this post was submitted on 24 Dec 2024
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Sega has officially announced that it is not planning to release any more mini consoles, marking a shift in their approach towards modern gaming instead of nostalgia-driven hardware. In an interview with The Guardian, CEO Shuji Utsumi clarified, 'We are not a retro company. We appreciate our legacy... but want to deliver something new.'

Sega has previously released several successful mini consoles celebrating its iconic franchises such as the Genesis/Mega Drive Mini, Astro City Mini, and Game Gear Micro series. However, no further mini consoles focusing on the Saturn or Dreamcast platforms are in development.

  • Utsumi's Statement: "I’m not going for the Mini direction. I want to embrace modern gamers."
  • Sega now concentrates on reviving classic IPs with a modern twist, such as new entries in Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, and Virtua Fighter series.

How do you feel about Sega's decision?

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

"Not a retro company," but yet the stated "something new" is all about reviving classic IPs.

Maybe try building some new IPs, if you really want to be new.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

"New"? Strange, haven't heard anything about something like a Sega Gigadrive... :/

[–] [email protected] 1 points 18 hours ago

They already used GigaDrive for their 3D Classics games on the 3DS.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Does this mean they’ll finally make OutRun 3?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

oh we're way past that, there were already 2018 sequels by 1993

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

so sega realised that rather than sell a retro console once, they can sell a reboot filled with DLC and monthly subscriptions forever. nice.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Nah, they realized that emulating the Saturn and Dreamcast are more demanding than the SoCs they wanted to use for their mini consoles can handle.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I mean, I just bought a $60 portable that has a screen as well, and it can emulate Dreamcast no problem. I assume bulk hardware costs are maybe half that price. For a $120+ priced retro console, I suspect hardware pricing is not the issue.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

how do you like that portable? mind sharing the model?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

Sure, it's the RG35XXSP (link). I mainly bought it for GBA emulation (since it's a GBA SP lookalike with good reviews). It's played every PSX and DC game I've thrown at it as well. The game pad works great and the screen is nice, and the default software doesn't have any real annoyances, not much to complain about.

The downside is it doesn't have analog sticks, so if that were my primary goal I'd probably look for another system. But plenty powerful.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 20 hours ago

I got an R36S, which is shaped more like a DMG GameBoy and has dual analog sticks. It can play Dreamcast, but only at native resolution and sometimes it needs to be tweaked further. Saturn is actually a tad slow, dipping into 40fps usually. It can also do some less intensive PSP games. For a $60 handheld, this is fine. But considering SEGA is SEGA, I suspect that they want a much bigger profit margin than whoever is selling the R36S is making. Which is why I mentioned the SoCs in my comment.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Yep. They’ll probably change their tune again when more powerful SoC’s come out.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

ha yes! that is depressingly likely to be 100% correct.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Really, why not both? I'd love to see non-micro-transaction modern Sega, if that's the plan, but the demographics are there to support retro too.

Maybe they don't want retro to overshadow their new products, but if their new products can't demand more attention than their retro products, it sounds like a quality problem with their new products.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

It's correct. Atari is making modern games too, I'm excited for Fatal Run 2089. The art form is still quite new, and there's a lot of room for new ideas

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Why make this when you can charge a monthly subscription?