Power Base Converter Buyer's Guide

[Melf]

Thinking of getting into collecting Master System games but have no room on your shelf for the console? Genesis owners have a great option with Sega's Power Base Converter. Essentially piggy-backing the Master System on the new 16-bit hardware, it allows gamers to continue to enjoy Sega's 8-bit goodness without having to swap out another console. There are several versions available, so it's important to know which one fits your particular Genesis model. For that reason, staff writer Carl-Johan Brax has compiled a handy buyer's guide for those looking for the right model to fit their Genesis, so read the full article (http://www.sega-16.com/2008/05/power-base-converter-buyers-guide/) and find out which converter suits you best.

[Joe Redifer]

Master System games have FEWER pins than Genesis games, not more. Look at them.

[Grounder]

I've been waiting for an article about the Master System Converter.

[sonicwatcher6969]

The PBC is SO much cooler than the 32X and I have always meant to get more master system games.

I do have 2 questions: Would the Mega Net Modem (Released in japan) still fit on the back, and does the PBC get in the way of any mods?

[Zebbe]

Master System games have FEWER pins than Genesis games, not more. Look at them.

I wrote more just to annoy you (again).

;)

(Please fix it, Melf)

[GelmiR]

You're not serious that Master System's Sonic 2 and Sonic Chaos are better than Sonic 1. I can understand how you might like Sonic 2 better, but Sonic Chaos is the worst Sonic game I ever played... Well except for Sonic 3D. My all-time favorite Sonic game is the original Master System game, especially the Jungle zone.

[Zebbe]

Sonic 1 on SMS is too slow. Sonic Chaos has more speed and atmospheric zones.

[playgen]

Sonic 1 on sms isn't slow, you can play it really fast if you have the skill. Sonic Chaos has too much slow down, dull level design and is just too easy.

[GelmiR]

Sonic 1 on sms isn't slow, you can play it really fast if you have the skill. Sonic Chaos has too much slow down, dull level design and is just too easy.

I'm with you, I don't like the level design on Sonic Chaos at all, and I think you can finish the game in half an hour.

[Zebbe]

You guys are both wrong. Sonic Chaos has the Gigalopolis Zone. What could be better than a city of whores? Nothing.

[Smii]

No, it's "gigolo police" ~ the place used to be filled with (male!) whores, but then they formed a police force to remove them. That's why you don't see any in the game itself.

Anyway - 8-bit Sonic has two main problems:

1. Annoying scrolling levels (including the vertically scrolling ones, and the ones where the screen scrolls upward as you jump, meaning mistake = death). I got a lot better at these, but they used to anger me back in t'day.

2. That Sky Base level (I hate the lightnings. Multigrrs!)

[Genesis Knight]

Carl-Johan? WTF?!!!

What happened to our dear, cute Zee-Bee?

[hadjiquest]

I got the Power Base Converter at the Too Many Games Convention in August of 2K7. I stuck it in the Genesis Model 1 and was wowed. I still have my original Master System. I love the idea of backwards compatibility.

WANTED MASTER SYSTEM TITLES:
1. Zillion II - The Tri-Formation
2. Rampage
3. Teddy Boy (card)
4. My Hero (card)
5. Phantasy Star
6. Bomber Raid
7. E-SWAT
8. Alex Kidd in Shinobi World
9. Gangster Town
10. Quartet

[Zebbe]

Carl-Johan? WTF?!!!

What happened to our dear, cute Zee-Bee?

Ken (a.k.a. Melf) wants the site as credible as possible, so I, Zebbe (a.k.a. Carl-Johan Brax) decided to drop the nickname and go with my first forename and last name as my pen name here. Isn't that good, Nick (a.k.a. Genesis Knight)? By the way, it is pronounced "Säbb-ä".

