Sega's Astro City Mini - Review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ธ.ค. 2020
- Well, was it any good?
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Opening 3D Logo By:
Jan Neves
TH-cam Page - / jan3d
Opening 2D Animation By:
Kevin Bhall
Facebook - / kevin.bhall.14
Episode Notes:
1. This guy retails for around the $140/$150 mark. Amazon Japan is the cheapest place I've seen it new.
2. I ordered a Astro City Mini pad, but I ain't happy about it. Sega really went the scummy route on this one.
3. The scanline feature looks worse here than I've seen on other devices. They are just too big and dark to be useful.
4. Virtua Fighter is not an easy game. Trying to beat Akira and Dural on the default difficulty with that tony stick and buttons has been brutal. I have taken a dozen losses trying it.
5. To get back to the menu you need to press the coin and start buttons together. I forgot to mention that in the video.
6. The screen and stereo speakers really are nice on this thing. They really put some great effort into the build and physical quality of it. - เกม
![มองหน้ากันไม่ติด (Awkward) - โอ๊ต ปราโมทย์ FEAT. MAIYARAP [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4b02SY_r6Gw/mqdefault.jpg)
We need Model 1, Model 2 and Model 3 Collections, on consoles and Steam.
That's what I was going to say. That would be amazing!
@@KannX Same. Come on, Sega!
I'm down for a model 2 collection. Last Bronx, Fighting Vipers, Dead or Alive...I'm there, dude.
Don't get your hopes up for a home version of Sega's Star Wars games though. I doubt Disney would clear the license.
We also NEED a Sega 'light gun games' collection for VR headsets. Imagine Virtua Cop or House of the Dead where you could actually look around!
Finally the definitive review on this device by a Qualified SEGA expert...thanks
Haha, I’m no expert. But I appreciate you value my opinion.
@@SegaLordX
You have more knowledge than most about stuff related to SEGA
@@FloridaEbikes and Daniel Ibbertson.
@@SegaLordX you are definitively a youtiber to listen to. Not a fanboy. Quite relevant and informative trust me
It's beneficial that he knows how the games are supposed to play so he can accurately comment on the emulation quality.
The amount of extremely high quality content you're putting out these days is pretty inspiring, SLX. You're one of my favourite channels.
Thanks! 🥰
I want to get one just so I can finally say I have an Astro City Arcade cabinet XD
You should do that. If it makes you happy then just do it. I support you "not financially", but still.
The only review I need right here. Rock on, SLX, and Merry Christmas!
My thoughts exactly about the review itself.
@matt fahringer well I was more being polite, I have other questions like curious about the hacking scene and what people will do. Will it be able to be hacked and ROMs be put on it or maybe even overclocked for better performance?
Worth it at all for arcade emulation or should I stick with my series X to emulate literally everything?
He’a not gonna reply you. He has 77K subscribers, he thinks he’s a big shot on TH-cam.
@@f-zerogx2624 He replied to me. I don't think he thinks he' a big shot, I find his manner to be that of a humble man.
Thank you so much for covering this. Pre-ordered mine months ago, it came Friday and we have been playing games since. My family loves it and I am so proud to add it to my collection. The cabinet holds no nastalgia for me either but it is awesome. Love it.
Oh and the six buttons are awesome
Buy the astro city mini controllers or it's pointless.
@@Tolbat
Only pointless if you have big hands, I don’t so 🤷🏻♂️
@@nintendive for hours of play and multiplayer, but thats my opinion. Enjoy it, love mine.
Man, we need a Saturn Mini!
And a Dreamcast Mini as well.
Prediction is we'll get a Master System Mini sooner.
"If you walked into a Japanese arcade in the mid-90s, you would see plenty of these machines lining the walls"
Lived in Japan and recently went back in late 2018, they're still lining the walls now.
@Florida Bikes and Gear: Fighting evil by moonlight; Winning love by daylight; Never running from a real fight; She is the one named Sailor Moon!
Virtua Fighter is only slow when you play on HDMI
When you play on the Astro mini itself, no slowdown at all !
Even though I never grew up in Japanese arcades I played a few of these games at Aladdin’s Castle and in the early 00’s a lot of Japanese exclusives I played on MAME. After seeing your review I now have no regrets purchasing and am excited to play it when I get my pre order!! Thanks for the excellent review!
