R.I.P. Sega dedicated console biz

[RCM]

I haven't seen any mention of this, and apologies if I missed it, but it was 10 years ago today Sega announced they were exiting the hardware business. A pretty sad day, especially considering the Dreamcast was so great.

[sheath]

Nice catch, I won't ever forget that day. It wasn't just about Sega either, it fairly well officially ended the "hardcore" gaming era. Never again will a console's success be driven by the quality of its arcade ports and non-FPS action games.

Also, action games ceased to be judged primarily by their gameplay and unique control styles were no longer appreciated. Basically only the setting (Urban or WWII) and cinematic quality matters for action games from this date forward.

[Blanka789]

Sheath, I completely agree with you. The death of the Dreamcast echoed the death of the arcades.

[todesengel]

Christ has it really been 10 years? At least we can say Sega went out with an amazing final system. Even though I only own a few games for the Dreamcast it really was an amazing console.

[Darkman2K5]

I was actually playing Shenmue start to finish during the new year's weekend, and its still one of the best games I've ever played, and still certainly one of the best looking.

[buzz_n64]

:( I remember, and I was pissed. I was like, what the hell? So what if the PS2 is better graphically, the Dreamcast still has life in it. The NES was still going strong with the TG-16, and Genesis as competition. I didn't understand why, but the PS2 hype was too strong. However, in a way, the Dreamcast didn't completely die. Microsoft, who developed the operating system for the DC, Windows CE, went on to make their own system with what they had learned. The Xbox controllers were slightly similar to the Dreamcast controllers. Xbox also used a version of Windows, came with netplay as well with the ethernet port. It had some Sega exclusive titles, and the system basically took the place of Sega in the console wars. Needless to say, the Xbox was the first next-gen system I bought at the time.

I still see new homebrew being made for the Dreamcast to this day. It's a great feeling that the Dreamcast is still in people's minds, and being played by people today.

R.I.P. Dreamcast
Thank you for the memories.

[Darkman2K5]

For a dead system, it IS pretty active isnt it? Am I correct in thinking that it has the most active homebrew community apart from maybe the PSP?

[c2000]

Didn't think of that. A sad day :(

[eskobar]

In Mexico the piracy finished the sales of the console ... too many retailers stoped selling DC games when you could buy CD-R for 3 usd without modding your console. It was pretty crazy to see people buying 20 Cd-r instead of one original game :(

[sheath]

The above will eventually contribute to those of us who refused to use CD-Rs owning consoles valued many times what we paid for them. CD-Rs kill game consoles folks, just saying.

[Polygon]

I noticed. I played some Marvel Vs. Capcom in remembrance.


Nice catch, I won't ever forget that day. It wasn't just about Sega either, it fairly well officially ended the "hardcore" gaming era. Never again will a console's success be driven by the quality of its arcade ports and non-FPS action games.

Also, action games ceased to be judged primarily by their gameplay and unique control styles were no longer appreciated. Basically only the setting (Urban or WWII) and cinematic quality matters for action games from this date forward.

Damn, I never really thought of that and you're exactly right. Since that generation I haven't been as excited about games save for the Wii.

[gcl1984]

For a dead system, it IS pretty active isnt it? Am I correct in thinking that it has the most active homebrew community apart from maybe the PSP?

sturmwind is lookin pretty sweet. and yeah, i miss sega making consoles

[sheath]

I noticed. I played some Marvel Vs. Capcom in remembrance.

...

Damn, I never really thought of that and you're exactly right. Since that generation I haven't been as excited about games save for the Wii.

I always enjoyed Marvel vs Capcom more than its sequel, I just haven't found it for the right price yet.

I actually bought a 360 back in '06 because I thought Live Arcade was going to be better than Mame. Apparently obtaining licenses for music, gameplay and graphics is too much to ask for in most cases.

The Wii supposedly not allowing game download transfers is a serious concern for me as well. An old friend of mine finds the Wii to be the perfect balance of new and old gaming though.

