SEGA Channel Adapter - 90's Hardware Review - Mega Drive/Genesis Games On Demand Service

Before Xbox Live, PSN, Steam and OnLive there was SEGA Channel! :) . This is a quick look at the SEGA Channel adapter for the Mega Drive/Genesis which was an early 'games on demand' service from the mid 90's. I give a quick overview of the service and hardware.

For a good laugh I highly recommend searching for 'Sega Channel promo-1' here on YouTube. "WOW!" XD

There's also a pretty good Wiki page on the service here if you're interested in more details about the service...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Channel

Finding these adapters is kinda tricky nowadays. All hardware was supposed to be returned to the service provider on cancellation of the subscription so they aren't very common. I found this one on ebay so that's where I recommend looking if you fancy adding one to your collection.

Thanks for watching! :)

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• sega
• channel
• onlive
• xbox
• live
• psn
• playstation
• network
• steam
• ondemand
• games
• on
• demand
• retro
• 90s
• sonic
• gameplay
• review
• hardware
• adapter
• mega
• drive
• genesis
• streaming
• internet
• broadband
• modem
• intellivision
• subscription
• hedgehog
• ps3

[Cptalbertweskerful]

I was just going over some of the videos I must of missed over the last couple of months, and oh my god, I have never heard of this! To think it was running til '98, you've teached me Martin! I now feel enlightened :D

[RetroGameTech]

@Cptalbertweskerful Surely not?! I didn't think that was actually possible! Haha

I was really surprised to find out about it, too. I was more surprised to hear that it was even available here in the UK. It looked like such a cool thing to have!

[AutobotBlurr]

I would have loved this service when I was younger. Like yourself I live in Scotland and never knew this was even out back in the day only found out about it about a month ago. Great vid dude keep them coming

[RetroGameTech]

@AutobotBlurr Cheers, dude! Same here, games were crazy expensive back then and I was only allowed a couple of games a year (normally xmas and birthday lol). I was always borrowing/trading games with my friends. This would have almost definitely blown my mind! hahaha

[P5ychoFox]

Great vid mate. I wonder if anyone filmed the thing in use back in the 90s?

[RetroGameTech]

@P5ychoFox Thanks :) . If you search on YouTube there's an awesome commercial for the service from the 90's, lol. There's also a few people who seem to have recorded gameplay on VHS from back in the day and have since uploaded it.

[roryos]

another power adapter OOMMGGGG!! that's 4 now if you had the 32x and the mega CD, what a glutton of a power hog!

[dragonballZfreak199]

that is a tower!!!!

[Cptalbertweskerful]

@RetroGameTech I know! I'd of never guessed that it was available in the UK, and it was so ahead of it's time, crazy stuff, shame it's defunct now!

[shaggy2dope666]

"it takes an external power adapter" haha yeah, what piece of sega hardware didn't back in the 90's?

[SCBianchi]

There was a similar thing for the SNES with a few exclusive games. They are available via pirate multicarts thanks to someone having the foresight to save them however they could/did.

[DecepticonMecha]

Sega Channel on top of a 32X, on top of a Mega Drive, on top of a Mega CD. Tower of awesome!

[RyogaXvX]

I remember wanting this so bad xD

This and the X-Band

[8BitROB]

Wow! Nice add to the collection! :-)