Sega: ages of innovation

[vbt]

Innovation is king. Right? Wrong.


Sega was king. In the early nineties, the Mega Drive was the console to have, before it was challenged by the Super Nintendo. But then something went wrong. Just as Nintendo lost its near monopolous grip on the industry, so Sega suffered from a string of failed consoles and financial losses, until it pulled out of the hardware market altogether in 2001.

Full article : http://beta.gamesradar.com/gb/ps2/g...427112939312024&releaseId=2006032194532734071

 

[dibz]

I prefer the SegaBase essays, I believe they document the downfall in very good detail.

 

[msimplay]

I must say that Sega did some daft things in the past especially with the Sega Saturn I remember when the Sega Saturn was in it's last year here in the UK most games that were actually good were Japanese only.

I remember reading in the magazines pages and pages of previews and reviews and many of them saying "its unlikely that it will receive a European release" and every time I felt disappointed

 

[mtxblau]

...not to mention the 32X to Saturn debacle. Do you remember a time when the 32X was $200? Why!?


Oh well. There's no making excuses for the mismanagement after the Sega Genesis. I think the Sega CD was a good idea, just too early for its time. Can't fault them for innovation.

 

[dibz]

To me, the largest blunder was the 32X for Sega. Who is to say what would have happened when the Saturn was released if the 32X never existed.

 

[msimplay]

Oh well. There's no making excuses for the mismanagement after the Sega Genesis. I think the Sega CD was a good idea, just too early for its time. Can't fault them for innovation.

Looking back at the Sega CD it makes me happier now than it did back then because now I'm into the features it had like the full cd quality music and enhanced graphics over the Megadrive.

Back then I had a Super Nintendo and I wanted a MegaCD but damn was it expensive I mean if it was at around the same price as the main console it would have sold much better.

But in all honesty I'm glad the Sega CD was made because it has some great games unavailable elsewhere.

...not to mention the 32X to Saturn debacle. Do you remember a time when the 32X was $200? Why!?

To me, the largest blunder was the 32X for Sega. Who is to say what would have happened when the Saturn was released if the 32X never existed.

Yeah I have to agree here the 32x was the biggest blunder the 32x was the biggest waste of time I ever bought and in all honesty I thought the games were rubbish I mean in an era when people were in anticipation of the Playstation and Sega Saturn the 32x at best had last generation Arcade graphics and the fact that they were rubbish didn't help much 😛

 

[Amon]

THe 32x has like one or two good games... but yah it wasnt good for them. It took sales away from the saturn and hurt segas reputation in the market place. Being in NA Sega America was quick to pull out support for all the consoles here as opposed to in the UK or JAP. They were the first to pull PSO servers, other online servers for the dreamcast. I could go on and on. I believe the industry would be a hell of a lot different if sega had teamed up with sony to make the first true 32-bit console instead of having sega jap turn down the idea and thus creating the rivalry. Or something to that effect.

 

[Kuta]

It could even be said that Sega was ahead of the game in deciding to exit the hardware manufacturing bussiness. It would be a fair prediction that all gaming hardware develpers will eventually stop maing consoles.