Japan's Switch Online Service Gets The Six-Button Sega Mega Drive Controller

sigh Exactly the same as happened with the Megadrive/Genesis Mini. However, at least we have the RetroBit official Sega Megadrive and Saturn pads, and they are perfect.

I swear there’s a contractual clause somewhere that says Japan needs to get the better deal when it comes to NSO.

It's also a different box? Maybe a localized/region-specific agreement with Sega plays into this?

I thought it was a VERY strange choice giving us the 3 button controller. Comix Zone NEEDS the 6 button controller!

Sega Genesis Mini all over again. 🙄

It's a punishment. Sega was popular in the west, but not really in Japan. We are still being punished for supporting the enemy.

I guess these people hate Shinobi III.

VOID NINJA APPROVAL

I bought six button pads for my mini. After I got my originals for my 13th birthday to go with SUPER STREET FIGHTER 2: TURBO I never went back. Still my favorite retro pad.

Good thing I've got a USB 6-button Genesis 8bitdo!

doesn't the Switch take bluetooth controllers?
because retro bit sells these for less than $/€/£30:

I'm still overloaded with Meh over the sega online library.

Eh. I am not bothered. Only had the standard 3 button pad growing up. I played all my fighting games on SNES.

I'm bewildered by the persistence of this attitude.

😄 This gets better every minute

I've used 8bitdo's M30 on the Switch Genesis Collection and it works great.

There are millions of controllers that work on Switch now, not getting this one over here is no big deal. The 8Bitdo and Retro-Bit ones works just fine and even if you don't like those there are countless adapters and dongles out in the wild that lets you use your old wired Genesis controllers with this as well.

Japan also gets Custom Robo on N64. Dunno why the article doesn't mention it

Just buy the Retrobit one today, it's basically the same controller and works perfectly on Switch and you get a dongle to use it on original hardware too

That’s too bad. I definitely would have picked that one up if it released in the states.

🗨"The Switch Online service in Japan will also be getting some different game titles, like Custom Robo."

You b🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬s

Was gonna order the two pads but after a night’s sleep and reading this, likely will just use the Retro-Bit Saturn pad for Mega Drive games and standard Switch controller for N64 games.

Just use retro bit controllers if it’s an issue

I'm sure a scalped, overpriced six button pad will turn up in my area. I might get one, but I won't be getting NSO, I have the genesis collection and Genesis mini, and N64 games on my Wii and 3DS. The thing about buying games, instead of a subscription, is that you can play them several years later, like you own them or something.

Got my Official Sega bluetooth Mega Drive controller, so why would anyone buy the Nintendo version?

To those concerned about Japan getting any exclusive games. You can make a Japanese eShop account (doesn’t need NSO) and download the Famicom/Super Famicom software, then boot it up with your local account that has an active NSO sub and voila, you get all the Japan-exclusive games, albeit in Japanese, but for some games it really doesn’t matter.

I’m assuming this will be the same for the N64 and MD games.

Bizarrely expensive, even buy Nintendo standards. I suppose this controller week be on sale most of the time, while the N64 one will always be sold out.

50 bucks for that is absurd. I paid 25 bucks for the 8bit do M30 which is basically the same gamepad.

Superior indeed. All of our local Sega clones, being of Asian origin themselves, came with the 6 button layout (even those mimicking PlayStation ones). Just like NES clones usually came with added "turbo A" and "turbo B" buttons on theirs - a game changer in many instances that I would be honestly shocked to find no trace of on the default original hardware later.😆

In my eyes no good reason for this other than they feel westerners are second class gamers that don’t need this controller…. If it was the other way round it would have a # trending and a backlash for being problematic

@Mushvision that’s a superb tip! Thanks mate.

40 quid is a bit much. I could justify It for the N64 controller but not the Genesis / Megadrive one.

Okay so to get the new controllers is going to cost £80 and then however much the additional cost per month is for the expansion pack. Some great additional games with N64 and MegaDrive but I am not seeing great value for money with this at all.

After region locked content, we don't need region locked controller buttons too. So stupid.

I noticed that when watching the Jpn Direct last night - such a bummer. ☹️
JUST STANDARDIZE ON THE 6-BUTTON CONTROLLER ALREADY!!!

