500x_sgucGizmodo reports that Sega is about to release a free iPhone emulator called Ultimate Genesis which will offer SEGA Genesis games to purchase via downloadable content (DLC).

The free app will include Space Harrier II and offer the following titles as additional purchases.

  • Sonic the Hedgehog: $5.99
  • Golden Axe: $4.99
  • Ecco the Dolphin: $2.99
  • Shining Force: $2.99

The move seems like an obvious one, but has been made possible due to some changes in Apple's rules. The new app is supposed to appear in the App Store sometime today.

Update: It appears this emulator isn't coming out until February.



  • Mac

    eh still waiting for Sega to bring something really good to the ipod iphone.

  • Huon

    Those prices seem kinda steep? $6 for an emulated version of sonic? And that is gonna become $7 or $8 in Australia

  • Mac

    eh still waiting for Sega to bring something really good to the ipod iphone.

  • Huon

    Those prices seem kinda steep? $6 for an emulated version of sonic? And that is gonna become $7 or $8 in Australia

  • munkee

    Release the goddamn Sonic CD!! I want a perfectly smooth 60fps game, not stuttery Sonic!

    • Yent

      Err, Sonic CD never ran at 60 fps.

  • munkee

    Release the goddamn Sonic CD!! I want a perfectly smooth 60fps game, not stuttery Sonic!

    • Yent

      Err, Sonic CD never ran at 60 fps.

  • Passing Breeze

    Outrun, outrun, outrun, OUTRUN?

    • http://twitter.com/sulcalibur Sulcalibur

      Yeah! Outrun is done right would be awesome. Especially it they upped the graphics like they did in that new version.

  • Passing Breeze

    Outrun, outrun, outrun, OUTRUN?

    • http://twitter.com/sulcalibur Sulcalibur

      Yeah! Outrun is done right would be awesome. Especially it they upped the graphics like they did in that new version.

  • Mister Mumbles

    Shining Force is definitely the best of the bunch there.

    • ponagathos

      Agreed. This kind of casual game is perfect for the Iphone. I hope they come out with more of the series.

      • John smith

        How is Shining Force casual? Anyway, at that price it's and insta-buy for me.

      • 1423

        Well, in comparison to other turn base strategies, it is by far very lenient and easy. When your team members die, you can go to town and heal them. If you, the main character die, you lose a little gold. Compare that to Fire Emblem's permanent deaths.

      • John smith

        Fair enough, but it still is more complex than any action rpg.

    • Maeks

      Will buy Shining Force as soon as it comes out, barring any huge bugs.

      'tis a fine game

  • Mister Mumbles

    Shining Force is definitely the best of the bunch there.

    • ponagathos

      Agreed. This kind of casual game is perfect for the Iphone. I hope they come out with more of the series.

      • John smith

        How is Shining Force casual? Anyway, at that price it's and insta-buy for me.

      • 1423

        Well, in comparison to other turn base strategies, it is by far very lenient and easy. When your team members die, you can go to town and heal them. If you, the main character die, you lose a little gold. Compare that to Fire Emblem's permanent deaths.

      • John smith

        Fair enough, but it still is more complex than any action rpg.

    • Maeks

      Will buy Shining Force as soon as it comes out, barring any huge bugs.

      'tis a fine game

  • Lum the Invader

    If this is the same emulator they have previously released, then what a total waste of time this will be. These old games were almost all 60fps, and need to run at that speed no matter what. Anything less is simply not acceptable.

    • Yent

      Err, no they didn't (most of the games in question drop well below 60fps in motion) and anything above 50fps is so fast it's physically impossible for the human eye to process, you may be able to fool yourself into thinking you see a difference but that's the extent the stupidly obsessive counter watching will get anyone.

  • Lum the Invader

    If this is the same emulator they have previously released, then what a total waste of time this will be. These old games were almost all 60fps, and need to run at that speed no matter what. Anything less is simply not acceptable.

    • Yent

      Err, no they didn't (most of the games in question drop well below 60fps in motion) and anything above 50fps is so fast it's physically impossible for the human eye to process, you may be able to fool yourself into thinking you see a difference but that's the extent the stupidly obsessive counter watching will get anyone.

