Magistr Drive
From Sega Retro
The Magistr Drive series is a selection of clone consoles based on the Sega Mega Drive that were manufactured and distributed in Russia and other parts of Asia. Rumours state that the first Magistr Drive (Magistr Drive 2) was actually brought to the region by Sega themselves, but was quickly overshadowed by pirate Magistr Drives which were often much cheaper. Most Magistr Drive consoles were made by a company known as "New Game".
There are also 8-bit "Magistr" consoles based on the Famicom, and "New Game" also manufactured cartridges and cases with Magistr Drive branding.
Contents
Magistr Drive 2
The first in the "series", the Magistr Drive 2 looks extremely similar to that of the Japanese Mega Drive 2, aside from the different labeling. Unlike its western and Japanese counterparts, it shipped with six button controllers, RF/AV cables and a power supply. Every Magistr Drive would offer the same.
The Magistr Drive 2 is a confusing entry to the series because it has two different boxes, a black one similar to that of the European Mega Drive and a green one similar to that of the Asian Mega Drive. These boxes are shared between the four types of Magistr Drive 2 with only minor changes, and can be misleading as a result. To make matters worse, the console and controller colours don't always match up, or the button layout/design might be slightly different than advertised.
Front of box (black)
Back of box (black)
Insides of box
Magistr Drive 2 (132-in-1)
Almost identical to the previous console, this Magistr Drive contained 132 built-in games. This, of course, is a lie, and in fact only the following games are built-in:
- Ms. Pac-Man
- Blockout
- Fatal Labyrinth
- Art Alive!
- Columns
- Flicky
- World Cup Soccer
- Streets of Rage
- Sonic the Hedgehog
The rest are repeats.
Magistr Drive 2 Mini
A redesign of the Magistr Drive 2 but with a significantly smaller shell not seen anywhere else in the world. The rest of the contents are identical, including the box, which features a non-mini Magistr Drive 2.
- MagistrDrive2Mini1.JPG
Inside of box (green)
Front of console
Back of console
Front of box (black)
Inside of box (black)
Magistr Drive 2 Mini (132-in-1)
The 132-in-1 version was also given a smaller shell. Again, the box was recycled.
Front of box
Back of box
Inside of box
Magistr Drive 3
The small shell was recycled with the Magistr Drive 3, though aside from a different colour scheme there's not much separating this one from its predecessor.
Front of box
Back of box
Inside of box
Magistr Drive 5
The console was redesigned with the Magistr Drive 5, and although still features Sega branding on the box and console, swapped its controllers to PlayStation 1-esque ones. The awkard button placement that also appeared in the Mega Drive V and Mega Drive X was used here, though the colours are different. The Magistr Drive 5 goes back to using the regular size Mega Drive 2 shell, though this time it's white.
Front of box
Back of box
Inside of box
Magistr Drive X
The Magistr Drive X brings back the Sega Mega Drive six button controllers and paints them white. It also brings back the shell of the Magistr Drive 2 Mini and paints that white too. Something worth noting is that the middle buttons are vertical.
Front of box
Back of box
Inside of box
Magistr Drive Z
A departure from previous attempts, the Magistr Drive Z features a Genesis 3 shell and sometimes ships with less awkward PlayStation 1-style controllers. The console comes in a variety of colours including white and blue.
Front of box
Back of box
Inside of box
