Sega Saturn
- Manufacturer
- Sega
- Production
- 1995–2000
- Generation
- Gen 5
- Type
- Home
- Launch price
- $399
- Units sold
- 9.3M
About 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 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.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Library & collector facts
1,051licensed games
- North America: 313
- Japan: 1,058
- PAL: 432
Lineage
Release timeline
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- November 22, 1994
- 🇺🇸 North America
- May 11, 1995
- 🇪🇺 Europe / PAL
- July 8, 1995
- Lifespan
- 5 years on market
Pricing
Launch price (1995)
- 🇺🇸 USD
- $399
- 🇯🇵 JPY
- ¥44,800
- 🇬🇧 GBP
- £400
Launch titles & exclusives
Daytona USA · Virtua Fighter · Panzer Dragoon · Clockwork Knight · Worldwide Soccer · Myst (Saturn was an unusual platform for it) · Pebble Beach Golf Links · Bug! · Mortal Kombat II · WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game
None standard; JP launch had Virtua Fighter — the platform-seller in JP
Nights into Dreams · Panzer Dragoon trilogy (Panzer Dragoon, Zwei, Saga) · Burning Rangers · Guardian Heroes · Radiant Silvergun · Dragon Force · Shining Force III (JP-only complete trilogy; only Scenario 1 released in NA) · Sakura Wars (JP) · Princess Crown (JP, precursor to Odin Sphere) · Grandia (JP-only on Saturn) · Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Saturn (JP-only, expanded version) · Virtua Fighter 2 · Sega Rally Championship · Fighters Megamix · Dragon Ball Z (JP RPG)
Final Fight Revenge (2000, NA) was among the last Western releases; JP releases trickled into 2000
Panzer Dragoon Saga CIB (~$800–$3000+, one of the most-collected JRPGs ever); Radiant Silvergun CIB (~$700–$2000+); Magic Knight Rayearth (Working Designs, ~$300+); Shining Force III sealed; Castlevania: SOTN Saturn (~$500+ CIB)
Hardware specs
- Cpu
- 2× Hitachi SH-2 @ 28.6 MHz
- Gpu
- VDP1 & VDP2 video display processors each running @ 28.63636 MHz
- Ram
- 2 MB RAM, 1.5 MB VRAM, 512 KB sound RAM, expandable with Extended RAM Cartridge
- Sound
- Yamaha YMF292
- Storage Internal
- Internal RAM, cartridge
Hardware revisions
- Original Saturn(1994)
original launch hardware
⚠ dual SH-2 processors made it notoriously difficult to program for; CD drive uses a gear-driven 'Saturn lens' system prone to failure with age
- Model 2(1996)
minor revisions, marginally improved CD drive
- Hi-Saturn / V-Saturn(1995)
JP-only licensee variants from Hitachi and JVC
⚠ HiSaturn Navi (~$2000+ collector item) had GPS + TV tuner
Launch colorways & special editions
- Sega Saturn 'Skeleton' Clear Variants (JP)
- White Saturn (JP)
- Hi-Saturn (Hitachi, JP-only, 1995 — built-in karaoke variant)
- V-Saturn (JVC variant, JP)
- HiSaturn Navi (JP, with GPS/TV tuner — collector ultra-rarity)
- Various retailer color variants
Modding scene
- Difficulty
- hard-mod
- Custom firmware
- Pseudo Saturn Kai (homebrew menu/loader); Action Replay 4M Plus / Pro Action Replay; Saturn Satiator / Fenrir (ODE replacements)
Reception & legacy
Catastrophic NA launch — Sega's 'surprise' May 1995 launch (4 months early, announced at E3 1995) angered retailers (KB Toys / Walmart publicly refused to stock it), shipped without flagship third parties, and the $399 price was $100 higher than PS1
Surprise launch alienated retailers and developers; lack of Sonic at launch (Sonic X-treme cancelled); Square went exclusive with Sony due to Saturn's cart-and-RAM-cartridge complexity for FF7; Sega's NA leadership conflict with JP (Tom Kalinske resignation 1996) tied directly to Saturn strategy failures
JP cult favorite (still beloved for Working Designs, shmups, Sakura Wars era); NA commercial disaster that destroyed Sega's North American developer relationships before Dreamcast; arguably the most architecturally interesting failed console — the dual-SH-2 design influenced later asymmetric multiprocessor consoles like the Cell-based PS3
References
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Sega Saturn in the news
Recent coverage mentioning the Sega Saturn, gathered from 80+ gaming-news sources.
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