The Saturn Appreciation Thread

[Shimmyhill]

I have a horrible feeling the Saturn (I think I owned as part of a previous retro buy a think) ended up in a skip…. I know several N64’s, Dreamcasts and a Jaguar did - some were partly faulty - when it was cheaper to just buy a few consoles to repair the one good one or bought for PSU’s etc  

 

As shocking as it sounds you couldn’t give them away, no one wanted to buy them and no games shops would trade them - pre CEX being money laundering place etc. The only good out of that situation was that they were bought for peanuts and you can’t worry about how much they are worth now as at the time they were disposed of for a reason - lack of space and bordering on hoarding stuff back then.

 

Of course now that I have a room and can live the dream I still had a decade plus ago the regret is real as is the financial hit!

 

A question to almost make this post worthwhile…. Has anyone got one of the retro bit wireless Saturn pads? Ive bought a Megadrive one to use on Switch and actual Megadrive and thinking of getting the Saturn one too - the cables ive already got in the setup are mental so any reduction is good but not at the cost of laggy input etc!!

[Gorf]

Yes I use a clear blue 2.4ghz wireless one with my saturn most of the time, one of these:

 

https://amzn.eu/d/d0fNLO5

 

I do have older controllers but they’re feeling a bit loose nowadays compared to the retrobit ones, the shoulder buttons feel different on the retrobit controllers but not necessarily worse.

 

I also use a wired this is cool retro bit reproduction controller when I’m trying to set new lap records in sega rally, but that’s just a mental thing as I can’t really tell if there’s any noticeable lag between wired and wireless

[megamixer]

I've got a wired Retrobit pad and it is excellent quality-wise. The only other one I have at the moment is an official "skeleton" pad which I really don't want to use if I don't have to!

 

6 hours ago, Shimmyhill said:

I have a horrible feeling the Saturn (I think I owned as part of a previous retro buy a think) ended up in a skip…. I know several N64’s, Dreamcasts and a Jaguar did - some were partly faulty - when it was cheaper to just buy a few consoles to repair the one good one or bought for PSU’s etc

 

I know the feeling. I sold a boxed PAL Saturn a few years ago with an aftermarket RGB scart lead and multiple pads for not a lot at all. It just wasn't wanted. I also had a second one where somebody had put a region switch mod inside the battery compartment at the back but hadn't done a 50/60Hz mod. That one I remember I couldn't be arsed with and just gave it away to somebody at work as he had a mate who wanted one.

 

Now I have a white Japanese machine with a Phantom modchip which I bought from somebody on here before I was a member (a friend who already used this forum middle-manned the deal for me). I haven't used it anywhere near as much as I should have to be honest even though there are a lot of games I want to get back into playing on the Saturn.

[geldra]

For anyone in the UK with a Satiator, did you get done for import tax?  Are there any stockists in the UK? 

 

[ianinthefuture]

37 minutes ago, geldra said:

For anyone in the UK with a Satiator, did you get done for import tax?  Are there any stockists in the UK? 

 

I believe I did. Forget how much, but also it was a while ago so will have gone up I'm sure.

 

As far as I'm aware they're only available direct from the creator unless you find one on eBay or wherever.

 

Everyone should get the Rings loader if they have a Satiator, btw. The default one is fine, but Rings has a lot of great, useful features.

[merrychan]

7 hours ago, geldra said:

For anyone in the UK with a Satiator, did you get done for import tax?  Are there any stockists in the UK? 

 

I ordered mine last week so will post how I get on

[Ninja Doctor]

Well this is totally not going to kill me at any point:

I only have a UK power lead suitable for a Saturn so it’s Stepdown > travel adapter > uk power lead > Saturn. 
 

But it lives!!!

 

Just need my tv lead to arrive and some software now. Happy days. Not owned a Saturn since 2000. 

[SeanR]

I've been gifted an OSSC!

