It's Time For Sega To Rejoin The Console Market

Though it hasn't made a console since the 2002 Dreamcast, SEGA is uniquely positioned to target a niche not covered by Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo.

[BlackIceJoe]

I'd love to see this, but I don't see it happening. The best you could hope for is a system like Switch, because going after the high end consoles like PlayStation and Xbox put out wouldn't be financially successful for Sega.

[just_looken]

Very true not to mention sega as a whole has not been doing so well if not for sonic/yakuza they would have been purchsed/merged already.

The closing of there japan arcade center was so sad

[GhostScholar]

I wonder if yakuza became exclusive to saga (if they made a console) could that move units? I would buy it for yakuza but I’m not sure how many other people would.

[ZycoFox]

The only way it can be done (IMO) is if they can release a machine that can do something completely different to the other consoles, otherwise it'll just be another PS/Xbox like machine. What that would be, I don't know..

However with the AI we have today they could make a pretty amazing Seaman style game even now.

[neutralgamer1992]

They just don’t have the resource’s available to even try that

Looken

They won’t be able to stay independent for long. By the end of this generation I think they will be acquired. We may even see publishers merge together to become bigger. The days of these medium sized publishers are numbered and I hope I am 100% wrong

[-Foxtrot]

Yeah I don’t think they have a lot first party wise to even justify it

Sonic is barely just getting on track, we’ll finally see with Superstars if it can keep the trend going after Mania.

However their other IPs are just gathering dust

If they revived all and I mean all of their old games with new instalments in complete success fashion then they could stand a chance but even then it’s a shot in the dark.

[Concertoine]

Yeah - i loved my Dreamcast but Sega’s catalog is full of weird and quirky games, very few of which actually appealed to the broader market and invited them to buy their hardware.

[porkChop]

They don't even have the resources or enough output to justify their own console or handheld.

[ApocalypseShadow]

I've dreamed that for over 20 years. The arcade powerhouse to make a comeback.

But they have lost many developers who either left or passed away. I've even wanted some of their top games in VR that makes sense to be there.

It ain't happening.

[Omegasyde]

Afterburner and Ecco would be awesome vr games.

[ZeekQuattro]

I don't know why people still yearn for Sega to start making consoles again.They sucked at it outside of the Genesis. Everything after the Genesis was killed off prematurely in favor of another ill fated Sega branded device because SOJ & SOA kept sabotaging to the point where it damn near killed Sega and force them out of the console race after the Dreamcast. Yes CD, Saturn ,Dreamcast and even the 32X had some gems but they all failed.

Sega is the Yakuza, Persona and Sonic company these days. Its all they seem to care about. Fuck traditional Phantasy Star, Golden Axe, Shining Force, Shinobi or the Virtua line of games. Plus lets say they did come back they would have to make all future Sega games exclusive to its platform. Otherwise why buy new Sega hardware when all of its games are on multiple platforms already. Hardware needs exclusives to sell after all and as it stands Sega is ill equipped to properly utilize it vast amounts of IP. Also good luck with that when people have been used to Sega games being multiplat for over 20 years at this point.

[QuantumMechanic]

Agreed. I don't think people understand that capital (or financing) is generally required upfront to fund the development of all these games. Funding in support of a large portion of their portfolio would be very expensive. That's a lot of risk and therefore difficult to come by. It's the same reason Konami doesn't just mobilize all their treasured IP. If these companies were sitting on $1B+ war-chests, they would be more capable.

[andy85]

The Saturn was a great console it was just killed by their pricing. Great library

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I actually liked the Saturn too, it had some fun games.

[Omegasyde]

I remember getting a 32x and then 3 months later they drop the Sega Saturn. I was very spurned by that.

But loved the SegaChannel! The original gamepass

[XiNatsuDragnel]

I would love to see this fr unlike Xbox rn imo.

[talocaca]

Mmmmm.....no.
They still seem to struggle even releasing AAA titles regularly (Sonic Frontiers was ok, but hardly the GOTY it deserves to be). The last thing they need is the burden or having to make hardware.

