Six Brands That Have Come Back from the Dead

[gamevet]

I got my Saturn in 1996 and they were already starting to clear out all stock in the stores near me. By 1997 you couldn't rent Saturn games in Blockbuster anymore and most stores had little to nothing left. The same is not true for the N64 and Gamecube. Those systems had decent shelf space their entire life.

What part of the country did you live in?

I remember walking into Electronics boutique in early 1997, and the Saturn still had a section as big as the Playstation. The fall of 1997 was a different story though, where stores like Best Buy were starting to reduce inventory.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

I lived near Chicago Illinois. By the time I moved back to Pennsylvania in 1998 no one I knew even knew what a Saturn was.

[gamevet]

I remember taking my Saturn on a flight. I used a plastic carrying case that I lined with foam to protect the console. I happened to have a Saturn sticker that I placed on the side. I believe it was during the holidays of 96.

While I was checking in my bags curbside, one of the baggage handlers asked if that was a Sega Saturn I was carrying.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

I remember taking my Saturn on a flight. I used a plastic carrying case that I lined with foam to protect the console. I happened to have a Saturn sticker that I placed on the side. I believe it was during the holidays of 96.

While I was checking in my bags curbside, one of the baggage handlers asked if that was a Sega Saturn I was carrying.

And you don't think that has anything to do with the fact you had a Saturn sticker on the case? I remember going to school in 1998 and saying I had a Sega Saturn and people asked "What's that, is it like the Playstation?"

[Da_Shocker]

During the Saturn's lifetime, did anybody ever run up on extremely cheap new games like DN3D for under 5 dollars? I could never find these super dirt cheap games in 97 and 98. 19.99 was about the lowest price new game I could get. I bought NiGHTS w.3D pad for 39.99 at Media Play (I MISS THEM). It was frustrating because Saturnworld would mention these deals and I never found any of them. Shit I don't think I seen any of the Saturn's last releases in stores down here. I did get lucky and was able to buy a used copy of MKR for 29.99 in the summer of 98.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

I remember the cheapest games I found were when EB was liquidating their Saturn stock and had a bargain bin out by the store. Most of it was sports games and early titles like UMK3.

[gamevet]

And you don't think that has anything to do with the fact you had a Saturn sticker on the case?

How is that different than you asking your friends if they knew what a Sega Saturn was?

The sticker on the side of my case was the Sega Saturn emblem. It did not have the words "Sega Saturn" written anywhere. This was a grown man, that noticed it, who was probably a fan of the Genesis and more than likely had an interest in the Saturn. The Saturn was still pretty expensive in 1996, as was the Playstation.

It really hard to judge something based on the hive mentality of a schoolground. It's funny hearing about what people that grew up with the N64 think about that generation. I know that most of my (adult) non-gaming friends probably didn't know what a N64 or Saturn was, but they could relate to Playstation because of Madden.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

I knew more people with Madden on the N64 than on the PS1. And before Madden 64 came out most of them stuck with it on the Genesis.

I love the Saturn just as much as the next Saturn fan, but I won't deny that by 1997 it's store presence in the US was pretty much done. Some specialty stores in Malls still had Saturn stuff but your mainstream stores had nothing. I remember Wal-Mart dropped Saturn stuff before they dropped Genesis and SNES. My blockbuster was still renting NES games when they dropped Saturn games from their shelves. I remember seeing Sonic R and Sonic Jam in stores and wanting them and I later got them for I think my Birthday or Christmas. My brother later told me that they had to drive 3 hours away to numerous different malls just to find 1 copy of each one. The store I had seen them in only had a handful of copies and they sold quickly.

Most people I mention the Saturn to these days think I'm talking about the Dreamcast or even the Sega CD. Even people who were in their teens and twenties around when it was on the market.

And I didn't ask my friends if they knew what a Saturn was. They asked me what system I had and I said it was a Sega Saturn, and I got "What's that?"