[Polygon]

I always enjoyed Marvel vs Capcom more than its sequel, I just haven't found it for the right price yet.

I actually bought a 360 back in '06 because I thought Live Arcade was going to be better than Mame. Apparently obtaining licenses for music, gameplay and graphics is too much to ask for in most cases.

The Wii supposedly not allowing game download transfers is a serious concern for me as well. An old friend of mine finds the Wii to be the perfect balance of new and old gaming though.

That's why I like the Wii. I do have a 360 as well. I really like, some, of the Rock Band and Guitar Hero Games. The rest are racing and fighting games. I am contemplating a PS3 for two reasons, Gran Turismo 5 and the hope that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 makes it's way to the PS3. If it doesn't there is no hope of me getting a PS3.

As for Marvel Vs. Capcom, I know what you mean. I managed to pick up my complete copy on eBay for $10. Every now and again there are those auctions that nobody bids on for some reason.

[JSoup]

I always enjoyed Marvel vs Capcom more than its sequel, I just haven't found it for the right price yet.

I actually bought a 360 back in '06 because I thought Live Arcade was going to be better than Mame. Apparently obtaining licenses for music, gameplay and graphics is too much to ask for in most cases.

The Wii supposedly not allowing game download transfers is a serious concern for me as well. An old friend of mine finds the Wii to be the perfect balance of new and old gaming though.

The Wii is the kind of system that you really do want to hack the crap out of, honestly. Not even for pirating ability, Wii homebrew has a number of options that actually increases the functionality of the system and lets you get the full use out of the hardware.

Getting back on topic, I actually remember a few friends specifically buying the DC because they would never need to buy a game for it again, thanks to crappy copy protection.

[Richter Belmount]

http://galyonkin.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/kotaku-slowpoke.jpg

[Cafeman]

That is sad time for us Sega gamers. I spent most of this last weekend playing Dreamcast (coincidentally) - mostly Sega Bass Fishing (beat the entire Original mode - 1st place!) with that simply awesome fishing controller. Then I played some Marine Fishing (my line breaks all the time, so got frustrated) and Sega Bass Fishing 2 (more stuff and more freedom, but somehow less fun). Oh, played a bunch of F355 Ferrari too!

[retroman]

i forgot also..i remember being floored..i loved my dreamcast and still do, and wanted it to whip sonys ass so bad..i always take the underdog..plus it had so many great games, and what could have been..so sad.

[Polygon]

I remember before the system launched how much one of my friends was caught up in it. I personally wasn't too excited. I was a Sega fan boy. The Genesis was my first console and even though I had a SNES and NES I was certain that the Saturn would crush the Nintendo 64. I was so excited about it. Then it was a huge let down. Between that, the 32X, Sega CD, CDX, etc.....

I just just didn't trust Sega. Then it came out and it was so expensive, but my friend bought one anyhow. I went over and played it. It blew everything out of the water. I loved it and I wanted one. I couldn't afford one at the time but near the end of it's life they were selling for $80 in the store. I didn't care that it was a dead console. I had to have one. I still have the system today and play it all the time. Still one of my favorite consoles despite the anemic library.

[sheath]

I forgot to mention that, having recently picked up my first 40" LCD TV, I have been playing through Sega GT jp at 1080i. This game is friggin stunning in high def! I've gotten spoiled by the last ten years though, I'm having the hardest time not oversteering with that uber-sensitive Dreamcast analog.

[Retronick]

For a dead system, it IS pretty active isnt it? Am I correct in thinking that it has the most active homebrew community apart from maybe the PSP?

Yeah, but I think there are still more homebrew 2600 games coming out today. It's incredible how much people get out of that little box these days.

