As revealed during last night’s Nintendo Direct, N64 and Mega Drive games are finally heading to Nintendo Switch Online, and they’ll be accompanied by physical controllers inspired by both platforms. Over in Japan, Nintendo also confirmed Mega Drive’s much-loved six button pad variant will be available for purchase, but only in Japan.
Mega Drive’s six button controller released back in 1993 to coincide with the launch of Street Fighter 2: Special Champion Edition and would eventually be supported by over 60 games. Yet despite its enduring popularity around the world – especially among fighting game fans – Sega and Nintendo have opted to make Switch’s rendition of the six button pad exclusive to Japan. Everywhere else gets the three button original.
This isn’t the first time Sega has denied western audience six-button Mega Drive goodness, of course; exactly the same thing happened with the release of its dinky Mega Drive Mini back 2019 to the disappointment of some, with everywhere but Japan having to make do with the three-button pad – Sega presumably reckoning (both then and now) the original offered the most nostalgia value for the majority of western Mega Drive fans.
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