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Is a Sega CD or 32X worth picking up?


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Hey Guys!

 

I love the Sega Genesis and it has always been one of my favorite consoles. I've owned a Sega Genesis for a few years now and have a decent amount of games. Lately, I've been feeling a bit curious and also conflicting with myself on buying a Sega CD or 32X. Are they just things you get for novelty sake? Will I actually have fun with them? If so, what games should I pick up?

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Sooner or later you'll end up picking up both if you dig classic sega. May as well start with the SegaCD. I bought a JVC X'Eye. Some say they're expensive but you can get lucky at flea markets.

 

I've made 2 SegaCD compatible homebrew. Little mini games. Haven't heard of anything for the x32.

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The Genesis was my first console and I've always considered myself a sega man before switching to psx in the late nineties. There is a certain novelty to the 32x sega cd combo. It was the first 32 bit cd based system to properly handle 3D graphics. The Panasonic 3DO released in 1993 but didn't have true 3D graphics ability.

 

The 32x has the same cpu as the Saturn but considerably less ram.

 

There are a few games (6 I think) that were specifically developed for the 32x sega cd combo. It will definitely make a great addition to your retro collection and still a lot cheaper than a wondermega or x'eye.

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They're OK, but not as worthwhile as the original Genesis in terms of quality and quantity of games.

 

It's all old enough that emulation runs those games really well, if you're not into vintage hardware. I prefer not to mess with moving parts (spinning discs), lots of power adapters, and RF or composite video.

 

It's also cheap enough that you can amass a big collection pretty easily.

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It's all old enough that emulation runs those games really well, if you're not into vintage hardware. I prefer not to mess with moving parts (spinning discs), lots of power adapters, and RF or composite video.

It's also cheap enough that you can amass a big collection pretty easily.

Yep, even Raspberry PIE 2.0 retropie seems to emulate Sega CD and 32X games near perfectly. 3.0 has even more power. Or on your laptop, you can play the games for free. *

 

I get great enjoyment from many Sega CD games. But for 32x, the only game I truly think is worthy, is VR Deluxe.

 

* however, I never play this way, even though I could. I hook up the actual hardware. It's more authentic and fun somehow.

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Yep, even Raspberry PIE 2.0 retropie seems to emulate Sega CD and 32X games near perfectly. 3.0 has even more power. Or on your laptop, you can play the games for free. *

 

I get great enjoyment from many Sega CD games. But for 32x, the only game I truly think is worthy, is VR Deluxe.

 

* however, I never play this way, even though I could. I hook up the actual hardware. It's more authentic and fun somehow.

 

 

I agree 100%. Nothin’ beats original hardware!

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I'd say "Yes" to both if you enjoy the Genesis library, and pick yourself up a Power Base Converter (if you have a model 1 Genesis) or Master System Converter II (if you have a model 2) while you're at it. As far as games I'd recommend go, see this post I wrote answering the very same question in another thread earlier today. :)

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I'd say "Yes" to both if you enjoy the Genesis library, and pick yourself up a Power Base Converter (if you have a model 1 Genesis) or Master System Converter II (if you have a model 2) while you're at it. As far as games I'd recommend go, see this post I wrote answering the very same question in another thread earlier today. :)

 

Wow! What a coincidence!

 

 

Thanks a lot! :thumbsup:

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If you're a big fan of the Genesis, then I personally think they are both worthwhile accessories. If you're more of a casual "I only play the Genesis once in a while" player, then no, they aren't worth the money.

 

Sega CD is a must in my opinion, but I'm a little biased. The Genesis conversions to it usually sound the best thanks to having CD soundtracks, and some even have some added video which is a nice touch. My favorite games are some of the shoot 'em ups, like Lords of Thunder and Android Assault, as well as Eternal Champions: Challenge From the Dark Side, Prince of Persia, Dungeon Explorer and Sonic CD.

 

The 32X is less necessary but I still have a soft spot for it. When the games look good on it, they look really good, but many games didn't take advantage of the hardware and only look mildly improved over stock Genesis games (good examples being Primal Rage and WWF Raw). I still really enjoy Virtua Racing, Space Harrier and DOOM. There are some other cool games that may be an acquired taste, but are generally well made, like Shadow Squadron, Tempo and Blackthorne. If you get a 32X, get yourself a flash cart as some of the games are pretty expensive now.

