The Sega 32X

[TL]

So after watching that AVGN video I got thinking about the 32X and I remembered this amazing tech demo:

Sega 32X Tech Demo

It certainly shows what the 32X could have done in the right hands, very impressive indeed.

There is no doubt for me that Sega really buggered things up by releasing the 32X and Saturn at around the same time. I have always been of the opinion that they never should have bothered with the 32X but maybe they should have not bothered with the expensive Saturn instead and gone ahead with an all in one Sega Mega Drive/Mega CD/32X console and tried to keep the already massive userbase that the MD/Genesis already had, what do you all think?

[Shadowrunner]

Interesting thoughts. A Sega Mega Drive/Mega CD/32X combo system would have been cool but I don't think it would have been able to compete with the Playstation and N64.
I had a 32X years ago and from a nostalgia point of view I regret selling it but that's about it. I think they should have taken the time and resources they put into the 32X into the Saturns development instead and didn't  bother releasing it.

[TL]

Interesting thoughts. A Sega Mega Drive/Mega CD/32X combo system would have been cool but I don't think it would have been able to compete with the Playstation and N64.
I had a 32X years ago and from a nostalgia point of view I regret selling it but that's about it. I think they should have taken the time and resources they put into the 32X into the Saturns development instead and didn't  bother releasing it.

I was just wondering if they could have positioned a 32X combo as a much cheaper entry into the next gen and if they had also managed to stop so many existing Mega Drive owners bailing in favour of the PS1 their fortunes might have been different.

For the most part I agree they should have gone all out on the Saturn though.

[Shadowrunner]

Another thought here, seeings how the Saturn had a cartridge slot what if Sega made it so you could plug the 32X into it. I think a lot of Sega fans jumped ship to Sony cause they felt ripped off for spending money on the 32X so this may have helped a little. Plus being able to play Mega Drive games on the Saturn would have made the 32X a worthwhile add on.

[TL]

Another thought here, seeings how the Saturn had a cartridge slot what if Sega made it so you could plug the 32X into it. I think a lot of Sega fans jumped ship to Sony cause they felt ripped off for spending money on the 32X so this may have helped a little. Plus being able to play Mega Drive games on the Saturn would have made the 32X a worthwhile add on.

I could never understand why they didn't make it so you could play MD games on the Saturn, they really missed a trick there 

[AmigaJay]

The 32x was a year too late and came in at a higher cost than expected, originally due at £99/$150 it came out in the uk at £150! Just for an addon at time when people wanted cd and a new console not spend more money on an underpowered console compared to the psx or Saturn.....shouldn't have bothered at all...they even originally canceled the jap launch of it then changed their minds!

[dcultrapro]

yeah they should either have not bothered trying to extend the life of the MD AT ALL and gone straight to a new system or scrapped the Saturn and stuck with the Mega Drive and its expansions.

releasing the 32x was enough of a joke/failure to almost seal Sega's fate because none of the Mega Drive fans bothered with it, the Saturn Suffered and so did the Dreamcast. Segas reputation never recovered from the MD expansion debacle and the confused customer base simply dried up and moved on while the Playstation seemed to garner tonnes of new consumers from a relatively untapped market.

Its a shame really, if they had simply left the MD as it was and released the Saturn in 94/95 they might have held off the Playstation. Instead most people were pretty disenchanted by it all. me included lol.

[AmigaJay]

yeah they should either have not bothered trying to extend the life of the MD AT ALL and gone straight to a new system or scrapped the Saturn and stuck with the Mega Drive and its expansions.

releasing the 32x was enough of a joke/failure to almost seal Sega's fate because none of the Mega Drive fans bothered with it, the Saturn Suffered and so did the Dreamcast. Segas reputation never recovered from the MD expansion debacle and the confused customer base simply dried up and moved on while the Playstation seemed to garner tonnes of new consumers from a relatively untapped market.

Its a shame really, if they had simply left the MD as it was and released the Saturn in 94/95 they might have held off the Playstation. Instead most people were pretty disenchanted by it all. me included lol.

The 32x actually did sell well at launch, they actually didn't make enough units for launch...megadrive owners did want it...mainly to show against snes owning superfx games..hard to believe but true....and it seemed at any price!
Had the ps1 not came out the Saturn would have been delayed a year to 95 in jap and 96 row but of course sega had to react to the ps1 to stay in the game...I don't think there was a lot they could have done even without the 32x debacle.

[TL]

I was working for Game when the 32X came out and I did actually sell quite a few of them. In fact I once sold a MD2, MCD2, 32X and a load of games to one very rich lady who came in - she spent about a grand!

[dcultrapro]

thats all well and good but the point still remains that everyone felt very messed about and a lot of trust in Sega was lost, ruining the chances of the Saturn and then the Dreamcast, though the Dreamcast they largely alienated it from Sega's dodgy past but still to no avail, the damage had been done.

ok fair enough it sold ok when it first came out, but that's to be expected based on the number of people who already had an MD and customer knowledge was slower back then what with no internet etc, so it probably took a while for the news of the Saturn and the PS1 to spread around... I myself didn't understand how things had happened or how they worked until about 1998 when I started hearing about the Dreamcast and knew that the Saturn was already over even though I had only just, that May, got one and began to love it

[Shadowrunner]

Yeah I remember those days. Only way to find out about games was through magazines and cause of the long lead times for publishing the info was always a month or two old. I sure don't miss that about the old days. lol

[Alberto 2K]

Nice tech demo.

[Shadowrunner]

Nice tech demo.

I used to love playing Virtua Racing on the 32X.
One of the few games for the add on I miss playing.

[TL]

32X TV advert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbYkgDWAYAE

[onthinice]

I'm a big fan of the 32X. I only had three games when it was new. Primal Rage, Virtua Fighter and Motocross. Over the last dozen or so years I have added more titles.

I guess it is an acquired taste but one I am glad to have experienced.