Sega Saturn
Developer: Sega
Year Released: 1994
Generation: 5th
In the mid 90’s, things were not going well for Sega anymore. When Hayao Nakayama, President of Sega of Japan, realised what Sony had created, he summoned his entire research and development department for a meeting. Nakayama had obtained a copy of the design specs for the PlayStation and compared them to the Saturn and he knew Sega was in trouble. The Saturn was not originally designed as a 3D powerhouse- the original spec had been for a powerful 2D machine with ‘modest’ 3D capability. Nakayama promptly charged his engineers, the Away Team, with the daunting task of fixing Saturn’s problems in less than a year.
The console was torn apart, redesigned from the ground up with a single goal: compete with the PlayStation. There wasn’t time to carefully craft an all-new, highly integrated 32bit design using the best components available like Sony had done. A redesigned Saturn that could go toe-to-toe with the PlayStation- on deadline- would have to be made from off the shelf parts Sega had available.
The Saturn’s complex system architecture resulted in the console receiving limited third party support, which inhibited commercial success. This put it in a distant third place in the Western world, but a strong marketing campaign made the new Saturn the most successful Sega console in Japan. The Saturn’s main competitors were the Sony PlayStation released in 1994 and the Nintendo 64 released in 1996. The Saturn is considered a commercial failure, but it remained a cherished console but its diehard fans. Its lifespan was cut especially short because of the upcoming Sega Dreamcast, Sega’s final console.