Blake "Pengo" Merriam
For anyone that has studied the recent development of game consoles will know that the big three (Sega, Sony & Nintendo) do not make a whole lot of money on the selling of their 32/64 bit hardware. It has been speculated many times that the console systems are being sold below cost in order to mantian competitive and to establish their user base as much as posible for the sake of maximizing thier potental software and pheripheral sales, were the real money is made.
My proposal is that Sega allow 3rd party hardware manufacturers to clone thier high end consoles. This would free up Sega from manufacturing costs and allow the market to naturally lower the retail price. Hardware manufacturers would be free to inovatively make the systems as cheap as posible by re-enginering them. (Example: Sega remade the SegaCD by removing the expensive mechanical CD tray in place of a simple pop open version similar to how the Saturn is now) As long as the hardware conforms to Saturn specifications to ensure compatibility. If this sounds familar youre right. This is basicly what 3DO tried to do. However, 3DO failed because they were not attempting to be competively priced with current systems at the time. A better example would be how Apple is now begining to allow other hardware manufacturers to clone Macs. Thereby lowering the price and further expanding the user base, which is what 3rd party software developers look for in a platform. In english, this means more games for your Saturn.
This concept of Sega allowing 3rd party hardware manufacturers to clone their hardware is not just limited to the Saturn. Allowing other manufacturers to close the NetLink would not only drive the price down, but it could also translate into better performing NetLinks (33.6mhz speeds, improved Web browsers, ect) And unlike game consoles (Saturn or otherwise) which are propietary, a new and improved NetLink would not make older NetLinks obsolete or un-usable. There have been rumors that X-band may make a 'NetLink'. Perhaps Sega may decide to have their next system after Saturn cloned.
The short history of game consoles, from the 2600 to the Master System to the SuperNES to the Saturn, has shown that the stronger the established user base a system has, the more games that are made for it. Sega must do everything they can to further increse it's user base.
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