[Retronick]

Someone made a really good point about the death of the Dreamcast a short while back. They mentioned the prohibitive cost of DVD players in Japan and the PS2's inherent ability to play them. When the PS2 finally launched, video game stores started selling DVDs to take advantage of the new market that was exploding around them. Suddenly people could get a next-gen console AND a DVD player. It made sense from an economics stand.

I always thought that was pretty plausible. The box had a miserable launch in its home country, but it did pretty well here. Here they just couldn't sell too many more after launch it seems :-\. Everyone wanted to see what Sony had... Still not a Playstation fan after the death of the Dreamcast.

Someone (fanboy), who worked for EB once told me about 8 years ago that Sega had a miserable launch line up, and that's why Sega was hurting. Yeah, because "Fanta Vision" was such a huge leap over "Soul Calibur". Garbage!

[Cafeman]

I forgot to mention that, having recently picked up my first 40" LCD TV, I have been playing through Sega GT jp at 1080i. This game is friggin stunning in high def! I've gotten spoiled by the last ten years though, I'm having the hardest time not oversteering with that uber-sensitive Dreamcast analog.

I use S-video on a standard def set. How are you getting 1080i from Dreamcast?

[portnoyd]

I use S-video on a standard def set. How are you getting 1080i from Dreamcast?

XRGB or something like it.

[sheath]

Impact Acoustics VGA to Component adapter.

[calistarwind]

I was also saddened by the end of Sega and the Dreamcast. I had went to E3 2000 and they had such an impressive show. I thought the Dreamcast was doing great and was truly excited for what was to come. Even their titles like Seaman had something that no other system at the time had. Except for may "Hey you Pikachu". Just kidding about that.

[Gavica]

:( I remember, and I was pissed. I was like, what the hell? So what if the PS2 is better graphically, the Dreamcast still has life in it. The NES was still going strong with the TG-16, and Genesis as competition. I didn't understand why, but the PS2 hype was too strong. However, in a way, the Dreamcast didn't completely die. Microsoft, who developed the operating system for the DC, Windows CE, went on to make their own system with what they had learned. The Xbox controllers were slightly similar to the Dreamcast controllers. Xbox also used a version of Windows, came with netplay as well with the ethernet port. It had some Sega exclusive titles, and the system basically took the place of Sega in the console wars. Needless to say, the Xbox was the first next-gen system I bought at the time.

I still see new homebrew being made for the Dreamcast to this day. It's a great feeling that the Dreamcast is still in people's minds, and being played by people today.

R.I.P. Dreamcast
Thank you for the memories.

Because Sega had come from 3 straight failures (sega cd, 32x and saturn) and sony had the hottest selling console of all time.
Plus the PS2 would let you play DVD which was the IT technology at the time.

[theclaw]

That and no EA or Square support. With how good EA sports helped Sega on the Genesis, it had to have been a hefty blow to the US market. While in Japan I'd think getting so few JRPGs in the wake of FF7 re-popularizing them didn't do it any favors.

[bohproper]

so sad we could never see its true potential, im playing air force delta right now XD
R.I.P. DC

[Gavica]

That and no EA or Square support. With how good EA sports helped Sega on the Genesis, it had to have been a hefty blow to the US market. While in Japan I'd think getting so few JRPGs in the wake of FF7 re-popularizing them didn't do it any favors.

xbox didnt have ea or square and did better

[sheath]

Xbox had EA support. The only US console other than the Dreamcast I have found that EA didn't support was the Atari Jaguar. Even that was because the development cycle went longer than the console's viable market time.

[theclaw]

Yeah that's how I see it. It's one thing to get miserable hand me downs as support. Entire major third parties wanting nothing to do with your console, is another story.

