Loved my saturn. Daytona, Sega Rally, F1 challenge which is one of my all time favs with the wheel. There was a track and field game which is my favourite of all time on of that genre, Athlete Kings. Die Hard Arcade. Wasn't a fan of Nights.
Remembering the SEGA Saturn, and the big-wig execs that started the real console fanboy wars (!)
- Thread starter mrk
- Start date
Soldato
Remember playing the Saturn briefly on launch as a 7-8 year old, forgot all about it for 20 years then came back to it in all its retro-goodness and I couldn't get on with it. On the other hand, I tried the Dreamcast around the same time as well and loved that, Shenmue especially.
Shenmue started development on the Saturn,then they scrapped it and made it for Dreamcast instead.
Soldato
Sega started the fanboy console wars with the Megadrive and their "Sega does what Nintendon't" advert.
Soldato
Yeh think I have an old saturn mag with a few pics from that version.
Also vf3 was pencilled for Saturn and if I remember right they used Fighters Megamix as a trial for some of the more vf3 centric mechanics - Janet for example had Aoi's moveset and most of the VF2 characters got some moves added from VF3.
AM2 were an awesome studio that were constantly pushing what was possible.
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Oh god I remember Fighters Megamix! Surprisingly good game,but Tekken was so much better in every way imo. My mate had a Saturn with the 4mb ram expansion,I remember Street Fighter Alpha 2 looked noticeably better compared to PSX. In fact some of those 2D fighters were excellent on the Saturn.
It was amazing when released, i remember going to my mates house who bought one the day they hit the shops.
Daytona and another game or two that I forget were really impressive and closer to Arcade standards than consoles had previously been.
I seem to remember it was expensive at the time and the N64 was the one I went for about a year or so later.
The N64 is the console I always remember from that era, one of my friends entire family were gaming mad and spent a huge fortune buying several brand new releases every week. They later started a business selling used games and me and my mate had access to hundreds of games for free every night when they brought all the stock home lol.
Daytona and another game or two that I forget were really impressive and closer to Arcade standards than consoles had previously been.
I seem to remember it was expensive at the time and the N64 was the one I went for about a year or so later.
The N64 is the console I always remember from that era, one of my friends entire family were gaming mad and spent a huge fortune buying several brand new releases every week. They later started a business selling used games and me and my mate had access to hundreds of games for free every night when they brought all the stock home lol.
That sounds awesome. Lucky sod. I remember walking about 2 miles with a friend to go to Blockbuster Video,so we could rent a game each with our pocket money. I went home with Sonic and Knuckles,I honestly can't remember what he got. I lived in a large town in Scotland as a kid,Grangemouth if anyone's interested.
Offshoot but anyone remember ClayFighter 63⅓? I remember watching about it on GamesMaster on TV and laughed at the reason for the name becaus eit wasn't quite 64-bit 
Man of Honour
I don't think I've ever played a Saturn either; maybe in an Electronics Boutique back in 96/97 but I don't know anyone who owned one; I always wanted one for Daytona USA and Sega Rally; but I was a Sega kid growing up with the Mega Drive but not old enough in '96 (10) to really understand that the PS1 I did get was the better option.
I've been reading a lot about the 90's console war and I'm halfway through "Service Games - The Rise and Fall of SEGA) its incredible reading about the behind the scenes stuff and business side that I would never have read about at the time (and we mostly didn't hear about).
I can't believe how bad the infighting was between SoA and SoJ with the various add-on devices getting such poor, short lifespan support and then the Saturn generally being a bit of a mess; I remember reading at the time that it was harder to program for but I didn't realise that actually it was really the most powerful of the consoles once you got the best out of it.
I've been reading a lot about the 90's console war and I'm halfway through "Service Games - The Rise and Fall of SEGA) its incredible reading about the behind the scenes stuff and business side that I would never have read about at the time (and we mostly didn't hear about).
I can't believe how bad the infighting was between SoA and SoJ with the various add-on devices getting such poor, short lifespan support and then the Saturn generally being a bit of a mess; I remember reading at the time that it was harder to program for but I didn't realise that actually it was really the most powerful of the consoles once you got the best out of it.
Associate
Owned a few Sega Saturn's over the years; but both were bought either secondhand or after its time.
