Minigen HD Video Entertainment System - Compatible with Sega Genesis & Mega Drive Games

I had my original genesis since 1989, but I've decided to put it (and my Nomad) away for safekeeping. While I use a variety of emulation systems I needed something cheap for my 6 year old son to bang on-- I had a lot of luck with both the Gamerztek HD NES, and HD NES/SNES combo so I figured I might as well try this as well. Its actually pretty awesome, other than being HD I probably couldn't tell the difference from a real one in a blind test. The graphics are fantastic going though HDMI. The console itself is a bit lightweight but that doesn't really affect anything. The controllers work quite well, maybe the d-pad and buttons feel a bit loose but the control is accurate. I had planned on using real Sega controllers but its not really necessary. I just wish the cords were longer... I have tried at least 25 cartridges and they all worked-- I didn't have to clean them beforehand. They are a little difficult to insert/remove but that will probably loosen up with time. Best of all I got a dirt cheap 196-in-1 genesis cartridge from china so I'll never have to change cartridges anyway. Add that and the system up and its a much better (and cheaper) system than buying those bad ATgames flashback things they sell at christmas.

I just received this today and so far I am very impressed. For the low cost of entry this is one impressive Genesis clone. The System: The system is very small and can nearly fit into the palm of your hand. It is not much larger than the game cartridges. The system is somewhat on the lighter side giving it a cheap feel, but it is visually appealing in person. The system is powered by a 5V 1.0 Micro USB adapter that plugs into the back of the system. The system is able to output to the TV via HDMI or Composite cable. I only used the HDMI cable for my testing so far, though I plan on checking out of the composite option in the future for comparison. Along the back of the console are two switches. One switch toggles between U.S. and Japanese games. The system is unfortunately not compatible with PAL releases. The second switch is for toggling between 4/3 and 16/9 viewing mode. Both modes look great on the television, though I prefer the 4/3 viewing for a more original (not stretched) gaming experience. The cartridge slot is the perfect tightness. Not too loose and not too tight. Games are able to be inserted into the console and removed without the need of any excessive force. Looks like Gamerz Tek may have adjusted the slot from their original console, which is definitely a great improvement. The controllers: -The controller cord length is fairly short. At only 5 feet, it does not quite reach the length I need it to. The controls are tight, responsive, and I have not noticed any lag while playing on my 55" TCL 1080P television. The weight in the hands feels nice and the overall shape and feel of the controller brings me back to my childhood of Sega glory days. I am impressed. In comparison, the Hyperkin Genesis clone controller has a cable length of approximately 6 1/2 feet. Both controllers feel very similar in weight and feel. The Gamerz Tek controller weighs approximately 90 grams, whereas the Hyperkin controller weighs approximately 84 grams. However, cord thickness and weight differs between the two controllers with the Gamerz Tek having a thinner/lighting cable, so weight is still very similar. I prefer the overall weight and feel of the Gamerz Tek controller personally, I just wish the cord length was more in line with the Hyperkin controllers. A cord extender could help alleviate the length issue. The Games: The original Minigen console was known to have a very impressive compatibility, with only a handful of non-compatible games. From my initial testing, I believe that the Minigen HD is likely identical to originally released model in terms of compatibility, which is an overall good thing. I have tested a selection of my games so far. I will test more over the next few days and update my review accordingly. All of the following games look, sound, and play great: 6-Pak Aladdin Animaniacs (some minor visual artifacts on main characters during movement. Minor annoyance only). Columns Desrt Demoltion Desert Strike Earthworm Jim Earthworm Jim 2 Ecco the Dolphin Flashback Jungle Strike Jurassic Park Lion King Mighty Morphin Power Rangers the Movie Ristar Rock N' Roll Racing (This game sounds horrible but it always did, even on the original Genesis. The SNES version is far superior). Rocket Knight Adventures Separation Anxiety Skitchin Sonic 2 Sonic 3 Spider-Man Streets of Rage 2 Streets of Rage 3 Toy Story Urban Strike (Some audio distortion on menu / loading screen, fine in gameplay) World of Illusion: Mickey Mouse X-Men 2 Zombies Ate My Neighbors (Some weird vertical tearing on the character selection screen over HDMI, but no artifacts while in game. This may have always been present on the original game, but just not visible on the lower resolution). Games that did not function at all: Ecco: The Tides of Time (This game was one of a two or three games that did not function on the original Minigen. Kind of bummed this was not fixed) Magic School Bus (Black screen, does nothing) Other thoughts: -The biggest downside to the system is that it is almost too light. I could see the system pulling away from where it is seated if the controller is pulled on. Securing the system down with some two sided Velcro or by other means would help eliminate this issue. -Switching the O/J console on the back of the console will immediately reset the game. Be careful if you are meaning to switch aspect ratios while in the middle of gameplay, as the two switches are immediately next to each other. Would have made more sense to separate them. -I bumped the HDMI cable slightly during gameplay and the system visuals disappeared for a few seconds before coming back on the screen. After closer inspection, I had not pushed the HDMI cable in all of the way. With a little extra force, I pushed the cable in fully and tried bumping the HDMI cable again, and the image remained on screen. Make sure the cable is fully seated to avoid similar issues as I did. In conclusion: Overall I am very impressed so far. All of the games I have tried play and sound exactly as I remember. The graphics are now a lot more crisp and look great on the HD television. Definitely an awesome Mini Console that I will hopefully get many hours of enjoyment from. The 2-year warranty on the system provides some assurance of longevity assuming they are easy to work with if a problem ever does occur. Note: I will update this review accordingly in a few days after getting some additional time to play with the system. UPDATE 1: Some game compatibility updates (including an additional game that does not work).

