Import Saturns - White vs. Gray

[esquire]

I want to buy an import Saturn. I already have a modded US Saturn, but I'd thought it would be nice to add a Japanese Saturn to my collection. Besides, I can't get some of the 4MB RAM games (Warriors of Fate, X-Men vs Street Fighter) to work with my Action Replay.

So I am debating between the White and Gray consoles. I did a thread search and really couldn't find anything on the two other than a post that said the Whites aren't as reliable as the Grays. No evidence was posted to back this up.

My question is that true about the whites? If not which one should I get and why? I see one seller selling the grays for less than the whites. What is the difference in the two hardware-wise? Also, what should expect to pay, just for the unit - not shipping.

Also, for you Saturn import collectors, what is the value of having the Spine Card for the CDs? I am familiar with them as I collect PC-Engine CD based games. Some of my games have them, others don't. What is the point of them and should I even be concerned about buying games with or without them.

Lastly, what is the best memory card for the Japanese Saturn, and how much should I plan on paying for it. Thanks!!

Oh, one other thing. Is there a power supply issue running Japanese Saturns in the US? I know for my CoreGrafx II with SuperCD-Rom I needed a voltage adapter.

[anagrama]

Most folk seem to prefer the white ones, but I'd want a grey if I was getting a JP Saturn. They just look nicer to me.

[Funk Buddy]

Well, I have a white, skeleton and just got a gray first series model. Whites seem to be just as good from my experience. White is more popular along with the skeleton models hence the price. There really is no difference that the average person would notice. I'm sure there are different boards or something, but that's not really important unless you want to get a mod chip for boots. You should find them for around $60, but it's been a while since I was in the market. If possible find one in the US (if that's where you are) so shipping will not be sky high.

For me spine cards are nice, but not a 100% got to have thing. It does add to the value of rare games, but not enough for the common title.

Official is the best way for memory carts, no clue on price though.

I run all my JPN systems without any type of power problems or adapters/convertors.

[davidleeroth]

I prefer the oval button, although the Japanese grey/blue color scheme is not what I had chosen for it. It generally feels sturdier and less plasticy.
The round button doesn't have the cool CD access LED and most of them have the joystick board integrated to the motherboard if you care about those things.

[esquire]

Thanks for all your help!