 

[Lyrical Donut]

10 hours ago, geldra said:

For anyone in the UK with a Satiator, did you get done for import tax?  Are there any stockists in the UK? 

 

 

If you're not arsed about using the CD drive you could always go for a Fenrir ODE.

[Gorf]

I’ve had 2 Fenrir ODEs now, even a clumsy oaf like me had no problems installing

 

They're even more straightforward now they support all models

 

Last software update I used had a basic boxart option for the menu too

 

Surely the best and cheapest option, just buy a Saturn with a duff disc drive and crack on

 

[merrychan]

I love this thread and that's all the information I've got to offer

[Shimmyhill]

34 minutes ago, SeanR said:

I've been gifted an OSSC!

 

 

Thats a heck of a gift! Microsoft mostly paid for mine - ive been impressed with it but more so today after following a guide on how to tweak the settings for my Megadrive and will defi do the same for the Saturn, its half decent for the PS1/2 but not very good at de-interlacing so I do wonder how it will fare with the Saturn!?

[Lyrical Donut]

1 hour ago, Ninja Doctor said:

Well this is totally not going to kill me at any point:

I only have a UK power lead suitable for a Saturn so it’s Stepdown > travel adapter > uk power lead > Saturn. 

 

Get yourself a Pico PSU - more efficient, less heat and no more stepdowns!

[Ninja Doctor]

Eventually I will. This was just a quick and potentially fatal way of checking it survived the very well packed delivery. 

[Lyrical Donut]

That's why I went for one. My stepdowns are going on for nearly 20 years old.

[Nick R]

BURNING RANGERS NEWS POST

 

A different prototype version of Burning Rangers was discovered:

https://hiddenpalace.org/Burning_Rangers_(Jan_3,_1998_prototype)

 

 

That led me to this fansite and Twitter account:

https://www.bbayles.com/index/burning-rangers/high-context-burning-rangers

 

Here's a high resolution copy of the intro (slightly different from the one in the final game):

 

 

I was today years old when I learned that the song lyric "sight of night I cheer to embrace the magic" is not merely Engrish as I'd always assumed. It turns out the last bit is supposed to be "...a magic", which makes the line spell out... SONICTEAM.

 

 

 

I'd also missed this fan project from 2021, which ports the game data into a nice high resolution 60fps engine:

 

https://sonicfangameshq.com/forums/showcase/burning-rangers-tribute.1048/

 

 

[geldra]

Oosht!  Loved Burning Rangers at the time. Can’t wait to go back. Would def buy a tarted up version. 
 

Has anyone got any recommendations for where to source an rgb scart cable for use on a CRT. From what I remember there are a few that just give a composite image? Or is that console dependent? 
 

 

[SeanR]

38 minutes ago, geldra said:

Oosht!  Loved Burning Rangers at the time. Can’t wait to go back. Would def buy a tarted up version. 
 

Has anyone got any recommendations for where to source an rgb scart cable for use on a CRT. From what I remember there are a few that just give a composite image? Or is that console dependent? 
 

 

https://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/SEGA-SATURN-RGB-SCART-PACKAPUNCH-PRO-CABLE?search=Saturn

[Hanzo the Razor]

On 13/01/2023 at 21:47, Ninja Doctor said:

Well this is totally not going to kill me at any point:

I only have a UK power lead suitable for a Saturn so it’s Stepdown > travel adapter > uk power lead > Saturn. 
 

But it lives!!!

 

Just need my tv lead to arrive and some software now. Happy days. Not owned a Saturn since 2000. 

 

At least your plug is PAT tested 

[pastry]

I adored Burning Rangers, such a great concept and a huge shame that it didn't reach a wider audience. Yes, it's very short, but it's heartfelt and magical in much the same way as NiGHTS. And it has killer cheese music, which I subjected the kids to over breakfast as a result of your thread bump @Nick R!

