A Couple Master System Questions

[Arasoi]

Hey all. I'll soon be the owner of a minty Japanese Master System MK2000, and I was hoping those with a bit more knowledge could educate me a bit on some console specifics with this model:

(1) Can this model play american master system games? Does it require an adapter?

(2) Can american carts take advantage of the extra FM chip installed?

(3) If not/so which games can?

(3) Is it possible to use other region gamepads and joysticks with this system? (I like the look of some of the PAL region gamepads more than the stock ones)

Thanks in advance for any wisdom, I am brand new to SMS collecting and need to get my facts straight.

[Ed Oscuro]

Ping in this recent thread has some info:
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124679&page=2

Short form: Yeah, you'll need the "gender adapter," but some US games have FM soundtracks that were previously unheard outside of emulation trickery, which more than makes up for it.

I should offload my SC-3000 and the unused SK-1100 and get a MK2000 myself.

Note to interested readers: I'm still wondering what kind of power supply the SC-3000 takes. Any ideas?

[grolt]

The gender adapter is a must. You can buy it from Bock and learn a lot about which FM games you can "unlock" with it by checking out this link (http://www.smspower.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8714). The top loader has a different pin configuration and thinner games than the US/Euro SMS games, so without the adapter you will not be able to play anything but SC-1000 or Mark III games on the system. There are a number of great Mark III exclusives, like Rygar, The Castle, Solomon's Key and Galactic Protector, so do try to collect the Mark III exclusives.

The MK-2000 system is basically the best Master System out there, since with the gender adapter you can play all games released for the Master System worldwide with the added FM capabilities. It also has a Rapid Fire built-in, which comes in very handy (it replaces the reset button on the console). The 3D glasses adapter is also built-in, which means less hassle and less wear on your card slot. It's the only system I use now.

There is no region lock on controllers, you can use whichever you want on the Japanese systems, including for most games even the Genesis controller (which I prefer given the more precise D-pad).

That should answer all your questions!

[Arasoi]

I went ahead and ordered the adapter card (diagonal) so I can make full use of the system.

I forgot my address so I emailed over to him seperate, hope I didnt screw myself over.

Excellent info guys, appreciate the help.

And you know, it's funny. I found out today MSX2 controllers work on Genesis/Atari/SMS/etc as well.

Who knew?

[MarioMania]

Arasoi - Go to Sega8bit.com or smspower.org, people there will help you