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141-677: It was ported in 1998 to the Sega Saturn and as an updated version, Real Bout Special: Dominated Mind , to the PlayStation , both in Japan only. A Game Boy version was published by Takara , in Japan. Real Bout Fatal Fury Special was included in the Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 2 compilation in February 2007 on the PlayStation 2 , which had a North American release. The compilation

282-567: A Space Shuttle (representing cartridges) next to a snail (representing a CD), as an analogy for their respective speeds, stating that "the future doesn't belong to snails". Almost every other contemporary system used the new CD-ROM technology. Consequent to the storage and cost advantages of the CD-ROM format, many game developers shifted their support away from the Nintendo 64 to the PlayStation. One of

423-466: A 3D console and damage to Sega's reputation caused by poorly supported Genesis add-ons are considered major factors allowing Sony's establishment in the video game market. Featuring eight processors, the Saturn's central processing units are two Hitachi SH-2 microprocessors clocked at 28.6  MHz and capable of 56 MIPS . It uses a Motorola 68EC000 running at 11.3 MHz as a sound controller;

564-579: A July 13 article in the press reported speculation that Sega of Japan was planning significant changes to Sega of America's management. On July 16, 1996, Sega announced that Kalinske would leave Sega after September 30, and that Shoichiro Irimajiri had been appointed chairman and CEO of Sega of America. A former Honda executive, Irimajiri had been involved with Sega of America since joining Sega in 1993. Sega also announced that David Rosen and Nakayama had resigned from their positions as chairman and co-chairman of Sega of America, though both remained with

705-564: A Western release due to Sega of America's policy of not localizing RPGs and other Japanese games that might have damaged the system's reputation in North America. Some games that launched on Saturn, such as Dead or Alive , Grandia , and Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete only had a Western release on the PlayStation. Working Designs localized several Japanese Saturn games before a public feud between Sega of America's Bernie Stolar and Working Designs president Victor Ireland resulted in

846-512: A character in a series of TV advertisements starting in 1997; the character eventually starred in a Saturn game. Temporarily abandoning arcade development, Sega AM2 head Yu Suzuki began developing several Saturn-exclusive games, including a role-playing game in the Virtua Fighter series. Initially conceived as an obscure prototype, "The Old Man and the Peach Tree", and intended to address

987-656: A co-processor of the main SH-2 CPU, has an internal DSP running at 14.3 MHz. It features a cartridge slot that allows memory expansion, 16  Mbit of work random-access memory (RAM), 12 Mbit of video RAM , 4 Mbit of RAM for sound functions, 4 Mbit of CD buffer RAM and 256  Kbit (32 KB) of battery backup RAM. Its RCA video output displays at resolutions from 320×224 to 704×224 pixels , with up to 16.78 million colors . The Saturn measures 260 mm × 230 mm × 83 mm (10.2 in × 9.1 in × 3.3 in). It

1128-530: A commercial flop, was the first system to feature on-board internet capabilities. For handhelds, this era was characterized by significant fragmentation, because the first handheld of the generation, the Sega Nomad , had a lifespan of just two years, and the Nintendo Virtual Boy had a lifespan of less than one. Both of them were discontinued before the other handhelds made their debut. The Neo Geo Pocket

1269-405: A competitor into 1997. However, the Saturn failed to take the lead. After the launch of the Nintendo 64 in 1996, sales of the Saturn and its games were sharply reduced, and the PlayStation outsold the Saturn by three-to-one in the U.S. in 1997. The 1997 release of Final Fantasy VII significantly increased the PlayStation's popularity in Japan. The game helped push PlayStation sales ahead of

1410-611: A custom sound processor with an integrated Yamaha FH1 DSP running at 22.6 MHz capable of up to 32 sound channels with both FM synthesis and 16-bit 44.1 kHz pulse-code modulation ; and two video display processors : the VDP1 (which handles sprites and polygons ) and the VDP2 (which handles backgrounds). Its double-speed CD-ROM drive is controlled by a dedicated Hitachi SH-1 processor to reduce load time. The System Control Unit (SCU), which controls all buses and functions as

1551-403: A different design, based entirely on 3D triangle-based polygonal rendering, with no direct 2D support. As a result, several analysts described the Saturn as an "essentially" 2D system. For example, Steven L. Kent stated: "Although Nintendo and Sony had true 3D game machines, Sega had a 2D console that did a good job with 3D objects but wasn't optimized for 3D environments." The Saturn hardware

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1692-458: A first-time entrant into the industry, it had early difficulties due to software development delays and its high price. For its initial release, the 3DO had a $ 700 retail price tag and only a single available game ready for market. The 3DO would be discontinued only three years later. While generally regarded as a failed system, the 3DO was this generation's fourth best-selling console in a crowded field with sales of 2 million units. The Sega Saturn

1833-513: A high resolution) were available by the end of the year and were generally regarded as superior to competitors on the PlayStation. Notwithstanding a subsequent increase in Saturn sales during the 1995 holiday season, the games were not enough to reverse the PlayStation's decisive lead. By 1996, the PlayStation had a considerably larger library than the Saturn, although Sega hoped to generate interest with upcoming exclusives such as Nights into Dreams . An informal survey of retailers showed that

1974-404: A much wider console development community with fresh ideas about gameplay and structure". Pulp365 reviews editor Matt Paprocki concluded that "the Saturn is a relic, but an important one, which represents the harshness of progress and what it can leave in its wake". Fifth generation of video game consoles The fifth generation era (also known as the 32-bit era , the 64-bit era , or

2115-575: A new CPU from the Japanese electronics company Hitachi . Another video display processor was added in early 1994 to better compete with the 3D graphics of Sony 's forthcoming PlayStation . The Saturn was initially successful in Japan but not in the United States, where it was hindered by a surprise May 1995 launch, four months before its scheduled release date. After the debut of the Nintendo 64 in late 1996,

2256-623: A percentage of that figure from the 16‑bit Super NES ), while Sega was third with 23% (with a percentage of that from the Dreamcast ). Production of the Sega Saturn was discontinued in 1998. Its demise was accelerated by rumors that work on its successor was underway; these rumors hurt the systems' sales in the west as early as 1997. The N64 was succeeded by the GameCube in 2001, but continued its production until 2004; however, PlayStation production

2397-415: A similar policy for the Saturn, although he later sought to distance himself from his actions. These changes were accompanied by a softer image that Sega was beginning to portray in its advertising, including removing the "Sega!" scream and holding press events for the education industry. Marketing for the Saturn in Japan also changed with the introduction of Segata Sanshiro (played by Hiroshi Fujioka ),

2538-402: A slow decline of cartridges in favor of CDs , due to the ability to produce games less expensively and the media's high storage capabilities. After allowing Sony to develop a CD -based prototype console for them and a similar failed partnership with Philips , Nintendo decided to make the Nintendo 64 a cartridge-based system like its predecessors. Publicly, Nintendo defended this decision on

