis (Fighting System)

A bundle containing Streets of Rage 2, which was released in early 1993.

Mega Drive, US (Genesis, "Fighting System")
Cover
Console Control Pad SoR 2

Genesis 2 (The Core System)

When the redesigned Genesis 2 came into production, packaging for both consoles and games adopted the new red/black color scheme. As with the model 1, "The Core System" contains nothing but the console, cables and one controller.

Mega Drive, US (Genesis 2, "The Core System")
<div style="margin:auto; max-width:Expression error: Unexpected < operator.px"> 320x80px Cover
Console Control Pad

Genesis 2 (with Sonic the Hedgehog 2)

A Genesis 2 bundle containing Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Mega Drive, *US (Genesis 2, with Sonic the Hedgehog 2)*
Cover
Console Control Pad Sonic 2

Genesis 2 (Sega Sports System)

Mega Drive, US (Genesis 2, "Sega Sports System")
Cover
Console Control Pad (x2) NFL '94 "Stadium Cusion"

Genesis 2 (NFL Pack)

A Genesis 2 bundle containing NFL '95. For many of these bundles, the standard core system box was used with added stickers.

Mega Drive, US (Genesis 2, "NFL Pack")
Cover
Console Control Pad 50x50px NFL '95

Genesis 2 (with The Lion King)

A Genesis 2 bundle containing The Lion King.

Mega Drive, *US (Genesis 2 with The Lion King)*
Cover
Console Control Pad Lion King

Genesis 2 (with Sub-Terrania and Sonic the Hedgehog 3)

Mega Drive, *US (Genesis 2 with Sub-Terrania* and Sonic the Hedgehog 3)**
Cover
Console Control Pad Sub-Terrania Sonic 3

Genesis 2 (with Sonic & Knuckles)

Mega Drive, *US (Genesis 2 with Sonic & Knuckles)*
Cover
Console Control Pad Sonic & Knuckles

Genesis 2 (with 6-Pak)

A bundle containing the 6-Pak compilation was released in 1995, during the latter part of the system's lifetime.

Mega Drive, *US (Genesis 2 with 6-Pak, older)*
Cover
Console Control Pad 6-Pak

Mega Drive, *US (Genesis 2 with 6-Pak, newer)*
Cover
Console Control Pad 6-Pak

Genesis 2 (The Core System; Majesco re-release)

After Majesco obtained the rights to distribute older Sega consoles in the US during 1997, they re-released this Core System bundle. It is almost identical to Sega's, though the back of the box talks about more recent games. The front of the box can be identified as one of Majesco's if the text reads "Great Games Available!". Original Core System bundles read "500+ Games Available!". It may have been foolish to claim 500+ Genesis games were still coming out of Sega's factories as late as 1997, although over 500 had been released up to that point.

Mega Drive, US (Genesis 2, "The Core System", Majesco re-release)
Cover
Console Control Pad

Genesis 3

Main Article: Genesis 3

Majesco also released a cut-down version of the console in 1998, titled the Genesis 3. Removal of certain lines on the cartridge port and the removal of the expansion port made it incompatible with many of the add-ons and as it was released so late, it failed to sell well.

Canada

Genesis (with Altered Beast)

Mega Drive, *CA (Genesis with Altered Beast)*
Cover
Console Control Pad Altered Beast

Genesis 2 (Sonic 2 System)

Mega Drive, CA (Genesis 2, "Sonic 2 System")
Cover
Console Control Pad Sonic 2 Ecco

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 \| Genesis 3 \| LaserActive \| Mega Jet \| Mega PC \| Mega Play \| Mega-Tech System \| Mega 6 \| 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 \| AC adaptor \| Cleaning System \| Control Pad Extension Cord \| Game Factory \| Genesis Speakers \| Headset \| HeartBeat Catalyst \| Microphone \| Region converter cartridges \| Mega Terminal \| Nomad PowerBack \| RF Unit \| SCART Cable \| Stereo Audio Video Cable \| Team Player \| Video Monitor Cable \| Third-party AC adaptors \| 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

