Sega's strategy should be...
Banandy
banandy@ucla.eduBefore I start, my opinions totally bank on the quality of this upgrade. It should have more RAM and have geometry capabilities that parallel the N64's(anti-aliasing and other neat stuff). In the end if this upgrade can't do an impressive, and I mean impressive, VF3, then my whole strategy falls apart.
The upgrade, or my envisioned upgrade, should be released during the Christmas season of 1997 packaged with VF3 for a reasonable price...$80? $90? Also, start selling Saturn units with the upgrade already included and with another cool deal offer. Thus, games for it should be downwardly compatible to an upgradeless Saturn for only a year or so. Then, follow up with other good translations of Model 2 games like Gunblade NY or Last Bronx and the new Model 3 games like Scud Racer. In the spring season of 1998, release an AWESOME, upgrade enhanced, Yuji Naka inspired, Sonic X-treme and sell it with the system to increase user base. Remember that Genesis and Sonic combo? After this point, other games from the Model 3 should be released and perhaps Nights 2 as well. Thus, the upgrade could keep the Saturn alive up until the year 2000, where an awesome new DVD system can come out. Plus, I honestly believe that no one will be able to complain or feel cheated on buying the Saturn+upgrade when this new system comes out. Actually, I think this will generate a lot of Sega loyal consumers and will ultimately reap lots of success with the new system.
What about 3rd party support for the upgrade? This is where Sega has to be careful. They MUST get them involved early in the game. One company I totally expect to respond is Capcom. Capcom already prefers the Saturn for fighting games and with the extra RAM from the upgrade, lots of great fighters can be released for the Saturn. Street Fighter 3 for Saturn? I think it could really happen. What about Konami? They too have a high end arcade board with some killer titles waiting to happen. If this upgrade can do VF3, Konami might really consider the Saturn with their premier Arcade games. If this 3rd party support doesn't materialize, then I don't see much hope...so Sega REALLY has to keep them happy.
If, a pretty big "if", Sega can pull this off, I believe that they could really have a legitimate claim to at LEAST the #2 spot. Playstation really beat Sega cuz of hardware superiority and 3rd party support, not cuz Sony can make its own games. So, most likely, Sony will lose its grip and fall down the ranks of stardom. Nintendo? Their Bulky drive doesn't seem to be that much better than their already existing N64, so it would really come down to games. Do I really think this upgrade will be better than the N64 technically? I don't expect it to be superior, but just close enough so that it won't make much of a difference, allowing Sega to compete on an almost equal footing. Excited? I am.
If you have any comments..please e-mail me at banandy@ucla.edu
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