Sega brings VR support to Genesis classics on Steam

By Eric Abent/May 31, 2018 1:44 pm EST

For years now, Sega has offered a catalog of classic Genesis and Mega Drive games through Steam. These games can be purchased separately or in a bundle featuring all 59 of them, but regardless of how you purchase them, they're all launched through a Steam compilation called "Sega Mega Drive & Genesis Classics." Sega has pushed a new update to Classics, and chief among the new features is support for virtual reality headsets.

That's saying a lot too, when some of the other new features in this update include two-player online multiplayer for some titles in the collection. Mac and Linux support is also new, along with controls that allow you to fast forward and rewind time. There's now even a mirror mode players can turn on, giving these classic titles that some of played hundreds or thousands of times a new challenge.

VR mode, however, is probably more exciting than any of them. Though this update doesn't mean you'll suddenly be able to play the original Sonic the Hedgehog from the perspective of the blue blur himself, this feature will do its best to transport you back to the 1990s, when the Genesis and Mega Drive reigned supreme. With VR mode enabled, you'll be placed in an retro-themed bedroom reminiscent of the early '90s, complete with a CRTV you can play your classic games on.

If you don't really want the '90s aesthetic but still want to play your games in VR, that's fine too. Sega has also included a fullscreen mode you can activate in VR to see nothing but the game. Other new features coming to Sega Mega Drive & Genesis Classics include challenge modes, a sprite limit toggle, and ROMs from other regions (assuming there are significant regional differences for a given title).

On top of all of that, Sega has dropped the price of the full Classics bundle, which includes 59 games, down to $29.99 – not a bad deal if you're looking to relive days we've long since left behind. This new update is available now, so boot up Sega Mega Drive & Genesis Classics to check it our for yourself.