Who's into the Sega Master System?

[Black_Tiger]

SMS pads play great with the knob stick screwed in.

[Algus]

I must be nutty because I like my SMS controllers. I like the buttons and the D-Pad isn't too bad either. I just wish there were better SMS games released in the US.

Yeah I guess I'll keep my PBC and Master Gear adapters for now.

Yeah, like I mentioned - I like mine too. But not having select and start are really awkward. I was playing Wonder Boy in Monster World last night and it was just so weird having the items mapped to down on the d-pad (which was actually super easy to hit) and no real item/inventory screen for that style of game. It's a rock-solid game but it definitely could have benefited from being built on a system that had at least one more button on the controller

[sheath]

I think Master System pads play great in general, but mostly for exclusives. A lot of ports play better with a Genesis pad for example. I always used the Control Stick back in the day though.

[xelement5x]

SMS pads play great with the knob stick screwed in.

Oh jeez, you've got to be the only person I know with that opinion

I can't stand the little nubs in those things, the only thing worse than that are the controllers with the wires coming out the side!

Regardless, I've still got a couple that I use frequently when I pull out the Power Base.

[Guntz]

Yeah, like I mentioned - I like mine too. But not having select and start are really awkward. I was playing Wonder Boy in Monster World last night and it was just so weird having the items mapped to down on the d-pad (which was actually super easy to hit) and no real item/inventory screen for that style of game. It's a rock-solid game but it definitely could have benefited from being built on a system that had at least one more button on the controller

Just checking, you do know there's a pause button on the SMS itself right? You press that and your item menu comes up. It's a pain having to sit near the SMS, but it's the only option... Unless you decided to make a custom controller and run the pause button through the 1P controller port.

[Algus]

I did not know that. (err about the inventory screen, I did know there was a pause button on the console :P)

Now my noob shame is exposed to this forum for all to see.

I'll blame it on the fact that my copy doesn't have instructions. Yep.

[Bottino]

http://www.smstributes.co.uk/view_page.asp?articleid=68

A nice article with 100 of the best Master System games from the readers of SMS Tributes.

[Segadream]

Want to get one but $50 is pretty steep for a system I can emulate perfectly with my DC.
Not to mention play the entire library and then some on one disc.
Great for a collection, just not very interesting otherwise.
I still want one,..... is that stupid?

[Zz Badnusty]

Want to get one but $50 is pretty steep for a system I can emulate perfectly with my DC.
Not to mention play the entire library and then some on one disc.
Great for a collection, just not very interesting otherwise.
I still want one,..... is that stupid?

The Sega 8-bit line of consoles is the most interesting of all to collect for.
There's no way you can emulate the experience of playing a Master System on your Dreamcast. You might figure out why someday. Early systems just don't emulate at all. Sure you can play the code and display the graphics, but the control interfaces are so vastly different than modern consoles that you're missing a substantial part of actually playing the game. No other d-pad or buttons felt and responded (good or bad) like a Master System, or Mark III, etc. There's no way to emulate having to press a button on the console to bring up item menus, or to pause a game. etc, etc.

[Black_Tiger]

Oh jeez, you've got to be the only person I know with that opinion

I can't stand the little nubs in those things, the only thing worse than that are the controllers with the wires coming out the side!

Regardless, I've still got a couple that I use frequently when I pull out the Power Base.

Do you mean "nubs" or the screw-in joysticks? I've never heard anyone complain about them before and non-SMS fans usually just have no idea that they exist.

[kool kitty89]

The Sega 8-bit line of consoles is the most interesting of all to collect for.
There's no way you can emulate the experience of playing a Master System on your Dreamcast. You might figure out why someday. Early systems just don't emulate at all. Sure you can play the code and display the graphics, but the control interfaces are so vastly different than modern consoles that you're missing a substantial part of actually playing the game. No other d-pad or buttons felt and responded (good or bad) like a Master System, or Mark III, etc. There's no way to emulate having to press a button on the console to bring up item menus, or to pause a game. etc, etc.

Depends if you use the stock controllers or one of many aftermarket (1st or 3rd party) ones . . . including those not intended for the SMS/SG-1000 at all.

I do like the SMS face buttons though . . . only fault is not being concave.

[Algus]

Want to get one but $50 is pretty steep for a system I can emulate perfectly with my DC.
Not to mention play the entire library and then some on one disc.
Great for a collection, just not very interesting otherwise.
I still want one,..... is that stupid?

Well retro-gaming is all about playing games on the original hardware so umm I think most people on a forum like this are going to say it is money well spent. If all you want to do is play the games then emulators are fine but many retro-gamers find a lot of appeal in collecting the hardware. I actually get carried away with this and I have a bunch of consoles that I only have a few games for just because I'm fascinated by all the different machines that are out there. I need to settle down and just buy some damn games I think.

[Guntz]

Well retro-gaming is all about playing games on the original hardware so umm I think most people on a forum like this are going to say it is money well spent. If all you want to do is play the games then emulators are fine but many retro-gamers find a lot of appeal in collecting the hardware. I actually get carried away with this and I have a bunch of consoles that I only have a few games for just because I'm fascinated by all the different machines that are out there. I need to settle down and just buy some damn games I think.

I did that few a few years, then realized it was completely pointless to own lots of hardware with next to no games... Or worse, lots of consoles with some mediocre games. I've been selling off a ton of things. I'm sticking to what I actually enjoy.

[A Black Falcon]

The Sega 8-bit line of consoles is the most interesting of all to collect for.
There's no way you can emulate the experience of playing a Master System on your Dreamcast. You might figure out why someday. Early systems just don't emulate at all. Sure you can play the code and display the graphics, but the control interfaces are so vastly different than modern consoles that you're missing a substantial part of actually playing the game. No other d-pad or buttons felt and responded (good or bad) like a Master System, or Mark III, etc. There's no way to emulate having to press a button on the console to bring up item menus, or to pause a game. etc, etc.

You actually WANT to use Master System controllers? I have like four different kinds of the things (the standard pad, the Sports Pad trackball, this third-party joystick controller, and the arcade stick thing with the stick on the right and buttons on the left)... and they're all awful. Really terrible things. If the SMS didn't work with Genesis controllers, I'd play it even less often than I do, that's for sure... and I've heard that apparently earlier (like, SG-1000 and such) controllers are even WORSE than the US SMS ones! Sounds unpleasant.

So yeah, SMS Alien Syndrome is fun, but because it requires SMS controllers, I rarely want to touch it.


Also, having to get up and go over to the system just to switch items in Golvellius is NOT fun, that is for sure. And it's really, really stupid that the Atari 7800 also has the pause button only on the system, given that the 5200 had pause buttons on the controllers... there is no excuse! 2600 buttons like Reset, Select, and the difficulty switches... alright, you expect those to be on the system. But Pause, which only works in 7800 games anyway? That is not okay.

[Zz Badnusty]

You actually WANT to use Master System controllers? [...]

Yes, in the interest of experiencing videogames as they were generally designed to be played, yes I want to have the opportunity to play with the original interface.
Do I prefer to play with the Master System pads? No. But I do find the SG-1000 II, Mark III, and Master Systems to be very interesting and unique hardware to experience.
Whether it is "fun" or not, getting up and having to push a button on the console to access item menus is integral to playing those games. That is part of the experience. I love it. All its annoyances and imperfections.