As any fan of retro games can tell you, keeping old-school consoles current and playable takes time, care, and attention. Aging hardware requires obscure parts, wiring skills, and other knowledge to keep functioning, and reviving old games can be a tricky business. But Genesis fans no longer have to worry about it, as new Genesis consoles are officially hitting the shelves.
The idea of the Genesis, which first arrived in 1989 in America, still being on shelves seems a weird one, and it’s thanks, in part, to Brazilian gamers. While the Genesis became little more than fondly remembered nostalgia here, in Brazil, a market Nintendo ignored, Sega cut a deal with TecToy, and as a result, the Genesis sells 150,000 units a year. Yes, still. That makes it competitive with modern game consoles, too.
That said, you wouldn’t recognize a Brazilian Genesis at first. TecToy kept the license, but Sega didn’t require them to keep the Genesis’ look, which the company promptly dumped once Sega stopped supporting the console. For 2017, though, TecToy has decided to bring the original look back to appeal to our ’90s nostalgia. Granted, it’s not exactly the same, as it ships with an SD card slot and card packed with games, and it won’t be cheap, either, at roughly $125 at current exchange rates. Oh, and you’ll need A/V cables; the HDMI Genesis is still a work in progress. But for the chance to replay the best version of Street Fighter II, it’s a small price to pay.
(via Geek)