AtGames Confirms Its SEGA Genesis Clone Systems to Roll Out Ahead of SNES Mini

Blast processing incoming!
Question though, this is
" Nintendo" life... So why are we talking about Sega emulators?

This seems VERY out of place, even if these are legit, why are they on this site?

The quality of the middle console was awful- I took mine back. That being said, at least I could actually go into a store and buy one at cost price. Unlike either of the minis.

Sega rushing to get their console out ahead of Nintendo's. Between this and Sega and Nintendo siding with Coca-Cola and Pepsi respectively, it's really like the 90s never ended.

Blast processing makes things go on shelves faster!, but will the blast process make your money go away faster?

At Games. Stay far away from them. Their consoles are so crap. Wireless controllers barely work, the cartridge slot can potentially damage cartridges, and the sound is just terrible.

That handheld looks fun. I'm not really interested in any of these mini-consoles though

@subpopz Minus the quality, if rumors are to be believed.

Genesis had some great games, but 85 of them? I guess nostalgia glasses will make this a must buy for some, but i really only remember playing about 20 games that really stood out to me.

I bought the original a lot of the games just look like dodgy mobile games... but the majority are pretty cool

Let's see what the build quality is like on all of these. Something says they? won't be great.

'New Hit Titles'? That wouldn't be a stretch, would it?

At Games isn't about quality and I doubt they've invested much this time. It's too bad when Sega says they will return to high quality output that it has little to show for it. Can only make that promise once, in my opinion

Call me when these retro consoles have a store to download and buy more games to it.

I'm not touching this until I read in a review that the sound issues have been 100% resolved. :3

Not gonna touch this until the audio emulation quality doesn't suck toes.

@Kalmaro i think because SegaLife died in the latte 90s and most of the pre-Dreamcast Sega fanbase became the Nintendo fanbase

Sorry AtGames but SNES mini comes first. I could always get your console in store shelves, I can't with the SNES Mini.

@Kalmaro Because Nintendolife likes Sega heardware enough to report on it.

Anyway, I'll stick to the Polymega.

@Kalmaro because MANY of us Nintendo fans are very interested in this. If you're not you don't have to click the article.

@mikegamer @bezerker99 2 toon links said the same thing!

Is there a list of what the 85 games are? I'd love to see NBA Jam!!! I LOVED THAT GAME

Will the sound get actually fixed this time? Having it on mono and not on stereo is just ridiculous to me

@NEStalgia So much truth in that statement

@Fred13 What kind of response is that? If I was being a jerk I could just ask why you bothered replying to me, since you obviously don't agree with my opinion.

My point is, that this is supposed to be a site about Nintendo and this is not about Nintendo. This isn't a generic gaming news site like IGN.

@Hikingguy I grew up at that time myself, I still wouldn't go to Nintendo life to see what Sega us up to.

@Malcrash Okay, so there is one that supports HDMI, but I'm still wondering if the sound quality will be fixed over there.

I'm EXTREMELY sceptical of it. I've looked up the other ones and seen them in action on youtube and they were atrocious. The controllers seemed incredibly cheap. If they at least improve the sound quality, and the controller ends up being as good as the Hyperkin third party controllers, then I'd think of grabbing one.

@Kalmaro I got your point and it is a valid point. And I didn't mean for it to come off mean or rude. I just meant to say that I really appreciate that this article is here and many others that frequent the site do too and so if you don't like these kind of articles you can just ignore them.

@Hikingguy @Fred13 I just don't want this to be another generic news site, there's five billion of those but only a few places focused on Nintendo that aren't horrid. I like this site a lot and I do NOT want it going done that path.

What years is this 1993? Sega genesis vs Super Nintendo all over again lol 😄

@Kalmaro

I have been a long time Nintendo and SEGA fan, my very first system was a Sega Genesis and been buying every Nintendo and Sega system since, but after the Sega era ended I felt that Nintendo is one of the few video game companies that truly understand how to make good games. Nintendo and SEGA have a deep history and I like that NintendoLife covers SEGA info every now and then.

@Meaty-cheeky You and me both, Sonic and Mario are my childhood, which is why I stress out every time a new sonic game comes out since I don't want my hype levels to rise but my inner child gets so darn excited. Still, this is where I go for my Nintendo news. This info would have leaked out to other outlets soon enough.

