Sega Saturn in 2022 - Bad Idea?

[dataDave]

I don't care how noisy the 360 might be, just put the volume up a bit. Even if mine had tourettes I'd still prefer it over playing aged 32-bit ports which struggled tremendously and are quite easily among the most damning examples of aged videogames you can find. I say this as someone who loved Saturn Daytona/VF2, and used to get up early before school each day to play (I'd never gotten up early for anything, before or since). That was the best option we had back then. The options for playing these games today are wide, vast, convenient, and cost-effective.

If you're dead set on playing Radiant Silvergun and a few others then I get it. Jump in. I would too.

[Baseley09]

Get a 14" CRT
Get on Buyee/Yahoo Japan and bide your time, well priced games are still a thing. A number of Saturn classics are cheap as you like anyway.

[Asura]

Certainly authenticity is cool, but personally I almost did this in 2021 but held off due to the leaps and bounds in FPGA along with the huge price of the gear.

I think by 2024 you'll be able to have an FPGA box for like £200 with flawless emulation of every Saturn game ever, coming through HDMI on modern, dependable equipment.

[Wools]

Thanks for advice and chat so far [MENTION=13863]speedlolita[/MENTION] [MENTION=7652]Hirst[/MENTION] [MENTION=2970]Nu-Eclipse[/MENTION] and [MENTION=1482]dataDave[/MENTION] it's appreciated.

Emulation is okay but I feel the real deal is part of the appeal at this time and as the Saturn is one of the few consoles I've not induldged in. So having all the plastic goodness is part of the appeal. Although I'm fully aware, to do it right it'll be expensive. Although if Speedy is telling me it'll be pricey, maybe I'm in over my head now!

[speedlolita]

At the end of the day it all comes down to preference.

Last year I picked up a JP launch Saturn, a memory card, a SCART cable and a 20-pin Fenrir. The games that require RAM expansion aside, I now have access to the Saturn library. I enjoy exploring the good and the bad on platforms and I think that ODE/flash carts are the best way to do so. Yes a lot of games have been ported elsewhere, or are ports that can be experienced far more accurately now at home but I believe there is merit in being able to appreciate them in their original form.

And I don't know about you guys but I'd sooner have a nice silent Saturn than a 360 or PS2 while playing games.

The TINK 5X Pro would be the best solution available but I think an OSSC would do a decent job too if you would be happier spending around £100.

Also not necessarily saying that you must go the ODE route but I think it is the best way to go from scratch. That said basically all of the SEGA developed games aren't especially expensive still so you may wish to go the CD route and keep it genuine.

[dataDave]

My 360 is still connected because of those games, and Perfect Dark of course. I don't even need to upgrade to a One or a Series.

[Nu-Eclipse]

I loved the Saturn. I even swapped my PlayStation (+ games) for one (+ games) at the end of 1996 and it was one of the best gaming decisions I'd ever made.

Do I need one now? No. Because quite frankly nearly all of the games have been ported/reproduced more faithfully elsewhere. I say that as a PVM owner who wouldn't even need to front the cash for an expensive HDMI scaler. Honestly, I've put a lot of thought behind it because I have a lot of fond memories of the system and it's something I could easily do without spending too much money.

- Daytona, VF2, NiGHTS, Fighting Vipers, Guardian Heroes + others are all on XBLA in HD, widescreen, and 60FPS.
- Sega Rally is on the PS2.
- All the Capcom and SNK fighters are all FPGA'd up, running natively on the MiSTer.

For me, at least, a Saturn just isn't worth the space.

Also, those Retro-Bit controllers are sub-optimal, by the way. I got one for my MiSTer and it turned out to be the fastest aging controller I've ever owned.

"On the next episode of [MENTION=1482]dataDave[/MENTION]: MOOD KILLER!"...

Seriously though, I haven't been an XBOLLOX gamer since the 360 (despite the majority of my beat-em-ups being on my system, long put back in its box).

My TEST PS2 is also gathering dust.

Fair point about the FPGA stuff with MiSTer. Not sure I'll be copping one anytime soon though.

All in all, I could probably still just about justify a modern-day Saturn purchase, but I can appreciate the mileage varying for others.

[dataDave]

I loved the Saturn. I even swapped my PlayStation (+ games) for one (+ games) at the end of 1996 and it was one of the best gaming decisions I'd ever made.

Do I need one now? No. Because quite frankly nearly all of the games have been ported/reproduced more faithfully elsewhere. I say that as a PVM owner who wouldn't even need to front the cash for an expensive HDMI scaler. Honestly, I've put a lot of thought behind it because I have a lot of fond memories of the system and it's something I could easily do without spending too much money.

- Daytona, VF2, NiGHTS, Fighting Vipers, Guardian Heroes + others are all on XBLA in HD, widescreen, and 60FPS.
- Sega Rally is on the PS2.
- All the Capcom and SNK fighters are all FPGA'd up, running natively on the MiSTer.

For me, at least, a Saturn just isn't worth the space.

