Sega Saturn

Introduction

Sega Saturn

Western and Eastern Sega Saturn logos
Top: Model 1 of North America Bottom: Model 2 of Japan
Manufacturer	Sega
Type	Home video game console
Generation	Fifth generation
Release date	JP: November 22, 1994 NA: May 11, 1995 EU: July 8, 1995
Retail availability	1994-2000
Introductory price	JP: ¥44,800 US: US$399 UK: ₤399.99
Discontinued	EU: 1998 NA: 1998 JP: 2000
Units sold	9.26 million
Media	CD-ROM, CD+G, CD+EG, Video CD, Mini CD, Photo CD, E-book
CPU	2× Hitachi SH-2 @ 28.6 MHz
Storage	Internal RAM, cartridge
Graphics	VDP1 & VDP2 video display processors
Sound	Yamaha YMF292
Online services	Sega NetLink
Predecessor	Sega Genesis
Successor	Dreamcast

The Sega Saturn is a 32-bit fifth-generation 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. The successor to the successful Sega Genesis, the Saturn has a dual-CPU architecture and eight processors. Its games are in CD-ROM format, and its game library contains several arcade ports as well as original games.

Development of the Saturn began in 1992, the same year Sega's groundbreaking 3D Model 1 arcade hardware debuted. Designed around a new CPU from Japanese electronics company Hitachi, another video display processor was incorporated into the system's design in early 1994 to better compete with Sony's forthcoming PlayStation.

The Saturn was initially successful in Japan, but failed to sell in large numbers in the United States after its surprise May 1995 launch, four months before its scheduled release date. After the debut of the Nintendo 64 in late 1996, the Saturn rapidly lost market share in the U.S., where it was discontinued in 1998. Having sold 9.26 million units worldwide, the Saturn is considered a commercial failure. The failure of Sega's development teams to release a game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, known in development as Sonic X-treme, has been considered a factor in the console's poor performance.

Although the Saturn is remembered for several well-regarded games, including Nights into Dreams, the Panzer Dragoon series, and the Virtua Fighter series, its reputation is mixed due to its complex hardware design and limited third-party support. Sega's management has been criticized for its decisions during the system's development and discontinuation.

Specifications

Hitachi SH-2	Saturn Custom Sound Processor (SCSP)	Motorola 68EC000
Video Display Processor 1 (VDP1)	Video Display Processor 2 (VDP2)	Saturn motherboard

Featuring a total of eight processors<ref name=Allgame>Beuscher, Dave. "Sega Saturn – Overview". Allgame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.</ref> the Saturn's main central processing units are two Hitachi SH-2 microprocessors clocked at 28.6 MHz and capable of 56 MIPS.<ref name="NG February"/><ref name="Schilling"/> The system contains a Motorola 68EC000 running at 11.3 MHz as a sound controller, a custom sound processor with an integrated Yamaha FH1<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> DSP running at 22.6 MHz<ref name="Saturn Overview Manual">Template:Cite journal</ref> capable of up to 32 sound channels with both FM synthesis and 16-bit PCM sampling at a maximum rate of 44.1 kHz,<ref name="SaturnSpecs"/> and two video display processors,<ref name="RetroinspectionSaturn">Template:Cite magazine</ref> the VDP1 (which handles sprites, textures and polygons) and the VDP2 (which handles backgrounds).<ref name="Saturn Overview Manual"/> Its double-speed CD-ROM drive is controlled by a dedicated Hitachi SH-1 processor to reduce load times.<ref name="Edge Japanese launch">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Saturn's System Control Unit (SCU), which controls all buses and functions as a co-processor of the main SH-2 CPU, has an internal DSP<ref name="NG February"/> running at 14.3 MHz.<ref name="Saturn Overview Manual"/> The Saturn contains a cartridge slot for memory expansion,<ref name="Allgame"/> 16 Mbit of work random-access memory (RAM), 12 Mbit of video RAM, 4 Mbit of RAM for sound functions, 4 Mbit of CD buffer RAM and 256 Kbit (32 KB) of battery backup RAM.<ref name="SaturnSpecs">"Sega Saturn various data" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved February 27, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref> Its video output, provided by a stereo AV cable,<ref name="SaturnSpecs"/> displays at resolutions from 320×224 to 704×224 pixels,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and is capable of displaying up to 16.77 million colors simultaneously.<ref name="SaturnSpecs"/> Physically, the Saturn measures 260 mm × 230 mm × 83 mm (10.2 in × 9.1 in × 3.3 in). The Saturn was sold packaged with an instruction manual, one control pad, a stereo AV cable, and its 100V AC power supply, with a power consumption of approximately 15W.<ref name="SaturnSpecs"/>

