AHC: Make the 32X successful

[CrashBandicam]

We all know that the 32-bit add-on to the Mega Drive, the 32X, was both a commercial and critical failure, because of its shallow game library, poor market timing and its market fragmentation of the Mega Drive.

So, how can I make the 32X be successful? How can I make that happen without ASB?

 

[ElusiveIllusion]

First of all, this is really difficult because add-ons generally do badly in the market. But let’s try...

1. You need to somehow butterfly away the PlayStation. The impending release of the PlayStation was, iirc, what spooked Sega of Japan to release the Sega Saturn so soon. Nothing Sega can do that would not also butterfly away the 32X or cause it to bomb (e.g. the Sega-Sony joint console would cause this). On Nintendo side, they need to NOT approach Sony for the SNES-CD in the first place; once Sony SNES-CD exists in any form (regardless of whether OTL's public humiliation happened, was cancelled more politely, or the deal actually went through), Sony has experience in video game consoles and will release their own console around 1995.
2. Then you need Sega to cancel the Sega-CD. With one failed add-on, that already makes people skeptical of future expensive add-ons.
3. Then you either need the Mega Drive to somehow succeed in Japan, or get Sega of Japan's management overhauled. The OTHER reason Sega Saturn was pushed out so quickly was that the Mega Drive bombed in Japan, making the Japanese leadership push out the next console ASAP. And once Sega Saturn is released in Japan, people in other countries would know that it is coming soon, so would lose interest in the 32X.

Not sure how plausible those things are or how to make them happen though...

 

[marathag]

Content is what drives console sales. Get some exclusives

 

[CrashBandicam]

First of all, this is really difficult because add-ons generally do badly in the market. But let’s try...

1. You need to somehow butterfly away the PlayStation. The impending release of the PlayStation was, iirc, what spooked Sega of Japan to release the Sega Saturn so soon. Nothing Sega can do that would not also butterfly away the 32X or cause it to bomb (e.g. the Sega-Sony joint console would cause this). On Nintendo side, they need to NOT approach Sony for the SNES-CD in the first place; once Sony SNES-CD exists in any form (regardless of whether OTL's public humiliation happened, was cancelled more politely, or the deal actually went through), Sony has experience in video game consoles and will release their own console around 1995.
2. Then you need Sega to cancel the Sega-CD. With one failed add-on, that already makes people skeptical of future expensive add-ons.
3. Then you either need the Mega Drive to somehow succeed in Japan, or get Sega of Japan's management overhauled. The OTHER reason Sega Saturn was pushed out so quickly was that the Mega Drive bombed in Japan, making the Japanese leadership push out the next console ASAP. And once Sega Saturn is released in Japan, people in other countries would know that it is coming soon, so would lose interest in the 32X.

Not sure how plausible those things are or how to make them happen though...

What would happen to the 32X if the Sega Mega-CD were to be successful?

 

[ElusiveIllusion]

What would happen to the 32X if the Sega Mega-CD were to be successful?

Oops... now that you mention it, even if Mega-CD is successful, you still have too severe a fragmentation of the market, as those who already have a Mega-CD are not very likely to also buy another add-on. I think...

 

[CrashBandicam]

Oops... now that you mention it, even if Mega-CD is successful, you still have too severe a fragmentation of the market, as those who already have a Mega-CD are not very likely to also buy another add-on. I think...

Would a 1996 release for Sega's 32-bit/64-bit Mega Drive successor help the 32X get more successful too?

 

[Nivek]

Would a 1996 release for Sega's 32-bit/64-bit Mega Drive successor help the 32X get more successful too?

If you want 32x be successful, butterfly away the Sega CD( hard as was done as a counter to NEC pc engine) and taking away my idea of mega charger, made it optional so people but the cartridge can use it on his vanilla genesis and even them I see as an iffy product, add-on just never worked out, Wii motion plus have to be the exception.

 

[CrashBandicam]

If you want 32x be successful, butterfly away the Sega CD( hard as was done as a counter to NEC pc engine) and taking away my idea of mega charger, made it optional so people but the cartridge can use it on his vanilla genesis and even them I see as an iffy product, add-on just never worked out, Wii motion plus have to be the exception.

Or maybe combine the Sega Mega-CD and the 32X into one 32-bit CD-based add-on that's not that expensive and make that successful. The Mega Drive successor would be 64-bit instead because having another 32-bit CD-based console would be pointless.

 

[ElusiveIllusion]

Or maybe combine the Sega Mega-CD and the 32X into one 32-bit CD-based add-on that's not that expensive and make that successful. The Mega Drive successor would be 64-bit instead because having another 32-bit CD-based console would be pointless.