[Genesis Knight]

I know, but I still like to say Zee-Bee. (I think Joe's with me on this.) Sorry, but you can't always shake first impressions, Mr. Brax. :D

[GameUser-16-32-128]

Johan! You forgot to add in the Genesis CDX compatibility with the PBC. It works perfectly. I would also like to point out that the Tototek converter doesn't work with the Genesis CDX.

[Alianger]

Back to the roots baby. Nice article!

However.. "not as popular, most popular, kinda popular etc."

I want to hear what you think about them, not that.

Oh and Sonic 1 is the only SMS Sonic that comes close to the MD games imho.

[Gentlegamer]

Whaaaa! Why isn't CHOPLIFTER listed?

[Joe Redifer]

(Please fix it, Melf)
Damn, I wanted to argue. I even took pictures and did scientific research to prove my point and I'm almost 100% certain that the Genesis has more pins.

[kevinski]

You might want to mention that lightguns don't work on LCD and plasma televisions. Some of the site visitors may already know that, but I can almost guarantee you that the general public doesn't.

[Joe Redifer]

Actually it'd be easiest to say that light guns only work on CRT direct view TVs.

[Genesis Knight]

Didn't Evildragon disprove that?

[108 Stars]

I think the SMS version of Sonic 1 is even superior to the MD-version; and Sonic 2 is a completely new and awesome game. Forget crappy Sonic Chaos though. Worst Sonic ever. There were soome other Sonic and Tails games too, and they were all good; just can´t remember their names atm. JUST AVOID SONIC CHAOS!!!
Overall, everyone who loves Sonic must have a SMS or a converter; even if titles are the same, the Sonic-games on the system can be counted as totally different Sonic-games.
And you need SMS and/or Game Gear to get all games of the Illusion-series; Land of Illusion is pretty much the highlight, with Legend of Illusion being a nivce sequel too as I heard.
The one thing Sega should be smacked in the face is how they overcharged for it; manufacturing a huge piece of plastic to make it look like some big hardware, eventhough it is the simplest adaptor in the world.

[GelmiR]

Couldn't agree more, Sonic 1 on the Megadrive is just too easy. I too have grown to like the SMS version of Sonic 1 more. Compared to 1 and 2, Chaos is just aweful, it feels and plays very sloppy, as if it were put together in a day. I like Sonic 1 and 2 for SMS *because* they are different and have some nice features (for example hang-gliding) that the MD versions don't have.

The Illusion series is great, too. My favorite is Land of Illusion, for the levels, gameplay and nice features added (climbing, shrinking potion etc). It's a little bit like and rpg I think. Legend of Illusion is an okay sequel, but it's my least favorite of the bunch. I have the MS Tectoy version of it.

[sonicwatcher6969]

Really? What was the orinal price for the adapter in the UK?

[playgen]

It was £29.99 which is a hell of a lot, you could buy a Master System with Alex Kidd built in then for £59.99, Sega must have been laughing being able to get away with that trick.

[Scooter]

Maze Hunter 3D is a lot of fun but frustrating. Psycho Fox is a hoot for anyone who, like myself, is a fan of Decap Attack on the Genesis.

Does the Master Gear converter play all SMS games? Other than the card games of course.

[playgen]

You can't play any of the light phaser or 3D games on a Master Gear, but other than those obvious exceptions everything else works. Although games with lots of text in, RPG's, will suffer from the lower number of pixels and the sms screen size being scaled down to fit that.

[ZJT]

Nice article, but you forgot the Datel Pro Mega Master ... MD1 & MD2 compatible, with a pause button and comes in one of those crappy Datel boxes (anyone who has a Datel Action Replay for MD, or a Pro CDX will know exactly what I mean!)

[Alianger]

Sonic Chaos was good fun while it lasted, Labyrinth for GG is the real stinker of the 8-bit sonics. Sonic 2 isn't so far behind though with its sloppy level design and cheap gimmicks..

[Zebbe]

Johan! You forgot to add in the Genesis CDX compatibility with the PBC. It works perfectly. I would also like to point out that the Tototek converter doesn't work with the Genesis CDX.

