Looks Like RetroBit's 6-Button Pad Will Be Essential For The Mega Drive Mini

Aight, everyone talking about N64 mini, but what about an enhanced gameboy? Like 40 GameBoy games you can take anywhere? I think its more than doable, and probably cheaper

@PBandSmelly Check out GBPi

Think I'll just avoid playing Street Fighter II on the Mini MD lol.

What did the Mega Drive II ship with - 4 or 6 button controllers?

Wish the mini was a MDII, don't think I've ever used the 1st version. Still getting one though.

@PBandSmelly Dude, that's /exactly/ what I'm saying! I'd like to see a Game Boy Classic Edition (not mini, give me the full-size original Game Boy experience) with a backlight, multiple display and emulation options like in the other two Classic Editions, and 40 or so games to play. It'd sell even better than the NES and SNES minis.

Yeah. 3 button controller for outside of Japan is a real bad move. 6 button was better in every way possible and now with a SF game on board, it's worse. If the 6 button wasn't a thing at all, it's just a misstep. But with Japan being the only region getting it, it's a deliberate meanie move... probably to set up sales of the 'official' 6 button later. Just couldn't make it a perfect offering, could you SEGA. Had to f it up a little for tradition/old time's sake.

I’ll be picking up a black one for sure. I don’t mind that at all.

I am so happy with the Mega Drive / Genesis Mini so far. I was already going to get these 6-button pads for my Super RetroCade so now I will have 2 classic 3-button pads and 2 6-button pads. I wish Super Street Fighter II Turbo was on here. I got the 6-button pads for my 13th birthday just for that game.

Well I don't plan on playing street fighter so it is a non-issue for me.

Even Sega still had not learn from what Nintendo and Sony did, where's the freaking menu button? This is the one time that I had to say AtGames did something right.

@BacklogBlues oh you can play SF2 on the "classic" 3 button pad, ABC are punches and ABC is kicks, you press start to switch between the two.

Seriously, now I'm off to vomit from the memory of it.

Your Amazon links are to the 8-button USB version but I personally would go for the 6-button USB version that isn't due out until August 19th. It's just that tiny bit difference from the original design that makes the 8-button pad a little less appealing to me personally (mainly the mode button on the front rather than the extra shoulder buttons, which I actually like).

And, regardless of some people preferring the 6-button pad over the 3-button one, I think it's kinda obvious why Sega chose the 3-button design in the UK, because it's sooo iconic and the one that the vast majority of us grew up with and therefor associate with the system.

If these systems are all about nostalgia, and they are, then even though the 6-button pad is better for a tiny selection of games, it just makes most sense to release the console with the pad that's going to hit all the nostalgia buttons--obviously.

I think Sega's doing the right thing ultimately here in going with the 3-button pad in the UK, purely for nailing that sheer nostalgia factor and really hitting those feel good childhood memory buttons (no pun intended). And by releasing the official 6-button controller for people who really need it, it still has everyone covered (at a bit more cost for some).

I actually prefer the original Genesis 3 button controller. It is more comfortable and they always felt better made, for the vast majority of Genesis games it is all you need.

@BacklogBlues You can play the game with the 3-button controller, obviously, but it's just not ideal.

Why does Sega always make stupid decisions?

I'm mainly buying this to get usb versions of the 3 button controller (already have the 6)

@BacklogBlues I don't think it's them being "cheap" so much as choosing the most nostalgic design of the Mega Drive controller in this case (the one the vast majority of us actually most closely associate our childhoods playing the Mega Drive games with). I mean, seriously, there's like no games in the Mega Drive library that actually require the 6-button pad, even as much as a tiny selection of them totally benefit from it, so going for the bigger nostalgia hit with the 3-button controller is probably the better decision in this case ultimately. And at least they're giving people an option to buy a proper officially licensed 6-button pad for the Mini system if they just have to have it, which is cool.

