How would PAL games play on an NTSC/PAL-60 Saturn?

[Drenholm]

Hey everyone.

By now, I'm sure we've deduced that there are two types of PAL (the most evil type of television standard ever) Sega Saturn games. Those that have been edited so that they run at an approximately correct speed in 50Hz (examples NiGHTS, Sega Rally), with almost the whole screen in use; and those that haven't, which run 17.5% too slow with huge borders on the screen, like Sonic R.

Anyhow, thanks to my rage at PAL TV (well, the 50Hz aspect of it, anyway), I'm seriously thinking of either modding my Model 2 UK Saturn with a 50/60Hz switch (for the two types of games, optimised and not) or buying an NTSC Saturn, finding NTSC versions of as many of my favourite games as I can, and fitting a 50/60Hz switch for my old PAL games.

So, I know that unoptimised (too slow and big borders, like Sonic R) PAL games would run at the intended 60Hz speed on an NTSC or PAL-60 Saturn, but the ones which have been "sped-up" to compensate perplex me. I'm guessing they would run too fast or with odd graphical glitches? :/ Which is why, whatever road I take, I would need a 50/60Hz switch for any PAL games which I can't find an NTSC variant of.

:huh I'm guessing I'm going to have confused a lot of people by now, but please post any ideas or findings which you might have!

Thanks a million! 😀

Daniel

 

[dj898]

as long as you have 50/60Hz switch installed you are set with PAL TV.

By the way get the JPN Saturn unless you plan to install the country switch as well...

reason for me doing 50/60Hz switch was PAL Guardian Heroes had gfx issue on JPN Saturn...

 

[Drenholm]

Hey, thanks for your reply.

I think I'll get a 4-in-1, a modchip and the 50/60Hz mod into my Model 2 and sit back and enjoy the fun! 😀

Of course, I'll be finding the 60Hz (NTSC) equivalents of whatever true 50Hz (properly converted games like NiGHTS, Panzer Zwei, which would run too fast when put to 60Hz) games I have, so that I can see what they're like in 60Hz, as I'll probably like them better that way. 🙂 But PAL Sonic R and the unconverted like need to be bumped up to 60Hz to run properly, so I'm okay there.

Thanks again!

 

[Pyrite]

Your best option is putting the 50/60Hz mod on your PAL SS and playing the NTSC version of the games like you said I have the same opinion the PAL Saturn games play like poop with those borders.

 

[Drenholm]

Cool, that is probably what I will do. Some of the PAL games will work properly when bumped up to 60Hz, but a few play either too fast or with bad timing or display. 🙁

Was playing Sonic R this morning; I can't figure out whether it's too slow or not... As far as I know, unoptimised PAL games run at 5/6ths of the correct speed - witness the PAL edition of Sonic The Hedgehog on the Megadrive!

Thanks for the information! 🙂 I really hope the 50/60Hz switch will work like a charm.

 

[DeGamer]

Originally posted by Drenholm@Sat, 2005-01-08 @ 03:36 AM

Cool, that is probably what I will do. Some of the PAL games will work properly when bumped up to 60Hz, but a few play either too fast or with bad timing or display. 🙁.

[post=127315]Quoted post[/post]​

That only seems to happen for certain parts of some games. For example, in Drgon Ball the Legend the audio is not in sync with the special attacks norr the music with the cutscenes, but the intro plays fine with music and all. King of Fighter 95 runs perfectly except for the intro (too fast).

 

[Shakey Jake33]

There is an example of this on Sonic R PAL actually.

When you stick the game into 60Hz, while it is actually now full speed, just listen to the announcer at the start - completely off sync!

Another good example is the intro to Street Fighter Alpha, and the intro to Daytona.

In fact, I'd say any game that times the game itself to the CD-Audio will now go out of sync. Clearly these aspects of the game were tweaked when the game was released in PAL territories.

You win some, you lose some.

 

[Drenholm]

So is Sonic R PAL definitely too slow?

That may well be why I do well at playing it... 😀

 

[SaturnAR]

i've been having problems with 3 games: Discworld, Discworld 2 and Virtual On(EUROPEAN versions). In the EUROPEAN Sat they run excellent, but in the US Saturn.In Discworld and Discworld 2 the game makes some kind of "clicks". During this "clicks" the game freezes...

In Virtual On: the bottom of the screen(lets say the 1/8 part of the screen) shows rain(like the image you see in old TVs whith no signal present).

The Digital Dance Mix Vol 1(it's JAP version, and the only one) denies to work on my US or EUR Saturns! 🙁 It's a backup...but it works fine until i select a song, then i only receive a nice black screen!

 

[antime]

Originally posted by SaturnAR@Fri, 2005-01-21 @ 12:58 AM

The Digital Dance Mix Vol 1(it's JAP version, and the only one) denies to work on my US or EUR Saturns! 🙁 It's a backup...but it works fine until i select a song, then i only receive a nice black screen!

Since you say it's a backup you could easily just pop in your original and see if it's just a bad copy or some incompatibility problem. (Has nothing to do with video timing in any case, Japan use 60Hz just as USA.)

 

[SaturnAR]

but i don't have a JAPONESE SATURN TO TRY THE ORIGINAL CD! I ONLY HAVE 2 EUR SATURNS AND 2 FORM USA!

chears

 

[antime]

Too bad import carts are so expensive, isn't it?

 

[SaturnAR]

it's sad but it's true. i had an import cart but it dies very fast 🙁

 

[Drenholm]

I need to order a cartridge and modchip soon, before they're all gone... Then I'll try to hunt down NTSC versions of my favourite games to play them in true 60Hz.

I also hope that one of my Saturns is modchip-able...

 

[SaturnAR]

you should open them and check if they have 21 pins!

 

[Drenholm]

Yeah, good point; I pretty much ruled out my Model 1, obviously.

But I think that my 'Model 2' might be a Model 1 inside, or maybe just a Model 2 with a 64-pin CD board chip.

Here's hoping that it is possible somehow, even if I have to use Pinchy's 20-pin hack! 😀

Thanks for the reply.

 

[SaturnAR]

U're welcome!

if i where U, that saturn would be completly opened! haha. i can't wait! i must know if i own a 21 or a 20 PIN Saturn!!.

Good luck when opening it! 🙂

We should go back to the original post theme!?... chears.