I've recently been spending time with the Saturn core on MiSTer and there are some wonderful gems on the system. I do need to spend some time with that new rework of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - which sounds like it might be the definitive edition now.
I did have a Sega Dreamcast at launch which again unfortunately I no longer own. Chu Chu, Soul Calibur, Daytona, PGR, Virtua Tennis 1/2, Code Veronica, Ikaruga amongst others I have fond memories of. Possibly even more games that stood out than the Saturn. Even remember hunting down a downloadable version of DC Half-Life to burn to disc in the early noughties.
I've recently been spending time with the Saturn core on MiSTer and there are some wonderful gems on the system. I do need to spend some time with that new rework of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - which sounds like it might be the definitive edition now.
I did have a Sega Dreamcast at launch which again unfortunately I no longer own. Chu Chu, Soul Calibur, Daytona, PGR, Virtua Tennis 1/2, Code Veronica, Ikaruga amongst others I have fond memories of. Possibly even more games that stood out than the Saturn. Even remember hunting down a downloadable version of DC Half-Life to burn to disc in the early noughties.
Associate
Loved my Saturn, some great games, 2D fighters were excellent, KOF95 with the ROM Cart, and all the Capcom ones.
When programmed right, also had some excellent versions of 3D games too. Exhumed, Panzer Dragoon Zwei and the original Tomb Raider, in my opinion, looked better than the PS version.
I was spoilt though as I had PS1, Saturn and N64 of the 5th gen consoles.
When programmed right, also had some excellent versions of 3D games too. Exhumed, Panzer Dragoon Zwei and the original Tomb Raider, in my opinion, looked better than the PS version.
I was spoilt though as I had PS1, Saturn and N64 of the 5th gen consoles.
Associate
Probably for at least a year after it was released I wanted one and anytime we were in Aberdeen I would bug my folks to pop into Dixons in the St Nicholas Centre.
They had a Saturn setup with Virtua Vop and the light gun and I would jump on it every chance I got.
Finally got one in a bundle with Sega Rally, Virtua Fighter 2 and Panzer Dragoon. I also picked up Daytona USA with my own birthday money.
Absolutely loved it, felt like I had the arcade at home. Had it for years before moving to an N64 and Guardian Heroes ended up being my favourite game of the platform by a mile.
They had a Saturn setup with Virtua Vop and the light gun and I would jump on it every chance I got.
Finally got one in a bundle with Sega Rally, Virtua Fighter 2 and Panzer Dragoon. I also picked up Daytona USA with my own birthday money.
Absolutely loved it, felt like I had the arcade at home. Had it for years before moving to an N64 and Guardian Heroes ended up being my favourite game of the platform by a mile.
Soldato
The story of my Sega Saturn is a strange one, I was an avid reader of Mean Machine/CVG magazine and the excellent and much newer Edge magazine,when I got my hands on Edge issue 11 (see link HERE!) my obsession with getting a next gen console started there, it was the August issue of 1994 and non of the new consoles were due to launch until 1995 in the UK, and I was still a spotty teenager with Coke tastes and water money, there was no chance I'd be able to get one unless I saved hard or sold a kidney, or so I thought.
Being the determined to get a Saturn (more than a PSX) I looked at any way I could earn some money ready for the launch in 1995, washing cars, cutting grass, doing paper rounds, and then oh no, the launch date from Sega was pulled forward in Japan to 22nd November 1994, and there was news in all the magazines and my itch to get one just got worse and worse. I decided to seek permission to sell my Mega Drive to help fund it, or even my Amiga (shock horror), which I was told was fine but I was told I wasn't getting another one. Browsing one of the many magazines I had I noticed that some of the game advertisers started advertising the Saturn/PSX for pre-purchase as a JAP version, including a game, controller and the correct step-up voltage adapter, obviously at a cost much higher than the suggest retail price was going to be in the UK, but I had decided that is how I would get one before anyone else and be the envy of my school friends.
