Press release: 1996-11-06: SEGA ENTERTAINMENT ACCELERATES PC POWER WITH ALL-TIME ARCADE HIT DAYTONA USA

This is an unaltered copy of a press release, for use as a primary source on Sega Retro. Please do not edit the contents below. Language: English Original source: Sega.com (archived)

SEGA ENTERTAINMENT ACCELERATES PC POWER WITH ALL-TIME ARCADE HIT DAYTONA USA

-- Gentlemen...start your computers! --

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- November 6, 1996 -- Sega Entertainment, Inc. revs up PCs today with the shipment of its smash arcade title, "Daytona™ USA." "Daytona USA" has ranked among the top five arcade games since its launch in arcades around the world in April 1994 and will now deliver the unparalleled racing thrill to PC gamers, optimized for Windows 95.

The Pentium-powered "Daytona USA" offers superior 3D graphics, amazing maneuvering control and ultra-smooth gameplay never before experienced on the PC. An arcade phenomenon, "Daytona U.S.A." delivers a true-to-life racing perspective and challenging super-speed experience in realistically competitive environments.

"Daytona USA" follows the recent release of Sega Entertainment’s highly successful arcade-to-PC games, "Virtua Fighter™ PC and "Virtua Squad™." "‘Daytona U.S.A.’ takes advantage of Microsoft’s Windows 95 and Direct X development environment to deliver this arcade phenomenon to PC gamers," Greg Suarez, business unit director, Sega Entertainment, said. "This is the perfect game to keep up the momentum of Sega Entertainment’s action-packed arcade line-up."

With "Daytona USA," gamers can install some serious 3D acceleration in their PCs. "Daytona USA" powers up the PC with its high-speed stock car racing on three challenging courses for those dare-to-try beginners to the wild-’n-crazy daredevils. Gamers can choose from four dynamic viewpoints which include first-person, behind-the-car and overhead perspectives. "Daytona U.S.A." includes all of the original tracks with "mirror mode," which allows players to flip the tracks.

Winning racers will receive new victory laps if they succeed at mastering the realistic stock car control with drafting, controlled braking, four-wheel drifts and skillful heart-jerking accelerations. Stereo CD sound cranks out real engine noise and the thunder sounds of the wildest Daytona stock cars never before experienced on the PC. "Daytona USA" utilizes the power of a 90 MHz Pentium processor/Windows 95 with Microsoft’s Direct X software requiring 16 MB RAM and Super VGA video card with 1 MB of video RAM. Also recommended for greater impact is a Sound Blaster, or compatible sound card, and 640 x 480 high-resolution graphics with 16-bit colors. For additionally superior gameplay, Sega Entertainment recommends a Pentium 133 or higher, Super VGA video card with 2 MB or greater video RAM and a 4X CD ROM.

To support the launch of "Daytona U.S.A," Sega Entertainment will conduct two contests: one for the trade and one for consumers. With the trade contest, running from October - December 1996, participating retailers’ employees will compete by playing a trial demo of "Daytona U.S.A." and mailing in a photo of their best lap time. The retailer with the best lap time wins a trip to Miami for all-day lessons at the Miami Speed Racing School.

Gamers can enter the consumer contest by mailing the entry forms inside each box, a 3"x5" card, or through Sega Entertainment’s web site (www.sega.com/segapc/dycontest). The sweepstakes will run from November 1996 - March 31, 1997, and gives consumers a chance to win a trip for two to Miami for all-day lessons at the Miami Speed Racing School with their own personal instructor -- former Daytona winner Greg Sacks.

Sega Entertainment, Inc., is a joint venture between Sega of America, the arm of Tokyo, Japan-based Sega Enterprises, Ltd. responsible for the development, marketing and distribution of Sega videogame systems and videogames in the Americas, and SOFTBANK Holdings, Inc., one of the world's largest distributors of computer software, peripherals and systems, as well as Japan's largest publisher of computer-related magazines and books. Sega Entertainment is responsible for creating, marketing and distributing PC-based entertainment which utilizes Sega's arcade and console-based games and characters. With headquarters in Redwood City, California, Sega Entertainment is the second joint venture between Sega and SOFTBANK; in October 1995, the two companies entered a joint venture to distribute interactive entertainment and PC software and hardware in the U.S.

Editor’s Note: Screenshots are available under Sega Entertainment on Sega of America’s World Wide Web site located at http://www.sega.com/segapc).