Sega Import Compatibility (Collaboration) It's gonna be SIC!!!1!!!!11!!! OH: I'd like to get all the information regarding playing "imports" (IE games from a different region than intended on any given console) on all of Sega's retail systems. I'm looking for intricate details, of course. It'd be nice to have all the information in one place (I'll probably drop a vid on YT after done, with proper props given ). I don't know very much about the european mods/regions and how they interact with US and JP so I need that information most of all. Correct me, correct one-another. To start off a list... Master System (etc): Cart slot restricts JP games from being inserted into US/EU systems. JP Sega Cards don't work in US/EU systems (data difference?). (confirm US/EU -> JP?) Some PAL games will not work on NTSC due to a reliability on screen resolution, some games will not work with Gen/MD controller. Perhaps some issues with imports and 3D goggles/light gun? Game Gear: No region protection. Language can differ (similar to Gen/MD). Gen/MD(/etc): Cart slot restricts JP games from being inserted into US/EU systems. Language (depends on game) determined by Jumper settings - EN/JP selection. Motherboard is set to 50 or 60hz to differentiate between US and EU markets, can be switched as well. Some (many?) games ignore region. Game may be written with a video format in mind (PAL/NTSC) and may or may not boot/crash, despite lack of lockout. Checking done by game software (cart) against hardware (system). any variations in 'special' models, like the X'EYE/Wondermega/Multi-Mega/CDX/Mega Jet?? SCD/MCD: Region determined by BIOS (?) - bios needs to be changed or modified (multibios) 32x: Region determined by jumpers. 32x hardware must be region-matched to parent hardware. Checking done by game software (cart) against hardware (system). Saturn: Region determined by Jumper settings - EN/JP selection and 50/60hz selection Discs contain region flags. Mod chips will not circumvent region protection, though will allow home-burned discs to be played, whose ISO files can be patched for any particular region. DC: Region determined by BIOS/Flash contents. Can be "permanently" changed/rewritten with modification. Discs contain region flags. MIL-CD-based media - region is still checked, though all region flags can be (and for the pirate/homebrew scene, always are) marked, making it possible for these discs to be virtually region-free. Mod chips will circumvent region protection.
The Master System has no region protection - other than the fact that Japanese and Korean carts are a different shape and won't fit in to export (European and American) systems (and vice-versa, although Bock created an adapter to allow export carts to play on a Japanese/Korean system). Japanese card games won't play on export machines due to the software missing some data (header?) - I think export cards work fine any any system, though. There are some PAL games which don't run on NTSC systems; such as Micro Machines, but that's due to the game relying on resolution of 320x224, etc. There's a full list of this sort of thing over on sega8bit - along with SMS games which don't work with Mega Drive controllers, if you really care. As far as I know, the Game Gear has no region protection at all. I've tried a Japanese, US and European carts on my European system and they all seemed to work fine. Could be wrong, though.
Infos added, thanks! If you can find the mentioned comatibility list/article... I can't! Then again it's 3 in the morning and I need to get to bed. Also, on my machine the Master System section's font seems to be size 3 on the post but is still size 2 in the edit box. Setting it to size 1 makes it obviously too small. What gives?
There are a couple Brazilian and/or larger megabit games (VF The Animation) that only work on an SMS2 or even a Brazilian model console - can't remember the details here. SMSPower.org or Rupert's wonderful site segacollect.com are both great resources.
Ah yes, I forgot to mention those. However, I was lead to believe that the problem with these is more to do with the version of the VDP. That is; they work on some of the later models of the Mk I SMSes as well as SMS IIs - but fail on early releases of the system (which apparently had a slightly different revision of the graphics chip). I could be wrong on that... Never come across any Tec Toy releases which don't work on a PAL SMS II, though - having said that, I don't own all of the exclusives.
MD and all compatibles have nothing but the region jumpers, and some physical incompatibilites (the cartslot). If a game works when region/Hz is changed depends on how game is written. Pulseman will crash in 50Hz in some point, and shows garbage on lower part of the screen which is not visible in 60Hz (the game enables 240 line mode but makes no use of it). Region for CD games is determined by the BIOS and boot code on the CD. All BIOSes are functionally identical, though they have different appearance in cases of more exotic hardware (Wondermega, X'eye for example).
So there's no such thing as lockouts? I seem to remember my friend in Germany couldn't play a random US football game (Gen), telling him it wasn't made for his region. Is that still just programming?
The game itself is checking if the machine is set to the region it would like to be on in case of carts.
Misc comments: (might be interesting) Game Gear have region settings on the ASIC pins which are used as language switch by some games. There's no region restrictions (that I know of) though. 32X video region is determined through jumpers, just like the MD/Genesis. mismatched systems will not play. Checking is done by the game program in the cartridge (just like the MD/Genesis games) Mega-CD/SEGA-CD region is defined by the bios, through the checking of a "security program" on the first sector of the disc. One can get around that easily by editing the security program. After it's checked, the bios show the "CD-ROM" button and then then security program is executed, showing the SEGA logo (with the Sonic image on EXPORT versions) then executing the game. Saturn region is defined (on disc) through region flags on the first sector of the disc. Some HK silvers have their boot sector patched for "region free" play.... That's done through the addition of all possible region flags on the boot sector. Dreamcast region is determined by bios only on REV1 (heatpipe) units of the JPN region. REV1 units released in the US have a new bios which moved the region setting to the FLASHROM. There's no REV1 units (heatpipe) sold on the EU market. All REV2 or higher units have region setting determined by flash, regardless of region. All Dreamcast revisions have video system settings stored on the flash. The russian region changer disc is the proof of that stuff. Settings are stored on the "boot block" region of the flash thus unchangeable unless 12v is applied to the "reset" pin of the flashrom. Dreamcast discs also have the same mechanism of region flags that debuted on the Saturn. MIL-CD based botlegs have all region flags so they play on all systems.
If you re-read what I wrote regarding the DC region protection, region *is* checked on MIL-CDs just like with GDs. It's just that game pirates and homebrewers put all region flags on their IPL headers.
