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Topic: Could Sega ever return to the hardware market?

Posts 1 to 20 of 24

iVirtual

I know Sega is not interested in the hardware market besides the whole mini system market i think they have a place in the hardware market. It's not the console market but the handheld market plus consoles are on a decline in Japan. So not the Dreamcast 2 which in other words is sort of the OG Xbox but i'm talking about the Game Gear 2 or the Nomad 2. Sony is out of the handheld console market and i think Sega can make a handheld device with the main focus being on exclusives. A handheld device that is really affordable, easy to develop for, great battery life and has plenty of exclusives. I think Sega should make a handheld device like how Intellivision is making the Amico or how SNK made the Neo Geo not being a direct competitor but a unique and affordable platform that is mainly focused on exclusive games, classic Sega/Arcade games including Dreamcast and Saturn games and high-quality 3rd party games. What games would you like to see on the Game Gear 2 if Sega were to ever make one?

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KryptoniteKrunch

I highly doubt it. SEGA is actually slowing improving(VC4, Shining Resonance, Streets of Rage 4 is finally happening etc) but I wouldn't count on them making a compelling piece of hardware. An affordable handheld sounds ideal, but how many developers would support it?

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iVirtual

I think Sega can do it. They are more popular then ever. But it’s not the same Sega anymore i think they can sell a piece of hardware like a handheld think about it 15 Million is terrible for Nintendo and Sony but not for Sega that’s an amazing number to reach in sales. I would love exclusives and the ability to play Dreamcast and Saturn games on it but the games is the issue. Sega is getting better. But campared to the old Sega they’re not as good as the old Sega at pumping out game after game. Mostly it’s just Sonic now and fans are mainly bringing back the older ip’s like Streets of Rage but man this Game Gear 2 would be so awesome.

Edited on by iVirtual

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iVirtual

Even if it sells 10 million that’s an amazing number to reach in sales for Sega. It’s not that Nintendo owns the handheld market. They just have amazing exclusives and have stayed the same through out the years compared to Sega. @ReaderRagfish

Edited on by iVirtual

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GeoChrome

Most definitely not. For the past couple of years, no new console manufacturer has been able to penetrate the market, even if they have good ideas (i.e. Ouya). In the possibility that Sega does make a new console, they would most likely need to make new exclusive IP, since most of their intellectual property have been swept aside in recent years and most consumers would not be able to recognize the characters. However, making a classic-style console themselves would probably be a hit, as that seems to be the new trend and is something they are not unfamiliar with.

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iVirtual

You cannot compare a mobile device like the Ouya to a company with a big reputation and experience. Sega does not need kickstarter. The Ouya did not have exclusives, branding, and did not have the money and the reputation. It was just a bloat ware console . The best comparision is the Intellivision Amico but that is not released yet@PolarExperience

Edited on by iVirtual

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GeoChrome

@iVirtual But it did have exclusives. Granted, not very memorable ones and most of them are on Steam, but that doesn’t meant they don’t exist. The point is that the gaming market of now has become very competitive. Sony backed out because of the low performances of the Portable and Vita. There were very memorable properties on there, yet they failed. Microsoft’s Xbox, a console brand which through generations has grown exceedingly popular, has not even ventured into the handheld market. Even if Nintendo is the leader in handheld consoles, mobile phones are becoming “the best thing since sliced bread” for casual gamers. I genuinely think that anything other than a market leader would get crushed by phone gaming. (This is coming from a guy that hates most mobile games and their greedy sales tactics).
Edit: While Sega could possibly have enough funds to support a console, it might not even last a console generation, given that they do not have many CURRENT iconic IPs to support a consumer choosing it over playing Sega Ages on their phone or just buying a game for an already long existing console.

Edited on by GeoChrome

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iVirtual

Hardware wise i think there is a spot available for another handheld system. Why did the Vita fail because of marketing, prices such as the memory cards and lack of exclusives and yet they still sold more units then the Wii U. Why Microsoft wouldn’t do well in the handheld market because they lack exclusives they lost out big on the console market against Sony let alone going into the handheld market. The thing with Nintendo is they have exclusives they have games you can’t get anywhere else sure mobile gaming is popular but to get people to buy your system you have to have exclusives and can Sega make a handheld system with system seller exclusive games can they bring back an ip out of the many they have? Can they build a platform of there own? @PolarExperience

