Saturn

[Anonymous No.6413095]

I want to play Saturn so bad but I’ve heard emulators are not the best.

I’ve been seeing YouTube videos in Japan where Saturns sell for 30 bucks a pop. Is there a cheap way for a US based gamer to experience this fascinating console?

[Anonymous No.6413115]

[Anonymous No.6413165]

>>6413095
I got myself Jap Saturn for 40 bucks from ebay, free shipping from Japan. It's a roulette if it will come in one piece since my was put in carton box and one layer of bubble wrap but miraculously it was intact. Search for Saturn with free shipping on ebay.

[Anonymous No.6413189]

>>6413095
ATT you'll want to look for a us seller. It'll probably be inflated as fuck, but that's the deal. Japan Post has stopped shipping to the US. DHL is the only shipping method and its gonna be expensive.

Personally, I've never had issues with items coming from Japan in one piece. All the sellers there know how to pack shit.

You might be able to find a good deal locally in classified ads or Facebook marketplace. As long as you have a action replay 4-in-1, you'll be fine. The 4-in-1 is a swiss army knife for the saturn. Outside of cheats, it allows you to play imports, backup save files to it, and has RAM functionality for games that need it (both 1 & 4 mb). The Japanese and US have different startup tracks, but that's about it.

Once Japan Post starts shipping to the US again, i'd probably use a proxy service like Buyee to get a Saturn off of Yahoo Auctions Japan. Shipping might still be expensive depending on what you get.

[Anonymous No.6413206]

Also, those guys advertising free shipping from Japan, its not free. They list the price of shipping in their description. Its a thing with Ebay and calculating shipping costs.

It might be free with a single game, but def not with a system or a system lot with games.

[Anonymous No.6413290]

>>6413189
>Countries such as the United States of America, France and the United Kingdom are unaffected by the suspension.

[Anonymous No.6413321]

>>6413095
>I’ve heard emulators are not the best
This was true maybe 5 years ago. Mednafen (or the Beetle Saturn core in Retroarch) work great these days.

[Anonymous No.6413329]

>>6413095
I bought myself a white Japanese Sega Saturn and bought a bunch of Japanese Saturn games.

[Anonymous No.6413332]

>>6413290
I'm waiting on items to be shipped because Japan post isn't sending out shit. I'll have to cancel and have them do dhl. I've had 5 orders canceled this way.

Please actually order shit before you comment.

[Anonymous No.6413340]

>>6413332
Ok, well i'm just saying that's not what their website says.

[Anonymous No.6413438]

>>6413290
bruh

https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/2020/0423_03_en.html

[Anonymous No.6413472]

>>6413438
Is this just for the US?

[Anonymous No.6413475]

>>6413095
emulation is actually a lot more approachable than you'd imagine - use Mednafen since it's very accurate and only really requires you to add a bios and then drag and drop cue. files

[Anonymous No.6413540]

>>6413095
>>6413165
got a jap for like $50 a few years ago, they really arent expensive and you can mod the fuck out of them. someone on assembler was nice enough to give me a modchip so i burn the expensive, rare games, and buy the ones i want to collect. honestly i got the jap one because the games are way cheaper but if you dont care about collecting physical games then get a modchip

[Anonymous No.6413781]

>>6413472
It's for everywhere, it has everything to do with no commercial airlines coming or going to Japan, which is what Japan Post uses to send packages via airmail, unused space on international flights. There's almost zero international flights right now for any country, period.

[Anonymous No.6413876]

>>6413540
Where did you get yours?

[Anonymous No.6413887]

Will there ever be a Saturn Mini?

It can’t be worse than this thing

[Anonymous No.6413978]

>>6413887
sega's ignoring saturn harder than ninty ignores the cdi-games

[Anonymous No.6414029]

>>6413887
The game selection won't be a flop because a couple dozen games is all Saturn has anyway

[Anonymous No.6414129]

>>6413887
Seriously is there any news about it?

[Anonymous No.6414136]

>>6413876
ebay. look out and you can snag one for cheap.

[Anonymous No.6414152]

>>6413887
The normies forgot about the Saturn. There's no market for a nostalgia system.

