The Sega Genesis is officially back from the dead

Promotional image for the original Sega Genesis games console © Sega

The iconic 16-bit gaming console that spun Sonic the Hedgehog into pop culture legend is about to get a new lease on life thanks to a Brazilian hardware manufacturer.

Whether it was badged as the Genesis in the US or the Sega Mega Drive everywhere else around the world, the console was one of the most loved of the 1990s when graphics were secondary to playability and when dedicated gamers only had a choice of two consoles -- Nintendo or Sega.

Despite disappearing into digital history alongside the likes of the Neo Geo, the Atari Lynx and the Commodore Amiga, the Sega console still has a huge number of die-hard fans, particularly in South America where Genesis clones can still be bought off the shelf.

So much so that with Sega's official blessing, one manufacturer, TecToy, is about to put the console back into production as a limited edition. The new version will be compatible with all of the original cartridge games but will also come with 20 of the console's best titles pre-installed on a memory card.

Set to go on sale in June 2017, the console is already up for online reservation for just $138.