The Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Nintendo Edition has been one of the hottest gaming gadgets of 2017.
The SNES Classic Mini has been flying off the shelves whenever stock has become available to buy, with fans loving Nintendo’s latest retro revival.
The pint-sized console lets fans relive the 16-Bit glory days thanks to the 21 classic retro games loaded up onto the system.
It’s the second classic console Nintendo has released, and follows on from the success of the NES Classic Mini last year.
And now retro gaming fans have been given another boost, with it possible Sega could release their own classic console revival next year.
The Sonic the Hedgehog makers have recently announced a new partnership with retro clone hardware makers Retro-bit.
Retro-bit have made a number of retro consoles, including the Super Retro Trio which plays NES, SNES and Mega Drive games.
And the firm have agreed a licensing agreement with SEGA, to make accessories for ALL of Sega’s gaming platforms.
This includes much-loved consoles like the Sega Dreamcast, the Sega Mega Drive and the Sega Saturn.
Products that are in the pipeline includes accessories for original Sega consoles which use the original console port but have modern upgrades.
Retro-bit teased these accessories will include USB ports for PC compatibility and Bluetooth wireless technology.
New products born from the Sega and Retro-bit partnership will be revealed at CES 2018 in Las Vegas in January.
Titi Ngoy, President and CEO at Innex Inc – the exclusive distributor of Retro-Bit, said: “With retro gaming on an upswing, we are pleased to offer officially SEGA licensed accessories in their original format as well as apply the innovative classic gaming enhancements that have become the hallmark of Retro-Bit.
“We’re excited to unveil the first of these new products and concepts at CES, and do so alongside an exciting 2018 product catalog.”
While it hasn’t been confirmed, the deal will surely raise hopes amongst fans of the possibility of a Sega rival to the SNES and NES Classic Mini.
Sega already have one retro console revival out at the moment, the Mega Drive Flashback.
However, after getting mixed reviews at launch, Sega might be looking to reboot their retro console revivals.
During the 16 Bit era, Sega and Nintendo were the biggest names in gaming.
And while sales of the Saturn and Dreamcast were not as high as their rivals, the consoles hold a special place in many gamers’ hearts.
The Dreamcast, which was discontinued after less than two years after its European release, has many innovations still felt in gaming today.
The Sega Dreamcast was the first home console to embrace online gaming, and also was the first home console to have a second screen in its controller.
While this was a rudimentary pixel screen, thanks to the VMU memory card, the basic idea was replicated and refined with the Nintendo Wii U years later.
The Sega Dreamcast classic Shenmue has also been hugely influential, with the level of interaction with non-playable characters replicated in current open world games.
If Sega do decide to create a Sega Dreamcast Mini, here is the Express.co.uk games wish list:
1. Shenmue
2. Shenmue 2
3. Sonic Adventure
4. Soul Calibur
5. Sega Rally 2
6. Crazy Taxi
7. Virtua Tennis
8. Power Stone
9. Virtua Fighter 3
10 Daytona USA 2001
11. Marvel vs Capcom 2
12. Resident Evil – Code Veronica
13. ChuChu Rocket
14. House of the Dead 2
15. Samba de Amigo
16. Phantasy Star Online
17. Ikaruga
18. Skies of Arcadia
19. Rez
20. Street Fighter 3: Third Strike
21. Metropolis Street Racer