2679-415: A speed increase of two to five times above higher-level languages such as C . Sega responded to complaints about the difficulty of programming for the Saturn by writing new graphics libraries which were claimed to make development easier. Sega of America purchased a United Kingdom-based development firm, Cross Products, to produce the Saturn's development system. Treasure CEO Masato Maegawa stated that

2820-641: A testing ground for upcoming Saturn software. The Titan was criticized for its comparatively weak performance compared to the Sega Model 2 arcade system by Yu Suzuki, and it was overproduced by Sega's arcade division. Because Sega already had the Die Hard license, members of Sega AM1 working at the Sega Technical Institute developed Die Hard Arcade for the Titan to clear excess inventory. Die Hard became

2961-425: A worldwide release, and/or sold particularly poorly, and are therefore listed as 'Other'. Megadrive: Sega CD Add-on: Megadrive: Sega CD Add-on: Megadrive: Sega CD Add-on: Megadrive: Sega CD Add-on: From 1996 to 1999 (when the PlayStation, N64 and Saturn were the major 5th-generation consoles still on the market) Sony managed a 47% market share of the worldwide market, followed by Nintendo with 28% (with

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3102-463: Is extremely difficult to emulate . Several Saturn models were produced in Japan. An updated model in a recolored light gray (officially white ) was released at ¥20,000 to reduce the system's cost and raise its appeal among women and younger children. Two models were released by third parties: Hitachi released the Hi-Saturn (a smaller model equipped with a car navigation function), and JVC released

3243-484: Is known for its pivotal role in the video game industry 's leap from 2D to 3D computer graphics , as well as the shift in home console games from being stored on ROM cartridges to optical discs . This was also the first generation to feature internet connectivity: some systems had additional hardware which provided connectivity to an existing device, like the Sega Net Link for the Sega Saturn. The Apple Pippin ,

3384-401: Is the final official release), compared to 119 in 1996. The Saturn lasted longer in Japan, with Irimajiri announcing in early 1998 that Sega would continue supporting the Saturn in Japan after its successor was released. Between June 1996 and August 1998, a further 1,103,468 consoles and 29,685,781 games were sold in Japan, giving the Saturn a Japanese attach rate of 16.71 games per console,

3525-582: The Panzer Dragoon developer Team Andromeda , were formed during this time. In early 1994, the Sega Titan Video arcade system was announced as an arcade counterpart to the Saturn. In April 1994, Acclaim Entertainment announced it would be the first American publisher to produce software for the Titan. In January 1994, Sega began to develop the 32X add-on for the Genesis, as a less expensive entry into

3666-532: The Panzer Dragoon series, and the Virtua Fighter series, although much of its library was confined to the Japanese market where the system fared better than the West. The Saturn's reception is mixed due to its complex hardware design and limited third-party support; Sega's management has been criticized for its decisions during the Saturn's development and discontinuation. In the early 1990s, Sega had success with

3807-424: The 32-bit era . The 32X was approved by Sega CEO Hayao Nakayama and widely supported by Sega of America employees. According to the former Sega of America producer Scot Bayless, Nakayama was worried that the Saturn would not be available until after 1994 and that the recently released Atari Jaguar would reduce Sega's hardware sales. As a result, Nakayama ordered his engineers to have the system ready for launch by

3948-604: The 3D era ) refers to computer and video games , video game consoles , and handheld gaming consoles dating from approximately October 4, 1993, to March 23, 2006. The best-selling home console was the Sony PlayStation , followed by the Nintendo 64 and Sega Saturn . The PlayStation also had a redesigned version, the PSone , which was launched on July 7, 2000. Some features that distinguished fifth generation consoles from previous fourth generation consoles include: This era

4089-605: The Genesis (known as the Mega Drive in most countries outside of North America), backed by aggressive advertising campaigns and the popularity of its Sonic the Hedgehog series. Sega also had success with arcade games ; in 1992 and 1993, the new Sega Model 1 arcade system board showcased Sega AM2 's Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter (the first 3D fighting game ), crucial to popularizing 3D polygonal graphics. The Model 1

4230-580: The MSX . The fifth generation was characterized by an unusually high number of console formats. More competing consoles comprised this generation than any other since the video game crash of 1983 , leading video game magazines of the time to frequently predict a second crash. The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer was one of the earliest fifth generation consoles and was released in October 1993. Despite having massive third-party support and an unprecedented amount of hype for

4371-491: The Master System and Mega Drive /Genesis before it. The PlayStation , released in early December 1994, was the most successful console of this generation. With attention given by third-party developers and a more mature marketing campaign aimed at the 20–30 age group enabling it to achieve market dominance, it became the first home console to ship 100 million units worldwide. The Nintendo 64 , originally announced as

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4512-540: The Namco System 11 arcade board, based on raw PlayStation hardware. Although the System 11 is technically inferior to Sega's Model 2 arcade board, its lower price made it attractive to smaller arcades. Following a 1994 acquisition of Sega developers, Namco released Tekken for the System 11 and PlayStation. Directed by former Virtua Fighter designer Seiichi Ishii , Tekken was intended to be fundamentally similar, with

4653-410: The Nintendo 64 . Kalinske, Sony Electronic Publishing's Olaf Olafsson , and Sony America's Micky Schulhof had discussed development of a joint "Sega/Sony hardware system", which never materialized due to Sega's desire to create hardware for both 2D and 3D visuals and Sony's competing notion of focusing on 3D technology. Publicly, Kalinske defended the Saturn's design: "Our people feel that they need

4794-452: The Saturn , Tomb Raider on the PlayStation and Saturn, Tekken 2 and Crash Bandicoot on the PlayStation, and Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64 . Their 3D environments were widely marketed and they steered the industry's focus away from side-scrolling and rail-style titles, as well as opening doors to more complex games and genres. 3D became the main focus in this era as well as

4935-570: The Tokyo Stock Exchange . Due to a 54.8% decline in consumer product sales (including a 75.4% decline overseas), the company reported a net loss of ¥43.3 billion ( $ 327.8 million ) and a consolidated net loss of ¥35.6 billion ( $ 269.8 million ). Shortly before announcing its financial losses, Sega announced that it was discontinuing the Saturn in North America to prepare for the launch of its successor. Only 7 Saturn games were released in North America in 1998 ( Magic Knight Rayearth

5076-525: The arcades and Star Fox on the Super NES , it was in this era that many game designers began to move traditionally 2D and pseudo-3D genres into 3D on video game consoles. Early efforts from then-industry leaders Sega and Nintendo saw the introduction of the 32X and Super FX , which provided rudimentary 3D capabilities to the 16-bit Genesis and Super NES. Starting in 1996, 3D video games began to take off with releases such as Virtua Fighter 2 on

