Dude its crazy I've watched you for 10+ years and you have not changed a thing with your videos and you're still just as insightful and consistent as back then. One of the GOATs! Thank you for the hours and hours of content!
Here in Brazil Sega Master System was a big hit. Was officially released here by TecToy - local company licensed by Sega. When Nintendo was only available by imports or clone systems. Until a few years ago we had some typs of master system released.
Nice to see that you're getting back into the swing of making vids like these. I've gotta say, my favorite content of yours is when you share insight into things like the market conditions of consoles to explain why things are how they are.
People always say that the Master System is still active here in Brazil but, what people NEVER say is how the latest SMS model released by TecToy was all the way back in 2009. You still can buy it brand new from them but still.
I ended up buying a Japanese saturn that was hard modded because the chances of a mini version are just so slim like you mentioned and tbh its one of those systems that experiencing it through hardware is a great feeling.
@@antiquefuturistic not that I am aware of. But I should mention that apart from the actual mod, everything in the system was replaced with new parts.
@@marlon2698-mI recently bought an American model 2 Saturn and I’m probably going to have a nightmare trying to find affordable games, but so far I love my Saturn
This man is the most consistent channel on UA-cam. Subscribed almost five years or so ago, had the same style for years in the past, still has the same format. You're a real one, my guy. Love your channel and love the Dreamcast, thanks for keeping the Dream alive!
I think a Dreamcast mini is still possible, but like what you said, technology has to get cheaper if people want a proper Dreamcast mini. Maybe 30th or 35th anniversary of the Dreamcast, but 25th anniversary is too soon.
@@litodat233 I"d like to see those handheld that supposedly "play Dreamcast perfect with no issues" because even the latest nightlies of Flycast on a modern PC are far from perfect, and the other emulators tend to be even worse, or at least they were last I checked (about a year ago, which is probably more recent than Adam's conversation with Sega execs). I'd wager your definition of "perfect" is sloppier than that of Sega, or you've only seen short excerpts carefully chosen by whatever youtuber you're following. Running Crazy Taxi at full speed is one thing, but all emulators I looked had some issues rendering perfectly in Sonic Adventure (glitchy eyes, water incorrectly displayed, stuff like that) and Shenmue, among others. Rez also used to have problems, though it's gotten nearly perfect more recently.
The Sega Saturn is so underappreciated with so many titles you can't play anywhere else : Shining Force 3, Shining the Holy Ark, Panzer Dragoon Zwei, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Albert's Odyssey, Nights into Dreams, Dragon Force, Legend of Oasis, Magic Knight Rayearth, Dark Savior, Linkle Liver Story, Burning Rangers and so many more. The Sega Saturn is my favorite console of all time and I play mine quite often, if they were to make a Saturn Mini I would literally lose my mind : and like you mentioned that the Sega Saturn was quite popular in Japan, it has a lot of nostalgia there and a ton of people I talk to didn't get the Saturn but are interested in some of it's exclusives : It is POSSIBLE they could release it, but the cost to do that would be probably too costly for Sega to actually do
I feel kind of privileged to have been a sega kid , had the master system , had the mega drive and the game gear , had a Saturn and Dreamcast. My first Nintendo anything was the N64 and gameboy color. We never got a ps1 but we did pick up a ps2 after Dreamcast died ( commercially , never died in our hearts)
@@indevidualbeing6488 Especially Sega Saturn , I'm the only one with nostalgia for it out of everyone I know. Everyone else picked up a N64 or Ps1. Sometimes I mention the Saturn and they have no idea it existed. It's like Sega went from Genesis/Mega Drive to Dreamcast lol
You sound like me only I had all the Sega systems and the NES and SNES. I stopped getting Nintendo systems after SNES and got the Saturn and Dreamcast which was my last system. You should watch Uncle From Another World. The way he talks about Sega Genesis and Saturn games is hilarious.
I had this idea that Sega could launch a Dreamcast successor of sorts that would play some of its biggest hits since the demise of the Dreamcast. For example, Jet Set Radio Future, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Virtua Cop 3, Super Monkey Ball 2, the Legends version of Skies of Arcadia, Rez Infinite, Valkyria Chronicles, Sonic Racing, Shenmue 3, etc. It'd be a cool collection of Sega games available either on different console systems or only the arcade. I would totally buy that.
Hey Adam. Game Gear Mini with master system games bundled in as well. Since game gear was basically a portable master system, it makes sense. Great video. 👍
@@FWDSUXARSE I'm sure they would make a closed system with all the games built in. This would probably be a modern portable gaming device with rechargable battery built in and no cartridge slots to keep the cost down. Would be nice though. 👍
I have like 4 portable systems that emulate dreamcast almost perfectly - Retroid Pocket 2+, 3+, flip and anbernic 405m. The first one was under 100 euros last year and that's for the android machine with display and stuff. I do believe with the scale of SEGA fanbase you can sell a mini dreamcast for like 70-80 euros on their 25th anniversary. Nostalgia sells very well today.
I know you've been saying for years the emulation just isn't there: at least not for $80 a unit. Honestly they should have done a master system mini with sg1000 games as well.
@@JohnSmith-xq1pz Unfortunately I don't think the MiSTer can support Dreamcast. There's a WIP Saturn core and a WIP N64 core, but the particular FPGA chip that the MiSTer is based around (DE10 Nano) has some hardware limitations that would put the Dreamcast beyond its capabilities. Someone is exploring getting Dreamcast working on FPGA, but it'd have to be a different more powerful chip. Still, something to hope for in the future.
It would be something unique and "new". They can even market it as based on an unreleased Sega console. Makes me think of Star Fox 2 for the SNES mini.
@@mrbisshie yup and add virtua fighter svp 16bit as bonus game, it was done. But I'm sure some coke up manager threw proto cart in garbage 🗑️ and some dumb developer erases code. That's how Sega rolls.
If only Sega were still in their ‘caution to the wind’ phase and made that ‘great product, huge price tag’ Dreamcast mini so the diehards could revel in it, haha. I love your insight, Adam, and it’s always a good day when you can set the whole console line on the table for a video. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, buddy
@Runeboi69 No it was the Yanks that ruined Sega, there's so many examples I can cite as to why this is, but Yanks ruin the video game industry in general, it was the only mahjor territory where the 1983 crash ever occured as well, they ruin anything business wise to differing degrees in fact, it's a persistent pattern, probably a manifestation of thr ethnic Yanks (American) 'Manifest Destiny' native culture and upbringing. The Sega subsidiery - Sega of America (SOA) ideally should never have existed, or at least had the Yanks much more tightly controlled and regimented, there's that old adage that Yanks rarely make good leaders but can make good servants when all other mistakes and possible outcomes have been exhausted.
2:55 Technically the Sega Astro City Mini is a mini console as well since it has HDMI output, allowing you to play games on your TV as well as the fact it has USB controller support. It just has the additional option of allowing you to play in tabletop mode if you really wanted to use that feature.
If the technology wasn't an issue I feel like the Dreamcast is the best pick because the Dreamcast is loved by people who never even played one, I can see it being something that people who always wanted one, buying it for the sake of experiencing it.
I'd be really intrigued by a Sega Master System Mini. During my time working at a video game store in Montreal, Canada, I had firsthand experience selling gaming consoles ranging from Atari, Intellivision, Colecovision, Sega (SMS), and Nintendo (NES) during Christmas 1986; I was 21 years old. In that era, when the SMS came out, it sold at a ratio of 1 to 5 against NES; the Atari 2600 was still selling strongly for being the cheapest and largest game library. Maybe it was because I was really into it and kinda pushing it as well since we had a spiff bonus! It's quite evident that for a significant number of individuals, the SMS marked their very first gaming console. Considering the powerful wave of nostalgia at play, I'm fairly confident that there would be a whole bunch of people, including myself, eagerly seizing the opportunity to get their hands on a Sega Master System mini.
