Most UNDER-RATED Console of all time...

[marurun]

The Saturn was one of the most underrated console in the US, right there with the TurboGrafx-16. The Japanese counterparts of both were quite popular and well-regarded. On the other hand, the Genesis/Mega Drive, well loved in the US and Europe, the system that made Sega's fortunes, was very under-rated in Japan, selling quite poorly compared to the SFC and PCE.

The Dreamcast, however, was a system that was underrated all around. Japanese gamers didn't accept it and, while the US did embrace it, it wasn't enough to counter Sony's FUD about the PS2 and lagging Japanese sales.

[artphotodude]

A popular system can't be underrated, by definition.

ooh, that's tricky - just because something is popular does not imply that it is held in high regard. Take High School Musical 3, it is hugely popular (as in high box office numbers), but critically panned (57/100 on metacritic). The Saturn appears to have been the opposite of High School Musical 3.

Ummm...so you think the people who love High School Musical 3 don't have valid opinions? As you say, it is hugely popular, meaning those people hold it in high regard. Everybody counts, not just critics.

Calling it the most underrated console of all time is a huge stretch of the imagination. Certainly it is not as hyped as the SNES or PS2, but there are more underrated systems. The Saturn was well-liked and sold well in Japan. It continues to be a well-regarded system by those who understand and play games.

Your point is well taken, but the Saturn has been considered by many in the business world to be the largest failure in the history of Videogaming, and even with the success in Japan, it still cost Sega the better part of 300 million dollars and the layoff of about a third of their workforce by the time the dust had settled - Hardly things that get you into Forbes. Further, it (along with the 32X and Sega CD) cut the Dreamcast off at the knees before it was even born.

The original post was merely designed to reflect the other side of this scenerio. Very few people even know that it was capable of VCD playback (with an adaptor), web browsing/online play/direct-dial play (with the SegaNet module) and that it was the first console to offer Progressive Scan (with the edtv cable). When these types of innovation are not exploited commercially, there is a problem somewhere on the business side.

I agree that the Saturn is an awesome underrated system to check out. It's library is filled with cool games of many different genres, many of which have never been ported elsewhere (or if they have it's only in Japan.) Nights into Dreams, Shining Force III, Dragon Force, and Die Hard Arcade are just a few of the titles that rock.

When I think of underrated gaming machines, though, I think of the Virtual Boy. The thing hardly lasted six months, but it's really weird and cool. The games are pretty fun, the bloodred display screen is crystal clear and SHARP, and you connect the thing to your FACE. How cool is that?

The VB is also a very good contender for Most Under-Rated. It was the first machine I ever bought! Still play Wario and Nestor's FB about once a month!

[Scooter]

I'd say that Sony was more responsibile for the lack of success of the Dreamcast than was Sega. Sony at that point had built an incredible marketing machine and had a bottomless pit of money to run that machine. Regardless of past performance, Sega produced an absolutely killer machine yet it was almost entirely overshadowed (at first) by the mere CONCEPT of the upcoming PS2 and then was overshadowed by the PS2 itself when it finally arrived.

Sega's own fatal flaw in the Dreamcast era was hiring Bernie Stolar who, consequently, among his many utterly stupid moves, chose to prematurely kill the Saturn. He intended the move to support the Dreamcast with the full force of the company, but ultimately hurt the Dreamcast quite a lot and in face of the competition being brought to the table by Sony Sega couldn't then hope to compete at that point.

My vote for the most underrated console would go to the Nomad. How could a console with all the power and love of the Genesis now made into a handheld version with what at the time was a pretty decent screen fail? Well, price and horrendous battery use didn't help, but the console itself is wonderful, generally as wonderful as the Genesis itself yet is much more portable. If you can't stand to watch that little screen, you could also hook it up to a TV and use it as if it was a normal console. Best of both worlds.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

oh boy you do fit in w/ the rest of paragraph writing Sega fiends here. I do agree w/ you though, no matter how many consoles ive bought, sold, bought again etc; the one that has always stayed w/ me is the Saturn. Its truly an amazing piece of hardware for its time. Sure it was held in high regard in Japan but you have to consider how much Sega payed to stay in the game. And in response to an earlier post.

