Sega Channel

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Sega Channel
Made for: Sega Mega Drive
Manufacturer: Sega, Scientific Atlanta, General Instrument
Release Date RRP Code

Sega Channel was a project developed by Sega for the Sega Mega Drive video game console. Completely revolutionary at the time of release (bar a failed attempt with the earlier Intellivision console), it was a method capable of streaming digital content to Mega Drive owners through cable television.

Sega Channel services were offered across the globe by various providers, though the most notable and well-remembered was the service provided for North American consumers. Traditionally in order to gain access to a Sega Channel, customers would pay for a monthly subscription, and in return be given unlimited access to a specified amount of video games. Network providers would be able to change the details of the service at any given point, meaning the Sega Channel was constantly evolving, with new games appearing throughout the weeks and months. A number of games were even made Sega Channel exclusives.

Today, services such as these tend to be provided by the internet, however back then, games on demand was a far less common occurence. Success of the Sega Channel varies between countries - in North America the Sega Channel was broadcast for a full four years, whereas in others it lasted merely months. Due to the nature of how the Sega Channel service operated, it is extremely difficult to document - downloaded games would be erased upon turning off the console, and adequate methods of saving and recording Sega Channel content were not readily available. As such, large parts of the service to this day remain a mystery - it cannot be emulated like standard Mega Drive cartridges, and as it largely pre-dates the internet, details are very hard to come by.

System Details

Segachannel.jpg

To access the Sega Channel, customers needed a Sega Channel adaptor. Though aesthetically different between regions, all adaptors have the same basic design - they are to be placed within the Mega Drive's cartridge slot and then linked to the cable television box via a cable.


History

North America

(REWRITE IN PROGRESS - WILL CONTINUE IN THE MORNING -Black Squirrel 17:04, 16 March 2012 (CDT))



The idea was that for a monthly subscription, gamers would get a special adapter for the console, which, once connected to their cable television connection would provide them with unlimited access to over fifty downloadable Mega Drive games, with new games appearing every two weeks. The games would be downloaded in about a minute and play just like the normal versions. Though available in other regions of the world, the Sega Channel saw the most success in North America, mostly due to a lack of competition from Nintendo and heavy advertising of the service.

As well as games, Sega also ran several promotions through the service. Special previews for up-and-coming titles were provided; some import games not found in the United States were exclusive to the service and cheats and tips were handed out. Within the first two years, the Sega Channel was distributed to over 20 million homes in North America.

The Sega Channel service began in 1994, but by 1996, Sega rolled out a new "wireless" version of the Sega Channel too, which lasted about a year. The entire Sega Channel service was shut down on July 31, 1998 because by this point the Mega Drive was seen as obsolete and its successor, the Sega Saturn did not take advantage of the service.

In North America (and possibly other regions), the music used across the Sega Channel was composed by John Baker, who had supplied the music for ToeJam & Earl. Much of the Sega Channel's graphical style is similar to that game.

International

The service was also available in some parts of the United Kingdom, Canada, South America, and Japan on certain cable services. For one reason or another it failed to pick up as much steam as in North America, and was abandoned much sooner.

In Japan, the Sega Channel had a unique BIOS screen featuring Sonic the Hedgehog, and some exclusive content made for that region, including Dyna Brothers 2 Special. This game was eventually released on the Wii's Virtual Console. Another game that is seemingly connected to the Sega Chanel, Game no Kanzume Otokuyou, was discovered in the Sega Dreamcast online disc, Dream Passport 3.

List of Games

(Note: Lists are preliminary. As little has survived from the days of Sega Channel and no official list has been released, games may be missing.)

North America

Demo Cartridges

Early Sega Channel logo, seen in Demo Cartridge #1.

In addition to retail Sega Channel units, a number of prototype "demo cartridges" have also been spotted. As the name suggests, the demo cartridges exist to demonstrate what the Sega Channel service was intending to offer, though none physically connect to the Sega Channel network to download games, and contain little more than menus - no playable content.

As of 2011 four demo cartridges have been identified, three of them have been dumped. The first to be spotted, "Sega Channel Demo Cartridge #6", appeared for sale on eBay in 2009. Later that year, "Sega Channel Demo Cartridge #4" was spotted and purchased by a resident of Lost Levels, who generously lent the cartridge to LocalH to ROM dump. In 2011 two more prototypes were identified, labeled #1 and #2.

The earlier cartridges show a work in-progress Sega Channel in various stages of production, featuring intro sequences, graphics that would be used in the early days of its broadcasting, a simulated downloading sequence, and in the case of cartridge #4, a background/sound test. Looking into the #4 ROM in a hex editor also shows various "SEGATV" error messages, as well as strange code snippets.

In the menus of the Sega Channel Demo #4's "Test Drive" section, you can see a listing for "The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse, Capcom". The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse was not released on the Sega Mega Drive in any region, though did appear on the Super Nintendo.

Gallery

  • US Adaptor (Scientific Atlanta)

  • Sega Genesis II with US Adaptor (Scientific Atlanta)

  • US Adaptor (General Instrument)

  • JP Adaptor

Physical Scans

  • Front of box (JP)

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External links

  • Archive.org - Archive of the Sega Channel official homepage
  • Business Wire - Sega Channel Cited by "Popular Science" as Among 1994's Outstanding Products and Technological Achievements
  • Sega Channel - Technical details on Sega Channel and its game delivery method.
  • [1] - Gamesniped lists Sega Channel Demo 6.
  • [2] - "Dyna Brothers 2 Special" on Wii Virtual Console.
  • [3] - Japanese Blog entry which shows the boxart, cartridge and AC Adapter for Japanese Sega Channel
  • [4] - Japanese blog entry which shows some screenshots for the Japanese Sega Channel.


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