[Collector_Gaming]

Someone (fanboy), who worked for EB once told me about 8 years ago that Sega had a miserable launch line up, and that's why Sega was hurting. Yeah, because "Fanta Vision" was such a huge leap over "Soul Calibur". Garbage!

thats a croc

the DC had a awesome launch Imo. they also marketed it really well specially with its famous
"9-9-99" release that they commercial the hell out of and using charecters from launch games to interact in the commercials in funny great ways
in fact i think sony kinda stole their ideas with this style of marketing

But once again when PS2 came out everyone that loved PS1 wanted PS2 and it had the new technology of dvd so people could watch movies on it which was amazing. That in itself made it sellable

I still say if Sega just waited a year or so longer for technology that they needed to come out for their favor such as the dvd player. they would have survived that onslaught imo

They to this day have styling and tech touches that still ahead of its time.
Such as their memory cards with the screens.

[Sosage]

There were a lot of things that happened to Sega and the industry that eventually killed the Dreamcast. If I had to choose one element that contributed to this console's untimely end...the one part of the bigger picture that annoyed the shit out of me...it would have to be the PS2 hype.

I don't believe half the people who claimed to "be down" with the Dreamcast when it was alive, because almost everyone worldwide bought into the "but the PS2 will X, Y, Z...so why bother with this piece of shit Dreamcast?". Joe Blow consumer on the street, ancient forum threads and IRC chat, industry related people...I got more, "Why'd you buy that thing? X is coming out soon." then any other new console. Including the damn 32X.

Sega couldn't give the damn things away at one point...and practically had to in order to up their units sold. All people kept talking about was that stupid future sooper dooper machine from Sony.

DC dies. PS2 shows up...and it takes 2 years of stagnant shit before the PS2 finally started getting strong. DC was strong out of the gate. Hell, it was strong on Japanese launch imo (I imported that thing on Japanese launch on a whim...I never do that).

A fellow game journo at the time, while trying to figure out why everyone was dumping on the DC for a console that wasn't even released yet, said it best: "The Dreamcast feels like a true gamer's machine. Everything about it seems designed with gamers in mind. From the hardware choices to Sega's first party games. It isn't trying to be anything but a gaming machine."

Last generation consoles are in their own when it comes to "classic" gaming (we should just call it "non-current" at this point :P) and as much as I hate the PS2 in the context of Dreamcast's death, it's an awesome little machine NOW with plenty of gems. Don't knock it. Their is some good hardcore stuff there. The Dreamcast, though...there won't be anything like it again. Killed partially, but most profoundly, by the general audience's uncanny ability to eat up PR hype.

[Sosage]

Yeah that's how I see it. It's one thing to get miserable hand me downs as support. Entire major third parties wanting nothing to do with your console, is another story.

Capcom had an absolute love affair with Sega and the Dreamcast. Square is (or was) hot shit, but Capcom back then was about as major of a third party as it came in Japan. They supported the shit out of that machine.

I really think Square is being overrated in this discussion. FF7-9 hurt, if anyone, Nintendo more-so than Sega.

[Retronick]

thats a croc

the DC had a awesome launch Imo. they also marketed it really well specially with its famous
"9-9-99" release that they commercial the hell out of and using charecters from launch games to interact in the commercials in funny great ways
in fact i think sony kinda stole their ideas with this style of marketing

But once again when PS2 came out everyone that loved PS1 wanted PS2 and it had the new technology of dvd so people could watch movies on it which was amazing. That in itself made it sellable

I still say if Sega just waited a year or so longer for technology that they needed to come out for their favor such as the dvd player. they would have survived that onslaught imo

They to this day have styling and tech touches that still ahead of its time.
Such as their memory cards with the screens.

Dude, I agree with you. Nobody liked Fanta Vision unless they were wearing Sony's rose-tinted glasses and were still hurt by the 32x, Sega CD and Saturn eras (though the Saturn is still one of my top 3 consoles).

The Dreamcast had a FAR superior line up at launch. Actually, the Dreamcast was probably one of the most successful US launches in recent memory. No mass recalls, no crazy-ass hardware maladies, and they managed to sell quite a few. Like I said in my other post, PS2's DVD player and pedigree gave it a leg up in both eastern and western markets in a major way. No one cared about the massive recall or the issues with anti-aliasing.