@Hikingguy I'm not saying it's happening now, just that I'm concerned about it happening in the future. I'd rather it stay "Nintendo" life and not "Nintendo life... With gust appearances by Sega!" That's all.

If both sides really committed to this, and aired competing commercials that hyped up their own machines and insulted the other, they could start a wave that would propel both systems to big sales numbers.

People would eat up the nostalgia and get caught up in the wave.

@Kalmaro good luck trying to dissuade the more senior NLife staff from bringing up classic Sega on this site. It's in their gaming veins more than the desire to deliver a Nintendo news site that pretends nothing else in the world exists. Besides, there's enough context between classic Sega and Nintendo that you'll never win that argument

The price is good, that's a looot of games, and it's nice that it's portable. 2.8" screen is pretty bad though. Seems like it's more good for kids and car rides.

That screen size though...

If Sega released a Mini Genesis similar to what Nintendo is doing I'd definitely scoop one up. These third party offerings don't seem like they would have anything on a raspberry pi. I can definitely appreciate first party quality, at least when it comes to Nintendo hardware.

@bigpale but with Nintendo only making 100 of the SNES mini the possibility of big sales numbers just isn't there...

I'm Looking forward to the Genesis flashback edition which also looks like it runs the original carts. But looking forward even more to the Atari Flashback 8 gold Activision edition that has 130 games with almost 40 Activision 2600 games FINALLY included!! Nice!! SNES mini down the road...

@Kalmaro with this and the SNES mini upon us soon, the reference was worth a mention regarding the old console wars between Sega and Nintendo in the 90s.

A broad spectrum of quality... 🤣

And unlike the SNES Mini, it will have more than 20 units produced worldwide.

What will the sd card be able to do?

I don't think you can play Sonic 3 locked on with Knuckles though (physically or non physically). That is the only draw back with those machines. Please reply if I am wrong.

@Kalmaro Because SEGA/Genesis still does what Nintendont? Actually have retro console emulation clones that people can find and buy in this mortal plane without selling their organs?

At least these will be readily available compared to the SNES Mini.

Picking up both the FLASHBACK and SNES Mini.

Wow, 85 games AND people will actually be able to see them with their own two eyes instead of through the internet's urban legends? For the same price or less than the SNES Mini? Looks like Genesis still does what Nintendont! Love seeing Phantasy Star IV on the front of the box, too. It's among the best GOATs, definitely recommended to anyone who likes retro RPG's.

To bad none of these consoles, including Nintendo can emulate truly. Always something wrong with them, be it lag or sound. I guess we'll see if they can do it right this time. If anything, it has the looks.

@MysteryCupofJoe True, the lock-on didn't work with the previous 2014 iteration of the 81 game version here. Wouldn't expect it to work with the 2017 edition either. However, the new Flashback version might be able to support it, in addition to it's other improved features. No one in the public knows the answer yet.

@ZeldaToThePast Sometimes the base system lags while an emulator wouldn't. e.g. Star Fox and Harvest Moon, which run really poorly on the base hardware when it gets busy, compared to an emulator. I think being forced to play through a real Harvest Moon cart on the SNES hardware with all 12 cows in the barn, while maximizing profits in a full playthrough, could probably be considered a form of torture.

I'll bet SEGA will keep these things stocked well, too. Then again, I'd also bet the quality won't be as good as the SNES mini. Not that emulation quality is something I care about here; I was stuck with an NES during the 16-bit Console Wars.

@Kalmaro "Blast Processing" is just phony baloney buzzwords that the marketing uses to lure the public into buying it.

@NEStalgia I think most of the pre-Dreamcast fanbase went over to Playstation...

If they fix the craptacular sound emulation of the previous a/v versions with this new hdmi one, it will probably be worth looking into. If they don't, I wouldn't bother unless it hits the bargain bin under $20.

Nice article. Looking forward to the review, and hope the Flashback version turns out well.

It's a shame that Majesco Entertainment went out of business last year. Man If SEGA or Majesco could re-release a Sega Genesis 3 with an HDMI port with some built in games, it world be miles better than anything that at-games can produce.

Given the track record of these things i'd imagine this is them taking the opportunity to sell more by association.