Being pre-internet days, and no way to buy anything other than with cold hard cash as a kid, my options to get one were limited, I called every single shop advertising them in a radius I could actually get to on public transport, with most saying, "sorry we've sold out" or words to that effect so decided to cast my net further afield. I must have called 20+ places, and finally got a positive response from a place somewhere on the south coast (I think Bournemouth) but there was no way I could get there, and they would only take card over the phone for mail order. After begging and pleading with every adult I knew I got literally no where, just told there is no way they are giving "that much money'' to a random shop over the phone, I honestly didn't get why it was my money! Hacked off and annoyed I had all but given up and the launch date in Japan was fast approaching and the imported stock would be in well before Christmas, I was getting desperate and depressed that my Christmas would be ruined.
The 22nd November 1994 passed, the December/January magazine issues with Saturn splashed all across them were filling the shop shelves, and I was no closed to getting my greasy hands on one. Then out of the blue in the week between Christmas and New Year the house phone rang, and I was called to the phone by my mother, it was one of the shops I had left my number, they said "We've had a cancellation was I still interested?" of course I blooming was but the issue remained how to pay for it as they were somewhere near Leeds, and I was in the North-East. The next sentence from the person set me back though, "It was a PlayStation you were interested in?". My heart sank, but I'd read so much about them and had already sold my Amiga 600 and saved lots of money, so I said yes, knowing I was lying to myself, but still excited to be getting the most sought after new console on the planet. I asked if I could call them back as I needed to arrange the payment, and asked if they could hold on to it for an hour or so while I got that sorted. I called my Uncle (the only adult I knew into PC/games/consoles) and begged him to pay for it for me and I would give him the cash, he agreed but i was not to tell my Aunty or my mother as he'd never hear the end of it spending what was over £450 at the time, he called the shop and paid for it, and arranged the delivery to come to my house, it was the longest two days of my life waiting for the arrival of the box, especially being in a holiday period, and without my Amiga and only my Mega Drive to play with.
Arrival day, excited was not the word, I wasn't worried about explaining to my mother how I managed to get this, I'd deal with that later. I carefully unboxed everything, it was pristine, and the smell when I opened the box, I can still recall it it, like a plaistky glue with a hint of polystyrene. I followed the included photocopied instructions for setting up the step-up transformer and plugged everything in, it was my first time using the front yellow composite input on the TV, and their respective stereo red and white connectors. Selecting the correct input, AV3, and then pressing that I/O button, and it sprang to life with the PlayStation sound, and the amazing graphic on screen. I put in the only game I had gotten with it, Ridge Racer, and I pretty much spent the next 3 days playing that game to death, and had more phone calls and visitors that I had had for the rest of that entire year.
I wasn't happy though, I wanted a Saturn and realised that the PSX wasn't going to fill that hole, I wanted Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA, and all of the other amazing Sega arcade titles I loved playing. I'd become used to navigating the Yellow Ads paper, and selling things in there, so I decide to call them up and place the advert to sell my PlayStation, I had seen other adverts at £900! so I figured if I could sell it for anywhere near that I would be easily able to get a Saturn as there were adverts for £600 and under to buy one. I advertised it, and waited for the issue to be printed the following Wednesday. My phone literally rang off the hook that first morning as I had put it up at £750 (I was naive), but had to go to school, I came back to find the answer phone filled with messages and my mother asking lots of questions about why so many people had called, and why the hell was I selling my PlayStation already. I called back some of the people who rang, a few who were trying to low ball me (probably realised I was a kid) and one person who wanted to swap it for a Saturn, but i declined. I sold it the very same evening for the full asking price, and managed to hold on to the step-up transformer as I had not included that in the sale description. I had £750, I made almost £300, I was gobsmacked. The following few days I spent calling around all of the people selling Saturn's trying to find someone who would deliver one across the entire North of England, no luck at all everyone had either sold them, or wouldn't deliver. I had to wait a whole week for the next ads paper to be released, and the money was burning a hole in my pocket/money box. Wednesday morning at the at paper shop I got a copy after doing my round, and I took it straight home, and found an advert with someone selling a system in Washington for £450 with VF and a second controller! I decided that today was the day I was going to 'take the day off school' if I could get an answer from the seller. I called them at just before 8am, and asked if they'd be able to wait until around lunch until I could get there on the bus, the seller said they would be happy to deliver it for me if I paid some petrol money, which I was of course happy to do. I ended up going to school and day dreaming about nothing but the imminent arrival of my Saturn at around 18:00.
