Peripherals
The standard Mega Drive controller features three main buttons and a "start" button usually used for pausing mid-game. The controller itself has a distinctive rounded shape. Sega later released a six-button version in 1993 coinciding with the release of Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition; this pad is slightly smaller and features three more face buttons, similar to the design of buttons on arcade fighting games.
A number of other peripherals for the Mega Drive were released that add extra functionality. The Menacer Light Gun was developed in response to the Super Scope for the Super Nintendo and is compatible with the Menacer 6-game cartridge and a few other games. The Sega Mouse was released for the Mega Drive in the Japanese and European markets, as well as a North American version called the Sega Mega Mouse. A foam-covered bat called the BatterUP and the TeeVGolf golf club were both released for the Mega Drive and SNES and provide support for similar games.
One of the most unsuccessful peripherals was the Sega Activator, a 1993 peripheral based on a musical instrument called the Light Harp conceived by musician Assaf Gurner. Marketed as a new type of martial arts simulator, it is an octagonal device that lays flat on the floor and reads a gamer's physical movements. As the player moves, infrared laser beams trigger which is translated into game inputs. The light beams are easily distorted by a non-flat ceiling or obstructions such as blades of a ceiling fan or light fixture. Along with pack-ins Eternal Champions, Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition, Comix Zone, Mortal Kombat 3, and Greatest Heavyweights of the Ring were all developed to support the peripheral. It can also be used as an alternative to the standard three-button controller. The Sega Activator was dismissed by consumers due to "unwieldiness and inaccuracy". The $80 price point also contributed to the peripheral's lack of success. IGN editor Craig Harris ranked the Sega Activator the third worst video game controller ever made.
Both Electronic Arts (EA) and Sega released multitaps for the system to allow more than the standard two players to play at once. Initially, EA's version, the 4 Way Play, and Sega's adapter, the Team Player, only supported each publisher's own titles. Later games were created to work on both adapters. Codemasters also developed the J-Cart system, providing two extra ports with no extra hardware, although the technology came late in the console's life and was only featured on a few games.
The Mega Drive is also compatible with Sega Master System accessories through use of the Power Base Converter.
Read more about this topic: Sega Genesis