Japan execs were upset that Kalinske was allowed to resign w/o taking blame for 32X

[Team Andromeda]

SONY were losing loads on the PS and SONY Japan wasn't happy at all with the pricing of the system in the USA and Canada; That's why SONY Japan fired most of the staff in Canada and why Olaf Olafasson was demoted only to then handed in his notice; You only need to look at the price difference between Saturn and PS in Japan to see, why SONY Japan was not happy at all.

There was also a fire in one of the biggest RAM factories in Taiwan at the time which pushed RAM prices right up around the world, just at the time the likes of SEGA and SONY were no doubt be looking to order in supplies. When that was sorted out it not doubt help with bringing down the prices for the systems, even for the 3DO and it was a point Trip made to EDGE Mag.

3DO also shows what price point consoles would come in, if you needed to make a profit on day 1 on the hardware. So anyone launching a next-gen CD based console for 300 to 400 quid, was going to lose money on Hardware. CD Tech and RAM weren't exactly cheap back then and level's of RAM is always a price issue in consoles, just look at the Series S


I'm sure SOJ told EDGE they were looking for the Saturn to get 70% of the next gen market (Japan) early in, to be profitable

In comparison to other Sega PC games?

I would imagine any SEGA PC game that shifted more than 8,000 copies was deemed a success in Japan LOL

[Gryson]

Here's a quote from Ryo Kudo, who worked on Chaotix for the 32X:

"If I could go back in time, I would have stopped development of the 32X. Half of Sega's consumer software development staff were developing games for hardware that had no future. It's probably hard for you to believe, but initially, only half of Sega's development strength was going towards Saturn development."

Let's once more picture the future where Sega put its full strength into the Saturn, including games for the Western markets...

[axel]

Here's a quote from Ryo Kudo, who worked on Chaotix for the 32X:

"If I could go back in time, I would have stopped development of the 32X. Half of Sega's consumer software development staff were developing games for hardware that had no future. It's probably hard for you to believe, but initially, only half of Sega's development strength was going towards Saturn development."

Let's once more picture the future where Sega put its full strength into the Saturn, including games for the Western markets...

This confirms exactly what I've gathered from the other interviews. Having two systems out at the same time splits a company's resources, it's like trying to fight two wars at once. The only way I can possibly see this having made sense is if both systems have some level of compatibility, so the game you're developing for 32X will also run on Saturn but in higher quality, just like Microsoft having the Series S and X. Could you have a 32X that's essentially half a Saturn, one SH-2, VDP1, half the RAM? For 1994 I don't think it was possible.

[Folco]

Here's a quote from Ryo Kudo, who worked on Chaotix for the 32X:

"If I could go back in time, I would have stopped development of the 32X. Half of Sega's consumer software development staff were developing games for hardware that had no future. It's probably hard for you to believe, but initially, only half of Sega's development strength was going towards Saturn development."

Let's once more picture the future where Sega put its full strength into the Saturn, including games for the Western markets...

It's really incredible to believe that no one high enough in the management chain never blocked the decision to go on with the 32X project.
The gist with the 32X is that wasn't just a product that failed to attract the favour of the market, it was a project that betrayed any understanding on how the console business works.
Making sure your next platform is a success and devoting every resource possible to the goal is essential in a business based on generational transitions that reset the clock each time.

Sometime the 32X failure is associated with the Virtual Boy failure however Nintendo never planned the VB to be a mid way toward the N64, neither to replace the Game Boy line.
Instead the VB was positioned as a new kind of way to play games, as a new gimmick they hoped would attract consumers.
It became quickly obvious that Nintendo's hope to create a new business from the stereoscopic 3D gimmick was misplaced and was shut down shortly thereafter.
In the case of the 32X, the platform was thought from the beginning as a stopgap until the 'real' next gen platform thusly was actively competing internally for the same direction.
Absolutely madness.

[Deathscythe]

Here's a quote from Ryo Kudo, who worked on Chaotix for the 32X:

"If I could go back in time, I would have stopped development of the 32X. Half of Sega's consumer software development staff were developing games for hardware that had no future. It's probably hard for you to believe, but initially, only half of Sega's development strength was going towards Saturn development."

Let's once more picture the future where Sega put its full strength into the Saturn, including games for the Western markets...

What Western games would be on it? I can't imagine the 32x library being Saturn launch titles wuld help that much.

It needed NFL.

[Gryson]

What Western games would be on it? I can't imagine the 32x library being Saturn launch titles wuld help that much.

It needed NFL.

The 32X games were all rushed, with many of them just being Genesis games that got switched over (and barely use the 32X hardware) due to the incredibly short development window. So it's not the case that those games would have just appeared on the Saturn as is.

We can only imagine what games would have been developed for the Western market. Hopefully a Sonic title. Another guess from the two legit original 32X games from Japan: Metal Head and Shadow Squadron (without the hardware limitations of the 32X).

[Deathscythe]

The 32X games were all rushed, with many of them just being Genesis games that got switched over (and barely use the 32X hardware) due to the incredibly short development window. So it's not the case that those games would have just appeared on the Saturn as is.

We can only imagine what games would have been developed for the Western market. Hopefully a Sonic title. Another guess from the two legit original 32X games from Japan: Metal Head and Shadow Squadron (without the hardware limitations of the 32X).

No 32x and launch Saturn with:

Daytona USA
Doom
Knuckles Chaotix
Panzer Dragoon
Star Wars Arcade
Virtua Fighter
World Series Baseball
Worldwide Soccer

Well, I don't know if that can beat Sony, but it certainly would be an improvement.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

No 32x and launch Saturn with:

Daytona USA
Doom
Knuckles Chaotix
Panzer Dragoon
Star Wars Arcade
Virtua Fighter
World Series Baseball
Worldwide Soccer

Well, I don't know if that can beat Sony, but it certainly would be an improvement.

Replace Virtua Fighter with Virtua Fighter Remix, and throw in some EA sports games since they also wasted time making 32X games. Decent ports of games like Mortal Kombat 2, NBA JAM, etc. could have been in the cards considering those also had 32X ports. Heck if Sega of America was smart they could have asked EA to do a quick and dirty port of the 3DO version of Madden and rebrand it as Madden 96 or something.

[Deathscythe]

Looking at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_32X_games here's what we could do:

- Daytona USA
- Doom
- FIFA Soccer 96
- Knuckles Chaotix
- Mortal Kombat II
- NBA Jam Tournament Edition
- NFL Quarterback Club
- Panzer Dragoon
- Shadow Squadron
- Spider-Man: Web of Fire
- Star Wars Arcade
- Virtua Fighter Remix
- Virtua Racing Deluxe
- World Series Baseball
- Worldwide Soccer

Damn, now that is stacked!