A week jam-packed full of exciting Sega announcements has culminated in the latest news of an SG-1000 Mini from the gaming giants themselves.
2021 is shaping up to be a spectacular year so far for Sega fans, that’s for sure!
The hype surrounding the Sonic 30th Anniversary celebrations is beginning to spread like wildfire, especially now that Sega have dropped some serious hints about a brand new Sonic game heading our way as part of the festivities.
But two items of business that Sega has touched upon in a recent interview have the Retro Dodo team feeling like those kids visiting Wonka’s Chocolate factory clutching their golden tickets…
… Sega has actually mentioned two new mini classic consoles in an interview online!
Touching upon the subject with Famitsu, a spokespoerson for the company said that they would be looking into the prospect of the Dreamcast Mini and the SG-1000 Mini.
That’s a massive bombshell that has us hoping time will pass by faster than Sonic nipping through a drive-thru Starbucks queue.
The SG-1000 is, without a doubt, a classic console with some groundbreaking games that contributed to the arcade-gaming era.
But how would a mini version of this golden-age console work.
Here’s everything we know and are hoping for, including a few extra ideas for Sega to take on board along the way.
Table of Contents
What Can We Expect From A
Sega SG-1000 Mini Classic Console?
A Brief Introduction To The Sega SG-1000
For those of you that have no idea why we’re so excited about the prospect of the SG-1000 Mini, then let me give you a brief introduction.
You might think that Sega kickstarted their career with the best Master System games, but it was the SG-1000 that first brought the company into the home console market.
Released in 1983, this is the console that launched Sega’s home video game career and brought them out of the arcades and into people’s living rooms.
It was released on the same day as the Nintendo Family Computer in Japan and went on to have three evolutions; the SC-3000, the SG-1000 II, and the Sega Mark III.
Which Version Will Sega Use For The SG-1000 Mini
If Sega is going to go down the same route as the other best mini consoles on the market, then they’ll surely stick with the first-gen model of the SG-1000.
It’s a classic shape and style and, seeing as though it’s the console that helped to make them a household name, it deserves to have a place in the limelight once more.
Not only that, but I think gamers would like to have that original arcade joystick to relive the feeling of slotting in those quarters and playing their favourite games.
The Games
We’ve covered the best Sega Genesis Games and all the titles included with the Sega Mega Drive Mini, but we’ve yet to touch on the best Sega SG-1000 games.
Still, with only 42 game cartridges and 29 Sega My Card games that required an additional attachment, there aren’t that many to choose from.
Heck, Sega could make the first mini console with all of the available games included in one package.
That’s a great idea for anyone looking to get their hands on a piece of gaming history without having to shell out tonnes of money on second-hand sites tracking every single game down.
Flicky, Congo Bonga, and Sega-Galaga were all classics, and a Sega SG-1000 Mini wold help to keep them alive in the hands of the younger generation for years to come.
A New Sega SG-1000 Controller
The original SG-1000 shipped with an arcade-style joystick controller, but the updated SG-1000 II also came complete with a port to plug a control pad into.
Will we see options for both of these controllers on the new SG-1000 Mini?
We’re hoping for both so that new gamers can get the ultimate retro package, but we’re also hoping that they will get the modern 2.4Ghz wireless touch so that we can all game in comfort with our feet up.
Exciting Peripherals
I’ve already mentioned the ‘My Card’ reader used for some of the games, but with Sonic’s 30th Anniversary coming up, Sega really has a chance to blow us out of the water with the revival of some great peripherals.
Bringing back the likes of the Bike Handle used for ‘Hang On’ or the HyperShot button-mash controller used for ‘Hyper Sports’ would create nostalgic vibes like no other classic console remake has managed yet!
I would pay good money for an SG-1000 Mini that came with a whole horde of accessories to spice things up a little bit.
WiFi Conectivity
I might be pushing the boat out a little on this one, but it’s something that a lot of people want in their modern-day consoles.
Ok, there aren’t going to be many updates or any downloadable SG-1000 content to grab from the web, but having WiFi connectivity might help promote Sega’s new online game streaming service.
I can’t see them making every single mini console, so having access to the Master System collection or the best Sega CD games might be a nice touch to bring prospective new Sega gamers into the fold.
Just a thought!
HD Resolution
I’m not suggesting that Sega are going to remake Garden Girl into some sort of Harvest Moon-style epic adventure, but the SG-1000 Mini is going to need to work with modern HD TVs.
Sega is going to have to put an HDMI cable onto this mini console and figure out how to make these old games not make our eyes bleed when we stick them up on a 55″ TV.
Perhaps Sonic can have a chat with Mario the next time they get together to plan the next Olympic Games.
How Much Will The SG-1000 Mini Cost?
The Sega Genesis Mini costs around $80/£60 and comes with 42 games. The cost of an SG-1000 Mini will really depend on how many peripherals it might come with and the number of games preinstalled.
Let’s be honest; those games won’t take up much space on the consoles internal memory. So, let’s say they include all 71 titles and bang in a normal controller.
I think an RRP of $100/£77 wouldn’t be asking too much considering the play value that you would get out of it.
Sega SG-1000 Mini Release Date
With the way Sega are dropping hints, we think that the SG-1000 Mini could well fall into our laps around the time that Sonic hits the big 35.
That would give us a projected release date of June 2021.
It’s not that far away, and If Sega are talking about their next mini console release now in October 2020, then we’re confident that either the SG-1000 Mini or the Dreamcast Mini will be just around the corner.
One thing is for certain; Sega will be talking about the future of these consoles now that they’ve made the ideas public.
Only time will tell which one is going to drop first.
Better flip a coin…heads or tails?
… No, not you Miles… look I know i said ‘Tails’… oh forget it!
