SEGA Saturn

The Sega Saturn is a fifth-generation console developed and sold by Sega. It was released on 22 November 1994 in Japan, 11 May 1995 in North America and 8 July 1995 in Europe. It is the successor to the Sega Genesis.

The North American launch was a surprise that caught many retailers off guard, as only a few had been told about it. As a result, some retailers refused to stock Sega’s products. The Saturn used a dual-CPU design with eight processors in total, and its games came on CD-ROM.

Much of the Saturn’s library consists of arcade ports, including Daytona USA, Last Bronx and Die Hard Arcade. By 1998 it had more games than its rival, the Nintendo 64. The Saturn sold well in Japan but struggled in North America: it launched there four months before the PlayStation, but sales were shaky, and the arrival of the Nintendo 64 in 1996 made matters worse. Sega discontinued the Saturn in 1998, after it had sold only about 9.5 million units worldwide, and it is considered a commercial failure.

The Saturn’s failure, during a decline in the industry, put Sega under heavy financial strain and led to departures within the company. When the system was discontinued, the Western market went without new Sega games for over a year.