It was mine, I had it! The system was still pristine, being less than 3 weeks old all in the boxes with another step-up transformer included. I was up all night playing VF, and even managed to sneak in my friend who 'slept' over on a school night, it was painful waiting for games to become avialble but managed to get a copy of Daytona USA in April 1995 for around £80. Once I knew the date of the UK model being released I decided that I would sell the JAP version and buy one of those even if I was without if for a while as I'd be able to finance some games with the profit.
To end this tale, with my original PSX profit I bought and Amiga 1200 with an 8MB RAM upgrade board, and second external FDD. I learned so much is such a little amount of time now I look back, and it is with fondness that I remember those times and how life seemed so much more simple when all I cared about was how to get my hands on the next great game or console.
@Vince thought you might like to read this.
Being the determined to get a Saturn (more than a PSX) I looked at any way I could earn some money ready for the launch in 1995, washing cars, cutting grass, doing paper rounds, and then oh no, the launch date from Sega was pulled forward in Japan to 22nd November 1994, and there was news in all the magazines and my itch to get one just got worse and worse. I decided to seek permission to sell my Mega Drive to help fund it, or even my Amiga (shock horror), which I was told was fine but I was told I wasn't getting another one. Browsing one of the many magazines I had I noticed that some of the game advertisers started advertising the Saturn/PSX for pre-purchase as a JAP version, including a game, controller and the correct step-up voltage adapter, obviously at a cost much higher than the suggest retail price was going to be in the UK, but I had decided that is how I would get one before anyone else and be the envy of my school friends.
Being pre-internet days, and no way to buy anything other than with cold hard cash as a kid, my options to get one were limited, I called every single shop advertising them in a radius I could actually get to on public transport, with most saying, "sorry we've sold out" or words to that effect so decided to cast my net further afield. I must have called 20+ places, and finally got a positive response from a place somewhere on the south coast (I think Bournemouth) but there was no way I could get there, and they would only take card over the phone for mail order. After begging and pleading with every adult I knew I got literally no where, just told there is no way they are giving "that much money'' to a random shop over the phone, I honestly didn't get why it was my money! Hacked off and annoyed I had all but given up and the launch date in Japan was fast approaching and the imported stock would be in well before Christmas, I was getting desperate and depressed that my Christmas would be ruined.
The 22nd November 1994 passed, the December/January magazine issues with Saturn splashed all across them were filling the shop shelves, and I was no closed to getting my greasy hands on one. Then out of the blue in the week between Christmas and New Year the house phone rang, and I was called to the phone by my mother, it was one of the shops I had left my number, they said "We've had a cancellation was I still interested?" of course I blooming was but the issue remained how to pay for it as they were somewhere near Leeds, and I was in the North-East. The next sentence from the person set me back though, "It was a PlayStation you were interested in?". My heart sank, but I'd read so much about them and had already sold my Amiga 600 and saved lots of money, so I said yes, knowing I was lying to myself, but still excited to be getting the most sought after new console on the planet. I asked if I could call them back as I needed to arrange the payment, and asked if they could hold on to it for an hour or so while I got that sorted. I called my Uncle (the only adult I knew into PC/games/consoles) and begged him to pay for it for me and I would give him the cash, he agreed but i was not to tell my Aunty or my mother as he'd never hear the end of it spending what was over £450 at the time, he called the shop and paid for it, and arranged the delivery to come to my house, it was the longest two days of my life waiting for the arrival of the box, especially being in a holiday period, and without my Amiga and only my Mega Drive to play with.
Arrival day, excited was not the word, I wasn't worried about explaining to my mother how I managed to get this, I'd deal with that later. I carefully unboxed everything, it was pristine, and the smell when I opened the box, I can still recall it it, like a plaistky glue with a hint of polystyrene. I followed the included photocopied instructions for setting up the step-up transformer and plugged everything in, it was my first time using the front yellow composite input on the TV, and their respective stereo red and white connectors. Selecting the correct input, AV3, and then pressing that I/O button, and it sprang to life with the PlayStation sound, and the amazing graphic on screen. I put in the only game I had gotten with it, Ridge Racer, and I pretty much spent the next 3 days playing that game to death, and had more phone calls and visitors that I had had for the rest of that entire year.
