Modder Gets Sega Dreamcast VMU To Play Genesis Games

The Sega Dreamcast’s VMU was a technological marvel in its day: a memory card with its own screen and control setup that hosted its own basic minigames. Well, one modder decided to take its capabilities a little further by creating a VMU that can play Sega Genesis games.

X/Twitter user @GGEAR_TARO posted multiple clips of the modded VMU in action, including the iconic intro of the original Streets of Rage and gameplay of Space Harrier 2. Naturally, the VMU’s tiny D-pad might present some problems when compared to a traditional controller, but it’s a very cool idea that represents a fantasy a lot of Sega fans had for the VMU back in the day.

While it might seem somewhat strange, this isn’t the first innovation to hit the VMU scene in the past few years. Back in 2022, a company called Dreamwave Enterprises crowdfunded a decidedly unofficial upgrade to the VMU, the VM2. It features a better screen with a backlight, a higher resolution, microSD storage, external charging, and PC connectivity, among other features. In other Sega news, the company recently revealed a new trailer for the upcoming Sonic X Shadow Generations at Summer Game Fest, and it releases on October 25.