The Polymega uses the Mednafen emulator coupled with a custom BIOS file so playing Saturn games is as simple as popping in your pristine copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga or, if you’re really paranoid, your backup burned CD-R copy (yes, that works).įor any games with compatibility issues - though it’s worth noting here, I didn’t discover any - the Polymega will support loading an official BIOS file onto an SD card, if you have access to one.While the Polymega may be permissive when it comes to BIOS files, it isn’t when it comes to game files. It’s the Saturn that deserves your attention here. In addition to those optional cartridge modules, the out-of-the-box Polymega supports Sega CD, TurboGrafx-CD, Neo Geo CD, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn.

The hardware includes the usual lineup of HDMI, Wi-Fi, ethernet, USB and SD card support, while including a few other more unique additions, notably a CD-ROM drive, support for the tiny, but speedy m.2 SSD format and support for four console-specific expansions called “Element Modules.” These $80 modules bring cartridge and controller compatibility for NES, Super Nintendo, Genesis, 32X, TurboGrafx-16 … and all of their European and Japanese counterparts. The Polymega is a software emulation-based console with a custom, Intel-backed motherboard running on Linux with a custom user interface. That labored chronology is just part of the challenge developer Playmaji has had bringing this device to life but, after spending almost exactly a year with a pre-release device, I’m happy to report it may have been worth it: The Polymega is, after all that, an excellent retro gaming console worthy of your attention.

Over four years after being unveiled as the RetroBlox, being renamed just a few months later, shifting from FPGA technology to software emulation a year later, and then opening for pre-orders a year after that, the all-in-one retro gaming console, Polymega, is finally shipping out on September 12.

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