The 32x was aimed at people who already had a mega drive. The mega drive was popular but Sega wanted to push a new console the Saturn. This also killed any idea of a Neptune console.
What would be fun is if Sega would release the Neptune today, like the last two Genesis Mini/Mega Drive Mini, with the entire 32X library and then a mini Saturn system.
Ironically... Brazil is actually getting the Neptune officially released but with modern upgrades like HDMI, high resolution, and internet connectivity.
Neptune is the console that inspired Purple Heart/Neptune from the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, and she is the most accurate representation of Sega!
I actually like that it was called the Genesis in North America, or Genny for short. When you think about it, the system was, in fact, the Genesis of Sega's successful second foray into the US hardware market. I think the name was brilliant for that reason, plus it caught like wildfire thanks to the relentless barrage of "Genesis does what Nintendon't" slogan during the launch years, giving it a more mature, edgy vibe to it as many gamers at the time were older kids and teenagers. Sega really did give Nintendo a run for their money during the first golden age of gaming, that's for sure. I was squarely team Nintendo all the way during that rivalry, up until me and a friend of mine exchanged consoles. I finally grew a true appreciation for the Genny, and he in turn got to experience the SNES. I realized the error of my ways and ended up getting a Saturn and a PSOne later on. Those were the days I tell you, those were the frigging days. Sega had brilliant minds, made many wonderful games and burned out with the Dreamcast. I so miss the Dreamcast, that thing was amazing. I'm glad Sega is still around though, even though they are a software publisher these days, they still make some wonderful titles.
@@maruku4445 or call it a Sega Terra or Sega Gaia, or hell, why not a Sega Venus or Sega Mars? We'd have the solar system of consoles at that rate. That would've been cool.
Imagine there was a Sega Uranus, where it had the complete trilogy: Genesis, CD and 32x. All together for the game library more bigger than ever and more easier to plug the console to the TV.
I always felt that instead of making the Neptune; Sega should have attempted to make the Saturn backwards compatible with the Genesis and Sega CD (since it had a cartridge slot). A missed opportunity, but it probably would have raised the price another $100 at least.
That was the original idea - that's the main reason why Saturn have Cartridge slot in the first place. And yeah you are right it wasn't easy. They could'nt do it without adding extra hardware.
@@ukaszmozejko9984 not true, sega wanted non-compatible saturn. Originally it was cartridge based console which turned into cd only console. Later, released as a cd and ram/twin rom media console. Tom Kalinske should've fought and convince his branch and SOJ for backward compatible console variant and adapter. Instead of allowing soj to poach for upgraded genesis console which later turned into a Joe miller's add-on.
They should have just released a Genesis in a cartridge for $100 for the Saturn. Or better yet, shitcan the Saturn in development and publish 3DO games instead. The 3DO was $399 by 1994, had a year head start on the PlayStation, and as recent developers have shown it could have competently handled Tomb Raider. Sega could then have bought the rights to the M2 from the 3DO company in late 1995 and released the M2 in 1996.
The Sega Pluto is an interesting system as well. Adam Koralik has one with a friend of his and his friend found it at a Goodwill for practically nothing. There are only 2 known Sega Pluto prototypes that exist, the other one is believed to be in a private collection that is not being shown. There was a time where Adam had the Pluto next to the Neptune in a video of his.
Adam has came a long way, but I really used to hate that guy cus he used to talk about things he knew nothing about. There was a time where he actually peddled those cheap Chinese RGB to HDMI upconverter boxes as being good, & said that he couldn't sense any input lag with them. I mean really, that's bad when you can't sense something that's adding 6+ frames of lag! You really gotta not know what you're doing if you can't feel that much lag in a game setup.
They were just ahead of their time. It's what Microsoft and Sony are doing now. The issue is that technology used to be a lot more expensive, and every ounce of power made a world of difference.
@@juststatedtheobvious9633 In many ways - yes. They experimented in internet connection, multiple procesors for example. Virtua Fighter is considered by many as game that started Polygon based "full 3D" hype. Still, Sega CD and 32X damaged Sega's reputation. Also, competing between your own older hardware "on steroids" and new generation tech created confusion.
Had Sega skipped the release of the Sega CD and 32x and went straight for the Neptune with a good price they probably would've made a killing in sales. Instead, they went with bringing in all those ridiculous add ons and you know how to story goes...
Keep throwing up Capcom gals in the thumbnails and I will instantly click and enjoy the content that follows it lol Sega Nomad was an awesome handheld since I inherited my relatives Genesis games
It's possible it could still show up someday. The Nintendo Play Station was eventually unearthed to be true, so it's kinda hard to call anything an outright hoax these days.
When considering the performance differences that were present with the Megadrive and its add~ons, I have a firm feeling that the Neptune would've allowed for those with an extensive Megadrive library to play their titles with some relevant form of uplift: When playing in 032 Bit Mode, Megadrive titles do have some noticeable Display differences in how Colour Mixing is handled on a television set, but the performance of said games is exactly the same because the Hitachi CPUs do not get used for anything because virtually every officially released title did not make use of either it or the Sega CD's extra hardware features if the ROM detects one is connected; on the performance front, the Neptune would've undoubtedly benefited from using a higher clocked Motorola 68000, it is likely that Teradrive Mode (Motorola 68000 at its Stock 0I0 Megahertz, as opposed to the MD's Downclock to 07.67 MHz in NTSC Mode) could've been considered to implement as an incentive for early Genesis/Megadrive customers to upgrade to this (especially if they didn't feel comfortable with Overclocking their Model 0I or Model 02 unit, as documentation for the practice didn't exist much in a public capacity until 2004) and little elements such as this would've allowed for the console to have an edge against its predecessors in the Second Hand market today, not to mention better OC'ing Support in many emulators. If the Neptune did make it to the market in Late I995/Early I996, titles that were on the agenda of certain companies such as Delphine Software (Shaq Fu II), Time Warner Interactive (RBI Baseball '96), Novotrade (Ecco the Dolphin III), and Sega Technical Institute (Sonic Mars and Sonic Xtreme) probably would've seen a proper release, not to mention the fact that we would've gotten many backports of Arcade and Sega Saturn titles that would've aided the profits that Sega could've gotten from this measure; especially in an era where countries such as Brazil and Russia are still thriving from the Sega Mark IV (Master System) and Megadrive today, the expanded existence of the Neptune would've given those regions an outlet to get into Budget Gaming or Game Development for cheap, it's easy to believe that it would've gotten a healthy Post~Support life in the same nature as the Wii U and thus you can tell why I feel it's a shame that it didn't get off the ground outside of the Concept and Development Phase, it deserved an honest chance to shine but it's understandable as to why it was axed in the long run.
