32X region coding situation

[dreamcaster]

Just wondering what the situation is with region coding on the 32X?

I have noticed recently that both my PAL Mega Drive 32X's say "VA0 NTSC" on the motherboard. Does this mean that all 32x's are the same and the region check is done between the 32X game and the Genesis/Mega Drive console?

I ask because I have an NTSC Genesis, but only PAL 32X and was wondering if I connected it to the Genesis, would I be able to play US 32X games? This would be beneficial as they seem to be more plentiful on ebay than their PAL counterparts.

EDIT: Also it seems that when I put an NTSC/non region coded Genesis/Mega Drive game into the PAL 32X whilst it's connected to the US Genesis, it loads fine.

[Az]

I have noticed recently that both my PAL Mega Drive 32X's say "VA0 NTSC" on the motherboard. Does this mean that all 32x's are the same and the region check is done between the 32X game and the Genesis/Mega Drive console?

AFAIK, yes.

The 32x cart (not the 32x console) checks the region of the MD/Genesis.

It seems like the PAL/NTSC cross compatibility is much lower than the NTSC-U/NTSC-J pairing. You may want to double check by loading the rom in an emulator under the way your console is set up to make sure.