What does 32X stand for?

The x on 32x means that, theoretically, this drive is 32 times faster than the original CD-ROM drive.

How does 32X work?

The 32X is an add-on for the Sega Genesis video game console. Codenamed "Project Mars", it was designed to expand the power of the Genesis and serve as a transitional console into the 32-bit era until the release of the Sega Saturn. The 32X uses its own ROM cartridges and has its own library of games.

Why did the 32X fail?

Released in November 1994, a little less than a month after the release of the Sega Saturn in Japan and a little less than a year from the Saturn's American launch, the 32X was destined for failure. As a result of the timing, the lack of quality games, and an awkward rollout, the 32X died on the vine.

How many games were made for the 32X?

Independent of the Genesis, the 32X used its own ROM cartridges and had its own library of games. A total of 40 titles were produced worldwide, including six that required both the 32X and Sega CD add-ons, and ten that were released only in North America.

Does 32X improve Genesis games?

Depending on your Genesis model, the 32X is either a moderately more solid picture or a tremendously better picture. If you, like me, hook your Genesis up alone using Composite and see colors fading in and out in vertical columns all the way across the screen, the 32X will fix that.

Wondermega 32X Compatibility - Does it work?

How many colors can the 32X display?

The Sega 32X had a 15-bit RGB palette (32768 colors), with all colors available for display.

What is Mega Drive 32X?

The 32X is a video game console and add-on for the Mega Drive/Genesis, developed by Sega in 1994. In Japan, it was distributed under the name Sega Super 32X. In North America, its name was the Sega Genesis 32X. In Europe, Australia, and other countries that use PAL, it was called the Sega Mega Drive 32X.

Does Mega SD Play 32X games?

32X games can also be loaded via the Mega SD, but you'll need the 32X module itself in order to do so – and, like with the Master System, there's no support for in-game save states.

What was the first 32-bit console?

The Sega Saturn was Sega's entry into the stand-alone 32-bit console market. It was released in Japan simultaneously with the 32X in November 1994, although it wouldn't have a North American release until six months later.

What killed the Dreamcast?

Dreamcast sales did not meet Sega's expectations after several price cuts, and the company suffered significant financial losses. After a change in leadership, Sega discontinued the Dreamcast on March 31, 2001, withdrew from the console business, and restructured itself as a third-party developer.

How much did the 32X sell?

350,000 consoles were shipped in North America in the first three weeks (200,000 of which were sold, half of which during the Thanksgiving weekend alone), with the number rising to 300,000 just before Christmas and 600,000 by the end of 1994.

Why are Dreamcast games still being made?

In fact, although Dreamcast was officially discontinued in January 2001, Sega continued to produce the console for a short time afterward due to rising demand in Japan, especially among collectors and hardcore fans.

What problems did the Sega 32X have?

Unfortunately, over the years the 32X hasn't garnered the greatest reputation, particularly in regards to its reliability. It's not uncommon to hear end user reports of black screen issues, inconsistent video, noisy sound output and wavy video, to name a few problems.

What is the difference between Sega CD and Sega CD 32X games?

The Sega CD version uses between 40-50 colors onscreen for the entire game. The 32X version runs at around 300 colors onscreen. Not the best looking 32X CD game, that's for sure. The video is much larger and the Sega CD version puts between 30-40 colors onscreen at a time.

How many polygons does a Sega 32X have?

In terms of 3D polygon performance, the 32X is theoretically capable of rendering up to 160,000 flat-shaded polygons/sec and 50,000 textured polygons/sec, if its CPUs are dedicated exclusively to processing and rendering 3D graphics.

Are there any good Sega 32X games?

NBA Jam is going to be one of the best games on any platform that hosts it. The 32X (especially with its limited library) is of course going to highlight the arcade style basketball action. This two on two hoops game is easily the best sports title for the platform.

Is Sega CD 32 bit?

The main CPU of the Sega CD is a 12.5MHz 16-bit Motorola 68000 processor, which runs 5 MHz faster than the Genesis processor. It contains 1 Mbit of boot ROM, allocated for the CD game BIOS, CD player software, and compatibility with CD+G discs.

Is the 32X region locked?

A 32X is a region locked console add-on that will only work with a Mega Drive of the same region. Because of this it is necessary to region mod both the 32X and Mega Drive for full compatibility with games and to also play them in 60Hz.

Is Sega Mega Drive classics worth it?

There's easily tens of hours worth of content here. It's not the best bundle of classics on Xbox One, that honor sits with Rare Replay, but SEGA Mega Drive Classics isn't far off from top spot. The gameplay for each title suits the Xbox One controller, with each game responding and performing well for the most part.

What do you need to hook up a Sega 32X?

How many bits is a Mega Drive?

The Sega Genesis, known as the Mega Drive outside North America, is a 16-bit fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega.

Which Sega Mega Drive model is best?

Generally most people recommend the early model 1s. There are good versions of the model 2, but they can be really hit and miss.

What's the difference between Mega Drive 1 and 2?

Mega Drive 1 is all around better quality than the second one. Better video/sound encoder, better PCB design, etc. RGB SCART will look better and work easier on an MD1 than an MD2. Model 2s are newer marginally and use slightly newer capacitors, and that is the only reason I could think it would last longer.

What resolution is the Sega 32X?

16bpp "run length" mode: 256 simultaneous colors on screen; each pixel is both a number of pixels to display and the index of CRAM (limits screen size) 16bpp "direct color" mode: 32,768 simultaneous colors on screen; each pixel is the color value (limits screen size)