5217-454: The fifth generation of video game consoles , it is the successor to the successful Genesis . The Saturn has a dual- CPU architecture and eight processors. Its games are in CD-ROM format, including several ports of arcade games and original games. Development of the Saturn began in 1992, the same year Sega's groundbreaking 3D Model 1 arcade hardware debuted. The Saturn was designed around

5358-524: The "Ultra 64", was released in 1996. The system's delays and use of the expensive cartridge format made it an unpopular platform among third-party developers. Several popular first-party titles allowed the Nintendo 64 to maintain strong sales in the United States, but it remained a distant second to the PlayStation. The Amiga CD32 was released in September 1993 and sold in Europe, Australia, Canada and Brazil. It

5499-401: The 32X familiarized development teams with the dual SH-2 architecture also used in the Saturn. Because the machines share many parts and were prepared to launch around the same time, tensions emerged between Sega of America and Sega of Japan when the Saturn was given priority. Sega released the Saturn in Japan on November 22, 1994, at a price of ¥ 44,800. Virtua Fighter , a faithful port of

5640-412: The 32X rapidly declined. Half a million Saturn units were sold in Japan by the end of 1994 (compared to 300,000 PlayStation units), and sales exceeded 1 million within the following six months. There were conflicting reports that the PlayStation had a higher sell-through rate, and the system gradually began to overtake the Saturn in sales during 1995. Sony attracted many third-party developers to

5781-588: The 4 KB of cache memory in each CPU was critical to maintaining performance. For example, Virtua Fighter used one CPU for each character, while Nights used one CPU for 3D environments and the other for 2D objects. The Visual Display Processor 2 (VDP2), which can generate and manipulate backgrounds, has also been cited as one of the system's most important features. The Saturn's design elicited mixed commentary among game developers and journalists. Developers quoted by Next Generation in December 1995 described

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5922-462: The Genesis, the Saturn had an Internet-based gaming service. The Sega NetLink is a 28.8k modem for the cartridge slot for direct dial multiplayer games Daytona USA , Duke Nukem 3D , Saturn Bomberman , Sega Rally , and Virtual On: Cyber Troopers . In Japan, a pay-to-play service was used. It can be used for web browsing , email , and online chat . Because the NetLink was released before

6063-582: The Jaguar without endorsement or licensing from Hasbro Interactive. Since then, homebrew developers began to release uncompleted Jaguar games as well as several brand new titles to satisfy the system's cult following . Sega's loss of consumer confidence (coupled with its previous console failures), along with their financial difficulties, set the company up for a similar fate in the next round of console wars. NEC VR4300 ( 64‑bit RISC) @ 93.75 MHz (125 MIPS) These consoles are either less notable, never saw

6204-551: The N64. Nintendo's decision to use a cartridge based system sparked a debate in the video game magazines as to which was better. The chief advantages of the CD-ROM format were (1) larger storage capacity, allowing for a much greater amount of game content; (2) considerably lower manufacturing costs, making them much less risky for game publishers; (3) lower retail prices due to the reduced need to compensate for manufacturing costs; and (4) shorter production times, which greatly reduced

6345-486: The Nintendo 64 turned out to be a commercial success, particularly in the United States, where it sold 20.63 million units, nearly two thirds of its worldwide sales of 32.93 million units. It was also home to highly successful games such as Star Fox 64 , Mario Kart 64 , The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time , The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask , Super Mario 64 , GoldenEye 007 , Banjo-Kazooie , and Super Smash Bros. While Nintendo 64 sold far more units than

6486-456: The Nintendo 64 was more difficult to develop for than the Saturn. Traveller's Tales founder Jon Burton said that though the PlayStation was easier "to get started on [...] you quickly reach [its] limits", whereas the Saturn's "complicated [hardware could] improve the speed and look of a game when all used together correctly". A major criticism was the Saturn's use of 2D sprites to generate polygons and simulate 3D space. The PlayStation has

6627-484: The November/December timeframe." Nakayama's decision to focus on the Saturn over the Genesis, based on the systems' relative performance in Japan, has been cited as the major contributing factor in this miscalculation. Due to long-standing disagreements with Sega of Japan, Kalinske lost interest in his work as CEO of Sega of America. By early 1996, rumors were circulating that Kalinske planned to leave Sega, and

6768-456: The PlayStation and Saturn, sales of 16-bit games and consoles continued to account for 64% of the video game market in 1995. Sega underestimated the continued popularity of the Genesis, and did not have the inventory to meet demand. Sega was able to capture 43% of the dollar share of the U.S. video game market and sell more than 2 million Genesis units in 1995, but Kalinske estimated that "we could have sold another 300,000 Genesis systems in

6909-417: The PlayStation outsold the Saturn by two to one in 1996, and Sega's 16-bit sales declined markedly. By the end of 1996, the PlayStation had 2.9 million units sold in the U.S., more than twice the 1.2 million Saturn units sold. The Christmas 1996 "Three Free" pack, which bundled the Saturn with Daytona USA , Virtua Fighter 2 , and Virtua Cop , drove sales dramatically and ensured the Saturn remained

7050-510: The PlayStation with a liberal $ 10 licensing fee, excellent development tools, and the introduction of a 7- to 10-day order system that allowed publishers to meet demand more efficiently than the 10- to 12-week lead times for cartridges that had previously been standard in the Japanese video game industry. In March 1995, Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske announced the Saturn's launch in the U.S. on "Saturnday" (Saturday), September 2, 1995. However, Sega of Japan mandated an early launch to give

7191-610: The Saturn an advantage over the PlayStation. At the first Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles on May 11, 1995, Kalinske gave a keynote presentation in which he revealed the release price of $ 399 (including a copy of Virtua Fighter ), and described the features of the console. Kalinske also revealed that, due to "high consumer demand", Sega had already shipped 30,000 Saturns to Toys "R" Us , Babbage's , Electronics Boutique , and Software Etc. for immediate release. The announcement upset retailers who were not informed of

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7332-490: The Saturn and Dreamcast eras is something that we simply do not see outside of the indie scene today." Necrosoft Games director Brandon Sheffield said that "the Saturn was a landing point for games that were too 'adult' in content for other systems, as it was the only one that allowed an 18+ rating for content in Japan ;[...] some games, like Enemy Zero used it to take body horror to new levels, an important step toward

7473-558: The Saturn and PlayStation sold in roughly equal numbers during the first quarter of 1996. Within its first year, the PlayStation secured over 20% of the entire U.S. video game market. On the first day of the May 1996 E3 show, Sony announced a PlayStation price reduction to $ 199, a reaction to the release of the Model 2 Saturn in Japan at a price roughly equivalent to $ 199. On the second day, Sega announced it would match this price, though Saturn hardware