So far only 4 games for the west have been announced that are compatible with the 6-button controller:
Beyond Oasis/Story of Thor
Comix Zone
Shinobi 3
Street Fighter 2 SCE

For Japan there's only one more game in total:
Comix Zone
Dyna Brothers 2
The Story of Thor
Street Fighter 2 SCE
Yu Yu Hakusho

Either a lot more 6-button controller games are yet to be announced, or the reasoning for this choice is a bit thin. I don't really mind though. I don't play Street Fighter.

@Bomberman64 And none of them actually require it, although there's obviously a strong argument to be made that it's pretty much a must-have for playing Street Fighter II on Mega Drive.

I don't know about that "clearly superior" part. I've always thought the 3 button controller is much better. "Ranger X" and "Street Fighter II" aside, I wouldn't even go near a 6-button pad if I had the option to use the 3-button one.

@retro_player_22 I don't want a random physical button added to the Mini's pad design as that simply would not be the classic and iconic design from my childhood, and the whole gimmick with these devices is appealing to our nostalgia and childhood memories of playing with these consoles (especially when it comes to the physical look of the hardware).

How do some people still not grasp what the entire point of these consoles is? You can't just change the physical design willy nilly or else it ends up defeating the entire point. Even small physical changes to the overall look and design of the hardware can have a lot of impact in that respect, especially if those changes could become points of contention.

Why do you think most third party variations on the classic Nintendo/Sega consoles and controllers are somehow never quite as satisfying. . . .

But I would absolutely want a button combo to be included that takes you back to the main menu (maybe holding down the Start button plus down on the d-pad for half a second).

Note: You can get a shortcut like this on the SNES Mini using a hack and it is basically perfect.

@JayJ YES I'm not alone, I love the 3 button Megadrive pad and I'm glad that's what its coming with. If anything I'd like to know if the USB Saturn pad will work because that feels much better than the Megadrive equivalent

@impurekind I agree that the 3 button controller is more iconic but I think they shouldn’t have put street fighter 2 on it if they wanted to stick with that. The point of a plug and play for me is that everything you need should be in the box. You shouldn’t need to go out and buy addition joypads to play certain games put on the console properly. Maybe they should have released two versions. One premium with the 6 button pads and a few different games and one with the 3 button ones. The fact that japan gets the 6 button ones is curious in the fact that the megadrive wasn’t half as successful there as it was in the West so surprised they get a subjectively ‘better’ package.

Those of Us with Snes minis can just play Street Fighter on there. 1 game out of 40 isn't worth these controllers. Rather have the 3 button ones anyway. The 6 button ones look like the ones ATgames uses.

Or just buy the controller and emulate the ROMS on your PC. I'm not throwing money at Sega for a mini console with a subpar 3 button pad, and then turn around and throw money at Retrobit to fix Sega's mistake.

There’s going to be a lot of 3 button controllers going on eBay for £0.99, and then in the bin when they don’t sell.

@gcunit In America, they sold with 3-button controllers, but the III unit was bundled with 6 button controllers.

It's also worth noting that by my count, there are already at least 4 games on the mini that use the 6-button functionality to some degree; Street Fighter, Beyond Oasis, Comix Zone and Contra: Hard Corps. Everything else could benefit from the superior pad. Come on SEGA. Wth?

@Mr_Pepperami The fact you can play the game perfectly fine with the 3-button pad, if not the ideal way, means it's not a genuinely huge problem. If they'd included the game and you actually HAD to go out and the get the extra controller just to play it then I'd agree with you, that would be a genuinely douche move, which is obviously not the case here. Either way I'd still rather have the game than not--it's one of the best games on the system regardless of how you play it--and I think we'll cope well enough with the 3 buttons. Its not perfect but this is not a major issue imo.

@impurekind So, that's not a fact... and is wildly inaccurate. Playing with the 3 button is not fine. It's not even good.

Yeah gotta agree with a few here. The west getting only 3 buttons just sucks. I don’t care if that’s what some associate with nostalgia. When I think back to my MD days it was the 6 button one of the reasons I preferred Sega to Ninty at the time. My 3 button controller was quickly left in the drawer.