I feel like at least now, the Dreamcast has the best shot. Looking at how easily like a Raspberry Pi for example can do Dreamcast emulation, I just feel like things have changed since then when Sega had been considering it before
A big issue is going to be storage. Each game can be up to 1gb in size. Depends on how many they'd want to ship with the console though. Not to mention the licensing they'd have to do for 3rd party games like SoulCalibur, Powerstone, Code Veronica, etc. And what about the VMU? I don't think they could bundle a controller cheaply that has a built in display for it. All-in-all executing a DC mini is going to be too expensive if they want to do it right, which is what they seem to be going for.
i think the dreamcast has the best shot, just because of the cult following it has nowadays and being held in such high regard by the people who experienced it during it's lifespan. and i think sega themselves would love to make it, just because. when the technology is there i think they'll do it, maybe even if it's not quite there :-D if there's one company that would, it's sega. it would be such a sega thing to do.
The technology already there they just don’t want too I’m sorry if it’s a bunch of great handhelds that currently run and emulate Dreamcast games perfectly then why can’t sega do it ? It’s bullshit
I'm on board with wanting all of the mini consoles you discussed. I'd buy a Master System mini, a Saturn mini, and a Dreamcast mini. But sadly I feel like that moment in history is over and we're not getting any more.
I also believe the controller is a roadblock. The Dreamcast controller, even if the VMU was omitted (which would be disappointing, people would want it even if completely built in) would still be too expensive to produce and take up too much space in the box. The N64 has a similar problem with its controller. You're correct, If we ever get a DC mini, I'll be years down the track. And that's s big if
I feel like it was a missed oppurtunity to put Master System games in either of the Genesis Mini systems. The Genesis is backwards compatible, so it wouldn't have been out of place, maybe have a little animation of a Power Base Converter on the screen after you select a game.
If they were to do a Master System Mini, it would be cool for the main unit to be an emulator player, but have MS game cartridges that are basically SD cards with a number of selectable games on them, then when they get put in the top slot, the SD card reader that the card goes into can then load the games to play. So say each cart has a set number of games and could be either a collection of games from different genres, or each cart be a selection of games from one genre, eg 'Beat em Up: Collection Vol.1', and can buy each collection separately, and with SD card technology as it is, could pack quite a few games per cartridge!
It’s always strange to me when people talk about the Master System being a smash hit in the U.K. as I’m from the U.K., I grew up during the 8-bit era, and in all that time I’ve seen one Master System outside of a shop display. Just one. Everybody I knew had an NES, either Nintendo or Mattel branded. I know that’s just anecdata. I know that the sales data proves that my experience is an aberration. It’s still strange to me 🤷♂️
It's the same reason Nintendo never made an N64 Mini, or a Gamecube Mini, Wii Mini, etc. just that the technology to make these more recent systems as Minis is still too expensive to be affordable, & like you said with the emulation many of these consoles have janky emulation to this day. Both the Saturn & the N64 still have emulation problems that prevent emulators from getting the same experience as the original consoles.
I live in Europe, I had a SMS model 2 and Sega was so ubiquitous here that I've never seen a NES or a SNES at sale during my childhood. The first really big Nintendo hit, at least in Portugal, was Nintendo 64 and even then if we think about the PS1... I only manage to see one online back in 99/00 when I got my first PC and searched for old consoles. P.S: Alex Kidd for life!!
Great video. Sega was in a very different place on opposite sides of the Pacific compared to Nintendo or Sony. There was never a one size fits all solution on the table for them. Also just wanted to say hi. We had a good conversation at LI Retro. I'm the guy who had the copy of Astal.
I think the n64 actually just isn't worth replaying, the games haven't aged well. The best game is arguably goldeneye and it is... really bad now. Mario Kart 64 is still good but has been surpassed. Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask are alright but otherwise I don't really see the point. Playstation 3d games also suffer badly from this outside of RPGs. It's just not a good era for gaming.
@@gentronsevenits a good era for gaming lol theres a ton of games that aged like a wine like mgs, crash, spyro etc but ye tons of them aged like milk cuz its early 3d but it doesnt mean it wasnt a great era for gaming same with n64 even tho n64 is overrated in terms of games when you compared to gamecube
Adam, my man, love the discussion videos! I enjoy unboxings, reviews and pickup videos as much as the next guy, but stuff like this is why I subscribed a decade ago.
I honestly think Minis haven't gone far enough. Picture something called the "Sega Sol" You put in good enough hardware, yes for the premium price. Then it's capable of emulating Dreamcast, Saturn, 32X, CD, Genesis, Game Gear, Master System, and SG-1000. You pre-fill it with games from each of those systems. You then launch it with an online store where you can buy more roms for it. You can take it further and sell roms for arcade systems like OutRun and Shinobi and and and.
My wife and I recently got enough money to buy a TV display cabinet with shelves around it, and she said it'll be great, because I can display the games like a kind of museum. When we were moving around the boxes, she was genuinely curious in the Sega Dreamcast, and my eyes lit up so much. I had always dealt with gamers who shunned the Sega Dreamcast (my favorite console of all time), and now that the person I love wants to dig into those games with me... I'm not sure if anything could make me happier. It's great to know other people who love these consoles are still out there!
What about their arcade platforms? I'm a big racing fan and am constantly on the look out for ways to play the likes of Sega Rally and Daytona USA from the Model 2. Again haven't seen many SBC's capable of this but a guy can dream!
Licensing issues. Will never happen. They don't own the name 'Daytona' and have to license it from the Daytona Speedway each time. Then there are the car licenses for e.g., Sega Rally, Scud Race, etc.
What we need is a Dreamcast 2 with Blu-ray drive, complete games collection from all their previous hardware built in, with VMUs and removable 1TB storage for under $1200. Realistically, I'd rather see them re-release older games as remasters either on PC or other consoles. Until we get something like that I'm going to continue buying and hunting down Saturn and Dreamcast hardware.
Great video. Just a point about Dreamcast emulation - up until recently I was running Emuelec on an old 'Android TV' box (which cost about £25 in 2018) that did DC + Naomi really well (Retroarch + Reicast iirc). That was an 'off the shelf' Amlogic S905X so I'm sure the tech is ready for a low cost device. Capcom had a load of arcade games running on Naomi (with DC ports of course) - I'd love to see Sega and Capcom team up with a mini device. I can dream!
When I look at how fast cheap Chinese emulation sticks have advanced just THIS year (many on the $60-80 range can handle Dreamcast), then I disagree that the tech is still too expensive to make sense. I think we are right at the razor's edge of it being totally possible to make and sell for around $100. They are probably just waiting until the profit margin becomes a bit more favorable.
I’d love a Saturn & Dreamcast mini, the nostalgia factor definitely is a point to consider but I’ve always believed it’s the emulation that’s the biggest stumbling block, SEGA said as much themselves in a recent financial call. I do think that both will eventually release however, but they may be a little while off, I also feel SEGA might want to do them linearly, Saturn first? I think a Saturn mini with accurate emulation would also be a major software breakthrough, so if SEGA manage it, hats of them!
It's wild that people need some kind of validation from a faceless corporation. Just buy a 3d printed shell and put all the console's games on a raspberry pie. That's literally what the fans do ANYWAY lmao.
They do care, Infact they are the only gaming company in modern day which cares about their fans out of the crowd of ungrateful likes of Nintendo, Sony, Rockstar, Valve and many more. They just do not have big bank to support the risks they want to take
Interesting that the Gen didn't do well in Japan... so any idea how the mini(s) did? Why make those little decoritive models and leave them in Japan (the Genesis mini 2 as well if I'm not mistaken) where few people will even appreciate it?
If they did make a Dreamcast Mini how would they do the VMU, would it be compatible with the original Dreamcast Controller or be a USB controller that had VMU Support or a built in VMU emulation screen with multiple VMU pages?