I wasn't happy though, I wanted a Saturn and realised that the PSX wasn't going to fill that hole, I wanted Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA, and all of the other amazing Sega arcade titles I loved playing. I'd become used to navigating the Yellow Ads paper, and selling things in there, so I decide to call them up and place the advert to sell my PlayStation, I had seen other adverts at £900! so I figured if I could sell it for anywhere near that I would be easily able to get a Saturn as there were adverts for £600 and under to buy one. I advertised it, and waited for the issue to be printed the following Wednesday. My phone literally rang off the hook that first morning as I had put it up at £750 (I was naive), but had to go to school, I came back to find the answer phone filled with messages and my mother asking lots of questions about why so many people had called, and why the hell was I selling my PlayStation already. I called back some of the people who rang, a few who were trying to low ball me (probably realised I was a kid) and one person who wanted to swap it for a Saturn, but i declined. I sold it the very same evening for the full asking price, and managed to hold on to the step-up transformer as I had not included that in the sale description. I had £750, I made almost £300, I was gobsmacked. The following few days I spent calling around all of the people selling Saturn's trying to find someone who would deliver one across the entire North of England, no luck at all everyone had either sold them, or wouldn't deliver. I had to wait a whole week for the next ads paper to be released, and the money was burning a hole in my pocket/money box. Wednesday morning at the at paper shop I got a copy after doing my round, and I took it straight home, and found an advert with someone selling a system in Washington for £450 with VF and a second controller! I decided that today was the day I was going to 'take the day off school' if I could get an answer from the seller. I called them at just before 8am, and asked if they'd be able to wait until around lunch until I could get there on the bus, the seller said they would be happy to deliver it for me if I paid some petrol money, which I was of course happy to do. I ended up going to school and day dreaming about nothing but the imminent arrival of my Saturn at around 18:00.
It was mine, I had it! The system was still pristine, being less than 3 weeks old all in the boxes with another step-up transformer included. I was up all night playing VF, and even managed to sneak in my friend who 'slept' over on a school night, it was painful waiting for games to become avialble but managed to get a copy of Daytona USA in April 1995 for around £80. Once I knew the date of the UK model being released I decided that I would sell the JAP version and buy one of those even if I was without if for a while as I'd be able to finance some games with the profit.
To end this tale, with my original PSX profit I bought and Amiga 1200 with an 8MB RAM upgrade board, and second external FDD. I learned so much is such a little amount of time now I look back, and it is with fondness that I remember those times and how life seemed so much more simple when all I cared about was how to get my hands on the next great game or console.
@Vince thought you might like to read this.
Associate
- Joined
- 24 Aug 2020
- Posts
- 5
I loved the Sega Saturn.
I received one (second hand, from a car boot sale) for christmas in 1996. I had quite a few games - Tomb Raider, Alien Trilogy, Jurassic Park, Sega Rally, Kid Klown in Crazy Chase, FIFA 97, A Clocwork Knight, Sonic Die Hard Trilogy, Sonic 3D, Bug, Loaded, Jurassic Park, Die Hard Arcade, Last Bronx, Fighters Megamix (this was awesome) and my absolute favourite, Guardian Heroes. Didn't realise until my early twenties just how sought after that game is. I never had the case but just the disc in a sleeve. It's still somewhere in my parents attic with all the the rest of the Sega Saturn stuff. Woudn't be surprised if it's inside the Saturn itself. Must admit, not knowing exactly whether it's there or where sometimes randomly enters my head when I'm lying in bed trying to nod off, it's like a mini anxiety.
I received one (second hand, from a car boot sale) for christmas in 1996. I had quite a few games - Tomb Raider, Alien Trilogy, Jurassic Park, Sega Rally, Kid Klown in Crazy Chase, FIFA 97, A Clocwork Knight, Sonic Die Hard Trilogy, Sonic 3D, Bug, Loaded, Jurassic Park, Die Hard Arcade, Last Bronx, Fighters Megamix (this was awesome) and my absolute favourite, Guardian Heroes. Didn't realise until my early twenties just how sought after that game is. I never had the case but just the disc in a sleeve. It's still somewhere in my parents attic with all the the rest of the Sega Saturn stuff. Woudn't be surprised if it's inside the Saturn itself. Must admit, not knowing exactly whether it's there or where sometimes randomly enters my head when I'm lying in bed trying to nod off, it's like a mini anxiety.