Game over. AHC failed. This addon is no longer the 32X.

jk for the first two phrases. But seriously, as stated before, this still requires PlayStation to be butterflied away and Sega Saturn to be delayed for it to possibly be successful. And still, add-ons in general are usually a hard sell.

 

[Nivek]

Or maybe combine the Sega Mega-CD and the 32X into one 32-bit CD-based add-on that's not that expensive and make that successful. The Mega Drive successor would be 64-bit instead because having another 32-bit CD-based console would be pointless.

Technically speaking there not real 64-bit gaming, well not till a game is over 4GB of RAM. Still @ElusiveIllusion is right,that is not any longer the 32x at all. Just drop that thing and focus on Saturn. Heck Sega wanted Saturn in 1993 but virtua fighter sucess made them delay it till Saturn was able to run it.

 

[CrashBandicam]

If the Sega Mega-CD were to be successful, how would its success affect the 32X’s existence?

 

[dmg86]

I think it would not be made at all in that case.

 

[CrashBandicam]

If I were to redesign the 32X to not have a plug socket, would it still count as a add-on?

 

[Nivek]

If I were to redesign the 32X to not have a plug socket, would it still count as a add-on?

Price is important too, the fact have his own games on the same format as vanilla Megadrive didn't helped ( at least CD have the excuse being more different), put the 32x were belong...in the trash. That was always a waste of money let it never exist.

 

[CrashBandicam]

Would've a early 32X released in late 1992 or late 1993 helped it be successful, considering that the PlayStation wasn't released yet until 1994?

 

[Nivek]

Would've a early 32X released in late 1992 or late 1993 helped it be successful, considering that the PlayStation wasn't released yet until 1994?

The earliest the better but the thing is when the super h CPU was available to begin with.

Plus 32x shouldn't need exclusive cartridge but improve the future genesis games, besides exclusives

 

[maxxoccupancy]

Portable, like the Sega Nomad ("Phobos").

Hitachi was already making a 20MHz 68HC000 (or 68456 with an integrated DSP, or even add a single SH-2, like those in the 32X and Saturn), and the Megadrive's venerable VDP was already designed and had pins for a larger 128KB VRAM. With twice the VRAM, the portable could manage some of the Saturn's display modes (at least 320x240 and 352x240, 256 colors out of 16.7 million). Upgraded 12MHz Z80, much faster DMA, 512KB of system RAM, and improved polygon graphics.

Building a much more powerful Nomad that could play the Genesis' still growing library of nearly 1,000 games, the larger 30-40 megabit carts could compete favorably against Jaguar, SNES, and PS1 launch titles. A $99 screen-battery pack could be inserted into the small $99 console to create a portable for the market. Without the screen-battery pack, the Phobos could be plugged into the wall and TV, with two ports on the bottom for 6-button Genesis controllers.

A similar, twin-68000 Genesis with more colors was proposed by SEGA of Japan, but SEGA of America's own Joe Miller thought that an add on would make more sense. When Hitachi couldn't up the clock rate of their RISC chip, SEGA of Japan decided on two of the RISC chips for the 32X and Saturn, making both systems difficult to develop for.

The Phobos would solve that problem easily, since it could run a wealth of Genesis games that had to be slowed down to lower frame rates because of the amount of action going on onscreen.

 

[CrashBandicam]

Portable, like the Sega Nomad ("Phobos").

Hitachi was already making a 20MHz 68HC000 (or 68456 with an integrated DSP, or even add a single SH-2, like those in the 32X and Saturn), and the Megadrive's venerable VDP was already designed and had pins for a larger 128KB VRAM. With twice the VRAM, the portable could manage some of the Saturn's display modes (at least 320x240 and 352x240, 256 colors out of 16.7 million). Upgraded 12MHz Z80, much faster DMA, 512KB of system RAM, and improved polygon graphics.

Building a much more powerful Nomad that could play the Genesis' still growing library of nearly 1,000 games, the larger 30-40 megabit carts could compete favorably against Jaguar, SNES, and PS1 launch titles. A $99 screen-battery pack could be inserted into the small $99 console to create a portable for the market. Without the screen-battery pack, the Phobos could be plugged into the wall and TV, with two ports on the bottom for 6-button Genesis controllers.

A similar, twin-68000 Genesis with more colors was proposed by SEGA of Japan, but SEGA of America's own Joe Miller thought that an add on would make more sense. When Hitachi couldn't up the clock rate of their RISC chip, SEGA of Japan decided on two of the RISC chips for the 32X and Saturn, making both systems difficult to develop for.

The Phobos would solve that problem easily, since it could run a wealth of Genesis games that had to be slowed down to lower frame rates because of the amount of action going on onscreen.

You’re right. A portable 32X could work, as a successor to the Game Gear.