Forums

Sega Master System / Mark III / Game Gear
SG-1000 / SC-3000 / SF-7000 / OMV
Home - Forums - Games - Scans - Maps - Cheats - Credits
Music - Videos - Development - Hacks - Translations - Homebrew

View topic - Preferred Master System model/variant?

Reply to topic
Author Message
  • Joined: 09 Jan 2022
  • Posts: 22
Reply with quote
Preferred Master System model/variant?
Post Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2022 5:56 pm
Hello, new member here. Been visiting here for a few years but only now decided to actually sign up to ask this question.

My very first console was a Master System II that I got back in 1990 (M4Jr. PAL) that I still own but the down and left direction on the P1 d-pad do not work (tried several controllers, it's the console) and I cannot find someone in my neck of the woods who knows how to repair it.

So I started wondering what would be "the best" model/version/variant to get or rather, which would be the ones to look for and which ones to avoid.

I did try to do some research first but if I'm being honest, the more I read about it the more confused I became. Especially when it came to firmware versions.
I ALMOST pulled the trigger on a console with no game (I think it was version 1.3 or 2.0) but the "BIOSes" page here in "Development" made me pause and then... it was gone :(
Hence why I decided to ask here.

As an FYI, my first game ever (other than Alex Kidd) was Cyborg Hunter and I would LOVE to play it while listening the music in glorious FM, the first time I played the game in an emulator it was almost a revelation. Same for Dragon's Trap.

Alternatively, I do own an Italian "HD" Mega Drive 1 (model 1600-13) already AND I have a Japanese one (HAA-2510 with the ® symbol) on the way here that I could use but to the best of my knowledge, there is no way to enable FM functionality with it.

Thank you for reading and I would appreciate any input you might have!
  View user's profile Send private message
  • Joined: 30 Jun 2016
  • Posts: 194
  • Location: Melbourne, Australia
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2022 5:00 am
Any first version Master System should be fairly good for you - the ones with the card slot and AV output. The only real gamble is that some have the older version VDP, and others have the newer version.
In reality, this only really affects a few Codemasters games and some homebrew. And there's no real way to tell what you've got until it's in your hands.
  View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
  • Joined: 09 Jan 2022
  • Posts: 22
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2022 9:13 am
Hello and thank you for the information.

Is it true that there are models that support RGB and others that are composite only?

(I mean other than the Japanese models, those are both scarce and very expensive. Ideally I would like to pay no more than 100€ including shipping/VAT etc).
  View user's profile Send private message
  • Joined: 22 Apr 2018
  • Posts: 530
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2022 12:00 am
KeyperOS wrote
Hello and thank you for the information.

Is it true that there are models that support RGB and others that are composite only?

(I mean other than the Japanese models, those are both scarce and very expensive. Ideally I would like to pay no more than 100€ including shipping/VAT etc).


SMS 1 generates RGB without modification, apart from (AFAIK) a very rare Soviet Union model I read about here on SMS Power! forums

SMS 2 released in France generates RGB without modification, in other regions not (again, AFAIK)

Master System 3 and later SMS models released in Brazil do not generate RGB that I know of

Mark III and SMS/MK-2000 released in Japan generate RGB

I do not remember offhand the RGB situation for Gam*Boy and Aladdin Boy models released in South Korea, but in any case they are difficult to find in most of the world

Be aware that different regions and models may use different pinout or voltage levels for the RGB, and the aftermarket SMS 2 RGB modifications even more so as they were not Sega-standard

KeyperOS wrote
Alternatively, I do own an Italian "HD" Mega Drive 1 (model 1600-13) already AND I have a Japanese one (HAA-2510 with the ® symbol) on the way here that I could use but to the best of my knowledge, there is no way to enable FM functionality with it.



Power Base Mini FM can add FM capability to Mega Drive consoles. Some of the Mega Drive flash cartridges also have FM support. These are compatible with all Mega Drive models having both SMS mode and expansion audio support, whether original or supported via aftermarket modification
  View user's profile Send private message
  • Joined: 09 Jan 2022
  • Posts: 22
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2022 8:54 pm
bsittler wrote
SMS 1 generates RGB without modification, apart from (AFAIK) a very rare Soviet Union model I read about here on SMS Power! forums
...
Power Base Mini FM can add FM capability to Mega Drive consoles. Some of the Mega Drive flash cartridges also have FM support. These are compatible with all Mega Drive models having both SMS mode and expansion audio support, whether original or supported via aftermarket modification


Wow, thank you for such a detailed reply.

Now, one last question, if I may.
I have seen Krikzz's offerings but are there any other available options that offer save states for both systems AND FM audio?

I would love to get a Mega Everdrive Pro but it is so expensive.

Once again, thank you for being such a fountain of knowledge!
  View user's profile Send private message
  • Joined: 23 Sep 2016
  • Posts: 37
  • Location: Arkansas
Reply with quote
Preferred model
Post Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2022 6:07 pm
This may be blasphemy, but since I live in an NTSC region, I prefer to use the Genesis model 1 with a Power Base Convertor. The reason is because the VDP in the Genesis has less strict timing than an actual Master System game, allowing some later Master System games (especially PAL exclusives) to run quite a bit smoother than on an actual NTSC SMS. This is something not even the Analogue SG properly emulates. On the PBC, for example, Sonic Chaos runs with less slowdown and control lag, while some like Battlemaniacs work so much better. For some later PAL exclusive Master System games, it's the only way to get them to work on an NTSC console.

But for an actual model? Go for the later model 2, if you want a system that can play 8M games like Sonic Blast and Street Fighter II', which iirc, MAY have issues on the PBC ironically.
  View user's profile Send private message
  • Joined: 09 Jan 2022
  • Posts: 22
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2022 8:28 pm
Thank you for your reply.
Since I posted this I ended up getting from ebay a PAL-G SMS1, Model 3005-18-D (the latest German model with Alex Kidd) from 1990 to pair with my original 1991 SMS2 (3006-18).
(It came with a couple of "gotchas" because I got it from a less-than-honest seller but I managed to get it to work so... yay I guess?)

I did not know that SMS1s didn't read 8Mb cartridges, is this related to the $2 range bug?
Because if I am not mistaken, the SMS1s with Alex Kidd have this bug fixed which means that, barring any other issues, they SHOULD read 1024KB cartridges.
Theoretically, the same SHOULD be true for the v1.3 "Enjoy!" versions as well.
  View user's profile Send private message
Reply to topic



Back to the top of this page

Back to SMS Power!