  • http://twitter.com/Gregz0r Gregz0r

    They need to do the same with their 80's-90's arcade games, with perfect emulation.

  • http://twitter.com/Gregz0r Gregz0r

    They need to do the same with their 80's-90's arcade games, with perfect emulation.

  • Maff

    what are the changes in the App Store rules?
    anyone got a link to a story about it?

    I know Cloanto are waiting to release Amiga Forever (Amiga Emulator) once the app store allows emulators!

  • Maff

    what are the changes in the App Store rules?
    anyone got a link to a story about it?

    I know Cloanto are waiting to release Amiga Forever (Amiga Emulator) once the app store allows emulators!

  • James

    The App Store allows emulators! See C64....

    • Maff

      the app store doesn't allow code to be executed by a 3rd party app like it is in an emulator, that's what's stopping most emulators

      • James

        Well, C64 seems to be working...

      • TKO

        Actually, the store doesn't allow the download of *arbitrary* files that involve interpreted code. Presumably Apple's logic is they're preventing people bypassing the Apps store with one of their own. ..it's a convenient block for third party web-browsers and flash too.

        ID Software's Wolfenstein 3D can download maps from anywhere because there's no code in them ..they're purely data.

        Emulators are more limited. They either have to include the games in the original emulator package (which is what Frotz did to satisfy Apple's rules ..they had to remove the web-browser component through which *any* Inform game could be downloaded) ..or they can release the games as specific packages, each approved by Apple (which is what C64 does.)

        Note that C64 even had to remove access to BASIC, because people could type in 'any' program/game through that. That there was no facility to load/save code and the type-in program/game possibilities were incredibly limited didn't matter. It still had to go.

        There are no rules against emulators per se. It's all in the implementation. ..It's easier to do consoles (essentially that's what C64 has been turned into), as they have no programming-language front end. But so long as the game packages are pre-bundled, or done as in-app purchases, (and are legal, of course), there's nothing to stop emulators from being allowed.

  • James

    The App Store allows emulators! See C64....

    • Maff

      the app store doesn't allow code to be executed by a 3rd party app like it is in an emulator, that's what's stopping most emulators

      • James

        Well, C64 seems to be working...

      • TKO

        Actually, the store doesn't allow the download of *arbitrary* files that involve interpreted code. Presumably Apple's logic is they're preventing people bypassing the Apps store with one of their own. ..it's a convenient block for third party web-browsers and flash too.

        ID Software's Wolfenstein 3D can download maps from anywhere because there's no code in them ..they're purely data.

        Emulators are more limited. They either have to include the games in the original emulator package (which is what Frotz did to satisfy Apple's rules ..they had to remove the web-browser component through which *any* Inform game could be downloaded) ..or they can release the games as specific packages, each approved by Apple (which is what C64 does.)

        Note that C64 even had to remove access to BASIC, because people could type in 'any' program/game through that. That there was no facility to load/save code and the type-in program/game possibilities were incredibly limited didn't matter. It still had to go.

        There are no rules against emulators per se. It's all in the implementation. ..It's easier to do consoles (essentially that's what C64 has been turned into), as they have no programming-language front end. But so long as the game packages are pre-bundled, or done as in-app purchases, (and are legal, of course), there's nothing to stop emulators from being allowed.

  • Septimus

    Amiga Forever would be fantastic on the iPhone. Already have the latest version for PC and it is very well put together.

  • Septimus

    Amiga Forever would be fantastic on the iPhone. Already have the latest version for PC and it is very well put together.

  • Troy M

    Oh yay. Sonic 1 once again (and overpriced to boot!). Oh, and look! He's joined by all his friends that haven't aged nearly as well!

    I seriously hope this tanks. I would rather never see that beautiful Sonic CD and have Sega vanish from the iPod forever, than have to live with this garbage.

  • Troy M

    Oh yay. Sonic 1 once again (and overpriced to boot!). Oh, and look! He's joined by all his friends that haven't aged nearly as well!

    I seriously hope this tanks. I would rather never see that beautiful Sonic CD and have Sega vanish from the iPod forever, than have to live with this garbage.

  • John Skelton

    Sega should bring out ports of their classic arcade games (Outrun, Space Harrier, Super Hang-On etc.) instead of constantly rereleasing the same genesis games over and over again.

