Sega Genesis
For the dedicated mini consoles, see Sega Genesis Mini and Sega Genesis Mini 2.
The Sega Genesis, known as the Mega Drive outside North America, is a fourth-generation video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was first released in Japan on October 29, 1988, and in North America in August 1989. The third console in the Sega family, it succeeded the Master System and preceded the Sega Saturn. It used cartridges for its games.
The Sega Genesis has two controller ports. A 4-way multitap adapter was available separately for games supporting more than two players. Save data was stored in the game cartridge itself, using battery-backed RAM. The console has an expansion port on the side.
Two major add-ons were released for the Genesis. The Sega CD, released in 1991, added a CD-ROM drive for full-motion video games and enhanced audio. The Sega 32X, released in 1994, plugged into the cartridge slot and added 32-bit processing power. A small number of games required both add-ons at once.
Accessibility
Games
Hardware and Setup
- List of Sega Genesis accessories
- Sega Genesis hardware mods and adapters
- Sega Genesis softmods and homebrew