[geldra]

On 13/01/2023 at 23:05, Lyrical Donut said:

 

Get yourself a Pico PSU - more efficient, less heat and no more stepdowns!

Any recommendations of where to buy one from?  A quick google links to a lot of Saturn PSUs but “unbranded” ones from Ali express etc

 

My HST-0004 arrived yesterday. Haven’t had a chance to power it on yet but I already love it cosmetically. Loving the grey and the blue vibe, it’s the first time I’ve seen one in the flesh (had a pal machine and a white Japanese version previously).  Something about the packaging/box is so oddly old school, like it could have been released before the MD (though maybe I just think the Japanese MD packaging still seems fresh and current even now), no wonder it was all completely redone in Europe/US. 

 

 

[ianinthefuture]

36 minutes ago, geldra said:

Any recommendations of where to buy one from?  A quick google links to a lot of Saturn PSUs but “unbranded” ones from Ali express etc

 

My HST-0004 arrived yesterday. Haven’t had a chance to power it on yet but I already love it cosmetically. Loving the grey and the blue vibe, it’s the first time I’ve seen one in the flesh (had a pal machine and a white Japanese version previously).  Something about the packaging/box is so oddly old school, like it could have been released before the MD (though maybe I just think the Japanese MD packaging still seems fresh and current even now), no wonder it was all completely redone in Europe/US. 

 

 

It's £40, but this is the best aftermarket PSU https://rexusnexus.com/product/sega-saturn-resaturn-psu/?amp=1

[Ninja Doctor]

Nb delete the ?amp=1 to get it working on proper browsers

[Ninja Doctor]

So I ordered a copy of Sega Rally and it works great. However I only picked up a cheap av cable and my tv doesn’t do ntsc. Turns out I’m even worse at sega rally in black and white

 

Shopping list:

1. Resaturn psu

2. hi quality rgb scart cable

3. HOTD & Virtua Gun

4. Bigger CRT. 

 

[PikaStu]

4 hours ago, Ninja Doctor said:

 

3. HOTD & Virtua Gun

 

The Japanese version is really cheap, while the PAL version is silly money. 
It’s an ugly port of the game but I still enjoy it.

[geldra]

5 hours ago, Ninja Doctor said:

So I ordered a copy of Sega Rally and it works great. However I only picked up a cheap av cable and my tv doesn’t do ntsc. Turns out I’m even worse at sega rally in black and white

 

Shopping list:

1. Resaturn psu

2. hi quality rgb scart cable

3. HOTD & Virtua Gun

4. Bigger CRT. 

 

Had a similar thing. Found 2 Saturn scart leads in a box of wires I keep in the loft (and try to forget about) but my Japanese machine displays in b&w. Annoyingly it displays in colour for a split second before switching. 
 

Got a lead coming that reckons it’s full rgb so we’ll see. 
 

Also picked up HOTD and a gun. (both Japanese variants as they’re relatively cheap as @PikaStusaid. 
 

@merrychanany sign of your Satiator?

[merrychan]

14 minutes ago, geldra said:

 

@merrychanany sign of your Satiator?

It should be shipping soon, I think they're having a small delay based on ongoing issues with the global supply chain.

 

My sd card is prepped, very excited

[Down by Law]

Japanese Saturn is wired differently so chances are your Scart leads are full RGB, just not wired for NTSC machines 

[Ninja Doctor]

I think there’s something around the wiring on sync that means a regular composite video sync pal scart won’t work right. I’m gonna get a retro gaming cables csync cable unless anyone tells me not to. 
 

https://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?13966-Mod-How-to-make-an-NTCS-Saturn-work-with-an-EU-scart-cable

[Gorf]

I’ve got a grey with blue buttons Japanese Saturn and the retro gaming cables RGB scart cable is spot on

 

This one, I think it’s the only one they sell:

 

https://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/sega/saturn/SEGA-SATURN-RGB-SCART-PACKAPUNCH-PRO-CABLE