Could The Sega Saturn Have Been Number 1?

[itsthinkingstill]

Very true, though i respectfully disagree on the 3D part. Virtua fighter 2 is still the most advanced fighter of that generation running at 60 fps and running at (if i remember correctly) 720x240, which was the highest resolution any game of that generation on consoles performed at. There where a few other titles towards the end that started to show off what the system could do and the most impressive titles where ones that never came out, them being Shenmue & VF3 respectively. It also really sad that Sega did not make the SDK 2 until the end of the consoles life, this made programing pretty easy and according to some in house demonstrations using this new sdk where visually more impressive than anything released on the PSX (Which made sense since the Saturn was more powerful of a console than the PSX except the fact it did not have a decoder built it) I think the part of the Saturns architecture that everyone forgets is that it was too ahead of its on time. The Saturn used what would become the dual core model, the problem is is that multiple cores would not be popular until the 2000's so most devs had no clue what to do

[Xiden]

I waa lucky enough to own a saturn as a kid. we got one due to our sega genesis breaking on us lol. I remember we went to sears to buy it, and it was like 399 plus we bought panzer dragoon 2 for it since thats the game they always had going in the kiosks. I was in elementary school when saturn came out lol. I remember all my friends and my brothers friends came over for a sleep over to play the sega saturn all night. Good times!

[SomeGuyWithASega]

itsthinkingstill: Yes, the people who really knew how to program for it, namely Sega's development teams, could make it pull off some amazing things. It's just that we don't see a lot of Saturn games that really push it like Sega did.

Xiden: Cool story bro

[itsthinkingstill]

Xiden: Very nice story! You would not believe the story some posted in my Saturn commercials video

"Got it on launch day and it came with Daytona. The first system I played tomb raider. Then I bought a PlayStation and had the best of both worlds. Shame the Saturn didn't get the same support as in Japan. The Saturn was the first thing that got me on the internet too. Spent many hours in chat rooms on the Saturn. Crazy fact, I met my wife online with the Saturn..been together since 1997."

[gjb1985]

Eh, the 32X, and arguably, the Sega CD would have needed to not happen. Then the console launch should have been better and not stupid as hell. It was also way too expensive. If all of that had happened, I think SEGA still would have lost outside of Japan, but not nearly as badly as they did in reality.

After fixing brand integrity though, you still have to deal with making your console stand out better in game selection, and utilising it's full technical power. I cannot see how two 32 bit consoles could simultaneously exist with a 64 bit console. One had to lose, and the PSX was just more powerful in the right areas and had a decent brand.

the sega cd was not a failure at all except in europe. the senate hearings heard the sega cd a lot though. 32x destroyed a lot of european bridges with chains refusing to carrie the sega saturn.

but in the us it was different. saturn should've released in november of 1995 with virtua fighter 2, virtua cop and sega rally as launch titles. that would've shifted momentum so much because it would've immediately shown how strong saturn was at 3d.

[itsthinkingstill]

agreed, according to interviews from Tom K ect that was basically the plan

[The-Amazing-Mr_V]

I feel if things where different, the saturn could have been number 1 without a dought. I had a ps1 growing up. But I always wanted a saturn. I have one now and couldn't be happier with it

[HuntrRose]

if

[The-Amazing-Mr_V]

if

Isn't that the question though? What if?

[HuntrRose]

then dreamcast wouldnt have been as it was...