null1024 wrote:EmperorIng wrote:Unfortunately, the Saturn was not strong enough to completely translate Galaxy Force II on its system. The port was a decent attempt though. We can only dream about some Sega Y-board-based console released instead of the Saturn.
The Saturn is about as good as the X-Board, except that it can also do 4 point quads and the background VDP is an absolute beast.
Mind you, I really wish the Saturn had some of the Sega System 32 in it, christ. Now
that is a Super Scaler beast.
It was pretty heavily rumored in 1991-1992 (and long after that) that Sega's in-development 32-Bit console was based on the System 32 board.
The never-officially-confirmed codename for this supposed System32-derived console was Giga Drive according to EGM and other publications.
Whatever Sega's early 32-Bit console was, it eventually evolved into Project Mars / 32X for Genesis/MD and the Saturn.
That is not to say the finalized 32X or Saturn had much, if anything, to do with the System 32 board. It has been said though, that Saturn's VDP1 was a progression
on the sprite technology in System 32.
VDP1, was a logical progression of the well established frame buffer-based sprite rendering hardware implemented in Sega's System 24 and System 32 arcade platforms.
http://segaretro.org/Sega_Saturn?rdfrom ... irect%3Dno
I don't know what the truth of the matter actually is, but anyway, it's kinda curious that M2 calls their Mega Drive emulator for the 3DS "Giga Drive"
(read the interviews).
The following is taken directly from EGM in late 1990, into 1991:
EGM Number 15, October 1990
(Gaming Gossip)
...Genesis Giga-Drive in Japan
...First we get the Mega Drive, then the Game Gear, and now the Giga Drive? The latest rumors from Japan tell of an even more advanced Sega system with scaling functions as well as the ability to manipulate a larger number of more colorful characters! Could it be true? From the one game company that seems to be taking an aggressive stab at just about anything, a Giga-Drive could be a possibility, but I have to see it with my own eyes first. Sure sounds rippin' though....
EGM Number 16, November 1990
(Letters to the Editor)
SEGA 32 BIT SYSTEM!
Recently I've heard that there are rumors concerning a 32 bit converter for the Genesis! Please confirm this rumor, because if this is true, then watch out NES and NEC here comes Genesis!
Tim Chung
Calgary, Alta
You've got the most awesome mag out there! How about an in depth on Strider? And what about the 32 bit Genesis?
(ed. There have been many rumors about a 32 bit system for Genesis, Code name Giga Drive (Giga being 1000 times bigger than Mega, as in the Japanese Mega Drive), is still a long ways from production. It's not just a dream though, as the 'System 32' arcade version is up and running. And, we know that what fits on an arcade mother board can eventually be shrunk down to fit inside a Giga Drive case! For the first look at the forerunner to the home Giga Drive, feast your eyes on this!)
(They showed a black & white photograph of the System 32 board here but I don't have scans)
EGM Number 19, February 1991
(Letters to the Editor)
GIGA DRIVE?...
I called Sega and asked them about the Giga Drive. They said there is no such thing. And they said that you made it up. And there is no ' System 32' "up and running". They also said that if you look real close at the picture in issue number 16 of the so called Giga Drive, you'd see that it is a drawing. So, I would like to know what you have to say about this?
Jimmy Burleson
Phil Campbell, AL
(ed. Will Jimmy, these are the kind of problems we run into when we either, know more than the company does, know more than the company wants us to know, or know more than the company wants you to know.
With regards to your questions the 'System 32', a code name for Sega's new 32 bit arcade machine, is indeed up and running. In Japan, that is. Last September, at JAMMA, the Japanese arcade show, one game - Rad Mobile was quite playable. The photo we ran in issue 16 was not an illustration. Rather it was an actual B and W photo of the motherboard of that System 32. And, as MegaDrive/Genesis was born from their 16 bit arcade system, it is not difficult to imagine a Giga Drive emerging from this new System 32. But it is probable that 1991 will be the year of the CD-ROM wars. That would make 1992 the earliest the next-generation of Sega machines would appear, That is, unless NEC makes the 32 bit jump first!?...)
The System 32 board was not defined by Sega as being one of Super-Scaler boards -- Even though System 32 certainly had extremely strong scaling & rotation capability of its own. System 32 was Sega's next step in 2D/sprite technology before moving onto the Model 1 polygon board co-designed with General Electric Aerospace and the Model 2 board co-designed with Martin Marietta (MM bought out GE's Aerospace division in 1993).
Of course, Sega would revisit 2D/sprite tech with the final version of Saturn and the ST-V Titan (Saturn-Titan Video?) arcade board.
One thing is certain, Sega had many R&D projects going on, for both arcade and consumer products, over generations of hardware. Some saw the light of day, others did not.