[Anonymous No.6414306]

>>6414029
>seething fanboi detected

[Anonymous No.6414378]

Does anyone here have a Japanese Saturn they want to sell me

[Anonymous No.6414794]

>>6413095
>Saturn
>Cheap
Good fucking luck.

[Anonymous No.6415481]

Can't you just buy a US Saturn and use one of those cartridges that will let you play import games? Or do those have issues?

[Anonymous No.6415493]

>>6415481
Even Japanese Saturn games are expensive these days

[Anonymous No.6415498]

>>6415493
Well, obviously. It just seemed like op was bent on getting a JP Saturn, which we all know would be hell right now.

[Anonymous No.6415521]

>>6415481
The Action Replay cart in combination with the cartridge slot can be finicky as fuck, if you're not planning on playing many U.S. releases and don't ever plan on removing the 4MB RAM cartridge, a Japanese Saturn is the way to go.

[Anonymous No.6415527]

If you arent playing on the console you arent really "playing Saturn". I'm not saying that as an elitist but if you want to experience what it's like to use (game system) from power up to power down, the controller, etc., you need one.

And you definitely should get one and a big stack of blank CD-Rs.

[Anonymous No.6415528]

>>6414794
consoles are.
games aren't.
saturn, the inkjet-printer of vidya.

[Anonymous No.6415551]

I don't know shit about the Saturn aside from a few games. What are the advantages of getting a Japanese console over an American one?
Unless there's a good reason not to get an American one, I'd prefer to stick with stuff from the country whose language I understand (and whose electricity standards are the same).
Unless there's fantranslations, i really don't see how I would play Japan-exclusive games.

[Anonymous No.6415564]

>>6415551
The only advantage is that they're cheaper and they don't all look ugly like the Western models. Japan uses the same plugs and more or less the same voltage as America as well so you can plug it straight into the wall.

[Anonymous No.6415587]

>>6415564
>don't all look ugly like the Western models
Uhh... the western models are just black. What's wrong with black?
If anything the Japanese models are pretty ugly.

[Anonymous No.6415679]

What are some games you guys would recommend?
Aside from NiGHTS, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Cop, Panzer Dragoon, Mega Man 8, Sonic R and 3D Blast, and their respective sequels, I h Iave absolutely no idea what games are even worth it.
Mayyyybe Sega Ages, but i dunno if those versions of the games have been ported to newer consoles or not.

[Anonymous No.6415694]

>>6415679
>Mayyyybe Sega Ages, but i dunno if those versions of the games have been ported to newer consoles or not.
The Sega Ages ports were the ones used in Shenmue, but other than that and the Yu Suzuki disc on the Dreamcast, those specific ports haven't been available again, the Switch ports of all of those Sega arcade games are better than the Sega Ages versions though.

[Anonymous No.6415703]

>>6415679
Virtual-On with the arcade sticks is absolutely worth it. The Capcom fighters that use the 4MB RAM cart are worth it, and a decent chunk of them (X-Men Children of The Atom, X-Men vs Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter) Haven't been ported since.
Burning Rangers is still a unique exclusive, and I highly recommend Bulk Slash, the most Saturn game that ever Saturned.

[Anonymous No.6415710]

>>6415587
The Japanese models are not ugly. That's why OP used one of them in his picture and not a generic looking black box.

[Anonymous No.6415717]

My Japanese Saturn was a pure lust purchase more than anything else. I think it was Gamepro had the mandatory "JAPAN ONLY NEVER EVER WHITE BOYS" section of their magazine and they showed off pictures of the white Saturn and it was the most beautiful console I had ever seen. Dont know why. Just an aesthetic treat to me. I had to get it. Took me about a decade but I got there.

And Burning Rangers controls fine all the barely functional shit I put up with in the 5th gen era back then and THIS game is "impossible"? When did this meme start? Seems to be the new "You thought it was fun but it's actually shit subscribe to my Patreon" now that OOT isnt cool to shit on anymore.

[Anonymous No.6415723]

>>6415717
Yeah I know that feeling you described, there was an article in Game Informer or EGM back in '98 talking about X-Men vs Street Fighter and the 4MB RAM cartridge and how it was never going to be released in the U.S. Did a number on me then as I was getting really into the arcade scene at the time.