Even if this was the worst yet, attaching itself to the SNES classic will sell more of them.

this only makes the snes mini look better to me. it's actual nintendo hardware with perfect emulation that will be working 20 years from now, priced like a knock-off. is this other stuff even sega-approved, and does sega-approved even mean anything in this decade?

Look beyond the numbers - that would be my advice. Check video reviews first, because a lot of these machines are very poor.

Its A.T Games, why do you even cover this garbage?

@Kalmaro This old codger has been here since the very start, although I didn't become a member until 2008. There's always been Sega news reported here and I wouldn't say I've noticed anything being reported that wouldn't have been reported 5 or 10 years ago.

Will get one of these, assuming they make enough for me to be able to...
Loved populous and speedball 2 on my megadrive.

I hope the quality of the emulation is on par with the Virtual console service. The Mega Drive and SNES consoles will more than make up for the service not being present on the Switch.

Im interested but I will await a review first as I know these systems haven't had the best reputation. This one does look promising though. one thing to point out I have seen the game list and half of those 85 are actually homebrew! perhaps a little misleading.

Im interested but I will await a review first as I know these systems haven't had the best reputation. This one does look promising though. one thing to point out I have seen the game list and half of those 85 are actually homebrew! perhaps a little misleading.

As usual, I wouldn't even consider touching one of these until I see proof it can run Contra Hard Corps. I'm betting it can't, none of the clones can manage it. It would be nice to see one that can run Virtua Racing too.

@Kalmaro given that Sega released 70+ Mega Drive / Genesis games on the Wii Shop, this suggests a clear interest on these games amongst the Nintendo audience. Ditto for all the Sega 3D releases on the 3DS.

And since Sega didn't materialise on the Wii U eshop, and there's currently no equivalent on the Switch, that interest is arguably not being properly serviced and would be happily redirected to products like this.

I'm sure if there was sufficient interest / news, Gamer Network would set up SegaLife or RetroLife or CheapCloneLife, but for now I guess the biggest interest in this particular bit of news is probably in the NintendoLife readership.

Begun the mini clone wars has mmmm yes.

I'd love a review of the Genesis Flashback model, looks by far the most enticing out of the bunch. Would also love a roundup feature of the best multi-system retro consoles, preferably ones that support the original cartridges.

They look good on the face of it, but it all comes down to what matter: build quality, emulation, reliability, sound quality, input lag etc. Previous iterations of these weren't great.

Plus I'm definitely more of a Nintendo fan. Just looking at the games I realise I made the right choice when I defected from a Mega Drive to a SNES at Christmas 1993.

I hope the sound issue improved on the handheld.

@Kalmaro why is the first comment almost always the most stupid comment?

There are loads of classic Sega games on Wii. There are loads of remastered Sega games on 3DS. There are loads of Sega games on Wii U. There are exclusive Sonic games on Wii U. Sonic has been in Smash Bros for the past two games. Sonic and Mario star on several games of the same series.

News about a Sega classic console is very much in the interest of the Nintendo Life readership. If you don't care then why did you open the article and comment? I get you're trying to act smart but you just come off as a huge derp.

Take note Nintendo. That's how you release an old system with old games.... and not only 20+ titles. Sega you did it again. Love ya

@bezerker99 100% agreed really want it but as the old ones track record is terrible Ill hold off for review as well. Unlike SNes/NEs they will make enough lol

Loads more games on offer than the SNES mini - what's not to like.

@subpopz But these Genesis clones are TER UH BUHL. Glitchy controllers, terrible emulator visuals. Sound that is off key and not matched to the actual gameplay.

Just awful. I took mine back immediately.

@RedMageLanakyn a bunch of those 85 are just filler, mobile-style games. But the Genesis is my favorite game system. I don't know if I could come up with a list of 85 really great games, but it has more games I like than any other machine.

I have an older version — basically because I got for $25 used.
These units are usually about equally split between Genesis games and "other" games.
And they are usually easy to find because they come out every year and they don't resonate with people the way that Nintendo does. So there is plenty of supply and much less demand.

@waluigifan1 I know, because we wanted to establish that fact. Why people on other sites are defending AtGames' piss poor emulation is beyond me. The very fact that Sonic Mega Collection, a game from 2003, has better sound emulation is hilarious.

Gotta see if the sound is an improvement, Sega should build these not that other company that does it so badly. Sega must take a look at quality control.