I owned a Sega Master System, Game Gear, Genesis, and Nomad. I pretty much played and enjoyed my Genesis/Nomad until I bought a Dreamcast. The whole CD and 32 bit era was flop to me as a kid.
Spoken like a true boss. It urked me how spoiled some kids were "wah!!! I want a Sony PlayStation as "the Saturn sucks"...".Also never knew about the nomad being a 16bit Game Gear type thing. What were the batteries like on it and was a plug available too?
The name Keita Iida is not pronounced "Kaita Leeda" it's actually pronounced "Kay-e-ta E-e-da", figured I would give you that information considering I have been studying Japanese for a couple years now. That said, this was such an interesting look into a canceled piece of hardware. Had it been released, I imagine it wouldn't have sold that well due to the impending release of the Saturn. They did screw up with the launch of the Saturn though, and with how things were handled after. The premature launch backfired. Limited software, and poor management by the likes of Bernie Stolar didn't help matters. I believe it was he who discouraged the localization of RPGs, which in the wake of Final Fantasy VII's massive hype followed by its massive success, was a disastrous move. None of the expansion carts that would've helped enhance titles made it overseas, nor did a lot of other titles including the arcade perfect X-men vs. Street Fighter. Shame, had Sega handled things correctly and not screwed the pooch by abandoning ship and mishandling localization, I think they would've still been a hardware juggernaut today.
I wish sega made the project neptune into a backward compatible sega saturn mainly for the NA/PAL regions. Similar and fully compatible. (28.6 MHz SH-2 cpu, beefed up VDP (based on genesis/32x vdp and sega cd scaler/fmv compression chip)/VDP-2, scu dsp (low asembly and c programming langauge options) and a hitachi custom processor of the SH-2. A cutdown SCSP with audio decompressor). 2x saturn cd drive and less cd ram with no backup main ram. Or release it in 1992 or 1993 canceling the sega cd or inside the standalone sega cd hardware or duo sega cd console. Posponing the saturn for a cleaner and better hardware.
Honestly, the 32X never should have existed in the first place. The ONLY way it would have made sense is if the hardware had been bundled in with the Sega CD in order to enhance the system's limitations such as the color palette & such. They could have done away with the scaling hardware in this case & just used the 32 Bit CPU's for that. One add-on is ok but two? That was a bit much, specially considering it came just before the Saturn. It was a completely unnecessary stop gap & I never understood why Sega felt the need to even do this instead of just waiting for the release of the Saturn. If the Sega CD had actually made more use of it's scaler chip & released some of their super scaler Arcade titles for the system then I think it would have done better as the add-on the system needed! Also, if the Sega CD had included an enhanced video chip with a bigger & better color palette, that would have done WONDERS for the system's capabilities! That's really all it needed, the Sega CD with more scaler games & an enhanced video chip w better colors. It also should have just been it's own standalone system, maybe with Genesis backwards compatibility for those who wanted to simply upgrade. That way they could have done away with the things that limited the system from it having to connect to the older Genesis. Imagine it... A standalone Sega CD system with even just one of the dual 32 Bit CPU's the 32X had as it's main CPU, along with the 68000 as a secondary CPU for backwards compatibility and the improved video chip w FAR more colors allowed on screen. Could have been glorious! Most 32X devs didn't even use the 2nd CPU in their games due to how complex it was, thus the 2nd CPU was kind of pointless & unneeded anyway. Could have been a pretty big step up in power for the time along w the CD media! May have actually been successful had they been able to do this instead of all the superfluous add-ons!
Better idea than the 2 add-ons sega released (the sega cd, 32x and also the 32x cd platform). Another idea is a high color pallete inside its ASIC chip or 32x vdp like sega cd add-on. With DSP or copressor Scaling chip, svp and maybe SH-1 or 2 cpu enhancement chip cartridges for specific games. Then upgraded Duo console with those chips added in it.
They could have done that with the Sega Saturn since it had a cartridge slot, but for whatever reason they did not. It would have increased sales of the Saturn a lot if it was able to play Genesis, Sega CD, and 32X games as well.
Back in mid-late 90s...a little bit after ps1 came out...I remember being in school daydreaming...came up with Sega saturn...Nintendo neptune,....and playstation pluto!
his only makes me wish the Neptune (Genesis + 32x hybrid prototype discarded console) was released and sold as a Genesis recall with a Sonic collection as memory embedded game. And postponed the Saturn release, compatible backwards to the Sega CD and the 4MB team and this 64X embedded in the console.
Now a Brazilian company is releasing the FPGA based GF1 Neptune which uses the mould of the Sega Neptune and will be 100% compatible with Genesis and 32X cartridges.
So sad Sega went from the pinnacle of gaming (Genesis/Mega Drive), to just one bad decision after another until their total exit from the console market....
I think I am the same age as 🎩 that’s why I’m here watching all his videos. When he said he missed the muppet babies that sealed it. I was just showing my kid’s what my favorite show as a kid was lol. And it was the muppet babies
Considering that console shell manufacturing hardware has later been repurposed (see the Jaguar being used for dental equipment), is it possible that the Neptune had been that far along? I'd love to see modders create their own 'Neptune' builds using this shell...
If the guts of the 32X were built inside of the Sega/Mega CD from the get-go, Sega may have been able to compete... although, that would have made the CD unit pretty expensive, so who knows. I think the CD unit should have had a new VDP, able to display way more colors and maybe another background layer or two, along with more/bigger sprites. If they would have done that, and focused less on FMV, they may have had a shot; maybe.