Awesome review and presentation as always SLX!! So many of those arcade games have a sweet spot in my memory! I used to live right behind an arcade, got to be a janitor to earn quarters for the games.
I only played Death Adder for the first time at a famous retro arcade here in Tokyo. It’s pretty fun!
(By the way, arcades are called “game centers” here. “Arcade” means covered shopping streets to Japanese people)
Thank you for the review. Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Holidays
lmao
We had an arcade in Toronto that had Sega Astro City cabinets. So many memories
Really enjoying mine, it's a shame there isn't Outrun or Afterburner on this considering they have so many others from the time period
I agree, Super Hang On or Hang On would have also been nice.
received mine this week, as well as the controllers. This is so good. love these games and the pads are solidly made. Would have liked dip switch availability but overall I am a happy camper.
That intro gave me chills because of how good it was. Nice job
I love the optional money box base that completes the cab. Will definitely pick up one of those when I get this.
I've been waiting for this review..top job and honest as always
Loving your content as always and appreciate all the hard work you put in to your videos.
Merry Christmas SLX.
Same to you man. Have a good one.
Seeing the side by side of VF, I can’t help but feel a Sega Ages release of it is coming soon.
Thanks for covering the emulation quality of vf1. I was wondering about that.
Wish they had a usa release
Ordered from Amazon japan it was pretty painless.
@@Tolbat ditto. came earlier than I expected too. Thought it was coming after Xmas.
@@thecunninlynguist same and it has english, bonus
Just to let you know, you can use other controller/fighting stick by connect Mayflash MAGIC-NS adapter(updated to V.1.28 or higher firmware and set to "white light"). I use HORI Fighting stick mini 4 now. After Mayflash Magic NS is updated firmware to v1.28 or higher, user must switch the mode to "white light" while connecting to a PC, MAC, or LINUX computer. Then, you can connect your "white light" Magic NS to Sega Astro City. Now you can use XBOX One controller(wireless), PS4 controller(wireless), and Nintendo Switch Pro controller(wireless) on your Sega Astro City mini. You can also use HORI fighting stick mini on it
for PS4 wireless pairing. user press "PS + Share" at the same time.
for XBOX wireless pairing, press "X" and it will flash slowly.
Then press the "pairing button" for few sec and wait.
for NS Pro controller, simply press "pairing button" for few sec and wait.
Great video! Really appreciate the honesty and quality of your content. Cheers from Virginia!
For anyone who's interested in ordering the Astro Mini. Order it off Amazon Japan. I paid $211.00 for the Astro City Mini, the piggy bank stand, and one of the controllers. And it arrived to me within a week. Amazon Japan does not mess around with shipping.
damn dude, what's the retail price? that's a lot of money
lmao you threw away that much money
@@ronbuil6923 to be fair my custom Wireless arcade stick with all Korean Parts is $600 in parts and labor. So it's all relative to what you value things. The unit itself was $118. The controller was $24. And the piggy bank was $40. Stupidly overpriced. So $184 before shipping. But this got here within a week and I got 2-day priority mail from Texas that still hasn't showed up after 2 weeks... I know a lot of people have no interest in the system but I am because once this is hacked and you can load more games on it, it'll be perfect for me to play on the go. Do an internal battery mod, put a bigger screen on it. Just a perfect little tinkertoy for my needs. 😎
@@Rountree1985 sorry you're broke
Awesome review on this great little machine , Happy Holidays!
What really shines is the Astro City arcade stick controller.
Thanks for the great review. Only opinion that mattered to me. Glad to see many of the issues i found while playing this device you also mentioned. But the Virtual Fighter was a bit surprising. I’ve been playing the heck out of that one. Never got to play the original arcade so this is great. I never noticed the issues you mentioned. Now I’ve only really played it on the actual device and not through the HDMI. Maybe that is the issue? Or maybe my eyes just don’t catch it. Over all, i bloody love this device and very glad to have it. Merry Christmas to you and the family.
Thanks for the review - especially the in depth look at Virtual Fighter!
I was considering buying this Just for an arcade perfect version of that alone - so, genuine thanks at saving me some money!