[Retronick]

There were a lot of things that happened to Sega and the industry that eventually killed the Dreamcast. If I had to choose one element that contributed to this console's untimely end...the one part of the bigger picture that annoyed the shit out of me...it would have to be the PS2 hype.

I don't believe half the people who claimed to "be down" with the Dreamcast when it was alive, because almost everyone worldwide bought into the "but the PS2 will X, Y, Z...so why bother with this piece of shit Dreamcast?". Joe Blow consumer on the street, ancient forum threads and IRC chat, industry related people...I got more, "Why'd you buy that thing? X is coming out soon." then any other new console. Including the damn 32X.


I suppose it depends on who you talk to. I pre-ordered my Dreamcast with Soul Calibur and still showed up at Software etc... at 4:30 in the morning to make sure I got it and all the accessories I needed with the thing. I bought a PS2 used, 2 years after the Dreamcast's price went down to $50 in most retail places. I didn't even buy a PS-one until I realized FF-9 wasn't coming to the PC (then I couldn't get into that game so I ended up getting another copy of 7 :/). I guess the point I'm making is that we aren't all faking the funk when we lament the loss of Sega's little white box.

Though the Japanese launch was lauded here in the states, they didn't really sell too many units in Japan. It came with a slower modem, fewer games and a buggy copy of Sonic Adventure. The US launch remains one of Sega's crowning achievements.

[Baloo]

The launch of the Dreamcast is one of the greatest console launches in video game history I believe. SEGA moved some 500,000 units in two weeks, 300,000 in the US alone, a record for the time (Might still be the record actually, not sure.)

I love the Dreamcast, it really is a gamer's machine. I noticed how someone said that the Dreamcast marked the end of arcade ports, and it really did. SEGA was one of the few companies still making arcade games by that point, and with the PS2 coming in consoles became more of

There were a lot of factors in the death of the Dreamcast, but I think there are 3 main ones:

1. The loss of SEGA's fanbase after the colossial failure that was the Saturn in anywhere but Japan, as well as the mediocre support for the Sega CD and the nonexistent support for the 32x. It shook things up a lot for Sega.

2. The hype of the PS2 helped dig the Dreamcast into an early grave as well. Between the RPGs and the DVD player, the Dreamcast didn't have too much to offer to counter.

3. The piracy was also a nail in the coffin. After people found out you could simply burn games to CD-Rs, 3rd party developers jumped ship on the system which turned into a lack of games and overall support for the console.

The Dreamcast is still one of my favorite consoles and it's fighting game ports and original games are still unmatched today. The only system to be able to port Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 correctly, as well as exclusives such as Power Stone, Garou, there's a lot of great stuff on the system. It's a shame it died such a premature death, like the Saturn (Which is my favorite console of all-time)

[Retronick]

@Baloo Yay for more Sega Saturn love :D

[sheath]

I will never understand how a gamer could hate the Saturn. Then again, I barely understand all of the ire over the Sega CD and 32X. I bought both at launch and never felt "ripped off" like everybody keeps telling me I should.

I own 20 32X games and going on 60 Sega CD games, all of which because I like to play them (I'm not a collector). Similarly, I own something over 60 Saturn games and Dreamcast games.

For the life of me, I can't look at all of those games all lined up and think "man all those game suck." I'm thinking people who honestly say that have not given the libraries any chance at all.

[j_factor]

How many people really didn't buy a Dreamcast because of Saturn or whatever? I find it hard to believe that people base their decisions that way.

I still view the Dreamcast as a success. But only in North America. They dropped the ball elsewhere. Although I think if they'd stuck it out longer, they had definite potential in Japan.

[Collector_Gaming]

remember this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3k0yJB6IVE&feature=related

sega dreamcast.. "its thinking..."

