Features:

  • Safe Shutdown and Safe Reset
  • Functional POWER and RESET buttons
  • Metadata in emulationstation will be saved when rebooting and shutting down
  • MD case specifically designed for Raspberry Pi 3 B+ (B Plus) 2
  • Easy access to the SD-Card and all other ports without opening the case
Well Designed Case!

I spent most of my childhood playing Sega Genesis instead of Super Nintendo, so I was very pleasantly surprised to see the level of detail that went into this case. It looks remarkably like the old Genesis/MegaDrive console. The Safe Shutdown/Reset buttons work flawlessly (once the RetroFlag script is installed), and the volume button serves as a release for the top circular area which opens up to reveal microSD card storage. The microSD card on the Pi is easily accessible. The only minor issue with this case is that the design calls for the Pi to be inserted upside down. There is a space available for a cooling fan (not included), but there isn't enough room for both a cooling fan and a standard heat sink (I placed a flat copper heat sink that is usually used for the RAM and it works fine with the fan). The upside down configuration also makes access to the remaining USB ports and LAN port a little awkward (not an issue for the NESpi and Superpi cases). Pros: - Excellent design with high quality materials (highest quality build of all the RetroFlag cases, in my opinion) - Very nice SD card storage option - Power and reset buttons work perfectly (with script installed) Cons: - Upside down mounting of Pi makes accessing extra USB ports and LAN port awkward - Not enough room for regular CPU heatsink AND cooling fan (just one or the other) All in all, this is a great little case and the cons are really minor. I highly suggest this for anyone looking for a little Genesis nostalgia! -bk1guy

Case and controller are both excellent!

For some reason I can't write a review directly for the case, so I'll do that here. The MegaPi case is simply amazing. The faithful recreation of the Sega Genesis/MegaDrive is something pictures can't do justice. It looks awesome online, it looks even better in person. When I opened the box I had the biggest grin on my face. This thing is just well built and quality all around. Does it really do anything for your RaspPi other than make it look super awesome? No, not really. But it makes it look SO AWESOME that it doesn't matter. This thing is fantastic. OK. Now that I've got that out of the way, there are a few, small, tiny details that I feel the need to mention. 1) The case is a VERY snug fit. Getting everything in there is not hard, but if you have a large fan and/or heat sink on your Pi, there's a very good chance you'll need to take them off to fit in here. I did not have a heat sink, but I did buy a small fan to fit in. All the wires are a bit difficult to tuck in so you can secure the board to the case with the screws, but once you're set up, you shouldn't need to tinker with it too much, so it's really not a big deal. 2) The SD card access bay on the side is very difficult to open. Again, not a huge deal because I personally don't plan on swapping cards very often, but if you do, I found that I thought I was going to break it when I first tried opening it. I actually questioned if I was doing it wrong somehow and had to resort to YouTube to see if anyone else had difficulty. Yes, yes they did (at least, the guy I watched did). The easiest way to open this bay is to take a small flat head screwdriver or something, stick it in the little notch, and flip it open from there. I simply could *not* do this with just my hands. Also, as someone else with their NES case pointed out, you may want to remove the SD card from your Pi before you install in to the case. It looks easy enough to accidentally snap the card if you leave it in while installing. It's easy enough to slide it right back in after the board is secure in the case, though. I wouldn't risk it, so just take the card out before you slide everything in to be sure. 3) The access to the LAN port and other two USB ports are not optimal. To get to them, you'll need to pop off an access panel and have cables sticking out the side, which does ruin the overall look of the case. Again, not a huge deal for me since I'm using it on WiFi and I only ever need two controllers at this point in time. Can't really fault the case for this, though, I don't think, because the only other option might have been to modify the case to extend the ports out, add all four to the front, or something like that. This would ruin the slick look, so it is what it is. 4) This is for the controller. The controller is pretty nice overall. Feels solid and responsive. How long it lasts is anyone's guess, but for the price, it feels quality enough. Setting it up as a 6-Button does take some fancy whatnot. It won't work properly as a 6-button controller for Sega Genesis games right out of the box. I asked a question about this here on Amazon and RetroFlag provided an answer that should get it up and working. Or you can directly search YouTube and/or the RetroPie support pages to find the correct documentation. It's not overly complicated, but it was not something I was expecting, and it won't just work as you would hope right out of the box. Not RetroFlag's fault, but would have been nice to have instructions for this included with the controller, because otherwise how are we more novice users really to know? 5) I didn't setup the safe shutdown script. It doesn't look hard to do, though, from the guides I looked at. But I can't comment on that aspect directly. Overall, the case and controller are worth the money. Even if the case somehow breaks or otherwise stops working somehow, I don't care. It still looks awesome as a mini-Genesis (even if it is officially the Mega Drive look... close enough) on my shelf. I would have bought it just for that, even if I didn't have a Pi, because I'm a dork. The fact that it also serves a reasonable function to protect my Pi is really a bonus for me. A sweet, awesome bonus. I really hope RetroFlag does some other Sega cases. A mini Dreamcast, Saturn, and/or Master System would be outstanding and if they were of the same quality as the MegaDrive case, I wouldn't hesitate to buy them, too.