No I even believe had the Mega Drive was built like the Neptune....man Nintendo would've been in bigger trouble. Those first generation games like the super scaler games would've blown all of us away!
@@frankiev-tech4630 Agreed... super scaler games would have been a big advantage for Sega. Originally, when Sega of Japan was designing the VDP for the Mega Drive / Genesis, they were planning on having sprite scaling and rotation built into the VDP chip. However, as work on the VDP progressed, the designer said that the VDP chip was getting too big, and thus too expensive, so they had to cut those features out. However, to prepare for the rumored next Nintendo console, the VRAM was doubled to 64KB to hedge their bets. I still believe the main hardware disadvantage of Sega's 16-bit consoles was the color pallete and colors on-screen. The Mega/Sega CD should have fixed that... but it didn't. Therefore, kids back then couldn't say the expensive Mega/Sega CD had better graphics... thus many CD games had cartridge equivalents whose graphics were basically indistinguishable from the CD version (albeit, without rotation/scaling, FMV and CD music). I actually owned a Mega CD in America a full year before the Sega CD came out.
@@CharlesHepburn2 Yeah that to me was actually the biggest draw back on the Genesis. That washed down color palette. I could've dealt with the sound department on those gruff voice samples lol! But yeah when you look at those graphics like Golden Axe or Altered Beast and compare it to the arcade...man it's a lot different. I used to try to adjust my TV settings to perfection to atleast get close to it lol! Yeah that 32,000 color palette would've been awesome! I can say Final Fight CD was not bad, but compared to the SNES...yeah!
@@frankiev-tech4630 Agreed, again! Even the Sega Game Gear had 4,096 colors.... 8x more than the Genesis. To be fair... Altered Beast did look better than the arcade when it came to scrolling backgrounds / parallax scrolling.
@@CharlesHepburn2 oh yeah that's true...they got that one beat! But I'll give you something to try. Have both one browser with the Arcade Altered Beast, and one with the Genesis. When you get to the first boss pause then both right at that smoke transformation. Watch the difference!
The funny thing is, if Sega decided to release the Sega Neptune now as a retro console that can play Genesis and 32X game cartridges (as well as having some games built in) it probably would sell pretty well.
I have 2 3DOs, and my dad has one too... None of them actually work... So I recently got a Raspberry Pi 4, and set it up with lr-opera, an ARM port of 4DO, to run as a 3DO emulator box.
I had a genesis but it didn't look like the one you're showing. It looked like the Neptune but without the 32x symbol on it. It just had the Sega symbol on it
Sega's smarter move would have been to forgo the CD and 32X and just release the Neptune in its stead, and delayed the Saturn to work out some more hardware issues.
Recently released documents have shown that SEGA was only paying $232 to land a Saturn at that point, and the Neptune CD could've been made for about $140. Cobsidering the 10 game attachment rate for each console sold, they could lose $30 per console, so the Neptune CD could've retailed for as low as $99 by Fall of 1996 and still netted a pretty penny for the troubled game maker. Too bad that they didn't listen to us!
I wished Sega would have delayed the Saturn to simplify and improve the Saturn's 3d performance. Canceled the 32X and only released the Neptune. Maybe just maybe release a CD add-on to complete with PS1 until the release of the Saturn/Dreamcast hybrid. Or just add the CD to Neptune's original hardware.
It's impossible to use a 32X with modern displays, because of how it works as a passthrough device. My AV setup does not support analog audio or video signals of any kind, thus if I want to play 32X games emulation is the only way it's possible. Even the FPGA consoles don't support 32X games.
This should of came out first before the 32x and then built all in one megadrive/CD/32x machine much early on with tons of epic jrpgs and good anima style snatcher type games would have been wonderful. I wished for the same thing with the PC Engine supergrafix/arcadecard/CD combo. Imagine the possibilities.
I really wanted the Neptune. I loved my Mega Drive II, Mega CD II and Mega Drive 32X,but I preferred the look of vanilla Mega Drive II. Neptune was gojng to be basically that amped to 11. Still love the look and my hope is, that maybe they will give it life at least as a mini console one day. I dreamed of replacing my Mega Drive II and Mega Drive 32X with the Neptune. I knew Saturn was better, but Mega Drive was what I could afford, I already had the console. When I could afford a Saturn, many years later, I bought a Playstation lol it felt like betrayal to Sega and until today I feel like something is missing, because I skipped Saturn and Dreamcast. Back then I could only afford to get one new console at a time.
Fall of ‘94 - release Sega Genesis 32X ‘Neptune’ for $199 w/ Super Sonic Collection, Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Mortal Kombat Collection. Ports of Street Fighter Alpha / Alpha 2 in 1995/96. 1995 - delay Saturn launch in America keep Saturn Japan only. 1996 - release SH3/ Nvidia NV2 or M2 based Saturn 2 as U.S. Saturn for $299, reduce Neptune price to $99 to compete against PlayStation on a two-tier strategy. 2000 - release Dreamcast as a DVD based system against PS2. 200? - sell Sega to Microsoft Notes: if Sega had invested in Nvidia at the time they were experimenting w/ NV2A it would be worth billions today.
Sega Neptune technology (68K, VDP, + SH2) can be licensed and released today as a retro console. Not only for official 32-bit ports but open the system to homebrew development.
I'm pretty sure this was the point where SEGA made it's first big mistake which lead to it's ultimate downfall. The Saturn was rushed in response to the PlayStation, and ultimately it ended up being an awful system. If they had put out the Neptune and waited to see how well Sony were going to do, like Nintendo did with the N64, they might still be in the home console market. As a result were got an awful machine which forced many people to ditch SEGA and move to Sony. By the time the Dreamcast came out, people were already waiting for PS2, and while the DC is a masterpiece, the damage to the player base was done. With the addition that hackers soon cracked the copy protection on the DC, it again shows they rushed a product to market to out do Sony and messed up. Some real bad decision making at SEGA during that era for sure.
IIRC, according to a Guru Larry video, that Datel, the makers of Action Replay, when making the Demo Disc version accidentally made it so it bypassed every check of the Dreamcast, Region, Piracy, the whole thing.
