The Saturn Appreciation Thread

[MikeBeaver]

Ohhh, yes please, one of these would make for a great YT video

[Down by Law]

Here's a brilliant bit of previously unseen Saturn trivia

 

 

 

Basically, if you launch Powerslave (Exhumed) on December 10th, the title screen changes to a picture of lead programmer, Ezra Dreisbach, as it's his birthday ! 

 

 

[dose]

On 03/12/2022 at 21:43, ianinthefuture said:

Having a big clear out and I found two Saturn switchless region select mods. I got them from this seller a few years ago.

 

Free to a good home. Do note I'm not actually sure if I have the install instructions available, but can have a look. I think it's a generic mod though so instructions should be somewhere.

 

They also work on Mega Drive 2s, apparently.

Do you still have one available? How do these work btw, does it just autoswitch depending on the game region?

Thanks

[ianinthefuture]

54 minutes ago, dose said:

Do you still have one available? How do these work btw, does it just autoswitch depending on the game region?

Thanks

Think they're still in the drawer, yeah. Not auto-switch though, no. You hold reset to change the encoded region on the console - the LED lights up a different colour depending on if it's EU, Japan, or US - and it plays games from that region until you hold reset again to switch region again.

 

Just to clarify: I definitely don't have installation instructions anywhere so you'd be on your own there. It looks like it'll be this process, though.

[MikeBeaver]

On 15/12/2022 at 14:18, ianinthefuture said:

Think they're still in the drawer, yeah. Not auto-switch though, no. You hold reset to change the encoded region on the console - the LED lights up a different colour depending on if it's EU, Japan, or US - and it plays games from that region until you hold reset again to switch region again.

 

Just to clarify: I definitely don't have installation instructions anywhere so you'd be on your own there. It looks like it'll be this process, though.

 

 

Thank you , arrived this morning... Saturn is currently running JPN region Bomberman in 60Hz on a previously UK PAL only system.

Have made a VERY rambling video of it, so could hopefully help others in the future, I found 2 video's that I used to work from and just mangled them together, but SOMEHOW !!! it bloody worked first try!!

[ianinthefuture]

25 minutes ago, MikeBeaver said:

 

 

Thank you , arrived this morning... Saturn is currently running JPN region Bomberman in 60Hz on a previously UK PAL only system.

Have made a VERY rambling video of it, so could hopefully help others in the future, I found 2 video's that I used to work from and just mangled them together, but SOMEHOW !!! it bloody worked first try!!

Ah fantastic, that's good to hear. And yeah if something that can help others come out of it it was definitely worth not binning it.

[MikeBeaver]

4 minutes ago, ianinthefuture said:

Ah fantastic, that's good to hear. And yeah if something that can help others come out of it it was definitely worth not binning it.

 

Looking at it, it's a rambling 1.5 Hours of me talking to myself, buggering off to watch bits of a video... getting things mixed between the two vids, but ultimately coming out of it the otherside with a region free, switchless modded Saturn, and I am STILL baffled at how I've managed it, there were Soooooo many things that should have gone wrong 😛

 

Number one being that the eBayer who sold you them in the first place didn't reply to me when I asked for the instructions 😛

And second being that finding any info on these things was a right PITA, but perseverence has prevailed today

[dose]

On 15/12/2022 at 14:18, ianinthefuture said:

Think they're still in the drawer, yeah. Not auto-switch though, no. You hold reset to change the encoded region on the console - the LED lights up a different colour depending on if it's EU, Japan, or US - and it plays games from that region until you hold reset again to switch region again.

 

Just to clarify: I definitely don't have installation instructions anywhere so you'd be on your own there. It looks like it'll be this process, though.

