Why has the Saturn been forgotten among modern gamers?

[brukner1129]

The Sega Saturn is probably my favorite console of all time, but yet none of my friends had ever heard of one prior to seeing me buy a few games for it from a local retro games store. This shocked me so much that I started asking around my school and a few online communities, and I simply can't believe the number of people that have either never heard of it or dismiss it as a bad console simply because it's lesser known!

I am curious as to why this 2D powerhouse has faded into obscurity among modern gamers who practically worship the N64 and PSX (aside from the obvious "total commercial failure" argument, of course).

[RyaNtheSlayA]

You can't really ignore the commercial situation it was in, since that's really the primary reason. It sold extremely poorly in the United States and with Sega bailing out of the hardware business there isn't much to remind us of them other than the occasional game they churn out still.

[AppleQueso]

I am curious as to why this 2D powerhouse has faded into obscurity among modern gamers who practically worship the N64 and PSX (aside from the obvious "total commercial failure" argument, of course).

I'm not sure what other argument you'd expect. Most people in its era simply didn't own a Saturn. I met exactly one person back then who had a Sega Saturn, I think we played Virtua Fighter on it for a bit.

I'm sure if you asked around about the TurboGrafx-16, you'd get similar answers for similar reasons.

[brukner1129]

I'm sure if you asked around about the TurboGrafx-16, you'd get similar answers for similar reasons.

Actually, I've had several friends who had saturns (at least six that I can remember, possibly more though). Also about four that have TurboGrafx's, with most of my friends having either played or heard of it. I also understand that the saturn's commercial situation can't be ignored, but the same could be said of the Nintendo Virtual Boy (which is still well-known) or the Sega Master System (which, while it wasn't a commercial failure, was still powerfully overshadowed by the NES). These are just examples, not exact copies of the situation, but the Virtual Boy was a total bomb, and the Master System's memory is dismal compared to that of the NES. I'm just saying, even among a lot of Sega fans (not the hardcore crowd so much as the casual fandom), the Saturn is forgotten, even though, at least in my opinion, it had a great library of games (especially for its short lifespan) and should be more prominent in gaming history than it is.

[BoneSnapDeez]

It's fading into obscurity because the vast majority of great games are rare and expensive as shit.

[AppleQueso]

I don't know of a lot of gamers who have much experience with the Master System either, and the Virtual Boy is pretty much only notable for being Nintendo's one really big commercial flop.

Saturn is indeed a fantastic console though, no disagreeing there.

[brukner1129]

It's fading into obscurity because the vast majority of great games are rare and expensive as shit.

Painfully true. (Panzer Dragoon Saga = $190 disc only?)

[AppleQueso]

It's fading into obscurity because the vast majority of great games are rare and expensive as shit.

Painfully true. (Panzer Dragoon Saga = $190 disc only?)

PDS is a pretty extreme example, but I can think of a lot of games that are in the $75-100 range CIB so it's probably moot.

I love those longbox cases though so I think it's worth it.

[Valkyrie-Favor]

Old games and 2D games aren't of much interest to most modern gamers. Besides that, a lot of people didn't know about it when it was current! It's no mystery, really.

[SteveyMajors]

I am curious as to why this 2D powerhouse has faded into obscurity among modern gamers who practically worship the N64 and PSX (aside from the obvious "total commercial failure" argument, of course).

Well, people are idiots, Brukner.

But seriously, to echo what everyone else seems to be saying, it never made much of a dent in American consciousness like its competitors did. I knew two families who owned a Saturn during its lifetime. Everyone else had the PS1 or N64.

I think more people remember the Virtual Boy because it was a much more spectacular failure than the Saturn. If consumers ignored the Saturn, they avoided the Virtual Boy.