[ARESWARLORD]

Sega does what Nintendon't

[ARESWARLORD]

Genesis does what Nintendon't

[TakeTori]

Nah, don't think so :)

[Software_Lover]

No.

[lellkay]

Definitely not.

[Berenger]

I would certainly prefer them over Microsoft

[DarXyde]

I've had wonderful memories with Sega. I got into gaming a tad later than others as the Sega Genesis was my first console. I was a bit of a Sega fanboy for a while and didn't really get into PlayStation until PS2. Dreamcast may have been the most formative console of my youth. I felt that it captured the arcade experience better than any other console to this day.

... But that said, I think Sega made the right move. I think they would be great at helping the 30+ crowd remember what we traditionally believe gaming is, but it reminds me a lot of hip-hop/rap: I can be jaded about the new stuff, or acknowledge that my era has passed and the stuff we adored just isn't big like that anymore.

Sega was ahead of their time in some ways, but ultimately couldn't manage in the then-present. Plenty of management missteps that nearly bankrupted them and I'd rather not risk it. They're best in a third party capacity.

[Profchaos]

No o really don't think they need to instead they should just keep making games that people love and can play on a wide range of systems. Sega just can't do hardware historically they have only had one giant hit in the hardware space the genisis / mega drive and a big success in Europe with the master system.

They pushed consumer trust to far in the end of the day with tactics like dropping a add on our of fear the jaguar would take over just before releasing the Saturn.

Having rival factions in the US and Japan segmants of the business that couldn't even share a game engine or listen to each other.

the game gear, nomad, cd, 32x, Saturn and Dreamcast all floped the last 4 of those were consecutive failures.

Not being able to acclimate to industry trends like 3d instead pushing 2d sprite based games while the rest of the world pushed to 3d.

Making shallow arcade games instead of deep experiences like everyone wanted at home

Sega killed itself and I was a huge sega fan back in the 90s but it was bad move after bad move they are lucky that they had a gaurdian angel who donated enough to pivot from the console business to publishing their games as a thrid party it's not cheap or easy.

Still were lucky they exist today if they re enter the console business I think it will be so long sega

[Npugz7]

Sega doesn’t have enough exclusive franchises to have a console.

[purple101]

What are you doing out of school on a Monday.

[BlaqMagiq1]

Ah yes. Let them back in only to drop out several years later. Again.

We have the big 3 in the console market. Let it stay that way for the foreseeable future.

[jwillj2k4]

Just focus on exclusive arcade like experiences and they’d find their footing with new hardware. No it won’t sell the most or be the most powerful but the fun factor will be there.

[UltimateOwnage]

Yes! I was so sad when they canned the Dreamcast. It was, and still is, a great console that thought outside the box and was ahead of its time. Sega Net, the VMU, Broadband Adapter, VGA monitor support, GD-ROM disks, etc. it was a great platform, and the games on that generation kf Sega hardware alone were more diverse and creative than most consoles have seen over the last few. Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi are still a few of my favorites.

[WheatBread]

No. It's time for SEGA to revive all of their old franchises and make them great again.

[gleepot]

The second they make a new console is the day I guarantee they go bankrupt.

[neomahi]

Not a chance. It's a headache SEGA doesn't want to face. It's also come down to acquiring developers to keep exclusive content on consoles. Microsoft made the first big attempt to play the console wars this way and PlayStation has responded with the same move. SEGA doesn't want to get into all that mess. They make software for whatever and wherever they want. It's really not in their best interest and they're smart to stay where they're at. Also, Sonic has been pretty inconsistent in its delivery. Mario has been consistently good and keeping Nintendo fans happy. Sonic, not so much. Nintendo, somehow, is surviving living off the same IP they have for years. I don't know how, but they are. Nintendo have gotten to where they don't develop their own software anymore, they're contracting it out, Smash Bros for example, was developed in-house by Nintendo's test lab, basically, but now is developed by Namco, so Nintendo is outsourcing all their work. It's not really a good time

[GhostScholar]

I don’t think it makes sense. I’d love it for nostalgias sake, but I don’t think it would be taken seriously. I would buy it though.

