WI: Sega-CD was successful

What if the Sega-CD was a success? How would this happen? And how would this change Sega? (Would they still make consoles?)
 
It would be interesting if this would rush Nintendo, Sony, and Phillips to rush a deal out faster to get a SNES-cd to compete with Sega's CD.
 
The Sega-CD, not strong enough to be an early saturn-a console his own, not different enough to compete with Genesis-Mega Drive itself, the issue of the mega-cd was a combination of timing and price, got released when PC-Engine CD was already ultra popular in japan and Super Famicom was becoming a titan too and in the west got loss during the Sonic Mania and thanks vanilla Genesis price make the console explode in the west, the issue was people were supporting more Genesis and Sega-cd itself have the issue people have ideas but not tech and the one have tech make godawful movies and tried to sell it as games.

For Sega-CD being sucessful you need have to do two things:

1)Delay Genesis-mega drive in the west and launch a Integrated SEGA-CD as the main console to sale in west and relauch in japan(Giga/Hyper Drive, Sega Mars, whatever) that will help it and make it beneficary of the Sonic Boom.

2) Make Sega-CD standalone console but backward compatible with Mega Drive-Genesis, promise support like Sonic 3 being exclusive to it on the long turn and promise benefits to those who make dual Cartidge and CD versions alongside CD exclusives(and put quality control on it).

A third would be just not make it and make a better saturn

And the less we talk about 32X the best.
 
Ooooh... #1 sounds the best
Yeah but is the biggest risk and would be having all sega syncronized at lauch to make it work, difficult but possible, the key is having Sonic or a equivalent at launch, but Kalinske have to fought to get sonic approved.

Other idea would be Collaborated with other company(sega alone take all the developments cost of Sega-CD, that explained the astronomical price tag and that they didn't have CD manufacturer till JVD-Victor and Pioneer later on helped them) to reduced the price tag of Sega-CD and follow something similar to N°1, maybe launching Sonic as japan exclusive in vanilla megadrive cartide and being CD mainline title.
 
Yeah. That's also a reasonable idea.
But is Sega we're talking about, we could make an anime of Sega of Kalinske as the only sane man, Nakayama as a double yes-man the everyman trapped in a board have not idea what we're doing in home market(sea was arcade king for something but that not translated well to consoles...and having Nintendo,NEC and Sony as rivals never helped) and people would belittle as unrealistic...:rolleyes:
 
If they did delay the genesis for NA it would be by 2/3 years. A long gap :/
The Master System was so unknown nobody would care, as long they can beat the Super Nintendo they would have a chance but yeah, the sega-cd was the situation was too late in japan, too early in the west(is debatable if early or late in the west too but genesis already have a fanbase thanks to moonwalker and madden) so depends... and sega fumbling it didn't help, other would be price, cheaper and promise support and benefits who make dual cartidge and CD games alongside benefits for non FMV games(and quality control with FMV ones) slowly would make the bases and make mega-cd sucessful, a port of Sonic 1 and 2(the later with extra content) would do wonders too, specially if promise Sonic 3 for the system too.
 
I was thinking of what you said here, Nivek.
2) Make Sega-CD standalone console but backward compatible with Mega Drive-Genesis, promise support like Sonic 3 being exclusive to it on the long turn and promise benefits to those who make dual Cartidge and CD versions alongside CD exclusives(and put quality control on it).

I just realized if they did this for the West (in say 1990), then later bring it to Japan and the East as either an upgraded Mega Drive or standalone console (in 1993/1994), they would have an easier time gaining control of the needed audiences.
 
I was thinking of what you said here, Nivek.
I just realized if they did this for the West (in say 1990), then later bring it to Japan and the East as either an upgraded Mega Drive or standalone console (in 1993/1994), they would have an easier time gaining control of the needed audiences.
They take too much to react to NEC, nintendo too but they seems they never feared NEC.
Internally the Mega-CD project was a closely guarded secret, to the extent that Japan refused to send development CD drives to the US on fears of the project being leaked[3]. It was also boasted as being almost an entirely new and more capable system than the Mega Drive, but it quickly became apparent that in reality, it was just a mass storage device with a few extras[4].
Goddamn, sega is just sega... but yeha is a chance, if they trully take a gamble with the system.
 
Yeah so we can resume how make Sega-CD Sucessful.

1) Make it cheap and give full support, show the add-on will pay itself with either cheaper or better games, make an integrated console at low price and make it the main console till saturn drop on.

2) Make it the main console for the west(with cartidge support or just CD) take the risk and later relaunched it in japan(1990 west, 1991 japan) and support it till his sucessor is ready.

3) Not make it, and just give full focus to Genesis, beating NEC in japan is a lost cause but still can make something worthy...as always overseas sucess surprise sega and make sega of japan jealous why they were unable to be sucessful...
 
Last edited:
I think number 1 will benefit SEGA the best. If they can third-party onboard, they'll be set.
 
I would think if SEGA does this, we could see them being more successful.
With SEGA being more successful, Nintendo would rush Sony and Phillips to get a deal settled earlier. (Maybe, they would all work on one unit like the October 1993 deal proposed)
Then we would get an even battle between Nintendo and SEGA.
 
I would think if SEGA does this, we could see them being more successful.
With SEGA being more successful, Nintendo would rush Sony and Phillips to get a deal settled earlier. (Maybe, they would all work on one unit like the October 1993 deal proposed)
Then we would get an even battle between Nintendo and SEGA.
Megadrive alone was a megahit, i would imagine would be slower but still a hit like otl, how other react is anyone guess but would be if Nintendo who did trully feared sega and show nobody mess with them, so depends.
 
Top