@@pyrotempestwing it was because SEGA forgot to implement MIL-CD authenticity checks, and would boot them without question. Because the DC used GD-ROM discs for the games, they only thought to protect against GD-R discs. While GD-ROM discs can hold 1gb of date, most DC games were under 700mb in size, and easily fit onto a CD-R which could. MIL-CD was just a regular audio CD with added content that could be unlocked exclusively on a DC. It was a major oversight.
The PS1 was simply elegantly designed, without any needless hardware inside, while the Saturn was just chock full of needless chips & was just badly designed from the jump. It's no surprise that even with far less going in under the hood that the PS1 performed even better when it came to 3D games and was still VERY respectable for 2D games as well. The Saturn's only real claim to fame was being ever so slightly better with 2D & that's about it.
Show me the PS1 game running at the same resolution as Virtua Fighter 2? And that was a relatively early title, released before Tekken 2's crystaline characters made an appearance. You're rating the PS1 based on what it could do by the end of its life, and how easy it was for third parties to tap into that power. Not by the true power of each platform.
Programmable friendly and more flexible hardware than the saturn. With 1st party and right 3rd partydevelopers, the saturn hardware is can do more than the PS1. Sega big mistake saturn is the vdp1 and its ram/framebuffer. Ram is not unified and the framebuffer is unadjustable like the ps1. Plus, vdp1 lacks hardware full transperiacies/alpha blending. To make matters worst, it uses warped quads for sprites and polygons. Lacks 4 point Rectangle sprites and Triangle support for polygons.
@@maroon9273 Refusing to give third parties development tools that could access the system's full resources was an issue too. Plus poor documentation. Finding out what the VR Racing team had to go through, just to get their hands on a bad debugger? This kind of nonsense was why the Sega CD was underutilized, and the Sega of the 90's deserved to fail.
@@juststatedtheobvious9633 sega mismanagement 101 as example of how the company tarnished the saturn and the sega cd. Which led to the 32x creation and neptune project. Ultimately to its demise as a hardware maker.
I think Sega was right to cancel the console. It would have been nice if the 32x was a standalone system, and might have been more successful moving into the next generation. Sega's innovation was great, but it was only getting the better of them as they kept propping up the popular Genesis with expensive addons rather than just planning and investing in the next big system to compete. They knew they had something great. But, with so many heads, indecisiveness became a major problem for them at a critical point. When Sony stepped in, it marked the beginning of the end.
The Neptune is what the 32X should have been to begin with.
The 32x was aimed at people who already had a mega drive. The mega drive was popular but Sega wanted to push a new console the Saturn. This also killed any idea of a Neptune console.
What would be fun is if Sega would release the Neptune today, like the last two Genesis Mini/Mega Drive Mini, with the entire 32X library and then a mini Saturn system.
Excellent idea Sega must do this now for anyone reliving their Sega Genesis 32X moments.
@@sharptoothtrex4486 but original size with the cd port available to attach it to the sega cd
Ironically... Brazil is actually getting the Neptune officially released but with modern upgrades like HDMI, high resolution, and internet connectivity.
I remember Walmart having the 32x on clearance for $4.
Neptune is the console that inspired Purple Heart/Neptune from the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, and she is the most accurate representation of Sega!
Borderline double personality? Nep-nep doesn't look any worse than the others... Or did I just didn't play that enough?
Man, you beat me to this. I was about to post this too.
Wow. I knew there would be Neptunia comments under this video, but I didn't expect them to be right at the top!
@@ren7a8ero You want to see a split personality? Look at Plutia/Iris Heart.
glad to see this comment
I loved sega's console names...even the project ones. Nomad, Neptune, genesis, mega drive, blackbelt
I think they nailed it with MegaDrive name. Genesis is ok, never hated it but MegaDrive is better
There should have been a Sega Earth.
@@greenkoopa yeah, I wish we got that name too...but stupid copyrights in america
I actually like that it was called the Genesis in North America, or Genny for short. When you think about it, the system was, in fact, the Genesis of Sega's successful second foray into the US hardware market.
I think the name was brilliant for that reason, plus it caught like wildfire thanks to the relentless barrage of "Genesis does what Nintendon't" slogan during the launch years, giving it a more mature, edgy vibe to it as many gamers at the time were older kids and teenagers.
Sega really did give Nintendo a run for their money during the first golden age of gaming, that's for sure.
I was squarely team Nintendo all the way during that rivalry, up until me and a friend of mine exchanged consoles. I finally grew a true appreciation for the Genny, and he in turn got to experience the SNES.
I realized the error of my ways and ended up getting a Saturn and a PSOne later on. Those were the days I tell you, those were the frigging days. Sega had brilliant minds, made many wonderful games and burned out with the Dreamcast. I so miss the Dreamcast, that thing was amazing.
I'm glad Sega is still around though, even though they are a software publisher these days, they still make some wonderful titles.
@@maruku4445 or call it a Sega Terra or Sega Gaia, or hell, why not a Sega Venus or Sega Mars? We'd have the solar system of consoles at that rate. That would've been cool.
Imagine if Sega actually announced the release of the Pluto only to be foiled when Neil Degrasse Tyson decides it's no longer considered a console.
That's amazing lol
Imagine there was a Sega Uranus, where it had the complete trilogy: Genesis, CD and 32x. All together for the game library more bigger than ever and more easier to plug the console to the TV.
I would've definitely bought it. I miss Sega hardware. Gaming hasn't been the same since they left the hardware market.
Hehe....Uranus.
@@DesertRainReads And Naka lost his mind because of it.
There has to be a limit to how many systems they could stick in Uranus.
But, alas, Sega Japan shoved those plans straight up Sega America's... SPHINCTER!
I always felt that instead of making the Neptune; Sega should have attempted to make the Saturn backwards compatible with the Genesis and Sega CD (since it had a cartridge slot). A missed opportunity, but it probably would have raised the price another $100 at least.
That was the original idea - that's the main reason why Saturn have Cartridge slot in the first place. And yeah you are right it wasn't easy. They could'nt do it without adding extra hardware.