Also, those Retro-Bit controllers are sub-optimal, by the way. I got one for my MiSTer and it turned out to be the fastest aging controller I've ever owned.

[Nu-Eclipse]

JPN Saturn is still on my console bucket-list so this is an excellent thread.

[MENTION=13863]speedlolita[/MENTION] [MENTION=7652]Hirst[/MENTION] Please keep the excellent information coming!

[Hirst]

To answer your questions:-

Q. Is buying an un-modded Japanese saturn wise?
A. Yeah go for it! I think as old CD-ROM consoles go they're pretty tough, my original launch PAL system still works fine and I use a Japanese one as my main system. I think they had some issues early on but it was down to luck, any of the survivors seem to be quite tough. I've never had any problems and both mine have had long use, they seem to be quite overengineered to me. In any case if they do fail, you can replace the laser but I'd probably just get another system myself. The battery in the back needs replacing every few years but it's literally a 30 second job with no tools, you just open the flap, pull out the old battery, stick a new CR2032 in there, put the flap back on. It's no big deal really - it only stores clock data, system preferences and save data. The latter fills up quick anyway so just get a memory cartridge and put anything you really care about on that as when it goes flat you lose the lot.

Q. Are there any good solutions for Saturn onto HDTV via HDMI?
A. I've never been keen on modding systems - my personal preference is to connect the Saturn's RGB Scart output into an external scaler and output HDMI that way. I personally use the OSSC, but there's also the Framemeister and Retrotink 5X along with some other solutions. None are particularly cheap but think of it this way - it's a solution you can use for all your other old consoles you might pick up.

Q. Is there an accepted mod?
A. As far as I know, nobody has done a HDMI kit yet.

What I'd say with the Saturn and costs is it really depends what you want to do with it. Some of the games cost an absolute fortune (mostly shooters) and if you're looking at those sorts of things you'll probably want to go with some kind of SD card solution. I like to take a bit of an alternative view though and say this - if you think about it, a lot of the best games on the system go for peanuts, most of the Sega-developed ones for a start. Absolutely loads of them go for well under a tenner, even a fiver sometimes. The Virtua Fighter 2 you mention above is probably one of the cheapest games on the system as well as one of the best.

The consoles themselves also aren't that expensive if you're not after some weird version - you can still get a decent grey Model 1 with a pad for about £70 if you look around. Budget another £20 for a nice Scart cable and you're away. The scaler is probably your biggest investment but again just think of it as something you can use for more besides.

It does have a bit of a reputation as a rich folks system but I live off potted beef sandwiches and I've got one. If you're wanting the real games I'd definitely say to go for a Japanese one - you can be paying a quarter of the prices of PAL/US games and they're usually in great condition thanks to simple (replaceable) standard jewel cases. I'd always say give the Saturn a try even if you don't want to spend a fortune, 90% of my favourite games on the system are cheap and readily available.

[speedlolita]

Honestly? Quite an investment if you want it done well.

Saturn hardware and an ODE (this is the route I would explore) is around £200 and a RetroTINK 5X Pro is around £325 too (for the ideal exp with all the resolution switching.)

[Wools]

After being introduced to The Sega Guys Podcast over the Christmas break, I've been reminded how brilliant Sega were and I've found myself staying up late at night, looking into Japanese Saturn’s, PAL Dreamcasts and the Analogue Mega SG.

I had a Mega Drive back in the day and have revisited the console at least twice over the years, playing all the big PAL UK games but haven't delved into the Japan only games. I also had a Dreamcast on UK launch day and have had the pleasure of playing all the best DC games over the years, both home and abroad, and still enjoy using the wonderful emulator Redream on my PC. I feel that overall, I had my fun with these 2 great systems.

But the Saturn is different. In the late Autumn of 1996, I had a choice to make; Do I ask for a PlayStation with Ridge Racer or a Saturn with Sega Rally for Christmas? I could only have 1 and I plumped for the PlayStation. I don’t regret the choice at all as the PS was mana from heaven with loads of games, demos and all my friends had one. But because of that, I missed the Saturn in its heyday and didn’t play the classics till much later when I picked up a pre-owned model. However, my love affair with Sega’s 32-bit classic was short lived as my console developed a fault a few months after I picked it up and eventually, I chucked it out when it stopped reading discs.

I want to rectify this.

I would love a Japanese Saturn along with some new Saturn controllers from Retro-Bit along with some of the classic games in 60hz goodness. But I’m concerned about the following and was wondering if any Saturn fiends here had any suggestions, before I go all in or not!

• Is buying an un-modded Japanese Saturn wise? I'm aware of CD drives dying / battery needs replacing etc and wonder if buying hardware in 2022 is a good idea.
• Are their any good solutions for getting a Saturn signal onto an HDTV through HDMI that looks good?
• Is their a guy or company who have an accepted mod I should take a look at and go through them instead?

Many thanks for any advice, and here's a tune I've had stuck in my head for the past few days as I've been obsessing over the Saturn.