[theclaw]

I love the Dreamcast, it really is a gamer's machine. I noticed how someone said that the Dreamcast marked the end of arcade ports, and it really did. SEGA was one of the few companies still making arcade games by that point, and with the PS2 coming in consoles became more of

Maybe but I'd suggest it went so far as to hurt the system's casual acceptance. Dreamcast got swamped in arcade ports with little regard placed on how marketable they'd be to American masses.

How many people anticipating big-budget Halo or FFX type productions (as far away from release as they ended up being) would've given arcade games a second glance? Sega needed something special. Like of Skies of Arcadia and Sonic Adventure 2 scale that'd push its limits.

[Wraith Storm]

I will never understand how a gamer could hate the Saturn. Then again, I barely understand all of the ire over the Sega CD and 32X. I bought both at launch and never felt "ripped off" like everybody keeps telling me I should.

I own 20 32X games and going on 60 Sega CD games, all of which because I like to play them (I'm not a collector). Similarly, I own something over 60 Saturn games and Dreamcast games.

For the life of me, I can't look at all of those games all lined up and think "man all those game suck." I'm thinking people who honestly say that have not given the libraries any chance at all.

THANK YOU! I completely agree and couldn't have said it better myself.

I got a genesis in 1990 and loved it to death. In 1995 I was at Best Buy and saw Eternal Champions: CD on display and fell in love with it. That Christmas I got an X'Eye with Eternal Champions: CD and several other Sega CD games. I loved the Sega CD and would buy games for it here and there, whenever I could muster the cash. My friend down the block had a Sega CD as well and we would swap games and just had a blast with it. Neither of us ever felt ripped off. We had tons of great games and we were in heaven.

The summer of 96' we went to Disney world and at Epcot Center there was a HUGE portion of floor space dedicated to Sega. I think there was a big sign that hung over the Sega area that read "Futuretronics" or something like that. They had what must have been over 100 Sega Genesis, CD, 32X, and Saturns on display to play. As I was showing off my honed Eternal Champions: CD skills on the floor when a 32x game caught my eye... It was Metal Head.

It certainly wasn't an amazing game, but my friends and I were HUGE Mech fans. We had played Earth Siege, SNes Mech warrior, and were brewing ideas for an original pen and paper mech game that we wanted to make. I made my dad pull out the video camera and film me playing Metal Head. When I got home I showed the video to my friends and we were all just slack jawed. A giant robot walking through a 3d city blowing things up. Not to mention all the bad ass mech artillery was present. You could equip machine guns, missiles, laser guns and more. It was freakin' AWESOME!!! For my birthday that summer I got a 32X and the Metal Head game. We gathered at my place and played it the entire summer. I went on to buy only a handfull of 32x games (my Sega CD collection was HUGE by this time), but loved each one of them and played them many times over.

Even though I enjoyed the 32x I can understand where the criticism comes from. But the Sega CD? Helll no! There were a ton of games for it, some major classics, and a huge variety to choose from. I have never met a person that had a Sega CD back in its heyday and didn't like it.

I continued to support Sega until their demise. Loved the Saturn and you can mark the Dreamcast as the ONLY system I have ever bought at launch.

I never bought a Sega System for Konami/ Squarsoft/ Capcom/ Electronic Arts/ etc. games. I bought Sega systems for Sega games and they always delivered. :)

[sheath]

Right, for me the main problem with the 32X is that it was cut off by Sega Japan due to monetary reasons. They just didn't have the funds to promote the Saturn in a successful way, which they actually achieved in Japan, and maintain SoA's projects. The Arcades declining in the rest of the world is probably the biggest if not the single reason for the 32X's cancellation.

The Sega CD and Saturn have no real problems other than not being big huge sensations. Also, as an artifact of not being mass market, the mass market never knew about them to prejudge the Dreamcast in the first place.

[Sosage]

How many people really didn't buy a Dreamcast because of Saturn or whatever? I find it hard to believe that people base their decisions that way.

