Difference between revisions of "Sega Neptune"

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Sega Neptune

Manufacturer: Sega

Sega Neptune was a two-in-one Sega Mega Drive and Sega 32X console announced by Sega but never released to the public. Some sources claim the intended name for the console in North America was Genesis 32X System.

Sega had admitted how expensive and problematic the 32X was, and so decided to make a combined version of the Mega Drive and 32X, which they felt was a better idea. However, by the time a prototype came out, the Sega Saturn was ready for release. Sega felt that gamers would now not be interested in the Sega Neptune, if it had been released, so the project was scrapped. Plans for the system supposedly included the ability to play Sega Mega-CD titles too.

Had the Neptune been released, it would have been available in late 1995^[1] (later pushed back to Q1^[2] (or "Winter"^[3]) 1996) for $149.99 in the United States^[4], rising to around $220 with a game^[5], and £200 in the United Kingdom. The 32X version of Virtua Fighter was meant to debut alongside the system^[6].

In 2001, gaming magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly announced that prototype copies of the Neptune had been found at a warehouse and were up for sale to the public (via the now defunct Seganeptune.com website). This was an April Fool's joke, but generated a lot of buzz amongst the Sega community.

Status of prototype models

It is not known how many Neptune prototypes were made, however one, easily identified by what appears to be splatters of white paint, currently tours with the Videogame History Museum, appearing in locations such as the US National Videogame Muesum in Dallas, Texas, E3, Game Developers Conference and the annual Classic Gaming Expo formed by the same people. The prototype isn't thought to contain any electronics, just a combination of wood and plastic to give the impression of a near-final system.

The Neptune's release into the wild is thought to have been caused by former Sega of America employee Clint Dyer, who is also thought to have sold several prototypes of unreleased Mega Drive and Mega-CD games around 1999/2000, most notably Sonic Crackers^[7].

Magazine articles

Main article: Sega Neptune/Magazine articles.

Magazine announcement of the "Genesis 32X System".

External links

Sega Neptune on Console Database
SegaNeptune.com (archive)

References

Sega Mega Drive
Topics	Technical specifications (Hardware comparison) \| History \| List of games \| Magazine articles \| Promotional material \| Merchandise \| Cartridges \| TradeMark Security System
Hardware	Japan \| North America \| Western Europe \| Eastern Europe \| South America \| Asia \| South Korea \| Australasia \| Africa EZ Games \| Genesis 3 \| LaserActive \| Mega Jet \| Mega PC \| Mega Play \| Mega-Tech System \| Mega 6 \| Nomad \| Teradrive \| Mega Drive Mini \| Mega Drive Mini 2 New Mega Drive \| Tianli VCD/DVD Players \| "Consoles on a chip" \| Licensed clones (Magic 2 \| Mega Game II \| Power Pegasus \| Super Bitman) Unlicensed clones
Add-ons	Game Box \| Power Base Converter \| Mega-CD \| 32X (Mega-CD 32X) \| Mega Modem \| Demo System DS-16
Cases	Sega Genesis Nomad Carrying Case \| System Carry Case
Controllers	Control Pad \| Six Button Control Pad \| 6 Button Arcade Pad \| Arcade Power Stick 6B \| Konami Justifier \| MK-1470 Action Chair \| Activator \| Arcade Power Stick \| Keyboard \| MegaFire \| Mouse \| Mega Stick \| Menacer \| Remote Arcade System \| Ten Key Pad \| Third Party Controllers
Accessories	4 Way Play \| AC adaptor \| Cleaning System \| Control Pad Extension Cord \| Game Factory \| Genesis Speakers \| Headset \| HeartBeat Catalyst \| Microphone \| Region converter cartridges \| Mega Terminal \| Nomad PowerBack \| RF Unit \| SCART Cable \| Stereo Audio Video Cable \| Team Player \| Video Monitor Cable \| Third-party AC adaptors \| Third Party Accessories
Network services	Sega Channel \| Sega Game Toshokan \| Mega Anser \| Mega Net \| TeleBradesco Residência \| XB∀ND
Development tools	ERX 308P \| ERX 318P \| Sprobe \| SNASM68K \| SNASM2 (Mega Drive) \| SNASM2 (32X) \| PSY-Q Development System (Mega Drive) \| PSY-Q Development System (32X) \| 32X CartDev \| Sega Mars Development Aid System \| Sega 32X Development Target
Unreleased	Edge 16 \| Floppy Disk Drive \| Mega Play 1010 \| Sega VR \| Teleplay System \| Video Jukebox

[:File:NextGeneration_US_02.pdf_p24-1] Next Generation, "February 1995" (US; 1995-01-24), page 24

[:File:EGM2_US_12.pdf_p27-2] EGM², "June 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 27

[:File:1995SegaProductCatalog_US.pdf_p20-3] 1995 Sega Product Catalog (US), page 20

[:File:EGM_US_066.pdf_p56-4] Electronic Gaming Monthly, "January 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 56

[:File:GameFan_US_0303.pdf_p106-5] GameFan, "Volume 3, Issue 3: March 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 106

[:File:SegaMagazine_UK_15.pdf_p12-6] Sega Magazine, "March 1995" (UK; 1995-02-15), page 12

[https:.2F.2Fweb.archive.org.2Fweb.2F20130521191108.2Fhttp:.2F.2Fwww.nintendoplayer.com.2Funreleased.2Fsonic-crackers.2F-7] ttp://www.nintendoplayer.com/unreleased/sonic-crackers/ (Wayback Machine: 2013-05-21 19:11)

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@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 Sega had admitted how expensive and problematic the 32X was, and so decided to make a combined version of the Mega Drive and 32X, which they felt was a better idea. However, by the time a prototype came out, the [[Sega Saturn]] was ready for release. Sega felt that gamers would now not be interested in the Sega Neptune, if it had been released, so the project was scrapped. Plans for the system supposedly included the ability to play [[Sega Mega-CD]] titles too.
-Had the Neptune been released, it would have been available in late 1995{{magref|nextgeneration|2|24}} (later pushed back to Winter 1996{{fileref|1995SegaProductCatalog US.pdf|page=20}}) for $149.99 in the United States{{magref|egm|66|56}}, rising to around $220 with a game{{magref|gamefan|0303|106}}, and £200 in the United Kingdom. The 32X version of ''[[Virtua Fighter]]'' was meant to debut alongside the system{{magref|segamaguk|15|12}}.
+Had the Neptune been released, it would have been available in late 1995{{magref|nextgeneration|2|24}} (later pushed back to Q1{{magref|egm2|12|27}} (or "Winter"{{fileref|1995SegaProductCatalog US.pdf|page=20}}) 1996) for $149.99 in the United States{{magref|egm|66|56}}, rising to around $220 with a game{{magref|gamefan|0303|106}}, and £200 in the United Kingdom. The 32X version of ''[[Virtua Fighter]]'' was meant to debut alongside the system{{magref|segamaguk|15|12}}.
 In 2001, gaming magazine ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' announced that prototype copies of the Neptune had been found at a warehouse and were up for sale to the public (via the now defunct [http://www.seganeptune.com Seganeptune.com] website). This was an April Fool's joke, but generated a lot of buzz amongst the Sega community.