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I never had a Saturn but one my Mate's Dad who back then was a avid gamer back then, got a Japanese one on import well before it was launched over here.
The only console I ever had from Sega was the Dreamcast which I got on launch & I loved that console, I also managed at the time to source the keyboard for it which at the time was rarer as rocking horse **** to get hold off.
The only console I ever had from Sega was the Dreamcast which I got on launch & I loved that console, I also managed at the time to source the keyboard for it which at the time was rarer as rocking horse **** to get hold off.
Even on dial-up i had i think 50 games and i probably only bought 5.
Holy moly that was a read and a half. Thanks for sharing. Makes my throne breaks much betterThe story of my Sega Saturn is a strange one, I was an avid reader of Mean Machine/CVG magazine and the excellent and much newer Edge magazine,when I got my hands on Edge issue 11 (see link HERE!) my obsession with getting a next gen console started there, it was the August issue of 1994 and non of the new consoles were due to launch until 1995 in the UK, and I was still a spotty teenager with Coke tastes and water money, there was no chance I'd be able to get one unless I saved hard or sold a kidney, or so I thought.
Being the determined to get a Saturn (more than a PSX) I looked at any way I could earn some money ready for the launch in 1995, washing cars, cutting grass, doing paper rounds, and then oh no, the launch date from Sega was pulled forward in Japan to 22nd November 1994, and there was news in all the magazines and my itch to get one just got worse and worse. I decided to seek permission to sell my Mega Drive to help fund it, or even my Amiga (shock horror), which I was told was fine but I was told I wasn't getting another one. Browsing one of the many magazines I had I noticed that some of the game advertisers started advertising the Saturn/PSX for pre-purchase as a JAP version, including a game, controller and the correct step-up voltage adapter, obviously at a cost much higher than the suggest retail price was going to be in the UK, but I had decided that is how I would get one before anyone else and be the envy of my school friends.
Being pre-internet days, and no way to buy anything other than with cold hard cash as a kid, my options to get one were limited, I called every single shop advertising them in a radius I could actually get to on public transport, with most saying, "sorry we've sold out" or words to that effect so decided to cast my net further afield. I must have called 20+ places, and finally got a positive response from a place somewhere on the south coast (I think Bournemouth) but there was no way I could get there, and they would only take card over the phone for mail order. After begging and pleading with every adult I knew I got literally no where, just told there is no way they are giving "that much money'' to a random shop over the phone, I honestly didn't get why it was my money! Hacked off and annoyed I had all but given up and the launch date in Japan was fast approaching and the imported stock would be in well before Christmas, I was getting desperate and depressed that my Christmas would be ruined.
The 22nd November 1994 passed, the December/January magazine issues with Saturn splashed all across them were filling the shop shelves, and I was no closed to getting my greasy hands on one. Then out of the blue in the week between Christmas and New Year the house phone rang, and I was called to the phone by my mother, it was one of the shops I had left my number, they said "We've had a cancellation was I still interested?" of course I blooming was but the issue remained how to pay for it as they were somewhere near Leeds, and I was in the North-East. The next sentence from the person set me back though, "It was a PlayStation you were interested in?". My heart sank, but I'd read so much about them and had already sold my Amiga 600 and saved lots of money, so I said yes, knowing I was lying to myself, but still excited to be getting the most sought after new console on the planet. I asked if I could call them back as I needed to arrange the payment, and asked if they could hold on to it for an hour or so while I got that sorted. I called my Uncle (the only adult I knew into PC/games/consoles) and begged him to pay for it for me and I would give him the cash, he agreed but i was not to tell my Aunty or my mother as he'd never hear the end of it spending what was over £450 at the time, he called the shop and paid for it, and arranged the delivery to come to my house, it was the longest two days of my life waiting for the arrival of the box, especially being in a holiday period, and without my Amiga and only my Mega Drive to play with.