7614-442: The Saturn as "a real coder's machine [for] those who love to get their teeth into assembly and really hack the hardware [with] more flexibility [and] more calculating power than the PlayStation". The sound board was widely praised. Lobotomy Software programmer Ezra Dreisbach described the Saturn as significantly slower than the PlayStation, whereas Kenji Eno of WARP observed little difference. In particular, Dreisbach criticized

7755-440: The Saturn as emblematic of the broader then-decline of the Japanese gaming industry: "They thought they were invincible, and that structure and hierarchy were necessary for their survival, but more flexibility, and a greater participation with the West could have saved them." According to Stuart, Sega "didn't see [...] the roots of a prevailing trend, away from arcade conversions and traditional role-playing adventures and toward

7896-436: The Saturn as the most advanced console available; Lynch praised the double-speed CD-ROM drive and "intense surround-sound capabilities" and Kim cited Panzer Dragoon as a "lyrical and exhilarating epic" demonstrating the ability of new technology to "transform" the industry. In December 1995, Next Generation gave the Saturn three and a half stars out of five, highlighting Sega's marketing and arcade background as strengths but

8037-450: The Saturn in 2009. As a result of Sega's deteriorating financial situation, Nakayama resigned as president in January 1998 in favor of Irimajiri. Stolar subsequently acceded to president of Sega of America. Following five years of generally declining profits, in the fiscal year ending March 31, 1998, Sega suffered its first parent and consolidated financial losses since its 1988 listing on

8178-426: The Saturn in Japan, after the PlayStation and Saturn had been very close in Japan prior to the game's release. As of August 1997, Sony controlled 47% of the console market, Nintendo 40%, and Sega only 12%. Neither price cuts nor high-profile game releases proved helpful. Reflecting decreased demand for the system, worldwide Saturn shipments during March to September 1997 declined from 2.35 million to 600,000 versus

8319-444: The Saturn is considered a commercial failure , although its install base in Japan, where it did better than the West, surpassed the Nintendo 64's 5.54 million, where it became Sega's highest-selling home console. Lack of distribution has been cited as a significant factor of the Saturn's failure, because the system's surprise launch had damaged Sega's reputation with key retailers. Conversely, Nintendo's long delay in releasing

8460-454: The Saturn made him a villain to many Sega fans, but [...] it was better to regroup than to enter the next fight battered and bruised. Dreamcast would be Stolar's redemption." Stolar defended his decision, saying, "I felt Saturn was hurting the company more than helping it. That was a battle that we weren't going to win." Sheffield said that the Saturn's quadrilaterals undermined third-party support, but because " nVidia invested in quads" at

8601-533: The Saturn rapidly lost market share in the U.S., where it was discontinued in 1998. The Saturn is considered a commercial failure ; this was affected by the cancellation of Sonic X-treme , planned as the first 3D entry in Sega's popular Sonic the Hedgehog series. The Saturn was succeeded in 1998 by the Dreamcast having sold 9.26 million units sold worldwide, a majority of which were in Japan. The Saturn has several well-regarded games, including Nights into Dreams ,

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8742-552: The Saturn rather than arcades, combined characters from Fighting Vipers and Virtua Fighter to positive reviews. Highly rated Saturn exclusives include Panzer Dragoon Saga , Dragon Force , Guardian Heroes , Nights , Panzer Dragoon II Zwei , and Shining Force III . PlayStation games such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night , Resident Evil , and Wipeout 2097 received Saturn ports with mixed results. The first-person shooter PowerSlave featured some of

8883-485: The Saturn's lifespan and criticized for its short length. Many of the system's well-regarded titles were exclusive to Japan. Some of the biggest killer apps for the Saturn in Japan were the Sakura Wars series. Co-developed by Sega and Red Entertainment , Sakura Wars mixes elements of tactical RPGs, anime cutscenes, and visual novels. That and Grandia helped popularize the Saturn in its homeland, but never had

9024-530: The Saturn's use of quadrilaterals as its basic geometric primitive , in contrast to the triangles rendered by the PlayStation and the Nintendo 64. Ken Humphries of Time Warner Interactive remarked that compared to the PlayStation, the Saturn was worse at generating polygons but better at sprites. Third-party development was initially hindered by the lack of useful software libraries and development tools , requiring developers to use assembly language . During early Saturn development, programming in assembly had

9165-414: The Saturn, PlayStation, and Nintendo 64 all showing dramatic increases in sales over the previous year, they claimed a combined 40% of the retail market for hardware and software, putting them in position to finally overtake the fourth generation consoles in 1997. The Sega Saturn suffered from poor marketing and comparatively limited third-party support outside Japan. Sega's decision to use dual processors

9306-454: The Saturn, but discarded the idea due to concerns over the lower quality and higher price of cartridge games. According to president Tom Kalinske , Sega of America "fought against the architecture of Saturn for quite some time". Seeking an alternative graphics chip for the Saturn, Kalinske attempted to broker a deal with Silicon Graphics , but Sega of Japan rejected the proposal. Silicon Graphics subsequently collaborated with Nintendo on

9447-412: The Saturn. —Yu Suzuki reflecting on Saturn Virtua Fighter development The Saturn had technically impressive hardware at the time of its release, but its complexity made harnessing this power difficult for developers accustomed to conventional programming. The greatest disadvantage was that both CPUs shared the same bus and were unable to access system memory at the same time. Making full use of

9588-437: The Sega Saturn, Atari Jaguar, and 3DO combined, it posed no challenge to the PlayStation's lead in the market . By 1997, 40% to 60% of American homes played on video game consoles. 30% to 40% of these homes owned a console, while an additional 10% to 20% rented or shared a console. After the dust settled in the fifth generation console wars, several companies saw their outlooks change drastically. Atari Corporation , which

9729-572: The Tokyo Toy Show in June 1994. In 1993, Sega and the Japanese electronics company Hitachi formed a joint venture to develop a new CPU for the Saturn, which resulted in the creation of the "SuperH RISC Engine" (or SH-2 ) later that year. The Saturn was designed around a dual-SH2 configuration. According to Kazuhiro Hamada, Sega's section chief for Saturn development during the system's conception, "the SH-2

9870-456: The V-Saturn. Saturn controllers have various complementary color schemes. The system also supports several accessories. A wireless controller powered by AA batteries uses infrared signal to connect. Designed to work with Nights , the Saturn 3D Pad includes both a control pad and an analog stick for directional input. Sega also released several versions of arcade sticks as peripherals, including

10011-912: The Virtua Stick, the Virtua Stick Pro, the Mission Analog Stick, and the Twin Stick. Sega created a light gun peripheral, the Virtua Gun, for shooting games such as Virtua Cop , and the Arcade Racer, a wheel for racing games. The Play Cable connects two Saturn consoles for multiplayer gaming across two screens, and a multitap connects up to six players to the same console. One console with two multitaps can support up to 12 players. Other accessories include RAM expansion cartridges, keyboard, mouse, floppy disk drive, and movie card. Like