UPDATE 2: Gamerztek sent me a replacement, you're better off emailing them on their website, they respond quicker there. UPDATE: Be careful with Original Sega Controllers and Accessories, because I tried plugging in a Original 3 Button controller a few days ago and it pushed a pin back, and I was unable to press up on the d-pad in any game. I temporarily fixed the problem myself but those who don't have any knowledge on how to fix it might have difficulties. That being said, I will not be changing my rating, it's still an excellent system, it's just finicky like most clones. A couple of notes: -I do not have an Everdrive or any Homebrew Carts, so I cannot speak on if those work on this console. -I took gameplay footage by way of my phone, so the quality is not fully there, I will be adding some images as well that show the quality a bit better. -My gameplaying skills are a hot mess because I'm just speeding through to show off the game's sound and audio. -I don't know how bad amazon will compress my videos, so keep that in mind. -This is my first time reviewing a product on this site, don't normally do, but made an exception. -Console next to Doge for scale. ----------------------- I'm going to be writing this review as a casual gamer, I had only owned a small library of Sega Genesis games before I had to sell them and my Super Retro Trio for computer gear. I just started recollecting Sega Genesis games and was looking for a nice starter console until I can get a CRT and an original Genesis 1 or 2 Model. And I gotta say, this does the trick, this is a great console that you can conveniently hook up by HDMI, but the composite cables and ports are there if you want to hook it up that way. Build quality is deceptively good, it's light but the plastic is far from hollow, think of it like plastic on a good HDTV remote. It's got a 16:9/4:3 swtich and a NTSC/NTSC-J Region Switch, not sure if it plays PAL games. I will be starting with the cons because these can make or break your purchase based on your standards, and these are subjective. CONS: Sound: The music/sound outputs dual-mono, so while it's decent it's not full stereo, the volume of the music and sound can peak depending on the volume of your TV, so there is crackling that varies based on a game to game basis. (Sonic 1 and 2 sound effects peak with some slight cracking, Streets of Rage isn't as noticeable with sound crackling, but the music is missing some beats.) The music is not as bass heavy on this model. Sound and music has been compared to a Genesis Model 3, so keep that in mind. Personal Opinion: The dual-mono does not bother me because it's at least done well when you compare it to every AtGames Genesis clone, where it sounds like your Sega Genesis game needs an exorcist. The peaking and crackling doesn't bother me because I have my volume at a spot where I barely notice it. Another thing, the cartridge slot takes a bit of elbow grease to put games in, you can't just pop them in, you gotta wiggle from the sides if you don't the games won't display properly. Getting carts out are another story, once they're in, they in. Like a vice grip, so you gotta pull them out with some muscle. (I've had this system for only a couple of weeks, so I'm not sure if it loosens up in the future.) Now I'm moving on to the good stuff. PROS: The controllers are very good, almost like the real thing! The only difference is that the d-pad is done in an elevated joystick style, which I normally can't stand, but works very well here and are amazing for brawlers/fighting games. Buttons are responsive and I don't notice any input lag, plastic is good, if a little light in the hands, cords are more than 5 feet, not long but not short. The games play like they should and I haven't noticed any lag, there was a weird fade effect of light to dark in Casino Night Zone and Mystic Cave Zone, but that could just be my TV trying to bring out too much subtleties. Picture is great for the price, it's not emulator or Framemeister sharp but you're going to get a great picture compared to jimmy rigging a DVD player or VCR to a cheap HDMI upscaler to an original Genesis. Soft but not blurry. FREE 2 Year Warranty, that speaks for itself! So overall, I dig this little console. I think gamers are a little too hard on Sega clone consoles due to the awful quality AtGames keeps giving us at a higher price tag. But if you're like me and just want to play Sega Games on an HDTV without needing to jump through hoops and paying an arm and a leg, this works like a charm.

Works great, absolutely no problems. The controllers are a little bit light and not exactly the highest quality. Squeaky d-pad and thin cables on them but they work. I don't have a single complaint about the system itself past it being a little bit lightweight.