The Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Thread (NEW)!!!

[OmegaFlareX]

I bought one of those new "official" USB Saturn controllers from Retro-Bit. Supposedly made using Sega's original plastic molds. Well, it's not quite as nice as an original (JP/model 2 NA) Saturn pad, but it's most of the way there. A good buy for $25US. I assume the actually-for-the-Saturn-console version is the same, and it's not a terrible replacement if you can't find an original. For comparison I also have a Logitech F310 which cost more and is far worse in build quality, and an Xbone pad that mostly justifies its absurd cost (it was $70 I think!) but has a harder-to-use Dpad.

[Specineff]

What about swapping the PCBs and shells with an actual Saturn pad? I did that with a knockoff a few years ago, and it's still going strong. (PCB has the exact same size, shape and holes)

[Domino]

I bought one of those new "official" USB Saturn controllers from Retro-Bit. Supposedly made using Sega's original plastic molds. Well, it's not quite as nice as an original (JP/model 2 NA) Saturn pad, but it's most of the way there. A good buy for $25US. I assume the actually-for-the-Saturn-console version is the same, and it's not a terrible replacement if you can't find an original. For comparison I also have a Logitech F310 which cost more and is far worse in build quality, and an Xbone pad that mostly justifies its absurd cost (it was $70 I think!) but has a harder-to-use Dpad.

I really liked the Retrobit Genesis controller.

[BrianC]

I'm still waiting on the Genesis controller (should be arriving in a couple days), but the non-PC Saturn one arrived and I like it. L and R buttons are no comparison to the originals (they seem responsive enough, but lack the clicky feel of the original), but pad seems solid and the buttons have a nice feel to them. I'm not sure if I like the pad as much as the original, but I had no problem pulling off special movies in Vampire Savior and making tap movements in Gradius and Cotton 2.

[OmegaFlareX]

Yeah. For some details - the dpad doesn't take much force to use and all 8 directions are clearly tactile. No microswitches on L/R, as you said, but they worked fine in my tests. The face buttons feel ok but everything except the start button has a bit of wiggle to it, which I'm not a fan of - it indicates poorer build quality to me.

But again, this is all fine for $25US.

[Dale]

Is their a way to make gens emulator run Burning Force and Panorama Cotten at a better frame rate?

[WelshMegalodon]

BlastEm may be fast enough to meet your needs. Last time I checked, it ran Burning Force just fine.

(Yes, it also allows you to overclock the CPU.)

[Specineff]

Today, I dug out a 6-button Genesis pad I never had the chance to properly test and use before moving, thinking I'd get a proper feel before getting a Retro-Bit USB replica.

I hate it.

I cannot comfortably grip it to feel that I can push the buttons or move the D-pad efficiently. The "handles" dig too much into my palms and there's just no way to hold it for long and concentrate on the game. Maybe my hands are too big and I've outgrown the pad compared when I was a teenager and thought it was one of the coolest, sleekiest pieces of hardware to ever grace a console. Perhaps I've been too spoiled by the Saturn USB pad I cobbled together years ago (Still going on strong, Start button is a bit unresponsive, though. Feels almost sensuous when holding and playing), but I just can't stomach the Genesis Arcade pad anymore.

[bigbadboaz]

That's sad, I remember that pad as a high point growing up and in recent years find it less comfortable as well.

Hey - good news is, you can get a Retro-Bit Saturn replica instead since you still seem to love the Saturn pad!

Last thought, when I use the Genesis pad these days my grip seems to naturally go "around" the top, so the handles aren't sticking into my palms but rather sorta sticking out on either side. Maybe not the way you'd think to grab it, but it lets me operate everything just fine and causes no discomfort.

[manon_op]

Even though SEGA has been deprived from the scenes, I still play SEGA games on emulator like SNES or Genesis32. LOL

[Pyron]

https://youtu.be/W_AsewBQXvc?si=75sRjKilNnCRh6n6

I think this might interest some of you. Make sure to enable subtitles in your native language; if they aren't available, you can use YouTube's automatic translation.

[D]

https://youtu.be/W_AsewBQXvc?si=75sRjKilNnCRh6n6

I think this might interest some of you. Make sure to enable subtitles in your native language; if they aren't available, you can use YouTube's automatic translation.

I had already seen that video. I love his color hack mods!

But I do not understand. If you do not shoot (that much), the game will have less slowdown? So, why is that so special. That holds true for many struggling shmups. If you do a pacifist run, the game will run much smoother.
So but what is the point? I was hoping he would find a fix for it.

[Pyron]

It's not that simple...
In the video, the point was to show that, unlike content creators and influencers on the internet who say the game's problem was the graphics causing the slowdowns, I show and explain what causes the problem.

Regarding the turbo controller, the game wasn't designed to use it because it already has an autofire, and it's faster than the standard in other shooting games that you can replicate with turbo controllers that use a 15-20-30Hz firing frequency. In some weapons, like the Claw, which has a boomerang animation tied to the code, when you use the turbo, it breaks the animation, and the shots come out more sequentially, sometimes causing more intervals. The other weapons suffer less from this problem.

But in all of them, whether it causes problems or not, you get a performance gain because the interval between pressing the button stops the CPU from constantly checking for collisions.

If you watch the video with subtitles enabled, I think you'll get the references. At least I tried to explain it as best as I could.

[D]

ok, thanks for explaining!
I like these deep dive analyses videos and I usually understand at least a bit.

[EmperorIng]

I've been spending some time revisiting old favorites i haven't played for years, just through Kega Fusion. Alisia Dragoon is still so good; I love the aesthetic and adventurous levels, though understanding what your animals actually do is sometimes beyond me (the flame never seems to want to do anything, lol). I guess it doesn't matter; they are all max level by the third stage or so. I love exploring to find the powerups for your lightning and familiars. Just enough variety to keep things interesting.

Ranger X has been another wonderful revisit. The game just oozes so much charm and the bosses are so cool. Luckily emulation means that you never have to worry about three-button control schemes ever again.

I started up Popful Mail and I hope I can finally finish it. It is a really charming game and I love that classic Falcom energy. Similarly, I picked up the fan translation of Hybrid Front and had to stop because my previous Kega corrupted and could no longer save or use savestates (that doesn't seem to be an issue anymore). I've loved the soundtrack for years and the game seems really neat.