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In part I outlined the reasons for the demise of the Saturn, as well as Sega trying to stretch the Mega Drive brand... if you'd like to see that topic, go to prime and scroll down!
So now for part 2... now, where was I?
Right, the Saturn has flopped at release due to high pricing, a poor selection of games and mainly competition from the PSX (Sony offered retailers discounts if they sold lots of PSXs etc.)
It was then that Sega entered the dark ages. Emerging briefly to attend arcade conferences, such as JAMMA, little was known about the company for over a year. Until, that is, that rumours about a new console began to emerge. Names such as the "Dural" and "Black Belt" popped up, as dd many confusing stories.
The strangest of these was that the next Sega console would be made by two different companies- one for the East, and one for the West (3Dfx). Indeed, both divisions later admitted they had been in negotiations. Until a few months later, and the project went cold when Sega America rang 3Dfx to cancel all negotiations!
But all was not lost... rumours about a new console- the Katana- emerged. It was to use Hitachi chips, and have a modem as standard. Something was certainly going on, with Sega slowing arcade game production, and a protective wall going up around the company.
And so it became true that Sega nnounced its great White Hope- the Dreamcast. It had the built in modem, online gaming, four player ports, and a whole range of firstparty games to suite.
Now, skipping all the technical specs, let's get to the reason Sega failed.
A few days after the DC's unveiling, Sony suddenly held a press conference showing the successor to the Playstation off to the world. Amazingly, the demo of Tekken showed SEVENTY characters watching a full on back street brawl, and many other similar quality demos. Add to that the demos only took 4 weeks to make (according to the creators), and Sony were litterally saying that the console would have photorealistic graphics. So, developers jumped on board, mags were filled with the PS2 pics, and the DC got a raw deal.
What Sony failed to say was that the demos they showed were running off a series of PCs, and were not coded on a PS2 dev kit... just some very powerful computers. In fact, Sony hadn't even made the final console specs, and was just trying to create hype for its console to drown the DC.
And the hype worked. Developers jumped on the PS2 wagon... despite no console specs or dev kits!
But all was not lost for Sega! They had some stunning games, and a huge Western launch planned (Sega never were big in Japan).
In the West, adverts were aimed at selling the DC brand... and NOT the games. This worked extremely well in the US where huge launch events and parties made the console sell out. The only problem was that many gamers knew the DC was coming on 9.9.99... but didn't know what the DC was!?!?!
In Europe, the campaign went far worse. Wasting the budget on sponsoring Arsenal, SOE had a poor TV campaign, that didn't get any attention!
Saying that, the DC had some great games- Sonic, Soul Calibur and Sega Sports games were hailed as AAA titles immediately.
Now, the problem with DC sales is 2 fold:
1) Poor advertising
2) Sony happened to release PS2 info just as Sega made a big announcement.
The DC was not competing against the PS2- it wa competing against a photorealistic console that didn't exist!
The DC's online functions came too soon for the mass market, and gamers were far more interested when they heard that the PS2 would have DVD playability.
And so developers moved away from the DC to the PS2 as gamers did... but that's not the end of the story!
When PS2 dev kits actually came out there was a huge outcry from the industry. In all honesty, the dev kit was aweful! Well, it wasn't aweful, but it felt that way- the architecture of the PS2 was unlike anything before it, meaning huge development costs and long development times!
The whole reaosn for developers chosing the PSX was that it was so easy to code for, and so well supported. The PS2 was much more expensive, and had very poor libraries. And t showed too...
The first batch of PS2 games was WAY off par with the 70 man Tekken brawler seen a few months earlier. Games were jaggy, unoriginal, and second rate. Ok, there were a few stars, but nothing pushed the console beyond what had come before.
And so, gamers and publishers alike began to realise that, had they stuck to the DC, they could have made games just as good for a far cheaper price.
Ironically, Sega is getting the last laugh... as a third party developer, it is now directly competing with the developers who shunned its Dreamcast. And Sega certainly fail in that market... games have always been their forte.
