Genesis Model 2 Box Variations

I couldn't find any discussion about this so I'm starting a new thread. This is for posting pictures of and discussing all the different box variations of the Genny model 2 that were released in the US. This is not for model 2 of the Mega Drive as there's already a thread about that. Genesis only please. I'd love to try and match up which motherboard revision is in which box but that's probably never gonna happen.

After browsing eBay and Google Images for about 20 minutes, here's what I came up with so far:


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/core_new_3b.JPG
http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/core_new_3c.JPG
http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/core_new_3d.JPG

Core system, New Compact Design! in top right corner, three colored banners in the top left corner, original three-button pad in the lower left.
Note: I'd say this is your best bet if you're looking for a VA0 as it seems to be the first Model 2 box.


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/core_new_3_6button.jpg

Core system, New Compact Design! in top right corner, three colored banners in the top left corner, six-button pad in the lower left.
Note: Photo was taken in a shop in Argentina. Confirmed by theelf to be a fake Hong Kong version. Argentina has the Mega Drive, not the Genesis.


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/core_nonew_2_va3.JPG
http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/core_nonew_2b_va3.JPG

Core system, does not have New Compact Design! in top right corner, only two colored banners in the top left corner (Built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer was removed), original three-button pad in the lower left.
Note: I have one of these and it has a VA3 motherboard.


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/sonic2_new_3.JPG
http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/sonic2_new_3b.jpg
http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/sonic2_new_3c.JPG

Sonic 2 system, has New Compact Design! in top right corner, three colored banners in the top left corner, original three-button pad in the lower left.


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/sonic2_nonew_2.JPG

Sonic 2 system, does not have New Compact Design! in top right corner, only two colored banners in the top left corner (Built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer was removed), original three-button pad in the lower left.


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/s&k_nonew_2.JPG

Sonic & Knuckles system, does not have New Compact Design! in top right corner, only two colored banners in the top left corner (Built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer was removed), original three-button pad in the lower left.


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/6pak_nonew_2.JPG

6-Pak system, does not have New Compact Design! in top right corner, only two colored banners in the top left corner (Built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer was removed), original three-button pad in the lower left.


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/sports_nonew_2.JPG
http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/sports_nonew_2b.JPG

Sega Sports system, does not have New Compact Design! in top right corner, only two colored banners in the bottom right corner (Built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer was removed), two original three-button pads in the lower left.


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/columns_nonew_2.JPG

Columns system, does not have New Compact Design! in top right corner, only two colored banners in the top left corner (Built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer was removed), original three-button pad in the lower left.


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/spin...2_arranged.JPG

Sonic Spinball system, does not have New Compact Design! in top right corner, only two colored banners in the bottom right corner (Built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer was removed), original three-button pad in the lower left.


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/vectorman_nonew_2.jpg

Vectorman system, does not have New Compact Design! in top right corner, only two colored banners in the top left corner (Built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer was removed), original three-button pad in the lower left.


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/subt_nonew_2.JPG

Sub-Terrania system, does not have New Compact Design! in top right corner, only two colored banners in the top left corner (Built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer was removed), original three-button pad in the lower left.


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/lionking_nonew_2.JPG
http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/lionking_nonew_2b.JPG
http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/lionking_nonew_2c.JPG

Lion King system, does not have New Compact Design! in top right corner, only two colored banners in the bottom left corner (Built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer was removed), original three-button pad in the upper left.
Note: Thanks to SegaMan89 for finding this one.


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/comix_nonew_2.JPG
http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/comix_nonew_2b.JPG

NFL '95/Comix Zone system, does not have New Compact Design! in top right corner, only two colored banners in the top left corner (Built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer was removed), original three-button pad in the lower left.


http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/core_new_2.JPG
http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/core_new2_2.JPG

Core system, has a gray triangular-shaped banner (could be a sticker?) in the top right corner which has small words printed in black (can't make out what it says, need a higher res picture), only two colored banners in the top left corner (Built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer was removed), original three-button pad in the lower left.
Note: The first picture has the gray triangle in the very top right corner. In the second picture, it's indented a bit to line up with the white line going through the Sega logo.

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If you know of any others, post them here or PM me a link and I'll add them to this post. Thanks!

hey TmEE was there any hardware changes SEGA made to the Genesis 2 with those boxes that don't have the built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer banner?

no idea about that... all MDs have the functinoal system components in place, otherwise thigns will not work... the 68K, Z80, VDP, sound chips... they're there.

http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/core_new_3_6button.jpg

This photo, is taken in a toy shop in Argentina, and i know, 90% of the consoles are fakes in argentina.

