Sega 32X

Sega 32X

The 32X seen installed in a Genesis 2 console
Manufacturer	Sega
Generation	Fourth generation
Retail availability	EU November 14, 1994 NA November 21, 1994 JP December 3, 1994
Introductory price	US$159 ¥16,800 £170 DM400.
Discontinued	October 1995
Units sold	665,000 as of March 1995[1]
Media	Cartridge, CD-ROM (with Sega Mega-CD/Sega CD)
CPU	2 × SH-2 32-bit RISC (23 MHz)[2]
Memory	256 kB program RAM and two 128 kB framebuffers
Display	320 × 240 resolution, 32,768 on-screen colors
Dimensions	107 × 205 × 110 mm (4.2 × 8.1 × 4.3 in)
Weight	495 g (17.5 oz)
Predecessor	Sega Mega-CD

The Sega 32X, codenamed Project Mars, is an add-on for the Mega Drive/Genesis video game console by Sega. Its aim was to increase the lifespan of the aging Mega Drive/Genesis system, which was facing stiff competition from the SNES. While connecting it to Mega Drive did increase its capabilities, reluctance to adapt due to the previous failure of the Mega-CD and the upcoming Sega Saturn system led to low sales and a short lifespan.

It was distributed under the name Sega Super 32X in Japan, Sega Genesis 32X in North America, Sega Mega Drive 32X in the PAL region, and Sega Mega 32X in Brazil.

Technical aspects

The Sega 32X can only be used in conjunction with a Mega Drive/Genesis system. It is inserted into the system like a standard game cartridge, although it does require its own separate power supply and a cable linking it to the Mega Drive/Genesis. Without the cable to the Genesis/Mega Drive, the sprite layer is invisible. Besides playing its own cartridges, it also acts as a pass-through for Mega Drive/Genesis games, so it can be used as a permanent attachment. The Sega Virtua Processor-based Virtua Racing is the only exception – the game will not run on a Mega Drive/Genesis with a 32X unit attached due to its processor (there was an enhanced version of the game, Virtua Racing Deluxe, available for the 32X, however). Also, Sega's Power Base Converter, which allows one to play Sega Master System games on a Genesis/Mega Drive, could not be used with the 32X attached. This is because the Power Base Converter uses a specific grounding pin to tell the Mega Drive/Genesis to enter Master System mode. The 32X itself does not pass through this pin to the Mega Drive/Genesis, and therefore, the Genesis/Mega Drive is unable to enter Master System mode with the 32X attached.^{[citation needed]}

The 32X came with a spacer so it would fit properly with the Mega Drive/Genesis II.^[3] It could be used with the Sega Multi-Mega/Sega CDX system, but according to the 32X manual the two consoles were not compatible. This is likely due to FCC regulations and the fact that the CD door cannot be opened with a 32X attached. The combined unit was also very prone to tipping over, risking damage to the unit and games.

Most 32X games cannot be played unless the distribution region of the game matches the region of the console. Two games, Darxide and FIFA Soccer '96, were only released for the PAL 32X. However, FIFA 96 is one of the few games with no regional lockout, meaning that it can be played on systems from other regions.

All but one of the games released for the Japanese market were released in the United States, albeit some had different names. The one Japanese-only game was Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire.

The 32X employs two PWM sound channels which are mixed through the audio lines of the main system's cartridge port. The size of the PWM width latch can be selected by one of the audio registers. Any sort of wavetable synthesis requires one of the two SH-2 processors to do this in software. This includes frequency scaling and mixing of software channels back into the two-channel output, though most 32X games used the PWM unit to play back fixed-frequency samples such as drum kits, voices, and sound effects, and have the main part of the music run from the YM2612 and PSG channels. The PWM unit in the 32X is also similar to the two PWM DACs used in the Game Boy Advance. Although the 32X could theoretically produce sound on par with the SNES, the difficulty of programming the sound system combined with the generally rushed nature of most 32X games meant that the system's improved audio capabilities mostly went unused.

Sega Mega-CD 32X

Sega CD 32X

In addition to regular cartridge-based 32X games, there were also a very small number of CD-ROM games for the 32X. These games were labeled with Sega Mega-CD 32X (Sega CD 32X in North America). As the name suggests, these required both the 32X and Sega CD/Mega-CD add-ons. Only five of these games were released in North America, only one of which was developed by Sega.^[4]

List of Mega-CD 32X Games

There were 6 total Mega-CD 32X games, 5 in the US. They are:^[4]

• Night Trap
• Fahrenheit
• Corpse Killer
• Supreme Warrior
• Slam City with Scottie Pippen
• Surgical Strike (Brazil only)