10152-407: The West, combined with a release schedule of only two games between the surprise launch and September 1995, prevented Sega from capitalizing on the Saturn's early timing. Within two days of its September 9, 1995, launch in North America, the PlayStation (backed by a large marketing campaign ) had more units sold than the Saturn had in the five months following its surprise launch, with almost all of

10293-471: The addition of detailed textures and twice the frame rate . Tekken surpassed Virtua Fighter in popularity due to its superior graphics and nearly arcade-perfect console port, becoming the first million-selling PlayStation game. On October 2, Sega announced a Saturn price reduction to $ 299. High-quality Saturn ports of the Sega Model 2 arcade hits Sega Rally Championship , Virtua Cop , and Virtua Fighter 2 (running at 60 frames per second at

10434-490: The cancellation of Sonic X-treme , the Saturn lacks an exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog platformer; instead it received a graphically enhanced port of the Genesis game Sonic 3D Blast , the compilation Sonic Jam , and a racing game, Sonic R . The platformer Bug! received attention for its eponymous main character being a potential mascot for the Saturn, but it failed to catch on as the Sonic series had. Considered one of

10575-427: The cancellation, because the game was not promising. From 1993 to early 1996, although Sega's revenue declined as part of an industry-wide slowdown, the company retained control of 38% of the U.S. video game market (compared to Nintendo's 30% and Sony's 24%). Eight hundred thousand PlayStation units were sold in the U.S. by the end of 1995, compared to 400,000 Saturn units. In part due to an aggressive price war ,

10716-426: The company switching their support to the PlayStation. According to the review aggregator GameRankings , Panzer Dragoon Saga is the most acclaimed Saturn game; it was praised for its cinematic presentation, evocative plot, and unique battle system. However, Sega released fewer than 20,000 retail copies in North America in what IGN 's Levi Buchanan characterized as an example of the Saturn's "ignominious send-off" in

10857-507: The company. Bernie Stolar , a former executive at Sony Computer Entertainment of America, was named Sega of America's executive vice president in charge of product development and third-party relations. Stolar, who had arranged a six-month PlayStation exclusivity deal for Mortal Kombat 3 and helped build close relations with Electronic Arts while at Sony, was perceived as a major asset by Sega officials. Finally, Sega of America made plans to expand its PC software business. Stolar

10998-468: The end of the year. The 32X would not be compatible with the Saturn, but Sega executive Richard Brudvik-Lindner pointed out that the 32X would play Genesis games, and had the same system architecture as the Saturn. This was justified by Sega's statement that both platforms would run at the same time, and that the 32X would be aimed at players who could not afford the more expensive Saturn. According to Sega of America research and development head Joe Miller,

11139-403: The expansion of games and who they served." Sewart praised the Saturn's first-party games as "Sega's shining moment as a game developer", with Sonic Team demonstrating its creative range and AM2 producing numerous technically impressive arcade ports. He also commented on the many Japan-exclusive Saturn releases, which he connected with a subsequent boom in the game import market. IGN's Travis Fahs

11280-452: The failure of the Saturn as the major reason for Sega's downfall as a hardware manufacturer, but USgamer's Jeremy Parish described it as "more a symptom [...] than a cause" of the decline, which began with add-ons for the Genesis that fragmented the market and continued with Sega of America's and Sega of Japan's competing designs for the Dreamcast. Sheffield portrayed Sega's mistakes with

11421-526: The fifth generation had come down to a struggle between the Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, and the upcoming Nintendo 64. The Amiga CD32 had already been discontinued; the Jaguar and Genesis 32X were still on the market but were considered a lost cause by industry analysts; the Neo Geo CD had proven to appeal only to a niche market; and industry analysts had already determined that

11562-447: The first day. Sega waited until the December 3 launch of the PlayStation to ship more units; when both were sold side by side, the Saturn proved more popular. Meanwhile, Sega released the 32X on November 21, 1994, in North America, December 3, 1994, in Japan, and January 1995 in PAL territories, at less than half of the Saturn's launch price. After the holiday season, however, interest in

11703-515: The first time". In GamesRadar , Justin Towell wrote that the Saturn's 3D Pad "set the template for every successful controller that followed, with analog shoulder triggers and left thumbstick [...] I don't see any three-pronged controllers around the office these days." Douglass C. Perry of Gamasutra noted that, from its surprise launch to its ultimate failure, the Saturn "soured many gamers on Sega products". Sewart and IGN's Levi Buchanan cited

11844-418: The fiscal year ending March 1999 and announced plans to eliminate 1,000 jobs, nearly a quarter of its workforce. Worldwide Saturn sales include at least the following amounts in each territory: 5.75 million in Japan (surpassing Genesis sales of 3.58 million there ), 1.8 million in the United States, 1 million in Europe, and 530,000 elsewhere. With lifetime sales of 9.26 million units,

11985-401: The flaws of contemporary Japanese RPGs (such as poor non-player character artificial intelligence routines), Virtua Fighter RPG evolved into a planned 11-part, 45-hour "revenge epic in the tradition of Chinese cinema ", which Suzuki hoped would become the Saturn's killer app . The game was eventually released as Shenmue for the Saturn's successor, the Dreamcast . As Sonic Team

12126-441: The fourth generation consoles more appealing to adults buying gifts for children, since they were cheaper. Industry analysts began putting forth the possibility that the fifth generation of consoles would never overtake the fourth generation in sales, and become superseded by a new generation of DVD player consoles before they could achieve mass acceptance. 1996 saw the fifth generation consoles' fortunes finally turn around. With

12267-438: The fully 3D environments of Nintendo's Super Mario 64 , the emphasis by Nights on unfettered movement and graceful acrobatic techniques showcased the intuitive potential of analog control. Sonic Team's Burning Rangers , a fully 3D action-adventure game involving a team of outer-space firefighters , garnered praise for its transparency effects and distinctive art direction, but was released in limited quantities late in

12408-449: The game be reworked around the engine created for its boss battles, the developers were forced to work between 16 and 20 hours a day to meet their December 1996 deadline. Weeks of development were wasted after Stolar rescinded STI's access to Sonic Team's Nights into Dreams engine following an ultimatum by Nights programmer Yuji Naka . After programmer Ofer Alon quit and designers Chris Senn and Chris Coffin became ill, Sonic X-Treme

12549-542: The grounds that it would give games shorter load times than a compact disc (and would decrease piracy due to a certain chip in the ROM cartridge). However, it also had the dubious benefit of allowing Nintendo to charge higher licensing fees, as cartridge production was considerably more expensive than CD production. Many third-party developers like EA Sports viewed this as an underhanded attempt to raise more money for Nintendo and many of them became more reluctant to release games on

