Mega Drive Mini

[Team Andromeda]

Great feature in this months Retrogamer

[importaku]

There’s a special issue of beep magazine been released to go along with the mini like a few mags did with the famicom. Tempted to pick up a copy to go with it.

[Dogg Thang]

There’s a special issue of beep magazine

I thought for a moment that "beep" magazine was you putting in a beep, as if we couldn't talk about the magazine and it was censored. But I googled it and it's actually the name of a magazine.

[importaku]

Lol, yeah it’s a real mag. This is the issue they are releasing for the release of the mini

https://www.amazon.co.jp/BEEP-メガドライブFAN―2誌合体-メガドライブミニ総力特集号―-ATMムック/dp/4198270619/ref=pd_aw_sim_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=4198270619&pd_rd_r=9d3366bd-ad41-4e39-a140-5a2c13dc0e82&pd_rd_w=ufoY8&pd_rd_wg=nTpWr&pf_rd_p=616d93c3-5b4e-4c94-9acd-302cf03ce1a6&pf_rd_r=GXTKPMRMJX71KAACHF9Y&psc=1&refRID=CRYNPPP1SCK59E54CB36

[Leon Retro]

Is there any truth in the rumours that the audio has issues? I hope not.

[importaku]

Apparently a difference but only slightly, not like that atgames abominations.

[Leon Retro]

Apparently a difference but only slightly, not like that atgames abominations.

There are different versions of the sound chip in the broad range of Mega Drive machines, so I guess it's not easy to emulate the audio side of things in a way that enthusiasts would say is ideal/perfect. Early model Mega Drives have a different sound than later iterations -- and then the model 2 and 3. Some have more bass, others sound more tinny, so what someone considers to be 'authentic' will vary.

I will hope that I don't notice any glaring issues with the audio.

[JazzFunk]

I want this purely for Castle of Illusion. Love that game and haven't played it in eons.

Was lukewarm at first about this but really want it now.

[Leon Retro]

I want this purely for Castle of Illusion.

Still a magical game that reminds me how special the Mega Drive was back in the day. Easily one of my favourite platformers.

[JazzFunk]

I played this and Dick Tracy on my mate's Jap MD two months before I got the PAL Moonwalker MD with Altered Beast still hanging about as a physical copy inside

I got that PAL MD, played the aforementioned two titles to death, then my mate lended me Golden Axe and Revenge of Shinobi. Which both got caned

But nowt compared to me playing Castle of Illusion on JP import. It's.....bangin'....

[Digfox]

I thought there was a nice summary of the MD Mini on Youtube by 'My Life in Gaming'. At 13.15 in the video includes a section on the difficulty in the emulation of the MD soundchips and the current work going on to correctly improve this (https://hackaday.com/2019/08/01/mdfo...-16-bit-sound/).

Also noted the other weak points; slight input lag also noted by Cinemassacre (they mention here it's unavoidable and I'm sure it is on these SoC setups), subjectively poor scanline filter and incorrect 4:3 aspect ratio.

None of this would personally stop me buying one and lots of positives about the MD Mini.

[cutmymilk]

I cancelled mine. After playing SNES games on Switch, I will be getting Mega Drive Collection on that instead. I love the bedroom setup too.

[Digfox]

Digital Foundry analysis is up.

TLDR; similar to others; raises issues with input lag, audio delay, bad CRT filter and incorrect 4:3 aspect ratio for some games. However praises the game selection calling it the best of all the 'mini' consoles to date. Overall calls it a solid product but had hopes for slightly more. If you're fine with the Nintendo mini's then no problems here.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Digital Foundry analysis is up.

TLDR; similar to others; raises issues with input lag, audio delay, bad CRT filter and incorrect 4:3 aspect ratio for some games. However praises the game selection calling it the best of all the 'mini' consoles to date. Overall calls it a solid product but had hopes for slightly more. If you're fine with the Nintendo mini's then no problems here.

I’m yet to watch the DF Retro vid but I have read the article.

Allegedly, the SoC hardware used for the MD Mini is quite underpowered in comparison to what Nintendo used for their Minis, and that this was a pain in the proverbial for M2 as they weren’t consulted on what the hardware would be but were still expected to work their usual emulation miracles. That might well explain why the MD Mini emulation isn’t quite up to M2’s normal standard. Indeed, if it is true, then M2 probably overachieved in terms of getting the MD Mini to do what it does.

That’s a little disappointing if true IMO. I know the Nintendo Minis aren’t perfect and have their emulation issues, and that this is obviously much better than the sh1t that ATGames have served up in the recent past, but (again if this is all true) I can’t help but feel that maybe more could’ve and should’ve been done with the MD Mini.

Probably a moot point in the grand scheme of it all though as the majority of people who pick this up won’t care, same with the Nintendo Minis, but it does make the Analogue Mega Sg more of a viable alternative now for those who want a higher-quality experience.

[JazzFunk]

If I can get it for like fifty quid or less...I will just buy it and be damned.

That's all it is. Surely it's got to be better and less laggy than the 50hz PAL MD experience I endured from early 1991 upwards???

Oh god, I feel sick, I feel like I wanna vom a bit. Nowt to do with this thread, just felt a wave of bilious sickness across the guts.

Am having a cuppa tea. If I spew I shall detail the exploits of my vomit.