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Sega Has Considered Dreamcast & Saturn Mini But Is Worried About Extreme Costs

Bullet Club

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Sega Has Considered Dreamcast & Saturn Mini But Is Worried About Extreme Costs​


You can thank the pandemic

CJEDdPs.jpg


One of the highlights of the week was the announcement of the Mega Drive Mini 2 - Sega's next miniature console, loaded with 50 games from the Mega Drive and Mega CD libraries. It's launching this October in Japan and will include games like Sonic CD, Slipstream and Virtua Racing.

As exciting as this news is, it hasn't stopped fan requests for miniature versions of Sega's other consoles - like the Saturn and Dreamcast. So, why did Sega decide to release a Mega Drive 2 instead of something else? During an interview with Famitsu, Sega's classic hardware producer Yosuke Okunari explained how the pandemic shaped the outcome.

Here's what he had to say (courtesy of Twitter user @gosokkyu):

he's sure ppl will be like "what about Saturn/Dreamcast Mini?" [and] it's not like they [Sega] didn't explore the idea—the MD Mini's internals can't adequately handle Saturn games, and both developing and manufacturing new chipsets during the pandemic is a difficult & expensive process

...so, even if they'd forged ahead with a Saturn Mini anyway, it might've been extremely expensive—he jokes that he might like to release a mini that costs as much as an authentic modern console

And that's when the Mega Drive Mini 2 came into the picture, as an "extension" of the original one - making it a lot more manageable during a pandemic, in terms of the schedule and manufacturing. It's worth noting there will still be a "much lower production run" of this device - with the initial focus on stocking Japan. Okunari is aware of the demand overseas but remains focused on Japan for now, where the team knows the market.

Although the price of the second Mega Drive Mini system is higher - due to an improved chipset, more memory to fit Mega CD games, and the increased price of components, Okunari is confident the larger library of games will justify the price.

Okunari also mentioned how the team considered making another Game Gear Micro, but the increased price of semiconductors made costs of a second handheld micro-unit "1.5x the manufacturing price" of the original micro model. And the team supposedly couldn't risk selling at the same price and didn't want to increase the RRP.

Yosuke Okunari has previously mentioned how Sega has thought about creating other mini consoles, but for now, the focus is on the Mega Drive Mini 2.

Would like to one day see Sega release miniature devices based on the Dreamcast and Saturn? Would you be willing to pay more?

Source: Nintendo Life
 

Kokoloko85

Member
Day 1.

If they are worried about cost, how about make a virtual console like store/service/app where we can download and play all the 1st Party Master-System, Megadrve/Genisis, Saturn and Dreamcast games.

Release it for Steam/PS/Xbox/Switch etc. Make a ton of money

Then slowly release some 3rd party titles they can sort licenses for….
 
Sega actually has ported at least some of the Saturn Library. So instead of emulating the Saturn, they should port them and make a collection.

A simple list lifted from Sega Ages collections, PC ports and newer ports releases into any other platform would look like this:

- Virtua Fighter
- Virtua Fighter 2
- Dragon Force
- Fighting Vipers
- Virtua Racing
- Last Bronx
- Panzer Dragoon
- Cyber Troopers - Virtual On
- NiGHTs Into Dreams
- Dynamite Deka
- Sega Rally
- Virtual Cop
- Virtua Cop 2
- House of the Dead
- Daytona USA
- Sonic 3D
- Sonic R
- Sega Worldwide Soccer
- Sega Touring Car Championship


Not too bad.
For christ's sake, you could just re-release the original Saturn and Dreamcast hardware along with the games and make a killing.
jesus christ, no.

Saturn was basically a final boss if you made an adventure/action game with a game developer main character. If you switched chips for flesh you'd get William Birkin from RE2 or something. Nightmare inducing.

Very prohibitive to do as a SoC, and compatibility with software would be shit due to changing parts and how low level everything was. They would have to do "blocks" in the chip to simulate the original hardware latency. Sega was having issues with the Saturn at the time precisely because it would be hell to miniaturize, but they couldn't drop prices otherwise.

I have no trouble believing that it would cost basically the same as a modern console if you wanted hardware compatibility.


Now, Dreamcast is easy tbh, both to emulate and do a SoC out of. (but there's no reason to go back and SoC it as emulation is so easy and accurate)
 
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Sega actually has ported at least some of the Saturn Library. So instead of emulating the Saturn, they should port them and make a collection.