Sonic
So now for part 2... now, where was I?
Right, the Saturn has flopped at release due to high pricing, a poor selection of games and mainly competition from the PSX (Sony offered retailers discounts if they sold lots of PSXs etc.)
It was then that Sega entered the dark ages. Emerging briefly to attend arcade conferences, such as JAMMA, little was known about the company for over a year. Until, that is, that rumours about a new console began to emerge. Names such as the "Dural" and "Black Belt" popped up, as dd many confusing stories.
The strangest of these was that the next Sega console would be made by two different companies- one for the East, and one for the West (3Dfx). Indeed, both divisions later admitted they had been in negotiations. Until a few months later, and the project went cold when Sega America rang 3Dfx to cancel all negotiations!
But all was not lost... rumours about a new console- the Katana- emerged. It was to use Hitachi chips, and have a modem as standard. Something was certainly going on, with Sega slowing arcade game production, and a protective wall going up around the company.
And so it became true that Sega nnounced its great White Hope- the Dreamcast. It had the built in modem, online gaming, four player ports, and a whole range of firstparty games to suite.
Now, skipping all the technical specs, let's get to the reason Sega failed.
A few days after the DC's unveiling, Sony suddenly held a press conference showing the successor to the Playstation off to the world. Amazingly, the demo of Tekken showed SEVENTY characters watching a full on back street brawl, and many other similar quality demos. Add to that the demos only took 4 weeks to make (according to the creators), and Sony were litterally saying that the console would have photorealistic graphics. So, developers jumped on board, mags were filled with the PS2 pics, and the DC got a raw deal.
What Sony failed to say was that the demos they showed were running off a series of PCs, and were not coded on a PS2 dev kit... just some very powerful computers. In fact, Sony hadn't even made the final console specs, and was just trying to create hype for its console to drown the DC.
And the hype worked. Developers jumped on the PS2 wagon... despite no console specs or dev kits!
But all was not lost for Sega! They had some stunning games, and a huge Western launch planned (Sega never were big in Japan).
In the West, adverts were aimed at selling the DC brand... and NOT the games. This worked extremely well in the US where huge launch events and parties made the console sell out. The only problem was that many gamers knew the DC was coming on 9.9.99... but didn't know what the DC was!?!?!
In Europe, the campaign went far worse. Wasting the budget on sponsoring Arsenal, SOE had a poor TV campaign, that didn't get any attention!
Saying that, the DC had some great games- Sonic, Soul Calibur and Sega Sports games were hailed as AAA titles immediately.
Now, the problem with DC sales is 2 fold:
1) Poor advertising
2) Sony happened to release PS2 info just as Sega made a big announcement.
The DC was not competing against the PS2- it wa competing against a photorealistic console that didn't exist!
The DC's online functions came too soon for the mass market, and gamers were far more interested when they heard that the PS2 would have DVD playability.
And so developers moved away from the DC to the PS2 as gamers did... but that's not the end of the story!
When PS2 dev kits actually came out there was a huge outcry from the industry. In all honesty, the dev kit was aweful! Well, it wasn't aweful, but it felt that way- the architecture of the PS2 was unlike anything before it, meaning huge development costs and long development times!
The whole reaosn for developers chosing the PSX was that it was so easy to code for, and so well supported. The PS2 was much more expensive, and had very poor libraries. And t showed too...
The first batch of PS2 games was WAY off par with the 70 man Tekken brawler seen a few months earlier. Games were jaggy, unoriginal, and second rate. Ok, there were a few stars, but nothing pushed the console beyond what had come before.
And so, gamers and publishers alike began to realise that, had they stuck to the DC, they could have made games just as good for a far cheaper price.
Ironically, Sega is getting the last laugh... as a third party developer, it is now directly competing with the developers who shunned its Dreamcast. And Sega certainly fail in that market... games have always been their forte.
Sonic
Page:
(Scooby Doo villain voice): "If it wasn't for those pesky Sony kids and their hype machine we'd have...."