Sorry for the late reply. If you still have one left I'd be interested in it Thanks

[Shimmyhill]

I have just listened to the Cane and Rinse podcast on the Saturn and it brought back loads of memories…

 

Firstly, I never had one at the time - I’m pretty sure I did at some point but much later on as part of a nostalgia purchase and we all know how that works! I did however play one loads on the UK launch and with all the games as my mate got one and just bought every game that came out in the early days (not that there were many..) I remember the spaceship flying around in the music player and virtual fighter being amazing at home but there was always something about it that didnt blow me away as a new console should do - probably another mate who imported a PlayStation had something to do with that

 

Going back to the launch tho and as I said my mate got one with everything, literally everything you could get - every game and accessory and there was a reason for that - Dixons finance! While I was at college with a Saturday job he was working as an apprentice mechanic so at that age basically a millionaire! Finance worked a bit differently then pre internet, you filled the forms in and phoned through the application but for whatever reason they couldn’t phone it through so posted it off later or something - who cares, we walked out with a Saturn and everything - life was good. 

 

Some time later my mate was called by Dixons and asked to go back in with some ID as they had an ‘issue’ with the finance - turns out the issue was my mate was 17 and you can’t get finance at 17, it started out with the manager trying to bully my mate into stumping up the cash for all the kit or having to return it… somehow we were clever enough to point out that my mate had all the goods a receipt for them and the finance thing seemed like a them issue and not an us issue - legend of the story varies depending on levels of alcohol and 30 year old memories but he either got it free or heavily discounted and this meant he could buy anything that came out with no finance to worry about 😂 

 

This was a blessing and a curse, he had the wheel thing that on reflection was not very good but at the time was amazing, multi tap? Of course, I swear I never say more than 2 people play Bomberman et al….  Nights and the analogue pad was ‘have i made a mistake buying a PlayStation’ territory and by the time Sega rally and that wave of arcade games came out I was in the position of wanting a Saturn but not being able to afford one - I was always going to get an N64 and already had a PlayStation!

 

So, my memory of the Saturn is only playing all the amazing stuff when round my mates - I loved it and still covert one and the Cane and Rinse podcast and this thread have done nothing to abate that!

[MikeBeaver]

5 minutes ago, Shimmyhill said:

I have just listened to the Cane and Rinse podcast on the Saturn and it brought back loads of memories…

 

Firstly, I never had one at the time - I’m pretty sure I did at some point but much later on as part of a nostalgia purchase and we all know how that works! I did however play one loads on the UK launch and with all the games as my mate got one and just bought every game that came out in the early days (not that there were many..) I remember the spaceship flying around in the music player and virtual fighter being amazing at home but there was always something about it that didnt blow me away as a new console should do - probably another mate who imported a PlayStation had something to do with that

 

Going back to the launch tho and as I said my mate got one with everything, literally everything you could get - every game and accessory and there was a reason for that - Dixons finance! While I was at college with a Saturday job he was working as an apprentice mechanic so at that age basically a millionaire! Finance worked a bit differently then pre internet, you filled the forms in and phoned through the application but for whatever reason they couldn’t phone it through so posted it off later or something - who cares, we walked out with a Saturn and everything - life was good. 

 

Some time later my mate was called by Dixons and asked to go back in with some ID as they had an ‘issue’ with the finance - turns out the issue was my mate was 17 and you can’t get finance at 17, it started out with the manager trying to bully my mate into stumping up the cash for all the kit or having to return it… somehow we were clever enough to point out that my mate had all the goods a receipt for them and the finance thing seemed like a them issue and not an us issue - legend of the story varies depending on levels of alcohol and 30 year old memories but he either got it free or heavily discounted and this meant he could buy anything that came out with no finance to worry about 😂 

 

This was a blessing and a curse, he had the wheel thing that on reflection was not very good but at the time was amazing, multi tap? Of course, I swear I never say more than 2 people play Bomberman et al….  Nights and the analogue pad was ‘have i made a mistake buying a PlayStation’ territory and by the time Sega rally and that wave of arcade games came out I was in the position of wanting a Saturn but not being able to afford one - I was always going to get an N64 and already had a PlayStation!

 

So, my memory of the Saturn is only playing all the amazing stuff when round my mates - I loved it and still covert one and the Cane and Rinse podcast and this thread have done nothing to abate that!