I think the dreamcast is much more easier to make a mini than the saturn due to the complexity of the console. I might be wrong and I hope I that the dreamcast mini comes out.
I think Saturn and Dreamcast mini's can be done but clearly yes they will cost some money so I think what Sega needs to do is take a page out of the Egret 2 Mini's play book and have an expansion port so they can release more games in volumes so Sega can sell the systems abet cheaper than they normally would be but make up the difference buy selling more volumes of games!
We will get the Saturn next year, I am pretty sure. It is for sur a console that Japanese are waiting because it was the best of all Sega consoles for them ) same for me).
Hey Adam , greetings from central Florida , I am a retro-gamer content creator , and you have an awesome channel , , thanks for doing this Mini console follow up , , think eventually a Mini-Dreamcast will see the light of day , fingers crossed 🤞 , ,keep rocking dude 😸👍👍
I would imagine controllers would also be an issue. do you make the DC mini have 4 controlller sockets with VMUs so you can get everything out of some Dc games?
I think you get a new genesis mini with the PowerBase "add-on" that has a mix of master system games and genesis games. Then maybe a 4th genesis with the 32x "add-on" with even more genesis games and some 32x games.
Yeah I think that would probably be more likely. I don’t think you’ll actually get a master system mini but another genesis mini that has master system games and a power base attachment for show is a little more likely
@@DarDarBinks1986 The Game Crash was a US game crash. It didn't happen in Europe or Japan. Gaming was taking off in the UK at the time of the US Game Crash. The gaming home computers at the time were known as micro computers. The term PC (personal computer) was used for home business computers.
I’m in America and I would love a master system mini. I’ve never owned, seen or touched one. So a mini version would be a perfect way for me to experience it in some way. Make it happen Sega!
I don't know why but I find the discussion of console success depending on the region very interesting. Such as the Sega examples bought up here and the N64 doing worse than the Saturn in Japan.
That Dreamcast point is valid cause I believe MSRP for the Dreamcast in 1999 was $200 bucks. So are release at a more expensive price tag would make it more egregious
I agree with everything said in this video. A Dreamcast mini could happen eventually once the tech becomes cheap enough, but who knows if there'll still be demand for it or if everyone will have moved on from the mini console craze? Before that point, I think it'd be cool if they made a new Genesis mini which had a cartridge slot and CD attachment port with USB ports in each of them. Then they could sell (probably limited quantities of) a CD mini, a 32x mini, and even a Power Base Converter as an alternative form of a Master System mini. In the case of the CD and 32x, the units could contain some extra hardware to handle the more demanding systems, but the Power Base Converter could just have game storage and run off the Genesis mini. I'm sure this would never happen, but I think it would be cool, and buying the items modularly would allow them to make the base hardware cheaper (and set production levels of the add-ons based on preorder demand).
Excellent video Adam! I've been into emulation since forever... The holy grail for me is the original model 1 Virtua Fighter! I bought a Sega Saturn the day of release here in UK, walked around the corner to a shop that did 'grey-imports' and swapped my UK 50hz pal machine for a Japanese 60hz model, just to play Virtua Fighter at full speed! Yes, I was/am that obsessed!! To this day 'August 2023', Sega have never released an arcade-perfect version of Virtua Fighter... I was kinda' hoping to see an arcade perfect Virtua Fighter 1 on Dreamcast, alas... Virtua Fighter TB 😞 Enter the Sega Astro-City-Mini... I paid £125.00 Sterling, just to play THE BEST version of Virtua Fighter ever officially released! The original model 1 board rendered Virtua Fighter at 480p... The Astro City Mini pumps out Virtua Fighter in glorious 720p... And you can plug it into HDMI (Thank-God!) That's my love-affair with Virtua Fighter... Daily though, I play Dreamcast games through REDREAM emulator and upscale everything to a mind bending 4K! Soul Caliber in 4K is video-game-perfection! Ciao.
I got all of Sega's mini classics, I love them all. I'd love to see a Master System Mini (Yes I am from the UK) or even an SG1000 Mini. You know your history about the systems and how popular they were, props to you my man. I can see them loading 32X games on the Saturn mini. I can see them making a Saturn Mini as an Amazon exclusive and only available for those that pre order kind of like what they did with the Mega Drive Mini 2/Genesis Mini 2. I believe the reason it is going to take time as they are planning to make a board that will work on both a Saturn and Dreamcast mini, they will make it, it's just gonna take time. However I believe in the interim they should release a Master System mini.
I think they should go for the 300 dollar one. Honestly, the mini boom like you mentioned is over and people gobbled up the Genesis Mini 2 (which was made for fans and they came). I would have no issue spending the 300 ducats if the dreamcast mini (or whatever it is) faithfully honors its legacy.
Thanks for the insight. I am definitely one of those guys wanting the Saturn mini. I’ve been hopeful that since it was so big in Japan that they’d want to at least have one over there which I would be fine with ordering from Japan, Saturn owners are pretty used to that. But some good points. How much profit would they really make from it
Wish they would do something like an "arcade mini", and have the arcade versions of virtua fighter 1-3, virtua racing, Daytona, virtua cop 1&2, house of the dead, Sonic Fighters, Crazy Taxi, and more.
I didn’t play the master system in its hay day but I would buy a mini one now, I think the retro market would be interested enough for it to sell a least 100k units in North America, not sure if it’s worth it to them though.
I want to see Sega make a new add-on for the Genesis. Showing off what can be done with newer hardware if they made the next version of SegaCD. Not to play old Sega CD games but new hardware for new games. Maybe even from DVD disc's I wouldn't expect to play DVD movies but just having the higher storage and read speeds.
I think another good point is that some mini consoles could be released in very small numbers. The Turbografx-16 was even less successful outside of Japan than the Saturn was, but that still got a Mini released worldwide. However, a 16-bit console like that is a lot easier to emulate on low cost hardware than the Saturn is, so R&D was still less of an issue with that one. People are also usually more excited for Turbografx-16 developments than they are for Master System developments too, or at least I think so. Of course, even if they wanted to print them in larger numbers, mini consoles aren't as in vogue now as they are when Nintendo was making them. It's kind of a miracle Sega is even still thinking about mini consoles, considering that.
Really insightful video. Well I was gifted a dreamcast that needs the lazer repairing, so I really should get on it, get the pad, vmu and wires mod it and actually play it.
I think if Sega realizes how much of a following the Saturn has gained in retrospect in the west plus how popular it was in Japan, to me it's the only console that might have a shot. That emu though. The Master System for all its merits, still isn't popular at all. At least outside of EU and Brazil. If 10s of thousands of people suddenly decided they liked it then maybe but I don't see that happening.
Knowing SEGA, I'd be worried to see how the final product ends up being... It would be cool, especially the Saturn mini, give us access to all the games that are unaffordable!
I'm happy enough with the Genesis Mini. What I'd love and I'm sure won't get are original Game Boy and N64. I also have the NES and SNES. None for house use, just if I go to a friend's house. Thank you as always for the video.