  • John Skelton

    Sega should bring out ports of their classic arcade games (Outrun, Space Harrier, Super Hang-On etc.) instead of constantly rereleasing the same genesis games over and over again.

  • Jim

    Oh, I sold Space Harrier II with my Genesis many years ago. I have caught myself missing it from time to time. I am glad I will soon have a chance to own a license again (for free, no less.)

    The prices for the additional titles seem a tad steep. Almost makes me want to jailbreak so I can import all the Genesis games I already own.

    Bonus question: Cloanto has plans to port their Amiga emulator? Someone, tell me more. Stat!

  • Jim

    Oh, I sold Space Harrier II with my Genesis many years ago. I have caught myself missing it from time to time. I am glad I will soon have a chance to own a license again (for free, no less.)

    The prices for the additional titles seem a tad steep. Almost makes me want to jailbreak so I can import all the Genesis games I already own.

    Bonus question: Cloanto has plans to port their Amiga emulator? Someone, tell me more. Stat!

  • acidbottle

    quite a lot of moaning for a free app & game here!

    give it a chance, they may have been working on it. since these are going to be roms of their existing catalogue there is near endless content to be had. prices are a little weird, say 1.99 for eveything would be reasonable, other than that im really pleased to see this. next stop - AMIGA pls.

    best news of the day! (limelight of the week stolen by GTA tho ;))

  • acidbottle

    quite a lot of moaning for a free app & game here!

    give it a chance, they may have been working on it. since these are going to be roms of their existing catalogue there is near endless content to be had. prices are a little weird, say 1.99 for eveything would be reasonable, other than that im really pleased to see this. next stop - AMIGA pls.

    best news of the day! (limelight of the week stolen by GTA tho ;))

  • Lum the Invader

    As a comparison, SEGA's Genesis Collection for the PSP costs $16 from the PSN store, and includes 28 perfectly emulated games. (all 60fps)

    • munkee

      Yeah, Sega on AppStore sucks. They must learn a thing or two from Taito (with their Space Invaders Infinity Gene) or Namco (with their Pac-Man Championship Edition).

      I remember only paying around $20 for a Genesis collection on PS2 as well, with 29 games (some countries have 28, some have 29 games) perfectly running on 60fps plus some bonus content.

    • Crim

      I've seen that Sega Genesis Collection and thought about picking it up for the PSP. My issue is that at 35 I can get away with playing games on my iPod whereas I feel like a total dork playing my PSP in public ... Holy $hit I'm a nerd.

  • Lum the Invader

    As a comparison, SEGA's Genesis Collection for the PSP costs $16 from the PSN store, and includes 28 perfectly emulated games. (all 60fps)

    • munkee

      Yeah, Sega on AppStore sucks. They must learn a thing or two from Taito (with their Space Invaders Infinity Gene) or Namco (with their Pac-Man Championship Edition).

      I remember only paying around $20 for a Genesis collection on PS2 as well, with 29 games (some countries have 28, some have 29 games) perfectly running on 60fps plus some bonus content.

    • Crim

      I've seen that Sega Genesis Collection and thought about picking it up for the PSP. My issue is that at 35 I can get away with playing games on my iPod whereas I feel like a total dork playing my PSP in public ... Holy $hit I'm a nerd.

  • Slannmage

    Wonder if it'll be called Megadrive in Europe.

  • Slannmage

    Wonder if it'll be called Megadrive in Europe.

  • Jim

    I just read the Gizmodo article. I didn't much care for it. The first sentence ushers in the ignorant tone of the overall blurb: "Apple's finicky about emulators in the App Store, but most of the candidates have been unofficial, and dubiously legal." None, so far, have been 'dubiously legal:' they have all been (just plain old) legal, and Manomio's C64 has Commodore's (or whoever own's Commodore's assets') blessing (according to scarnie.)

  • Jim

    I just read the Gizmodo article. I didn't much care for it. The first sentence ushers in the ignorant tone of the overall blurb: "Apple's finicky about emulators in the App Store, but most of the candidates have been unofficial, and dubiously legal." None, so far, have been 'dubiously legal:' they have all been (just plain old) legal, and Manomio's C64 has Commodore's (or whoever own's Commodore's assets') blessing (according to scarnie.)