The Saturn had technically impressive hardware at the time of its release, but its complexity made harnessing this power difficult for developers accustomed to conventional programming.Template:Sfn The greatest disadvantage was that both CPUs shared the same bus and were unable to access system memory at the same time. Making full use of the 4 kB of cache memory in each CPU was critical to maintaining performance. For example, Virtua Fighter used one CPU for each character,<ref name="NG February"/> while Nights used one CPU for 3D environments and the other for 2D objects.<ref name="Edge Nights"/> The Saturn's Visual Display Processor 2 (VDP2), which can generate and manipulate backgrounds,<ref>"Saturn Technical Specs". Next Generation. Archived from the original on December 20, 1996. Retrieved April 22, 2014.</ref> has also been cited as one of the system's most important features.<ref name="NextGenDec"/><ref name="VF2">"Virtua Fighter 2 is Here at Last!". Next Generation. Archived from the original on April 19, 1997. Retrieved April 12, 2014. [The VDP2] can generate and manipulate 3D backgrounds. This leaves the twin processors free to deal with manipulating the fighters themselves. The result is swift, elegant animation at 60 frames a second—the same speed as the VF2 coin-op ... Sony's machine does not have an equivalent of the VDP2, so the demands for better animation and more realistic movement are placing greater and greater pressure on its central processor.</ref>

The Saturn's design elicited mixed commentary among game developers and journalists. Developers quoted by Next Generation in December 1995 described the Saturn as "a real coder's machine" for "those who love to get their teeth into assembly and really hack the hardware", with "more flexibility" and "more calculating power than the PlayStation". The Saturn's sound board was also widely praised.<ref name="NextGenDec"/> By contrast, Lobotomy Software programmer Ezra Dreisbach described the Saturn as significantly slower than the PlayStation,<ref name=DreisbachCG>"Interview: Ezra Dreisbach". Curmudgeon Gamer. July 9, 2002. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved December 24, 2014. Ezra Dreisbach: And really, if you couldn't tell from the games, the PSX is way better than the Saturn. It's way simpler and way faster. There are a lot of things about the Saturn that are totally dumb. Chief among these is that you can't draw triangles, only quadrilaterals.</ref> whereas Kenji Eno of WARP observed little difference between the two systems.<ref>Bettenhausen, Shane; Mielke, James. "Kenji Eno: Reclusive Japanese Game Creator Breaks His Silence". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2016. Kenji Eno: But, the PlayStation and the Saturn aren't that different, so moving it [Enemy Zero] to Saturn wasn't too difficult.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link) </ref> In particular, Dreisbach criticized the Saturn's use of quadrilaterals as its basic geometric primitive, in contrast to the triangles rendered by the PlayStation and the Nintendo 64.<ref name=DreisbachCG/> Ken Humphries of Time Warner Interactive remarked that compared to the PlayStation, the Saturn was markedly worse at generating polygons but markedly better at sprite-based graphics.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Third-party development was initially hindered by the lack of useful software libraries and development tools, requiring developers to write in assembly language to achieve good performance. During early Saturn development, programming in assembly could offer a two-to-fivefold speed increase over higher-level languages like C.<ref name="NG February">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Saturn hardware is considered extremely difficult to emulate.<ref>Moss, Richard (June 2, 2014). "Life after Death: Meet the People Ensuring that Yesterday's Systems Will Never be Forgotten". Edge. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2015. Hackers are still unsure how some components work.</ref> Sega responded to complaints about the difficulty of programming for the Saturn by writing new graphics libraries which were claimed to make development easier.<ref name="NextGenDec"/> Sega of America also purchased a United Kingdom-based development firm, Cross Products, to produce the Saturn's official development system.<ref name="Miller"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Despite these challenges, Treasure CEO Masato Maegawa stated that the Nintendo 64 was more difficult to develop for than the Saturn.<ref>"Treasure Talks Yuke Yuke". IGN. April 14, 1997. Retrieved May 26, 2014.</ref> Traveller's Tales' Jon Burton opined that while the PlayStation was easier "to get started on ... you quickly reach [its] limits", whereas the Saturn's "complicated" hardware had the ability to "improve the speed and look of a game when all used together correctly."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> A major point of criticism was the Saturn's use of 2D sprites to generate polygons and simulate 3D space. The PlayStation functioned in a similar manner, but also featured a dedicated "Geometry Transfer Engine" that rendered additional polygons. As a result, several analysts described the Saturn as an "essentially" 2D system.<ref name="Retroinspection32X"/><ref name="NG February"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Model 1 North American controller	3D Pad	Arcade Racer
Model 2 North American controller	Saturn multitap	RAM backup cartridge

