Super Nt+ and Mega Sg+ put Analogue back in the 16-bit fight

Analogue is back in the 16-bit business. On Friday the company announced the Super Nt+ and Mega Sg+, refreshed versions of its FPGA Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis consoles, and both are listed at $219.99 on the Analogue store. Preorders open Monday, October 19 at 8 a.m. PT, and the product pages for the Super Nt+ and the Mega Sg+ both say they ship in December 2026. If you missed the originals before Analogue discontinued them in 2022, this is the second chance. I have notes before you hit the button.

The pitch has not changed. These are not emulation boxes. The core of each system is built on an Altera Cyclone V FPGA that recreates the original hardware, and they play your actual cartridges over HDMI at up to 1080p. They do not play ROM files; the SD card slot is for firmware. Engadget calls the idea "the gaming equivalent of a modern record player for your old vinyl collection," which is fair, as long as you remember that a record player is useless without records.

The FPGA core is the part Analogue already got right in 2018. The plus is everything wrapped around it.

What actually changed

Analogue's own list is mostly quality of life, and most of it is overdue. Both consoles now have Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz wireless built in, with a dedicated pairing button and up to two wireless controllers. You can power the system on from the player one pad. Power moves to USB-C, with a 30W GaN power supply in the box, and a USB-A port handles the Analogue DAC for CRT owners or charges your controllers. Engadget also notes that you can now swap cartridges from the menu without shutting the console off, and there is a new OS and a redesigned case.

The Super Nt+ comes in Classic, SF, and Black. The Mega Sg+ comes in USA, EU, and JP versions, keeps the original-style Sega CD connector, and packs in a Master System cartridge adapter and a Sega CD spacer, per Final Weapon's rundown of the box contents. Both include cartridge cleaners. The Mega Sg+ store listing caps orders at two per customer, which tells you Analogue expects the usual preorder scramble.

The originals next to the plus models

Here is the side-by-side, built from Analogue's pages and the Super Nt and Mega Sg histories on Wikipedia.

One more small thing in that history: the 2018 Super Nt launched in four colors, including Transparent. Transparent is not in the new lineup.

The real price is not $219.99

Analogue does not put a controller in the box. Its FAQ points you to 8BitDo's SN30 for the Super Nt+ and M30 for the Mega Sg+, each sold separately for $29.99. So the actual cost for one console and one pad is $249.98. Both consoles with one pad each is $499.96, before shipping and tax. If you already own 8BitDo pads, or still have working original controllers (both systems keep original-style wired ports), you can skip that part.

And then there is the line that stings. Analogue's FAQ says the Super Nt+ does not include Super Turrican Director's Cut, and the Mega Sg+ does not include Ultracore. Those were not throwaway extras. Ultracore was an unreleased 1994 Genesis game, originally called Hardcore, that never came out until Analogue put it on the Mega Sg, and the Director's Cut restored content the original Super Nintendo cartridge could not fit. They were the thank-you note in the box. The plus models cost about $30 more than the originals did and lose the thank-you note. I understand the licensing math. I still do not love it.

Should you preorder? A quick sort

• You have a pile of carts and no working console. Yes. This is exactly who these were built for, and wireless pads make the couch setup easy.
• You already own a Super Nt or Mega Sg. Probably wait. It is the same FPGA family and the same 1080p ceiling. You would be paying $219.99 for wireless, USB-C, hot swapping, and a new OS.
• You play Sega CD. The Mega Sg+ connects to an original Sega CD or Mega CD. It does not replace one.
• You want Game Gear, SG-1000, or My Card games. Those adapters are sold separately.
• You want save states or screenshots. Look elsewhere. Analogue says the plus models skip save states, overclocking, Memories, and screenshots, the features it gave the Analogue 3D.
• You play on a CRT. The Analogue DAC plugs into the new USB-A port for analog out.
• You do not own any cartridges. Skip it. There is nothing to play in the box.

Old games getting a second life has been a running theme on this desk. Tales of Eternia Remastered brought back the PS1 RPG North America first played as Tales of Destiny II, Toy Story: Retro Roundup made the old Game Boy versions the reason to care, and the Shogun 2 Complete Edition mess was a reminder of why the original version should always stay available. Analogue's approach is the purest of the bunch: no new version of the game at all, just better hardware to run the one you already own.

My take: if your cartridges have been sitting in a closet since your last console died, the Super Nt+ and Mega Sg+ are the best reason in years to dig them out. The wireless support alone fixes the most annoying part of the old setup. But Analogue is charging more and taking the pack-in games away, and I would feel a lot better about Monday's preorder if Super Turrican Director's Cut and Ultracore showed up later as a free download. Nothing on the product pages says they will. Budget for the controller, check your carts, and set an alarm for 8 a.m. PT.

How we made this: researched and drafted with AI assistance. Sources are linked in the piece.