[Soulsborne]

Stick to making and publishing games. We already have one incompetent platform with more controller color variety than there are games to play on the damn thing.

[DivineHand125]

I would prefer they stay third party. One less platform I will have to buy/pay an online subscription for.

I would welcome a Dreamcast classic type console but Sega seems to be traumatized by that system.

[Seth_hun]

Sure, if they wanna go bankrupt :D

[neomahi]

I would also add that It may not be long before we really see consoles die. For a long time consoles used console specific components and as of recent, Xbox being a Microsoft company and Microsoft powering PC's with Windows they've used more PC components in consoles. When innovative hardware did exist, everyone complained it was too hard to develop for and too complex or too expensive. But look at what the PS3 did for consoles today.

My point is, consoles are becoming PC's and Microsoft is trying to take gaming into the cloud. Microsoft can control the PC market because it operates on Windows. I think that's where we're going. Microsoft has really pushed PC gaming with their screwups with consoles starting with the Xbox One. With Xbox 360 when Shapert and Mattrick were running Xbox, they were creating a headache for PlayStation, far more than Phil Spencer has been doing for Xbox, Peter Moore under Steve Ballmer created a nightmare for Sony. But now, even PlayStation is porting all their console exclusive games to PC. Jim Ryan was reported as saying they want to wait until games are are at least three years old, but they're already getting ready to port Ratchet and Clank. To sell your hardware, you have to have a reason to want that hardware. PlayStation fans for years got used to waiting a year for timed exclusives. They knew they were coming. DO you think they rushed out and got an Xbox? Nope, they learned patience. They played other things until it came along. That's what the PC market will do. They'll patiently wait it out until Spider-man 2 comes to PC and play other games in the meantime until then.

So, anyone wanting to enter the console space right now, I don't know. I think the console is dying. Get ready for another video game crash where everything is gonna go back to PC because that's where everyone wants to be, including Sony. Nintendo are the only ones sticking to their guns and saying: Nope, we started the console business, we were there first and we're not going to let that go. We're a hardware company. Mario is STILL not on PC and Legend of Zelda is still not on PC and Nintendo ISN'T hurting financially. You don't have to be on PC to remain relevant in gamers lives and make them happy, Nintendo is proof of that, but PlayStation gave up. Anyway, that's what I think, we're headed back to the PC anyway

[shinoff2183]

I think your pretty far off. Not everyone wants a pc, consoles still have quite some time left. Consoles keep selling more and more breaking records or about to yet your telling me consoles are dying. Pretty damn interesting

[mastershredder]

No, it's not. It may be beneficial for you to have more options, but it is not in Sega's best interest to front that whopping $$$ chunk of resources again. They are doing great with software, companion apps, merch and minis for a reason.

[Soy]

This isn't the 90s where gaming was niche enough that smaller companies could still compete at that level. Gaming is huge now, to the point that only the mega-giants can make hardware and not get embarrassed. Be glad Sega survived at all and enjoy what they do now.

[Popsicle]

Yes please

[FallenAngel1984]

Dreamcast failed because developers and retailers didn’t trust Sega after the mishandling of Saturn.

Why would a console released more than 20 years later fair any better?

You can’t convince me in any way that Sega would be more successful as a hardware manufacturer now than a software producer

[shinoff2183]

Thats crazy cause some people and youtube told me it was all sonys fault. Had nothing to do with sega failures or incompetence.

[Starman69]

They don't have the development teams.. end of story

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I would loved to have seen Sega stay in the hardware market instead of Microsoft entering, mainly because Sega has bought me more joy. But there's no way it can realistically happen and I don't think Sega want to, they made too many bad decisions towards the end to keep making hardware.