Several models of the Saturn were produced in Japan. An updated model in a recolored light gray (officially white<ref name="EGM83"/>) was released in Japan at a price of ¥20,000 in order to reduce the system's cost<ref>"Sega Saturn HST-0014" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref> and raise its appeal among women and younger children.<ref name="EGM83"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Two models were released by third parties: Hitachi released a model known as the Hi-Saturn (a smaller Saturn model equipped with a car navigation function),<ref>"On the Move!". Sega Saturn Magazine. 2 (4). February 1996. p. 9.</ref> while JVC released the V-Saturn.<ref name="SaturnSpecs" /> Saturn controllers came in various color schemes to match different models of the console.<ref>"Sega Saturn controller" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref> The system also supports several accessories. A wireless controller powered by AA batteries utilizes infrared signal to connect to the Saturn.<ref>"Sega Saturn wireless controller" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref> Designed to work with Nights, the Saturn 3D Pad includes both a control pad and an analog stick for directional input.<ref>"Sega Saturn Multi-controller" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref> Sega also released several versions of arcade sticks as peripherals, including the Virtua Stick,<ref>"Virtua Stick" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> the Virtua Stick Pro,<ref>"Virtua Stick Pro" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref> the Mission Analog Stick,<ref>"Mission analog stick" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and the Twin Stick.<ref>"Twin stick" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref> Sega also created a light gun peripheral known as the "Virtua Gun" for use with shooting games such as Virtua Cop and The Guardian,<ref>"Virtua Gun" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref> as well as the Arcade Racer, a wheel for racing games.<ref>"Racing controller" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Play Cable allows for two Saturn consoles to be connected for multiplayer gaming across two screens,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>"Play cable" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref> while a multitap allows up to six players to play games on the same console.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>"Multi-Terminal 6" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref> The Saturn was designed to support up to 12 players on a single console, by using two multitaps.<ref>"Sega's Saturn Launched in Japan". Electronic Gaming Monthly (65). December 1994. p. 60.</ref> RAM cartridges expand the amount of memory in the system.<ref>"RAM cartridge" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref> Other accessories include a keyboard,<ref>"Sega Saturn keyboard" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref> mouse,<ref>"Shuttle mouse" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref><ref>"The Sega Saturn Enters Orbit". GamePro (68). March 1995. p. 30.</ref> floppy disk drive,<ref>"Sega Saturn floppy disk drive" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref> and movie card.<ref name="Move Card">"Movie card" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref><ref>"Bring the Noise". Sega Saturn Magazine. 1 (1). November 1995. pp. 56–57.</ref>

Like the Genesis, the Saturn had an Internet-based gaming service. The Sega NetLink was a 28.8k modem that fit into the cartridge slot in the Saturn for direct dial multiplayer.<ref name="RetroinspectionSaturn"/> In Japan, a now defunct pay-to-play service was used.<ref>"Sega Saturn modem" (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) </ref> It could also be used for web browsing, sending email, and online chat.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Because the NetLink was released before the Saturn keyboard, Sega produced a series of CDs containing hundreds of website addresses so that Saturn owners could browse with the joypad.<ref>"Saturn to Get Internet Connection Facilities in '96!". Sega Saturn Magazine. 2 (5). March 1996. p. 8.</ref> The NetLink functioned with five games: Daytona USA, Duke Nukem 3D, Saturn Bomberman,Template:Sfn Sega Rally, and Virtual On: Cyber Troopers.<ref name="IGNSooth">Redsell, Adam (May 20, 2012). "SEGA: A Soothsayer of the Games Industry". IGN. Retrieved March 3, 2014.</ref> In 1995 Sega announced it was developing a variant of the Saturn featuring a built-in NetLink modem<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> under the code name "Sega Pluto", but it was never released.<ref>Blagdon, Jeff (April 17, 2013). "Forgotten Sega Pluto console prototype surfaces online (update)". The Verge. Retrieved March 22, 2014.</ref>

Sega developed an arcade board based on the Saturn's hardware, called the Sega ST-V (or Titan), which was intended as an affordable alternative to Sega's Model 2 arcade board as well as a testing ground for upcoming Saturn software.<ref name="NG February"/> The Titan was criticized for its comparatively weak performance by Sega AM2's Yu Suzuki<ref name="NG February"/> and was overproduced by Sega's arcade division.<ref name="Sega-16 STI"/> Because Sega already possessed the Die Hard license, members of Sega AM1 working at the Sega Technical Institute developed Die Hard Arcade for the Titan to clear out excess inventory.<ref name="Sega-16 STI"/> Die Hard became the most successful Sega arcade game produced in the United States at that point.<ref name="Sega-16 STI"/> Other games released for the Titan include Golden Axe: The Duel and Virtua Fighter Kids.<ref name="NG February"/><ref name="Fight Club">Template:Cite magazine</ref>