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Will The SEGA 32X Damage Genesis Games?

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The Sega 32X was created to attach to the top of the Sega Genesis, and convert the game system into the 32 bit era.This add-on is also known as `Project Mars”. The addon was called Super 32X in Japan, Genesis 32X in North America, Mega Drive 32X in the PAL region, and Mega 32X in Brazil. 

So does the Sega 32X cause damage to Genesis games? Actually the answer is pretty simple. While the Sega 32X makes the Sega Genesis a 32 bit console, it doesn’t do any damage to the Sega games themselves. 

Whether you have a Sega 32X and you think it has damaged one or more of your games, or maybe you just want to be sure that your new add-on is not going to affect any of your games, you are going to want to keep reading. In this article we will explain all about the 32X as well as the Sega Genesis, and what you need to know when connecting the two. 

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Sega Genesis Mini - Genesis

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Enjoy these classic Sega Genesis games without having to purchase a single game cartridge!

History of the Sega 32X

The Sega 32X actually has quite a back story. We could go into great detail and tell you that story but this video below does an awesome job so why not just watch it instead?

How did Sega get started?

Sega was founded by Martin Bromley in 1960. It is easy to say that SEGA Games are in the hearts of many gamers. With a solid start in coin-operated arcade games, SEGA was way ahead in the gaming industry.

Today, Sega has created many games that range from retro to more modern games. Sega games are one of the main games that have blazed a path and have reached success. 

The company has grown substantially and has expanded from their base of operations in Japan to worldwide. However, they have still maintained their roots as their headquarters still remain in Shinagawa, Tokyo.

Sega is known for its great and immersive games and their gaming consoles. They have released globally-acclaimed games such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker, Phantasy Star Online and so much more! 

To play these games, SEGA has also created consoles for over 26 years! They can simply be plugged into your TV so that you can play in the comfort of your own home. These consoles are:

  • SG-1000
  • Master System
  • Genesis (Mega Drive)
  • Game Gear
  • Sega CD (Mega CD)
  • Sega Pico
  • 32X
  • Sega Saturn
  • Dreamcast
  • Advanced Pico Beena

Even today gamers use these consoles to play their beloved games,no matter if they are retro or modern. 

Have you ever wanted to play a computer game but on the tv? How about if you owned an x box but wanted to play a playstation game?  Under normal circumstances, this would never work! However, this is not the case with the SEGA 32X and Genesis games.

If you have any older Sega Genesis games that you want to play, but want them to work on the 32x, you are in luck! The 32X was specifically designed to play games and 

Can The SEGA 32X Damage Genesis Games?

As stated before, the SEGA 32X does not damage your Genesis games. In fact, the SEGA 32X was manufactured to be an “add-on” for the Genesis, and it also provided its own exclusive library to gamers. 

The SEGA 32X boats a faster and stronger processing power so that, in that era, it would take gaming to a whole new level. With its more processing power, it could easily support the 32-bit versions of the 16-bit Genesis games.

What is the Genesis console?

The Sega Genesis is also known as the Mega Drive. It  is a 16-bit gaming console manufactured by Sega. This was their third console and unlike its predecessor, TurboGrafx-16, the Genesis was a 16-bit gaming console entirely. After the release of the Genesis in Japan, it did not fare too well in sales. This was because the Japanese market was dominated by Sega’s rival, Famicom.

In the beginning Sega struggled a bit, however, after a shift in management Sega started to experience some growth in sales.

Despite all of this, they were still not able to pass Nintendo in the American market. Well, until the appearance of the blue hedgehog.Sonic the Hedgehog was everything that the American market needed. 

It was extremely fast-paced and fun which created an exhilarating experience. However, Nintendo did not sit idly by. They were prepared with a counterattack of their own.This counterstrike by Nintendo was the release of the Super Nintendo!. The Sonic the Hedgehog games did an excellent job in securing the American market for Sega, but with the Super Nintendo release shortly after, it was short lived.

The heads of Sega in America aimed to regain their lead in the market, by pulling a new tactic. Instead of selling the “Altered Beast” game with each console, they chose to sell the Sonic the Hedgehog instead. They also cut the price of the console by $10. Because of this, Sega was able to topple Nintendo off their pedestal, and gain 60% of the 16-bit console market, while Nintendo dropped to 37%.

What is Sega 32X?

The SEGA 32X is a cartridge-based accessory for the Sega Genesis console. At the creation of the 32X add-on, Sega was enjoying a period of income and great sales! They had just surpassed their rivals as the leading manufacturer of games and gaming consoles due to the success of the Genesis console. After that, Sega was looking to advance the technology of gaming further, with the movement to the 32-bit gaming experience. 

To accomplish this, Sega decided to create two new consoles that focus on 32-bit gaming technology. The first was called Saturn, and the second was called Jupiter. 

While the Jupiter console was cartridge-based, the Saturn console made use of the CD-Rom, which made it cheaper and more cost-effective. The Saturn console was seen as a more suitable option for the company to keep for this reason.

So instead of leaving the Jupiter system entirely, Sega chose to use the technology behind the system to create a 32-bit system for the Genesis gaming system. The 32X’s original name was Mars, but Sega decided to change its name to the 32X.

When the add-on was released in the USA, the demand was so high that Sega could not keep up even though they started with over 600,00 consoles! How the 32X worked was that when it was plugged into the Genesis console, the VDP (video digital processor) chip improved the Genesis’ graphics. It also provided texture mapping and an increased palette of over 32,000 colors. Although the best part of the whole thing was that the 32X also allowed gamers to play using a CD-Rom. If you are interested in your very own 32X, you can purchase one here.

Top Sega Genesis games

There are many games that are associated with the Genesis console, although according to research (I mean hundreds of hours playing)  these are the top games that you should consider playing!

  • Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994)
  • Shining Force II (1994)
  • Streets of Rage 2 (1993)
  • Vectorman (1995)
  • Phantasy Star IV (1994)
  • Monster World IV (1994)

If you are looking for games that are originally for the Genesis, and not the 32x here are the top 10 games that are not CD-Rom or available on other 32 bit systems. 

Conclusion

Sega has been around for many years producing memorable games and game-changing consoles. The company has always prioritized making new changes in the market, and at times, this has worked well for them. These changes include the Sega 32X and Genesis. Because of the coding and developers over at Sega never gave up, these consoles and games have become a part of our lives. 

The Sega 32X was created to be an add-on for the Genesis, and even though there was some concern that the 32X could damage some games, we now know that that is not true. Thankfully we are safe to continue to play and enjoy our games in 16 and 32 bit with one machine! .