I had one a long, long time ago. But using a Black Friday sale, I picked up a Sega Genesis (with two free games) and I got an extra vintage controller. It is a race to collect classic console hardware before they vanish forever (or become too expensive). Good luck trying to find a Neo Geo or Turbografx 16 these days.
The two free games? They wouldn’t let me get the good stuff, so I had to settle for cheap stuff. Sonic 2 and Ecco.
“Why you telling us this?”
People wonder why I do not talk about Sega systems. There are many reasons for this. One, Sega has the same cancer as Nintendo in that Sega is also obsessed with ‘omg’ 3d and Virtual Reality. Two, where Sega and Nintendo extremely differ is that Sega was butt stupid when it comes to their business. Nintendo is brilliant with their business, and this page is devoted to that brilliance. Three, Sega games are more Western orientated which isn’t as interesting to me as the Japanese orientated ones. PC-Engine is a Japanese madness console which intrigues me. Nintendo’s Japanese style does go too far though. 16 bit war also represents everything wrong with video games as every consoles tried to cannibalize one another instead of growing the market.
Nevertheless, Genesis does…
“But Malstrom, what type of model of Genesis did you get?”
God, I hate these classic consoles and how tricky their hardware is. There are a bazillion versions, and they have different audio and video output capabilities. I got the superior Genesis model: the model one.
“But Malstrom, which type?”
The one that says HIGH DEFINITION GRAPHICS. Screw you, Xbox 360 and PS3! Genesis got High Definition graphics first! I will show the console to kids to showcase how today’s marketing is bullshit like yesterday’s marketing.
“But Malstrom, what type of Model 1 High Definition Graphics system did you get?”
The one with TMSS. I do not feel like messing with the “Rainbow Banding” and replacing the capacitors.
“But you won’t get the best audio, Malstrom? OMG OMG OMG!”
Genesis audio sucks on ALL consoles. I play games to play them, not to listen to them. I can get a kick ass soundtrack if I want. I am exploring ways to mod the system, perhaps even update the cartridge’s chippy audio.
Anyway, note to reader: there are more models to Genesis than 1, 2, and 3. 1 has several variants as do the others. It is most confusing, but the hardware is nowhere as excruciatingly frustrating as the Turbografx 16 with its godawful af output.
Since I have a second controller, I feel I am done with vintage hardware for Genesis. The six button games do not seem interesting (or as good as on the SNES) and multi-tap games are not interesting to me. I already have a multi-tap for Turbografx 16 and for the Super Nintendo. Maybe I should get another SNES multi-tap so I can play Ten Player SNES games. “You cannot do that, Malstrom.” Oh, I most certainly can. You cannot stop me, reader!
Anyway, there is a Genesis Cult similar to the PC-Engine Cult. Meaning they use these classic consoles as a type of elitist wine-drinking with their pinky sticking out. “What! You do not have the Genesis Model 1 without TMMS? *gasp* Pleb!” Never do they realize that all the audio sucks. It is like Atari Cultists enabling the Atari 2600 to play in ‘high definition’. So what? It still looks like shit.
Do you know where the real movement is going to go? They are focusing on the wrong hardware. It is not the console, it is the cartridge. A flash cartridge can, and likely already does, support uncompressed audio. What this means is that you can play your favorite games with CD quality sound. Your Framemeister and modded console are not capable of doing this.
Maybe one day I might do something like this:
But isn’t this excessive? Isn’t this missing the point that we should be PLAYING the games, not ABSORBING them?
I have been trying to pick up the cartridge systems. I am skipping the Neo Geo (because its games have been ported and I think the system is in general terrible) and the Atari consoles (though I have a 2600 in the attic somewhere). What is to play on the Atari systems? All those games have been ported. I have NES, Turbografx 16, Genesis (which will also play Master system games), SNES, Gamecube, and a Wii as well as original Gameboy, Gameboy Advance, and three DS systems. I am thinking the next console hardware I need to pick up should be the N64 before prices get too high on the stupid thing.
