66 replies to this topic

[Artlover]

chrisbid said:

http://www.ncsxshop....op/EMS-ARP.html

in case you didnt find it

Thanx.

Ordered and will be here in 3 days.

[Brad2600]

[quote=JagHammer][quote=Kepone]I had a chance to get a SWEET looking Saturn set with several boxed games and a nice looking unit at an auction last Friday.

What happened? My dad wouldn't bid more than $20 for it..it sold for $25....

Needless to say, I'm still pissed off. Oh well. I wanted that Saturn![/quote]

there are about 15-20 different saturn systems which one were you goin for


Umm..a Saturn..LOL. I don't remember what model it was.

Damn. I could have had it!

[KaineMaxwell]

Launching the Saturn months before the majority of launch titles were ready pretty much killed the system as well. The idea was good on paper but in thoery it held no water.

[Artlover]

Artlover said:

Ordered and will be here in 3 days.  

So much for 3 days....

I assumed that my order would have been proccessed some time the next day, which would have been Wedensday. Making for a Friday, or at worse a Saturday delivery.

I checked my account and discovered they didn't proccess my order till Thursday. So at best, I'll get it Monday.

[chrisbid]

[V.R]

Yes the Saturn was tops! I remember paying big $$ to buy it way back in 96' and boy I had some fun with it, even though I was about the only person in my area to own one! I've never heard a Saturn owner say bad things about the system!

[holy_fluck]

I love the saturn, Its a good system and had very good ports of the capcom fighters and perfect ports with the Ram carts. It also had great games like Panzer Dragoon 1+2+Saga, Nights, Sega Rally, VF2, and so many others, I had many years of enjoyment with this system and still do play it.

[Socrates]

my bro got a job when he was like 12 at a local auction during the summer i think back in 97 or 98. he made $25 every thursday and by the end of the summer he boght a saturn with 5 or six games(lets see if i can remember first saturn bomberman a masterpiece,virtua cop 1+2 with a gun, a broken hockey game, virtua fighter 3 i think maybe 2, and i think another.) all for $60 dollars. Saturn Bomberman is the best in the series i love the dino's and battleing was so fun (the battle stages were awsome with great variety). he eventually got Panzer 2 and Warcraft 2(which aparently is better than the PSX version, according to my bro the loading times were actually worse on the PSX, i never played either of them so i wouldnt know) panzer 2 was a masterpiece and i might get an xbox for Orta if i ever have a job and a GC and GBA and maybe another PS2 so i can beat Shinobi. i just want a Orta so much dammit and a remake of saga would rule i want to play it ive heard such great things.

[smsforce2k3]

If I remember correctly, the Saturn had 3 big problems with it:
1) They completely abandoned the Sega CD/32x and did not make the Saturn backwards compatible. Just backwards compatibility I think would've saved this system.
2) They alienated a bunch of stores by only letting certain stores sell the Saturn 2 weeks before it's "official" release.
3) Programming for it was unbelievably hard. The PSX was much easier. Of course the reverse has happened with the XBox/Dreamcast compared to the PS2 and last I looked, Sony wasn't hurting financially.
Just my 2 cents,
Brett (smsforce)

P.S. I just bought a Staurn with about 20 games from a friend for $10.

[shep]

ussexplorer said:

I remeber walking into store one day and looking at saturn close out. I was really looking to snag a cdx on close out. When I got the cash ready. All they had left was the saturn. So I asked if the system was backward compatible. Since they had tons and tons of sega genesis games left. They said no and I didn't think it was worth the $99.00 for close out price. The cdx was going for $89.00. I'm not exactly sure of the close out price. I just remeber they was in a few dollars of each other.

So if sega didn't have the 32x add-on (I didn't even remeber it exhisted until I ran into a used on years later) and the sega cd (Thought it was cooler than freak when I saw it at a friends house. I wanted both the genesis and cd. Freak Nintendo.) that is fine. But then why the freak did they not make the saturn genesis compatible or at least some add-on? As for the price of the system. I could picture Sega coughing out the same or slighlty lower price to compete with the Playstation.  

later,

Josh

You didnt buy a Saturn because it wasnt backward compatible with Genesis? The Catridge slot on the back was for memory expnsion. Thats like not buying a Nintendo64 because the catridge slot wasnt compatible with SNES catridges. I always thought the Saturn, like the Dreamcast, was an excellent cosole, but was extremley overlooked. Plus the Saturns price was outragous for awhile...

[chrisbid]

i think sega was screwed no matter what, mainly becuase of price.

but the PSX really didnt take off until the release of Final Fantasy VII, then it was all over for Sega, and Nintendo started treading water

[Jasoco]

What do you mean there were 15-20 different Saturn models?

[Lost Monkey]

Jasoco said:

What do you mean there were 15-20 different Saturn models?

There are a lot of hardware revisions and special edition Saturns.