Anyway, good stuff, and no doubt true. (I said that last time). Gotta fly - Christmas shopping beckons.
Anyway, good stuff, and no doubt true. (I said that last time). Gotta fly - Christmas shopping beckons.
In part I outlined the reasons for the demise of the Saturn, as well as Sega trying to stretch the Mega Drive brand... if you'd like to see that topic, go to prime and scroll down!
So now for part 2... now, where was I?
Right, the Saturn has flopped at release due to high pricing, a poor selection of games and mainly competition from the PSX (Sony offered retailers discounts if they sold lots of PSXs etc.)
It was then that Sega entered the dark ages. Emerging briefly to attend arcade conferences, such as JAMMA, little was known about the company for over a year. Until, that is, that rumours about a new console began to emerge. Names such as the "Dural" and "Black Belt" popped up, as dd many confusing stories.
The strangest of these was that the next Sega console would be made by two different companies- one for the East, and one for the West (3Dfx). Indeed, both divisions later admitted they had been in negotiations. Until a few months later, and the project went cold when Sega America rang 3Dfx to cancel all negotiations!
But all was not lost... rumours about a new console- the Katana- emerged. It was to use Hitachi chips, and have a modem as standard. Something was certainly going on, with Sega slowing arcade game production, and a protective wall going up around the company.
And so it became true that Sega nnounced its great White Hope- the Dreamcast. It had the built in modem, online gaming, four player ports, and a whole range of firstparty games to suite.
Now, skipping all the technical specs, let's get to the reason Sega failed.
A few days after the DC's unveiling, Sony suddenly held a press conference showing the successor to the Playstation off to the world. Amazingly, the demo of Tekken showed SEVENTY characters watching a full on back street brawl, and many other similar quality demos. Add to that the demos only took 4 weeks to make (according to the creators), and Sony were litterally saying that the console would have photorealistic graphics. So, developers jumped on board, mags were filled with the PS2 pics, and the DC got a raw deal.
What Sony failed to say was that the demos they showed were running off a series of PCs, and were not coded on a PS2 dev kit... just some very powerful computers. In fact, Sony hadn't even made the final console specs, and was just trying to create hype for its console to drown the DC.
And the hype worked. Developers jumped on the PS2 wagon... despite no console specs or dev kits!
But all was not lost for Sega! They had some stunning games, and a huge Western launch planned (Sega never were big in Japan).
In the West, adverts were aimed at selling the DC brand... and NOT the games. This worked extremely well in the US where huge launch events and parties made the console sell out. The only problem was that many gamers knew the DC was coming on 9.9.99... but didn't know what the DC was!?!?!
In Europe, the campaign went far worse. Wasting the budget on sponsoring Arsenal, SOE had a poor TV campaign, that didn't get any attention!
Saying that, the DC had some great games- Sonic, Soul Calibur and Sega Sports games were hailed as AAA titles immediately.
Now, the problem with DC sales is 2 fold:
1) Poor advertising
2) Sony happened to release PS2 info just as Sega made a big announcement.
The DC was not competing against the PS2- it wa competing against a photorealistic console that didn't exist!
The DC's online functions came too soon for the mass market, and gamers were far more interested when they heard that the PS2 would have DVD playability.
And so developers moved away from the DC to the PS2 as gamers did... but that's not the end of the story!
When PS2 dev kits actually came out there was a huge outcry from the industry. In all honesty, the dev kit was aweful! Well, it wasn't aweful, but it felt that way- the architecture of the PS2 was unlike anything before it, meaning huge development costs and long development times!
The whole reaosn for developers chosing the PSX was that it was so easy to code for, and so well supported. The PS2 was much more expensive, and had very poor libraries. And t showed too...
The first batch of PS2 games was WAY off par with the 70 man Tekken brawler seen a few months earlier. Games were jaggy, unoriginal, and second rate. Ok, there were a few stars, but nothing pushed the console beyond what had come before.
And so, gamers and publishers alike began to realise that, had they stuck to the DC, they could have made games just as good for a far cheaper price.
