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Sega Saturn

In development for 2 to 3 years by Sega of Japan, The project known merely as GigaDrive (A word play for a more powerful Megadrive) began with a goal of being the most powerful 2D console to date with 3D capability based on their arcade Model 1 hardware.

Initially the goal was to surpass another CD-based console called the 3DO. In November of 1993, technical specs for 32-bit CD-based console by Sony had surfaced. Not being pleased with the projects 3D capability (compared to Sony’s), Sega of Japan’s engineers scrambled to improve on the design.

Using planet-naming conventions used for their other projects (Like Mars and Neptune), the new console was called the Sega Saturn. It was released in Japan on November 22nd 1994, and was an immediate success. Sega had finally made a serious mark in Japan by even surpassing their long-term rival Nintendo (Sega consoles were more successful in the US markets in the past).

They would however have to face a new contender to the market. Sony finally released the Playstation, and used their financial stability (deep ass pockets) to produce a strong marketing campaign, garner the attention of 3rd party developers, and purchase exclusive rights to game titles. Sony ambitiously cornered popular game genres in Japan, but Sega countered with impressive 2D shooters, fighting games, and hentai titles (those Japanese...hahaha). The Saturn still sold remarkably well, and so Sega set their eyes on other markets.

The original scheduled release for the US Saturn was supposed to be ‘Saturnday’ September 2nd 1995. However with the Sony Playstation US premier looming over the horizon, Sega chose to release their console 4 months sooner (May 11th, 1995). They got the jump on the market that they needed, but caught developers off guard. The console was released with a high $399 price tag, and a lack of 3rd Party software titles.

Even after the stinging failure of the 32X, the Saturn still managed to sell pretty well initially. However, the Sony Playstation was eventually released for $100 cheaper, and eventually took over the US market. The Saturn failed to capture the success it garnered in Japan. So what happened?

The Saturn boasted an amazing amount of processors including it’s dual Hitachi CPU processors. However, this caused problems in game development. Apparently the two CPU’s did not run in tandem, and could not access memory at the same time. The complexity either caused developers to shy away from the Saturn, or develop games in a manner that didn’t fully utilize the systems capabilities (3rd Party developers initially designed games only using a single processor). Eventually developers found away around Saturn’s complexity, but not soon enough.

Another contributing factor to Saturn's struggle in America was Sega of America's management. Sega’s mishandling and eventual abandonment of 32X had already damaged Sega’s credibility. The early release left some retail stores without Saturn stock, and the initial high price did not help sales. Also, Sega of America did a piss poor job of advertising the Sega Saturn. They also made the mistake of not bringing many quality Japanese Saturn game titles over to the United States. Eventually the market grew more hostile with the release of Nintendo’s 64-bit ‘next generation’ system.

The Saturn may not have done well in the American market, but in Japan the Saturn was a hot item. The console saw amazing game titles, which also became hot imports in America and Europe. The hardware specs were also licensed out to component manufacturers allowing them the ability to build their own model Saturns, and spread the console out further. These models were available in Japan only.

Shown above is the V-Saturn, which was developed by JVC. It is technically a clone of the Saturn with a different outward appearance, a different boot screen, and Photo CD reading compatibility with a JVC Twin Operator card. The Hi-Saturn was developed by Hitachi, and had native MPEG decompression for viewing VCD (Video CD). Another Hitachi model was released that also contained a modem, LCD play screen, and built in navigation systems for use in vehicles. Finally a Skeleton Saturn was released with a case that showcased the units circuitry.

All in all Saturn was an amazing console that produced beautiful 2D gaming, and brilliant 3D titles toward the end of it’s life cycle. Saturn was supported in the US until 1998 and in Japan until 1999.

FACT: One of the more innovative concepts of the Saturn was the cartridge slot. The slot itself was not meant for gaming, but could be used in a variety of ways (EXAMPLES). The more common uses were for an external memory cart for save game portability, and for cheat devices such as the ‘Game Shark’. However the slot was also

SegaCD/MegaCD

In 1991 at the Tokyo Toy show in Japan, Sega unveiled it’s secret project to compete against NEC’s PCEngine CD-ROM add on.

The Mega CD like it’s rival was capable of utilizing the enormous storage capacity of CD media to produce quality games. The Mega CD however was designed with it’s own processor and memory that worked in conjunction with the Megadrive’s (Genesis) processor and memory via an interface port.

The unit was capable of adding 10 extra sound channels to the Megadrive, and provide sprite enhancement features such as scaling and rotation, similar to that of the SuperNES’s Mode 7. Like other CD-based consoles, the Mega CD could also run audio CD’s and CD+G (CD plus Graphics). With the massive amount of storage space on CDs, game producers also saw the capability of using Full Motion Video (FMV) in their games. Unfortunately, when shown on a 16-bit console, the graphics turned out very pixilated and grainy, but that didn't stop them making such games.

The Mega CD was released in Japan in the winter of 1991, and competed well against NEC’s add on. In 1992 Sega began to lose it’s dominance in the United States due to the release of the SuperNES. Their CD add-on renamed Sega CD was released in October of that year to retake their sales position. However, the initial price tag of $299, and the initial lack of quality titles kept the add-on from taking off.

In 1993 the Sega CD was redesigned with a top loading CD tray. The redesign made the add on cheaper, and sleeker to connect to the remodeled Megadrive II / Genesis II. It was finally released in Europe in April, and garnered a larger following.

In March of 1994 the Sega CD was redesigned yet again, but was no longer an add-on. The Sega CDX was a single unit that combined both the Genesis and the Sega CD into a single unit. The sleek design was slightly larger then a normal CD Player and retailed for $399 USD.

The Sega CD was an innovative creation, but was not considered a total success. A number of factors prevented the Sega CD from attaining a dominant position in the videogame market at the time. The initial high price prevented the add on from selling well. Another contributor was the delay of third party software support. This was because Sega was slow to distribute the development kits needed to create Sega CD games.

The result caused some rushed low quality games. Other developers abused the add-on’s ability to create FMV, and games seemed more a cheap movie then an actual game. Other games still were simple slightly enhanced versions of their existing Genesis / Megadrive carts.

In 1993, an issue of violence and videogames began surfacing. Fingers began pointing at Sega due to a game called "Night Trap". Stores began removing Sega CD games from their shelves in fear of protest.

Approximately 149 Sega CD titles were released in the United States. Sega finally pulled the plug on the Sega CD in 1996.

FACT: As a result of their involvement in protests about videogames and violence, Sega was the first to develop video game ratings on their Sega CD titles. Click HERE for an example.

Another interesting fact is that the Sega CD had another capability not exploited by more developers. The console had limited 3D polygon capability. The only Sega CD title that took advantage of this capability was Silpheed released in 1993.