The Story of the Hitachi SH-2 and the Sega Saturn
(This is a re-post of a post on Sega-16.) The following is a translation of the final part in a six-part series of articles on the development of the Hitachi SH microcontroller. The article originally appeared in the September 22, 1997 issue of Nikkei Electronics magazine and was subsequently posted…
Hideki Sato Discussing the Sega Saturn
Sega and Sony: New Insight into the Partnership That Never Came to Be
Over the past twenty years, former Sega of America president Tom Kalinske has often said that Sega and Sony were close to forming a partnership to co-develop a 32-bit console, but that Sega’s Japanese management shot down the idea. Recent evidence translated here for the first time adds new insight…
Mega Drive Game Design, Part 3
The Sega vs. Taito Trademark Dispute: Why Sonic was Rebranded as SegaSonic in Japanese Arcades
Recently, a post on the SonicRetro forums asked why early Sonic goods were marked “SegaSonic.” You’ve probably seen this if you’ve ever come across the plethora of stationary, clothes, stuffed animals, and other goods that Sega released in the early ‘90s in Japan: Initially, goods were labeled as “Sonic the…
Mega Drive Game Design, Part 2
Mega Drive Game Design, Part 1
Osomatsu-kun: The Bizarre Story of the Mega Drive’s Most Infamous Game
On December 24, 1988, Sega released its fourth title for the Mega Drive: Osomatsu-kun: Hachamecha Gekijō (“Osomatsu-kun: Nonsense Theater”). This was Sega’s first exclusive game for the Mega Drive (the previous three were arcade ports), and it would prove to be a disastrous release for the young console in Japan….