From John Hokanson's Saturn Faq:

------------------

III. SATURN MODELS

------------------



------------------------------------------------------

3.1 What different models of the Saturn were released?

------------------------------------------------------



Before we start, there's a couple of things I want to point out

which weren't very clear in previous versions of the FAQ.



US and Canadian Saturns are the same as near as I can tell.

Consequently, I try to refer to them as "North American" or "NA"

models throughout the FAQ.



I have been told that European and Australian Saturns are identical,

although I don't know that for sure. It would make sense since the

AC voltage and TV standard is the same for both.



Japanese models are self-explanatory.



All Saturns are either NTSC or PAL. There was no SECAM Saturn.



I'm not sure about the rest of Asia or anyplace else. I would assume

that places like Hong Kong or Korea would probably get the Saturn,

but I can't say for sure. Hong Kong is weird in that it's offically

PAL as a former British colony, but they have a VERY strong NTSC

market thanks to their proximity to Japan.



This list is incomplete, but thanks to Chuck Smith and members of the

Saturn Mailing list, as well as Raymond McKeithen II, I was able to

get this far. I would really appreciate help in filling in any gaps.



_____________________

U.S./CANADINAN MODELS



All NA Saturn models are black in color. There were at least three

different subversions were released, and the differences varied,

but were generally minor except cosmetic and jumper locations. Model

numbers can be ascertained by viewing the back of the Saturn. I

believe the Saturns sold in Canada were the same as the US models.



MK-80000 (?): Manufactured from approximately 8/95 to 3/96. Looks

very much like the Japanese Gray Saturn except in color.



MK-80000A: Manufactured from 3/96 to 7/96. It featured a notched

power cord, no drive access light, round power and reset buttons,

and a 1.00a BIOS. Jumper locations are once again different.



MK-80001: Manufactured starting 7/96. It's similar in appearance to

the MK-8000A model, with difference being the jumper locations.



_______________

JAPANESE MODELS



- Gray Japanese Saturn (1):



HST-3200 (in HST-0001 box): The original Japanese Saturn model is

virtually identical to the NA first generation model except it is

gray in color with blue buttons and the cartridge slot flap is also

black in color. Like before, it has the drive access light, and a

non-notched power cord. Production was later ended in favor of the

White Saturn.



- White Japanese Saturn (2):



There are two models of the White Saturn. The first is based off the

first generation Saturn with purple buttons, and the second is

identical to the second generation with gray buttons. The systems

came packed with a matching white controller with multi-colored

buttons similar to a Super Famicom controller except only the bottom

row buttons are colored green, yellow, and blue respectively. It is

also rumored that the White Saturn *may* have a slightly faster CD

access time. The Cartridge slot flap is also gray in color. The white

Saturns Raymond has seen all have a 1.01 BIOS, although he can't

confirm that he's seen them all.



Raymond McKeithen II <rfmckeit@jas.net> writes:



"I'd also like to point out that "white" Saturns are no more white in

reality than Dreamcasts are; both are very light gray. I guess that's

an opinion, but to me white means *white* like a piece of paper, not

some off-white (gray) color like you might paint your walls."  :P



- Hi-Saturn (2)



The Hi-Saturn is yet another early style Saturn but with the MPEG

decompression hardware built in, and Hi-Saturn printed on the CD

drive lid. It's manufactured by Hitachi, and was supposed to cost

less then a White Saturn with an optional MPEG card added in (so,

it's a good deal).



Richter Belmont <tokimeki@concentric.net> has written the following

description:



"First off, the unit is a dark charcoal color. It's not as black in

color as the US Saturn but pretty close. You wouldn't think otherwise

unless you got really close and examined the hues. Also, the buttons

on it are circular, not oval, like subsequent Saturn units. The

buttons are a khaki looking color. The machine has a very drab feel

to it. The box it comes in is very plain looking almost all black

with a light gray/white border."



"The start up screen is different as well. Instead of a bunch of

pieces forming together, the word "Hi-Saturn" shoots out from the

middle of the screen and then flips around till it's readable and

then it flashes on screen like other Saturns do."



"Controllers have the same color layout as the unit. The buttons are

khaki and a gloomy looking blueish/gray. The controllers say Hitachi

on them."



MMP-1000NV: "Hi-Saturn Navi". This model has a lower, more square

profile, and an add-on LCD monitor for playing games on. The system

is completely flat on top and lacks the bulge of the CD drive. Also

reportedly included an modem and a GPS receiver (with only Japanese

regional software being available). This model intended to be a

"portable" system for use in luxury cars though a joint deal with

Nissan. In an earlier version of the FAQ, it was stated that NCS sold

these models for $1,000 a pop. It is now believed that this was

a somewhat misleading statement. NCS ordered the Navi Saturn only

once, and in a very limited number. Five total were purchased. Three

with the LCD screen and the special navigation software. One was

kept in their private collection. Three were sold to other stores,

and the fifth went to a private customer (who bought one of the

complete units). Due to the exceptionally high price, and low

interest, NCS never received any more than these five.