12690-502: The highest of that generation. Rumors about the upcoming Dreamcast, spread mainly by Sega, were leaked to the public before the last Saturn games were released. The Dreamcast was released on November 27, 1998, in Japan and on September 9, 1999, in North America. The decision to abandon the Saturn effectively left the Western market without Sega games for over one year. Sega suffered an additional ¥42.881 billion consolidated net loss in

12831-490: The incumbent fourth generation consoles, and a small games library rooted in a shortage of third-party support made it impossible for the Jaguar to catch up, selling below 250,000 units. The system's 64-bit nature was also questioned by many . Its only add-on, the Jaguar CD , was released in 1995 and was produced in limited quantities due to the low install base of the system. The 32-bit Atari Panther , set to be released in 1991,

12972-479: The initial shipment of 100,000 units being sold in advance, and the rest selling out across the U.S. A high-quality port of the Namco arcade game Ridge Racer contributed to the PlayStation's early success, and garnered favorable media in comparison to the Saturn version of Sega's Daytona USA , which was considered inferior to its arcade counterpart. Namco, a longtime arcade competitor with Sega, also unveiled

13113-470: The keyboard, Sega produced a series of CDs containing hundreds of website addresses so that Saturn owners could browse with the joypad. In 1995, Sega announced a variant of the Saturn featuring a built-in NetLink modem codenamed Pluto, but it was never released. Sega developed a Saturn-based arcade board, the Sega ST-V (or Titan), intended as an affordable alternative to Sega's Model 2 arcade board and as

13254-473: The lack of a head strap. Also, because of the nature of its display, the system reportedly caused headaches and eye strain. It was discontinued within a year, with fewer than 25 games being released for it. Although it sold over 750,000 units, Nintendo felt that it was a failure compared to consoles such as the Super Nintendo, which sold over 20 million. By the end of the 1995 Christmas shopping season ,

13395-523: The market in Japan, sales of the 32X were poor. NEC , creator of the TurboGrafx-16 of the previous generation, entered the market with the PC-FX in late December 1994. The system had a 32-bit processor, 16-bit stereo sound, and video capability. Despite its impressive specifications, it did not have a polygon processor and was marketed as a platform for 2D and full motion video games. The PC-FX game library

13536-547: The most important Saturn releases, Sonic Team developed Nights into Dreams , a score attack game that attempted to simulate both the joy of flying and the fleeting sensation of dreams. The gameplay of Nights involves steering the imp -like androgynous protagonist, Nights, as it flies on a mostly 2D plane across surreal stages broken into four segments each. The levels repeat for as long as an in-game time limit allows, while flying over or looping around various objects in rapid succession earns additional points. Although it lacked

13677-475: The most impressive 3D graphics on the system, leading Sega to contract its developers, Lobotomy Software , to produce Saturn ports of Duke Nukem 3D and Quake . While Electronic Arts's limited support for the Saturn and Sega's failure to develop a football game for late 1995 gave Sony the lead in the sports genre, "Sega Sports" published Saturn sports games including the well-regarded World Series Baseball and Sega Worldwide Soccer series. Due to

13818-571: The most influential game franchises to change consoles during this era was the Final Fantasy series, beginning with Final Fantasy VII , which was developed for the PlayStation instead of the N64 due to storage capacity issues; prior Final Fantasy games had all been published on Nintendo consoles – either the NES or Super NES , with the only other entries being on the Wonderswan , or computers like

13959-767: The most successful Sega arcade game produced in the United States at that point. Other games released for the Titan include Golden Axe: The Duel and Virtua Fighter Kids . Much of the Saturn's library is Sega's arcade ports, including Daytona USA , The House of the Dead , Last Bronx , Sega Rally Championship , the Virtua Cop series, the Virtua Fighter series, and Virtual-On . Saturn ports of 2D Capcom fighting games including Darkstalkers 3 , Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter , and Street Fighter Alpha 3 were noted for their faithfulness to their arcade counterparts. Fighters Megamix , developed by Sega AM2 for

14100-482: The most-successful arcade game of the month. The game was a success in the arcades. According to Famitsu , the AES and Neo Geo CD versions sold over 9,169 and 20,246 copies in their first week on the market respectively. Sega Saturn The Sega Saturn is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of

14241-411: The multiprocessing to be able to bring to the home what we're doing next year in the arcades." In 1993, Sega restructured its internal studios in preparation for the Saturn's launch. To ensure high-quality 3D games would be available early in the Saturn's life, and to create a more energetic working environment, developers from Sega's arcade division were asked to create console games. New teams, such as

14382-408: The need for publishers to predict the demand for a game. Its disadvantages compared to cartridge were (1) considerable load times; (2) their inability to load data "on the fly", making them reliant on the console RAM ; and (3) the greater manufacturing costs of CD-ROM drives compared to cartridge slots, resulting in generally higher retail prices for CD-based consoles. A Nintendo Power ad placed

14523-427: The new final boss. Geese Howard , who was canonically killed off in his own KOF tournament during the previous game, appears in this game as a hidden final boss in a special "Nightmare Match" and as an unlockable playable character in the home versions. The game also features hidden "extra" versions of Andy Bogard , Billy Kane , Blue Mary , and Tung Fu Rue for a total of 23 characters (24 if counting Geese). The game

14664-404: The next". Retrospective feedback of the Saturn is mixed, but generally praises its game library. According to Greg Sewart of 1UP.com , "the Saturn will go down in history as one of the most troubled, and greatest, systems of all time". In 2009, IGN named the Saturn the 18th-best console of all time, praising its unique game library. According to the reviewers, "While the Saturn ended up losing

14805-534: The next, the sixth generation of consoles , which began with the launch of the Dreamcast in Japan on November 27, 1998. The fifth generation ended with the discontinuation of the PlayStation (specifically its re-engineered form, the "PSOne") on March 23, 2006, a year after the launch of the seventh generation. The 32-bit / 64-bit era is most noted for the rise of fully 3D polygon games. While there were games prior that had used three-dimensional polygon environments, such as Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter in

14946-459: The now defunct KB Toys , were so furious that they refused to stock the Saturn thereafter. Due to numerous delays, the Nintendo 64 was released one year later than its competitors. By the time it was finally launched in 1996, Sony had already established its dominance, the Saturn was starting to struggle, and the 3DO and Jaguar had been discontinued. Its use of cartridge media rather than compact discs alienated some developers and publishers due to

15087-422: The popular arcade game, sold at a nearly one-to-one ratio with the Saturn console at launch and was crucial to the system's early success in Japan. Though Sega had wanted to launch with Clockwork Knight and Panzer Dragoon , the only other first-party game available at launch was Wan Chai Connection . Boosted by the popularity of Virtua Fighter , Sega's initial shipment of 200,000 Saturn units sold out on