Was hoping you'd review this. Got my unit the other day, its pretty nice
My unit was delivered a couple of days ago, and I'm really happy with it. Small things like being about to reorganize the main menu, having a dedicated pause button (you have to press both of the smaller buttons at the same time) and a few more options per game would've been nice. 'Virtua Fighter' does feel too slow, but the screen and stereo speakers are great.
I did get the regular gamepad right away, which was around $20 when I preordered the Mini from Amazon Japan. I debated on getting the standalone Astro City Mini arcade stick, but they cost nearly as much as the Mini itself! Crazy.
I picked up the Mega Drive Mini while in Japan last year and can confirm the official 6-button pads do work. The Mode button even acts like the Coin button so you can access the menus quickly. My only real complaint about the unit controls is that the stick has enough resistance that sometimes the whole cabinet will shift trying to move it.
Alright. Let's go. The only review that holds water when it come to sega!!
I hear Arabian Fight emulation is usually filled with glitches but that this version works
Played at the arcade on his dedicated cabinet, awesome cabinet worthy every token
Works really well on this
That hurts me about the quality of VF.. I was really hoping for a finally arcade perfect version I can play at home. One of my favorite games. Looks fantastic otherwise. Hopefully they release a VF collection in the future. Long overdue.
Virtua fighter using mame emulator for PC should be perfect by now.
This gives me more and more hopes that the Saturn mini will be a reality one day :)
Even though I still have an original Dreamcast, I'm still hoping Sega releases a Dreamcast Mini as well.
@@mrlaidback83 YEP i can go with that too :). i know they said it would take a long time though because of the hardware but fingers crossed though man :)
All I want is a full collection of Super Scaler games in a mini format with a wheel and pedals. All I need from life right now.
The build quality and game variety won me over vs the Neo Geo mini. Awesome video and thank you for reviewing it!
Thank you for posting your honest thoughts on this device instead of parroting flowery platitudes, Sega Lord X. I had a gut feeling that I would need a separate controller with this, so I preordered both when this was first listed at Amazon Japan. My final cost (slightly less than $170) was a bit pricier than my comfort level ($120 would have been my sweet spot), but I am glad to hear that I made a right choice. Keep up the good work!
Great-y review of Astro City Mini, Lord X. I'm pretty sure i would buy that one.
the astro city controller is worth it. one of the best dpads i've used in my life. get it!
Indeed it is a solid D pad!
My Astro Mini with extra controller should be with me next week. I cant wait to sink some time into Wonder Boy. Nice video, thanks.
Love your content. Great stuff
Thank you.
There is a cheap Mayflash USB adapter that lets you use almost any usb controller (I use my switch pro controller for example) on the Astro city mini. You may want to update this fact FYI. ✌️
GREAT video, SLX! This thing looks interesting.
You sold me. Can't wait to play Quartet.
this is awesome! i came into sega right at the end of the genesis. still play it today! trying to find a Saturn
Awesome, thorough and honest review 👍
Great review, and honest content as always. I’ve got one of these and the arcade stick, my wife has hijacked it to gift to me at Xmas. I take from your video that if we accept the device for what it is then there is no reason not to enjoy it.
Keep up the great work, I’m an avid fan of your straight talking content.
P.S: Do we know if there are any hidden Easter eggs within this device?
Sega lord x coming in clutch again!!!! Love the content man.
It's really disappointing to hear that the other controllers don't work. I was really looking forward to this.
the japanese megadrive six button controllers work fine , remember this was made for the japanese market not us
You can get around it, I connected the Daija Arcade Stick (joy and Sanwa buttons as in a dedicated stick) via an adapter - it works like a charm. A great piece of hardware, if they only used a 4: 3 screen, add a built-in battery, and instead of the 3 Columns version add Out Run and Spider-man: the Video Game, it would be perfect.
That was a very well written intro great job
Great review, I have this mini console since yesterday and I must say it is really one of the best. If I can find a usb type C to usb type A adapter, I'll try using the Neo Geo Mini gamepad to see if they work ...
I ordered it with the Astro City Gamepad, maybe getting the Stick later. Was kinda obvious that no pro-gaming harcore session would be possible on the integrated controls just by looking at them. Will try my 6 Button Sega Mini Pad when my Unit arrives.
Hey SLX just wanted to say have a great Christmas!
Did you try Dinput and Xinput on the RetroBit pads? Theres a button combo to hold to switch, I always forget it but its in the manual slip.