@@ukaszmozejko9984 not true, sega wanted non-compatible saturn. Originally it was cartridge based console which turned into cd only console. Later, released as a cd and ram/twin rom media console.
Tom Kalinske should've fought and convince his branch and SOJ for backward compatible console variant and adapter. Instead of allowing soj to poach for upgraded genesis console which later turned into a Joe miller's add-on.
Sega of America requested it but Japan denied it
@@borrellipatrick even a backward compatible adapter?
They should have just released a Genesis in a cartridge for $100 for the Saturn. Or better yet, shitcan the Saturn in development and publish 3DO games instead. The 3DO was $399 by 1994, had a year head start on the PlayStation, and as recent developers have shown it could have competently handled Tomb Raider. Sega could then have bought the rights to the M2 from the 3DO company in late 1995 and released the M2 in 1996.
The Sega Pluto is an interesting system as well. Adam Koralik has one with a friend of his and his friend found it at a Goodwill for practically nothing. There are only 2 known Sega Pluto prototypes that exist, the other one is believed to be in a private collection that is not being shown. There was a time where Adam had the Pluto next to the Neptune in a video of his.
Adam has came a long way, but I really used to hate that guy cus he used to talk about things he knew nothing about. There was a time where he actually peddled those cheap Chinese RGB to HDMI upconverter boxes as being good, & said that he couldn't sense any input lag with them.
I mean really, that's bad when you can't sense something that's adding 6+ frames of lag! You really gotta not know what you're doing if you can't feel that much lag in a game setup.
I love pluto concept. Most likely would've been released nearing the end of the 90s.
@@maroon9273 it is unknown as to when sega was originally intending to release it as it was the saturn with a built in modem.
they never tried Marvel Super Heroes to test if it has extra ram though, which is kinda sad
Video starts at 05:08.
Had a Genesis, Nomad, and 32x. Always wanted a CDX but it was so pricey.
I always always ALWAYS wanted to get my hands on a Neptune. It really sucks it never saw distribution. Thanks for another amazing video! Cheers. ❤
Sega developing as many console projects for Fifth Gen possible: "What could possibly go wrong?"
They were just ahead of their time. It's what Microsoft and Sony are doing now.
The issue is that technology used to be a lot more expensive, and every ounce of power made a world of difference.
I wish sega would've waited and use those consoles per generation for home and handheld consoles.
@@juststatedtheobvious9633 In many ways - yes. They experimented in internet connection, multiple procesors for example. Virtua Fighter is considered by many as game that started Polygon based "full 3D" hype.
Still, Sega CD and 32X damaged Sega's reputation. Also, competing between your own older hardware "on steroids" and new generation tech created confusion.
Ironically "Neptune" was a wrong answer in a "what came after the sega-cd" magazine competition write in (prize was to get a PlayStation 1).
It has a really sleek design. It would've failed spectacularly, but damn, it looks nice.
Can you please add the source for the picture of Cammy in the video thumbnail?
I think it's from the 2019 Udon "Street Fighter Pinup Special" comic book. (Convention Exclusive)
Hey THGM. Good video as always. Thank you for this nugget. Very informative. 👍
Had Sega skipped the release of the Sega CD and 32x and went straight for the Neptune with a good price they probably would've made a killing in sales. Instead, they went with bringing in all those ridiculous add ons and you know how to story goes...
To be fair, both Nintendo and NEC were doing it. Nintendo would just get a better reputation because they didn't do it in the states.
Street Fighter girls are just on another level. Keep it up with these thumbnails.
Keep throwing up Capcom gals in the thumbnails and I will instantly click and enjoy the content that follows it lol Sega Nomad was an awesome handheld since I inherited my relatives Genesis games
I’m going to watch anyway but boy, they make the thumbnail stand out.
I saw the Neptune at Classic Gaming Convention in Vegas. Shouldve lifted it like planned but hey, I guess I wasn't that Guy.
It's possible it could still show up someday. The Nintendo Play Station was eventually unearthed to be true, so it's kinda hard to call anything an outright hoax these days.
When considering the performance differences that were present with the Megadrive and its add~ons, I have a firm feeling that the Neptune would've allowed for those with an extensive Megadrive library to play their titles with some relevant form of uplift: When playing in 032 Bit Mode, Megadrive titles do have some noticeable Display differences in how Colour Mixing is handled on a television set, but the performance of said games is exactly the same because the Hitachi CPUs do not get used for anything because virtually every officially released title did not make use of either it or the Sega CD's extra hardware features if the ROM detects one is connected; on the performance front, the Neptune would've undoubtedly benefited from using a higher clocked Motorola 68000, it is likely that Teradrive Mode (Motorola 68000 at its Stock 0I0 Megahertz, as opposed to the MD's Downclock to 07.67 MHz in NTSC Mode) could've been considered to implement as an incentive for early Genesis/Megadrive customers to upgrade to this (especially if they didn't feel comfortable with Overclocking their Model 0I or Model 02 unit, as documentation for the practice didn't exist much in a public capacity until 2004) and little elements such as this would've allowed for the console to have an edge against its predecessors in the Second Hand market today, not to mention better OC'ing Support in many emulators.
If the Neptune did make it to the market in Late I995/Early I996, titles that were on the agenda of certain companies such as Delphine Software (Shaq Fu II), Time Warner Interactive (RBI Baseball '96), Novotrade (Ecco the Dolphin III), and Sega Technical Institute (Sonic Mars and Sonic Xtreme) probably would've seen a proper release, not to mention the fact that we would've gotten many backports of Arcade and Sega Saturn titles that would've aided the profits that Sega could've gotten from this measure; especially in an era where countries such as Brazil and Russia are still thriving from the Sega Mark IV (Master System) and Megadrive today, the expanded existence of the Neptune would've given those regions an outlet to get into Budget Gaming or Game Development for cheap, it's easy to believe that it would've gotten a healthy Post~Support life in the same nature as the Wii U and thus you can tell why I feel it's a shame that it didn't get off the ground outside of the Concept and Development Phase, it deserved an honest chance to shine but it's understandable as to why it was axed in the long run.
