Have you ever played a rerelease of a classic SEGA game and felt that it just didn’t feel quite right with a modern controller? Well we could be seeing classic SEGA controllers for modern hardware soon, as retro gaming hardware manufacturer Retro-bit has announced a collaboration with SEGA. The official press release states that the plan is to produce accessories for SEGA’s platforms which includes, but is not limited to, SEGA Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast. The first products to be released will include accessories that match the quality of the originals, made for use on original hardware as well as USB for PC use and Bluetooth wireless. These new products will debut in the Innex booth #21023 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center during CES 2018.
This is very exciting, as games like Sonic Mania, Jet Set Radio HD and NiGHTS HD all would benefit from the original controllers. Also, the notion of a new Dreamcast pad for original hardware being made in 2018 is just sort of crazy and cool. Also, new USB Saturn pads would be amazing.
Read the full press release after the break
Ad:RETRO-BIT® ANNOUNCES SEGA® LICENSING AGREEMENT TO PRODUCE ACCESSORIES FOR SEGA GAMING PLATFORMS
First Products to be Officially Unveiled at CES 2018
POMONA, CA, December 19, 2017– Acknowledging the continual growth of the retro-gaming market, Retro-Bit, a premier publisher and manufacturer of classic gaming products, today announced a licensing agreement with SEGA of America to produce accessories for SEGA’s gaming platforms, including but not limited to the SEGA Genesis, SEGA Saturn and SEGA Dreamcast.
The first products and concepts under the agreement include several accessories that feature the same great quality as their original Sega counterparts like the original console port, but also with modern upgrades such as a USB® port for PC compatibility and Bluetooth® wireless technology. These new products are slated to debut in the Innex booth #21023 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center during CES 2018.
“With retro gaming on an upswing, we are pleased to offer officially SEGA licensed accessories in their original format as well as apply the innovative classic gaming enhancements that have become the hallmark of Retro-Bit,” said Titi Ngoy, President and CEO at Innex Inc. the exclusive distributor of Retro-Bit. “We’re excited to unveil the first of these new products and concepts at CES, and do so alongside an exciting 2018 product catalog.”
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Finally! The dozens of emails I sent them were worth it XD
Is it mean that Sega plans to release any retro mini version from Megadrive, Saturn and Genesis consoles? It has sense and i would buy a dreamcast because mine doesn’t work.
Ooh the Sega Knights controller from Sega Saturn😀
I smell patents expiring again!
I don’t think they’d partner with Sega if all the patents for those consoles expired. That’s especially unlikely in the Dreamcast’s case. Even if they did expire though, it’s possible they only partnered with them for at least one of two things. The first and most likely reason is so Sega can supply them with official, vintage documentation and resources on how they designed their controllers and other accessories so Retro-Bit, as they’ve said themselves in their press release, can make them as close to official quality as possible. The other reason may be so they can make the accessories with official branding as if Sega themselves made them and to possibly decorate them with Sega characters such as Sonic or NiGHTS. They did that already with Capcom branded controllers, one of which was for Genesis no less, and it’s something I doubt anyone here would be opposed to
From Retro-bit’s perspective, yes I agree with you, but from SEGA’s perspective it makes sense. Without looking up the patent to the DC controller I can easily assume the 20 years is up since the DC launch in Japan in 1998 and the provisional patent had to be filed before that. So it’s a shrewd move on SEGA’s part to partner, have another company handle all production costs and take a cut of sales. Think of all the Nintendo controllers, especially the N64 controller in the past two years or so, that are mass produced by these retro-centric accessory companies and Nintendo doesn’t see a cent.
Because, really, Retro-Bit could just use the controller shells and make them without SEGA, but yes, as you stated, this give Retro-Bit the right to use SEGA’s name and other copyrights.
Basically, it’s a win-win all around.
It’s about time!
Just a heads up; Retro-Bit’s website is using Coinhive to mine Monero cryptocurrency for every visit.
https://www.virustotal.com/#/url/458d6a7f58c8eb21eb1940cc019c427707f94a2597bcb28f720b912732b70b2e/community
Duuuh….what’s an SG-1000?
Sega’s first console, before the Master System.
Segas 1st home console and after was the Sega Master System
The SG-1000 was basically the Master System minus the rest of the 80’s upgrades to match the NES/Famicom, the Master System was basically the SG-1000 final edition, the definitive SG-1000, with all the enhancements of the SG-1000 mark II and SG-1000 mark III.
That’s why in fact the original Japanese version of the Master System was the SG-1000 Mark III.
The dark Master System was simply a redesign and rebrand of the white SG-1000 mark III, which was prepared for in time for a western release.
So the Master System can still qualify in a sense as the first main Sega home console, if not the first iteration of the first console, it was the definitive and most complete first generation Sega console, which was also later launched in Japan after the original SG-1000 mark III, this time, with the FM synthesiser peripheral built in, which the US version of the Master System never had.
So really, the Master Systems sound capabilities actually are more powerful than you probably remember, it was considered not as advanced as the NES sound chip in the west but actually it was more powerful, and many titles of the Master System’s library did utilize it – and the differences were sometimes night and day, there are work around ways of using it now though via modding and having the FM chip soldered in or using an expansion cart with other titles ect.
Cant wait to get my hands on a megadrive-controller equipped with usb and bluetooth, so i can hook it up to fire-tv, my steambox, etc., etc.
🙂
sonic only feels good with a genesis(megadrive)-controller!