Mega Sg Analog Review and Evaluation

Analogue is a company that addresses hardcore 8 and 16-bit consoles with modern gaming systems that work like classic models. We love Analogue Nt and Super Nt, based on Nintendo, and now the company has turned its talents towards Sega with the Mega Sg. The $ 189.99 Mega Sg reproduces Sega Genesis hardware (also known as Mega Drive outside of North America) and reproduces it via HDMI. It's just as powerful and technically impressive as the Super Nt, making it a must-have console for fans of classic Sega and worthy of our Editors' Choice.

Design

As the Super Nt does with the Super NES, the Mega Sg does a great job evoking the design of the Sega Genesis without being just a miniaturized version. This is a simple rectangular black plastic case measuring 1.9 x 6.5 x 5.4 inches (HWD). It does not look or seem cheap; its matte black finish is attractive and at 1.13 pounds, the system is certainly solid.

A semi-circle of shiny black plastic around the top panel evokes the classic Genesis aesthetic, surrounding the slot of the cartridge and holding the power and reset buttons at the bottom of the curve. Depending on where you grew up playing Sega games, one of the three versions of Mega Sg will hit your nostalgia button hard. The American model (shown here) has a red power button with a white reset button, a white power button EUR with a gray reset button and JPN is features a red power button with a blue reset button, reflecting the version of each region of the original. console.

The front of the system contains two controller ports, conventional nine-pin serial connectors, just like the original Genesis used. A 3.5mm headphone jack is on the left. The rear of the Mega Sg is equipped with an HDMI port and a micro USB connector for power, with HDMI and USB cables provided and a wall adapter. An SD card slot on the left side supports firmware updates and system changes, but do not expect to load your own Sega Genesis ROMs; It is an FPGA-based hardware console and does not use emulation in any way.

If you really want to push the Mega Sg to the limit with optical disc games, a panel on the right side slides to reveal an accessory connector that connects the system to a Sega CD or Mega CD. Analogue does not yet create a CD system, but if you can find an original Sega CD, you can use it with the Mega Sg.

No Gamepads Included

The Mega Sg does not come with a controller. You must provide your own, either a Genesis or Mega Drive original controller, or a rebuilt controller, such as the Retro-Bit Sega collaboration gamepads. You can also order a wireless controller separately from the Analogue, in the form of 8Bitdo M30 2.4G. This is a 2.4GHz version only of the 8Bitdo M30, comes with its own nine-pin receiver for use with the Mega Sg (or an original Genesis or Mega Drive). It's a shame not to see any controller included with the system, but the Super NT has the same problem.

In addition to the HDMI cable, USB cable, and wall adapter, the Mega Sg includes a Master System cartridge adapter for use with older 8-bit cartridges, as well as a Rubber Sega CD spacer for placement underneath the console. you connect it to a Sega CD or a computer. Mega CD.

Hardware and interface

Similar focuses on providing hardware accuracy for its systems, and it shows in the functionality and price of the Mega Sg. This is not an emulation system like the RetroN 5 or the Retro Freak, which extracts the ROM images from the cartridges and loads the data into an emulator. It uses a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), an electronic chip that physically rebuilds Sega Genesis circuits instead of simulating them in software with raw processing power. This produces a much more accurate gaming experience compared to the original system than an emulator, which can display various quirks in terms of game speed and audio / video output.

Speaking of sound, the Mega Sg FPGA reproduces the Yamaha YM2612 audio chip at the transistor level, the same audio processor used by Genesis. The system also offers transitions at the transistors of the YM3438 chip, the Sega PSG and the Japanese system FM chip, to fully cover Sega's 8-bit and 16-bit audio range.

If the Mega Sg relied solely on an FPGA and other original hardware components to replicate the Genesis and Mega Drive experiments, it would only render video on an analog 320 x 240 pixel signal. Connected directly to an HDTV or 4K, it would look at best blurred and stained. That's why the system also offers excellent upscaling which takes the video output of the FPGA and converts it into a 1080p net signal via HDMI. A good conversion is essential for classic video games. Analogue has already succeeded with the Super Nt and the original Analogue Nt. Of course, it's also something that can be manipulated very skillfully software side, in an emulation system, as in NES Classic Edition and SNES Classic Edition (and poorly managed on PlayStation Classic).

Press the power button to open the Mega Sg in its main menu, which offers four options: Run Cartridge, Read Ultracore, Settings and Tools. Run Cartridge launches the Sega Genesis cartridge inserted into the slot at the top of the system. Play Ultracore Ultracore Charging, the recently completed version of an unfinished Genesis game (more details below). The parameters open the extended menu of Mega Sg parameters. Finally, Tools provides access to hardware cheat codes and a controller test screen.

