Sega Saturn

From Sega Retro

The Sega Saturn (Japanese:セガサターン), a video game console of the 32-bit era, was released on November 22, 1994, in Japan and May 1995 in the United States; 170,000 machines were sold the first day of the Japanese launch.

At one time, the Sega Saturn had obtained second place in the console wars, placing it above Nintendo's Super Famicom in Japan and Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in North America and Europe, but the Saturn was losing power because of another newcomer: Sony's Playstation.

The Saturn was rushed to the market, just a few weeks ahead of its rival Sony Playstation which led to very few games being available when the Saturn launched.

Development

Sega's Away Team worked for an entire two years exclusively to make certain Sega Saturn was launched with the some of the worlds best hardware and software. The 27-member Away Team comprises Sega employees from every aspect of hardware engineering, product development, and marketing. They devoted countless hours, resources, and brain cells into launching Sega Saturn. Their sole mission was to ensure that Sega Saturn's hardware and design met the precise needs of both the U.S. and Japanese markets.

The Saturn design, with two CPUs and 6 other processors, made it difficult to get the maximum performance out of the console. The parallel design was too complex for many game developers. Yuji Naka is rumored to have said "I think only one in 100 programmers are good enough to get that kind of speed out of the Saturn." Third-party development was also hindered by the lack of a useful Software Development Kit. Because of this, many Saturn games needed to be written in assembly language to achieve decent performance on the hardware. Frequently, programmers would only utilize one CPU to avoid some of the trouble in programming for the Saturn.

The main disadvantage of the dual CPU architecture was that both processors shared the same bus and had no dedicated memory of their own beyond a 4K on-chip cache, which could be configured as a 2K cache with 2K local RAM. This meant the second CPU would often have wait for the first CPU to finish, reducing its processing ability -- as all data and program code for both CPUs was located in the same shared 2MB of main memory (DRAM and SDRAM). This unusual design was employed in the Sega 32X as well.

The Saturn soon started losing out to the Playstation; the main disadvantage of the Sega Saturn compared to the Playstation was the lack of more flexible and correctly functioning hardware-aided transparency. Later games like Burning Rangers used software emulation to offer transparency effects.

A common misconception is that 3D capabilities were added as an afterthought to the Saturn to compete with the Sony PlayStation and later with the Nintendo 64. Its 3D display chip, VDP1, was a logical progression of the well established frame buffer-based sprite rendering hardware implemented in Sega's System 24 and System 32 arcade platforms.

Release

In May 1995, Sega launched the Saturn in the United States, a full 6 months ahead of schedule. This was announced at that year's E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) where Sega representatives were engaged in a public relations battle with Sony. This surprise move resulted in very few sales, however. This was due largely to the high price of the system and the lack of available software. Also, Sega chose to ship Saturn units only to selected retailers. This caused a great deal of animosity toward Sega from unselected companies, including Kay-Bee Toys.

There were several aesthetic changes made to the Saturn over the course of its lifetime. The original case design was a bit clumsy and was superseded by an improved one. U.S. and European cases were colored black, and models for the Japanese market were white. A number of limited edition consoles in other colors were sold in Japan.

Some titles used cartridges to augment the Saturn's limited memory; ' 'King of Fighters '95 and Ultraman utilized 1MB ROM carts, later a 1MB RAM and 4MB RAM cartridge were released for use with multiple titles, the majority being "fighting" games that required many animation frames per character. All of these devices were only available in Japan. The Saturn was largely a failure in the U.S. market for a variety of reasons. Perhaps first among them was the distrust that gaming consumers were developing for Sega after a series of add-on peripherals to the Sega Genesis that were discontinued after only lukewarm support. Such add-ons included the Sega CD system and the Sega 32X. The Sony Playstation also had many more popular software titles much earlier in the race than Sega did. Cost was also a factor, with the Saturn initially costing US$400 compared to the Playstation at US$300. Consumers also noticed a change of marketing strategy at Sega, which traded the successful rebellious image of the Sega Genesis (for example, the Sega Scream television commercials) for a more conservative attitude. Despite being considered a failure by many in the industry, the Saturn's continued success in Japan should be noted.

The Saturn was later superseded by Sega's Dreamcast system.

The Saturn was more popular than the Sega Megadrive in Japan, while the Sega Genesis, the Megadrive's North American counterpart, enjoyed more success than the Saturn in North America. This was partly due to advertisements with a character named Segata Sanshiro in it. Segata became well known throughout Japan.

In 1996, a peripheral called the Sega NetLink (a 28.8 kbit/s modem) was released for the Saturn. Meant to save the console, it failed largely because of the high price and lack of compatible games. A web browser was available with the unit, programmed by PlanetWeb, who also programmed the web browser shipped with the Sega Dreamcast. A mouse and keyboard adapter was also made for the Netlink, which can still be used to view web pages with many Internet Service Providers. However, very few units were sold during the Saturn's life in the market.

Saturn Models

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.

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. The "SECAM" Saturn models released in France were PAL models with a converter.

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.

U.S./Canadian 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.

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

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. Product ion was later ended in favor of the White Saturn.

White Japanese Saturn

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.

"White" Saturns are no more white in reality than Dreamcasts are; both are very light gray.

Hi-Saturn

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).