The latest raspberry pi can actually emulate Dreamcast fairly competently for a $35 computer board. Since the game list for a Dreamcast mini would be so curated anyway you wouldn't have to worry about perfect optimization for the entire Dreamcast library, you'd only have to focus on the list of 20 games or whatever they'd pick. It's not outrageous and it shouldn't be that expensive nowadays. The newest raspberry pi 4 came out in 2019 which is probably around the time Adam had these discussions with Sega about a Dreamcast mini, and like I said the pi 4 is actually pretty ok at Dreamcast emulation; however the pi 5 is supposed to come out next year in 2024 and I'd wager it should be perfectly adequate for Dreamcast emulation if their performance gains generation to generation keeps at the same pace it's been on (hell, even the pi 3 could emulate some Dreamcast games fairly well). I think we're actually at a time where a Dreamcast mini shouldn't be $300, this idea is probably worth revisiting currently. The PS mini wasn't a problem because of the device's lack of power or anything, it was a flop because Sony (or whoever they contracted to make it) screwed it up and didn't put real effort in; some games were NTSC and some were PAL and you couldn't chose which one you wanted for which game creating frame rate and frame pacing issues along with no effort into optimizing the games they put on the device, and other problems as well like input latency and stuff. The PS mini was just a bad product with clearly next to no effort put into it, I could make a FAR superior PS mini out a raspberry pi 3. But I stand by the Dreamcast probably being quite possible nowadays without a huge retail price tag, like I said it's probably worth revisiting that idea.
Saw this pop up on reddit and randomly clicked on it. The intro was a big nostalgia hit, dude I used to love your bad movie theatre videos with the british accent!
The context you gave makes it sound more like the Saturn is a never but the Dreamcast is a matter of time and tech rather than them both being equally unlikely.
I'd love both a Saturn mini and Dreamcast mini, though I'm not holding my breath. I usually buy the Japanese Saturn games, and it would be cool for them to localize some of them but that seems like a lot of work for a nostalgia console. As for the dreamcast, some games like Crazy Taxi used licensed music which would be removed (and if I remember correctly was removed on a later release of it, plus the sponsored ties ins). Thats ok if they never come, I'm out of space anyway!
You have to think of it in context. SEGA has become a very japanese focused company in the last decade or so compared to previous eras, so the fact they reluctant to do Saturn mini as japan focused that SEGA has become in a market where the original system did well and would guarantee to sell very well in japan because of the nostalgia, shows there's a MAJOR issue involved. Saying that i still believe its also timing due to the planned remakes of Saturn and DC titles as well as genesis which wasnt in the works when the genesis and GG minis appeared. So this could be seen as a clash of sorts.
I'm curious how we can get devices made by companies like Retroid and Anbernic that can produce and sell handheld portable consoles with high resolution touch screens built in that play Dreamcast games beautifully for as low as $100, but typically not like $130-150, but Sega doesn't feel confident that they could produce one without a screen and a controller or two for less than $300? Admittedly, those companies I mentioned don't pay royalties for the games, and their margins are way lower when they aren't sold at retail like a Dreamcast Mini would be. But I have a hard time believing that they couldn't just build a mini-console just like the PlayStation Mini for ~$150 or less with one controller and ~15-20 top games and still be profitable.
At this point I would accept an official emulated compilation release of Saturn and DC library for all current platforms. If “ mini “ won’t happen in my life time then there literally no point in waiting sooo long for it to ever be a thing.
Would love if we got an proper Game Gear "mini" release. As seen with the Switch, there is a big demand for handheld consoles. Releasing a Game Gear Mini that's the same size as the original (or maybe slightly smaller) but with a high-end screen, TV-connection capability, and 50+ games, would be awesome. It would also be cheap for Sega to develop and release. I'm convinced there's actually a decent global market demand for the Saturn mini. If they found a way to emulate it well with minimal loading times, and bundle in Panzer Dragoon Saga and other gems, I'm convinced it would do well. A lot more gamers are aware of the Saturn now due to social media and gaming channels in particular. A lot of Genesis fans would welcome an opportunity to play another Sega console they probably skipped or didn't even know existed in the 1990s. As for Dreamcast Mini, better to do it right and more expensive than cheap and unappealing to its target market. People expect quality, and if Sega skimped out just to reduce the price I think it would impact sales more than if it was a bit extensive but excellent quantity. A lot of original Dreamcasts are experiencing disc drive failure now, so having a proper first party mini version would be great for those of us who still love the system but can no longer play the games.
I don't know, I think even if a system flopped the first time round, doesn't mean people won't give it a chance now. In retrospect a lot of people who didn't own Saturn's or Dreamcast's are realising what great and unique games they had and would take the chance to experience them today. Especially when you consider they'll be cheaper, have several good games built in and you don't have to worry about them performing badly and being pulled off shelves early leaving you burned after you invested in them.
@Adam, what are your thoughts on the Dreamcast mini also having the most complicated controller type? I really wonder how they would deal with the VMU screen, i think that would push the price up on this quite a bit. It would be amazing if there was some way to use real VMUs or connect real controllers into the theoretical mini. But i belive they are going to have to do something with that controller that will keep the price always higher than the other 2 options even when the technology gets here. Bummer over all but I think you are correct, we are going to be waiting a while :(
Dude its crazy I've watched you for 10+ years and you have not changed a thing with your videos and you're still just as insightful and consistent as back then. One of the GOATs! Thank you for the hours and hours of content!
I’d still love to see a Dreamcast, N64 and GameCube mini. Hopefully 1 day 🤞
gamecube mini why? it's already small
@@mikenewbold1699I want a GameCube MAXI it'd be the size of a small car and you have to climb inside to play it
i hope you aren't an adult making comments like this and if you are i hope you fix your life@@squidface7952
@squidface7952 controller so big, you’d need six friends just to play single player games.
@@mikenewbold1699Someone built a mini GameCube actually.
Here in Brazil Sega Master System was a big hit. Was officially released here by TecToy - local company licensed by Sega. When Nintendo was only available by imports or clone systems. Until a few years ago we had some typs of master system released.
Nice to see that you're getting back into the swing of making vids like these. I've gotta say, my favorite content of yours is when you share insight into things like the market conditions of consoles to explain why things are how they are.
People always say that the Master System is still active here in Brazil but, what people NEVER say is how the latest SMS model released by TecToy was all the way back in 2009. You still can buy it brand new from them but still.
If sega never makes a pico mini it is going to be the downfall of western civilization
We also need a Virtual Boy mini from Nintendo, otherwise rioting will ensue around the world.
@@purplesabbath9057😂 it’s so small u can only use it with one eye.
@@captainobvious7453 The size won't matter because the image will be transmitted directly into your brain!
I have so much fun explaining the Pico to people. It blows their minds when I tell them there are officially licensed Pokémon games on Sega hardware
Pico mini and a Nomad mini!
I ended up buying a Japanese saturn that was hard modded because the chances of a mini version are just so slim like you mentioned and tbh its one of those systems that experiencing it through hardware is a great feeling.
Does the laser wears more on the burned discs ?
@@antiquefuturistic not that I am aware of. But I should mention that apart from the actual mod, everything in the system was replaced with new parts.
@@marlon2698-mI recently bought an American model 2 Saturn and I’m probably going to have a nightmare trying to find affordable games, but so far I love my Saturn
I’m a Saturn guy but that Dreamcast shell on the far right is lovely
Resident Evil Claire edition!
@@AdamKoralikooooooh that’s why it’s for the sega & MS Windows logo … nice 👌 I should have known … Claire edition :)
I love it too.
A gray and blue version would be beautiful too
This man is the most consistent channel on UA-cam. Subscribed almost five years or so ago, had the same style for years in the past, still has the same format. You're a real one, my guy. Love your channel and love the Dreamcast, thanks for keeping the Dream alive!
Thanks son.
I think a Dreamcast mini is still possible, but like what you said, technology has to get cheaper if people want a proper Dreamcast mini. Maybe 30th or 35th anniversary of the Dreamcast, but 25th anniversary is too soon.
a 99 dollar chinese handheld can do dreamcast full speed and some ps2/gamecube you don't know what you are talking about
Really? I thought 2019 would have been the perfect time to coincide with the 20th anniversary
@@mikenewbold1699that handheld struggles to run 2d capcom fighters for DC dude😂
It doesn’t make sense tho when there are literally handheld made devices that play Dreamcast perfect with no issues sega just don’t want too
@@litodat233 I"d like to see those handheld that supposedly "play Dreamcast perfect with no issues" because even the latest nightlies of Flycast on a modern PC are far from perfect, and the other emulators tend to be even worse, or at least they were last I checked (about a year ago, which is probably more recent than Adam's conversation with Sega execs). I'd wager your definition of "perfect" is sloppier than that of Sega, or you've only seen short excerpts carefully chosen by whatever youtuber you're following.
