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Sega Saturn: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Sega Saturn
The Sega Saturn was built with eight processors, a complexity that baffled developers and confused consumers, yet it was designed to be a 2D powerhouse in an era racing toward 3D. At its core sat two Hitachi SH-2 microprocessors clocked at 28.6 MHz, capable of 56 million instructions per second, alongside a Motorola 68EC000 sound controller and two distinct video display processors. This dual-CPU architecture was intended to handle sprites and polygons simultaneously, allowing games like Virtua Fighter to run at 60 frames per second with high resolution. However, the two main CPUs shared the same bus and could not access system memory at the same time, creating a bottleneck that made full utilization of the hardware incredibly difficult. Developers accustomed to conventional programming found themselves forced to write in assembly language to achieve performance gains that were two to five times faster than higher-level languages like C. While the PlayStation relied on a simpler, triangle-based 3D rendering system, the Saturn used quadrilaterals as its basic geometric primitive, a design choice that limited third-party support and made the console an essentially 2D system struggling to simulate 3D environments. The result was a machine that was a coder's dream for those willing to hack the hardware, but a nightmare for the majority of the industry.
The Surprise Launch Strategy
On the 11th of May 1995, Sega of America executed a move that would haunt its legacy for decades, releasing the Saturn four months ahead of schedule to steal a march on the PlayStation. The decision was mandated by Sega of Japan to give the Saturn an advantage, overriding the plans of Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske who had announced a September launch date. Kalinske was forced to reveal the surprise release at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, announcing that 30,000 units had already been shipped to Toys R Us, Babbage's, and Electronics Boutique for immediate sale. The move alienated major retailers like Best Buy and Walmart, who were not informed and subsequently refused to carry the system. While the Saturn sold out its initial shipment of 100,000 units in the United States, the chaos damaged Sega's reputation with key partners. Sony responded by announcing a PlayStation price of $299, undercutting the Saturn's $399.99 launch price. The surprise launch yielded only six games, all published by Sega, because most third-party developers were scheduled around the original September date. Within two days of the North American launch, the PlayStation had sold more units than the Saturn had in the preceding five months, and by November, the PlayStation had outsold the Saturn by a factor of three in the United Kingdom, where Sony had allocated £20 million of marketing compared to Sega's £4 million.
The Sega Saturn contained eight processors, including two Hitachi SH-2 microprocessors clocked at 28.6 MHz, a Motorola 68EC000 sound controller, and two video display processors. This dual-CPU architecture allowed games like Virtua Fighter to run at 60 frames per second, though the shared bus created performance bottlenecks.
When did the Sega Saturn release in the United States?
Sega of America released the Sega Saturn on the 11th of May 1995, four months ahead of the originally planned September launch date. This surprise move was mandated by Sega of Japan to gain an advantage over the PlayStation, resulting in 30,000 units being shipped to retailers like Toys R Us and Electronics Boutique.
Why was the Sega Saturn cancelled in the West?
The Sega Saturn failed commercially in the West due to a complex dual-CPU architecture that baffled developers, a surprise launch that alienated retailers, and the cancellation of the flagship game Sonic X-treme in early 1997. The lack of a fully 3D Sonic platformer left the console without a title to compete with Nintendo's Super Mario 64, leading to a three-to-one sales deficit against the PlayStation by 1997.
How many Sega Saturn units were sold in Japan?
The Sega Saturn sold 5.75 million units in Japan, making it Sega's highest-selling home console and surpassing the Nintendo 64's install base of 5.54 million units. This success was driven by exclusive titles like Panzer Dragoon Saga and Dragon Force, which achieved an attach rate of 16.71 games per console.
What controller did the Sega Saturn introduce?
The Sega Saturn introduced the 3D Pad, which featured an analog stick, analog shoulder triggers, and a control pad to support games like Nights into Dreams. This controller set the template for every successful controller that followed, including wireless infrared controllers and multitaps that supported up to 12 players.
The commercial failure of the Saturn was inextricably linked to the cancellation of Sonic X-treme, a game that never saw the light of day but whose ghost haunted the console's entire lifespan. Sega tasked the U.S.-based Sega Technical Institute with developing the first fully 3D entry in its popular Sonic the Hedgehog series, moving the project to the Saturn after prototypes for other hardware were discarded. The game featured a fisheye lens camera system that rotated levels with Sonic's movement, but after CEO Hayao Nakayama ordered the game to be reworked around the engine created for its boss battles, developers were forced to work between 16 and 20 hours a day to meet their December 1996 deadline. Weeks of development were wasted after Bernie Stolar, the new executive vice president, rescinded the team's access to the engine used for Nights into Dreams following an ultimatum by programmer Yuji Naka. The project collapsed when programmer Ofer Alon quit and designers Chris Senn and Chris Coffin became ill, leading to the game's cancellation in early 1997. The lack of a fully 3D Sonic platformer became a significant factor in the Saturn's commercial failure, leaving the console without a flagship title to compete with Nintendo's Super Mario 64. Journalists and fans have speculated that a completed X-treme might have saved the Saturn, with some calling it a turning point for the company, while others noted that the cancellation was a relief to the developers who knew the game was not promising.