[Anonymous No.6415730]

>>6415723
The last few issues of the UK Sega Saturn magazine starting shit talking Sega Of Europe about how they greenlit literal trash like Trash It and Courier Crisis for release, but wouldn't localise games like Radiant Silvergun, Grandia and Symphony of the Night, and implored their readers to buy Japanese imports, even doing guides to help people play the games.

>>6415717
Don't worry, once it's suddenly uncool to shit on Burning Rangers i'm sure people will start magically liking it again.

[Anonymous No.6415738]

>>6415730
Wonder why they didnt. Those are all A+ games. Any place to read these?

[Anonymous No.6415753]

>>6415738
As far as I know, SoE only had one translation team and they decided to have them work on translating Shining Force 3 instead of Grandia. SoA wasn't interested in translating it because they'd decided JRPGs didn't sell.. shortly before FF7 sold millions.

The magazines have all been scanned on to the internet archive, so you can read them there.

[Anonymous No.6415758]

>>6415730
SoA was way worse about releasing anything by the end of 1997's first half, they'd practically given up on trying to compete with Sony and Nintendo with the Saturn, basically cut their losses and waited until the next gen. Really soured their consumer base in North America with how they handled the Saturn.

[Anonymous No.6415793]

>>6415758
Yep if it wasn't for SoE I doubt we would've had English versions of Shining Force 3 or Deep Fear at all

[Anonymous No.6416526]

>>6415694
It fucks me up that the arcade that photo was taken in shut down like two months after I visited. Super fucking cool place.

[Anonymous No.6416790]

I felt exactly like you OP. I bought one and installed a mod chip and got all of the major titles that populate all the top 10 lists.

It's okay. Like, it's a console that's a fun distraction for an hour at a time, but unless you like shmups, there are no games to really dedicate a lot of hours to. My favorite experience with the console was getting the mission stick and playing Space Harrier with it, but I could do that with MAME just as easily. I really wanted to love the thing, and I was hyped to be apart of the community, but it just doesn't put out.

[Anonymous No.6416812]

>>6413887
Yes, but it'll only be released in Japan.

[Anonymous No.6417052]

>>6415717
>>6415723
It's not the article I'm thinking of, but it's similar, from EGM #113, December 1998.

[Anonymous No.6417116]

>>6415703
the ports on Xmen vs SF and MSH vs SF on the PS1 are not the same game. They're best of 3 instead of 2v2 like in the Arcade. Except when 1p and 2p have the same characters, then you can swap them out at will. Also the load times are super long.

[Anonymous No.6417329]

>>6416790
I think that's ultimately it for a lot of people. It's alluring from the outside as a platform to get into but once you're there, you're dealing with either slightly worse versions of games you could be playing on PS1, arcade ports you could be playing in MAME or shmups. There's probably more to get out of it if you can get into thee Japanese exclusives, but for most people it's just not very compelling for the era.
Both the PS1 and N64 offer a better early 3D experience, with the former having a vastly wider library as well as a couple good 2D titles and the latter having more definitive must-owns. There's more for everybody on the others, the Saturn's lasting appeal is pretty niche. That's not a problem as such, if it's your thing then great, but it just means it's not the choice for a lot of people.

[Anonymous No.6417472]

>>6413095
I actuall only collectors Japanese Saturn for the better part of the last 10-years because of the bullshit prices, and this was back in the late 2000s when prices weren't even close to where they are now, but definitely high compared to other /vr/. For example, you can pick up pretty much any title released in the US for a fraction of the cost. I remember really wanting House of the Dead, but the US version was over $100 at the time. Ended up getting the Japanese version for like $8 or something complete.

On top of that you have the entire Japanese library to enjoy, of which the US and Europe libraries can't even compare. Tons of the best shooters ever made, many other great action games never released outside Japan, and various other weird games that would have no appeal outside their country. I'd definitely get into Japanese Saturn collecting if I were you.

The only issue is the RPGs, which unless you know Japanese are next to impossible to play and beat. If you do know Japanese fairly well then you are set.