[Clessy]

If you name any system other than the Genesis or the Dreamcast no one knows wtf you're talking about. Most people call the genesis the "Sega" and the Dreamcast the Dreamcast.

[kool kitty89]

How is that different than you asking your friends if they knew what a Sega Saturn was?

The sticker on the side of my case was the Sega Saturn emblem. It did not have the words "Sega Saturn" written anywhere. This was a grown man, that noticed it, who was probably a fan of the Genesis and more than likely had an interest in the Saturn. The Saturn was still pretty expensive in 1996, as was the Playstation.

Didn't both drop to $200 at E3 1996 (and forced Nintendo to change the N64's launch price from the planned $250 to match that)?

Not exactly cheap, but around the price of the SNES and Genesis in 1991.

[Clessy]

Didn't both drop to $200 at E3 1996 (and forced Nintendo to change the N64's launch price from the planned $250 to match that)?

Not exactly cheap, but around the price of the SNES and Genesis in 1991.

The Playstation was only $300 when it came out and it was totally worth it. I mean you compare that to the 3do and you're like psh for $300 its like they're giving it away!

[j_factor]

Didn't both drop to $200 at E3 1996 (and forced Nintendo to change the N64's launch price from the planned $250 to match that)?

Yes, they did. Somehow that still felt like a lot of money at the time, IMO.

[gamevet]

I knew more people with Madden on the N64 than on the PS1. And before Madden 64 came out most of them stuck with it on the Genesis.

I'm guessing most of your friends had N64s as well, which pretty much was the demographic I described. It's pretty well known that the Playstation ruled the 18 to 25 demographic.

Most of the early Playstation owners were playing NFL Gameday when Madden 64 came out.

I love the Saturn just as much as the next Saturn fan, but I won't deny that by 1997 it's store presence in the US was pretty much done. Some specialty stores in Malls still had Saturn stuff but your mainstream stores had nothing. I remember Wal-Mart dropped Saturn stuff before they dropped Genesis and SNES. My blockbuster was still renting NES games when they dropped Saturn games from their shelves. I remember seeing Sonic R and Sonic Jam in stores and wanting them and I later got them for I think my Birth
day or Christmas. My brother later told me that they had to drive 3 hours away to numerous different ma
lls just to find 1 copy of each one. The store I had seen them in only had a handful of copies and they
sold quickly.

The North Dallas Best Buy near me carried Saturn titles until the fall of 1997. I picked up 10 newer Saturrn titles for $80 when the store was clearing them out. It wasn't until Sega announced that the Saturn was no longer the future of the company, the retail started dumping the hardware and software.

The Blockbuster near me carried less than 10 Saturn titles. They at one time carried 3DO, Sega CD and jJag titles, but didn't do the Saturn any favors with their shitty support.

[quote]
Most people I mention the Saturn to these days think I'm talking about the Dreamcast or even the Sega CD. Even people who were in their teens and twenties around when it was on the market. [\quote]

What's funny about that is that the Sega CD did'nt sell as well, nor was it pushed that hard at retail. The commercials are probably the only reason they remember the Sega CD. You think they know anything about a 3DO either.

I'm 43. I bought the Saturn when I was 27.

[gamevet]

Yes, they did. Somehow that still felt like a lot of money at the time, IMO.

Yeah, $200 was a lot of cash for a gaming console. People seem to forget that a major portion of the sales for the N64, Playstation and PS2 happened when those console were priced under $150. There's no way that Sega could have consolidated the Saturn to reach that price point without breaking the bank.

[Clessy]

Yeah, $200 was a lot of cash for a gaming console. People seem to forget that a major portion of the sales for the N64, Playstation and PS2 happened when those console were priced under $150. There's no way that Sega could have consolidated the Saturn to reach that price point without breaking the bank.

Interesting little bit of information. Majesto came to Sega and wanted to make a vastly cheaper vastly smaller version of the system for them and Sega said no.

Also interesting. Every successful system has had a redesign. I mean its obvious to redesign something to make it cheaper.