Good points there.


However.. "not as popular, most popular, kinda popular etc."

I want to hear what you think about them, not that.

I mixed my opinion with the general one this time, because if someone buys the converter I think they want the safe purchases first.


You might want to mention that lightguns don't work on LCD and plasma televisions. Some of the site visitors may already know that, but I can almost guarantee you that the general public doesn't.

Another good point. And I'm changing to a giant LCD TV now that I'm gonna move, crap! :(


Nice article, but you forgot the Datel Pro Mega Master ... MD1 & MD2 compatible, with a pause button and comes in one of those crappy Datel boxes (anyone who has a Datel Action Replay for MD, or a Pro CDX will know exactly what I mean!)

I actually didn't know of it, even after a lot of research, so thanks for telling me about it. I will include it (and the other things mentioned above) in a possible update later.

Thanks for the feedback everyone, even though you are all wrong about Sonic Chaos. ;)

[ooXxXoo]

I can't believe that no one has mentioned the original Sega Master Converter II Model MK-1621-50, specially, living in European soil....Designed to fit the Genesis 2/MD 2 system and only realeased in Europe....

I guess,I was the only SMS fan in America..:(

http://usera.imagecave.com/capcom2000/HPIM4291.JPG

And BTW, thanks Sega for making me go trough all of that trouble to finally find one!

[Alianger]

I mixed my opinion with the general one this time, because if someone buys the converter I think they want the safe purchases first.


Made it sound like you hadn't played or didn't care for the games.

[Zebbe]

I've played them all and care for the games. I really do.

[GelmiR]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, even though you are all wrong about Sonic Chaos. ;)

You're not in the majority :p
Though now I do feel like playing all three of them again. But everytime I play Chaos, it just feels empty compared to the others. The sprites look nice, but the levels look really dissapointing to me. It feels as if it were thrown together in as much time you need to finish it. Sonic 1 and 2 are a bit of a challenge, while you can play through Chaos with practicly your eyes closed.

[Grimspoon]

Great article! I remember seeing someone with a massive pile of accessories attatched to their genesis and wanting to re-create it. I couldn't find that picture but I found this instead:

http://disp0sable.org/allniterz/LWG/segapile.jpg

It's a thumbnail I tried to enlarge and clear up. Got it off google image search, which lead to a dead website.

Can anyone identify everything in that pile?

From the ground up:
Sega CD v.2
Sega Genesis v.2
Sega 32x
Power Base Converter (original)
???

[Joe Redifer]

After that it is a Genesis cartridge cleaner which doesn't have anything electrical in it, then a Game Weenie, two Sonic & Knuckles carts and Sonic 3.

[Grimspoon]

Thanks for the response Joe.

I've never seen a cartridge cleaner for Genesis, so I guess that pile won't actually work/play anything with the cleaner in there, right?

Any idea if the PBC will fit into the 32X without modifications (or even work properly if it does fit)?

[Joe Redifer]

It fits but you can't hook up the wiring/video cables for the 32X because the back of the PBC gets in the way. If you take the PBC apart (removing the plastic) and attach it that way, it still does not work because there is something about the 32X that does not allow the Z80 to be the main CPU while it is attached. Something in the 32X makes the Genesis always start in 68000 mode. It must have a bit of 68000 code that runs every time the power is switched on. It makes me sad. Apparently there is no known way around this other than removing the 32x.

[esb09]

Would it have been that difficult for Sega just to make the Genny carts the same size as the MS carts and have backwards compatibility build right in?

[Grimspoon]

Very good info, thanks for clearing that up!

[Kogen]

I see a fault in your article. You have Sonic Chaos as "easy to find". I can not find the Master System version of that anywhere. The only time I see it is on eBay for retarded prices, and the shipping more expensive than the game because people can not calculate shipping right(or it is in Austrailia).