Edited on by iVirtual

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GeoChrome

@iVirtual I do think that Sega bringing back their old IPs would be great. Sega has relied too much on Sonic, causing most modern Sonic games to be buggy, have awful gameplay, and overall be not fun at all. I’m just saying that consumers might not want these old characters to come back, if assuming the main market will be a family-focused approach. If this hypothetical console is geared toward adults of the 80’s and 90’s, Sega could create a massive hit. The problem with that is Sega would not be able to reach that younger crowd of consumers, which even now they are trying to appeal to. If you are only talking about a spiritual successor to Sega’s handhelds, I could see that being able to generate a good amount of revenue without directly competing with another console manufacturer. You did, in a way, outline this in your first post, a successor to the Game Gear which would probably be more focused on older audiences. However, this kind of machine would, sadly, only generate enough revenue to be more of a one-off than an entire line of products, which the topic name addresses. (Just to say, I do not have anything against this being a possibility. This would be a product I might actually enjoy, as older Sega games are usually great in quality. If Sega went back to its roots, then they could go back to what made them great. Yet, I personally do not see this happening.)

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D3adPool

Can they? Sure. Will they? Probably not. Would they succeed? Almost certainly not.

Unless Nintendo or Microsoft stopped making consoles, I just don't know if there's enough room for another console maker. The market is fairly saturated already, and many gamers already own multiple consoles.

At this point, I think Microsoft would be the most likely to exit the market. I'm not trying to be a Nintendo fanboy, but I do feel the Switch will sell more consoles than the Xbox One at the end of the day. Microsoft is obviously a very rich company, and if the Xbox 2 or whatever releases and bombs, they might decide to pull the plug so as not to bleed money. Sony at least bought a couple more generations with the ridiculously successful PS4, they're not going anywhere.

Sorry, this was about Sega not the other gaming companies. Just wanted to point out that I feel it's unlikely unless one of the big 3 exits. We have seen others try and fail, and I feel that trend will continue. Heck we haven't even seen what this new Atari deal will do, but I'm not holding my breath for that one either.

D3adPool

Cobalt

@iVirtual It was planned around 2015 but nothing was done to make it a reality.

Untitled

Cobalt

GeoChrome

@Cobalt There doesn’t seem to be any evidence online that this would have been an actual console and not something to do with Sega’s line of arcade machines.
Edit: I understand the logo does look similar to that of past systems, but saying that means it is a new console is pure speculation.

Edited on by GeoChrome

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Cobalt

@PolarExperience

Exactly the same as the Dreamcast and the Naomi. BTW, the symbol of the cyclone reminds me something...

Cobalt

HobbitGamer

Yeah, that ain't happenin' any time soon.

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1UP_MARIO

We can all dream about it

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

D3adPool

subpopz wrote:

Sega's never going to do this. Maybe they'll do a retro mini classic or something, but nothing for new games. They'd not only be competing against Nintendos decades long dominance in the portable market, but also the billions of mobile devices out there. They don't have the IP strength that Nintendo has to pull it off.

D3adPool wrote:

Sony at least bought a couple more generations with the ridiculously successful PS4, they're not going anywhere.

Nintendo has shown us more than once that one incredibly successful generation means nothing in the next one.

Yes, but Nintendo hasn't been forced to leave the console market, either. That's my point. Even if Sony bombs the PS5, I feel they've bought themselves a couple of generations with the success of the PS4. If people stopped buying Sony consoles all of a sudden and both the PS5 and PS6 failed miserably, then I could see Sony having to make a difficult decision.

D3adPool

1UP_MARIO

ReaderRagfish wrote:

1UP_MARIO wrote:

We can all dream about it

And then we can cast our dreams away

Next day we can dream again

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

HobbitGamer

@ReaderRagfish Should've made the Sega Dreamcatcher

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Heavyarms55

@iVirtual No way. I seriously doubt any company would try and get into the hardware market at this point. Gaming is trending away from dedicated gaming hardware. Casual players using their phones and more hardcore players trending toward PCs. As a teacher I see what my students are playing and hear what they are talking about. It's mobile games and PC. While the Switch is popular here in Japan, and so is the PS4, they aren't the driving force in the industry they once were. Basically everyone has a phone these days, and the vast majority of those are smartphones. And most households have a PC.

As the the generations of kids who grew up in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s gets older and older the kids who are growing up now lack the nostalgia and the affection for dedicated gaming devices.

I don't buy into the "consoles are doomed" argument. But I do believe that it's a much more limited market these days and brand recognition is too important. Sega is only seen as a hardware company buy older players.

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iVirtual

@Heavyarms55 I think Sega can sell dedicated hardware but they aren't as good at making games anymore especially for younger audiences and software is what sells a system, not hardware. There is a reason why the Switch sold 20 Million units within a year and it's because they got games.

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