Firecore

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Firecore (also known as RedKid) is a system-on-a-chip clone hardware based on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive system, originating in the late 2000s.

Overview

The majority of (post-2010) bootleg Genesis clones use Firecore, but the hardware was also featured on official Sega systems by AtGames, which was met with lots of criticism (mainly due to its sound). Sega eventually ended their partnership with AtGames due to the increasing negative backlash. A similar hardware is used in some Sega-licensed systems by Tectoy, but the sound is significantly more accurate.^{[citation needed]}

The system is infamous for its poor sound, which is lower-pitched and in a different key than a standard Genesis. It can also load ROMs from an SD card, referred as Firecore SD. Many of the recent Genesis bootlegs (such as those made by BMB) are designed with Firecore architecture in mind, and do not play properly on the original console(s).^{[citation needed]}

Enhancements

While not being well-known, Firecore also features various graphical enhancements not seen in other SoCs, similar to VTxx. These include an extra VDP register and a bitmap mode, as well as extended VRAM, tile data, and CRAM.

Games

Most Firecore systems use sets of simple plug’n play games referred to as “Bonus Games” on many AtGames systems. Most of these games are developed by Devworks Technology (under license from TecToy), Shenzhen Niutai, AtGames, and supposedly, DMC themselves and Nice Code. Some of these titles (mainly those from Shenzhen Niutai and DMC) take advantage of the enhanced graphics, causing them to be incompatible with regular hardware and most emulators.

Trivia

• Due to the many issues with the emulator, hackers from Brazil would create their own firmware to fix the problems.

External Links

• Video comparison showing the incorrect sound on Sonic The Hedgehog