Highlights
- Sega is releasing accessories based on its vintage consoles, tapping into gamers’ nostalgia.
- Sega hasn’t made a new console platform since the Dreamcast in 1998, but has found success as a software developer.
- The Sega Genesis- and Dreamcast-themed earbuds, as well as other accessories, will be available for purchase starting December 22, 2023.
Iconic video game company Sega is tapping into gamers’ nostalgia once more with the announcement of accessories based on its popular vintage consoles. While this upcoming release isn’t exactly gaming-related, it’s still pretty cool to have something to remember two of the best video game consoles of all time, especially for kids who proudly grew up in the ’80s and ’90s.
Though Sega is still going strong in the 2020s as a respected game developer and publisher, it hasn’t made a new console platform since the Dreamcast in 1998. Sega abandoned the console business after the Dreamcast and the ill-fated Sega Saturn couldn’t quite set the world on fire like Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft’s respective offerings. Today, it’s found a lot more success as a software developer working on its popular franchises such as Sonic the Hedgehog, but there are still more than a few gamers who are nostalgic for the company’s glory days.
10 Best Sega Dreamcast RPGs, Ranked
Sega’s console was home to RPGs that players still have fond memories of.
Capitalizing on that particular nostalgia, Sega has announced a partnership with top Japanese audio equipment manufacturer Onkyo to produce a special line of Sega Genesis- and Dreamcast-themed versions of the latter’s CP-TWS01A wireless Bluetooth earbuds. The designs are fully reminiscent of the legendary consoles, and they will be available for around $109 starting December 22, 2023 at the Onkyo Direct online store, and for those in Japan, at the Onkyo Direct store in Akihabara, Tokyo.
The Sega Genesis design takes from the Mega Drive version of the console, which was its original name in Japan. Its left earbud has the iconic “16-bit” text that’s on the front of the console, while the right earbud has the Japanese red and green “MD” logo. Meanwhile, the Dreamcast design is clean in its classic white colors, and its earbuds have the controller’s D-pad on the left earbud and the face buttons on the right.
Other than the earbuds, there are also other Sega-themed accessories for sale from Onkyo that fans might want to get as well. The manufacturer also has Genesis- and Dreamcast-themed wireless chargers (around $31), acrylic stands (around $8), and T-shirts (around $28). All of it makes for a pretty solid collection that could sell out pretty fast, considering the sentiments towards these platforms. In fact, the love is so strong that people are still playing on their old Sega consoles and still making new accessories for it.
Aside from this hardware, Sega has also been quite busy forming partnerships for its IPs. Back in September, Japanese fashion brand SuperGroupies announced a new line of Persona 5 Royal clothing and accessories. Sega is the global publisher of Persona 5 Royal, an enhanced version of the original game, and with ideas like these, more collabs from the company may be in the pipeline.