Running Crazy Taxi at full speed is one thing, but all emulators I looked had some issues rendering perfectly in Sonic Adventure (glitchy eyes, water incorrectly displayed, stuff like that) and Shenmue, among others. Rez also used to have problems, though it's gotten nearly perfect more recently.
The Sega Saturn is so underappreciated with so many titles you can't play anywhere else : Shining Force 3, Shining the Holy Ark, Panzer Dragoon Zwei, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Albert's Odyssey, Nights into Dreams, Dragon Force, Legend of Oasis, Magic Knight Rayearth, Dark Savior, Linkle Liver Story, Burning Rangers and so many more. The Sega Saturn is my favorite console of all time and I play mine quite often, if they were to make a Saturn Mini I would literally lose my mind : and like you mentioned that the Sega Saturn was quite popular in Japan, it has a lot of nostalgia there and a ton of people I talk to didn't get the Saturn but are interested in some of it's exclusives : It is POSSIBLE they could release it, but the cost to do that would be probably too costly for Sega to actually do
I feel kind of privileged to have been a sega kid , had the master system , had the mega drive and the game gear , had a Saturn and Dreamcast. My first Nintendo anything was the N64 and gameboy color. We never got a ps1 but we did pick up a ps2 after Dreamcast died ( commercially , never died in our hearts)
This is also my gaming path. Feel like there are not many of us lol.
@@indevidualbeing6488 Especially Sega Saturn , I'm the only one with nostalgia for it out of everyone I know. Everyone else picked up a N64 or Ps1. Sometimes I mention the Saturn and they have no idea it existed. It's like Sega went from Genesis/Mega Drive to Dreamcast lol
I remember when I heard Sega was done as a kid and getting sad
You sound like me only I had all the Sega systems and the NES and SNES. I stopped getting Nintendo systems after SNES and got the Saturn and Dreamcast which was my last system. You should watch Uncle From Another World. The way he talks about Sega Genesis and Saturn games is hilarious.
I had this idea that Sega could launch a Dreamcast successor of sorts that would play some of its biggest hits since the demise of the Dreamcast. For example, Jet Set Radio Future, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Virtua Cop 3, Super Monkey Ball 2, the Legends version of Skies of Arcadia, Rez Infinite, Valkyria Chronicles, Sonic Racing, Shenmue 3, etc. It'd be a cool collection of Sega games available either on different console systems or only the arcade. I would totally buy that.
Hey Adam. Game Gear Mini with master system games bundled in as well. Since game gear was basically a portable master system, it makes sense. Great video. 👍
That would be great. I have a master system adapter / converter for my Game Gear.
@@FWDSUXARSE I'm sure they would make a closed system with all the games built in. This would probably be a modern portable gaming device with rechargable battery built in and no cartridge slots to keep the cost down. Would be nice though. 👍
@Egroegstube Correct. But for this theoretical release, it would be about the standard size of a Game Gear, maybe a bit smaller.
I have like 4 portable systems that emulate dreamcast almost perfectly - Retroid Pocket 2+, 3+, flip and anbernic 405m. The first one was under 100 euros last year and that's for the android machine with display and stuff. I do believe with the scale of SEGA fanbase you can sell a mini dreamcast for like 70-80 euros on their 25th anniversary. Nostalgia sells very well today.
I know you've been saying for years the emulation just isn't there: at least not for $80 a unit.
Honestly they should have done a master system mini with sg1000 games as well.
If I had the know how I'd build one my self with a MiSter system or something and hire a 3d printer to make a DreamCast shell etc
@@JohnSmith-xq1pz Unfortunately I don't think the MiSTer can support Dreamcast. There's a WIP Saturn core and a WIP N64 core, but the particular FPGA chip that the MiSTer is based around (DE10 Nano) has some hardware limitations that would put the Dreamcast beyond its capabilities. Someone is exploring getting Dreamcast working on FPGA, but it'd have to be a different more powerful chip.
Still, something to hope for in the future.
@@GreyMatterShades Darn, well as you said hopefully one day
If they added 32X support for a new mini, and made it with the Neptune form factor, that would be pretty cool I would think.
Yup the majesco shell Genesis 3 looks like Neptune jr
It would be something unique and "new". They can even market it as based on an unreleased Sega console. Makes me think of Star Fox 2 for the SNES mini.
@@mrbisshie yup and add virtua fighter svp 16bit as bonus game, it was done. But I'm sure some coke up manager threw proto cart in garbage 🗑️ and some dumb developer erases code. That's how Sega rolls.
That's why it was on poll in mini 2 box, I selected Genesis 3 and ✍️ wrote Neptune mini
@@legendsflashback Knuckles' Chaotix can finally be released on something since forever. lol
If only Sega were still in their ‘caution to the wind’ phase and made that ‘great product, huge price tag’ Dreamcast mini so the diehards could revel in it, haha. I love your insight, Adam, and it’s always a good day when you can set the whole console line on the table for a video. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, buddy
If only Yanks didn't get involved with Sega.
@Runeboi69 No it was the Yanks that ruined Sega, there's so many examples I can cite as to why this is, but Yanks ruin the video game industry in general, it was the only mahjor territory where the 1983 crash ever occured as well, they ruin anything business wise to differing degrees in fact, it's a persistent pattern, probably a manifestation of thr ethnic Yanks (American) 'Manifest Destiny' native culture and upbringing. The Sega subsidiery - Sega of America (SOA) ideally should never have existed, or at least had the Yanks much more tightly controlled and regimented, there's that old adage that Yanks rarely make good leaders but can make good servants when all other mistakes and possible outcomes have been exhausted.
2:55 Technically the Sega Astro City Mini is a mini console as well since it has HDMI output, allowing you to play games on your TV as well as the fact it has USB controller support. It just has the additional option of allowing you to play in tabletop mode if you really wanted to use that feature.
Great video Adam. Really hope one day they make a Dreamcast mini or release a Dreamcast collection of games
If the technology wasn't an issue I feel like the Dreamcast is the best pick because the Dreamcast is loved by people who never even played one, I can see it being something that people who always wanted one, buying it for the sake of experiencing it.
I'd be really intrigued by a Sega Master System Mini. During my time working at a video game store in Montreal, Canada, I had firsthand experience selling gaming consoles ranging from Atari, Intellivision, Colecovision, Sega (SMS), and Nintendo (NES) during Christmas 1986; I was 21 years old. In that era, when the SMS came out, it sold at a ratio of 1 to 5 against NES; the Atari 2600 was still selling strongly for being the cheapest and largest game library. Maybe it was because I was really into it and kinda pushing it as well since we had a spiff bonus! It's quite evident that for a significant number of individuals, the SMS marked their very first gaming console. Considering the powerful wave of nostalgia at play, I'm fairly confident that there would be a whole bunch of people, including myself, eagerly seizing the opportunity to get their hands on a Sega Master System mini.
