Enlarge / The Sega Genesis Mini 2 will not be sold at traditional brick-and-mortar stores, so this is instead an artistic approximation of the system's apparent scarcity. (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)

The miniature console fad has abated since its NES Classic and SNES Classic peak, with fewer companies giving the concept a shot. Sega remains an exception, however, as it's launching not one but two new retro-minded machines by year's end.

Only one of those, the Sega Genesis Mini 2 , is coming to the United States. And Sega confirmed to Ars Technica that the system in question would be in incredibly limited supply: "around one-tenth" the count of the 2019 Sega Genesis Mini.

Mini production run for Mini 2

The news came as a surprising answer to a completely different question. Ars reached out to Sega shortly after the Genesis Mini 2 was announced , because we wanted clarity on exactly who was producing and shipping the system.

Enlarge / Like the previously announced Japanese "Mega Drive Mini 2," this "Genesis Mini 2" will be modeled after the system's "Model 2" variant—and has the same box design as the old "Core System" look of the mid-'90s. (credit: Amazon / Sega)

Though you may have your eyes stuck on Amazon this week thanks to Prime Day promotions , the site wound up making news for a select segment of retro gamers on Wednesday by leaking a new Sega product: the Genesis Mini 2. Roughly one hour later, Sega made it official by rolling out a dedicated Sega Genesis Mini 2 website .

If this mini-console concept looks familiar, that's because Sega of Japan already announced its own version of this product, the Mega Drive Mini 2 , earlier this year, slated to launch overseas in October. Today's newly announced "Genesis"-themed version has a firmer release date of October 27, and it, too, will include "over 50" classic games from the Sega Genesis, Sega CD, and arcade. As Sega reps have previously explained, both the Mega Drive Mini 2 and Genesis Mini 2 are powered by an entirely new System-on-Chip (SoC) compared to 2019's original Genesis Mini , which means it will include larger flash storage and improved processing needed to properly emulate the Sega CD console.

Speaking of upgraded hardware: The box art confirms that Sega is packing in a six-button Genesis controller this time around, though only one, not a pair. Sega has confirmed that any three- and six-button pads made for the original Genesis Mini will work on this hardware, as well.