The superior controller was one reason why I imported the Jpn version of the Mega Drive Mini. But I highly doubt Nintendo will offer international shipping of these controllers to NSO Japan users who are overseas.

At least we can hope that paid NSO+expansion members who live outside Japan will still be able to access the Japan NSO N64 and MD games as long as they create a valid Japan-region player account on their Switch. I love that dual-access feature of the current NSO service, and it’d break my heart if that changes.

I’ll probably subscribe and find out next month! Unless it’s madly expensive, I’ll be signing up. Otherwise I just imagine the sadness I’d feel each time they add games…

Any reason why this controller doesn't have the mode button?

Personally I am more unhappy they let the enemy on their console in such a big way!!!

And why is there all the shock that a retro console matches the original, wouldn't it be a remaster if they changed it.

@riggah mode button is meant to be used on games that freeze when you power them with a 6 button controller. Emulation will handle this most likely.

I live in japanland, how much can I scalp these for if I sell them stateside?

I have my 8bitdo M30 wireless controller, so I'm good.

I think with the trend of games from KOEI Tecmo and Atlus, I think the Genesis app could get a valuable game in the future: A little gem called Crusader of Centy, or Soleil. It's a Zelda clone where you team up with animals.

Do the USB genesis/megadrive mini controllers work with switch? I have two of these, plus genesis collection on switch. I have zero plans on getting NSO "service" but the controller looks cool. While I am silly enough to buy the same genesis games on multiple platforms, I draw the line at paying a subscription to borrow them.

@abdias that's interesting. I just remember it was required for some of the eternal champion codes.

@sketchturner

For real. I owned it on cart with my genesis back in the day and the game is a nightmare to play on the three button pad.

@Ryu_Niiyama

I was the exact opposite. Playing Super Street Fighter II on Genesis felt a little more like the arcade thanks to the layout of the Genesis pad.

@TheRedComet Cool!

That would be the one I want, just out of comfort and for my massive collection of fighting games.

Do these controllers Ninte do always release work on other things like PC?

It'll be tempting to get one of the wireless n64 controllers if that's the case

No fair!

Although, I'm not sure that any of the scheduled games actually supported the 6-button controller. Games that could actually use it were few and far between, and many of them that did were either licensed sports games or 32X games that won't be on the service anyway. "The Lost Vikings" and "Street Fighter 2" used it as well, but those game are already available elsewhere on the Switch and so probably won't appear, either.

That sucks. If we import the controller will it work on North American systems?

What controller is the EU/UK getting? Three button but with MegaDrive branding?

@Stocksy No worries. It’s super easy to make a Japanese account and you don’t even need a subscription on that account, you just need it to access the eShop to download the software.

You can go ahead and try it now with the Famicom and Super Famicom apps.

@ItsJustAnotherGamer nes and snes has been available for months.i just bought the snes one last Friday

Folks, the Retro-Bit 6-button work on the Switch. Non-issue.

Thats really sad. What an awful decision.
I know its worth it, but the additional membership and the 3-Button/6Button-Drama make me so unhappy about Nintendo.
At least I have Quake....and the 6-Button from 8bitdo.

It's only online NSO usage. I wish it had more then just that. Don't know if those even have NFC. Does anyone else know if these do?

Only a handful of mostly fighting games even used more than 3 buttons on the Genesis. I always preferred the feel and ergonomics of the original 3 button controller, and it's a lot more comfortable if you have bigger hands, that 6 button controller feels like it was meant for child hands.

Considering how I don't really care about playing Street Fighter with this controller, I would much rather have the 3 button.

@ItsJustAnotherGamer I was so excited til I read that it's not like the Pro or Joy-Cons that was a big letdown for me. Otherwise I was going to get two N64 controllers and plays Smash.

This is really backwards. Everyone wants the six button controller. That was the definitive controller. The first one was obsolete even back then, so why should it be worth 50 bucks now?

@abdias Even then the six-button controller still didn't work with just a few games. Forgotten Worlds was forgotten by the pad developers.

@SwitchForce There’s no reason they can’t be used for Smash. The controller is effectively only missing the - button, which you don’t need in Smash, and X/Y, which can be replaced by jumping with the control stick.

@carlos82
And with another dongle it works on Saturn!
Also retrobit was customer service awesome I broke my mini dongle when it fell on the floor, contacted them and they sent me a new one!