  • Jamie

    And what about everyone who bought Sonic, are we supposed to rebuy it again or will it somehow transfer over? If they were going to do this then releasing Sonic first seems like a bit of a jerk move.

    • Jamie

      In fact, if anything, they should update Sonic to this app (with Sonic included) for previous purchasers.

  • Jamie

    And what about everyone who bought Sonic, are we supposed to rebuy it again or will it somehow transfer over? If they were going to do this then releasing Sonic first seems like a bit of a jerk move.

    • Jamie

      In fact, if anything, they should update Sonic to this app (with Sonic included) for previous purchasers.

  • Slannmage

    Erm did you read?

    The free app will include Space Harrier II and offer the following titles as additional purchases.

    Sonic the Hedgehog: $5.99

    • Jamie

      Yeah, but I and many others have already bought Sonic. It would be nice if we could somehow get it into the emulator app without re-buying it again.

      • Jim

        Jailbreak.

      • Diablohead

        Yeah well done, piracy, you must feel proud.

  • Slannmage

    Erm did you read?

    The free app will include Space Harrier II and offer the following titles as additional purchases.

    Sonic the Hedgehog: $5.99

    • Jamie

      Yeah, but I and many others have already bought Sonic. It would be nice if we could somehow get it into the emulator app without re-buying it again.

      • Jim

        Jailbreak.

      • Diablohead

        Yeah well done, piracy, you must feel proud.

  • http://www.pixel-pandemonium.com Tanukitsune

    For the price of those games together you can buy the 360 version that has 30 games... and save states!

  • http://www.pixel-pandemonium.com Tanukitsune

    For the price of those games together you can buy the 360 version that has 30 games... and save states!

  • MrMuesli

    I wonder if the games themselves have been improved on at all since the god awful ones they fobbed us off with at premium price. If it's just a case of a change of wrapping paper you can count me out.

  • MrMuesli

    I wonder if the games themselves have been improved on at all since the god awful ones they fobbed us off with at premium price. If it's just a case of a change of wrapping paper you can count me out.

  • VorteXUniversE

    OUTRUN + R-TYPE ??????? seems like they don´t know which are the best classics .... lol .... if they wanna make money they better get connected to forums and listen to the people what they want . my 2 cents

    • VorteXUniversE

      with that i mean : outrun + r-type would be better then 10 crappy games

      • acidbottle

        im incredibly puzzled as to why outrun hasnt been released yet, even the 2006 remake would be amazing!

        however, a few weeks back i saw amongst these hallowed pages a port of r-type being developed for the appstore (im pretty certain that wasnt a sega game either, its by irem). looking forward to that tho.

  • VorteXUniversE

    OUTRUN + R-TYPE ??????? seems like they don´t know which are the best classics .... lol .... if they wanna make money they better get connected to forums and listen to the people what they want . my 2 cents

    • VorteXUniversE

      with that i mean : outrun + r-type would be better then 10 crappy games

      • acidbottle

        im incredibly puzzled as to why outrun hasnt been released yet, even the 2006 remake would be amazing!

        however, a few weeks back i saw amongst these hallowed pages a port of r-type being developed for the appstore (im pretty certain that wasnt a sega game either, its by irem). looking forward to that tho.

  • http://www.frapstr.com/ Mindfield

    Apple's rule change is that they're now allowing apps to execute 3rd party code -- as long as that third party code can be reviewed by Apple and the emulator is a closed ecosystem (i.e. games can't be side-loaded by the user, they have to go through the app via DLC, and therefore Apple's review process.)

    And yeah, if this is the same emulator Sega's been using all along, forget it.

  • http://www.frapstr.com/ Mindfield

    Apple's rule change is that they're now allowing apps to execute 3rd party code -- as long as that third party code can be reviewed by Apple and the emulator is a closed ecosystem (i.e. games can't be side-loaded by the user, they have to go through the app via DLC, and therefore Apple's review process.)

    And yeah, if this is the same emulator Sega's been using all along, forget it.

  • TKO

    This emulator wouldn't be bad if the prices were more reasonable. This is the problem with big companies re-doing their classics ..they always over-charge. (I'm looking at *you* Namco, Sega.) 😠Would be nice if they could get a decent understanding of what the fans perceive the real value of these to be. On the iPhone I reckon these should be $1.00 each. $2.00 max.