Up there as one of the best classic USB pads. Blown away by the d-pad.

As an avid retro emulation enthusiast, I've used quite a few classic-style USB controllers. Most of them with the same old issue of an underwhelming d-pad. So when Retroflag dropped these alongside their new Mega Drive-inspired Raspberry Pi case, I immediately jumped on them. They arrived earlier than my case, so I gave them the workaround in some classic games to test out. I previously purchased a J-style SUPERPi case, and it came with Retroflag's Super Famicom pad, the JPad. That felt wonderful to use. So I had high hopes for the MPad. And it did not disappoint. The controller is a faithful recreation of the 6-button Sega Genesis/Mega Drive controller, for the most part. Same classic layout, with 6 face buttons, the circular d-pad, and Start button. A couple key differences, though...Retroflag added a Select button and changed the Mode button to a standard shoulder button, as well as a second shoulder button opposite of it. This makes the controller very usable with many retro games, including Saturn games, and even PS1 games that don't require analog. The controller also has other features, such as DInput/XInput toggling, turbo functionality for the face buttons, and the option to swap the C and Z buttons with the L and R shoulder buttons. The cable is a decent length at 6ft. When it comes to using the controller, I was surprised at how well it performs. Everything feels pretty quality. Buttons respond as well you could ask and feel solid. The controller is small to hold, but that is because this is a replica controller, and the original wasn't very large, itself. The greatest part is the d-pad. I will say I prefer circular d-pads overall, so there is slight bias, but the responsiveness and accuracy of it is something I haven't experienced with any d-pad in recent memory. To put it into perspective, I'm big into fighting games. I play Street Fighter Alpha 2 somewhat, and normally I have mild issues with inputs within the game, specifically one Sakura combo. And this is largely due to the d-pad...I just never really have a d-pad that works well enough to perform it confidently. That changed with these. That combo was suddenly easy and consistent for me. On a $15 controller. Wow. The only shortcoming of the pad is the shoulder buttons. For a kid's hands, they won't be very difficult to use, but they're awkward for adult hands due to their position and how easy they can be hit. Not an issue for me, personally, as it's not too difficult to adjust to, but it can be off-putting for others. If you're in the market for a classic-style controller of any kind, or more specifically, a Genesis/Mega Drive-style controller, this is very much worth the price. And even if that's not your market, they can be a good choice for fighting games.

BEST RETRO CASE TO DATE FOR PI 3B+

whats good 1. the mold is perfect its like a genesis shrunken down 2. the pop up storage for additional micro sd card storage 3. just enough space to add a dual heat sink fan set up 4. front usb ports are wide apart as to not block each other from fat usb connectors whats bad 1. the PI board is mounted upside down making creating a heat pocket for the PI 2. no air holes at the top. even though their are holes at the bottom, the sealed top makes hot air flow away from the case difficult 3. side door that gives you access to the other 2 usb ports is small and cramped making it only possible to plug in a 3rd controller but not a 4th unless you are willing to shave all the plastic around your controller connectors

Excellent quality! Just like the real thing!