@MegaTen Why would Sega care? These things sell, and they are making more money off of 20 to 30 year old games and all they did was license their name, games, and the Genesis brand.

Sega's not going to do a single thing unless these systems start selling badly.

My roommate bought one of these AtGames Segas they are crap. The emulation is awful and the "wireless" is Infared so you have to be pointing at the console the whole time and most atrosously only a fraction of the games preloaded are actual Sega games the rest are terrible Flash games half of which are clones of each-other .

@RedMageLanakyn only 15-20 of the games are actual Sega games. The rest are terrible flash games half of which are just clones of eachother.

@jpfan1989 I just had a look at the official list of games, just for the sake of being fair and accurate. They're actually putting Game Gear and Master System games on there. I didn't count up how many come from each system, but it looks like the amount of Sega games will actually be over 50.

@Kalmaro how many of those games can you buy on Nintendo virtual console iterations? How many of these franchises can you get on Nintendo franchises as new games? How many Nintendo fans on a Nintendo interest site aren't interested in Sega games? How similar is this to the SNES Classic coming out, thematically? Such a stupid comment to make - complaining for the sake of complaining.

If this release actually emulates the games well, I'll finalllllly buy one of these (the HD version). Have wanted to for some time but been turned off by the reviews.

@Dang69 Your opinion has been noted.

@jpfan1989 @sdelfin That's crazy, why would they pack in all that junk? You'd think if they built a quality system and put quality games on it, they'd just charge what Nintendo is charging for their Minis. Apparently based on the comments here and in the article, they're not known for stellar quality though. Looks like I'll be skipping this myself.

Please ow please let the sound quality be good on this one

Another company trying to ride on the success of Nintendo's initiative? I know these consoles have been around for a long time, but its truly a throwback to the 90's that they're using the popularity of Nintendo to push their products.
Probably they're hoping to get people that can't buy the SNES Mini to buy their products.

Oh yeah, love it, totally puts the SNES Mini to shame with its low number of games for it, yep buying the handheld. Every game available, even Japanese beat-em-ups that never made it here and some, yep bloody perfect

@subpopz ...and all of those things cost money. Buying all 30 of those games from the eShop would run you $150. The additions you want to add to the NESC would likely make it more expensive than that

@Kalmaro segas games are published on nintendos systems. So dont be so surprised that some of us other Nintendo life readers are going to disagree with your inflammatory statement.

@bolt05 If you have interpreted my comment as inflammatory there is nothing I can do about that, nothing I said was meant to cause controversy. I had no illusion that everyone would agree with me, so I am not entirely sure what the point of your comment is.

That said, I respect your opinion.

Sure we cant and dont all agree, but you did pose a question which i and several others have answered. This site is called nintendo life but it has never claimed to be nintendo exclusive. It appears that many other readers such as myself and others responding to you in this thread share the view that this article is relevant.

We disagree no problem.

@gaga64
I wouldn't call it a cheap clone, Atlases released something similar years back with 20ish megadrive games built in, just like NES classic, seems to me Nintendo cloned their idea seen as they was doing it first long before, having said that I have to say I agree that ppl on here is interested in sega hardware and their games, for me I will buy this handheld they are selling, it's wow with the potential to download any megadrive even the Japanese ones that never made it here, can't wait I loves a bit of retro

With software like OpenEmu or RetroArch, and any ROM or ISO a simple Google search away, why bother buying any of these horrible mini consoles? They have a limited selection of content, and the audio quality is just... awful.

@EDF I didn't mean it was a cheap clone of Nintendo's idea, just that its an affordable system that emulates an old console

@EDF I didn't mean it was a cheap clone of Nintendo's idea, just that its an affordable system that emulates an old console

I've seen plainrock124 destroy something like this... The sound emulation was horrible. Sadly, looks like a no go!

whilst I agree at games don't have a great reputation no one yet knows if these are improved so perhaps judgement should saved until its reviewed as these issues 'may have' been fixed. we shall see......!

@gaga64
Ah got ya, my misunderstanding

But do they use real hardware architecture or inferior software emulation?

For those waiting for reviews before making any judgement, let me put you out of your misery:

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2017/07/29/sega-genesis-flashback-review

https://www.gamespot.com/sega-genesis-flashback-classic-console-review/