I owned a Sega Master System, Game Gear, Genesis, and Nomad. I pretty much played and enjoyed my Genesis/Nomad until I bought a Dreamcast. The whole CD and 32 bit era was flop to me as a kid.
I wanted a Nomad. Never found 1 tho...
Spoken like a true boss. It urked me how spoiled some kids were "wah!!! I want a Sony PlayStation as "the Saturn sucks"...".Also never knew about the nomad being a 16bit Game Gear type thing. What were the batteries like on it and was a plug available too?
The name Keita Iida is not pronounced "Kaita Leeda" it's actually pronounced "Kay-e-ta E-e-da", figured I would give you that information considering I have been studying Japanese for a couple years now.
That said, this was such an interesting look into a canceled piece of hardware. Had it been released, I imagine it wouldn't have sold that well due to the impending release of the Saturn.
They did screw up with the launch of the Saturn though, and with how things were handled after. The premature launch backfired. Limited software, and poor management by the likes of Bernie Stolar didn't help matters.
I believe it was he who discouraged the localization of RPGs, which in the wake of Final Fantasy VII's massive hype followed by its massive success, was a disastrous move.
None of the expansion carts that would've helped enhance titles made it overseas, nor did a lot of other titles including the arcade perfect X-men vs. Street Fighter.
Shame, had Sega handled things correctly and not screwed the pooch by abandoning ship and mishandling localization, I think they would've still been a hardware juggernaut today.
If the neptune was released the sega dreamcastbwouldve been cancelled. Sega would've went 3rd party during the end of 90s.
I dunno why they didnt just keep the codenames. Dreamcast is a cool name, but the planet system they had fit nicel with the whole family of consoles.
That museum is a must-visit it you’re ever in the dallas area, I can’t recommend it enough
What a gigachad move, digging through the sega co garbage for prototypes
Oh, geeze. You gonna tell me to buy this one, too?
Just being a little salty. Love your channel, Top Hat!
I wish sega made the project neptune into a backward compatible sega saturn mainly for the NA/PAL regions. Similar and fully compatible. (28.6 MHz SH-2 cpu, beefed up VDP (based on genesis/32x vdp and sega cd scaler/fmv compression chip)/VDP-2, scu dsp (low asembly and c programming langauge options) and a hitachi custom processor of the SH-2. A cutdown SCSP with audio decompressor). 2x saturn cd drive and less cd ram with no backup main ram.
Or release it in 1992 or 1993 canceling the sega cd or inside the standalone sega cd hardware or duo sega cd console. Posponing the saturn for a cleaner and better hardware.
Honestly, the 32X never should have existed in the first place. The ONLY way it would have made sense is if the hardware had been bundled in with the Sega CD in order to enhance the system's limitations such as the color palette & such. They could have done away with the scaling hardware in this case & just used the 32 Bit CPU's for that. One add-on is ok but two? That was a bit much, specially considering it came just before the Saturn.
It was a completely unnecessary stop gap & I never understood why Sega felt the need to even do this instead of just waiting for the release of the Saturn. If the Sega CD had actually made more use of it's scaler chip & released some of their super scaler Arcade titles for the system then I think it would have done better as the add-on the system needed!
Also, if the Sega CD had included an enhanced video chip with a bigger & better color palette, that would have done WONDERS for the system's capabilities! That's really all it needed, the Sega CD with more scaler games & an enhanced video chip w better colors. It also should have just been it's own standalone system, maybe with Genesis backwards compatibility for those who wanted to simply upgrade. That way they could have done away with the things that limited the system from it having to connect to the older Genesis.
Imagine it... A standalone Sega CD system with even just one of the dual 32 Bit CPU's the 32X had as it's main CPU, along with the 68000 as a secondary CPU for backwards compatibility and the improved video chip w FAR more colors allowed on screen. Could have been glorious! Most 32X devs didn't even use the 2nd CPU in their games due to how complex it was, thus the 2nd CPU was kind of pointless & unneeded anyway. Could have been a pretty big step up in power for the time along w the CD media! May have actually been successful had they been able to do this instead of all the superfluous add-ons!
Better idea than the 2 add-ons sega released (the sega cd, 32x and also the 32x cd platform). Another idea is a high color pallete inside its ASIC chip or 32x vdp like sega cd add-on. With DSP or copressor Scaling chip, svp and maybe SH-1 or 2 cpu enhancement chip cartridges for specific games. Then upgraded Duo console with those chips added in it.
Very informative video explaining all the Sega "Planets." Great job, Sir Dick!!
P.S. Did Sega ever plan to make an all-in-one Genesis/CD/32X console?
They could have done that with the Sega Saturn since it had a cartridge slot, but for whatever reason they did not. It would have increased sales of the Saturn a lot if it was able to play Genesis, Sega CD, and 32X games as well.
Yes, and the Neptune CD would've retailed for $199. What a waste.
I was really excited for Sega’s Uranus, but apparently it got cancelled. Everyone said that console would have stunk anyway. Oh Well..
As much as I would like to have a 32x that does not resemble a brain tumor, I think I will stick to the current one I have.
Would have been nice to eliminate the need for all those AC adapters.
Back in mid-late 90s...a little bit after ps1 came out...I remember being in school daydreaming...came up with Sega saturn...Nintendo neptune,....and playstation pluto!
I mean at the end of the day all you can take away from this is: Sega dug it's own grave with its less than stellar product policy.
his only makes me wish the Neptune (Genesis + 32x hybrid prototype discarded console) was released and sold as a Genesis recall with a Sonic collection as memory embedded game. And postponed the Saturn release, compatible backwards to the Sega CD and the 4MB team and this 64X embedded in the console.
How do you keep coming up with the goods. 🎩
Now a Brazilian company is releasing the FPGA based GF1 Neptune which uses the mould of the Sega Neptune and will be 100% compatible with Genesis and 32X cartridges.
So sad Sega went from the pinnacle of gaming (Genesis/Mega Drive), to just one bad decision after another until their total exit from the console market....
I'm shocked nobody has found a way to make an actual working Neptune.