    They also put such minimal effort into the emulator itself. IMHO Frotz and C64 are much better examples of how to do it. Let the fans do the emulators, and do them right.

    • GodSon

      Agreed. It will need not only more games but better games. In the mean time in between time. SEGA EMULATOR= FAIL...

  • TKO

    This emulator wouldn't be bad if the prices were more reasonable. This is the problem with big companies re-doing their classics ..they always over-charge. (I'm looking at *you* Namco, Sega.) 😠Would be nice if they could get a decent understanding of what the fans perceive the real value of these to be. On the iPhone I reckon these should be $1.00 each. $2.00 max.

    They also put such minimal effort into the emulator itself. IMHO Frotz and C64 are much better examples of how to do it. Let the fans do the emulators, and do them right.

    • GodSon

      Agreed. It will need not only more games but better games. In the mean time in between time. SEGA EMULATOR= FAIL...

  • Diablohead

    IMO this is a good turn by sega, we get a free game to test out the app and then optional extras if we wish to pay for them, and Shining Force for £1.79 is a bargin to have in your pocket, a gem which needs more attention.

    Sonic 1 will always be high priced as it's the main seller and money maker, just like if Sonic CD does come out on the all store it's easily going to be the full £5.99 / US$9.99

  • Diablohead

    IMO this is a good turn by sega, we get a free game to test out the app and then optional extras if we wish to pay for them, and Shining Force for £1.79 is a bargin to have in your pocket, a gem which needs more attention.

    Sonic 1 will always be high priced as it's the main seller and money maker, just like if Sonic CD does come out on the all store it's easily going to be the full £5.99 / US$9.99

  • http://twitter.com/BulkSlash Bulk Slash

    So I take it that Sega won't be fixing the slowdown and bad controls in their Sonic the Hedgehog app then?

  • http://twitter.com/BulkSlash Bulk Slash

    So I take it that Sega won't be fixing the slowdown and bad controls in their Sonic the Hedgehog app then?

  • http://www.jindofox.com Jindo Fox

    Genesis games are tough without buttons, but this would be nice for slower, non-twitch games like Shining Force and maybe the Phantasy Star games. I want this to succeed but they need to support it with content and updates. Giving away a free game is an excellent start.

    Pricing: I agree that they should work on a way to import Golden Axe and Sonic 1 if we bought them already -- this is technically feasible (look at "The Quest"), and we're the kind of customer who will buy more of these. I suspect the prices on these two are that high so they match the standalone versions. $2.99 would be an acceptable price for additional games (though lower is better, of course).

    I wonder why Streets of Rage isn't in there? Same reason it's not on the PSP collection, perhaps? To keep the age rating family-friendly?

    Outrun is weird, I think there are some Ferrari licensing problems with it, since it shows up so infrequently and sporadically in collections like this. I'd love to see it even though we have other, better racing games on the iPhone. An port of the modern arcade version would be lovely though.

    I think ToeJam and Earl would do better with a complete remake. Sega doesn't have the rights and the creators won't license it unless they get a big cut. There are better native roguelikes on iPhone, but none have the funky beats and colorful graphics.

    R-Type isn't a Sega game. We have Cell War which is similar, though.

    Check out my geeky matrix of other Sega games that have already been released like this for an idea of what to expect in the future:
    http://www.jindofox.com/2009/06/matrix-of-offical-sega-genesis.html

    I'm surprised they aren't giving away Altered Beast, too. I'd buy that one (again) for a dollar.

  • http://www.jindofox.com Jindo Fox

    Genesis games are tough without buttons, but this would be nice for slower, non-twitch games like Shining Force and maybe the Phantasy Star games. I want this to succeed but they need to support it with content and updates. Giving away a free game is an excellent start.

    Pricing: I agree that they should work on a way to import Golden Axe and Sonic 1 if we bought them already -- this is technically feasible (look at "The Quest"), and we're the kind of customer who will buy more of these. I suspect the prices on these two are that high so they match the standalone versions. $2.99 would be an acceptable price for additional games (though lower is better, of course).

    I wonder why Streets of Rage isn't in there? Same reason it's not on the PSP collection, perhaps? To keep the age rating family-friendly?

