12 Mind-Blowing Facts About The Sega Mega Drive

The Mega Drive had wireless controllers!?

When the Mega Drive was released in Europe in 1990, it was pretty much an immediate smash hit, and a huge success story for Sega. In North America, where the console was known as the Genesis, it was a similar story, but not so much in the Orient. Japanese gamers much preferred Nintendo consoles, primarily because the system was a go-to machine for cracking RPG action, and even Sega's marketing ploy - built around superior processing - couldn't change that. Regardless, cracking the Western market was key to the console having such a lengthy tenure, only being discontinued as late as 1997 (even later, 1999, in North American markets). The system is one of the most-loved gaming devices around, and there's still a huge fan base for the machine today. Yes, people from all over the world sure loved the Mega Drive/Genesis, but Sega's smash hit is a lot deeper than simply offering Sonic The Hedgehog and a plethora of tip-top sports titles, there's a lot going on under the hood. This article looks at 12 slices of interesting fact, all wrapped up a cozy blanket of nostalgia. The Mega Drive has a rich and interesting history, far beyond the spiky blue mascot and trademark logo, as this journey through the lesser known and more hidden side of the machine shows.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.