I feel like at least now, the Dreamcast has the best shot. Looking at how easily like a Raspberry Pi for example can do Dreamcast emulation, I just feel like things have changed since then when Sega had been considering it before
Are you sure a stock raspberry pi can do Dreamcast? A raspberry pi 3b+ can't. A raspberry pi 4 I think can .
you don't know what you are talking about a phone from 2013 can do dreamcast full speed@@marccaselle8108
A big issue is going to be storage. Each game can be up to 1gb in size. Depends on how many they'd want to ship with the console though. Not to mention the licensing they'd have to do for 3rd party games like SoulCalibur, Powerstone, Code Veronica, etc. And what about the VMU? I don't think they could bundle a controller cheaply that has a built in display for it. All-in-all executing a DC mini is going to be too expensive if they want to do it right, which is what they seem to be going for.
a 64gb sd card is pennies to a manufacturer@@J43rv1
@@J43rv1If I had to guess the VMU would probably end up emulated, either as a phone app or something on screen.
i think the dreamcast has the best shot, just because of the cult following it has nowadays and being held in such high regard by the people who experienced it during it's lifespan. and i think sega themselves would love to make it, just because. when the technology is there i think they'll do it, maybe even if it's not quite there :-D
if there's one company that would, it's sega. it would be such a sega thing to do.
The technology already there they just don’t want too I’m sorry if it’s a bunch of great handhelds that currently run and emulate Dreamcast games perfectly then why can’t sega do it ? It’s bullshit
The Saturn or Dreamcast mini would be cool but we all know what we really need is a Casio Loopy Mini
I'm on board with wanting all of the mini consoles you discussed. I'd buy a Master System mini, a Saturn mini, and a Dreamcast mini. But sadly I feel like that moment in history is over and we're not getting any more.
Sadly I agree, but we will always have hope 🙂
I also believe the controller is a roadblock. The Dreamcast controller, even if the VMU was omitted (which would be disappointing, people would want it even if completely built in) would still be too expensive to produce and take up too much space in the box. The N64 has a similar problem with its controller.
You're correct, If we ever get a DC mini, I'll be years down the track. And that's s big if
I feel like it was a missed oppurtunity to put Master System games in either of the Genesis Mini systems. The Genesis is backwards compatible, so it wouldn't have been out of place, maybe have a little animation of a Power Base Converter on the screen after you select a game.
If they were to do a Master System Mini, it would be cool for the main unit to be an emulator player, but have MS game cartridges that are basically SD cards with a number of selectable games on them, then when they get put in the top slot, the SD card reader that the card goes into can then load the games to play. So say each cart has a set number of games and could be either a collection of games from different genres, or each cart be a selection of games from one genre, eg 'Beat em Up: Collection Vol.1', and can buy each collection separately, and with SD card technology as it is, could pack quite a few games per cartridge!
It’s always strange to me when people talk about the Master System being a smash hit in the U.K. as I’m from the U.K., I grew up during the 8-bit era, and in all that time I’ve seen one Master System outside of a shop display.
Just one.
Everybody I knew had an NES, either Nintendo or Mattel branded.
I know that’s just anecdata. I know that the sales data proves that my experience is an aberration. It’s still strange to me 🤷♂️
It's the same reason Nintendo never made an N64 Mini, or a Gamecube Mini, Wii Mini, etc. just that the technology to make these more recent systems as Minis is still too expensive to be affordable, & like you said with the emulation many of these consoles have janky emulation to this day. Both the Saturn & the N64 still have emulation problems that prevent emulators from getting the same experience as the original consoles.
I live in Europe, I had a SMS model 2 and Sega was so ubiquitous here that I've never seen a NES or a SNES at sale during my childhood. The first really big Nintendo hit, at least in Portugal, was Nintendo 64 and even then if we think about the PS1... I only manage to see one online back in 99/00 when I got my first PC and searched for old consoles. P.S: Alex Kidd for life!!
Great video. Sega was in a very different place on opposite sides of the Pacific compared to Nintendo or Sony. There was never a one size fits all solution on the table for them. Also just wanted to say hi. We had a good conversation at LI Retro. I'm the guy who had the copy of Astal.
Yeah son, I remember you.
Let's not forget about the jaguar mini, and a N64 mini, if it doesn't already exist, i think we all deserve some 64 Bit memories in mini's
Do the math!
I think the n64 actually just isn't worth replaying, the games haven't aged well. The best game is arguably goldeneye and it is... really bad now. Mario Kart 64 is still good but has been surpassed. Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask are alright but otherwise I don't really see the point. Playstation 3d games also suffer badly from this outside of RPGs. It's just not a good era for gaming.
I'd love a 3DO mini!
@@gentronsevenits a good era for gaming lol theres a ton of games that aged like a wine like mgs, crash, spyro etc but ye tons of them aged like milk cuz its early 3d but it doesnt mean it wasnt a great era for gaming same with n64 even tho n64 is overrated in terms of games when you compared to gamecube
Get Atari 50th Anniversary Collection 😊
maybe a "super sega retro" with games from all generations could work priced at 200 or 300 dollars if it has games from all generations?.
That's pretty ambitious.
Adam, my man, love the discussion videos! I enjoy unboxings, reviews and pickup videos as much as the next guy, but stuff like this is why I subscribed a decade ago.
People tend to overestimate the how powerful SOC's are.
Thanks for being awesome at LI Retro Expo (I was 1 of the 4 people who bought your hat 😂)
Hell yeah, I remember you.
It would be freaking hysterical if SEGA re-released the SEGA Pico & Beena!
Where's my CD-i Mini?! 😂
I honestly think Minis haven't gone far enough.
Picture something called the "Sega Sol" You put in good enough hardware, yes for the premium price.
Then it's capable of emulating Dreamcast, Saturn, 32X, CD, Genesis, Game Gear, Master System, and SG-1000.
You pre-fill it with games from each of those systems.
You then launch it with an online store where you can buy more roms for it.
You can take it further and sell roms for arcade systems like OutRun and Shinobi and and and.
That would be genius.
Sega solar system
@@legendsflashback Exactly "Sol" the name of our star and why it's the "Solar" system. :)
@@retropulse03 Bernie solar too 💡
And retrobrawlers controller can run sms Genesis 32x Sega CD Saturn and Dreamcast as it's thumbstick, dpad, 6 face , 2 top triggers.
I am still waiting for the Master system mini.
What an awesome video. This brought me back to the console generation histories he did a few years ago. 👍
My wife and I recently got enough money to buy a TV display cabinet with shelves around it, and she said it'll be great, because I can display the games like a kind of museum. When we were moving around the boxes, she was genuinely curious in the Sega Dreamcast, and my eyes lit up so much. I had always dealt with gamers who shunned the Sega Dreamcast (my favorite console of all time), and now that the person I love wants to dig into those games with me... I'm not sure if anything could make me happier.
It's great to know other people who love these consoles are still out there!
What about their arcade platforms? I'm a big racing fan and am constantly on the look out for ways to play the likes of Sega Rally and Daytona USA from the Model 2. Again haven't seen many SBC's capable of this but a guy can dream!
You can play all the Sega 3D racing games right now. I've got a G920 steering wheel setup playing Scud Race as I type this.
Licensing issues. Will never happen. They don't own the name 'Daytona' and have to license it from the Daytona Speedway each time. Then there are the car licenses for e.g., Sega Rally, Scud Race, etc.
What we need is a Dreamcast 2 with Blu-ray drive, complete games collection from all their previous hardware built in, with VMUs and removable 1TB storage for under $1200. Realistically, I'd rather see them re-release older games as remasters either on PC or other consoles. Until we get something like that I'm going to continue buying and hunting down Saturn and Dreamcast hardware.
Great video. Just a point about Dreamcast emulation - up until recently I was running Emuelec on an old 'Android TV' box (which cost about £25 in 2018) that did DC + Naomi really well (Retroarch + Reicast iirc). That was an 'off the shelf' Amlogic S905X so I'm sure the tech is ready for a low cost device.
Capcom had a load of arcade games running on Naomi (with DC ports of course) - I'd love to see Sega and Capcom team up with a mini device. I can dream!
When I look at how fast cheap Chinese emulation sticks have advanced just THIS year (many on the $60-80 range can handle Dreamcast), then I disagree that the tech is still too expensive to make sense. I think we are right at the razor's edge of it being totally possible to make and sell for around $100. They are probably just waiting until the profit margin becomes a bit more favorable.