Semi-raises hand up, but I didn't buy a Saturn because of an earlier console. I definitely bought the Dreamcast ASAP.

I actually didn't buy a...*drumroll*...Saturn because of the 32X. Hindsight and the merits of the 32X as a console NOW placed aside, Sega really screwed over everyone that bought that thing new. I was one of those suckers that paid the full retail cost for the thing. I felt like a chump when the Saturn marketing hit full bore just a couple months later. I love Sega over all, but their shitty management earned the lackluster "enh" the Saturn received. It sucks to think that for a small chunk of people, that track record may have carried over to hurt the Dreamcast as well.

I eventually bought a Saturn...when Capcom started rocking their bad ass 4Meg cart arcade ports. Holy shit! :) By the time Dreamcast hit, my Sega related butt hurt had healed.


The Arcades declining in the rest of the world is probably the biggest if not the single reason for the 32X's cancellation.

That's romantic, but no. Not even in the slightest. The rest of what you mention is on track. It's more the right hand (SOJ) didn't know what the left hand (SOA) was doing...and visa versa. Before you know it, the left hand has shoved the 32X so far down the pipe that it was a no-win situation. Sega was extremely mis-managed all over the place (always has been). Sometimes, zany comedy style levels of mis-management (and 32X was one of those times).

[j_factor]

I can see that, but only for people who actually bought a 32x, and only because the Saturn came a short while after. Because you'd just spent a good chunk of money.

But when a new console comes out, I don't particularly care about the success level of the same companies' previous consoles, nor my personal opinions of them. I have a PS3 and I don't have an Xbox 360, but neither of these have anything to do with PS2 or Xbox. As much as I dislike N64, that didn't prevent me from buying a Gamecube while it was current and being quite happy with it (in fact it was my favorite of the then-current consoles, for a while).

The only thing I can see as plausible with Dreamcast is that perhaps there was a (legitimate) perception that Sega had short attention spans with their systems, and they avoided Dreamcast because they knew it wouldn't last. But I think very few people pay attention to things like that.

[sheath]

That's romantic, but no. Not even in the slightest. The rest of what you mention is on track. It's more the right hand (SOJ) didn't know what the left hand (SOA) was doing...and visa versa. Before you know it, the left hand has shoved the 32X so far down the pipe that it was a no-win situation. Sega was extremely mis-managed all over the place (always has been). Sometimes, zany comedy style levels of mis-management (and 32X was one of those times).

I also did not buy a Saturn right away because I owned a 32X. I can relate, but not for the same reasons. I was just not impressed enough with 1995 Saturn and PS1 titles to plop down the money that year. Ultimately, these games are most of my favorites for both libraries.

On the Arcade's decline having "no" effect on Sega's marketing. Look at the N64's marketing and consider the GBC monopoly. Look at the Gamecube's marketing and consider the GBA monopoly. Look at the Xbox's marketing and consider the OS monopoly. Now consider what would have happened to the consoles' life cycles if none of those monopolies existed.

Sega was both a leader in Arcades, and emphasized its Arcade revenue. When that fell out, their emphasis on new hardware and software did as well.

[Sosage]

I also did not buy a Saturn right away because I owned a 32X. I can relate, but not for the same reasons. I was just not impressed enough with 1995 Saturn and PS1 titles to plop down the money that year. Ultimately, these games are most of my favorites for both libraries.

On the Arcade's decline having "no" effect on Sega's marketing. Look at the N64's marketing and consider the GBC monopoly. Look at the Gamecube's marketing and consider the GBA monopoly. Look at the Xbox's marketing and consider the OS monopoly. Now consider what would have happened to the consoles' life cycles if none of those monopolies existed.

Sega was both a leader in Arcades, and emphasized its Arcade revenue. When that fell out, their emphasis on new hardware and software did as well.