I purchased this controller after receiving an Amazon gift card for Christmas, and I am very happy with it so far. The controller is an exact replica of the original Sega 6 button pad, but with an extra "mode" button on the left side of the controller as well as a "select" button above the original "start" button. The shoulder buttons feel like the mode button on the original pad, basically just clicky plastic that is flush with the top of the controller. I don't plan on using them much, so it's not a big deal. The d-pad and buttons are PERFECT matches of the original, even the texture of the plastic on the d-pad feels just like I remember the official controllers feeling when brand new. Everything feels the way it should, and I had zero problem connecting the controller to my Windows 10 PC and jumping straight into Sonic Mania. Being able to play that game, as well as all of my other classic Genesis games, with a new USB version of my favorite controller of all time is simply amazing and I can't believe the quality is as close to perfect as you can get these days, especially for the affordable price! Highly recommend picking one of these up if you don't want to convert an official controller to USB.

Excellent Case & Controller - But VERY SNUG

***Caution*** This case will be a very snug fit. If you are going to use a fan, please make sure you are using a low profile heat sink. Any other will hit the fan, so please be aware of this. The cables will also have to be fitted neatly as well, but it's not much of an issue as they bend into place. It's not like the other two cases where the Pi sits upward. This one sits in the case upside down. In regards to the case overall, it's incredibly well made. I'm literally amazed at the work Retroflag has done with this and their previous cases. The detail work is superb and all the buttons & the script work perfectly. I had no issues so far with the controller. It feels great and well built, just like the SNES controller. There are a few minor issues when it comes to the SD slot and the side USB/Ethernet ports. They are a little cumbersome to use, but since I've been using the device as a full on retro-like console, I have not found the need for them. Overall, like their previous cases, this is great.

A Sublime Piece of Gaming History

This is by far the best Sega Genesis controller available that’s not the actual original one. It’s well known among Capcom fans that the original Sega Genesis 6 button pad has one of the best D-Pads around. The layout of the 6 face buttons was also perfect for Capcom fighters and designed in conjunction with the release of Street Fighter 2 Championship Edition for the Genesis. The buttons were extremely high quality, as was the overall construction and the set of materials Sega used. With that said, the only options for a USB version thus far have been relatively poor or overpriced. For Capcom’s initial PS2 era Street Fighter 2 Anniversary gamepads, they choose to “heavily borrow” the Sega Genesis/Sega Saturn pad design. I bought the Akuma hologram gamepad when it came out, and it was truly beautiful looking, but the D-Pad was a hard, imprecise mess, with a thick construction that was incredibly uncomfortable to hold, despite how large my hands are. The RetroFlag Genesis controller has none of those issues. There are, however, only 2 issues I have with it, and one isn’t really a fault of the actual game pad, but rather one I had with the original Genesis 6 button pad itself when it came out. It’s incredibly small for those with big hands. The 3 button Sega pad felt like the perfect size for all different hand sizes, but the 6 button pad was far slimmer, and slightly thinner in certain areas, such as the recessed finger rest in the back of the controll pad. Everything else about the 6 button pad was better overall, in my opinion, than the original 3 button controller. The way the D-Pad could be used for long stretches without any discomfort, due to an incredibly nice feeling, soft textured plastic finish, with very precise directional control, was possibly the nicest aspect of the Sega 6 button gamepad. Now the second issue is actually one with the RetroFlag gamepad itself. It adds 2 features, namely an L and R button for more modern titles. This is great in theory, but it’s so flat against the curved sides of the pad that it’s somewhat uncomfortable to use. It seems as if they wanted to make such a perfect replica of the 6 button Genesis pad that they felt making the L and R shoulder buttons more prominent would detract from the perfectly replicated form factor. To be fair, on the original 6 button pad, there was a recessed mode button where the right trigger button is on the RetroFlag controller. The only difference is that the mode button’s only purpose was for original 3 button Sega games that needed its one time functionality to allow the games to work with the newer 6 button pad. It wasn’t a button that gets any form of constant use, so its recessed and well hidden form factor made sense. The Sega Saturn Second Gen US gamepad, modeled after the Japanese one, would’ve been the most logical pad to replicate in this case, though I understand why RetroFlag choose to make the correct controller for their Genesis case. Despite that, the Sega Saturn S controller remidied all of the aforementioned issues with the Genesis 6 button pad in 1995. It featured the same exact softly textured D-Pad which was already sublime, and it had a larger, form fitting hand shape, with raised L and R shoulder buttons that felt comfortable to use. Both of its R and L buttons had a nice, satisfying mouse click style sound when pressed down. Aside from that, the Saturn S gamepad was basically a small evolution of what many felt was the nearly perfect 2-D gaming 6 button controller the Sega Genesis had. I love the RetroFlag Genesis pad, but I’d gladly buy a Sega Saturn replica right away if RetroFlag made one. While Sega already did this a while ago with their SLS (Sega Logistics Services) Saturn USB pad, it was a very limited release that sold out right away. It was not only a perfect replica, but it had some very minor improvements too. It’s extremely expensive on eBay now, and many of those that are sold there are actually poor knock offs with horrible D-Pads and sub-par construction. The other Sega Saturn USB gamepad replicas that are sold now aren’t great in terms build quality at all. Sega even released another USB Saturn pad from Play Sega. It’s an official product, but after buying it and comparing it to my actual original Sega Saturn S Pad, the quality feels just slightly above the knock offs, and the D-Pad is severely lacking. It’s also not as nicely textured or soft, which causes discomfort in precise 2-D platforming or fighting games over longer stretches of time. In the end, this RetoFlag Sega Genesis 8 button replica of the sublime 6 Button Genesis pad is truly the real deal. It’s curently the best one I’ve seen or used thus far. I put it through it’s paces today, playing the Sega Classics Collection on Steam with it. To show my history, I have a platinum trophy in the Sega Genesis Collection for the PS3 and beat Sonic 1-3 without using any continues at all on my original Sega Genesis. I did the same thing with Streets of Rage 1-2 and Revenge of Shinobi when I was a kid. This is something I haven’t been able to pull off on any other controller other than the original Genesis 6 button pad. I was able to do it today with Revenge of Shinobi, Streets of Rage 2 and Sonic 1 using the RetroFlag USB pad on my day off. The price is excellent, and thus far, the build quality seems like it’s top notch too, so it’s a must buy for classic Sega game fans. All I’m hoping for now is a RetroFlag Sega Saturn S Pad replica. If this controller has any longevity issues, I’ll update this review accordingly.