I’d love a Saturn & Dreamcast mini, the nostalgia factor definitely is a point to consider but I’ve always believed it’s the emulation that’s the biggest stumbling block, SEGA said as much themselves in a recent financial call. I do think that both will eventually release however, but they may be a little while off, I also feel SEGA might want to do them linearly, Saturn first?
I think a Saturn mini with accurate emulation would also be a major software breakthrough, so if SEGA manage it, hats of them!
Well I know this not a Sega system but I like to see Philips make a cdi mini
It's wild that people need some kind of validation from a faceless corporation. Just buy a 3d printed shell and put all the console's games on a raspberry pie. That's literally what the fans do ANYWAY lmao.
Awesome video buddy. Would love to see a Dreamcast Mini :)
I don’t think Sega really cares about anything other than releasing the same genesis compilations over and over again.
They do care, Infact they are the only gaming company in modern day which cares about their fans out of the crowd of ungrateful likes of Nintendo, Sony, Rockstar, Valve and many more. They just do not have big bank to support the risks they want to take
id Software cares about its fans.
Thanks for the informative vid. I really dig your Sega history shirt, too! 👍
Gosh they are so tight with their licensing too, i would love to see more mini arcade replicas and systems that play their virtua games smoothly.
Interesting that the Gen didn't do well in Japan... so any idea how the mini(s) did? Why make those little decoritive models and leave them in Japan (the Genesis mini 2 as well if I'm not mistaken) where few people will even appreciate it?
Because they knew North America and Europe would do well.
@@AdamKoralikawesome 😸👍👍
If they did make a Dreamcast Mini how would they do the VMU, would it be compatible with the original Dreamcast Controller or be a USB controller that had VMU Support or a built in VMU emulation screen with multiple VMU pages?
I doubt they'd make it compatible with the original hardware.
I think the dreamcast is much more easier to make a mini than the saturn due to the complexity of the console. I might be wrong and I hope I that the dreamcast mini comes out.
I think Saturn and Dreamcast mini's can be done but clearly yes they will cost some money so I think what Sega needs to do is take a page out of the Egret 2 Mini's play book and have an expansion port so they can release more games in volumes so Sega can sell the systems abet cheaper than they normally would be but make up the difference buy selling more volumes of games!
We will get the Saturn next year, I am pretty sure. It is for sur a console that Japanese are waiting because it was the best of all Sega consoles for them ) same for me).
Retro Saturn games (imports) and hardware might go up because of this. The fans who would buy a mini console prob end up just buying the real hardware
Hey Adam , greetings from central Florida , I am a retro-gamer content creator , and you have an awesome channel , , thanks for doing this Mini console follow up , , think eventually a Mini-Dreamcast will see the light of day , fingers crossed 🤞 , ,keep rocking dude 😸👍👍
I would imagine controllers would also be an issue. do you make the DC mini have 4 controlller sockets with VMUs so you can get everything out of some Dc games?
Yeah, valid point.
I think you get a new genesis mini with the PowerBase "add-on" that has a mix of master system games and genesis games. Then maybe a 4th genesis with the 32x "add-on" with even more genesis games and some 32x games.
Yeah I think that would probably be more likely. I don’t think you’ll actually get a master system mini but another genesis mini that has master system games and a power base attachment for show is a little more likely
The NES sold very little in the UK. Despite that, the NES Mini sold very well when it was released.
No wonder. At the time of the NES's heyday, PCs dominated the British market. PCs had been dominant since before the Great Video Game Crash of '83.
@@DarDarBinks1986
The Game Crash was a US game crash. It didn't happen in Europe or Japan. Gaming was taking off in the UK at the time of the US Game Crash.
The gaming home computers at the time were known as micro computers. The term PC (personal computer) was used for home business computers.
I’m in America and I would love a master system mini. I’ve never owned, seen or touched one. So a mini version would be a perfect way for me to experience it in some way. Make it happen Sega!
The SMS "destroyed" the NES in Europe!??
Ps. If a Dreamcast Mini Ever sees the Light of day I would buy it in an instant!
Yes.
@@AdamKoralik Never new that ... I also read that the NES was never released in a few EU countries. That might explain that
@@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701 A lot of those countries didn't really exist when the NES was released.
I don't know why but I find the discussion of console success depending on the region very interesting. Such as the Sega examples bought up here and the N64 doing worse than the Saturn in Japan.
I hadn’t seen your videos in several years, but I saw an article from “The Gamer” which mentioned you and it brought back memories.
Welcome back!
That Dreamcast point is valid cause I believe MSRP for the Dreamcast in 1999 was $200 bucks. So are release at a more expensive price tag would make it more egregious
Excellent video. !! I am
Quite sad there won’t be a Saturn and Dreamcast mini.
I agree with everything said in this video. A Dreamcast mini could happen eventually once the tech becomes cheap enough, but who knows if there'll still be demand for it or if everyone will have moved on from the mini console craze?
Before that point, I think it'd be cool if they made a new Genesis mini which had a cartridge slot and CD attachment port with USB ports in each of them. Then they could sell (probably limited quantities of) a CD mini, a 32x mini, and even a Power Base Converter as an alternative form of a Master System mini. In the case of the CD and 32x, the units could contain some extra hardware to handle the more demanding systems, but the Power Base Converter could just have game storage and run off the Genesis mini.
I'm sure this would never happen, but I think it would be cool, and buying the items modularly would allow them to make the base hardware cheaper (and set production levels of the add-ons based on preorder demand).
I think a lot of us feel we missed out on the Saturn but there is a lot of good games for it so that is why people want a mini saturn
Excellent video Adam!
I've been into emulation since forever... The holy grail for me is the original model 1 Virtua Fighter!
I bought a Sega Saturn the day of release here in UK, walked around the corner to a shop that did 'grey-imports' and swapped my UK 50hz pal machine for a Japanese 60hz model, just to play Virtua Fighter at full speed! Yes, I was/am that obsessed!!
To this day 'August 2023', Sega have never released an arcade-perfect version of Virtua Fighter...
I was kinda' hoping to see an arcade perfect Virtua Fighter 1 on Dreamcast, alas... Virtua Fighter TB 😞
Enter the Sega Astro-City-Mini... I paid £125.00 Sterling, just to play THE BEST version of Virtua Fighter ever officially released!
The original model 1 board rendered Virtua Fighter at 480p... The Astro City Mini pumps out Virtua Fighter in glorious 720p... And you can plug it into HDMI (Thank-God!)
That's my love-affair with Virtua Fighter...
Daily though, I play Dreamcast games through REDREAM emulator and upscale everything to a mind bending 4K!
Soul Caliber in 4K is video-game-perfection!
Ciao.
Appreciate your content, I agree with you in your assessment, will always hope but won’t expect it at this point.
I got all of Sega's mini classics, I love them all. I'd love to see a Master System Mini (Yes I am from the UK) or even an SG1000 Mini. You know your history about the systems and how popular they were, props to you my man. I can see them loading 32X games on the Saturn mini. I can see them making a Saturn Mini as an Amazon exclusive and only available for those that pre order kind of like what they did with the Mega Drive Mini 2/Genesis Mini 2. I believe the reason it is going to take time as they are planning to make a board that will work on both a Saturn and Dreamcast mini, they will make it, it's just gonna take time. However I believe in the interim they should release a Master System mini.
I think they should go for the 300 dollar one. Honestly, the mini boom like you mentioned is over and people gobbled up the Genesis Mini 2 (which was made for fans and they came). I would have no issue spending the 300 ducats if the dreamcast mini (or whatever it is) faithfully honors its legacy.