15228-481: The popularity contest to both Sony and Nintendo [...] Nights into Dreams , the Virtua Fighter and Panzer Dragoon series are all examples of exclusive titles that made the console a fan favorite." Edge noted that "hardened loyalists continue to reminisce about the console that brought forth games like Burning Rangers , Guardian Heroes , Dragon Force and Panzer Dragoon Saga ". In 2015, The Guardian ' s Keith Stuart wrote that "the Saturn has perhaps

15369-536: The power vacuum left by Geese Howard 's death in the original Real Bout . In this version, Geese sports a halo over his head, a reference to his passing in the original Real Bout . Dominated Mind also features new moves, hidden unlockable super moves, super cancelling (known in the game as "Final Impacts"), and removed the two line battle system from the game. The extra versions of Andy, Billy, Mary, and Tung are removed. The Game Boy version, titled Nettou Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special ( 熱闘リアルバウト餓狼伝説SPECIAL ) ,

15510-528: The previously announced North American date, on July 8, 1995, at £ 399.99. European retailers and press did not have time to promote the system or its games, harming sales. The PlayStation launched in Europe on September 29, 1995; by November, it had already outsold the Saturn by a factor of three in the United Kingdom, where Sony had allocated £20 million of marketing during the holiday season compared to Sega's £4 million. The Saturn's U.S. launch

15651-417: The prospect of "a good 3D Sonic game" on the Saturn as "a 'What if...' situation on a par with the dinosaurs not becoming extinct". IGN ' s Travis Fahs called X-treme "the turning point not only for Sega's mascot and their 32-bit console, but for the entire company [and] an empty vessel for Sega's ambitions and the hopes of their fans". Dave Zdyrko, who operated a prominent Saturn fan website during

15792-794: The region. Similarly, only the first of three installments of Shining Force III was released outside Japan. The Saturn's library also garnered criticism for its lack of sequels to high-profile Genesis-era Sega franchises, with Sega of Japan's cancellation of a planned third installment in Sega of America's popular Eternal Champions series cited as a significant source of controversy. Later ports of Saturn games including Guardian Heroes , Nights , and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers continued to garner positive reviews. Partly due to rarity, Saturn games such as Panzer Dragoon Saga and Radiant Silvergun are noted for their cult following . Due to

15933-417: The same period in 1996; shipments in North America declined from 800,000 to 50,000. Due to the Saturn's poor performance in North America, 60 of Sega of America's 200 employees were laid off in late 1997. I thought the Saturn was a mistake as far as hardware was concerned. The games were obviously terrific, but the hardware just wasn't there. —Bernie Stolar, former president of Sega of America, assessed

16074-448: The same time, there had been "a remote possibility" they could have "become the standard instead of triangles [...] if somehow, magically, the Saturn were the most popular console of that era." Speaking more positively, former Working Designs president Victor Ireland described the Saturn as "the start of the future of console gaming" because it "got the better developers thinking and designing with parallel-processing architecture in mind for

16215-400: The space limits, the relatively high cost involved, and a considerably longer production time. In addition, the initially high suggested retail price of the console may have driven potential customers away, and some early adopters of the system who had paid the initial price may have been angered by Nintendo's decision to cut the price of the system by $ 50 six months after its release. However,

16356-446: The strongest line-up of 2D shooters and fighting games in console history". Retro Gamer ' s Damien McFerran wrote: "Even today, despite the widespread availability of sequels and re-releases on other formats, the Sega Saturn is still a worthwhile investment for those who appreciate the unique gameplay styles of the companies that supported it." IGN's Adam Redsell wrote "[Sega's] devil-may-care attitude towards game development in

16497-449: The surprise release, including Best Buy and Walmart ; KB Toys , which was not part of the early launch, responded by refusing to carry the Saturn and its games. Sony subsequently unveiled the retail price for the PlayStation; Olaf Olafsson, the head of Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), summoned Steve Race to the stage, who uttered "$ 299", and then walked away to applause. The Saturn's release in Europe also came before

16638-495: The system's commercial failure and hardware limitations, Saturn projects such as Resident Evil 2 , Shenmue , Sonic Adventure , and Virtua Fighter 3 were cancelled and moved to the Dreamcast. At the time of the Saturn's release, Famicom Tsūshin awarded it 24 out of 40, higher than the PlayStation's 19 out of 40. In June 1995, Dennis Lynch of the Chicago Tribune and Albert Kim of Entertainment Weekly praised

16779-563: The system's complexity as a weakness. Four critics in Electronic Gaming Monthly ' s December 1996 Buyer's Guide rated the Saturn 8, 6, 7, and 8 out of 10 and the PlayStation 9, 10, 9, and 9. By December 1998, EGM ' s reviews were more mixed, with reviewers citing the lack of games as a major problem. According to EGM reviewer Crispin Boyer, "the Saturn is the only system that can thrill me one month and totally disappoint me

16920-587: The system's lifespan, said: "I don't know if [ X-treme ] could've saved the Saturn, but [...] Sonic helped make the Genesis and it made absolutely no sense why there wasn't a great new Sonic title ready at or near the launch of the [Saturn]." In a 2007 retrospective, producer Mike Wallis maintained that X-treme "definitely would have been competitive" with Nintendo's Super Mario 64 . Next Generation reported in late 1996 that X-treme would have harmed Sega's reputation if it did not compare well to contemporary competition. Naka said he had been relieved by

17061-658: The yet-to-launch Apple Bandai Pippin was too expensive to make any impact in the market. Moreover, even the leading fifth generation consoles were still facing sluggish sales. Combined sales for the PlayStation, Saturn, and 3DO barely topped 1 million units for the Christmas shopping season, as compared to combined sales of 4 million for the Sega Genesis and Super NES. Focus groups showed that most children under 12 years old were equally happy playing on fourth generation consoles as they were playing on fifth generation consoles, making

17202-605: Was re-released in March 2017 on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 4 . Though gameplay is two-dimensional, characters can move between two different planes during battle. Breaking an opponent through one of the barriers located on either side of a stage causes them to become stunned. The game retains the cast of the original Real Bout , with the addition of Tung Fu Rue , Cheng Sinzan , Laurence Blood , and Wolfgang Krauser from Fatal Fury Special , with Krauser serving as

17343-486: Was Sega's entry into the stand-alone 32-bit console market. It was released in Japan simultaneously with the 32X in November 1994, although it would not have a North American release until six months later. It became Sega's most successful console in Japan. In America and Europe however, a disastrous launch and an MSRP of $ 399 compared to the PlayStation's $ 299 caused it to be a commercial failure, selling far fewer units than