[Anonymous No.6417480]

>>6413095
I hope that you get a hold of one. Great system with a load of English-Friendly imports.

[Anonymous No.6417509]

>>6413189

>has RAM functionality for games that need it (both 1 & 4 mb)

Some SNK games (KOF 96 and Metal Slug, for example) has buggy sprites and slowdowns when using a 4MB RAM cart and this one it only has the 4MB mode much like the good old AR.

I would definitely go for a region mod if you have interest in these games in particular. I'm a SNKfag so that was a must for me.

[Anonymous No.6417527]

>>6413887

Maybe would in Japan and for a limited supply in the US featuring the Jap gaems. The thing is: the console has strong retro market but not so much casualfags leaning into it. I keep hearing stories about people in the US who didn't even knew it existed.

>>6413978

For games ports and re-releases i agree with you, but recently they licensed the Retro Bit controllers and the BANDAI model kit so i guess they are aware of the Saturn brand importance for some folks.

[Anonymous No.6418876]

>>6413321
It works better, but it still needs a decent processor. My i5 4460 chokes on Beetle Saturn, I know it's dated but goddamn.

[Anonymous No.6419023]

>>6413887
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the Saturn still an emulation nightmare to the point Sega just releases the PC ports of the available Saturn games on everything? I'm not sure a Saturn emulation mini would even be worth the headache, they'd have an easier time with a Dreamcast mini.

[Anonymous No.6419227]

>>6418876
I'm on a 2500k @ 4GHz and have no issues.

[Anonymous No.6421106]

>>6415694
>>6415703
Ah, thanks a ton for the reccs guys, I appreciate it a ton

[Anonymous No.6421189]

For those who modded their Saturns to bypass region-lock, why did you choose to do so as opposed to simply using an Action Replay cartridge? I'm genuinely curious

[Anonymous No.6421705]

Just buy a Saturn in the 90s. Support Sega, don't wait until 2020 to buy one from a reseller.

[Anonymous No.6423319]

>>6413189
How good is Yahoo auctions?

[Anonymous No.6424772]

>>6413095
I just bought one on ebay. Mod chipped, black model 2, with an extra controller, action replay, and stack of burned games. $150. Ordered an original gray controller on top of that because I love the color. There are unmodified Saturns going for $70-100 right now. If you get one that's not modded, just get a pseudosaturn cart to play burned games.

[Anonymous No.6424775]

>>6421189
Action replay doesn't read burned discs, modchip and pseudosaturn do.

[Anonymous No.6424790]

>>6414029
>350 games in the US
>over 1000 games in Japan

[Anonymous No.6424809]

>>6415679
Dead or Alive, Fighting Vipers, Radiant Silvergun, Guardian Heroes, Grandia fan translation patch, the Shining games, Puyo Puyo Sun and Tsu, Castlevania NITM, Panzer Dragoon Saga, just to name a few.

[Anonymous No.6424863]

>>6421189
While i havent regionmodded yet, i plan on installing a Universal BIOS mod. Itll make the system startup based on the japanese one, but mine's japanese already anyway, and all Saturns have English as a menu language option.
I want it because its completely out of sight and out of mind; you would put in any game whatsoever and itll just work, no region switch necessary. Paired with a modchip to play burned CD-Rs, this will also leave the cartridge slot free for only the basic functions (1MB ram, 4MB ram, and Save Data Backup). If I dont get official carts for each function, ill just get a good quality PseudoSaturn cart, as they have a physical switch that lets you switch between the three functions. Probably will just get them separately though.

[Anonymous No.6426961]

>>6415679
Baku Baku

[Anonymous No.6427341]

>>6421189
I did it because I wanted to play super tempo and emulation wasn't working (this was like back in 2012). I checked my saturn recently and found that the disc drive is dead. I hope the modchip doesn't break that new device thats you plug into the expansion slot to play backups.

[Anonymous No.6428361]

>>6419023
It's actually gotten a lot better where it's actually pretty rare to have major issues now. That being said I doubt Sega would put resources into developing their own emulator or even outsourcing it and having it run well since there's no way they'd just straight up use something like Mednafen.