Game Sack - The Sega Saturn

[Redifer]

We made a video focusing entirely on the mighty Sega Saturn!



A truly underrated console that needs more love.

[flojocabron]

saw it earlier this morning!

Awesome work as usual.

I really need to get a JP saturn. Or mod A US one.

[noiseredux]

Yes! Joe, awesome!

As a recent Saturn convert, I loved this episode.

And, a few thoughts/questions/comments...



Is that MPEG add-on compatible with US consoles?

The Saturn pad (2nd version) IS the best controller. Period. I love that thing. Perfect for fighting games, shmups and well any 2D games in general.

Can you use a cart-loader to load an import and then swap in the RAM expansion cart if required?

You have an S-Video cable for your Saturn don't you? The video looks so good.

Does Fighters Megamix use a RAM cart? I could have swore Axel's level had slow-down, but none noticeable on your video.

[flojocabron]

Is that MPEG add-on compatible with US consoles?

I never knew the add-on wasn't available for the US.

Doesn't stop me from checking every saturn I come across.

maybe I'll get lucky.

I have yet to see a Ram expansion cart in the wild.

[Hobie-wan]

Dynamite Cop on the Dreamcast is a sequel to Die Hard Arcade. The games are Dynamite Deka 1 and 2 in Japan. So Joe can get his upgraded experience there.

Can you use a cart-loader to load an import and then swap in the RAM expansion cart if required?

No, yanking a cart out while it is on is bad. It would be like yanking a cart out of an 8 or 16 bit system, not like a PS1 memory card.

[noiseredux]

No, yanking a cart out while it is on is bad. It would be like yanking a cart out of an 8 or 16 bit system, not like a PS1 memory card.

good to know. I use the import-cart method right now, so I should probably consult a list of which imports will require the RAM cart therefore being unplayable with my setup.

[Hobie-wan]

good to know. I use the import-cart method right now, so I should probably consult a list of which imports will require the RAM cart therefore being unplayable with my setup.

That's the advantage of the AR cart. Yes you can't directly save to it, but it will pet you play imports and provides the 1 or 4 meg ram as needed.

[Redifer]

Is that MPEG add-on compatible with US consoles?

Only if you modify the region and set it to JP mode. I don't know if it will work with a region-modifying cart, I guess I could try setting my Saturn to US mode and putting in a Japanese MPEG game and see if it plays with a region bypass cart. But in order to play Video CDs and Photo CDs I believe you have to region modify the Saturn as you do that from the Saturn's main BIOS/CD player screen thingy.

You have an S-Video cable for your Saturn don't you? The video looks so good.

Yes. But it's starting to wear out. If it's not bent at a certain way, the audio starts to buzz and the picture goes away. So I need a new set. The first set I had also lasted 8 years or so. Now these have lasted about 8 years. Saturn S-video cables are extremely fragile it seems.

[Majors]

The Saturn pad (2nd version) IS the best controller. Period.

Son speaks truth.

Saturn is only 2nd to Turbo, but I had the most fun doing mods for it. So many top games released on it. PS1 got all the fame, but real gamers know where it was at.

As always, great episode.

[Thierry Henry]

Is that MPEG add-on compatible with US consoles?

That particular video card in the vid (RG-VC2) is also the version I own.
It is compatible with US systems when used in conjunction with something like the Action Replay Cart.
You can play/watch VCD's/Photo CD's just fine this way. Only slight issue with this particular card is when I'm playing a PAL localized VCD- it tends to show green like motion artifacts on the bottom area of the screen. The later models (RG-VC20 and the RG-VC3) don't have this issue.

I also have the PAL version of the MPEG card, and I can confirm that this works fine on a US Saturn as well.


Re one of your other questions,
Yeah the Saturn looks pretty good via S-Video.

Here are a couple quick pics I took,
the top one taken using an S-Video cable, and the other is via SCART RGB to Component.

Now I know most retro folks live and die by their beloved scan-lines, but I didn't have my CRT available for this, so these were taken off of a Sony LCD.
Make of them what you will.