Sega Launching Genesis Emulator for iPhone

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Sega is launching a free Genesis emulator for the iPhone and iPod Touch next month, and will include a free game.

Gizmodo reports that Sega is gearing up to release a free Genesis emulator for the iPhone and iPod Touch next month. Currently Sega already offers six standalone games for the platform: Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Monkey Ball, and more.

With that said, why would Sega bother to release an emulator? It's all about microtransactions. With Apple giving the thumbs up for in-app purchasing across the board, game developers are finding ways to offer free or reduced-priced apps... and make additional revenue on the side. Sega is embracing this structure with the release of its upcoming Sega Genesis Ultimate Collection app.

According to Gizmodo, the emulator app will come packed with one free game: Space Harrier II. Gamers will also be able to purchase Sonic the Hedgehog ($5.99), Golden Axe ($4.99), Ecco the Dolphin ($2.99), and Shining Force ($2.99) at launch. Currently there's no indication that pre-purchased copies of Sonic and Golden Axe will be migrated into the app.

The original Sega Genesis Collection release contained a plethora of Sega classics including Altered Beast, Comix Zone, Phantasy Star II - IV, Shinobi III, Vectorman, Virtua Fighter 2, and twenty other titles. Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 last year, offered a whopping 48 Sega games, some of which must be unlocked.

Although Sega did not reveal the emulator's eventual library, we expect an official announcement soon.

Kevin Parrish

Kevin started taking PCs apart in the 90s when Quake was on the way and his PC lacked the required components. Since then, he’s loved all things PC-related and cool gadgets ranging from the New Nintendo 3DS to Android tablets. He is currently a contributor at Digital Trends, writing about everything from computers to how-to content on Windows and Macs to reviews of the latest laptops from HP, Dell, Lenovo, and more. 

19 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Montezuma
    $6 USD for a mobile phone game? No. $0.99 USD for the game, then maybe.
    Reply
  • pakardbell486dx2
    it's like a SEGA GAME GEAR but with out the crappy battery life and small screen lol. Still 6 bucks for a genesis game is too much. I agree that it should be $0.99^
    Reply
  • RADIO_ACTIVE
    pakardbell486dx2it's like a SEGA GAME GEAR but with out the crappy battery life and small screen lol. Still 6 bucks for a genesis game is too much. I agree that it should be $0.99^LOL the game gear had crappy battery life as well... I cant remember how many AA batteries it took :)
    Reply
  • RADIO_ACTIVE
    ^ the answer is 6
    Reply
  • stridervm
    Emulator = $6
    Per Genesis Game = $1

    Do that and I'll probably buy that...... On the PSP. =P
    Reply
  • waffle911
    The GameGear and Nomad were both far superior to the GameBoy of the same time period, technically. They had Backlit color displays and 16-bit graphics, while the GameBoy sported 2-bit greyscale and no backlight.
    But 6 AA's for 6 hours (2 hours for the Nomad!) was ridiculous, especially when rechargeable batteries were still expensive and impractical. Not to mention the cost for the system itself (when new). But still, the Nomad was pretty cool for being a (nearly) complete mobile Genesis with TV out and two-player capability.
    Reply
  • Thunderfox
    Did Steve Snake write it for them?
    Reply
  • megamanx00
    Hah, the vector man games were so awesome. Makes me want to go and bust out an emulator
    Reply
  • freename
    $3 for Shining Force? Sign me up!
    Reply
  • silverblue
    The Game Gear didn't have 16-bit graphics, however it did feature a much larger colour palette than both the Master System and Mega Drive/Genesis, despite being limited in how it used it (32 of 4,096 - reminds me of the Amiga 600).

    Turning the iPhone into a Nomad is great, but the prices do worry me. Why not charge based on the size of the game and not because of its name? I certainly wouldn't pay $6 for the first Sonic.
    Reply