Sega Saturn

The Sega Saturn is a <a href="/facts/Home_video_game_console/zP1RTC84">home video game console</a> developed by <a href="/facts/Sega/f9TY2kyl">Sega</a> and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the <a href="/facts/Fifth_generation_of_video_game_consoles/qfqlb95b">fifth generation of video game consoles</a>, it is the successor to the successful <a href="/facts/Sega_Genesis/7GuPYDhM">Genesis</a>. The Saturn has a dual-<a href="/facts/Central_processing_unit/Jxp1bqMV">CPU</a> architecture and eight processors. Its games are in <a href="/facts/CD-ROM/JwuaYLJv">CD-ROM</a> format, including several <a href="/facts/Porting/7s6tFs8B">ports</a> of <a href="/facts/Arcade_game/oBYn85uk">arcade games</a> and original games.
Development of the Saturn began in 1992, the same year Sega's groundbreaking <a href="/facts/3D_computer_graphics/zlWW6eaF">3D</a> <a href="/facts/Sega_Model_1/0lGYf2XY">Model 1</a> arcade hardware debuted. The Saturn was designed around a new CPU from the Japanese electronics company <a href="/facts/Hitachi/KeK38e82">Hitachi</a>. Another video display processor was added in early 1994 to better compete with the 3D graphics of <a href="/facts/Sony_Interactive_Entertainment/tnH01NqQ">Sony</a>'s forthcoming <a href="/facts/PlayStation_(console)/z1vlbrvo">PlayStation</a>.
The Saturn was initially successful in Japan but not in the United States, where it was hindered by a surprise May 1995 launch, four months before its scheduled release date. After the debut of the <a href="/facts/Nintendo_64/p1rI4VQ2">Nintendo 64</a> in late 1996, the Saturn rapidly lost market share in the US, where it was discontinued in 1998. The Saturn is considered a <a href="/facts/List_of_commercial_failures_in_video_games/NISR8nuJ">commercial failure</a>; this was affected by the cancellation of <a href="/facts/Sonic_X-treme/vPP3hu12">Sonic X-treme</a>, planned as the first 3D entry in Sega's popular <a href="/facts/Sonic_the_Hedgehog/QpJn4oAp">Sonic the Hedgehog</a> series. The Saturn was succeeded in 1998 by the <a href="/facts/Dreamcast/jdPb5uBX">Dreamcast</a>, having sold 9.26 million units sold worldwide, most in Japan.
The Saturn has several well-regarded games, including <a href="/facts/Nights_into_Dreams/PNQy0jw0">Nights into Dreams</a>, the <a href="/facts/Panzer_Dragoon/51CHkXRM">Panzer Dragoon</a> series, and the <a href="/facts/Virtua_Fighter/2K4g7EEe">Virtua Fighter</a> series, although much of its library was confined to the Japanese market where the system fared better than the West. The Saturn's reception is mixed due to its complex hardware design and limited <a href="/facts/Third-party_developer/6gbHyvDu">third-party</a> support; Sega's management has been criticized for its decisions during the Saturn's development and discontinuation.

Sega Saturn open-in-new

Sega Saturn