I think I am the same age as 🎩 that’s why I’m here watching all his videos. When he said he missed the muppet babies that sealed it. I was just showing my kid’s what my favorite show as a kid was lol. And it was the muppet babies
I got my 32X for $25 at a Kmart.
Considering that console shell manufacturing hardware has later been repurposed (see the Jaguar being used for dental equipment), is it possible that the Neptune had been that far along?
I'd love to see modders create their own 'Neptune' builds using this shell...
Jason aka “dreamTR” is a prototype god! Most of the one i had passed through my hands came from him.
Great achieving Top hat !!!!
I remember seeing this in Games Master magazine. Such a shame it naver made it to shelves
If the guts of the 32X were built inside of the Sega/Mega CD from the get-go, Sega may have been able to compete... although, that would have made the CD unit pretty expensive, so who knows. I think the CD unit should have had a new VDP, able to display way more colors and maybe another background layer or two, along with more/bigger sprites. If they would have done that, and focused less on FMV, they may have had a shot; maybe.
No I even believe had the Mega Drive was built like the Neptune....man Nintendo would've been in bigger trouble. Those first generation games like the super scaler games would've blown all of us away!
@@frankiev-tech4630 Agreed... super scaler games would have been a big advantage for Sega. Originally, when Sega of Japan was designing the VDP for the Mega Drive / Genesis, they were planning on having sprite scaling and rotation built into the VDP chip. However, as work on the VDP progressed, the designer said that the VDP chip was getting too big, and thus too expensive, so they had to cut those features out. However, to prepare for the rumored next Nintendo console, the VRAM was doubled to 64KB to hedge their bets. I still believe the main hardware disadvantage of Sega's 16-bit consoles was the color pallete and colors on-screen. The Mega/Sega CD should have fixed that... but it didn't. Therefore, kids back then couldn't say the expensive Mega/Sega CD had better graphics... thus many CD games had cartridge equivalents whose graphics were basically indistinguishable from the CD version (albeit, without rotation/scaling, FMV and CD music). I actually owned a Mega CD in America a full year before the Sega CD came out.
@@CharlesHepburn2 Yeah that to me was actually the biggest draw back on the Genesis. That washed down color palette. I could've dealt with the sound department on those gruff voice samples lol! But yeah when you look at those graphics like Golden Axe or Altered Beast and compare it to the arcade...man it's a lot different. I used to try to adjust my TV settings to perfection to atleast get close to it lol! Yeah that 32,000 color palette would've been awesome! I can say Final Fight CD was not bad, but compared to the SNES...yeah!
@@frankiev-tech4630 Agreed, again! Even the Sega Game Gear had 4,096 colors.... 8x more than the Genesis. To be fair... Altered Beast did look better than the arcade when it came to scrolling backgrounds / parallax scrolling.
@@CharlesHepburn2 oh yeah that's true...they got that one beat! But I'll give you something to try. Have both one browser with the Arcade Altered Beast, and one with the Genesis. When you get to the first boss pause then both right at that smoke transformation. Watch the difference!
The funny thing is, if Sega decided to release the Sega Neptune now as a retro console that can play Genesis and 32X game cartridges (as well as having some games built in) it probably would sell pretty well.
Only a flash storage could have kept up with the development of consoles. We could be playing on PS5 cartridges right now
Nepu!?
I have 2 3DOs, and my dad has one too... None of them actually work... So I recently got a Raspberry Pi 4, and set it up with lr-opera, an ARM port of 4DO, to run as a 3DO emulator box.
I wish someone would have taken a picture of the internal.
Makes me want to design a neptune PCB in easy EDA.
Crazy to think that this one supposed to be a standalone Sega 32X,but scrapped it and turned it into one the worst add-ons of the Genesis/Mega Drive.
I've seen a man build a Neptune on CZcams over at @PunknDisorderlyGamer
He's recently updated it too
I had a genesis but it didn't look like the one you're showing. It looked like the Neptune but without the 32x symbol on it. It just had the Sega symbol on it
Sega's smarter move would have been to forgo the CD and 32X and just release the Neptune in its stead, and delayed the Saturn to work out some more hardware issues.
Im gonna need that cammy in the thumbnail
Nice thumbnail
SEGA Neptune Mini
*mic drop*
Just sayin’ SEGA. Money to be made.
Sega need to release trio mini console (genesis, sega cd and 32x).
Recently released documents have shown that SEGA was only paying $232 to land a Saturn at that point, and the Neptune CD could've been made for about $140. Cobsidering the 10 game attachment rate for each console sold, they could lose $30 per console, so the Neptune CD could've retailed for as low as $99 by Fall of 1996 and still netted a pretty penny for the troubled game maker.
Too bad that they didn't listen to us!
America: It's called GENESIS!!!
Rest of the World: It's called a MEGA DRIVE!!!
Sega: At least I am remembered
You mean the USA, after all "America" is a continent where in many countries the Sega Genesis was also called "Mega Drive".
@@tedgregersenvalasko2375 considering how pathetic your English is, you obviously have no idea what America is
Ah now to find Uranus .... From Sega
I wished Sega would have delayed the Saturn to simplify and improve the Saturn's 3d performance. Canceled the 32X and only released the Neptune. Maybe just maybe release a CD add-on to complete with PS1 until the release of the Saturn/Dreamcast hybrid. Or just add the CD to Neptune's original hardware.
Was there ever a Sega Uranus
Definitely wishful thinking but I wish Sega would release this today!!! It would be a hell of a console for kids and lovers of retro styled games.
That thumbnail
I have one of these
If it also hooked to sega cd, even better.
Sera could definitely come back. The switch uses cartridges. So…. Fix the chips and give us that old thing back
I remember when they announced this. Then I ain't hear nothing else about it lol...
Yo TopHat, do you think you will ever do a video on the Sega Channel?
a shame they don't have a clone console that could do that now......
Yeah.....
There's a guy on CZcams that actually made a Neptune. Circuit boards and all. Look it up.
Didn’t the Sega CDX also incorporate the CD & 32X as well?
The price drop of Saturn turned me off and I never bought one. Thought it was a failed system a year after it retailed.
