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

[GSZX1337]

Yes, Sega is still making prototype (arcade) hardware, but not console form yet.

On the home hardware front, once again it makes no sense for Sega to go through all the dramas of the home console hardware market, and in the process destroy 3/4 of their sales by pissing off the three major console platform makers.

It's some pretty simple corporate economics in action. I certainly love SEGA (my first home game system was the SEGA SC-3000H, and I've owned everything they've made since), but I'm not going to let the fanboy inside me overtake common sense.

Hey, business is business. Nintendo dropped the merger with Sony to design the cd add-on for the SNES that eventually became the PlayStation. Sony then went on to finalize the product and sold it at a major profit and started a whole new gaming franchise. You really think Sony gives a rat's ass if it pissed Nintendo or anyone else off?

In that scenario, Nintendo fucked Sonyover and they had to put the console out to recoup their costs. If Sega pisses of Ninty, Sony, and MS, they'd lose sales.

[Weekend_Warrior]

If Sega pisses of Ninty, Sony, and MS, they'd lose sales.

Only if their new venture were to fail considerably.

[GSZX1337]

If Sega pisses of Ninty, Sony, and MS, they'd lose sales.

Only if their new venture were to fail considerably.

Which it probably would unless Sega has a big rabbit under their hat.

[Weekend_Warrior]

If Sega pisses of Ninty, Sony, and MS, they'd lose sales.

Only if their new venture were to fail considerably.

Which it probably would unless Sega has a big rabbit under their hat.

All it would take is a few great exclusives and some quality third-party support, my good man

[GSZX1337]

Only if their new venture were to fail considerably.

Which it probably would unless Sega has a big rabbit under their hat.

All it would take is a few great exclusives and some quality third-party support, my good man

Easier said than done, unfortunately. The migration from third-party developer to console manufacturer could cause the death of the company.

[Weekend_Warrior]

Easier said than done, unfortunately. The migration from third-party developer to console manufacturer could cause the death of the company.

or it could create a lot of jobs? Back in February, Sega Sammy announced that they would be cutting 560+ jobs, or 18 percent of their workforce. I'm sure they'd all like their jobs back

Obviously, Sega Sammy has been hurting. Why not just go for it? Surely they couldn't screw a console up any worse than Microsoft did with the 360, a system that has been riddled with technical troubles since its launch

[Weekend_Warrior]

For anyone else who's actually interested in this topic, I just discovered a LONG, 22-page discussion on this over at Dreamcast-Talk.com.

Here: http://dreamcast-talk.com/forum/viewtop ... =11&t=1185

[the7k]

Hey, business is business. Nintendo dropped the merger with Sony to design the cd add-on for the SNES that eventually became the PlayStation. Sony then went on to finalize the product and sold it at a major profit and started a whole new gaming franchise. You really think Sony gives a rat's ass if it pissed Nintendo or anyone else off?

Business is business, everyone's in it to make money.

Here's how it actually went down: Nintendo wanted to make a CD-ROM based system. They went to Sony and drew up a contract for a system called the SNES-CD. Right as they were about to announce it...

The SNES-CD was to be announced at the May 1991 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). However, when Hiroshi Yamauchi read the original 1988 contract between Sony and Nintendo, he realized that the earlier agreement essentially handed Sony complete control over any and all titles written on the SNES CD-ROM format. Yamauchi decided that the contract was totally unacceptable and he secretly canceled all plans for the joint Nintendo-Sony SNES CD attachment. Instead of announcing a partnership between Sony and Nintendo, at 9 a.m. the day of the CES, Nintendo chairman Howard Lincoln stepped onto the stage and revealed that Nintendo was now allied with Philips, and Nintendo was planning on abandoning all the previous work Nintendo and Sony had accomplished. Lincoln and Minoru Arakawa had, unbeknownst to Sony, flown to Philips headquarters in Europe and formed an alliance of a decidedly different nature—one that would give Nintendo total control over its licenses on Philips machines.

...yeah - who sounds like the dick in that situation?

Anyway, on to Sega re-entering the hardware business... No. Not going to happen, and if it happens, they'll be digging themselves a grave.

Remember, Sega isn't Sega anymore anyway. Sega is Sammy. And fuck Sammy.

[Weekend_Warrior]

Anyway, on to Sega re-entering the hardware business... No. Not going to happen, and if it happens, they'll be digging themselves a grave.

..and you know this, because.. um, why again?

Do you remember how many gamers and so-called experts said that Microsoft were making a big mistake by entering into the home game market and competing against Sony and Nintendo?

Yeah, that's right. It was a hell of a lot

But Sega aren't Microsoft. They've already been there and learned all their mistakes. They may not have the money to compete on the same playing field as Sony or Microsoft (technically speaking), but one thing is for sure.. they could very well compete against Nintendo, who if I need to remind you are the current leaders in the present generation of consoles.

If Sega could develop an affordable HD console that promises next-gen graphics, a new intuitive control system, and is very easy to develop games for. I can GUARANTEE you that it would have strong third-party support and could compete against Nintendo's next system (whatever it might be). People just need to create the demand for it

[the7k]

Do you remember how many gamers and so-called experts said that Microsoft were making a big mistake by entering into the home game market and competing against Sony and Nintendo?

Microsoft had - and still has - enough money to buy God. They spent a good chunk of their time buying developer support, or just flat out buying developers. (Rare, Bungie) And even that couldn't get them first place.

But Sega aren't Microsoft. They've already been there and learned all their mistakes.

Have they? If anything, they've learned new mistakes. Aside from Capcom, I can't think of any other company out there that ignores so many of their quality franchises so that they can focus on releasing the same franchises over and over again, each one worse than the last.

They may not have the money to compete on the same playing field as Sony or Microsoft (technically speaking), but one thing is for sure.. they could very well compete against Nintendo, who if I need to remind you are the current leaders in the present generation of consoles.

Nintendo is in their current position because they've convinced a whole load of people who don't even play video games that they need a Wii as much as they need an iPod and an iPhone. Sega can't even convince long time Sonic fans to buy their newest bastardization of the franchise.

If Sega could develop an affordable HD console that promises next-gen graphics, a new intuitive control system, and is very easy to develop games for. I can GUARANTEE you that it would have strong third-party support and could compete against Nintendo's next system (whatever it might be).

Not only are you asking for a miracle, but many third-parties would not be willing to support yet another console. EA and Sega already have bad blood, and Activision has already been threatening to pull support from Sony - why would they stick around with Sega? Without those two, Sega would be screwed.

You want third-party support, you have to have a large audience. You want a large audience, you are going to have to have killer advertising. How many ads did you see for Yakuza 2? How many ads did you see for Valkyria Chronicles? Even the games that they did advertise the hell out of, like MadWorld and HOTD:Overkill, sold like led zeppelins.

Even if Sega was pumping out classics like they did on the Saturn and Dreamcast, they'd still be no match - Sega Sammy doesn't stand a chance.