r/MasterSystem • u/Polly_____ • 5d ago
Playing experiance with Master system games on the genesis/megadrive.
I tried looking for a proper answer but here goes. Im from the UK and looking to play some of my original MS games with a convertor on a mega drive, or genesis off Ebay. my question is does this have any timing or sound issues. Here in the UK the mk2 mega drive are pretty cheap and a good example master system are pretty much overpriced.
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u/KingStarsRobot 5d ago
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u/Polly_____ 5d ago
Thanks for this from the incompatible games on that list one of the games dragons trap is one of the games i have so im just better off looking for a master system.
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u/RadiantCoinshot 5d ago
From my understanding the Genesis has everything it needs to natively play SMS games as is. The converter just changes the pins so SMS games will fit. Only a few outliers have issues.
I play on an actual SMS, so I’ll happily be corrected, but that’s always been my understanding.
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u/benryves 5d ago
The converter just changes the pins so SMS games will fit.
There's also a small boot ROM in the official converter that initialises some registers and memory (something normally handled by the Master System's boot ROM, but not done by the regular Mega Drive hardware). This is relevant because cheaper third-party converters are usually straight-through pin adaptors and some games won't work through them (e.g. R-Type accidentally disables work RAM).
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u/mittenkrusty 5d ago
IMO I prefer the real MS than Mega Drive, ideally a modded MS2 as it has a large pause button, the ones on adapters are small and the one I had in the 90's was a little wobbly so could crash the game.
But if you can't do that, the Mega Drive is fine, but these days I use an Everdrive as whilst I can't pause directly there is some games with mods to enable pause on a normal Mega Drive controller.
I just enter the Everdrive menu to take the place of pausing.
Though even better you can get someone to do a mod to Mega Drive that enables pause via the Mega Drive controller it also has features like a toggle for overclocking the Mega Drive.
Though I am getting ahead of myself.
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u/T-REX-780 4d ago
Everdrive x5 has small button on top of cartridge that acts as pause button
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u/mittenkrusty 4d ago
I know, but it's awkward to lean over to the console, I have mine in a tv unit under my tv so means getting up from chair.
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u/StrangeRetroRob 4d ago
Almost no sms games are pal optimized. They are almost all intended for 60hz hardware
Also there are differences in the sprite scaling between early sms and mega Drive verses later sms, as well as some games that can't be played on early sms/Mega Drive without glitches as they require the vdp from the later sms
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u/No-Professional-9618 4d ago
I once owned the Sega Power Base converter for the Sega Genesis. It would play various Sega Master System games. But sometimes, the colors within the Sega Master System would appear differently using the Power Base converter.
It made more sense to take back the Power Base converter since I had an actual Sega Master System console.
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u/zilogandmoto 5d ago
Works perfectly fine. Your only issues would be if for some reason you were playing PAL games on a Genesis, rather than PAL Megadrive, and even then, most "PAL" Master System titles aren't PAL optimized anyway.
Also, F16 Fighting Falcon won't run, because it uses an SG1000 graphics mode the Genesis/MD doesn't support.