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

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, it is identical in every way to the Sega machine aside from color and markings, to the point one can 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 have been seen to do...

Skeleton Saturn

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 were produced.

HST-0022: blue "Skeleton Saturn" Saturn released on March 25, 1999, 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, it's 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 were produced.

Also, reliable sources have stated that the blue Skeleton Saturn will not play the Japanese version of "Space Harrier".

European/Australian 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.

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.

MK-80201: Also unconfirmed.

Game Packaging

Japanese Packaging

Japanese Saturn software usually come packaged in standard jewel cases, much like music CDs. They also often came with spinecards. These are three-fold pieces of light cardboard that hug the spine of the jewel case with the shrinkwrap holding it on (they are valuable to collectors, and necessary if you want to sell the game "complete", so don't throw them away). The spinecard also indicates that the CD is for use with a Sega Saturn console - specifically Japanese NTSC systems. There were also "double" CD cases, and a variant of the single case which was slightly thicker and VERY hard to replace.

Most of the time the spinecard will have a gold and black background with the Japanese Saturn logo and lettering printed vertically. Saturn collection games will have red and white spinecard with white lettering, the Saturn Collection logo under that, and the 2,800 yen price featured prominently. Manual is included with the cover seen through the front of the jewel case. The left side of the manual will usually have a bar similar in design to the spinecard. The Japanese rating, if there is one, will be included on the manual front (usually on one of the corners). There is also the insert on the back which may feature artwork or screenshots from the game. A black bar on the bottom of the insert contains information much like the spinecard, licensing information, et cetera.

US/European Packaging

The US and Europe used much larger jewel cases. On US games the left font and spine contain a 30 degree stripe pattern (think barber shop). In the US Sega used a different color stripe pattern for each system. For the Saturn this happens to be gray and white, with white outlined lettering displaying "Sega Saturn". In Europe it's just solid black, with white lettering displaying "Sega Saturn". The manual slides in just like a normal jewel case. And like a normal jewel case, it also has an insert in the back with information about the game. These cases in themselves have been a source of controversy, since they were generally less popular than the standard music CD cases. In my opinion, they're also way too easy to scratch up or break.

Technical Specifications

Processors

  • Two Hitachi SuperH2 7604 32-Bit RISC processors at 28.6MHz (50-MIPS)
  • SH1 32-bit RISC processor (controlling the CD-ROM)
  • Custom VDP 1 32-bit video display processor
  • Custom VDP 2 32-bit video display processor
  • Custom Saturn Control Unit (SCU) with DSP for geometry processing and DMA controller
  • Motorola 68EC000 sound processor
  • Yamaha FH1 DSP sound processor, "Sega Custom Sound Processor" (SCSP)
  • Hitachi 4-bit MCU, "System Manager & Peripheral Control" (SMPC)

Memory

  • 1MB (8 Megabits) SDRAM
  • 1MB (8 Megabits) DRAM
  • 512K (4 Megabits) VDP1 video RAM
  • 256Kx2 (2x2 Megabits) VDP1 framebuffer RAM
  • 512K (4 Megabits) VDP2 video RAM
  • 4K VDP2 on-chip color RAM
  • 512KB (4 Megabits) audio RAM
  • 512KB (4 Megabits) CD-ROM cache
  • 32KB nonvolatile RAM (battery backup)
  • 512KB (4 Megabits) BIOS ROM

Audio

Video

Storage

Input/Output

  • Two 7-bit bidirectional parallel I/O ports
  • High-speed serial communications port (Both SH2 SCI channels and SCSP MIDI)
  • Cartridge connector
  • Internal expansion port for MPEG adapter card
  • Composite video/stereo (JP Part No: HSS-0106)
  • NTSC/PAL RF (US Part No.: MK-80116, JP Part No.: HSS-0110)
  • S-Video compatible (JP Part No.: HSS-0105)
  • RGB compatible (JP Part No.: HSS-0109)
  • EDTV compatible (optional)

Peripherals

Power Source

  • AC120 volts; 60 Hz (US)
  • AC240 volts; 50 Hz (EU)
  • AC100 volts; 60 Hz (JP)
  • 3 volt lithium battery to power non-volatile RAM and SMPC internal real-time clock
  • Power Consumption: 25 W

Dimensions (US/European model)

  • Width: 260 mm (10.2 in)
  • Length: 230 mm (9.0 in)
  • Height: 83 mm (3.2 in)

Errata

VDP1 transparency rendering quirk causes strips of pixels to be rewritten to framebuffer for 2-point (scaled) and 4-point (quadrangle) "sprites", applying the transparency effect multiple times. Rarely seen in commercial games (Robotica explosions), later titles implemented software transparency to correctly render polygons. (Dural in Virtua Fighter Kids)

Sonic Team games for the Saturn

Sonic Games

A fourth game, Sonic X-Treme, was in development, but was never published.

The Dreamcast game Sonic Adventure was originally developed for the Sega Saturn.

Sonic Team Games

External Links

aturn.com/ Dave's Sega Saturn Page] - Famous fansite that was extremely popular during the Saturn's heyday.

  • SegaFans - Sega Saturn commercial featuring Segata Sanshiro, reviews, and other resources.
  • Sega Saturn Magazine - Reviews featuring a large amount of screenshots and editorials.
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