17484-460: Was accompanied by a reported $ 50 million advertising campaign including coverage in publications such as Wired and Playboy . Early advertising for the system was targeted at a more mature, adult audience than the Genesis ads. The early rescheduling yielded only six launch games (all published by Sega) because most third-party games were scheduled around the original launch date. Virtua Fighter ' s relative lack of popularity in

17625-467: Was canceled due to unexpectedly rapid progress in developing the Jaguar. The Sega 32X , an add-on console produced by Sega for the Genesis , was launched in November 1994. The Sega Neptune , a standalone version of the 32X, was announced but ultimately canceled. Sega failed to deliver a steady flow of games for the 32X platform. With customers anticipating the PlayStation on the horizon, and with Sega's more technically advanced Saturn already competing on

17766-404: Was cancelled in early 1997. Sonic Team started work on an original 3D Sonic game for the Saturn, but development shifted to the Dreamcast as Sonic Adventure . STI was disbanded in 1996 as a result of changes in management at Sega of America. Journalists and fans have speculated about the impact a completed X-treme might have had on the market. David Houghton of GamesRadar described

17907-561: Was chosen for reasons of cost and efficiency. The chip has a calculation system similar to a DSP [ digital signal processor ], but we realized that a single CPU would not be enough to calculate a 3D world." Although the Saturn's design was largely finished before the end of 1993, reports in early 1994 of the technical capabilities of Sony 's upcoming PlayStation console prompted Sega to include another video display processor (VDP) to improve 2D performance and 3D texture mapping. Sega considered making CD-ROM-based and cartridge-only versions of

18048-438: Was critical of the Saturn library's lack of "fresh ideas" and "precious few high-profile franchises", in contrast to what he described as Sega's more creative Dreamcast output. Sega has been criticized for its management of the Saturn. McFerran said its management staff had "fallen out of touch with both the demands of the market and the industry". Stolar has also been criticized; according to Fahs, "Stolar's decision to abandon

18189-475: Was criticized for being low in quality, and having titles that relied more on animation than gameplay. Due to low expected sales, it was never released outside of Japan. In 1995, Nintendo released the Virtual Boy , a supposedly portable system capable of displaying true 3D graphics, albeit in monochromatic red and black. Despite being marketed as a portable system, it is not actually portable in practice due to

18330-489: Was expensive, so several alternatives helped bring Sega's newest arcade games to Genesis, such as the Virtua Processor chip used for Virtua Racing , and the 32X add-on. Development of the Saturn was supervised by Hideki Sato, Sega's director and deputy general manager of research and development . According to project manager Hideki Okamura, the project codenamed Saturn started over two years before announcement at

18471-400: Was more expensive to manufacture. I thought the world of [Hayao] Nakayama because of his love of software. We spoke about building a new hardware platform that I would be very, very involved with, shape the direction of this platform, and hire a new team of people and restructure Sega. That, to me, was a great opportunity. —Bernie Stolar on joining Sega of America After the launch of

18612-524: Was never released in the United States due to Commodore 's bankruptcy and court-ordered import restrictions. Despite promising initial sales, the console was hampered by poor software quality with many titles being simply re-releases of older games. Production of the Amiga CD32 was discontinued after only eight months. The Atari Jaguar was released in November 1993 and was marketed as the world's first 64-bit system. However, sales at launch were well below

18753-577: Was not able to recover its losses, ended up merging into JTS Corporation in 1996. This caused the Atari name to virtually disappear from the gaming market until 1998, when Hasbro Interactive purchased the Atari assets from JTS for $ 5 million. On May 14, 1999, Hasbro Interactive announced that all rights to the Atari Jaguar were released into the public domain , thus declaring the platform open ; this allowed anyone to freely create and publish games for

18894-513: Was not supportive of the Saturn, deciding it was poorly designed, and publicly announced at E3 1997 that "the Saturn is not our future". Though Stolar had "no interest in lying to people" about the Saturn's prospects, he continued to emphasize quality games for the system, and later said that "we tried to wind it down as cleanly as we could for the consumer". At Sony, Stolar had opposed the localization of Japanese games that he decided would not represent PlayStation well in North America, and advocated

19035-440: Was packaged with an instruction manual, control pad, stereo AV cable, and 100 V AC power supply consuming approximately 15 W. One very fast central processor would be preferable. I don't think all programmers have the ability to program two CPUs—most can only get about one-and-a-half times the speed you can get from one SH-2 . I think that only 1 in 100 programmers are good enough to get this kind of speed [double] out of

19176-514: Was ported to the Neo-Geo CD with several additions such as a Versus mode and a music video starring Blue Mary that is shown to the player after completing the Arcade mode following the credits. This port also saw a release for the Sega Saturn , using the 1MB RAM cartridge expansion of the system in order to retain sprite animations. A port of Real Bout Special titled Real Bout Special: Dominated Mind

19317-600: Was released for the PlayStation in 1998 only in Japan, which adds Alfred from Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 (which had been released three months prior on the Neo Geo) as a playable character, and includes an all new boss character named White (modeled after the character Alexander "Alex" DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange ). This port adds animated videos produced by Sunrise for game's intro and character endings. The story of this version centers around White's brainwashing of Billy Kane and attempted takeover of Southtown's underworld in

19458-543: Was released on October 28, 1998, but was dropped by SNK in favor of the fully backward compatible Neo Geo Pocket Color just a year later. Nintendo's Game Boy Color (1998) was the most successful handheld by a large margin. There were also two minor updates of the original Game Boy : the Game Boy Light (released in Japan only) and the Game Boy Pocket . There was considerable time overlap between this generation and

19599-541: Was released only in Japan on March 27, 1998, featuring simplified graphics and two-button gameplay. This version features only 12 playable characters: a roster which consists of Terry, Andy, Joe, Mai, Blue Mary, Duck King, Kim, Jin Chonrei, Billy, Yamazaki, Laurence, and Krauser. Geese Howard appears as a hidden character, as well as Iori Yagami from The King of Fighters series. In Japan, Game Machine listed Real Bout Fatal Fury Special on their March 1, 1997 issue as being

19740-425: Was roundly criticized, as this made it difficult to efficiently develop for the console. Sega was also hurt by the Saturn's surprise four-month-early U.S. launch of their console; third-party developers, who had been planning for the originally scheduled launch, could not provide many launch titles and were angered by the move. Retailers were caught unprepared, resulting in distribution problems; some retailers, such as

19881-431: Was working on Nights into Dreams , Sega tasked the U.S.-based Sega Technical Institute (STI) with developing the first fully 3D entry in its popular Sonic the Hedgehog series. The game, Sonic X-treme , was moved to the Saturn after several prototypes for other hardware (including the 32X) were discarded. It featured a fisheye lens camera system that rotated levels with Sonic 's movement. After Nakayama ordered

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