Technical specifications

• Processor: Two SH2 32-bit RISC processors with a clock speed of 23.011 MHz, approx 20 MIPS each
• Video RAM: Two linear framebuffers with support for RLE compression and an overdraw mode to simplify compositing objects with transparency. All scaling, rotation, and 3D operations are performed in software on the SH2 processors.
• ROM (BIOS): 3 kb
• Color depth: 32,768 simultaneous colors on screen at standard Mega Drive/Genesis resolution. Video output can overlay Mega Drive/Genesis graphics or vice versa. Mega Drive/Genesis video effects such as shadow or highlight do not affect 32X video.
• Memory: 256 kB (2 MBit) program RAM and two 128 kB (1 MBit) framebuffers.
• Audio: Stereo 10-bit PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) mixing with Mega Drive/Genesis sound for a total of 12 audio channels of varying capability, 20 with the addition of a Mega-CD/Sega CD.
• I/O: Same as Mega Drive/Genesis.
• Storage: 32X cartridges are fundamentally the same as Mega Drive/Genesis cartridges with some small differences in the plastic casing. A few CD-ROM games were developed that also required a Mega-CD/Sega CD.
• Compatibility: Compatible with Mega Drive/Genesis models 1 and 2, JVC Wondermega/X'Eye and the Multi-Mega/CDX. The 32X does not work with the Genesis 3 which lacks some of the necessary interface logic.
• Dimensions: 107 × 205 × 110 mm (4.2 × 8.1 × 4.3 in)
• Mass: 495 grams (17.5 oz)

History

Development

The Sega 32X allows the user to play 32-bit games on the Mega Drive, such as Doom

On January 8, 1994, Hayao Nakayama, then CEO of Sega, ordered his company to make a 32-bit cartridge based console that would be in stores by Christmas 1994. This would at first be named "Project Jupiter", but after Sega found CD technology cheaper, they decided to modify it instead of dropping the cartridge project (that would be called "Project Saturn"). Hideki Sato and some other Sega of Japan engineers came over to collaborate about the project with Sega of America's Joe Miller. The first idea was a new Mega Drive/Genesis with more colors and a 32-bit processor. And so, this project was codenamed Project Mars, and Sega of America was going to shape the project.

The 32X was primarily envisioned as a system which would extend the life of the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and provide revenue while the installed userbase of the Sega Saturn slowly grew.

Launch

The video-gaming public first got a glimpse at the Summer 1994 CES in Chicago. The console was unmasked as the 32X, with a price projection of US$170, at a gamers' day, held by Sega of America in September 1994.

The 32X was released in North America on November 21, 1994^[5] for US$159, in Europe in Mid-November 1994 for £170 / DM400, and in Japan on December 3, 1994 for ¥16,800.

The 32X hit the market in North America with four launch titles: Doom, Star Wars Arcade, Virtua Racing Deluxe, and Cosmic Carnage.^[6]

The console faced several problems at launch. Although retailers had preordered over 1 million 32X consoles, Sega had difficulty trying to fill these orders. By December 12, 1994, three weeks after launch, Sega had only managed to ship 350,000 consoles.^[6] Sega had planned to ship at least 600,000 consoles to retailers by Christmas^[6]; this number was eventually met in January, 1995.^[7]

In addition, a major launch game had been rushed; the 32X version of Doom was missing ten levels present on the PC version, though three of those levels (five on the SNES) were not present in other console ports of Doom either.^[8][9] Homebrew roms have been made to add the missing levels from the Jaguar port of Doom.^[10]

In spite of these issues, initial sales in North America were strong. Sega had managed to sell 200,000 32X consoles in the first three weeks of availability; 100,000 consoles being sold during Thanksgiving weekend alone.^[6] By Christmas, the number of 32X consoles sold had reached 500,000.^[11]

The console faced additional problems in Europe. Since this was an expensive add-on system, Sega decided to offer a £50 discount on games with the console. However, the offer came in the form of five discount vouchers to the value of £10 each, which were difficult to take advantage of. Just like its North American counterpart, this console was initially popular.

Decline

Developers and licensees had abandoned this console in favor of what they perceived to be a true 32-bit console, the Sega Saturn. Even though the 32X was a 32-bit system, the games did not appear to take full advantage of 32 bit processing. Many were just slightly-enhanced ports of Mega Drive or old arcade games such as Space Harrier. In reality, as stated by Steve Snake, creator of NBA Jam, NBA Jam T.E, and Mortal Kombat II, these games were seriously pushing the limits of the console even though they looked like minor enhancements. He cites that people were expecting far too much from it, and over-hyping from magazines had helped to hurt it.^[12] Customers perceived the Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64, and the PlayStation as the true next-generation consoles, due to their rich launch titles and 3D graphics. Sega planned a console named the Sega Neptune, which would have been a Mega Drive and 32X in one.

One of the last games released for the 32X in North America was Spider-Man: Web of Fire (1996), and one of the last ever was Darxide, released only in Europe, which had been intended by Frontier Developments to be a launch title for the ill-fated Neptune.^[13] Both these games now command a high value from collectors—but especially Darxide (up to $1000) due to its scarcity, reputation, and auspicious creator (David Braben, co-writer of the groundbreaking game Elite). Nevertheless, it is exceeded in rarity by the European PAL versions of the games Primal Rage and T-Mek. For obscure reasons a mere handful of copies of these games are known to be in circulation—with T-Mek being so scarce that until a copy surfaced on eBay in late 2005, it was widely held that the PAL release was only a rumor. The appearance of a copy has fueled speculation that other rumored but unconfirmed PAL games may also exist, in particular BC Racers. Surgical Strike, a 32X CD game widely believed to be unreleased, was discovered to have been released exclusively in Brazil.

