The 32X Appreciation Thread

[flamepanther]

I never understood the 32X. It was basically trying to display games on the Genesis at 32bit?

You know how a PC needs a 3D graphics card in order to do state of the art 3D graphics? 32X was like a 3D graphics card for your Sega Genesis. Pretty cool idea, IMO, but it turned out to be impractical.

How did the Sega CD 32X work? Was that also an add on to the unit like the carts? How was Night Trap for it? I was always interested in picking one up but I was never sure if it was worth it or not. I would also have to see how much they go for as well.

If you have a Sega CD and a 32X connected at once, that's a Sega CD 32X. That's all it is. FMV games that used it were able to display more colors, so they looked less grainy and dingy than their regular Sega CD counterparts.

[Evildeadmanwalking77]

I never understood the 32X. It was basically trying to display games on the Genesis at 32bit?

You know how a PC needs a 3D graphics card in order to do state of the art 3D graphics? 32X was like a 3D graphics card for your Sega Genesis. Pretty cool idea, IMO, but it turned out to be impractical.

How did the Sega CD 32X work? Was that also an add on to the unit like the carts? How was Night Trap for it? I was always interested in picking one up but I was never sure if it was worth it or not. I would also have to see how much they go for as well.

If you have a Sega CD and a 32X connected at once, that's a Sega CD 32X. That's all it is. FMV games that used it were able to display more colors, so they looked less grainy and dingy than their regular Sega CD counterparts.

I see. Thanks. I think I'll check out how much these and the games are going for on ebay.

[Mad_Hatter]

I ended up finding a good deal on a 32x. Got all the extra things with it like the spacer and clips.

Anyway, this is one unique system. It was still a dumb idea imo. Trying to make a cheaper Saturn alternative was not wise. It had potential if it was released 2 years earlier. But that's what makes Sega awesome. They had all these absurd ideas.

I'm really liking this port of MKII on the 32x. I've tried it on emulator before. And I plan on giving Knuckles' Chaotix a good soon.

And one thing I really like about the 32x is the composite video encoder. It's a little sharper and it doesn't have rainbow banding. The colors are a little less vibrate, but you can always make that up on your TV settings.

[Mad_Hatter]

I wonder if the 32x would've been a big success if they just released it in say.... 1992 as an all-in-one enhanced Genesis console and no Sega CD release. Sort of just like an enhanced Genesis that can play all original Genesis titles, like the 3DS/New 3DS.

The biggest advantage of the SNES over the Genesis, imo, was the colors. I like the sound on both systems, even though the SNES technically has better sound. The 32x fixes the color issue.

[nightrnr]

How have I never posted in this topic?
Yes, the 32X was too little, too late. But it was still a neat experiment.

My story starts out as a poor (as in money) late high school student who finally bought a Genesis and cheap used Sega CD. Was having a blast with just those, but a friend and I liked to bargain shop in Pawn Shops and thrift stores. One day (my birthday no less) we came across a 32X in the wild. I think it had a power supply, but that was it. I got it out of curiosity (I think it was $8, but may have been more), along with Doom, Virtua Fighter and MKII, I think (no idea what I paid for those, maybe a fiver each). Got it home and started my path down the road to gaming mad scientist.

How did I get the thing working without a connector cable?
Simple, I bridged the inputs with single wires, matching each connection. Worked pretty well for most games (I think Metal Head glitched out, among a couple others). Possibly the most fun I have ever had playing Doom though (as I didn't have proper access to the PC version back then).

I now have a proper cable (found out in the wild as well, before you could order them from videogame part suppliers). So no messy cable situation these days.

Anyways, I love Sega's odd stepchild.

I really should hook it up again and do proper playthroughs of some of my neglected games in the collection.
In recent history, I have fired up a genesis emulator on Xbox for my fix, but it really only plays like half of the 32X library.

[bryan_65]

I grew up with the 32x. I think my mom even paid full retail price. Mortal Kombat 2 is still one of my favorite games of all time. I remember beating Knuckles Chaotix back in the day and just having a blast with all the games. I spent so many hours playing Star Wars also. Virtua Fighter was unlike any fighter before it and amazing on a cart. What if they kept the developing up and tried VF2. I do still have my original 32x that had a full can of Dr. Pepper spilled into it, lol. I wish they would have kept the games coming. It really did have unrealized potential, plus I just love carts over disc games. The 32x will always hold place in my heart and on my shelf, well in my closet now.

[nightrnr]

These days, I actually have a Genesis dedicated specifically to the 32X... it's just in a box at the moment.
Actually, I do this with a few Genesis systems. One for a Power Base converter (Sega Master system), one for Sega CD, and one just plain old Genesis. I actually have those 3 out and accessible right now.

But there was a special reason for the dedicated 32X:
In my experience, the 32X is very fickle about the Genesis system that it is paired with. My 1st system (which I purchased new and am a sole owner) refused to play Knuckles Chaotix (and I think there were a few other games that had issues or glitches). Anyways, I thought the game was broken until I brought it to a friend's house and it played fine on his system (he owned a 32X for like a month before he decided it wasn't worth his time). Played through Chaotix 2-player and we had a blast.

Anyways, back on my system it just kept freezing at the title screen and no amount of cleaning (cart, Genesis, and 32X system contacts) would help it. I even tried opening the 32X and re-seating the ribbon cable one time, as I heard that can be a thing.

Well, a few thrift store finds and ebay auctions later (over time), and I had spare systems to mess with. One of them in particular (with 32X topper) played every 32X cart I could throw at it. So it wasn't a glitchy 32X attachment that I once suspected.

Currently my 32X collection is sitting at 17 games (13 CIB, 4 loose carts).

[Thierry Henry]

So it wasn't a glitchy 32X attachment that I once suspected.

*raises hand*

In my case the 32X is finicky (to varying degrees) on almost all of my Genesis consoles.
Except for my CDX.
It's the only system where I can 100% predict every 32X game I own will boot up and play.

I have heard to the contrary that chances are it should not be so. That the CDX has peculiarities of its own. In my case though it's the only Genesis related system that I can bank on.

I have to say, though, going by looks when the two are hooked up to each other, they sure do make for odd bedfellows.

[Mad_Hatter]

Yea, the model 2 and 32x were made for each other. Model 1 and a CDX is ugly. I was researching the 32x, and found out Sega had a special 32x spacer for the CDX that you had to specially order from them. I thought that was interesting.

[Thierry Henry]

^^
AFAIK, Sega, for whatever reason, at the time went so far as to claim that the two do not work in conjunction at all.