    Outrun is weird, I think there are some Ferrari licensing problems with it, since it shows up so infrequently and sporadically in collections like this. I'd love to see it even though we have other, better racing games on the iPhone. An port of the modern arcade version would be lovely though.

    I think ToeJam and Earl would do better with a complete remake. Sega doesn't have the rights and the creators won't license it unless they get a big cut. There are better native roguelikes on iPhone, but none have the funky beats and colorful graphics.

    R-Type isn't a Sega game. We have Cell War which is similar, though.

    Check out my geeky matrix of other Sega games that have already been released like this for an idea of what to expect in the future:
    http://www.jindofox.com/2009/06/matrix-of-offical-sega-genesis.html

    I'm surprised they aren't giving away Altered Beast, too. I'd buy that one (again) for a dollar.

  • J-Pa

    Altered Beast, NBA Jam, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Streets of Rage, anyone?

    • Shinto

      A.Beast, Street fighter, M kombat and S of Rage 2 and I will add some Sonics, Ghouls & Ghosts, Castle of ilussion, Shinobi and Phantasy Star 4. I agree too that the best price for that roms is 1-2$, I will think if I buy that games for 4-5$ surely don´t.

      But is good news to have S Harrier 2 for free to test the emu and to enjoy that one

  • J-Pa

    Altered Beast, NBA Jam, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Streets of Rage, anyone?

    • Shinto

      A.Beast, Street fighter, M kombat and S of Rage 2 and I will add some Sonics, Ghouls & Ghosts, Castle of ilussion, Shinobi and Phantasy Star 4. I agree too that the best price for that roms is 1-2$, I will think if I buy that games for 4-5$ surely don´t.

      But is good news to have S Harrier 2 for free to test the emu and to enjoy that one

  • Millhouse

    I'm pretty sure this will be inferior to Zodttd's Genesis4iPhone. But if it isn't, jailbreakers can still just inject their own favorite homebrew games into this emulator, as I doubt SEGA have done a lot against this. Yay for jailbreaking!

  • Millhouse

    I'm pretty sure this will be inferior to Zodttd's Genesis4iPhone. But if it isn't, jailbreakers can still just inject their own favorite homebrew games into this emulator, as I doubt SEGA have done a lot against this. Yay for jailbreaking!

  • SteveJ

    I like the concept, but not the pricing. Well, Space Harrier II for free is certainly a good thing, but the other games are all way overpriced.

  • SteveJ

    I like the concept, but not the pricing. Well, Space Harrier II for free is certainly a good thing, but the other games are all way overpriced.

  • Bruce

    My God, what a bunch of pissers and moaners most of you lot are!

    I think it's a great idea... But the prices per game do seem high. $6 for old Sonic? I can see folks paying .99 or maybe 1.99 per game but that's about it.

  • Bruce

    My God, what a bunch of pissers and moaners most of you lot are!

    I think it's a great idea... But the prices per game do seem high. $6 for old Sonic? I can see folks paying .99 or maybe 1.99 per game but that's about it.

  • Kevin

    I really wish someone would make a controller "snap on" for the phone. These games would rock but controlling them on a touch screen is very poor

  • Kevin

    I really wish someone would make a controller "snap on" for the phone. These games would rock but controlling them on a touch screen is very poor

  • acidbottle

    bah, just read the gizmodo article and the 'released later today' turns out to be early february :(

  • acidbottle

    bah, just read the gizmodo article and the 'released later today' turns out to be early february :(

  • Bruno

    I already have Sonic. Do you guys think that I will able to DLC Sonic again with no cost?

    BTW,I like the idea of emulators. Namco, Capcom, all of them should do this instead of releasing the games individually.

    Cheers,

    Bruno

  • Bruno

    I already have Sonic. Do you guys think that I will able to DLC Sonic again with no cost?

    BTW,I like the idea of emulators. Namco, Capcom, all of them should do this instead of releasing the games individually.

    Cheers,

    Bruno

  • http://www.rustysabre.com/ Eric

    I was excited when I saw the headline, but after reading the details it's more like a "meh" from me. At .99 cents or 1.99 apiece I might be willing to bite, but 4.99 for a game that's 15 years old? I don't care if it's Golden Axe, I don't think so.

