First it was Nintendo’s NES Classic Edition, then Sony matched it with the PlayStation Classic, now Sega is getting in on the re-release action with the Sega Mega Drive Mini.
That’s right. Your favourite vintage console, also known as the Sega Genius, is getting the comeback mini treatment.
Details about the console have been rumoured for a while, but Sega announced the device’s official release date and price at its annual fan event, Sega Fes, in Tokyo. The announcement comes after the console celebrated its 30th anniversary last year.
Here’s everything we know about the new Sega Mega Drive Mini.
Sega Mega Drive Mini: How will it look?
The company didn’t reveal many details about the new console, only that the Mini will obviously be smaller than the original Mega Drive.
The three-button controller will be the same size as the one you used to play, which will connect to the console via USB.
In Japan, the console will come with six-button controllers.
Sega Mega Drive Mini: What about the games?
The new Sega Mega Drive Mini will ship with about 40 retro games, similar to the PlayStation classic.
The list includes games like Altered Beast, Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, Ecco the Dolphin, Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Harrier II, and Toejam & Earl.
The Japanese version will include some regional exclusives, as well as the likes of Sonic 2 and Powerball.
Sega Mega Drive Mini: Price and release date
The tiny console will be on sale from September 19, and will cost around £69.99 in the UK.
Until then, you can play some of the top retro Sega games on Amazon Fire TV. Launched last year, Fire TV customers can play games including Sonic, Golden Axe and Streets of Rage.
Instead of having to buy a console and controllers, gamers only need a Fire TV remote to get stuck into the games.
It does make you wonder if there is enough demand to sustain all these retro consoles. Only a few months after the release of the PlayStation Classic, Sony dropped the price by about 40 per cent due to low demand. When people already have their normal console, maybe even a portable one like the Switch, is there room for a retro device too?
We’ll have to see what the reception is when the Sega Mega Drive Mini is released in September but given the PlayStation’s lukewarm reception, hopes may not be so high with this.
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