Since it uses an FPGA instead of an emulator, the Mega Sg does not have any emulation tips such as backup status, software-based cheat codes, or the ability to load new programs. games or ROMs with patches. hacks. However, the settings menu offers many options for tweaking your gaming experience. Visually, you can set the Mega Sg to 480p, 720p or 1080p at 50 or 60 frames per second (European PAL cartridges have been designed for 50 frames per second). manually adjust vertical and horizontal positioning and scaling pixel by pixel; display artificial scan lines with varying widths, you can also adjust pixel by pixel; limit or adjust the RGB range of upscaling; and even use a variety of scaling filters, such as HQ2x, to make sprites smoother than their original resolutions.

The audio output also offers a wide range of options, including a -30dB output cut-off, a low-pass filter, and the ability to switch the YM2612. High quality mode or adjust its sinusoidal waveform.

The System menu allows you to adjust functions that are not specific to audio / video, for example if you want the Mega Sg to behave like an American Sega Genesis or a Japanese or European Mega Drive, for NTSC and PAL cartridges. different regions; start directly in the menu or inserted cartridge when you turn on the system (and if you want to start animation of the rotating analog logo before one or the other); or set a combination of inputs to load the system menu while you play (by default, hold down the key and Start opens the menu).

Immaculate Reproduction

I've tested the Mega Sg with some Sega Genesis games from my personal collection, all NTSC cartridges designed for North America: Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic 3D Blast, Strider and Super Street Fighter II. After cleaning the cartridge pins, I've set everything up except Street Fighter. This is not a problem with the Mega Sg; These are 30 year old cartridges, and some simply fail with age. The other three games were loaded and went perfectly on the Mega Sg.

Thu the presentation is perfect with the Mega Sg. The graphics are correctly loaded in the three games and display on my TV test in 1080p very colorful and converted to the maximum. Performance was accurate, with Sonic running smoothly in Sonic 3 and Sonic 3D Blast. Strider also looked great, with rich colors and clean sprites rivaling the arcade version of the game on which it was based (though of course not as detailed). Switch between full and limited color modes when playing Strider was hitting; the muted RGB output reminds me more of the original Genesis experience, but the bright, vivid appearance of the full range available is much more eye-catching without appearing unnatural or anachronistic. The ability to change the RGB settings, as well as the more esoteric settings available in the menu system, are welcome, even if you never touch them.

The controls are responsive at all levels, both with the 8Bitdo M30 2.4G and with a newly re-released Sega Genesis six-button controller released by Retro-Bit as part of a collaboration with Sega. Sonic jumped and turned instantly when I pressed the right buttons on Sonic 3, and his movements with both controllers seemed extremely accurate. This does not make it easier to control in Sonic 3D Blast, but no amount of hardware can save this game from its own flaws. Strider also jumped, climbed and slashed without hesitation.

The signature of the genesis Bloopy, the bass sound is reproduced faithfully, which is obvious as soon as you hear the synthesized voice that says "Sega!" at the launch of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. There are two synthesized bass notes, such as bass notes, that are clearly audible under the voice thanks to the precise sound processing.

Ultracore

The Mega Sg also includes its own game built into the system itself. In line with the tradition of publishing the Super Turrican director's cut on the Super Nt, Analogue has restored another lost piece of the 16-bit Mega Sg race. Hardcore was going to be a side-scrolling shooter for Sega Genesis, developed by DICE (the developers of the Battlefield series). It never came out as planned, but decades later it was completed and released under the name of Ultracore, which is included in the Mega Sg and will be released separately on the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation Vita later this year.

Ultracor has a very basic principle. You are a soldier in the future who fights an evil army after your unit is torn apart. You have to run around large sprawling levels, shoot with your weapon on robots, turrets and other threats, collect key cards and flip switches to continue. You can run, jump and shoot in eight different directions, giving the impression that the game looks a bit like Contra or Turrican.

It's a game very much in its time, evoking the pissed off ultraviolet of the mid-90s. Everything looks brown, gray or dull blue steel, with fire and some pieces of enemies spraying everywhere when you blow them. Although the game is fluid, it has the same 16-bit impact as the adaptations of Judge Dredd and Robocop 3 on Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo.

An indispensable system for Sega fans

Like the Super Nt for Super NES games, the analog Mega Sg is an ideal system for Sega Genesis and Mega Drive game enthusiasts. Its dedicated reproduction of the hardware used in the original systems provides some of the most accurate classic 16-bit games you can enjoy today. This is expensive compared to conventional compilation systems like the SNES Classic or emulation-based cartridge chargers like the RetroN 5, but it's simply the best choice if you already have a collection of Sega Genesis cartridges. and a big TV on which you want to play them. It deserves the price of our choice of editors for its excellent build-up and its accurate hardware performance.