Start+B, lol. Had to memorize it to play anything with it on PC.
I was in Tokyo on a layover and took a train over to an old style arcade, it was all sit down machines like this and they all took like 50 or 100 yen per credit. I think it was way better than the old American stand up cabinets
I excitedly ordered one of these (and a control pad, though not the arcade style controller as that was ludicrously expensive) when I could. It hasn't arrived yet, but I'm very glad to see the language option for the main menu to be in English. And I assumed I'd have to navigate through the games in Japanese. I understand that the games themselves will still be Japanese, but at least having the navigation screen legible is a great thing! Now all I'm worried about is my UK power frying it, but I'm lead to believe USB power supplies (like that of phones) convert voltage correctly. (Though I will double check!)
Thanks for the awesome coverage. I was undecided, but those clips with Arabian Fight, Shadow Dancer, and Golden Axe Revenge of Death Adder have me salivating ;)
Maybe they should have had Virtua Fighter run at the arcade resolution instead of upscaling it.
I don't worry too much about the controllers; I'm sure someone will hack it to use any USB controller. I'm also sure that Brook will have a firmware update for their boards to make them compatible.
Was waiting for this !
Hope it was worth it.
@@SegaLordX Absolutely! meets or exceeds my expectation as always.
Really appreciate the review. Still on the fence is I should go for this. I really don't mind the money, but still
Merry Christmas brother.
Good news, it's been 2 years but I am playing VF in retroarch and it's working brilliantly today :)
Thanks for the review!
Not bad hope we see more gameplay of this arcade titles
I've tested some controllers.
Japanese version of MD mini controller does work and 8-bitdo M30 2.4G controller for genesis Mini also works fine on AstroCity Mini.
Oh wow, thats really good I didn't know about the 8-bitdo M30 that means you have a wireless controller that works for it. AWESOME!
Yes mate thank you for this. As a Astro City owner myself I wanted to pick one of these up as a cool collectable but the 16:9 and lack of good pad kill it for me at $200
Yeah, I own an Astro city too, and the 16:9 screen is a proper heresy on this mini. I won't buy it because of that.
Solid review. Looks awesome, but glad I didn't spend my money now. I'm also hoping that as they've finally re-released Revenge of Death Adder that it'll be available on other platforms in the future. Here's hoping!
Fantastic intro in particular.
Man, I just love miniature consoles or game things. I don't know what it is, but something about small gaming that is also a collectible is just soooo good.
Working my bollocks off in the freezing cold, come home, make a coffee and put my feet up to find my boy X has dropped another vid. Happy days.
Awesome review! You have my full trust Sega Lord X. :) To be honest, it would be great if these companies allowed us to buy ROMs instead. Because the homebrew scene does a much better job emulating these games than official releases. I'm super happy that the Sega Genesis Classics Collection on Steam came with binary ROM files, just rename them and use them in a proper emulator. RetroArch allows the option "run ahead" which basically eliminates input lag. The shader option (together with integer scaling) is amazing! especially on 4K displays. These filters are not just black lines added for novelty, they actually have a real rgb/scanline-pixel matrix that convey the feeling of a real CRT with smooth rounded pixels, contrast glow etc. Yeah, I will always be an emulator guy. However, I will still throw my money at companies like SEGA. I don't like piracy but I would like to conserve my video game history and be able to play these games the best way possible.
You said it. I still want an Astro City Mini, tho.
Its an awful review. A friend down the road as a unit and SegaLord X is completely inaccurate!
Great review. Bit disappointed with the virtua fighter,but very excited about to play these classics. Glad I ordered the extra controller with it.
Thank you very much for the review.
I've been sitting on the fence regarding this one as these days, my fiancee controls the TV so having a device that has its own screen appeals to me. However, your points regarding no battery support and need for extra controller for comfortable long term play rules out this purchase. And I was looking forward to Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder and Arabian Fight.
Just get her a controller! Co-Op time! 😊
I wonder if Virtual fighter on this can be pulled and adapted\emulated into something else
Phew, glad I added two controllers to my pre-order. The combined shipping with the unit meant I only spent $23 on each.
Kinda wish I could have gotten the arcade pad as well, but that would have been like buying a second arcade mini :P
Thanks for this great review. I'm still glad that I decided to go with the Arcade 1up Revenge of death adder cab to experience the player version and better controls. I wish there was another official way to play Arabian Fight though 😔.
