Picked up a Model 1 Genesis (the early model with the "HIGH DEFINITION GRAPHICS" logo on it)for first time in over 10 years today for 10$ at a local thrift shop and was just curious do you have to mod it to play imports(the swtich mod?) Or can you just put the cart in? I swear I vaguely remember having the MD version of Batman as a kid that worked fine on my friend's model 1. Not sure though, any info would be nice. (i have googled it, but couldn't really find concrete info)
The earlier Mega Drive games (PAL & JPN) will all work fine on your console but the later titles such as Thunder force 4, Gunstar Heroes, Bare Knuckle 3 and so on all have region protection in the carts. You'll need to mod or buy a converter for those games. Yakumo
Oh, and don't forget that Japanese game cartridges are a different shape than US ones so they won't fit in to your Genesis unless you file down the taps on the cartridge port. Yakumo
You will have to cut the tabs on the machine or use a pass through cartridge as the cartridges won't fit into the console.
i recommend getting a game genie that way you dont have to damage your un-common HD genesis they are $5 or less and have the benefit of some codes to get around region lock in games like street fighter
Well I don't plan on getting rid of this thing for a very very long time. And i've already disassembled it to clean it out , so I'll probably end up doing the switch mod when I get region protected games. I've never really been a fan of having a huge cartridge on another cartridge sticking out of my systems. (Though when I was a kid, I thought the game genie was cool, so I always had it in >_>) I dunno, I may or not. But most likely i'll end up doing a switch mod eventually
It's very very easy to do, takes no more than a few minutes at best and is totally worth it, although I guess you don't have to worry about 50/60hz. The alternative to filing down the cart slot is to open the carts themselves and sit the board straight in, or play with the lid off. Neither of them recommended but always an option.
at the same time if your creative you could also run wires through the same hole to hook up a replacement fuse for that fuse that commonly blows causing issues
Oh ok yeah, I always just assumed that hole was for the sega CD to attach to along with the expansion bay. It has a little nut inbetween the shell and the motherboard, with that removed it'd be easier to fit a switch in there.
