Minigen Video Entertainment System(NO GAMES INCLUDED) Compatible with Sega Genesis & Mega Drive Games Games

So, I’ve recently been feeling nostalgic for the days of video gaming past. When games were, by today’s technical standards anyway, simple but no less enjoyable. The Sega Genesis, in the late 80s/early-mid 90s, was a shining example of that and I wanted to get back into it.

At first I thought of going with a Retron unit, but I’ve had bad luck with those in the past and decided against it. I then went ahead and ordered some original Genesis hardware from a site called DKOldies.com. Great prices and all but the system I ordered (Genesis 3) arrived heavily scratched, missing one of the covers on the cartridge slot, and the piece of crap controller they included stopped working after less than an hour of gameplay. No joke. Fortunately, the company made the return process very simple.

Perusing Amazon for something comparable, I stumbled upon the Minigen. I was hesitant to give it a try because I’d never heard of Gamerz Tek before, and I figured it’d be a piece of crap like the Retrons I’ve had. But for $30 including two six-button controllers, it was worth a shot.

Well, color me surprised, because this is easily the best clone system I’ve ever used. I wasn’t expecting much at all, but my expectations were surpassed. The controllers are very well-made and responsive. Better than anything a Retron or AtGames system includes, for sure. I’d price the controllers alone at about $20 for the pair. They aren’t quite as heavy as the original Genesis units, but they’re more than sufficient.

The name “Minigen?” Fits perfectly. This thing is actually smaller than the Genesis 3. It fits comfortably atop my Sony Blu-ray player with room to spare. See the included photo for reference.

Above all else, the gameplay is smooth and flawless. Sure, it’s not HDMI output, but for $30 that shouldn’t be expected. The standard AV cable does the job just fine for games that are 20+ years old. It’s my understanding that the system won’t play Genesis games with certain “special” chips, i.e. Virtua Racing and Gargoyles, but I don’t recall there even being too many titles like that anyway. You can always get an original Genesis 1 or 2 on the cheap if you really want to play those. I’ve tried the Minigen with each of the following games and they have all worked perfectly: Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 3, Streets of Rage, Maximum Carnage, Street Fighter II Special Champion Edition, Columns, Golden Axe, Revenge of Shinobi, Super Hang-On, Road Rash II, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, X-Men, and Disney’s World of Illusion. Flawless, all of them.

My only criticism: the grip on the cartridges in the slot is *very* tight. Like, visegrips-tight. The trick to getting a game out is to pull up from the left or right side of the cartridge, as opposed to straight up from the middle.

But aside from that lone flaw, this was $30 well spent and I can’t recommend it enough. Well-done, Gamerz Tek.

While at first I was wondering if this new system could possibly play a cartridge with 198 games on it, or even play on Sega games, now I discovered it can. And it came in pretty good timing. I was off and able to check it out. Light weight machine and very portable. I have a few other Sega games I wish to try on it and I believe it should work out just as good. I’m surprised these aren’t already sold out, but very glad they are not. I recommend this to anyone like me, who once had a Sega Genesis but played it out or lost it. This is a very inexpensive way to get back to your old favorites from the past. Perfect for all ages. Thanks again Amazon for having everything !

Perfect mini replica of the original Sega Genesis.
I really like the six button controllers it came with, they’re sturdy, and the plugs fit tightly for a secure connection.
Compact design makes it easy to fit in any entertainment center situation.

Bought this for my 6 year old daughter who loves sonic. Remotes don’t work – only played it a few times and will not allow you to move forward on one remote and won’t allow you to move backward on another !

Very disappointed- we bought a while back, played a few times and remote started acting delayed, unresponsive so we put it away. We just recently pulled it out again to use it and the remotes don’t respond to front and back therefore the entire game system is useless. Not sure if it’s the remotes or the system where you plug it in.