I’d really like a proper statement from Sega as to why Japan gets one version and the west gets another. So far the nostalgia reasons is just fanboy justification.

Does anybody know if the recently released 8bitdo 6 button Genesis controller will work too?

To be honest, this isn't a great port anyway. The music is pretty terrible, which makes no sense as the arcade original used a very similar soundchip to the MD. Plus the speech samples are very grainy, even by MD standards.

If you want to play a great console port of Street Fighter, get the Saturn version.

If I buy a Mega Drive Mini I don't want to be spending any more money on extras. Good job I'm not a big Street Fighter fan.

I have the retrobit Sega controllers and they are good. The Genesis version of Street Fighter 2 is my favorite and has a killer soundtrack.

@adh56 It may work but you will need to buy 8Bitdo's USB bluetooth dongle to pair it with as the Genesis Mini doesn't had bluetooth feature nor is it compatible with the two receivers that the controller came with.

This is the one I was referring to:

I’ll just stick to Street Fighter on the SNES Mini. Problem solved.

Is there any proof that these controllers are compatible with the minis? I realize they're USB-powered but that doesn't guarantee automatic compatibility. I'm hopeful they will work but I'll wait for confirmation before purchasing.

Essential is a bit of a stretch don't you think, Nintendo Life? I would never buy another controller just to play Street Fighter the most convenient way. I am far more interested in just about every other game in this collection. To save money, I could easily get used to just tapping a button to switch between kicks or punches.

@Fandabidozi Agree man, it's essentially the same game plus you can just use the 8Bitdo's M30 controller for that which is basically like a 6 button Genesis controller anyways.

@Hikingguy I actually haven't played it on Mega Drive with the 3-button pad. But I just mean it's technically possible to do so, and workable enough. Its not like you can't actually play the game properly on Mega Drive unless you have the 6-button pad--as in certain features or moves/attacks are literally missing or whatever. I've never said it's anything close to ideal though.

@Tsusasi The "fact" is that it CAN be played in its entirety with the 3-button pad, all the moves/attacks and all. That's what I'm saying. I'm not saying it's ideal though.

Are some of you people seriously this ****?

@MarinaKat Of course I can. See my last couple of comments above--particularly the final sentence/question. . . .

My thoughts on this went: they have the 6-button selling in Japan. Didn't know that and any savings in money/durability is lessened. But then, I thought, I barely used that 6-button. It was much later in the Genesis life that games began to take advantage and, honestly, it would diminish the nostalgia factor for me to use it. I want that odd 3 button configuration that will bring back the memories. It's why it's worth it to me to go this extra mile and get a piece of hardware like this and it's too bad this situation exists.

For some, the 6-button is the one they know the most, but it is far fewer people than the 3-button. Don't know if that's different in Japan or not, but it's another good reason to keep the 3 button.

It's too bad for those looking for the look and feel of the newer controller, though.

@retro_player_22 Nice, I needed an excuse to buy that one anyways 😛

@impurekind I got SF at launch and played for about a week w the 3 button. It was not at all fun. And yes... people are annoyed. And they should be. There are at least 4 games that use the 6 button on the mini so far. And even for those that don't, the 6 button is a far superior build with better grip and feel and better d-pad. So regardless of how much you enjoy the hobbled gameplay of SF on the 3 button, we are in all regards getting the inferior gamepad... and SEGA hasn't bothered to give their reasoning for screwing everyone outside of Japan. Why even create additional tooling/production line for the 3 button when the 6 button is already a thing? It makes no sense.

@Tsusasi "It makes no sense."

It actually makes a lot of sense, but you're just too stuck in your blind rage to see why there's many good reasons for going with the 3-button pad over the 6-button, even as much as many people would prefer the 6-button pad for the small selections of games it's supports (zero of which actually require it to function).

And I'm saying this as someone who also would himself prefer the 6-button pad for the most part too.