Well... there's a boxed model 1 Saturn sitting here that's now multi region and has a Pico PSU installed that could go with that imaginary SNES and GC you've been after ( with note to that, the Purple cube is now at hand AND has a PiBoot installed ) and the SNES is sat next to it 😛

[Shimmyhill]

8 minutes ago, MikeBeaver said:

Well... there's a boxed model 1 Saturn sitting here that's now multi region and has a Pico PSU installed that could go with that imaginary SNES and GC you've been after ( with note to that, the Purple cube is now at hand AND has a PiBoot installed ) and the SNES is sat next to it 😛

 

I saw the notification flash up and though ‘where is my GC and Snes FFS’

 

We should talk £$$££$$ as I have some spaces to fill in the man cave, I defi have a Saturn itch…. Now, where is the 32x thread  

[MikeBeaver]

1 hour ago, Shimmyhill said:

 

I saw the notification flash up and though ‘where is my GC and Snes FFS’

 

We should talk £$$££$$ as I have some spaces to fill in the man cave, I defi have a Saturn itch…. Now, where is the 32x thread  

Hit that PM button 😛 You may have to make a trip to sunn Suffolk though...

[Haribokart]

Do it @Shimmyhill!

[Oh Danny Boy]

Picked up a Japanese Saturn this Xmas to finish off my holy trilogy of Sega consoles, been having the itch to purchase one again for a while. Have Sega rally, fighting vipers, x men vs sf, virtua cop, pocket fighters, parodius da, fantasy zone and clockwork knight coming with it which should do me well for the time being.  Some of the collector market has gone mental on this console, wish I didn’t sell mine ten or so years ago, games I picked up fur around £30 back in the day like Prikura Diasakusen and Steam Hearts I must have purchased for £30 each is now worth hundreds, lots of sellers on eBay selling common games at well inflated prices. Pal games are just ridiculous, games I bought for pocket change in gamestation back in the day selling for £££. 
 

Going to be very careful and conservative with my purchases and not get sucked into paying what a lot of sellers are asking. 

[spanky debrest]

I miss playing Saturn - traditionally my favourite console, the one I own the most peripherals and games for, the one with all those A-grade exclusives and near-perfect ports that are the epitome of Video Games for me. 

 

It's still hooked up. It's permanently hooked up. But the competition with other machines is fierce, and I rinsed my favourite games so hard so long ago that I don't really feel like going back to any of them.

 

The last Saturn game I played was the translation of Yumimi Mix Remix - which was wonderful, but more of a comedic animated visual novel than game. Ultra charming and time well spent, but two sessions and done.

 

Bulk Slash was good to experience in an English form too, but I didn't connect with it like I wanted to, putting it down after a few levels. That short draw distance in the outside sections was a hard to acclimatise to.

 

Maybe I should try out that unfinished Wachenroeder translation? I heard this was an incredible game but the thought of hitting a language-related brick wall several hours in puts me off from investing time into it.

 

I guess this might make more sense to revisit when the Saturn MiSTer core is ready, as there'll be no need to burn CDs or deal with dodgy cartridge slot connections.

[MDY]

Homebrewed version of the Unreal engine running the first two levels of the original Unreal on Saturn.. 

Coloured lighting, transparencies, mirrored corridor, no polygon warping.. and certainly looks smoother than many games of the era..

 

[SeanR]

The game Lifeforce Tenka wishes it could have been…

[mash]

There was a rumour that the initial Doom build on Saturn ran at 60fps. But used a custom engine, which for some reason John Carmack didn't like. Hence the reason why we got the butchered version. I wonder if there's a build of that knocking around. Anyhow, this looks very impressive. And you do wonder what the Saturn could have done if it had not have been abandoned so quickly. Could we have had something which exceeded the PS1's best? I think so.

[Popo]

8 hours ago, mash said:

There was a rumour that the initial Doom build on Saturn ran at 60fps. But used a custom engine, which for some reason John Carmack didn't like. Hence the reason why we got the butchered version. I wonder if there's a build of that knocking around. Anyhow, this looks very impressive. And you do wonder what the Saturn could have done if it had not have been abandoned so quickly. Could we have had something which exceeded the PS1's best? I think so.