  • http://www.rustysabre.com/ Eric

    I was excited when I saw the headline, but after reading the details it's more like a "meh" from me. At .99 cents or 1.99 apiece I might be willing to bite, but 4.99 for a game that's 15 years old? I don't care if it's Golden Axe, I don't think so.

  • Shinto

    Yes at 99 or 1,99$ we will buy games without much thinking and there is a lot of good ones for Sega to release, but at that 5$ price I will pass.

    I hope Sega thinks better, there is a very good oportunity here to make something similar to the 0,99$ Appstore madness

  • Shinto

    Yes at 99 or 1,99$ we will buy games without much thinking and there is a lot of good ones for Sega to release, but at that 5$ price I will pass.

    I hope Sega thinks better, there is a very good oportunity here to make something similar to the 0,99$ Appstore madness

  • http://www.mindcrank.com Dogmeat

    I want road rash, omg if I can get road rash I'm in heaven.

  • http://www.mindcrank.com Dogmeat

    I want road rash, omg if I can get road rash I'm in heaven.

  • Brandon

    What I'm interested in is if this emulator is better than genesis4iphone.
    After that (since I jailbroke my iPod) can I just put my own roms into it?

  • Brandon

    What I'm interested in is if this emulator is better than genesis4iphone.
    After that (since I jailbroke my iPod) can I just put my own roms into it?

  • Loner

    Where is my Phantasy Star series!!!!!!!!

  • Loner

    Where is my Phantasy Star series!!!!!!!!

  • Aaron

    If it's the same emulation as the stand-alone games are, it's not worth it at all. Such a great company, brand and library. Are they that lazy they can't actually update them for iPhone/iPod touch? Shame, really.

  • Aaron

    If it's the same emulation as the stand-alone games are, it's not worth it at all. Such a great company, brand and library. Are they that lazy they can't actually update them for iPhone/iPod touch? Shame, really.

  • spiffyone

    As some of you know, I'm a HUGE Sega fan, but have raked them over the coals in terms of their App Store support.

    I didn't like the prior releases of the classics running on the emulator, as the emulator was/is unoptimized. That said, I also wanted Sega to put together a package like this, allowing for in app DLC of games.

    To those stating that these are overpriced: the prices reflect the prices on WiiVC, XBLA, etc. The games are $5 or more on those digital download storefronts. I'm guessing that's part of Sega's thinking in terms of pricing. That said, IMHO, $4.99 tops would've been the better price points for these DLC games. But ONLY if the emulator has been optimized for the platform. If not, then even that is too steep a price.

    So, I commend Sega for releasing this package. It's a step in the right direction, IMHO. This is how they should handle re-releases of their classic games. And if the emulator is optimized it'll be win-win. If they disable the usage of pirated/ripped ROMs somehow (making the ROMs this package runs specific ONLY to the iPhone/touch platform in some way) then they'll have a nice bit of piracy prevention as well. If that happens, and people buy, we might see an official Master System emu shell with DLC content, and, better yet, a System-16 arcade hardware emu shell with DLC content.

    BUT...Sega needs to bring more NEW, made-for-iPhone/touch offerings. The iPhone/touch specific Super Monkey Ball games CANNOT be the extent of the NEW offerings.

    • Bruce

      iPhone WiiVC, XBLA.

      It's been made crystal clear from iDevice buying patterns that most users will not pay more than a couple of bucks for a game unless it is a high end release - and I don't think a 15 year old 16-bit ROM counts as that.

      • Blades

        I agree, .99 or 1.99 per game(even $1.99 is stretching it on games we have all bought over and over again. Too bad the license doesn't transfer from one platform to another...lol) But I'd pay .99 for golden axe. But $5? Give me a break.

        ;

    • spiffyone

      Actually, looking at how well the standalone release of Sonic sold on the App Store when Sega released it a while back, it seems that there's a pretty sizable contingent of App Store consumers that WILL pay the price Sega set for the game, even if it runs on an unoptimized emulator.

      Listen, I don't agree with the pricing myself as a consumer, especially since it ran on an unoptimized emulator. That's why I didn't buy the game after trying it on a friend's iPod touch. I'm hoping this release will have the emulator running better than it did in the past. That said, what I want as an individual doesn't mesh entirely with what others are willing to pay.

