Sega embraces legal console game modding with new Genesis PC emulation hub

For decades now, the only real way to enjoy the many fan-modified versions of classic console games floating around was through the legally questionable method of downloading altered ROM files and running them through a computer emulator (legal cartridge-ripping hardware notwithstanding). Now, Sega is finally lending some official support to what has until now been a very unofficial activity, adding the ability to modify and redistribute certain classic PC-emulated Genesis titles through Valve's Steamworks platform.

The newly announced Sega Mega Drive Classics Hub will serve as a 3D front end for emulated Sega ROMs you already own on Steam, simulating the kind of bedroom a diehard Sega fan may have had in the mid-'90s. The hub comes complete with a virtual CRT TV, graphic enhancement filters, a virtual shelf of cartridge boxes, and a day/night cycle to show you just how much time you're wasting in front of decades-old games.

More than these cosmetic changes, though, "every single Mega Drive [read: the Japanese/European name for the Genesis] game will now feature Steam Workshop support, allowing you to share your modified versions of your favorite retro Sega titles," as an official announcement video puts it.

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