A simple list lifted from Sega Ages collections, PC ports and newer ports releases into any other platform would look like this:

- Virtua Fighter
- Virtua Fighter 2
- Dragon Force
- Fighting Vipers
- Virtua Racing
- Last Bronx
- Panzer Dragoon
- Cyber Troopers - Virtual On
- NiGHTs Into Dreams
- Dynamite Deka
- Sega Rally
- Virtual Cop
- Virtua Cop 2
- House of the Dead
- Daytona USA
- Sonic 3D
- Sonic R
- Sega Worldwide Soccer
- Sega Touring Car Championship


Not too bad.

It's a great idea, but i wouldn't recommend some of those games at all. I get that they're approachable from the standpoint that they're easy to port, but i can basically name like 3 games off that list that are in my 55 - 60 games that i highly recommend for the Sega Saturn. Fuck, might as well do a Model 2 Arcade collection.
 
Idk how they would make a Saturn but if they did and put fighters mega mix on it … I would pay anything


To be fair, if you want an emulator box, with the casing of a Saturn Mini, it's a matter of time until you can do it with a Raspberry Pi.

Raspberry Pi 5 might just cut it, but I would wait for Raspberry Pi 6, specially because to emulate Saturn on an LCD I would like some extra image processing features.
 
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ShirAhava

Plays with kids toys, in the adult gaming world
I'd foam at the mouth for a Saturn Mini day zero all the colors and versions!


Don't give a rats ass about the dreamcast mini most of the good stuff is playable everywhere at this point I'd want super obscure games they wouldn't include anyway
 

Quasicat

Member
I would buy a Saturn mini in a heartbeat. To me, the worse news here is that they are only looking at Japan at the moment. Looks like I’m importing and hacking this into English.
 

Esppiral

Member
I play them more than this gen's consoles. I have a dozen of them.
I play more ps2/Dreamcast/psx/Gamecube etc on my Series X than current gen games, actually it's been a month sin I bought Horizon Forbiden west to install it and never touch it again while I've been playing ghosthunter and Primal on my Xbox. (play those games, they are amazing!)
 

Kokoloko85

Member
It's usual Sega... forgetting these 2 consoles exist and porting the sonic trilogy for the umpteenth time.

Yep and then saying maybe we will do some other games in the future. And then releasing another Megadrive collection service on iphone/android lol
 

Esppiral

Member
The problem with the Dreamcast is that you need dirext11 or equivalent hardware in other to emulate correctly the independent order translucent meshes otherwise the game will look incredible corrupted.
 

wipeout364

Member
Saturn mini could be something really special but they would probably screw it up. Dreamcast had a lot of really cool games as well although we have a lot more ports of those titles around.
 
They could always launch official emulators for existing consoles and charge $5 - $10 a ROM which I think is perfectly reasonable.
 

Dutchy

Member
people still buy these nostalgia consoles? : S
They're surprisingly popular among young families. I know a lot of people who play these consoles with their kids.

Me personally, I would easily put down 150+ for a Dreamcast mini. Can't be bothered hooking up the real deal anymore with all those ancient cables.
 

Dutchy

Member
Honestly. I don't understand the appeal of these mini consoles. Why not just re release all the games over PSN, XBL, and Steam?
From what I've noticed working in retail when the first couple of mini consoles got released is that a big portion of the target audience are not your average gamers. Plenty of people who have all the Mini nintendo stuff but no PS/XB/PC etc.
 

RAIDEN1

Member
It is a load of trash, it has been more than 20 years since both consoles became obsolete....and in all that time they have been dragging their heels in getting a Saturn mini and Dreamcast mini created...the convenient excuse of the pandemic came up to hide that fact....if Nintendo announced tomorrow the release of the N64 mini....that might give Sega something to think about...
 
What are the actual cost logistics anyway?

We are reaching a point where unlicensed clone hardwares are starting to do Saturn and Dreamcast to at least some extent, and Dreamcast-based games like Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 are being featured in things like Arcade1up.

This sounds a lot like "we need more powerful hardware to do a 32X mini" even though hackers could put 32X games in the first Genesis Mini.
 
No wondr they're worried about costs, I mean let's be honest, beyond a relatively small amount of middle aged people, is anyone really going to give a shit about a mini Dreamcast and especially a mini Saturn?
 
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