I love this case

Even though at the time of this review, there is no official Sega Genesis Classic out, this looks like the closest it could possibly be. The design is probably the closest thing to a 1:1 copy, more so than the NES and SNES cases, which were both already close. The quality of material is great. The attention to detail on the buttons, letters, etc, all premium quality. There's a hidden area on the case that slides off, to insert some USB dongles and then close the hole, so it looks like your USB wireless adapters for keyboard, etc, are simply part of the Genesis and not sticking out. The only downside is the placement of the fan. It's floats right above the Pi CPU, so be sure not to use too tall of a Pi CPU heatsink. Otherwise, you'll be fine.

The Best USB Genesis Controller ever.

The RetroFlag 6 button Genesis controller is absolutely incredible! Its a super solid controller. The best usb Genesis/Saturn controller you can buy. I say Saturn because this controller also comes with left right shoulder buttons, which is the sole reason why I bought this controller. Setting up with retropie will be an extreme pain if you don't find the right instructions. There is a review video on the web which goes through all the steps for setting up the controller perfectly in retropie. Amazon doesn't allow for outside links to be posted in there reviews, so you will have to try to find the info on your own. There are no problems at all with the controller that I can speak of, the issues are with how retropie was designed for genesis controllers but once you have the propper instructions to follow setting things up can be very easy and the result is absolutely incredible. This controller is a perfect match for playing Sega Genesis on Retropie, on a computer or even on an Android device that accepts USB controllers and with also having left and right shoulder buttons, this controller will work great with Sega Saturn emulators as well.

Retroflag's best case yet!

I've been a big fan of Retroflag since they released their NESpi case. This is their best case yet! Seriously they've thought of everything. The engineering inside this tiny case is impressive. To fit everything the Pi is mounted upside down, which let them access and route all the ports to different areas so everything is accessible. There's secret flaps and doors all over the case, letting you get to the ethernet port, a storage area for memory cards, and even a place to attach a hard drive or other device covertly inside the case. The safe shutdown scripts work great too. If you're a fan of the Genesis/Megadrive there's no reason not to get it.

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