If you see, in the left, is a Famicom clone, using the Megadrive/genesis 2 desing

Ah, in argentina, nobody knows the "Genesis", we know the "megadrive" like in japan/europe, then sure this console is comming from hong kong (because is PAL)

There is a Lion King Version:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lion-King-Sega-G...item5d288f53b0

Sorry I don't know how to put pictures on the forums

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gamegenie

was there any hardware changes SEGA made to the Genesis 2 with those boxes that don't have the built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer banner?

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That's a good question. What TmEE said makes sense (as always), I doubt they made any major hardware changes or anything like that. But it does make you wonder what prompted Sega to drop that one banner for the later revisions. My only guess would be that people were complaining that "stereo music synthesizer" was misleading and customers assumed the Genesis could play audio tapes or something. I know it's a stretch but who knows, your guess is as good as mine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SegaMan89

There is a Lion King Version

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Thanks! Added the Lion King version to the first post.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by theelf

This photo, is taken in a toy shop in Argentina, and i know, 90% of the consoles are fakes in argentina.

If you see, in the left, is a Famicom clone, using the Megadrive/genesis 2 desing

Ah, in argentina, nobody knows the "Genesis", we know the "megadrive" like in japan/europe, then sure this console is comming from hong kong (because is PAL)

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Thank you for confirming! Added your info to the original post.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by the_miker

Sonic & Knuckles system, does not have New Compact Design! in top right corner, only two colored banners in the top left corner (Built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer was removed), original three-button pad in the lower left.

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Well, now I know why my copy of Sonic & Knuckles has a "Not for Resale" sticker!

I don't remember the Lion King box having a "complete" Lion King game box. I've owned two sealed ones and neither of the two have yielded a CIB box. Only the game...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by the_miker

That's a good question. What TmEE said makes sense (as always), I doubt they made any major hardware changes or anything like that. But it does make you wonder what prompted Sega to drop that one banner for the later revisions. My only guess would be that people were complaining that "stereo music synthesizer" was misleading and customers assumed the Genesis could play audio tapes or something. I know it's a stretch but who knows, your guess is as good as mine.

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In terms of stereo, the Genesis 3 lacks a stereo amp, just mono, but that has nothing to do with the base chipset.

As fro major modifications, the function of the silicon itsself didn't change, but the form did: with increasingly integrated ASIC. (first just VDP+PSG, later adding the YM2612, I/O hardware, then later the Z80+RAM and the 68000 all in one chip -for VA4 MD2 and model 3)

Some additional connections were omitted from later VDP revisions too, notably the unused color/pixel bus. (the one that Chilly Willy has mentioned a few times and has been involved in some hypothetical discussions on expansion or alternate Saturn designs)


One other change is the use of SDRAM in the model 3, apparently a SDRAM controller was added and interfacing supporting a single bank of SDRAM to replace the VRAM+PSRAM for VDP and 68k memory. (at least that's what I got out of the descriptions I've seen)

Added the NFL '95/Comix Zone system.

I also have a Not For Resale copy of Sonic 3 but I can't seem to find a Sonic 3 System box on eBay.

Added the Core system with the gray triangle. I'd love to know what that black text says.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by the_miker

http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/core_new_2.JPG
http://tehmiker.com/tmp/segabox/core_new2_2.JPG

Core system, has a gray triangular-shaped banner (could be a sticker?) in the top right corner which has small words printed in black (can't make out what it says, need a higher res picture), only two colored banners in the top left corner (Built-in Digital Sound and Stereo Music Synthesizer was removed), original three-button pad in the lower left.
Note: The first picture has the gray triangle in the very top right corner. In the second picture, it's indented a bit to line up with the white line going through the Sega logo.

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the system that included streets of rage 2 as a pack in, was that a model 1 or a model 2 genesis?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chrisbid

the system that included streets of rage 2 as a pack in, was that a model 1 or a model 2 genesis?

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It was a Model 1, specifically the "Streets of Rage 2 System".

Also, awesome thread!!! As I had been saying before, beginning in 1995, Sega started going wild with Genesis pack-ins, producing a lot of packages. I remember, sometime in 1996 going to Toys 'R Us and seeing a Model 2 packed-in with both Sonic 3 AND Sonic & Knuckles. Whoever was asking why their copy of Sonic 3 has a NFR sticker, now you know. That has to be the best Genesis bundle ever IMO.

Going by the stickers on the lower-right side of the boxes, they probably produced these bundles hastily.

Had no idea that Comix Zone/NFL '95, Sub-Terrania and Vectorman were Genny pack-ins. And WTF at COLUMNS (vanilla Columns, not even Columns 3 with that Vic Tokai guy in the cover) being a pack-in so late in the Genesis' life. Whoever bought that bundle, especially with the 6-Pak bundle released around the same time, got ripped.

It was a great time to be a new Genesis owner in 1994-1996 with all of these bundles. Too bad my pops bought me a used Model 1 in '95.

Sonic 2 System is probably the best-selling Genesis bundle of all time, seeing as Sonic 2 is the best-selling Genesis game of all-time.