The War of the Retailers
The Saturn's struggle in the West was exacerbated by a bitter war with retailers who felt betrayed by Sega's erratic management and lack of support. Following the surprise launch, retailers like KB Toys refused to carry the Saturn and its games, while others struggled to keep the system in stock due to the chaotic distribution strategy. The situation worsened when Sega of America's new leadership, led by Bernie Stolar, publicly declared that the Saturn was not their future, effectively telling retailers to stop ordering the system. Stolar, a former Sony executive, had no interest in lying to people about the Saturn's prospects but continued to emphasize quality games for the system while simultaneously winding it down. The decision to abandon the Saturn in North America left the Western market without Sega games for over a year, as the Dreamcast was not released until September 1999. The lack of distribution was cited as a significant factor of the Saturn's failure, with the system's surprise launch damaging Sega's reputation with key retailers. In contrast, Sony attracted many third-party developers to the PlayStation with a liberal $10 licensing fee and excellent development tools, allowing publishers to meet demand more efficiently than the 10- to 12-week lead times for cartridges that had previously been standard. By 1997, the PlayStation had outsold the Saturn by three-to-one in the United States, and Sega's 16-bit sales declined markedly.
The Japanese Sanctuary
While the Saturn was a commercial failure in the West, it found a sanctuary in Japan where it became Sega's highest-selling home console, surpassing the Genesis with 5.75 million units sold. The system's success in Japan was driven by the popularity of Virtua Fighter, which sold at a nearly one-to-one ratio with the console at launch, and the availability of exclusive titles that never made it to the West. Games like Panzer Dragoon Saga, Dragon Force, and the Sakura Wars series were highly rated and helped popularize the Saturn in Japan, but were never localized due to Sega of America's policy of not localizing RPGs and other Japanese games that might have damaged the Saturn's reputation in North America. The attach rate in Japan reached 16.71 games per console, the highest of that generation, compared to four games per console worldwide. The Saturn lasted longer in Japan, with Sega continuing to support the system after its successor was released. The system's success in Japan was also bolstered by the release of Final Fantasy VII, which pushed PlayStation sales ahead of the Saturn in Japan after the two systems had been very close prior to the game's release. Despite the commercial failure in the West, the Saturn's install base in Japan surpassed the Nintendo 64's 5.54 million, proving that the system had a strong following among Japanese gamers.
The Arcade Legacy
The Saturn was designed to bring the arcade experience home, and its library was filled with faithful ports of Sega's Model 2 arcade hits. Games like Daytona USA, The House of the Dead, Last Bronx, and the Virtua Cop series were noted for their faithfulness to their arcade originals, with Virtua Fighter 2 running at 60 frames per second at a high resolution. The system also supported several arcade peripherals, including the Virtua Stick, the Virtua Stick Pro, and the Mission Analog Stick, which were designed to work with arcade-style games. The Saturn's arcade board, the Sega ST-V, was intended as an affordable alternative to Sega's Model 2 arcade board and as a testing ground for upcoming Saturn software. Although the ST-V was criticized for its comparatively weak performance compared to the Model 2, it was overproduced by Sega's arcade division, leading to the development of Die Hard Arcade to clear excess inventory. The Saturn's arcade legacy was further cemented by the release of games like Golden Axe: The Duel and Virtua Fighter Kids, which were designed to take advantage of the system's unique hardware. The Saturn's arcade ports were often superior to their PlayStation counterparts, with games like Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtua Cop being generally regarded as better than competitors. However, the system's complexity made it difficult for third-party developers to create arcade-quality ports, and many games were cancelled or moved to the Dreamcast.
The Controller Revolution
The Saturn's hardware included a controller that would set the template for every successful controller that followed, the 3D Pad. Designed to work with Nights into Dreams, the 3D Pad included both a control pad and an analog stick for directional input, featuring analog shoulder triggers and a left thumbstick. The controller was praised for its intuitive potential, allowing players to steer the imp-like protagonist Nights as it flew on a mostly 2D plane across surreal stages. The Saturn also supported several other accessories, including a wireless controller powered by AA batteries that used infrared signal to connect, and a multitap that connected up to six players to the same console. One console with two multitaps could support up to 12 players, making the Saturn a social gaming powerhouse. The system also included a light gun peripheral, the Virtua Gun, for shooting games such as Virtua Cop, and the Arcade Racer, a wheel for racing games. The Saturn's controller revolution was not just about the hardware, but about the philosophy behind it. The 3D Pad set the template for every successful controller that followed, with analog shoulder triggers and left thumbstick, and the Saturn's focus on analog control showcased the intuitive potential of the system. The Saturn's controller revolution was a testament to Sega's commitment to innovation, even in the face of commercial failure.