Sega Mega-CD/Boot ROM
From Sega Retro
- Back to: Sega Mega-CD.
All variants of the Sega Mega-CD come pre-installed with a boot ROM - a menu interface which appears when the console is given power. While a Sega Mega Drive cartridge can boot almost instantaneously, CD-ROMs require verification and loading, which depending on the quality of the disc or drive, can take several seconds. In addition to help drive the CD-ROM, the Mega-CD's boot ROM informs the user that console is in Mega-CD mode, and cruically gives them something more interesting to look at than a blank screen.
Over time, many slightly different boot ROMs were developed by Sega (or its partners), either for localisation purposes, bug fixes or due to changes in hardware. The Wondermega for example has a different style of boot ROM to a standard Mega-CD, while the LaserActive has to accommodate the Mega LD format.
Contents
Functions
Most Mega-CD boot ROMs offer the same functionality - principly to run Mega-CD games. Most models can also play music CDs and Japanese models accept CD+G discs. As the Mega-CD also contains on-board memory for save games, the boot ROM allows users to manage data, either by removing save data they no longer need, or by transferring it to a CD BackUp RAM Cart. Later boot ROMs and the LaserActive cull some of these features, possibly as a cost-saving measure or limitations with the hardware.
On the Mega-CD, boot ROMs typically play a music track, while colourful Mega-CD and/or Sega logos dance around, demonstrating the system's rotation and scaling abilities.
All of these features (and more) were also made available in the Sega Saturn and Sega Dreamcast, as well as most rival disc-based consoles.
Screenshots
Main screen
CD-ROM playback
Storage information
ROM dump status
System | Hash | Size | Build Date | Source | Comments | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
? | 1993-03-29 | LaserActive (NA) (0.98) | ![]() |
|||||
? | 1993-03-29 | LaserActive (Asia) (0.98) | ![]() |
|||||
? | Sega Mega-CD (Asia, NTSC) (1.00g) | ![]() |
||||||
? | Sega Mega-CD (Asia, NTSC) (1.00l) | ![]() |
||||||
? | Sega Mega-CD (Asia, NTSC) (1.00o) | ![]() |
||||||
? | 1991-12-17 | Sega Mega-CD (Asia, NTSC) (1.00p) | ![]() |
|||||
? | Sega Mega-CD (Asia, NTSC) (1.00s) | ![]() |
||||||
? | 1991-12-28 | Sega Mega-CD (Asia, PAL) (1.00s) | ![]() |
|||||
? | 1992-02-06 | Wondermega (Asia) (1.00w) | ![]() |
|||||
? | Sega CD (NA) (1.00) | ![]() |
||||||
? | 1992-10-27 | Sega Mega-CD (EU) (1.00) | ![]() |
|||||
? | 1993-09-22 | LaserActive (NA) (1.04) | ![]() |
|||||
? | 1993-08-10 | LaserActive (Asia) (1.05) | ![]() |
|||||
? | 1992-10-11 | Sega CD (NA) (1.10) | ![]() |
|||||
? | 1992-05-01 | Sega Mega-CD 2 (Asia) (1.11) | Japanese sample/prototype | ![]() |
Page | |||
? | 1993-03-14 | Sega CD (second model) (NA) (2.00) | ![]() |
|||||
? | 1993-06-01 | Sega CD (second model) (NA) (2.00w) | ![]() |
|||||
? | 1992-12-22 | Sega Mega-CD 2 (Asia) (2.00c) | ![]() |
|||||
? | 1993-03-30 | Sega Mega-CD II (EU) (2.00) | ![]() |
|||||
? | 1993-06-01 | Sega Mega-CD II (EU) (2.00w) | ![]() |
|||||
? | 1993-12-27 | X-Eye (NA) (2.00) | ![]() |
|||||
? | Wondermega (Asia) (2.00) | [n 1] | ![]() |
|||||
? | 1993-06-21 | Sega Mega-CD (second model) (NA) (2.11) | ![]() |
|||||
? | CSD-G1M (JP) (2.11c) | ![]() |
||||||
? | 1993-09-16 | Sega Multi-Mega (EU) (2.21x) | ![]() |
|||||
? | 1993-09-07 | Sega Genesis CDX (NA) (2.21x) | ![]() |
Notes
- ↑ [The ZIP file contains two dumps, a "good" dump and a "bad" dump. The "bad" dump has an incorrect HINT vector, but is otherwise identical to the "good" dump. The CRC32 listed here is for the "good" dump. The ZIP file contains two dumps, a "good" dump and a "bad" dump. The "bad" dump has an incorrect HINT vector, but is otherwise identical to the "good" dump. The CRC32 listed here is for the "good" dump.]
References
CollapseSega Mega-CD | |
---|---|
Topics | Technical specifications | History | Magazine articles | Promotional material |
Hardware | Mega CD (Asia | North America | Western Europe | Eastern Europe | South America | Australasia | Africa) Sega Multi-Mega (Asia | North America | Europe | South America | Australasia) Wondermega | LaserActive | CSD-G1M |
Misc. hardware | CD BackUp RAM Cart | Mega-CD Karaoke | Pro CDX |
Development tools | SNASM Mega-CD | PsyQ Mega-CD SDK | PSY-Q CD Emulation System (Mega-CD) |
Unreleased hardware | Game Genie |