Play Sega Master System Games on the Genesis for Under $30!
124In this episode, we show you how you can play Sega Master System games on a Sega Mega Drive or Genesis for under $25!
One of the brilliant things Sega did, that Nintendo frankly didn't, was the way they engineered backward compatibility into the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive to be able to play Master System games. They did this through a converter called the Power Base Converter, the unit itself plugged into the cartridge port on the 16-bit systems and essentially added 8-bit functionality. This immediately added the Master System library to the 16-bit consoles, extending its life and the games playable on the Genesis at the same time, giving gamers the ability to play classics they may have missed out on. Nowadays, the Power Base Converter is rather expensive, over $100 loose and $200 plus complete in box. On a recent visit to eBay, I found the Master Drive adapter, available for about $25 and decided to give it a shot
The overall design is very simple, it almost just looks like a Genesis game PCB with a Master System receptacle on the top of it. The face of the unit features a pause button, the Master Drive logo, and Sonic the Hedgehog. There's nothing really on the back, and this all has a handmade sort of feel to it. The solder joints all looked good, and the connector felt decent as well. Hand testing the cartridge fitment in the top of the Master Drive, I have to admit the pins do feel a bit tight, but they are not a death grip. Curious to see how it performed, I connected it to my JVC X'EYE and decided to play.
One thing I found out rather quickly is that you cannot go through a Sega 32x with this adapter. In talking to the developer of the Master Drive, there's something in the 32x that removes Sega Master System compatibility, hence why it will not pass through the system. Not a problem as I simply removed my 32x, I don't use it that much anyways, and it booted up normally. We are on our way.
The first game I tested out was R-Type, an absolute arcade shoot'em up classic that is absolutely beautiful on the Master System. I'm pleased to state that it looks just as great going through my JVC X'EYE with the Master Drive as through actual hardware. The colors were vibrant, the sound seemed accurate, overall this played great!
Next up was Wonder Boy, or as we got on the NES, Adventure Island. Once again the game played terrifically, however, I forgot that I had to hold down a button to be able to run and jump higher. I guess I need to spend more time playing Wonder Boy don't I? Again everything just played wonderfully, very little if any difference between playing through actual hardware
Next, I decided to test the Master Drive through some clone systems, the Retron 3 HD, the Mega Retron, and the MiniGen from Gamerz Tech. While both of the Hyperkin systems displayed a picture, the color was not correct which was disappointing. The MiniGen did not display a proper picture at all, so these three systems clearly are not compatible. I would say if you want to utilize this, you have to use original hardware.
The final test was Double Dragon, and this was the first game in that I saw some slight visual irregularities. It wasn't anything major, but the reds seemed really hot to me. I don't know if it's something where other games didn't use this much of the color palette so I didn't notice it as much or what, but it was definitely noticeable on Double Dragon.
Why it RoX:
- Under $30 shipped
- Simple in its design
- Integrated pause start button
- Works with all the games that I tested it with
What could be improved:
- Master System Port pins are a bit tight
- No external shell means fitting into your system can be a bit of a challenge
- Reds came through a bit hot on Double dragon
- Shipping from Europe took about 6 weeks
- Not compatible with Master System card games
- Cannot pass through a 32X
Should you buy one?
While this is a good, value option for the Power Base Converter, it is not perfect. The lack of an external shell can make it difficult to insert into your system correctly. I found myself fumbling more than a few times to get the pins aligned. It is not compatible with the card games for the Master System, which may be a major downfall for some people. But for the money, this thing just works. It played all of my Master System games and it played them well. The reds were a little bit hot on Double Dragon, but that's a minor price to pay in my view for the convenience that this lends. Will I be removing my Master System from the top of my bench? Not sure yet, but at least now I have that as an option.
#Sega #PowerBaseAdapter #MasterDrive #MasterSystem #VideoGames
The footage used in this review are used under the Fair Use laws, referenced below:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/107
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