Overclocking Your Sega Genesis/MegaDrive

Deven "Epicenter" Gallo writes "I've recently been working on a project to alleviate the slowdown inherent in older game systems. How you ask? By overclocking them! I've managed to perfect overclocking the Sega Genesis / MegaDrive. The processor (a Motorola 68000, running at a stock speed of 7.6 MHz) can be pushed to 16.0 MHz in my experience, and I am still working on higher. The machine doesn't overheat and is entirely stable at these higher speeds."

I already have a hard enough time...

[tsunamifirestorm]

keeping up with Sonic ;)

That does it...

[SteveTheRed]

I'm going to overclock my Timex Sinclair!!!

This is about as interesting

[Anonymous Coward]

... as the time I slapped a Type-R sticker on my Casio FX-1000 solar-powered calculator. Before I did that, it took 950 milliseconds to calculate 69! Afterward, it calculated 69! in 940 milliseconds flat.

Or, wait, maybe it was because the sun came out.

Re:I already have a hard enough time...

[ComradeX13]

The question is, can you overclock Dr. Robotnik?

Now what about other consoles?

[SDMX]

Someone needs to recreate this with a NeoGeo. Metal Slug needs to be played free of all that ridiculous slowdown. =]

Kinda seems pointless...

[Moocowsia]

Afterall TVs dont do much more than 30Hz and most games were made to run at about 30 FPS without the overclock. Essentially any improvements won't be noticible.

Re:I already have a hard enough time...

[playbass]

Now its super sonic the hedgehog.

16mhz is fast!

[Snagle]

16mhz is what the Palm Zire runs at too. That means if someone ports Palm OS 4.1 and you attach a VGA/LCD thingy you can have a Sega brand PDA. True, you are sacrificing portability, but hey, I think there are some kids at my school with pockets big enough for a Genesis.

FPS?

[red_dragon]

So now kids will start bragging about how many frames per second they get on Flashback, eh? That's just what we needed right there.

anyone want to place a bet....

[npistentis]

as to how high his cute little hit counter registers before his server reaches critical mass? maybe he should've turbocharged that machine first...

They knew it all along

[Space Coyote]

It's obvious that this could be done, after all the Genesis has Blast Processing

Poor Server

[General Sherman]

It's a shame he didn't overclock his server to twice it's original speed. Those 10-25MB .avi's really don't help.

WHY OVERCLOCK

[isolenz]

the genesis / mega drive ALREADY has blast processing, why the hell would you want / need anything faster!
Stupid people, marketing is where it's at.

PS, Cowboyneal RULES!!!!!!!!!!
--
isolenz

An easier way...

[wardomon]

Plug it into the 220 outlet behind the stove. It'll run really fast for a couple of seconds and then you can get on with your life.

Famous last words...

[djupedal]

The machine doesn't overheat and is entirely stable at these higher speeds.

The machine doesn't overheat and is entirely stable...

The machine doesn't overheat ...

The machine doesn't ... ...work ?

Re:Sega slowdown...

[LocalH]

WTF? You're trying to say that the NES' horrible OAM cycling is INTENTIONAL and is a valued part of the experience? You're on crack.

Re:FPS?

[richie2000]

What, you haven't overclocked your TV?

We can't let the Sega fanboys beat us.

[Maul]

Finally, we can recreate the glorious console wars of the 16-bit era!

I'm going to overclock my Super NES.

I'm not going to let those Sega fanboys get the upper hand on this. They already taunted us SNES owners about their "blast processing" in the early 90s.

Re:Famous last words...

[djupedal]

...this is how most people delude themselves in the name of 'science'.

The goal was to overclock...if they fall off the bench and break in the process, they failed due to overclocking.

Reminds me of how in Japan, if you are injured in a car accident, and don't die within the first 12 hours, you are not counted as a traffic fatality.

Parachutist dies from the sudden impact with the ground, not because he jumped out of an airplane?

Man eats glass and dies....not because he ate glass, but because he swallowed? - c'mon....

You know...

[TWX]

" ... as the time I slapped a Type-R sticker on my Casio FX-1000 solar-powered calculator. Before I did that, it took 950 milliseconds to calculate 69! Afterward, it calculated 69! in 940 milliseconds flat."

Personally, I prefer my sixty-nine bangs to take a little longer than that...

Re:We can't let the Sega fanboys beat us.

[evilviper]

But really, if you aren't running NeoGeo, you're eating squirrel burgers. ;-)

Considering the price of the system, I'd say:

If you aren't running NeoGeo, you can afford to eat!

Re:Correct me if I'm wrong...

[qoa]

I liked to think of the slowdown on Metal Slug for Saturn as adding to the excitement. Kind of like an action movie.

I always like that feature :)

[Anonymous Coward]

I always like that feature :)
Gives you time to go "ARGH!", punch something, and recover :::)))

Overheating

[Jacek Poplawski]

Overclocking 8-bit computers like Atari 800XL is very good thing, because these computers where often used to keep your legs warm in winter (if you don't believe me, ask older collegue, who had 8-bit computer), so additional overheating can only help :-)
Stability is of course different problem. Overclocked Atari may work almost as badly as Windows XP.

It can overclock Sonic, but....

[ProppaT]

The real question is, can it overclock my Ballz [ebgames.com]?

Re:Hmmm..

[ArsonSmith]

The analogy in nature? Ants can carry 50 times their weight, but we can't.

I could easily care 50x an ants weight. you weakling.

But I won't be able to read fast enough...

[generationxyu]

How would I ever memorize the Zero Wing Intro?

Re:I already have a hard enough time...

[sbeast702]

Dammit... I always thought that slow down effect was just slow motion programmed into the game... thanks for spoling that for me! :(