4 player version I meant 😊
I'm seriously about to spend over $200 for Shadow Dancer....
i spent almost 900 British Pounds for a full sized arcade cabinet
Shadow Dancer.............I'm with ya!
Love there Astro City machines have a friend who has two imported and man we enjoy playing VF2 and SF3S
Nice video. I believe Amazon of Japan ships to the U.S. for the controllers, which are a bit cheaper than Playasia. Also, there are some 5% off codes for Playasia and now they have a points system where you can use it in the future to save money too once they accumulate (FYI).
Despite i have also bought astro city mini joypad, I’m glad that my Japanese mini MD 6 buttons pad works on it and really having fun.
I think i was originally a little to harsh when this was shown, saying there were way to many puzzle games. While that may be true, after seeing how well its designed (way bettter than SNK's) and growing up in the arcades myself this thing impresses. I like how good it looks on hdmi, friggin awsome, im definetly getting one of these now. Great review x, while it isn't Perfect, you sold me on this
Virtual fighter is an arcade emulation using the driver set that it's on MAME. All the glitches are identical.
it's "virtua" not "virtual"
@@A392Hz no it's バーチャファイター, Bācha Faitā but everyone knows what I meant.
I can confirm the 6 button Megadrive controllers work
Nice review SLX. Hey did you preorder the 8 bit aleste collection with the new gg aleste 3 ? Just wondering if we'll see a review on it .
He SLX great review. I found out that the mayflash f300 fightstick works perfectly on this unit. I also bought the pads for this mini arcade they are not bad at all
I tried using the mayflash f300 elite, but it didn’t recognize the stick. Maybe my settings were incorrect on the stick. I’ll have to try again.
@@yeyeibarra found another one that works. The 8bitdo wireless black sega genesis mini and the m30 8bitdo wireless controller
Oh! It indeed works. Thanks for the tip!
You ! you, sir, saved me 50 bucks ordering the gamepad. i wanted to find out first, if my mayflash works.
thx alot.
that stick is plain awesome, working on near anything ;)
I'm still waiting on my order, I got the Astro City mini and 2 controllers.
I really want to pick up one of these
Best "momentum" pronunciation on youtube.
Got mine today along with the controller and stand. Got it from Amazon Japan which is noticeably cheaper than other sites. I'm loving it, and the control pad is a must have. I'm even considering getting the arcade stick. Yes, the whole thing is expensive, but how often does Sega do something like this?
One hint on translating is using the Google Translate on camera mode looking at the screen on a fixed position. You can check the phone screen if you want to see what is written. Tedious, so do it if you really want the translations.
Great review. Wouldn’t you need to add games via Hakchi to access these games on the Genesis mini?
I just got a saturn virtual stick pro which is an astro city replica snd real version of this nib about 6 months ago gonna build an arcade cab with an lcd screen and speakers hopefully for it yeeh!!
I ordered one from Japan, should be here in about 2 weeks.
Sonic fans are never late to the party. The others are just waiting around not knowing what they have been missing.
Great video slx! In the astro city mini are there games that use the six buttons? I was hoping to see some capcom titles but it all seems to be Sega exclusives
These are Sega only games. No 3rd parties. A few games will use most of the buttons but I don’t think any use all 6.
Thanks for review. I'm a 90's kid so I played most of these games at my locals arcades back in the day. But as much as love these I'm not going to get it, I have big hands, I can't even use a Nintendo Switch joy con sideways. It would've been nice if they had at least included the controller with the system.
Now, how cool would it be if we got a *Blast* city mini?!?
Ive heard that product name before (around the time of the Astro Mini reveal). Why is that special?
@@BushinRyuCat It's another, similar candy cab by sega. It's a little newer, and to some people's taste a little more stylish. In the full size models the monitor was nicer in the blast (tri-sync), and a lot of them run Naomi hardware these days. There's not a lot of *huge* differences TBH, but it'd be neat to have the "city" collection fully miniaturized. There's a "Net city" as well, which came out in 1999.
I hope some of these games make it out of Japan. Sega AGES gave us excellent versions of some of them (which is probably how they ended up here), but there are some cool things there I've never played, like the arcade Shadow Dancer. The arcade version of Monster Lair looks like a step up from the home versions we got too.