Thanks for the insight. I am definitely one of those guys wanting the Saturn mini. I’ve been hopeful that since it was so big in Japan that they’d want to at least have one over there which I would be fine with ordering from Japan, Saturn owners are pretty used to that. But some good points. How much profit would they really make from it
Wish they would do something like an "arcade mini", and have the arcade versions of virtua fighter 1-3, virtua racing, Daytona, virtua cop 1&2, house of the dead, Sonic Fighters, Crazy Taxi, and more.
I didn’t play the master system in its hay day but I would buy a mini one now, I think the retro market would be interested enough for it to sell a least 100k units in North America, not sure if it’s worth it to them though.
I want to see Sega make a new add-on for the Genesis. Showing off what can be done with newer hardware if they made the next version of SegaCD. Not to play old Sega CD games but new hardware for new games. Maybe even from DVD disc's I wouldn't expect to play DVD movies but just having the higher storage and read speeds.
I think another good point is that some mini consoles could be released in very small numbers. The Turbografx-16 was even less successful outside of Japan than the Saturn was, but that still got a Mini released worldwide. However, a 16-bit console like that is a lot easier to emulate on low cost hardware than the Saturn is, so R&D was still less of an issue with that one. People are also usually more excited for Turbografx-16 developments than they are for Master System developments too, or at least I think so. Of course, even if they wanted to print them in larger numbers, mini consoles aren't as in vogue now as they are when Nintendo was making them. It's kind of a miracle Sega is even still thinking about mini consoles, considering that.
Really insightful video. Well I was gifted a dreamcast that needs the lazer repairing, so I really should get on it, get the pad, vmu and wires mod it and actually play it.
I think if Sega realizes how much of a following the Saturn has gained in retrospect in the west plus how popular it was in Japan, to me it's the only console that might have a shot. That emu though. The Master System for all its merits, still isn't popular at all. At least outside of EU and Brazil. If 10s of thousands of people suddenly decided they liked it then maybe but I don't see that happening.
Knowing SEGA, I'd be worried to see how the final product ends up being...
It would be cool, especially the Saturn mini, give us access to all the games that are unaffordable!
Don’t they have master system games that are playable inside the genesis mini?
Game Gear I think.
I'm happy enough with the Genesis Mini. What I'd love and I'm sure won't get are original Game Boy and N64. I also have the NES and SNES. None for house use, just if I go to a friend's house. Thank you as always for the video.
SG-1000 came out in Australia! Probably the only console we ever got that the US didn't.
The latest raspberry pi can actually emulate Dreamcast fairly competently for a $35 computer board. Since the game list for a Dreamcast mini would be so curated anyway you wouldn't have to worry about perfect optimization for the entire Dreamcast library, you'd only have to focus on the list of 20 games or whatever they'd pick. It's not outrageous and it shouldn't be that expensive nowadays. The newest raspberry pi 4 came out in 2019 which is probably around the time Adam had these discussions with Sega about a Dreamcast mini, and like I said the pi 4 is actually pretty ok at Dreamcast emulation; however the pi 5 is supposed to come out next year in 2024 and I'd wager it should be perfectly adequate for Dreamcast emulation if their performance gains generation to generation keeps at the same pace it's been on (hell, even the pi 3 could emulate some Dreamcast games fairly well). I think we're actually at a time where a Dreamcast mini shouldn't be $300, this idea is probably worth revisiting currently. The PS mini wasn't a problem because of the device's lack of power or anything, it was a flop because Sony (or whoever they contracted to make it) screwed it up and didn't put real effort in; some games were NTSC and some were PAL and you couldn't chose which one you wanted for which game creating frame rate and frame pacing issues along with no effort into optimizing the games they put on the device, and other problems as well like input latency and stuff. The PS mini was just a bad product with clearly next to no effort put into it, I could make a FAR superior PS mini out a raspberry pi 3. But I stand by the Dreamcast probably being quite possible nowadays without a huge retail price tag, like I said it's probably worth revisiting that idea.
Saw this pop up on reddit and randomly clicked on it. The intro was a big nostalgia hit, dude I used to love your bad movie theatre videos with the british accent!
Ha, wow, throwback.
Best bet would be a Dreamcast mini with a few Saturn games thrown in as a gift. And maybe sell compatible Saturn pads for the die hards.
The context you gave makes it sound more like the Saturn is a never but the Dreamcast is a matter of time and tech rather than them both being equally unlikely.
More like... possible if anyone cares in a few years.
I'd love both a Saturn mini and Dreamcast mini, though I'm not holding my breath. I usually buy the Japanese Saturn games, and it would be cool for them to localize some of them but that seems like a lot of work for a nostalgia console. As for the dreamcast, some games like Crazy Taxi used licensed music which would be removed (and if I remember correctly was removed on a later release of it, plus the sponsored ties ins). Thats ok if they never come, I'm out of space anyway!
You have to think of it in context. SEGA has become a very japanese focused company in the last decade or so compared to previous eras, so the fact they reluctant to do Saturn mini as japan focused that SEGA has become in a market where the original system did well and would guarantee to sell very well in japan because of the nostalgia, shows there's a MAJOR issue involved. Saying that i still believe its also timing due to the planned remakes of Saturn and DC titles as well as genesis which wasnt in the works when the genesis and GG minis appeared. So this could be seen as a clash of sorts.
I'm curious how we can get devices made by companies like Retroid and Anbernic that can produce and sell handheld portable consoles with high resolution touch screens built in that play Dreamcast games beautifully for as low as $100, but typically not like $130-150, but Sega doesn't feel confident that they could produce one without a screen and a controller or two for less than $300?
Admittedly, those companies I mentioned don't pay royalties for the games, and their margins are way lower when they aren't sold at retail like a Dreamcast Mini would be. But I have a hard time believing that they couldn't just build a mini-console just like the PlayStation Mini for ~$150 or less with one controller and ~15-20 top games and still be profitable.
At this point I would accept an official emulated compilation release of Saturn and DC library for all current platforms. If “ mini “ won’t happen in my life time then there literally no point in waiting sooo long for it to ever be a thing.
Would love if we got an proper Game Gear "mini" release. As seen with the Switch, there is a big demand for handheld consoles. Releasing a Game Gear Mini that's the same size as the original (or maybe slightly smaller) but with a high-end screen, TV-connection capability, and 50+ games, would be awesome. It would also be cheap for Sega to develop and release.
I'm convinced there's actually a decent global market demand for the Saturn mini. If they found a way to emulate it well with minimal loading times, and bundle in Panzer Dragoon Saga and other gems, I'm convinced it would do well. A lot more gamers are aware of the Saturn now due to social media and gaming channels in particular. A lot of Genesis fans would welcome an opportunity to play another Sega console they probably skipped or didn't even know existed in the 1990s.
As for Dreamcast Mini, better to do it right and more expensive than cheap and unappealing to its target market. People expect quality, and if Sega skimped out just to reduce the price I think it would impact sales more than if it was a bit extensive but excellent quantity. A lot of original Dreamcasts are experiencing disc drive failure now, so having a proper first party mini version would be great for those of us who still love the system but can no longer play the games.
I don't know, I think even if a system flopped the first time round, doesn't mean people won't give it a chance now.
In retrospect a lot of people who didn't own Saturn's or Dreamcast's are realising what great and unique games they had and would take the chance to experience them today.
Especially when you consider they'll be cheaper, have several good games built in and you don't have to worry about them performing badly and being pulled off shelves early leaving you burned after you invested in them.
Always enjoy hearing your thoughts. Great vid.
@Adam, what are your thoughts on the Dreamcast mini also having the most complicated controller type? I really wonder how they would deal with the VMU screen, i think that would push the price up on this quite a bit. It would be amazing if there was some way to use real VMUs or connect real controllers into the theoretical mini. But i belive they are going to have to do something with that controller that will keep the price always higher than the other 2 options even when the technology gets here.
Bummer over all but I think you are correct, we are going to be waiting a while :(
Honestly, extremely valid concern.
Thanks for the illumination.