Following on from the stupendous success of the NES Mini and SNES Mini that Nintendo launched in previous years, Sega has announced that it's going to do much the same with its Mega Drive/Genesis console. The Mega Drive Mini was shown off during Sega's FES 2018 stream and it looks adorable.
Based on the first-generation Mega Drive, it features all of the main styling points of the original console, including its chunky power switches and large, "16-bit" logo on the front. It's of a similar size to the SNES Mini, though we don't know whether the internal hardware is comparable.
「メガドライブ」誕生30周年記念！
『メガドライブ ミニ』（仮称）2018年発売決定！
思い出の名作ゲームの数々が、これ1台で楽しめます！#セガフェス #メガドライブ #メガドライブ30周年https://t.co/HWj6NFL96y pic.twitter.com/0C9QH1l5Mr— セガ公式アカウント (@SEGA_OFFICIAL) April 14, 2018
We also don't know what kind of games library it will have as of yet, though it's thought likely that it will come with classics like the four Sonic the Hedgehog games, Vectorman and Streets of Rage. Personally, if it doesn't ship with Comix Zone and Ecco the Dolphin, I'd be severely disappointed.
In theory, Sega should be well prepared to launch a retro console like this, since it's been re-releasing its back-catalog of games on other platforms in emulated forms for years now already. Collections of its games exist on various PC platforms, including Steam and a number of games are said to be coming to the Nintendo Switch in various guises.
No word on if and when the Mega Drive Mini will release in the west, though it seems likely it will at some point.