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Sega Halts Mini Console Plans: A Shift from Retro Gaming | Retro Gaming News 24/7

www.retronews.com Sega Halts Mini Console Plans: A Shift from Retro Gaming

Sega has officially announced that it is not planning to release any more mini consoles, effectively ruling out fan hopes for miniature versions of the Sega Saturn or Dreamcast. In an interview with The Guardian, Shuji Utsumi, CEO of Sega America and Europe, emphasized that the company is focusing o...

Sega has officially announced that it is not planning to release any more mini consoles, marking a shift in their approach towards modern gaming instead of nostalgia-driven hardware. In an interview with The Guardian, CEO Shuji Utsumi clarified, 'We are not a retro company. We appreciate our legacy... but want to deliver something new.'

Sega has previously released several successful mini consoles celebrating its iconic franchises such as the Genesis/Mega Drive Mini, Astro City Mini, and Game Gear Micro series. However, no further mini consoles focusing on the Saturn or Dreamcast platforms are in development.

Utsumi's Statement: "I’m not going for the Mini direction. I want to embrace modern gamers."
Sega now concentrates on reviving classic IPs with a modern twist, such as new entries in Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, and Virtua Fighter series.

How do you feel about Sega's decision?

16 comments

"Not a retro company," but yet the stated "something new" is all about reviving classic IPs.

Maybe try building some new IPs, if you really want to be new.

10
- "New"? Strange, haven't heard anything about something like a Sega Gigadrive... :/
  
  2
  
  They already used GigaDrive for their 3D Classics games on the 3DS.
  
  2
so sega realised that rather than sell a retro console once, they can sell a reboot filled with DLC and monthly subscriptions forever. nice.

9
- Nah, they realized that emulating the Saturn and Dreamcast are more demanding than the SoCs they wanted to use for their mini consoles can handle.
  
  12
  
  I mean, I just bought a $60 portable that has a screen as well, and it can emulate Dreamcast no problem. I assume bulk hardware costs are maybe half that price. For a $120+ priced retro console, I suspect hardware pricing is not the issue.
  
  6
  
  Yep. They’ll probably change their tune again when more powerful SoC’s come out.
  
  2
  
  ha yes! that is depressingly likely to be 100% correct.
  
  1
Does this mean they’ll finally make OutRun 3?

6
- oh we're way past that, there were already 2018 sequels by 1993
  
  2
Really, why not both? I'd love to see non-micro-transaction modern Sega, if that's the plan, but the demographics are there to support retro too.

Maybe they don't want retro to overshadow their new products, but if their new products can't demand more attention than their retro products, it sounds like a quality problem with their new products.

5
It's correct. Atari is making modern games too, I'm excited for Fatal Run 2089. The art form is still quite new, and there's a lot of room for new ideas

3
Why make this when you can charge a monthly subscription?

1

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