32x success if the Saturn was delayed

[Psy]

If Sega worked on the design on the Saturn longer and pushed its release back till 1996 would that 32x have been more succesful? Would Sega not have gotten a black eye over it? or would gamers still have been confused with two add-ons?

[j_factor]

It would've been more successful than it was, but it would've hurt Saturn more.

The bottom line IMO is that 32x should just never have been made. It wasn't powerful enough to seriously contend with Playstation and Saturn, and didn't really offer any incentive to own one. I still don't see any "point" to 32x; there was no underlying necessity for its existence. Sega CD allows for the CD-ROM format; Saturn was a next-gen console. 32x did... what exactly?

It hurt everything else too -- Genesis had tons of new, exciting games in 1994 and could clearly have held its own, but the premise of 32x itself made that seem not so. So while Nintendo was showing off their new SNES games, Sega gave the appearance of having to resort to add-on hardware to boost a flagging console. Anyone who takes a good look at the Genesis lineup of 1994 can see that this is clearly not the case, and they were still getting new tricks out of the stock hardware, but 32x made it seem that way. Also, Sega marketing's money and energy being spent on 32x meant a big loss for Genesis promotion -- not to mention practically flushing Sega CD down the toilet. 32x is thee root cause of SNES overtaking Genesis in sales in 1994 in the US.

1994 should've been a year for Sega to concentrate on promoting what they had -- to maintain their position as having the #1 console, give Sega CD a boost, make Game Gear more of a close contender with Game Boy, and promote their arcade games. If Sega of America was itching so bad to release new hardware, they should've come out with a Game Gear Mini to compete with Game Boy Pocket.

[Chris Marsh]

The system increased the amount of colors that you could put on the screen at once. This is key to the Sega CD/32X combos, which have better video quality. Compare the two Corpse Killer games and see that the 32X version is improved in video quality by quite a bit. I have seen screenshots of Cosmic Carnage and it has some of the most gratuitous use of color I have ever seen in a video game. There are so many colors that it can give you a headache.

[David J.]

...too bad Cosmic Carnage is a really stinky game.

[j_factor]

The system increased the amount of colors that you could put on the screen at once. This is key to the Sega CD/32X combos, which have better video quality.

Yeah, but... who cares?

[ary incorparated]

This is a scary one,a almost exact copy of Sega modle 1 vs a psx that is like almost twice as strong,maybe 32x would do better,because it has its the support of the genesis fame plus it could do a bit good for genesis,If 32x replaced the saturn then maybe they also released the Sega nemesis.or maybe even one with cd backup or even better.Probably sega didnt see much in 32x or it failed because of the arguing between sega america and sega Japan.sega didnt watch the console,but see it fail very fast,since there where to less released when it was coming out,to many people had ordered the 32x and there wherent much of them and there where to many complaints about that it didnt work good,maybe at bit to much stress for sega soon folowed with the console.and since they already had the saturn in production so didnt see the use of further produce with the genesis 32x.I think maybe it could have been better allot.Saturn was produced expencive because sony had cheap hardware(components) and doubled the sega model 1 board.sega lost their name a bit because they werent advertising any more,the sega saturn was miscalculated in comparisment with the psx so they doubbled things too, like they putted in a Dual hitachi processor etc.saturn was now on par with psx and in some terms better.Saturn costed to much money and was made to beat the psx,finnally people chose for PSX because it already had a uge library of games,the problem with saturn was that they needed to adducate people very much in a very small time,the problem with saturn was that people,employees needed to know how the whole saturn works and wath the hardware is capable of etc.For psx it was simpeler for employees and developers(they could put the software just on a c C:center,and it worked great)thats why pirrating was so simple on psx.For the saturn it was hard to make games for the system,developes needed to know a bit about infamous hardware,soon enough they notice how to accomplish that but sony was quicker,and it was no probe for developers to make games for it,Sony also had Silicone graphics as a compeny that supported sony full,dont know it really but a only know the name.Anyway the 32x would have done better because it was cheaper it was capable to take the genesis to a other level and sega probably would have released a backwards compatible genesis,it would have take the genesis to a higher level to maby it could show that it could beat the snes with no probe couse of supremmesy. ,but soon it would be dated becuase the psx clearly outdoes the genesis 32x,I think if sega had done the addvertising and improve it tecnicall to make it stronger and better working they still could have a name maby,since shenmue was theyre biggest deal in money they where going broke thanx to the ill fated DC and flops.Maby the sega 32x could have saved money for sega,at least a bit.It would have held for what it is,sega needed to advertise than.IM happy with the saturn tough,Sore many games where sticked in japan but still its one of my faforites couse of Radiant silvergun and Panzer dragoon saga,Nights etc.I dont know every thing for sure please let me know if some things arent correct,this is all ive read about the background story,In battle between the consoles.

