--- title: Sega Mega Drive categories: - Consoles params: name: Mega Drive image: /media/museum/photos/sega_megadrive_jap_1_s.jpg company: /companies/sega company_name: Sega tabs: - hardware - connectors - emulators - links - videos forum_thread: 1214 hardware: - title: THE ACTION CHAIR subtitle: '' text: |- The action chair is a rare item. Connected to a Genesis/Megadrive, it acts as a controller! When you lean backward/forward it tells the Genesis to go down/up and when you lean left/right it tells to go left/right. Two handles on each side offer two buttons each, resulting in 4 buttons : START, SELECT, A & B. The Action Chair is basically a chair mounted on a controller. It is thus possible to play all games with it, though it is more convenient to play games like After Burner II, Space Harrier II, Super Thunder Blade, Hang on, Road Rash, Super Monaco GP, etc. Thanks to **Spycal** for this picture image: /media/museum/hardware/sega_action-chair.jpg - title: DOCUMENTATION subtitle: Page 1 text: Thanks to **Spycal** for this picture image: /media/museum/hardware/sega_action-chair_doc_1.jpg - title: DOCUMENTATION subtitle: Page 2 text: Thanks to **Spycal** for this picture image: /media/museum/hardware/sega_action-chair_doc_2.jpg connectors: - title: 3 BUTTONS JOYSTICK subtitle: '' text: |- The joystick port uses a multiplexing technique based on the 74HC157 chip (high-speed cmos quad 2-line to 1-line multiplexer) built-in the controller. There are 2 inputs for each 4 outputs of the chip. The console can determine which function is read by setting the *select* signal to 0v (logic low) or +5v (logic high). **Fun fact :** Atari 2600 joysticks could be used in the Genesis joystick ports. The button of the Atari joystick was the "B" button on a Sega Genesis, and the direction buttons are fully functional. image: /media/museum/connectors/genesis_joystick.gif emulators: - title: Gens url: http://gens.consolemul.com/ platform: Windows text: Excellent Genesis emulator - title: KEGA url: http://www.eidolons-inn.net/kega/ platform: Windows text: Kega is a Sega SG1000, SC3000, Master System, Game Gear, Genesis/Megadrive and SegaCD/MegaCD emulator for Win9x/ME/2000/XP - title: Wgens url: http://emu.makii.pl/pokazpliki.php3?tematy=smd platform: Windows text: Sega Megadrive emulator links: - title: GameFAQs url: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/genesis/ text: All sort of FAQs related to the Genesis / megadrive (games, hardware, etc.) - title: GameWinners.com url: http://www.gamewinners.com/GEN/ text: Great cheat codes archive ! - title: GAMEX.COM url: http://www.gamesx.com/avpinouts/genesisav.htm text: Genesis / Megadrive video pinouts - title: Genesis Collective url: http://www.genesiscollective.com/ text: Giant software database, full of useful info - title: IGN.COM url: http://codes.ign.com/ text: A LOT of Genesis game codes - title: Megadrive FAQ url: http://www.classicgaming.com/museum/faqs/megadfaq.shtml text: Megadrive FAQ hosted by Classicgaming.com - title: Official 32X pages from Sega! url: http://www.sega.co.jp/archive/segahard/32x/ text: Excellent. Lot of info here (specs, pix, soft lists, ads,etc.) - title: Official Mega Drive pages from Sega! url: http://www.sega.co.jp/archive/segahard/md/ text: Excellent. Lot of info here (specs, pix, soft lists, ads,etc.) - title: Official Sega CD pages from Sega! url: http://www.sega.co.jp/archive/segahard/mcd/ text: Excellent. Lot of info here (specs, pix, soft lists, ads,etc.) - title: SEGA CD FAQ url: http://www.classicgaming.com/museum/faqs/segacdfaq.shtml text: Sega CD FAQ hosted by classicgaming.com - title: The Dump url: http://www.classicgaming.com/thedump/genesis/ text: Box arts, covers, reviews and more - title: The McDonald Family Homepage url: http://www.billnkaz.demon.co.uk/segalist.htm text: How to build a RGB to D-SUB video cable for your Genesis / Megadrive 1. Also a big cheat file is available - title: Video Game Music Archive url: http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/sega/genesis/ text: Sega Genesis music files directory !!! - title: Zophar's Domain url: http://www.zophar.net/genesis.html text: Nice emulator list & some interestinf game info to download - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com text: Sega dedicated newsgroup videos: - title: Sega Genesis TV commercial url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-tH9fKuOo text: 'Length: 30s' related: - /museum/sega-genesis - /museum/sega-genesis-2 - /museum/sega-genesis-3 - /museum/sega-mega-drive-ii - /museum/sega-nomad - /museum/sega-wondermega oc_id: 1247 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20221204121334/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1247 date: '2022-12-04' --- The Mega Drive launched in 1988 in Japan. Europe had to wait two whole years before they would get the machine. Designed as the replacement for the 8 bit [Master System](/museum/sega-master-system/), it originally competed against other 8 bit systems, namely the [Famicom/NES](/museum/nintendo-nes/) and [PC Engine](/museum/nec-pc-engine/)/[TurboGrafx](/museum/nec-turbografx-16-turbografx/). The Mega Drive had mixed fortunes. In Japan the console was out sold by both the PC Engine and later the [Super Famicom](/museum/nintendo-super-nintendo-entertainment-system/). In Europe on the other hand, the Mega Drive fared considerably better. The practically unheard of TurboGrafx was extremely rare and the Mega Drive was able to outsell the [SNES](/museum/nintendo-super-nintendo-entertainment-system/), finishing the generation in first place. However, the success of the console in Europe, and as the [Genesis](/museum/sega-genesis/) in the States, may well have contributed to Sega's downfall. Two misjudged add-ons, the 32X and Mega CD put a huge dent in Sega's reputation, one so large that the company would never recover. A redesigned [Mega Drive II](/museum/sega-mega-drive-ii/) was released in 1993. The smaller console was cheaper to produce, similar in concept to the [Master System II](/museum/sega-master-system-ii/).