Retro Video Gamer

Sega Neptune was a two-in-one Sega Mega Drive and Sega 32X console announced by Sega but never released to the public. Some sources claim the intended name for the console in North America was Genesis 32X System.

Sega had admitted how expensive and problematic the 32X was, and so decided to make a combined version of the Mega Drive and 32X, which they felt was a better idea. However, by the time a prototype came out, the Sega Saturn was ready for release. Sega felt that gamers would now not be interested in the Sega Neptune, if it had been released, so the project was scrapped. Plans for the system supposedly included the ability to play Sega Mega-CD titles too.

Had the Neptune been released, it would have been available in late 1995 for $149.99 in the United States, rising to around $220 with a game, and £200 in the United Kingdom. The 32X version of Virtua Fighter was meant to debut alongside the system.

In 2001, gaming magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly announced that prototype copies of the Neptune had been found at a warehouse and were up for sale to the public (via the now defunct Seganeptune.com website). This was an April Fool's joke, but generated a lot of buzz amongst the Sega community.

Source:  Sega Retro (https://segaretro.org/Sega_Neptune)

Yes, remember all the mess Sega were creating at the time, it wasn’t looking good even before the PlayStation came out, people were already annoyed with Sega, even from the Megadrive 2 and MegaCD2 coming out the same year as thr Mega CD but cheaper, then the overpriced Multimega which flopped quicker than it launched, the delayed 32X, when it finally came out it was alot more than rumours said £170 ($160 in the US), even with the decent exchange we got shafted again by Sega.

The 32X was already dead on arrival, Japan werent even going to launch it at all, but rumours of Sega forcing a launch otherwise word of such a thing would hurt sales in other countries, if the motherland didnt want it what hope of anyone else!

The 32X came out 8-9 months into the Saturn/PlayStation hype train, the Neptune was just another product that would have went nowhere had it launched, by this time Sega was bleeding money on R&D with too much hardware on the hope one of them would be a hit, had they put all their thoughts into the Saturn after the Megadrive it might have been a different story, i firmly believe the Saturn could have won against the PSX with their increasing userbase at the time.

They just had too much going on at the same time and did not focus.  It's unfortunate but I figured it'd be interesting to share the info on it.  :)

That's amazing! Would love to have seen it released. I would have gotten one regardless as Sega is one of my all time favorite companies. Would be awesome if someone had really found a warehouse with demo units inside. Great info :D

Pretty awesome. Would love one if they ever came out. Sega should release some of this stuff now. It would sell by the bucket load.


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Quote from: Saturn on March 18, 2018, 23:41:19 PM
That's amazing! Would love to have seen it released. I would have gotten one regardless as Sega is one of my all time favorite companies. Would be awesome if someone had really found a warehouse with demo units inside. Great info :D

Nooooo!! I loved Sega too and bar the Gameboy i was Sega all the way, but even Sega fans saw the 32X was a waste of time and money, it came out 7 months before the Saturn did! Imagine that in todays market outrage on social media lol Seriously though people were peeved with Sega by then and they never recovered.

I would bet money had they released the Neptune they would had made a Mega CD adaptor for it, then release an all in one Megadrive/32X/MegaCD all in one unit just because they could lol

Hey it was awful but how cool does it look lol.

Quote from: zapiy on March 19, 2018, 10:48:32 AM
Hey it was awful but how cool does it look lol.

If you like your add-ons to look like a mushroom then i guess pretty cool  :P

Lol maybe I was high on those mushrooms mate.


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