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 The first release of the Genesis console, which was bundled with the arcade conversion of ''[[Altered Beast]]'', one of the more popular arcade titles of the time.
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US
+| region=US (Genesis with ''Altered Beast'')
 | front=SgenAB US Box Front.jpg
 | back=SgenAB US Box Back.jpg
@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 Like other regions, the Genesis was bundled with the first ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' game.
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US
+| region=US (Genesis with ''Sonic the Hedgehog'')
 | front=SGenS1 US Box Front.JPG
 | back=SGenS1 US Box Back.JPG
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 The above ''Sonic'' bundle must have been a success for Sega, as they decided to repackage the product under the name "Sonic System". It is currently unknown if there are any other changes.
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US
+| region=US (Genesis, "Sonic System")
 | front=SGenTSS US Box Front.JPG
 | back=MD US Box Back SonicSystem.jpg
@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 During 1991, Sega released a bare-bones bundle after the ''Altered Beast'' package. "The Core System" contains nothing but the console, cables and a controller.
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US
+| region=US (Genesis, "The Core System")
 | front=SGenTCS US Box Front.jpg
 | back=SGenTCS US Box Back.jpg
@@ Line 76: / Line 76: @@
 A bundle containing ''[[Streets of Rage 2]]'', which was released in early 1993.
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US
+| region=US (Genesis, "Fighting System")
 | front=SGenFightingSystem US Box Front.jpg
 | back=
@@ Line 93: / Line 93: @@
 When the redesigned Genesis 2 came into production, packaging for both consoles and games adopted the new red/black color scheme. As with the model 1, "The Core System" contains nothing but the console, cables and one controller.
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US
+| region=US (Genesis 2, "The Core System")
 | front=SGen2TCS US Box Front.jpg
 | back=
@@ Line 108: / Line 108: @@
 A Genesis 2 bundle containing ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]''.
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US
+| region=US (Genesis 2, with ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'')
 | front=SGen2S2 US Box Front.JPG
 | back=SGen2S2 US Box Back.JPG
@@ Line 124: / Line 124: @@
 ==Genesis 2 (Sega Sports System)==
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US
+| region=US (Genesis 2, "Sega Sports System")
 | front=MD2 US Box Front SegaSportsSystem.jpg
 | back=
@@ Line 143: / Line 143: @@
 A Genesis 2 bundle containing ''[[NFL '95]]''. For many of these bundles, the standard core system box was used with added stickers.
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US
+| region=US (Genesis 2, "NFL Pack")
 | front=SGen2NFL US Box Front.JPG
 | back=
@@ Line 160: / Line 160: @@
 A Genesis 2 bundle containing ''[[The Lion King]]''.
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US
+| region=US (Genesis 2 with ''The Lion King'')
 | front=MD2 US Box Front LionKing.jpg
 | back=
@@ Line 176: / Line 176: @@
 ==Genesis 2 (with ''[[Sub-Terrania]]'' and ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'')==
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US
+| region=US (Genesis 2 with ''Sub-Terrania'' and ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3'')
 | front=SGen2S3ST US Box Front.jpg
 | back=
@@ Line 194: / Line 194: @@
 ==Genesis 2 (with ''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]'')==
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US
+| region=US (Genesis 2 with ''Sonic & Knuckles'')
 | front=MD2 US Box Front SaK.jpg
 | back=
@@ Line 211: / Line 211: @@
 A bundle containing the ''[[6-Pak]]'' compilation was released in 1995, during the latter part of the system's lifetime.
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US
+| region=US (Genesis 2 with ''6-Pak'', older)
 | front=MD2 US Box Front 6Pak Alt.jpg
 | back=MD2 US Box Back 6Pak Alt.jpg
@@ Line 224: / Line 224: @@
 | item3name=''[[6-Pak]]''
 }}{{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US (newer)
+| region=US (Genesis 2 with ''6-Pak'', newer)
 | front=SGen26Pak US Box Front.jpg
 | back=
@@ Line 241: / Line 241: @@
 After [[Majesco]] obtained the rights to distribute older Sega consoles in the US during 1997, they re-released this Core System bundle. It is almost identical to Sega's, though the back of the box talks about more recent games. The front of the box can be identified as one of Majesco's if the text reads "Great Games Available!". Original Core System bundles read "500+ Games Available!". It may have been foolish to claim 500+ Genesis games were still coming out of Sega's factories as late as 1997, although over 500 had been released up to that point.
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=US
+| region=US (Genesis 2, "The Core System", Majesco re-release)
 | front=SGenTCS Majesco US Box Front.jpg
 | back=SGenTCS Majesco US Box Back.jpg
@@ Line 260: / Line 260: @@
 ==Genesis (with ''[[Altered Beast]]'')==
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=CA
+| region=CA (Genesis with ''Altered Beast'')
 | front=MD CA Box Front AlteredBeast.jpg
 | back=MD CA Box Back AlteredBeast.jpg
@@ Line 275: / Line 275: @@
 ==Genesis 2 (Sonic 2 System)==
 {{Scanbox
-| console=Genesis
+| console=Mega Drive
-| region=CA
+| region=CA (Genesis 2, "Sonic 2 System")
 | front=MD2 CA Box Front Sonic2System.jpg
 | back=MD2 CA Box Back Sonic2System.jpg

Difference between revisions of "Mega Drive consoles in North America"

From Sega Retro

Revision as of 16:00, 1 April 2013

Contents

United States

Genesis (with Altered Beast)

Genesis (with Sonic the Hedgehog)

Genesis (Sonic System)

Genesis: The Core System

Genesis (Fighting System)

Genesis 2 (The Core System)

Genesis 2 (with Sonic the Hedgehog 2)

Genesis 2 (Sega Sports System)

Genesis 2 (NFL Pack)

Genesis 2 (with The Lion King)

Genesis 2 (with Sub-Terrania and Sonic the Hedgehog 3)

Genesis 2 (with Sonic & Knuckles)

Genesis 2 (with 6-Pak)

Genesis 2 (The Core System; Majesco re-release)

Genesis 3

Canada

Genesis (with Altered Beast)

Genesis 2 (Sonic 2 System)