Update: Well, our Mega Drive Tower Mini Zero unit has arrived from Japan, and guess what? Yup, it does nothing. But gosh darn it, it sure looks gorgeous at the same time.
The Mega Drive Tower Mini Zero comes with a bunch of plastic cartridges (that do nothing) as well as a Sega Card (that does nothing, too). It bolts onto the top of your Mega Drive Mini and looks fantastic.
Have a gawp at the photos below if you don't believe us.
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Original Story [Fri 25th Jun, 2021 15:30 BST]: The Mega Drive Mini followed in the footsteps of the NES and SNES Classic Editions a while back, and Sega released it alongside tiny Mega CD and 32X attachments – purely cosmetic add-ons which didn't actually enhance the functionality of the console, but did look rather cool.
If you liked these largely useless pieces of plastic, then you'll be pleased to learn that Sega's releasing another one – and this time, it's a tiny version of the Power Base Converter (or 'Mega Adapter' as it was called in Japan), which, in its original form, allowed you to play Master System games on the original Mk1 Mega Drive.
The Mega Drive Tower Mini Zero launches in Japan on October 21st, alongside a Sega MyCard and Gold cartridge. The original Mega CD / 32X set was exclusive to Japan, but US-based journalists were sent special units as promotional items.
Comments (31)
Why would I want a really expensive accessory that does nothing but stand there and remind me of promises never delivered??
I bought myself a JP region Mega Drive Mini a while back because I specifically wanted to play Madou Monogatari I. I didn't really mind that I was missing some of the more popular games that the US/EU version has. (though I may get myself one of those anyway at some point).
Also Phantasy Star IV and Castlevania Bloodlines are reason enough to own this thing all by themselves, and they're on all versions.
I never owned the Master System converter, but I did have the first generation Sega-CD and 32X. While this totem of Sega goodness wasn't a total eye sore, the amount of power consumption emited by this construct must've been massive. They required AC outputs for each console (and they were all bricks that required two or three slots). I'm pretty sure the lights dimmed whenever I turned it on.
$52 for a molded piece of plastic. Sounds legit.
Well at least their staying true to the original console, that had a bunch of useless accessories too.
I buy ridiculously overpriced videogames tat purely for nostalgic reasons, but this is a bridge too far, even for me.
I've got the real thing.
It would have been really cool if these adapters unlocked more games for their respective consoles or if they just included Sega CD, 32x, and Master System games to begin with, but buying additional add-ons would mimic the feel of collecting real hardware.
@wanderwonder What does this article have to do with the Xbox One?
@weelz79 So your comment made me wonder. I have a Genesis and SEGA CD hooked up so I went and grabbed a watt meter.
This is what I got.
Powered off, together they used about 5 watts of power,
Powered on with a game that used both the SEGA CD and Genesis about 26 watts,
The Genesis alone about 23 watts,
The SEGA CD alone about 26 watts,
My CRT TV about 80 watts powered on and about 19 watts powered off.
Not so bad compared to some modern consoles but..
My takeaway is I need to get these on a power strip so I can turn them off. The vampire power for these is about 24 watts
I have a real one of those at home!!! Had to buy a mega drive 1 to use it in because it doesn't fit on a mega drive 2 😂
I really wish this but more so the mini tower of power were released in the west. I definitely would have bought them!!
I just wish I could get a real Powerbase converter model 2 for my Mega Drive 2. Had one as a kid but must have given it away. The second model was only released in Europe and goes for silly money now….
What about bringing more stock of Mega Drive Mini?
For all the money people have spent on those accessories for the mini they could probably have brought the real things and a flash cartridge.
@JasmineDragon Now this is a real waste of plastic!!!
@earthinheritor Can you please stop posting in the PlayStation forums, you’re upsetting the PC gamers. Lol 😉
Sega releasing add on after add on for the Mega Drive Mini? Have they learned nothing? This is exactly how they started to fail in the hardware department all those years ago.
I’d prefer it if they did re-run of the mini console itself so I can buy one. Missed it the first time around, all the 2nd hand ones I see for sale are either from people who don’t seem to be able to look after their stuff or a rip-off
As much as I love the Sega Genesis Mini I’m gonna pass on this. I could use more games however.
@ralphdibny The adapter is electronically compatible with MD2,
(well, Genesis 2 as I have) but it requires doing one of a couple things:
chopping off part of the back of the adapter so it fits the cart slot
or
removing the adapter from the casing and putting the bare connected circuit boards into the console.
I could confirm the latter works but is probably a bad idea since, especially after putting the SMS game on top is a pretty fragile connection (also of course, the risk of static discharge touching any electronic component with bare hands)
Definitely not as stable as any modern Nintendo console.
Maybe would've ordered the PAL version adapter designed for the model 2, if it wasn't a crazy priced collectable these days (even like a decade ago I was hearing like $200 as a value estimate). (I recall paying like $40 for that loose US model 1 adapter)
My mini is boxed up in the closet with my other minis. It was a fun fad while it lasted.
@KingMike cheers, I didn't fancy chopping the the thing up at the time. I have a master system 2 anyway so the adapter was more a.novelty than anything!
Actually it's the only way I can play the games that were on those little card things. The MS2 didn't have a card slot like the MS1!
Yep, as advertised. Nintendo Life must have some payroll to waste.
@Qphlat27 Spoiler alert: we didn't actually think it would do anything.
Now THIS is worth bitching about! (at least the expansion gives you stuff you can use)
@wanderwonder What promises?
Sega wasting money manufacturing trinket instead of actually making stuff fans like. This is like the Amico releasing games you can't play yet or Atari releasing a console with no games. These companies are all braindead backwards. No wonder they no longer compete in the console war.
I would love to see a 32x expansion that actually contained 32x games to work through the mini.
Unsure whether/how that would be feasibly possible, but a nice dream none the less.
Virtua fighter
Virtua racing
WWF: wrestlemania the arcade game
Space harrier
Afterburner
Mortal Kombat 2
Knuckles
I would love to have a fake cartridge to put on top of my snes mini. F-zero or Super Metroid would be awesome but it has to be cheap
Why in the name of my as* would I buy this?
@Duffman92 If you tell us the name of your as* we might be able to tell you why you'd buy this.
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