The fact that it's Sonic the Hedgehog's 35th anniversary fills me with both horror and delight. The terror comes from the fact that the blue blur and I are the same age, which makes me want to crumble into fine dust. I will delight in shouting at you to play the original 16-bit capers on an actual Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive if you're where I am), and I've got plenty of tricks to make the '90s system feel modern.
I consider all the best retro consoles to be my children, so I don't like picking favorites. As Sonic celebrates his big 35th birthday, it feels like I can confess that the Mega Drive is in my top three, and I've spent extensive time dialling in my setup to get the most out of the 16-bit hardware. Making Sega's old gadget look strikingly good both on CRT TVs and modern panels is a party trick I reserve for visitors (and my Tails-obsessed partner), and I always get good facial expressions when I whip out the wireless gamepads.
Yes, I am a catch, but the hours I've spent picking out the best retro controllers for systems like the Mega Drive and sussing out how to connect your retro consoles to modern TVs and monitors are about to pay off. Effectively, I'm well-positioned to show you how to properly celebrate Sonic's 35th anniversary, and you might even have a use for Prime Day gaming deals should you decide to copy my homework.
One of the best gifts you can give Sonic as he makes his return to your Genesis is the power of RGB. Sega's hardware has the ability to put out a really clean red, blue, and green video signal if you use a European Scart cable, and it makes the console instantly compatible with upscalers like the OSSC.
Admittedly, my main setup has a CRT TV at its core, but I get that finding an old tube set in working order isn't something you'll necessaily do over Prime Day. But, when I'm playing on modern gaming monitors and TVs, I use the OSSC (or Open Source Scan Converter if you're its mother).
You can grab cheaper HDMI converters that'll work with your Genesis, and considering some of them are going for $22.99 at Amazon, I can see why you'd go for one. They do get the job done, but using a proper line-doubling upscaler is going to ensure every pixel pops, 4:3 aspect ratios are maintained, and latency is kept to a minimum.
The nice thing about the OSSC is that it'll work with any retro console that supports RGB Scart output. That means you're not just buying Sonic a really elaborate birthday treat, not to mention it's more affordable than enthusiast-grade upscalers by the likes of RetroTINK. Yes, the 4K Pro model does use a fancy FPGA chip that adds effects that'd put my 1080p setup to shame, but honestly? Even I've not got a spare $750 to spend on one of those.
I've already spoiled that I use a wireless controller with my Sega Genesis, but my pad of choice has changed as of this year. Previously, I was rocking Retro-Bit's officially licensed six-button gamepad, but I've since swapped it out with 8Bitdo M30. Having spent literal hours running through Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to pick a victor, the latter felt the most like a fresher version of my absolute favorite wired pad, the Japanese SJ-6000, even though the Retro-Bit version does accurately mimic the PAL version.
Trust me when I say I can tell the difference when trying to avoid those idiot starfish in Metropolis Zone, and don't get me started on timing those end Death Egg jumps. Not once did I feel like 8Bitdo's pad was hampering my efforts to bounce on Robotnik's shiny dome, which is absolutely a testament to its solid 2.4GHz connectivity, excellent-feeling button membranes, and comfortable dog-bone ergonomics.
As an optional extra, you might also want to pick up a flash cart to accompany your physical game collection. Mine is sadly on loan right now, so I can't provide photographic evidence of it in action, but it's handy for playing Sonic ROM hacks, like Sonic Classic Heroes and Metal Sonic Hyperdrive, or even the appropriately named "An Ordinary Sonic ROM Hack" creepy pasta fan creation that totally isn't going to keep you up at night.
You can take Sonic out for a birthday treat
All my serious original Sonic runs happen on my Sega Mega Drive, but I am partial to rolling around on handhelds when on the couch or out and about. Undoubtedly, the portable for the job is the Anbernic RG ARC-D, as it does a commendable job replicating Sega's original six-button layout and d-pad while looking like a Japanese Sega Saturn.
The ARC D isn't the cheapest handheld out there at $89, but you're getting some serious Sega goodness that's specifically suited to playing fighting games, or in my household's case, some Sonic the Hedgehog 2 while waiting for pizza to be delivered on a Friday night. The dual Android and Linux handheld's 16-bit emulation abilities are also solid, even if there's still lots of sweating while dealing with those previously a-hole starfish.
I'll be continually searching for ways to enhance my Genesis/Mega Drive setup. If you do emulate some aspects of the current build, though, you'll have everything you need to play the original Sonic games in the most authentic manner possible, all while enjoying some contempoary console comforts.
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