Saturn2/64X

By Aaron Karp

A lot of Saturn owners are now abuzz about the possibilities of an upgrade looming on the horizon, some with fear and some with anticipation. Being one of the lucky Sega devotees that did not feel the sting of the 32X, I can say that I am among those who look forward to the upgrade. Not only will it mean better games, it will give Sega an edge over the other systems that so many have said will trounce it.

Of course, there is that segment of gamers who are now wary of everything Sega does since the disastrous 32X. Some worry that an upgrade will look like the same scenario all over again - if Sega calls the thing a 64X they are committing marketing suicide. However, this is not necessarily the case.

The video game market is always in motion. There has never been a static moment. With Nintendo atop the 8-bit hill, Sega began the 16-bit race. As the Genesis established superiority, Nintendo brought out a more advanced 16-bitter, as both were set to fall under the shadow of the 32-Bit 3DO. As 32-Bit became a reality, everybody got into it. New systems were appearing everywhere. This is the nature of the beast - constant upgrading. Sega has been hurt by the 32X to the degree that any new software launch will be met with skepticism. Case in point - the Saturn. Sega said "This is our new MAIN system. It will be our focus, we will not leave it hanging." To this point, I have seen nothing to suggest the contrary. Despite this, there was still a deluge of media warning "Be careful - Sega's going to drop that thing." Unfortunately, as 64-Bit upgrades start looking good (Sony is rumored to be working on one as well), Sega is in the unenviable position of having to consider a new piece of hardware that looks as if it will kill the Saturn.

This doesn't have to happen. While making a product that bears any similarity to a 32X would be utterly moronic, the idea of a hardware add-on bears a lot of merit. First of all, by not making a totally new platform, a certain psychology is at work - the gamer is still using a Saturn to play his or her games. Also, this allows the highly touted "dual-disk" idea to work, where most game disks contain both an upgraded game and a lower-quality Saturn counterpart. Also, this would serve to keep the costs down (to a certain extent) and it could also give the Saturn greater power while not risking it strengths, such as 2D.

Despite my enthusiasm for this upgrade idea, I hope that it doesn't appear until at least the holiday of '97, perhaps as an upgrade side-by-side with an upgrade-enhanced Saturn. The whole thing should retain the name Saturn, with as little emphasis on the upgrade as possible. It should only be released when it is absolutely necessary to compete with the N64. Right now, Sega is certainly beginning to hold its own in its current incarnation. Now that they finally have it fixed, why mess with a good thing?