[playgen]

I see a fault in your article. You have Sonic Chaos as "easy to find". I can not find the Master System version of that anywhere. The only time I see it is on eBay for retarded prices, and the shipping more expensive than the game because people can not calculate shipping right(or it is in Austrailia).

Its a very easy game to find in Europe, £5 or £6 will you get you a copy sent by Airmail no problem.

[Kogen]

Well I tend to have difficulty finding it online, anyway. It is not as common as something like Sonic 1 or 2.

[playgen]

Well its not quite as common as those, as they are two of the most common games for SMS. Infact Sonic 2 was the best selling game for the console if memory serves correctly. But its still very very easy to find, theres dozens of copies on ebay right now, as there always is. A tip for ebay searching, don't just search from ebay.com, use european sites too, ebay.co.uk, ebay.fr. While not many will have worldwide postage listed, just ask for airmail to the US, which will be about £3.

[Zebbe]

I see a fault in your article. You have Sonic Chaos as "easy to find". I can not find the Master System version of that anywhere. The only time I see it is on eBay for retarded prices, and the shipping more expensive than the game because people can not calculate shipping right(or it is in Austrailia).

I found this within a minute, and the price isn't "retarded":

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sonic-Chaos-Boxed-Instructions-Sega-Master-System_W0QQitemZ110256719018QQihZ001QQcategoryZ112 770QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZ p1638Q2em122

If the game is dirtcheap I don't see any reason to dismiss it because the shipping is more expensive than the game itself. It is not like a cheap price makes the shipping more expensive.

[16-bit]

Has anyone here bought a Tototek Master System converter? It looks pretty interesting, but I'd like to know what other people who actually own one think.

[ZJT]

Pretty pointless for me, since I have a Multimega and apparently it isn't compatible with that. Not sure why that would be, since as far as I was aware the Megadrive part of the Multimega is just a compacted Megadrive 2 - but I guess there must be some difference.

[rob.ocelot]

ZJT, it should work fine on the MultiMega. I've had it working on the it's NTSC cousin the CD-X.

There's one other Power Base Converter variant not mentioned in the article: The Mega Adaptor.

The Mega Adaptor is the Japanese cousin of the PBC1, with a Mark III slot. Unconfirmed, but possible is that it will play Mode 1-3 games like the SG-1000 and SC-3000. Rare as heck though.

[ApolloBoy]

Unconfirmed, but possible is that it will play Mode 1-3 games like the SG-1000 and SC-3000. Rare as heck though.

It doesn't, since the Mega Drive VDP lacks those video modes. In fact, that's the reason why F-16 Fighting Falcon doesn't work on a PBC.

[Jesse813]

I saw a few PBCs on amazon for good prices 29$-35$. I was wonderong though if the Pause Button has a tendency to get stuck, cause the reset button on my Model is always stuck. thats the only I like better bout my Model 2 is that the pause button never gets stuck. not that it matter since really since I just got a Master System.

[highlandcattle]

I just use a regio converter cartridge between my MD2 and PBC1; So i can use them together without modification.

[tbb033]

Would it have been that difficult for Sega just to make the Genny carts the same size as the MS carts and have backwards compatibility build right in?

Not at all (see atari's 7800 that plays 2600 games without adapters) but then they wouldn't've been able to sell the adapters! $$$


You can't play any of the light phaser or 3D games on a Master Gear, but other than those obvious exceptions everything else works. Although games with lots of text in, RPG's, will suffer from the lower number of pixels and the sms screen size being scaled down to fit that.

4 MEGA games (Phantasy Star anyway, were there any others?) have some minor graphical glitches at times on a GameGear w/ MasterGear, but it's completely playable (so long as you can read tiny text!) Those glitches don't show up on a Genesis + PBC, so it's some minor difference native to the GG, I suppose.

[Jared]

Does the Master System Converter II work on an american genesis 2?

[Zebbe]

Yes.