Ironically, Sega is getting the last laugh... as a third party developer, it is now directly competing with the developers who shunned its Dreamcast. And Sega certainly fail in that market... games have always been their forte.
Sonic
So now for part 2... now, where was I?
Right, the Saturn has flopped at release due to high pricing, a poor selection of games and mainly competition from the PSX (Sony offered retailers discounts if they sold lots of PSXs etc.)
It was then that Sega entered the dark ages. Emerging briefly to attend arcade conferences, such as JAMMA, little was known about the company for over a year. Until, that is, that rumours about a new console began to emerge. Names such as the "Dural" and "Black Belt" popped up, as dd many confusing stories.
The strangest of these was that the next Sega console would be made by two different companies- one for the East, and one for the West (3Dfx). Indeed, both divisions later admitted they had been in negotiations. Until a few months later, and the project went cold when Sega America rang 3Dfx to cancel all negotiations!
But all was not lost... rumours about a new console- the Katana- emerged. It was to use Hitachi chips, and have a modem as standard. Something was certainly going on, with Sega slowing arcade game production, and a protective wall going up around the company.
And so it became true that Sega nnounced its great White Hope- the Dreamcast. It had the built in modem, online gaming, four player ports, and a whole range of firstparty games to suite.
Now, skipping all the technical specs, let's get to the reason Sega failed.
A few days after the DC's unveiling, Sony suddenly held a press conference showing the successor to the Playstation off to the world. Amazingly, the demo of Tekken showed SEVENTY characters watching a full on back street brawl, and many other similar quality demos. Add to that the demos only took 4 weeks to make (according to the creators), and Sony were litterally saying that the console would have photorealistic graphics. So, developers jumped on board, mags were filled with the PS2 pics, and the DC got a raw deal.
What Sony failed to say was that the demos they showed were running off a series of PCs, and were not coded on a PS2 dev kit... just some very powerful computers. In fact, Sony hadn't even made the final console specs, and was just trying to create hype for its console to drown the DC.
And the hype worked. Developers jumped on the PS2 wagon... despite no console specs or dev kits!
But all was not lost for Sega! They had some stunning games, and a huge Western launch planned (Sega never were big in Japan).
In the West, adverts were aimed at selling the DC brand... and NOT the games. This worked extremely well in the US where huge launch events and parties made the console sell out. The only problem was that many gamers knew the DC was coming on 9.9.99... but didn't know what the DC was!?!?!
In Europe, the campaign went far worse. Wasting the budget on sponsoring Arsenal, SOE had a poor TV campaign, that didn't get any attention!
Saying that, the DC had some great games- Sonic, Soul Calibur and Sega Sports games were hailed as AAA titles immediately.
Now, the problem with DC sales is 2 fold:
1) Poor advertising
2) Sony happened to release PS2 info just as Sega made a big announcement.
The DC was not competing against the PS2- it wa competing against a photorealistic console that didn't exist!
The DC's online functions came too soon for the mass market, and gamers were far more interested when they heard that the PS2 would have DVD playability.
And so developers moved away from the DC to the PS2 as gamers did... but that's not the end of the story!
When PS2 dev kits actually came out there was a huge outcry from the industry. In all honesty, the dev kit was aweful! Well, it wasn't aweful, but it felt that way- the architecture of the PS2 was unlike anything before it, meaning huge development costs and long development times!
The whole reaosn for developers chosing the PSX was that it was so easy to code for, and so well supported. The PS2 was much more expensive, and had very poor libraries. And t showed too...
The first batch of PS2 games was WAY off par with the 70 man Tekken brawler seen a few months earlier. Games were jaggy, unoriginal, and second rate. Ok, there were a few stars, but nothing pushed the console beyond what had come before.
And so, gamers and publishers alike began to realise that, had they stuck to the DC, they could have made games just as good for a far cheaper price.
Ironically, Sega is getting the last laugh... as a third party developer, it is now directly competing with the developers who shunned its Dreamcast. And Sega certainly fail in that market... games have always been their forte.
Sonic
Page: