Megadrive model 1 region lockout question

[Manky]

Hello

First of all I'm new, so umm HI. I got here cause I was looking for ways to bypass region lockout for the megadrive, and some guy named Tony apparantly made an awesome list containing game genie codes for pretty much every genesis or megadrive game out there. Yeah, my question has very little to do with that specifically though.

Like I said I've been looking for ways to bypass region lockout for my european PAL megadrive. Yes there are several adapters, and there is the whole modding thing. Then I came accross this chap (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtY1NySPCD0) on youtube.

Now I don't know if I'm supposed to take this guy seriously but it so happens I have the exact same model as him. I only started collecting megadrive games recently and I don't have a specific ntsc game yet to test it out. So my question to you guys, and I apologize if this has been asked many times before, is this particular model truly region free then? I know most ntsc games will work anyway, but I also know that later in the megadrive's life, post 1993, games like Beyond Oasis and Gunstar Heroes started having region lockout. As I'm interested in some of these games, and the fact I prefer fullspeed fullscreen NTSC, will this particular model be able to run them without any addons or modifications? Thank you in advance for the info.

[MachineGex]

I am in the other boat. I have a NTSC Genesis and want to play pal games. The only one I cant play is a pal game called Skid Marks. It is made by Codemaster and is a Micro Machines type game. I would love to see if there is a game genie code that would allow it to play!

Welcome to the site and I am sure someone knows about your system, I dont think it will run at full speed, but someone else will have to answer that for sure.

[Lanzo]

It is possible because those were the very first model 1's. I have a model 1 that says HD graphics but I have the licensing screen. So the real question is, if those particular systems don't have region lockout then will games with the region check work anyway. If they started putting it in later systems then why the games too? Unless maybe the earliest model 1 was region free and that was the only way to prevent the users from playing different games. So I guess I dont know the anwer but personally I have never really heard of that before. The SNES is the only system that I know is completely region free. If you do try to go for a mod it's very easy on model ones.

http://www.mmmonkey.co.uk/console/sega/md1switches2.htm

[theclaw]

Don't most PAL SNES games block 60hz, making it far easier to run NTSC ones on a PAL system than the reverse? Almost every SNES import adapter I've ever heard any fleeting glimpse of info about was designed for Europe users.

[Gameguy]

From my understanding the Genesis systems aren't really region locked, some of the games are region locked and won't run on consoles from different regions. Early games just detect which region the system they're running on is and display the appropriate title screen, region locking was added into later games so instead of displaying a different title screen they won't boot at all. Modding a system or using a converter just tricks the game into thinking that the system is from a different region than it really is, the locking is all in the game itself. Early European games weren't optimized for the PAL format, they were really just NTSC versions sold in Europe that ran poorly on PAL systems, these played fine on North American systems since the games were really NTSC to start with. Later ones could have some problems running on North American hardware though because they were optimized for the PAL format.

Early systems didn't have a lockout chip, but that chip was added to prevent unlicensed games from running, it wasn't about region locking. I used to think it was related but now I don't think so.

[SparTonberry]

SNES is not region-free. It has a lockout chip that prevents NTSC games from running on PAL and the opposite.
Some later games (especially those that use an SA-1 chip) will refuse to run on a console with a disabled lockout chip.

Between American and Japanese consoles, yes, the case design is the only form of lockout.

[theclaw]

SNES is not region-free. It has a lockout chip that prevents NTSC games from running on PAL and the opposite.
Some later games (especially those that use an SA-1 chip) will refuse to run on a console with a disabled lockout chip.

Between American and Japanese consoles, yes, the case design is the only form of lockout.

Bypassing the lockout chip issue alone won't do any good for some games. It still leaves the problem of NTSC or PAL video mode checks.

[Emuaust]

No PAL Megadrives will display at 60hz without modding, IMO you are better off importing a NTSC console, your pal power supply will work fine with it and you then will have the 60hz speed.

I personally have one of those models and my import copies of SOR3 and a few others don't work on it, it also plays games only at 50hz, its either as I said above or get your console fitted with 50/60hz and region switches.


Also the SNES is not region free at all, a heck of a lot of games are region locked, you might be confusing the fact that the NTSC/J and NTSC/u are region free with each other, did you maybe forget the PAL region?