Does Sega Have Secret Plans To Release A New Home Console?

[VincentX]

It's cool.

I do wish Sega the best in everything that they do and I hope Project Needlemouse is awesome (granted anything is better than Sonic 06...well maybe not Sonic R).

[Xonticus]

I always have Sega in my heart, and I always wish for a new Sega Console... I still remember the joy I had opening every Sega Console I own... I just wish I eventually do it again.

Doubtful, but it is still a possibility.

[enderfall]

Do these have anything to do with the upcoming release of new Arcade cabinets? I read somewhere else that Sega is developing new hardware for Arcade cabinets...

[Dakinggamer87]

That would be cool!! I really just want Shenmue 3 from SEGA!!

[MrPopo]

However making a system costs A LOT of money now and Sega was the last company to try and make a profit off of their console and unfortunately it didn't work.

Um.. how about the Nintendo Wii? You don't think they've made incredible profits off their new control system?

Forgot about the Wii. Though the Wii is the first console that can turn a profit on hardware sales alone since the Dreamcast. Though to be fare the Wii is using older and cheaper tech than the 360 and PS3.

The Gamecube made a profit out the door per console. I wouldn't be shocked to find out that the previous Nintendo consoles did as well. Nintendo has never been about having the bleeding edge tech. The NES and Gameboy were designed with less advanced parts so they could be sold at a competitive price (and in the Gameboy's case have good battery life). The Nintendo philosophy emphasizes the games, not the hardware.

[fingersmaloy]

I doubt Sega could get back into the console business with just a cult following, even a very strong one, but they have been climbing back up that ladder with titles like Bayonetta knocking everyone's socks off.

P.S. Bayonetta is fun.

[Weekend_Warrior]

The Dreamcast was released in the US on 9/9/99...

does anybody wanna put some money down on 10/10/10?

[Betamax001]

Perhaps 11/11/11 or 12/12/12. Let's give time for this current generation to die first : )

I mean we dont want the PS4 to do what the PS2 did to the the Dreamcast to this rumoured new system. Maybe Sega if they do make a new system, should come out with the new system after the PS4 with some kind of awesome feature that the PS4 dosent have or something. As sort of "Revenge" of sorts for the DC.

[elvis]

Sega aren't going to make any new home console hardware. Here's why:

1) They'd have to hire a huge amount of hardware designers, and put a lot of cash towards R&D. Given the current state of the world (financially speaking), it's not going to happen soon. Sega got rid of most of their hardware guys a long time ago, and it's clear they'd have to spend big to get those skills back in house again. Particularly with home consoles, there's all sorts of drama around building hardware that's fast, reliable and has copy protection. All of those things are a pain in the arse to deal with (particularly financially). Given that Sony and Microsoft are struggling to break even on hardware, why the hell would Sega want to do the same?

2) If they did make their own hardware, they go back to releasing titles exclusively for their console. That means fighting Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft all over again - companies they've worked hard to build a professional relationship with on a software level.

Add 1 and 2 together, and Sega would be losing money on a console, and losing money on software sales as they are forced to pull their games of three existing platforms, all of which are making them money.

Plain and simple: if I was on the board of directors for Sega, there's no way in hell I'd even consider going back to hardware sales.

Do these have anything to do with the upcoming release of new Arcade cabinets? I read somewhere else that Sega is developing new hardware for Arcade cabinets...

Arcade systems are totally different. In the last 5 years Sega have pushed out PC-based hardware running Linux, with copy protection handled by RSA-token style dongles. From an R&D point of view, this is utterly trivial to do (I've done this myself, and I'm certainly no hardware guru).

Add to that the fact that development on Linux costs you nothing ($0 compilers, $0 graphics/sound/input libraries), and "custom arcade hardware" isn't nearly as impressive as it sounds.

Don't confuse this with Sega wanting to get into the home console market. Sega are clearly looking at commodity hardware (including other people's consoles, as well as the Internet and flash) as a platform for their games, old and new. They certainly won't return to dedicated hardware any time soon, as there's no economic sense to it.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

It's not likely at all that we'll see a Sega console anytime soon or at all.

If they ever do you can be damn sure I'll jump right on it. Sega's given me some of the most imaginative, fun games and experiences I've ever seen so I'll stand behind them 100% on any hardware they release.