The Sega Genesis Mini might just be the best mini plug-and-play console we’ve seen to date, with more than 40 games loaded, two packaged controllers, and attention to detail that is even more impressive than Nintendo’s offerings. It launched a few months ago for $80, but you can get it for less than half that price during GameStop’s Deal of the Day.
If you go to GameStop’s website right now, the Sega Genesis Mini will be priced at $50, but if you add it to your cart, the price lowers to $35. This effectively means you’re paying less than $1 per game, even before factoring in the cost of the unit itself, the controllers, and the HDMI cable. Unlike some of its competitors, the Genesis Mini also comes with a USB adapter, so you won’t have to get one of your old phone chargers to power the system.
Games included in the Genesis Mini offer a great deal of variety, and there are very few weak links here. Some of our favorites include the shooters Contra: Hard Corps and Thunder Force III as well as the action games Castlevania: Bloodlines and Ghouls ‘n Ghosts. As you would expect, there are plenty of Sonic the Hedgehog games, as well, including the original two titles, Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, and Sonic Spinball.
Bonus games with the Genesis Mini are Tetris and Darius. The former was a canceled version of the game that was planned for release on the original Genesis, while the latter is an arcade port. Neither game can hold much of a candle to the 40 included Genesis games — the Tetris port is not that great — but as a piece of history, they’re both excellent additions.
You have everything you need to play the Genesis Mini with the contents included in the box, but if you want an even better controller, you can order the 8BitDo M30 2.4G. It features a turbo function, additional face buttons, wireless play, and 35 hours of play between charges of its battery. It’s also compatible with Switch and lets you go back to the home menu of the Genesis Mini without touching the console.