I see where you are doing with this, but I assure you the downward direction of the Arcade industry at the time had nothing to do with the 32X being dumped. It really had more, if not everything, to do with the company not being able to handle two home platforms at the same time. Platforms that were being developed and pushed on opposite sides of the company, without either really asking the other what they were doing. It didn't help that one of those platforms kept the company anchored to the last generation, when overall they wanted to move to the next.

The only possible arcade connection here is that Sega created boards based off the Saturn architecture. They did no such thing with the 32X...at least to my knowledge (why would they?).

[sheath]

I am very sorry to say that I am not assured by this at all. Sources, data, and all kinds of discussion must lead to this conclusion.

[Baloo]

I see where you are doing with this, but I assure you the downward direction of the Arcade industry at the time had nothing to do with the 32X being dumped. It really had more, if not everything, to do with the company not being able to handle two home platforms at the same time. Platforms that were being developed and pushed on opposite sides of the company, without either really asking the other what they were doing. It didn't help that one of those platforms kept the company anchored to the last generation, when overall they wanted to move to the next.

Actually, they were supporting FIVE systems when they canceled the Dreamcast. Once the Saturn rolled around, they put the axe on:

Genesis
Sega CD
Sega 32x
Game Gear
Pico

I can understand the CD, Game Gear, and Pico, but the 32x could've been around for a little while longer. IMO the best move would've been to have the 32x games work in the Sega Saturn cart slot, therefore keeping the Genesis around (Since it had a good 3 years or so left in it) and still have the Saturn be ushered in well as a new system. The way they handled all of that was just a royal mess.

[j_factor]

The Pico wasn't a "real" system, its fate had nothing to do with the Saturn. Game Gear was very much around well after the Saturn's debut (as was Genesis, obviously), but it definitely slowed.

The Sega CD and 32x were both rendered kind of pointless by the Saturn. I think the Sega CD had a fair run and it was okay to kill it, but they could've handled the final trickle of games a little better, and I wish Shadowrun had come out here. But the death of the system was expected. 32x, in my opinion they shouldn't have even bothered with, due to how close the Saturn was. I think they should've revised the Game Gear instead, and kept that going. That would leave them with supporting their new console (Saturn), their old console (Genesis), and a handheld, which is basically the same thing Nintendo did in the early 90s, and I think they could've handled that just fine.

[sheath]

Since I mentioned it here I thought I'd follow up. I have been struggling with Sega GT jpn since early last month. Several years ago I picked it up and traded my original US release of Sega GT, which I had beaten and enjoyed quit a bit. I thought the graphics were better in the import and that nothing else was different. Boy was I wrong.

The import doesn't have an analog sensitivity adjustment, and it seriously is difficult to get used to the steering *and* gas sensitivity in that version. The US release seems much more "standard" to me and I have none of the problems I had with the Japanese version. Mainly, once I started fishtailing or hit a wall in the import game the race or test was entirely over, there was no recovering. I read every FAQ, upgraded and adjusted the suspension and transmission to compensate, and nothing seemed to consistently help. I either had to perfectly learn how to control each car with my thumb, or it was a game of pinball and constant restarts.

As much as I enjoy a challenge, I think they just went ahead and fixed this in the US release. I still have to use extremely subtle movements with the analog stick, but the car doesn't careen off the road so easily.

I wonder if all of the control complaints about this game originated with the import.

[Emuaust]

Its odd that you mention this Sheath, I have always looked down on Sega GT due to the shitty controls and I have a JPN version, maybe I should try an NTSC-U version.

[sheath]

The US version is definitely adapted in numerous ways. I couldn't even use the tuning FAQ on Gamefaqs, they changed the transmission settings too much. The controls are so much more easy to pick up and play, but still what I would call a decent blend of sim and "arcade".

[Zing]

It wasn't just about Sega either, it fairly well officially ended the "hardcore" gaming era. Never again will a console's success be driven by the quality of its arcade ports and non-FPS action games.

This is probably due more to the lack of arcade games in general than anything else.