[Melf]

If Sega of America was itching so bad to release new hardware, they should've come out with a Game Gear Mini to compete with Game Boy Pocket.

Word. I wonder why Sega never once tried to improve the GG's hardware (make it more compact, better battery life). There were some decent games, and I'm sure they could have improved it had they tried.

Problem was, Nakayama's bone-headed decision to cancel everything in '95 to focus on the Saturn basically made all that potential die a quick death. The 32X should never have been made, but they should have let the Genesis live until it trickled off by itself.

[j_factor]

If Sega of America was itching so bad to release new hardware, they should've come out with a Game Gear Mini to compete with Game Boy Pocket.

Word. I wonder why Sega never once tried to improve the GG's hardware (make it more compact, better battery life). There were some decent games, and I'm sure they could have improved it had they tried.

I agree. Game Gear had the games, the hardware, and the presence in the US and Europe to have been more competitive than it was. Game Gear had a decent market share for a couple years, but when Game Boy Pocket came out it took a big blow.

Problem was, Nakayama's bone-headed decision to cancel everything in '95 to focus on the Saturn basically made all that potential die a quick death. The 32X should never have been made, but they should have let the Genesis live until it trickled off by itself.

Ugh, tell me about it. Tom Kalinske is reported to have said in 1995 that "the 16-bit market will still be very strong for a good two years". Nintendo supported NES until 1994; Sega should've had a similar approach with Genesis.

[ary incorparated]

hhmm,Yes gamegaer is exelent,Damn a better replica of the master system,It was to expensive i think but here in the Dutch people loved it for shure,but also tought it was way to expensive.I love the console for its inovatifity,gamegear tv tuner etc master,also sonic triple troubel.I even have straat fighter 2 for mastersystem,Hoped they would bring it for the Gamegear but didnt.gamegear was just even a little bit better then mastersystem.I played my megadrive games on the gamegear with the tv tuner.Gamegear rulezz ,mastersystem is oke BUT sega Rulled still they do but a bit lesser than they used to.I dont care what sega it is they all have potential for me.

[highlandcattle]

I think the 32X could have been a succes if the games would have been there. I mean if Darkstalkers and AvsP and perhaps Outrunners and stuff like that would have been made, and not only gameswise. the sound chip should really have been better. I also think that all those crap games killed it .I've sega had simply stuck with arcade ports and simply refuse all those bad games. It would have been much better for them. Don't forget that in europe the master system still had releases in 1994. The mega drive wasn't looked at as being outdated at all with us kids. They should've held back the 32x for at least another year

[Demonic Weasel]

The 32X was a mistake. It practically killed the Sega CD, it damaged the Genesis's reputation, it was the beginning of the Saturn's pre-mature death, and it never had good games on it anyway. I agree about the gamegear, that's where Sega's effort should have gone. If they'd translated more for the Gamegear and fixed some of it's problems it could've been strong, the Genesis didn't need much help at all and if they stopped releasing FMV games on the Sega CD then that could've held in there.

The Saturn should've been the next console and if it wasn't for the 32X there may have been a chance of really decent sales. It would even have been able to fight against the PSX and hold its own as it deserved.

[Obviously]

The 32X was an attempt to get a last gasp of breath out of the Genesis/Mega Drive when Sega should've just let it fade out and support their next system. Sega really destroyed its reputation and even today the 32X is used as joke material when people make fun of Sega in the same way the Virtual Boy is for Nintendo.

[GeckoYamori]

Many of the top SNES titles relied on the Super FX and other chips to bypass hardware limitations. Had Sega taken this approach (Apart from Virtua Racing) instead of the 32x maybe they would have fared better.

I really don't like the idea of expensive built-in chips taking game prices to astronomical levels, but from a business perspective it seemed to work pretty good.

[16bitter]

The 32X was a mistake. It practically killed the Sega CD, it damaged the Genesis's reputation, it was the beginning of the Saturn's pre-mature death, and it never had good games on it anyway. I agree about the gamegear, that's where Sega's effort should have gone. If they'd translated more for the Gamegear and fixed some of it's problems it could've been strong, the Genesis didn't need much help at all and if they stopped releasing FMV games on the Sega CD then that could've held in there.

The Saturn should've been the next console and if it wasn't for the 32X there may have been a chance of really decent sales. It would even have been able to fight against the PSX and hold its own as it deserved.

The 32X was an American venture. So why don't we place as much blame on SOA as we do on SOJ in regards to Sega's fall in the 32-bit war?

I'm as big a critic of the Japanese side as anybody. But whereas we hear about SOJ focusing on too little (the Saturn) at the expense of their 16-bit hardware in the States, the fact is that SOA did way too much.

If they wanted to keep the Genesis business alive then that console should have been the focus along with Saturn.

[highlandcattle]

But I thought Soa didn't know about the saturn until it was announced surely. It tells something about sega's internal communication