SEGA and MHL: Changing the Face of Mobile Gaming From Retro to Right Now

By MHL Guest Blogger Daniel Mitre, Senior Community Manager, SEGA of America  

Do you remember the first time you played Sonic The Hedgehog? If you’re like me, it was the early 1990s, and it was on a 16-bit SEGA Genesis.  The 2D platform game was so popular that SEGA quickly developed additional Sonic The Hedgehog titles including Sonic CD, Sonic Spinball, and Sonic 3D Blast.

What you may not realize is that you can play many of these classic Sonic The Hedgehog games on your Android phone.  Skeptics might say playing games on your smartphone can’t be the same as playing them on a real gaming console, but that’s no longer true.  Today’s smartphones are often more capable and powerful than a personal computer and include 1080p HD video displays and surround sound audio.

Many of SEGA’s Sonic The Hedgehog Android titles include support for wireless game controllers such as the MOGA Pro or Nyko PlayPad, which look a lot like traditional game controllers.  These controllers can be paired with your MHL-enabled smartphone and then can be connected to your TV for a bigger, more immersive experience. MHL technology supports full 1080p resolution, multi-channel audio (up to 7.1 surround sound) and remote control protocol (RCP) commands, so you can easily navigate the game menus and download additional titles from Google Play.

To be clear, not all Android games support Bluetooth controllers but all of them can be played on the big screen with MHL. Here is a quick sampling of the current SEGA Android games that support MHL, and a complete listing of those that have been optimized for the external controllers.

SEGA titles that are best played on a big screen with MHL

Sonic Jump

Total War Battles

Crazy Taxi

Sonic Dash (launched November 2013)

Sonic & SEGA All-Star Racing

Kingdom Conquest I & II

Football Manager Handheld 2014

House of the Dead Overkill: LR

Many more classic titles from the SEGA catalog

SEGA titles that are best played on a big screen with MHL and an Android Bluetooth controller

Jet Set Radio

Sonic CD

Sonic The Hedgehog

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode I & II

Virtua Tennis Challenge

Don’t forget to check out Sonic Dash, our latest addition to the Sonic family. It’s an endless running game for Android that includes beloved SEGA characters such as Sonic, Tails and Knuckles.  Who said you can’t have the best of both worlds? Play great SEGA games from your mobile Android device to the big screen with MHL, or on your console!