Thanks to NCS for clearing this up.



- V-Saturn (2)



Another authorized clone of Saturn. Built by JVC-Victor. There are

two versions of this system. The casing is similar to that of any

standard Saturn. The colors are different, as is the machine's

circuitry, and "V-Saturn" is printed on top of the machine.



RG-JX1: Model with oval buttons. Two toned gray with black as bottom

second tone.



RG-JX2: Model with round buttons. Two toned gray with darker gray as

bottom color. From inspecting the later version, as far as I can tell

it is identical in every way to the Sega machine aside from color and

markings, to the point I suspect both are made by the same people, or

at minimum are made out of exactly the same parts (all the plastic

moldings are identical etc.). The boot-up sequence on a V-Saturn has

the polygons form a V-Saturn logo instead of the SegaSaturn logo,

of course. The boot-up screen on the second one shows "Ver. 1.01"

just as it does on white Saturns I've seen...



- Skeleton Saturn (2)



The "Skeleton Saturns" are the final Saturn models to be produced in

Japan (and the world).



The single unique feature of the first model is the smoky

grayish/black "see-through" case (Yes, you can actually see the guts

of the machine), and "This is Cool" printed on the CD drive lid.

Other then that, it's basically identical to the second version of

the white Saturn. Quite the collectors item if you can find one. In

the US they retailed for a little over $200 (even though you could

pick up a stock US model for much less). Approximately 50,000

produced.



HST-0022: blue "Skeleton Saturn" Saturn released on 3/25/99 in a

promotional tie-in with ASCII's Derby Stallion Saturn game (it came

with stickers for the game and says something about the game on the

box). There is no "This is Cool" printed anywhere on the system, and

came with the same smoky gray controller as the other one (no clear

blue controller was ever made). The BIOS version is 1.01. Supposedly,

its easier to acquire a blue Skeleton Saturn. Though this may just

be because by the time it was released, few people cared anymore.

Approximately 20,000 produced.



Also, reliable sources have stated that the blue Skeleton Saturn

will not play the Japanese version of "Space Harrier".



__________________________________

EUROPEAN / AUSTRALIAN (PAL) MODELS



All black. Externally quite similar to the NA models except they

naturally run at a 50Hz PAL frequency. Production run model numbers

are very similar except they have a 2 in place of the third digit. I

*think* (read: not sure), a US MK-8000A would be an MK-80200A in

Europe. The odd exception is the MK-80200-50, which has no US

equivalent. Also, EU/AUS machines will have "PAL" next to the BIOS

revision number on the system settings screen instead of "NTSC",

unless the system has been modified.



There is no SECAM Saturn. The French used the same PAL Saturn as

the rest of Europe but with a different RF/SCART adapter.



MK-80200: Unconfirmed. Does this exist?



MK-80200A: Jet black, round buttons. One green power light next to

the power switch, large trapezoid like eject button, usual Saturn

styling, no air holes in the side casing like some later models.

Version 1.01a BIOS.



MK-80200-50: Has the oval buttons, plus the power and access LEDs.

Version 1.01a BIOS. This model was related to me by a German Saturn

owner.



MK-80201: Also unconfirmed.



-------------------------------------------------------------

3.2 What's with these licensed Saturns (V-Saturn, Hi-Saturn)?

-------------------------------------------------------------



After development, Sega licensed the Saturn specifications out to

the principal component manufactuers so they they could build their

own clones of the Saturn hardware. In other words, the Saturn used

a marketing model similar to that of the 3DO company, by partnering

up with other hardware manufacturers in order to increase output and

ensure better market saturation. Licenses were given to JVC Victor,

Hitachi, and Yamaha. This was not the first time Sega used this

marketing model, as clones of the Mega Drive and Mega CD hardware

were also produced previously. Only Japan got the clones.



JVC Victor and Hitachi manufactured V-Saturn and Hi-Saturn

respectively (both of these models are explained in section 3.1).



According to an 1995 story run in Next Generation magazine, Yamaha

had the option of creating their own model. 

Saturn Faq

[kevincal]

IMO the reason the Sega Saturn failed is because how a company and its consoles thrives is based upon how how much $ you have to market and advertise the system on a very large scale. It makes sense if you think about it and that's why Sony has such a huge lead. Like everything else in life these days...unfortunately, it's all about the money.

[Lost Monkey]

Here is a picture of my Derby Skeleton Saturn:

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[Lost Monkey]

And my modded US system - it now is hardwired to play only Japanese games due to the jumpers completely falling off inside. I also installed a blue LED. I did this a few years ago... I used to have sooo much time!

You can see the hole in the case where the region switch used to be:

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[Jasoco]

I'd rather have a black one. Or even a very very dark translucent case that was barely see-through. That one doesn't attract me. Especially with that ugly pink Eject button.

Maybe one in the same plastic the black DC VMU uses.

Edit: The silver one (Or is it white) looks cool though.