For many years prior to the 32X, console makers promised devices like the 32X (for consoles such as the ColecoVision, Intellivision II and some Atari systems) that would extend and enhance the original system. Sega's 32X effort lacked the software titles and 3D capabilities the gaming community demanded; the add-on technology represented a dead end, ultimately punishing early adopters. Ignorant of the idea that console systems' primary strength is in standardization, Sega had created three different platforms (the Sega Mega Drive, and the Mega-CD/Sega CD and the 32X add-ons) all under the same banner, stealing valuable shelf space from itself and confusing both vendors and consumers in the process. The entire episode demonstrated that producing such add-ons is likely to have detrimental effects on a system's brand marketing strategy.

The final nail in the coffin for the peripheral came in October 1995, when Sega's CEO, Hayao Nakayama, ordered that the 32X and other Sega consoles be cancelled in order to focus its limited resources on the Saturn system.^[12][14]

Sega of Japan later recycled the hardware from unsold 32Xs for a TV based drawing tablet called Picture Magic. The internals are consist of unmodified 32X PCBs, with a stripped down Mega Drive (lacking things like controller I/O and sound) used to boot the 32X, and some additional hardware for measuring the pen's position and SmartMedia card storage. ^[15]

Sega Neptune

The Sega Neptune

The Sega Neptune was a two-in-one Mega Drive/Genesis and 32X console which Sega planned to release in 1994 or 1995. The proposed retail price for the unit was US$200.

Sega had admitted how expensive and problematic the 32X was,^[16] so it decided to make a combined version of the Mega Drive/Genesis and 32X; however, by the time a prototype came out, the Sega Saturn was ready for release. Sega felt that the console could have replaced the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, but consumers would not be interested in the Sega Neptune, so the project was scrapped. There are several prototypes, and at least one was declared to work.

Electronic Gaming Monthly used the Sega Neptune as an April Fools' Day prank in its April 2001 issue. The issue included a small article in which the writers announced that Sega had found a warehouse full of old Sega Neptunes, and were selling them on a website for only $150.^[17]

See also

Sega portal

• List of Sega 32X games

References

1. ^ "Video game market share up to the end of fiscal year 1994". Man!ac Magazine. May, 1995. 
2. ^ "Mega Drive 32X Hardware Information". Sega Mega Drive 32X instruction manual. Sega Enterprises. pp. 20. 
3. ^ "32X hardware pack-ins". vidgame.net. http://www.vidgame.net/SEGA/32X.html. Retrieved 2007-06-22. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "North American 32X/CD 32X releases". gooddealgames.com. http://www.gooddealgames.com/Release_Lists/RL_Sega_32X.html. Retrieved June 22, 2007. 
5. ^ "Sega unleashes arcade power for the home; Genesis 32X delivers 40 times the power of 16-bit systems". Business Wire. November 21, 1994. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1994_Nov_21/ai_15891848/. Retrieved 2011-05-10. 
6. ^ ^{a b c d} "Demand for Sega's 32X arcade upgrade unit exceed supply; Sega shipping around the clock to fill demand". Business Wire. December 12, 1994. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1994_Dec_12/ai_15970438/. Retrieved 2011-05-10. 
7. ^ "32X North American Launch". http://www.allgame.com/platform.php?id=35. 
8. ^ "Doom for the 32X". Sega-16.com. http://www.sega-16.com/review_page.php?id=14&title=Doom. Retrieved 2008-04-29. 
9. ^ "Doom Console Comparisons Guide". gamefaqs.com. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/32x/file/563223/1774. Retrieved 2009-12-23. 
10. ^ "Sega-16 Forums Post". http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showpost.php?p=209751&postcount=52. 
11. ^ "Sega threepeat as video game leader for Christmas sales". Business Wire. January 6, 1995. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1995_Jan_6/ai_15997617/. Retrieved 2011-05-10. 
12. ^ ^{a b} "Project Mars: Anatomy of a Failure". goodcowfilms.com. http://www.goodcowfilms.com/farm/games/segabase_archives/SegaBase%20-%2032X.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-22. 
13. ^ "DarXide for the 32X". eidolons-inn.net. http://www.eidolons-inn.net/segabase/32X-DarXide.html. Retrieved 2007-06-22. 
14. ^ "32X history". cyberiapc.com. http://www.cyberiapc.com/vgg/sega_32.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-22. 
15. ^ "Picture Magic Hardware Information". http://www.genny4ever.net/index.php?page=stuff. Retrieved 2011-05-23. 
16. ^ "Sega Neptune Console Information". Consoledatabase.com. http://www.consoledatabase.com/consoleinfo/seganeptune/. Retrieved 2009-08-23. 
17. ^ "Sega Neptune Reborn In Genesis & 32X Hardware Mod". racketboy.com. 2008-01-05. http://www.racketboy.com/retro/sega/32x/2008/01/sega-neptune-reborn-in-genesis-32x-hardware-mod.html. Retrieved 2009-08-23.