      If a sizable enough portion of others are willing to pay more to play the game, then it would be silly of Sega to set the price lower from the get go. They can always lower the price LATER to grab the more cost conscious folks out there like all of us. That's good business sense. Now, I understand that everyone thinks that getting the more consumers from the get go at lower prices is best, but those who think that aren't thinking clearly. Arn, Eli, myself and others have shown that lowering price in increments over time maximizes potential revenue. It's not about getting the most consumers from the get-go, but getting the most money over a longer period of time. I can see that's Sega's strategy with this, and that's why making sure that dumped ROMs can't run on this emulator is so important.

  • spiffyone

    As some of you know, I'm a HUGE Sega fan, but have raked them over the coals in terms of their App Store support.

    I didn't like the prior releases of the classics running on the emulator, as the emulator was/is unoptimized. That said, I also wanted Sega to put together a package like this, allowing for in app DLC of games.

    To those stating that these are overpriced: the prices reflect the prices on WiiVC, XBLA, etc. The games are $5 or more on those digital download storefronts. I'm guessing that's part of Sega's thinking in terms of pricing. That said, IMHO, $4.99 tops would've been the better price points for these DLC games. But ONLY if the emulator has been optimized for the platform. If not, then even that is too steep a price.

    So, I commend Sega for releasing this package. It's a step in the right direction, IMHO. This is how they should handle re-releases of their classic games. And if the emulator is optimized it'll be win-win. If they disable the usage of pirated/ripped ROMs somehow (making the ROMs this package runs specific ONLY to the iPhone/touch platform in some way) then they'll have a nice bit of piracy prevention as well. If that happens, and people buy, we might see an official Master System emu shell with DLC content, and, better yet, a System-16 arcade hardware emu shell with DLC content.

    BUT...Sega needs to bring more NEW, made-for-iPhone/touch offerings. The iPhone/touch specific Super Monkey Ball games CANNOT be the extent of the NEW offerings.

    • Bruce

      iPhone WiiVC, XBLA.

      It's been made crystal clear from iDevice buying patterns that most users will not pay more than a couple of bucks for a game unless it is a high end release - and I don't think a 15 year old 16-bit ROM counts as that.

      • Blades

        I agree, .99 or 1.99 per game(even $1.99 is stretching it on games we have all bought over and over again. Too bad the license doesn't transfer from one platform to another...lol) But I'd pay .99 for golden axe. But $5? Give me a break.

        ;

    • spiffyone

      Actually, looking at how well the standalone release of Sonic sold on the App Store when Sega released it a while back, it seems that there's a pretty sizable contingent of App Store consumers that WILL pay the price Sega set for the game, even if it runs on an unoptimized emulator.

      Listen, I don't agree with the pricing myself as a consumer, especially since it ran on an unoptimized emulator. That's why I didn't buy the game after trying it on a friend's iPod touch. I'm hoping this release will have the emulator running better than it did in the past. That said, what I want as an individual doesn't mesh entirely with what others are willing to pay.

      If a sizable enough portion of others are willing to pay more to play the game, then it would be silly of Sega to set the price lower from the get go. They can always lower the price LATER to grab the more cost conscious folks out there like all of us. That's good business sense. Now, I understand that everyone thinks that getting the more consumers from the get go at lower prices is best, but those who think that aren't thinking clearly. Arn, Eli, myself and others have shown that lowering price in increments over time maximizes potential revenue. It's not about getting the most consumers from the get-go, but getting the most money over a longer period of time. I can see that's Sega's strategy with this, and that's why making sure that dumped ROMs can't run on this emulator is so important.

  • Jorlen

    This has a lot of potential, but they have to do it right, specially at those prices. I'm talking about absolutely 100% flawless emulation with no FPS dips whatsoever and the controls are going to have to be perfect for it to work.

  • Jorlen

    This has a lot of potential, but they have to do it right, specially at those prices. I'm talking about absolutely 100% flawless emulation with no FPS dips whatsoever and the controls are going to have to be perfect for it to work.

  • dexx0008

    nba live 95 and i'm in.

  • dexx0008

    nba live 95 and i'm in.

  • Julius

    What is this game? I have never heard of it.

  • Julius

    What is this game? I have never heard of it.