Stolars an ass-hat. He killed Sega, thus he should be killed.

[weasels]

oh god for me its gotta be the saturn. the machine has tons of posiblities if the american market let it go a little longer like japan did you would have one seriously awesome machine. the saturn, like the dreamcast, was ahead of its time.... actually more so than the dreamcast. where at least the developers got a quick hang of how the dreamcast worked the saturn was almost extreamly hard to figure out. so even though i think the dreamcast deserves more love (mainly cause its my favorite system) when i get down to it.......the saturn is the most under-rated console.

[artphotodude]

Oh, the original poster's systems are:

SNES,
N64,
Virtual Boy,
Saturn,
Dreamcast,
Playstation,
PS2,
iMac OS8.6 (there were a FEW great games on it ;0),
G4 Mac OSX,
XBox 360.

[lordofduct]

oh boy you do fit in w/ the rest of paragraph writing Sega fiends here.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

What is with that too?


I can't agree the Sega Saturn or any of Sega's systems to be the "most under-rated console". They were popular and hold a severely strong cult following after every consoles death. The NES uprage going on right now is hardly cult as it always performed well in the market... but the Sega retro which has been going on ever since every console died off is consistent. This shows a lot of popularity for the consoles.

But I will say Sega is probably the most underrated company to make hardware who repeatedly had their consoles thrown to the back shelf from release to release. May it of been their own marketing folly, or some other business crushing them with rhetoric and nonsense. Either way it happened and my God is that one long track record of amazing console after amazing console falling out of the lime light far earlier then they should have.

[GagaMan]

I much as i love the Sega Saturn I don't think it's under or over rated, I actually think it's pretty much got the respect it deserves from the long time gamers who now mostly see it for a great console even if they didn't buy one back in the day. I do think Sega in general nowadays is pretty under ated though, as all too many forget just how much they've given the industry in the past, whereas everyone goes on and on about Nintendo, as great as they were and are, and slags off Sega when they were both awesome.

[RemyC]

I much as i love the Sega Saturn I don't think it's under or over rated, I actually think it's pretty much got the respect it deserves from the long time gamers who now mostly see it for a great console even if they didn't buy one back in the day. I do think Sega in general nowadays is pretty under ated though, as all too many forget just how much they've given the industry in the past, whereas everyone goes on and on about Nintendo, as great as they were and are, and slags off Sega when they were both awesome.

Sega WAS great in the past. That doesnt mean what theyre up to NOW is good. It seems that Virtua Fighter is all that has kept its glory.
Sonic appears to be dragging his ragged shoes and dusty self back up hill...very gradually. If Sega were TRULY great...they never would have let the sonic games fall apart EVER.
People have a right to slag when it comes to Sega. Nintendo has always had everything under control. They've never slipped up, and have always delivered.

[artphotodude]

I much as i love the Sega Saturn I don't think it's under or over rated, I actually think it's pretty much got the respect it deserves from the long time gamers who now mostly see it for a great console even if they didn't buy one back in the day. I do think Sega in general nowadays is pretty under ated though, as all too many forget just how much they've given the industry in the past, whereas everyone goes on and on about Nintendo, as great as they were and are, and slags off Sega when they were both awesome.

Sega WAS great in the past. That doesnt mean what theyre up to NOW is good. It seems that Virtua Fighter is all that has kept its glory.
Sonic appears to be dragging his ragged shoes and dusty self back up hill...very gradually. If Sega were TRULY great...they never would have let the sonic games fall apart EVER.
People have a right to slag when it comes to Sega. Nintendo has always had everything under control. They've never slipped up, and have always delivered.

I hate to say it but this is pretty much right on. I think if how cutting edge Sega used to be (particularily with the Dreamcast), and how they seem to be pretty much just playing it safe. Remember how great the first Virtua Tennis was for the DC or Seaman, "Samba de Amigo" and others. They appear pretty much unwilling to take any chances these days. Too Bad.