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Red Earth
10-31-2009, 08:30 PM
so how rare is a Sega Master System II? i was thinking about getting one and starting up a small collection of games i'd like to have, but i really want the SMS II system for its design and compact nature.

is there anything to look for in a USA released unit? do Euro and USA models differ? are different region games compatible with all systems?

thanks for any information
grolt
11-02-2009, 06:10 AM
so how rare is a Sega Master System II? i was thinking about getting one and starting up a small collection of games i'd like to have, but i really want the SMS II system for its design and compact nature.

is there anything to look for in a USA released unit? do Euro and USA models differ? are different region games compatible with all systems?

thanks for any information

You really should go for the original Master System. The II cuts out a lot of notable features. The biggest is the lack of a card slot, so bye bye card games or 3D games. Then there's no power light, no reset button and no composite cable option - just ugly old RF. It does have the benefit of the built in Alex Kidd in Miracle World (some PAL models have Sonic, Jungle Book, and others).

The system, as with the original SMS, can play any western game (North America, Brazil, Europe) but given the different size of the Japanese Master System/Mark III cartridges, it cannot play those games.

Aside from the different built-in games, US and Euro SMS II's differ in color, with the European ones more of a black and the US ones more a lighter shade of grey.

US versions are much harder to find, while the PAL ones are common as dirt. Considering the original SMS is so much easier to find in North America and has much better features, it should be the system of choice.
megasdkirby
11-02-2009, 06:33 AM
Plus I notice that SMS II's play Codemaster games while SMS I's cannot. At least the consoles I have.

I always wondered if it was possible to physically remove the ROM chip containing the game and replace it with another game. Would be neat to add a ROM socket instead, so one can replace ROM chips whenever they please! :)
kedawa
11-02-2009, 10:45 AM
I always wondered if it was possible to physically remove the ROM chip containing the game and replace it with another game. Would be neat to add a ROM socket instead, so one can replace ROM chips whenever they please! :)You mean like a cartridge slot?
megasdkirby
11-02-2009, 12:16 PM
You mean like a cartridge slot?

LOL

Nah, I meant on the motherboard itself.
Rickstilwell1
11-02-2009, 03:07 PM
It took forever for me to find an SMS 2 on ebay that was US released. And the seller was a jerk, asking me to pay him extra money for shipping because it cost more to ship it than it said. I told him no way because you can't change prices after the auction ends. He should've been happy I paid $70 anyway.

Anyway enough ranting about my experience to get the thing, it is very nice as it doesn't take up as much space as the SMS 1. I never had any games that didn't work on it so far. As far as SMS cards go, there aren't very many and some of them were re-released on cartridge. Unless you're like a really die-hard SMS fan you won't need to worry about it.

The reset button on the SMS 2 US version is white so you can tell right away which is which. It also had Alex Kidd in Miracle World built in. And of course a US system can play European cartridges so I've got like Sonic 1, 2 and Chaos and Dynamite Dux in my collection.
ooXxXoo
11-02-2009, 03:21 PM
Plus I notice that SMS II's play Codemaster games while SMS I's cannot. At least the consoles I have.

I always wondered if it was possible to physically remove the ROM chip containing the game and replace it with another game. Would be neat to add a ROM socket instead, so one can replace ROM chips whenever they please! :)

Is possible, but the other ROM has to come from another SMSystem built-in game...A cartridge ROM alone will not work (the cartridge connertor slot will not work with a cart ROM installed)...There are a few differences between the 2, the native Built-in game has a 2MBIT ROM with the Sega standard mapper in it...

Also, the Euro SMS II is a PAL system, and since the unit only ouputs RF, you'll have a great deal of trouble trying to hook it up to a NTSC TV (unless your tv is multi-system)....I've successfully converted a PAL SMS II into NTSC, and believe me is a pain on the neck, although these systems usually come with Sonic in the memory, which makes everything worthy.
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ooXxXoo
11-02-2009, 04:02 PM
Forgot to mention, there are other SMS II worldwide (well in South America for example, they are known as SMS III)...Here is a pic of some of my systems: NTSC SMS II, PAL SMS II(now NTSC), French (Secam) SMS II, Brazilian PAL-M SMS III (now NTSC) and some of the popular Brazilian Master System Collections 3 (w/built-in games) :

http://usera.imagecave.com/capcom2000/hpim9371.jpg

Like its been said before, the American SMS II only has the RF modulator, but with a little bit of modding you can get AV ouput and even s-video:

http://usera.imagecave.com/capcom2000/hpim8702.jpg

Also, installing a reset button and a LED is fairly easy (for some I guess :D ):

http://usera.imagecave.com/capcom2000/pict0004.jpg

http://usera.imagecave.com/capcom2000/pict0005.jpg
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BetaWolf47
11-02-2009, 04:06 PM
Yeesh, didn't know that SMS II was limited to RF. What's up with redesigned systems having worse output?
Red Earth
11-02-2009, 05:05 PM
cool, thanks for the pictures :)

the SMS II, it is a very attractive unit. the original Master System reminds me of the TG-16 with its seemingly unnecessary elongated shape. although in defense of the TG-16, at least its curvy. the Master System is angular.
Steve W
11-02-2009, 09:34 PM
Yeesh, didn't know that SMS II was limited to RF. What's up with redesigned systems having worse output?
Gotta make the design cheaper, so they can keep lowering the price of the console to grab extra sales.

I never knew the SMS II was so rare in the US. I've got one, bought at a thrift for $5, and I've never bothered playing it. I can't find any SMS games worth hooking the machine up for. I never knew it had the Alex Kidd game built in. If I ever locate it in all my unorganized junk, will it take the original SMS power supply, or can I use a Genesis one?
ooXxXoo
11-02-2009, 09:37 PM
Gotta make the design cheaper, so they can keep lowering the price of the console to grab extra sales.

I never knew the SMS II was so rare in the US. I've got one, bought at a thrift for $5, and I've never bothered playing it. I can't find any SMS games worth hooking the machine up for. I never knew it had the Alex Kidd game built in. If I ever locate it in all my unorganized junk, will it take the original SMS power supply, or can I use a Genesis one?

Yes, you can use a Genesis power supply just fine..
todesengel
11-03-2009, 11:19 PM
The only Euro SMS games that I know of that won't play on a US SMS1 are I believe the Codemasters releases (as mentioned above by megasdkirby) and a Back to the Future game. Other than that I say just get a model 1 SMS, they're cheaper and easier to find and you can use the model 1 Genesis AV cable with it or the model 1 adapter for the 32X with a model 2 Genesis AV cable.