The Sega Genesis, known as the Sega Mega Drive in regions outside the United States, is going back in production in Brazil as the console has maintained popularity in the South American country with sales of 150,000 units daily.
Originally released in 1989, the 16-bit console was once locked in battle with Nintendo in the then-fledgling video game industry. The landscape has since drastically changed, but the Sega Genesis is still revered for helping blaze the trail for home consoles.
The Revived Sega Genesis / Sega Mega Drive
TecToy, a company that manufactures a variety of toys and gadgets, has initiated preorders for all-new stock of the Sega Mega Drive, which will come with support for the original games and controllers of the console.
The revived Sega Mega Drive will look exactly like the original consoles, but with the addition of an SD card slot. The console will also support A/V cables for connections, but not HDMI cables.
The new Sega Mega Drive will also come with an SD card that contains 22 games, namely Alex Kidd, Alien Storm, Altered Beast, Arrow Flash, Bonanza Brothers, Columns, Decap Attack, E-Swat, Fatal Labyrinth, Flicky, Gain Ground, Golden Axe, Golden Axe 3, Jewel Master, Kid Chameleon, Last Battle, Out Runners, Sega Soccer, Shadow Dancer, Shinobi 3, Sonic 3 and Turbo Outrun.
Preorders for the Sega Mega Drive are priced at 399 Brazilian real, which is equivalent to about $125.
Official Sega Mega Drive Consoles
TecToy was actually the manufacturer of the Sega Mega Drive during the peak of the console's popularity and long afterwards. The production of the new units of the Sega Mega Drive are officially licensed by Sega, which means that the consoles are genuine brand new units of the original and not consoles that are being rolled out by a third party.
The price of the device may be steep at $125, plus shipping charges and taxes if you would have it shipped to the United States. However, for a Sega-licensed brand-new Mega Drive, the price could very well be worth it for nostalgic gamers, who should expect the newly produced console to roll out in June of next year.
Video Game Nostalgia
Sega is not the first video game company to bank on nostalgia recently. Nintendo is launching the NES Classic Edition, a miniature and updated version of the original NES from 1985, on Nov. 11. To celebrate the launch, Nintendo is setting up an '80s-themed party in the Nintendo Store in New York.
Early reviews on the NES Classic Edition have been good, which means that the device will likely be a hit among gamers.