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If you are a fan of all things Sega, then yes! I picked up a Sega CD semi-recently, and I love it. There aren't a ton of top-shelf games for it, but what's there is really great. Better yet, you can burn games and play them with no mods to the console. I'm all for collecting the originals and all that, but I'm not paying $600+ for a single game just to try it. If you are going to emulate, you might as well try it on original hardware!

 

I'm still on the hunt for a 32X. From what I've played on it, it's basically a slightly more powerful Genesis, and it has a few games I would love to have in the collection.

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There are some really great Sega CD games. Some of them (the Lunar games) have been ported to other systems, but others (like Snatcher, Dark Wizard, and Vay) either haven't been ported, or the ports weren't substantially better.

 

Thing is I can't bring myself to buy Sega CD hardware. I can't bring myself to buy any 20-to-25-year-old system that relies on optical media. I've replaced the optical media in several of my systems (USB-GDROM, PS2 clone network adapter + SATA HDD, Xbox soft mod + SATA HDD) to preserve those systems. The mechanical parts that are required to read media are almost always the first thing to go on those systems. As soon as the Sega CD gets an optical disk emulator or a replacement add-on like the SSDS3, I'm there, absolutely. For now I'll emulate those games.

 

I have a 32X. I think you can skip it. Virtua Racing Deluxe is the best home port of the game (including the Saturn version) and Star Wars Arcade is fun, but those two games alone aren't worth the money to me. Other people may disagree.

Edited by derFunkenstein
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There are some really great Sega CD games. Some of them (the Lunar games) have been ported to other systems, but others (like Snatcher, Dark Wizard, and Vay) either haven't been ported, or the ports weren't substantially better.

 

Thing is I can't bring myself to buy Sega CD hardware. I can't bring myself to buy any 20-to-25-year-old system that relies on optical media. I've replaced the optical media in several of my systems (USB-GDROM, PS2 clone network adapter + SATA HDD, Xbox soft mod + SATA HDD) to preserve those systems. The mechanical parts that are required to read media are almost always the first thing to go on those systems. As soon as the Sega CD gets an optical disk emulator or a replacement add-on like the SSDS3, I'm there, absolutely. For now I'll emulate those games.

 

I have a 32X. I think you can skip it. Virtua Racing Deluxe is the best home port of the game (including the Saturn version) and Star Wars Arcade is fun, but those two games alone aren't worth the money to me. Other people may disagree.

 

An ODE for the Sega CD maybe some time coming, if at all. From the little I've read when people have asked GDEMU in the comments on his blog, the Sega CD isn't as straight forward as the other systems. Possibly would require significant mods direct to the motherboard.

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An ODE for the Sega CD maybe some time coming, if at all. From the little I've read when people have asked GDEMU in the comments on his blog, the Sega CD isn't as straight forward as the other systems. Possibly would require significant mods direct to the motherboard.

I wondered what the deal was. It seems like at least in America, and especially in Europe, it was far more popular than the PC Engine's various CD systems. Wikipedia says there were 2.25M Sega consoles vs. who-knows-how-many PC Engine CD systems. And I know the Sega CD had a bunch of extra processing hardware, but an SSDS3-style system would be neat. No RGB graphics issues with that sort of thing> :D

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I got a Model 1 Sega CD several months ago and with the Genesis model 1 sitting on top it just looks frickin awesome to me! There are enough good CD games imo to justify having the Sega CD. Being able to burn games on CD-r to try before you buy is plus.

 

Sega-CD-Model1-Set.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

I would get both eventually for many of the reasons stated. The Lunar games on the SegaCD are a lot of fun, I'm also a fan of Dune, Silpheed, and especially Wing Commander. The SegaCD version is the only version that talks outside of Super Wing Commander on 3DO but that is also a pretty different game for the most part.

 

On the 32x, I picked mine up for Virtua Racing Deluxe, Kolibri, Tempo, and Blackthorn.

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Can you explain the importance of FM sound support, as if I were a small child? I see the product but don't see why I would want it.

 

You know that's an adapter to play Sega Master System games, yes?

 

Since you need an adapter to do that regardless, having an adapter with the FM sound unit built in gives you the option of amazing music in quite a few SMS games

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