It's impossible to use a 32X with modern displays, because of how it works as a passthrough device. My AV setup does not support analog audio or video signals of any kind, thus if I want to play 32X games emulation is the only way it's possible. Even the FPGA consoles don't support 32X games.
Why was backwards compatibility never considered? I would have bought that 32x or have the Saturn play genesis games.
Sega of Japan didn’t care for Sega of America 32x contraption when Japan had biggest plans
This should of came out first before the 32x and then built all in one megadrive/CD/32x machine much early on with tons of epic jrpgs and good anima style snatcher type games would have been wonderful. I wished for the same thing with the PC Engine supergrafix/arcadecard/CD combo. Imagine the possibilities.
The 32x combo would have been better than the Saturn
I really wanted the Neptune. I loved my Mega Drive II, Mega CD II and Mega Drive 32X,but I preferred the look of vanilla Mega Drive II. Neptune was gojng to be basically that amped to 11. Still love the look and my hope is, that maybe they will give it life at least as a mini console one day. I dreamed of replacing my Mega Drive II and Mega Drive 32X with the Neptune. I knew Saturn was better, but Mega Drive was what I could afford, I already had the console. When I could afford a Saturn, many years later, I bought a Playstation lol it felt like betrayal to Sega and until today I feel like something is missing, because I skipped Saturn and Dreamcast. Back then I could only afford to get one new console at a time.
My second hope, maybe Analogue makes a new Mega Sg with 32X support that looks like a Neptune ^^ fuck, I still crave for a Neptune like 1996.
Fall of ‘94 - release Sega Genesis 32X ‘Neptune’ for $199 w/ Super Sonic Collection, Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Mortal Kombat Collection. Ports of Street Fighter Alpha / Alpha 2 in 1995/96.
1995 - delay Saturn launch in America keep Saturn Japan only.
1996 - release SH3/ Nvidia NV2 or M2 based Saturn 2 as U.S. Saturn for $299, reduce Neptune price to $99 to compete against PlayStation on a two-tier strategy.
2000 - release Dreamcast as a DVD based system against PS2.
200? - sell Sega to Microsoft
Notes: if Sega had invested in Nvidia at the time they were experimenting w/ NV2A it would be worth billions today.
Sega Neptune technology (68K, VDP, + SH2) can be licensed and released today as a retro console. Not only for official 32-bit ports but open the system to homebrew development.
Do you wear the tophat wrong ironically or...?
I actually have one
I'm pretty sure this was the point where SEGA made it's first big mistake which lead to it's ultimate downfall. The Saturn was rushed in response to the PlayStation, and ultimately it ended up being an awful system. If they had put out the Neptune and waited to see how well Sony were going to do, like Nintendo did with the N64, they might still be in the home console market. As a result were got an awful machine which forced many people to ditch SEGA and move to Sony. By the time the Dreamcast came out, people were already waiting for PS2, and while the DC is a masterpiece, the damage to the player base was done. With the addition that hackers soon cracked the copy protection on the DC, it again shows they rushed a product to market to out do Sony and messed up. Some real bad decision making at SEGA during that era for sure.
IIRC, according to a Guru Larry video, that Datel, the makers of Action Replay, when making the Demo Disc version accidentally made it so it bypassed every check of the Dreamcast, Region, Piracy, the whole thing.
@@pyrotempestwing it was because SEGA forgot to implement MIL-CD authenticity checks, and would boot them without question. Because the DC used GD-ROM discs for the games, they only thought to protect against GD-R discs. While GD-ROM discs can hold 1gb of date, most DC games were under 700mb in size, and easily fit onto a CD-R which could. MIL-CD was just a regular audio CD with added content that could be unlocked exclusively on a DC. It was a major oversight.
assuming the "according to the source" is accurate
rumour alert
This one was especially clickbaity...i knew it was going to be the museum piece all along but i watched anyway hoping to be proven wrong
NEP NEP
The PS1 was simply elegantly designed, without any needless hardware inside, while the Saturn was just chock full of needless chips & was just badly designed from the jump. It's no surprise that even with far less going in under the hood that the PS1 performed even better when it came to 3D games and was still VERY respectable for 2D games as well. The Saturn's only real claim to fame was being ever so slightly better with 2D & that's about it.
Show me the PS1 game running at the same resolution as Virtua Fighter 2?
And that was a relatively early title, released before Tekken 2's crystaline characters made an appearance. You're rating the PS1 based on what it could do by the end of its life, and how easy it was for third parties to tap into that power.
Not by the true power of each platform.
Programmable friendly and more flexible hardware than the saturn. With 1st party and right 3rd partydevelopers, the saturn hardware is can do more than the PS1.
Sega big mistake saturn is the vdp1 and its ram/framebuffer. Ram is not unified and the framebuffer is unadjustable like the ps1. Plus, vdp1 lacks hardware full transperiacies/alpha blending. To make matters worst, it uses warped quads for sprites and polygons. Lacks 4 point Rectangle sprites and Triangle support for polygons.
@@maroon9273
Refusing to give third parties development tools that could access the system's full resources was an issue too. Plus poor documentation.
Finding out what the VR Racing team had to go through, just to get their hands on a bad debugger?
This kind of nonsense was why the Sega CD was underutilized, and the Sega of the 90's deserved to fail.
@@juststatedtheobvious9633 sega mismanagement 101 as example of how the company tarnished the saturn and the sega cd. Which led to the 32x creation and neptune project. Ultimately to its demise as a hardware maker.
I think Sega was right to cancel the console. It would have been nice if the 32x was a standalone system, and might have been more successful moving into the next generation. Sega's innovation was great, but it was only getting the better of them as they kept propping up the popular Genesis with expensive addons rather than just planning and investing in the next big system to compete. They knew they had something great. But, with so many heads, indecisiveness became a major problem for them at a critical point. When Sony stepped in, it marked the beginning of the end.
Rumour has it that there's a Sega Pluto that has yet to be unearthed
What no gate keeper's.......
wait for it
_You didn't have to put that in the thumbnail._
Should have named a console the sega incompetence
whats with the thumbnail
Cammy in a skimpy bikini...nice click bait, Guv'nor! 😉