Crazy, given that the Saturn port of Quake was built entirely in Lobotomy Software’s own Slavedriver engine. 

[Shimmyhill]

Ive had a good old read of this thread and as an imminent Saturn owner I have a couple of questions…

 

I plan to get a CRT of sorts for the man cave (I have a horrible feeling my folks finally got shot of my old Sony 14” CRT fairly recently and I helped my partners dad dispose of a 32” CRT a short while back……) but in the short term whats the best way to get an image on my current LCD screen?  Its a 4k LG and has component + composite but no RGB scary or S-video that I can see but will be an OLED soon with no legacy inputs so I assume some sort of converter to HDMI.

 

I also really want to play Nights on a 3D pad - ive seen loads of new old pads via this thread but does anyone make a analogue stick pad or is it a case of stumping up for an original and hoping it works?

[SeanR]

Oh Ess Ess Cee (OSSC)

 

every time.

[Spartan]

No one makes a replica of the 3D pad. Original is the only way to go sorry. 

 

Like Seanr says above, OSSC is the way to go if you want the best RGB scart to HDMI conversion. 

 

 

 

[SMD]

retrobit had plans to release one but, altogether now, it was in 2019...

 

 

[Shimmyhill]

1 hour ago, SeanR said:

Oh Ess Ess Cee (OSSC)

 

every time.

 

1 hour ago, Spartan said:

No one makes a replica of the 3D pad. Original is the only way to go sorry. 

 

Like Seanr says above, OSSC is the way to go if you want the best RGB scart to HDMI conversion. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks - I have typed OSSC into google and amazon and met with millions of devices - is there a recommended one?

 

I assume to have multiple devices plugged in via RGB SCART I would need a SCART switcher too?

 

40 minutes ago, SMD said:

retrobit had plans to release one but, altogether now, it was in 2019...

 

 

 

Running a bit late, thats a shame!

[SMD]

2 minutes ago, Shimmyhill said:

Running a bit late, thats a shame!

 

when will our supply chains come back from the war

[SeanR]

I’m currently all over aliexpress for an ossc and 10-way scart autoswitch

 

Or… IGS PGM, Atomiswave, or Naomi.

[SeanR]

Or the 6-way equivalent 

[Shimmyhill]

1 hour ago, SeanR said:

I’m currently all over aliexpress for an ossc and 10-way scart autoswitch

 

Or… IGS PGM, Atomiswave, or Naomi.

 

Why that one? Is it better or just cheaper than say this one from Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Source-Converter-SCART-Component-Gaming/dp/B07QF95QP3/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3QJEZDHSHXYXH&keywords=Ossc&qid=1672594765&sprefix=ossc%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-3

 

Or this one - seems lots cheaper but why? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mcbazel-Component-Source-Converter-Console/dp/B08394VVMD/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3QJEZDHSHXYXH&keywords=Ossc&qid=1672594765&sprefix=ossc%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-4

 

Sorry for the newbie questions but im a newbie!

[Spartan]

Mines the kaico version, bought it ages ago for around £100. I suspect the second one in your post is basically the same as the kaico one as it's a clone of the original OSSC as it is. I've run my Saturn through it without issue out of the box. From memory I've had to tweak it's settings for the Jaguar and Neo Geo CD ive got but they have quirks.

 

Just make sure to use a good quality RGB scart lead with the Saturn. OEM or one by RGC. The OSSC won't accept composite video, only RGB.

 

I just use a good quality manual scart switcher with mine from the 90s/2000s.

[SeanR]

9 hours ago, Shimmyhill said:

I also really want to play Nights on a 3D pad - ive seen loads of new old pads via this thread but does anyone make a analogue stick pad or is it a case of stumping up for an original and hoping it works?

so I went looking… found the BrawlerGen. Looks the part:

 

oh:

 

Quote

***The BrawlerGen analog stick is compatible with early release pre-3D control pad games, including games designed for the 3D control pad.

 

***Please note that the analog stick registers as 8-way directional inputs on all games for the Sega Saturn / Sega Genesis.