Arrival day, excited was not the word, I wasn't worried about explaining to my mother how I managed to get this, I'd deal with that later. I carefully unboxed everything, it was pristine, and the smell when I opened the box, I can still recall it it, like a plaistky glue with a hint of polystyrene. I followed the included photocopied instructions for setting up the step-up transformer and plugged everything in, it was my first time using the front yellow composite input on the TV, and their respective stereo red and white connectors. Selecting the correct input, AV3, and then pressing that I/O button, and it sprang to life with the PlayStation sound, and the amazing graphic on screen. I put in the only game I had gotten with it, Ridge Racer, and I pretty much spent the next 3 days playing that game to death, and had more phone calls and visitors that I had had for the rest of that entire year.
I wasn't happy though, I wanted a Saturn and realised that the PSX wasn't going to fill that hole, I wanted Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA, and all of the other amazing Sega arcade titles I loved playing. I'd become used to navigating the Yellow Ads paper, and selling things in there, so I decide to call them up and place the advert to sell my PlayStation, I had seen other adverts at £900! so I figured if I could sell it for anywhere near that I would be easily able to get a Saturn as there were adverts for £600 and under to buy one. I advertised it, and waited for the issue to be printed the following Wednesday. My phone literally rang off the hook that first morning as I had put it up at £750 (I was naive), but had to go to school, I came back to find the answer phone filled with messages and my mother asking lots of questions about why so many people had called, and why the hell was I selling my PlayStation already. I called back some of the people who rang, a few who were trying to low ball me (probably realised I was a kid) and one person who wanted to swap it for a Saturn, but i declined. I sold it the very same evening for the full asking price, and managed to hold on to the step-up transformer as I had not included that in the sale description. I had £750, I made almost £300, I was gobsmacked. The following few days I spent calling around all of the people selling Saturn's trying to find someone who would deliver one across the entire North of England, no luck at all everyone had either sold them, or wouldn't deliver. I had to wait a whole week for the next ads paper to be released, and the money was burning a hole in my pocket/money box. Wednesday morning at the at paper shop I got a copy after doing my round, and I took it straight home, and found an advert with someone selling a system in Washington for £450 with VF and a second controller! I decided that today was the day I was going to 'take the day off school' if I could get an answer from the seller. I called them at just before 8am, and asked if they'd be able to wait until around lunch until I could get there on the bus, the seller said they would be happy to deliver it for me if I paid some petrol money, which I was of course happy to do. I ended up going to school and day dreaming about nothing but the imminent arrival of my Saturn at around 18:00.
It was mine, I had it! The system was still pristine, being less than 3 weeks old all in the boxes with another step-up transformer included. I was up all night playing VF, and even managed to sneak in my friend who 'slept' over on a school night, it was painful waiting for games to become avialble but managed to get a copy of Daytona USA in April 1995 for around £80. Once I knew the date of the UK model being released I decided that I would sell the JAP version and buy one of those even if I was without if for a while as I'd be able to finance some games with the profit.
To end this tale, with my original PSX profit I bought and Amiga 1200 with an 8MB RAM upgrade board, and second external FDD. I learned so much is such a little amount of time now I look back, and it is with fondness that I remember those times and how life seemed so much more simple when all I cared about was how to get my hands on the next great game or console.
@Vince thought you might like to read this.
I remember a game called Flimbos quest. My 'friend' actually lent me his Commodore/Amiga (can't remember which one) Us two young children lugging all that heavy equipment up two flights of stairs, parents none the wiser,just so I could play Flimbos quest lol. His parents weren't very happy when they found out lol. At least I got to complete the first two levels
Regarding the Sega Saturn...... Probably my most fond memory is me buying the Official Sega Saturn Magazine,and having the cover disc sitting there for months. One day,I travelled for an hour by bus to get to my cousin's house,at 10.30pm.(his parents were out,free house etc lol)lost my money some how,and begged the bus driver to take me because I was being stalked by about 5 black kids. I had a PS1 in my backpack so I was shi*ting myself. I made it (phew,thank you Mr bus man)) and we ended up playing Panzer Dragoon Saga. We thought it would never end. It wasn't until later in life I learned that it was the entire first disc given away free with the magazine! I wish I would've kept all my old stuff
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