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- Sega 32x Consoles
Sega 32x Consoles
Buy Sega 32x Consoles
Sega 32x console known as the mega drive 32x, Is an add-on for the mega drive. It gave 32 bit power to the Sega Mega Drive set up. It is one of 2 add ons available for the Sega Mega Drive the other is the Mega CD. Through the development phase it was codenamed Project Mars, the 32x was designed as Sega were worried about losing market share to the 32 bit Atari Jaguar with the fear the Sega Saturn would not be ready in time. Original time Release of the first version was in November 1994. The 32x product has 3d graphics and better audio capabilities making gaming super powered compared to its competitors. The system extended the life of the Sega Mega Drive whilst waiting for the Saturn hardware to be released in January 1995. The 3d graphics and sound on the unit gave a good insight into what was to be expected from Sega's launch Saturn due in 1995. Otherwise Noted, Developers in Japan wanted to launch the Mega drive 32x as a separate console but under advice from Joe Miller from Sega of America the decision was made to release as a super gaming add on.
sega 32x console
Our range or Sega Mega Drive 32 x consoles + accessories, we offer replacement consoles, and other pieces of kit that could help make you set up complete again, These are ever changing. There are 3 variations of the system region code, Pal (Europe), Ntsc (North America) and Ntsc-j (Japan) the games are not interchangeable unless your machine is modded, and you would also need other hardware modded in conjunction ie the mega drive or mega cd. The 32x is region locked so a pal machine will not work with the Sega CD or Sega Genesis hardware. Video games with differing region code are not interchangeable
sega 32x Things to watch for
The 32x had a habit Capacitors failing, internal white ribbon cables often needing to be reseated where the 32x was knocked or got hot and they moved. The cartridge slots both top and bottom need cleaning from time to time. As dirt will stop the 32x from reading the data from cartridges. Used units sold on market places are often thwart with problems.
Cleaning
Good thing is they are often simple fixes that with general cleaning can be kept up to date. Some new parts are available for the maintenance of the 32x. Audio/Sound issues can be solved on different games version with cleaning.
Pal Game Library
Sega 32x games selection was limited the Pal system has 23 cartridge games titles and also 4 cd based games which need both the 32x system and the Sega Mega cd console connected to a Mega Drive/Genesis. 3 of the cartridge based games are extremely difficult to find and can cost a huge sum of money. NTSC-J region (Japan) saw 18 Games titles released for the Mega Drive 32x and NTSC region (North America) had 30 games released for the 32x. Star Wars Arcade game across all 3 regions on the 32x. The 32x will go down in history as a failure, it required two other consoles to play four of the cd32x games, Which for many was too expensive.
Console Sentiment
Whilst the console was short lived it was a great add on to the mega drive/Genesis and has people Split like Marmite They either love it or Hate it! The sega 32x console is getting harder to come by and the price is consistently rising so if it is an item you want in your collection then don't wait round too long. With all that said if you end up going for a full set make sure you sit down when checking out the top 3 priced 32x games.
Sales of the 32x
Sales of the 32x console were below 750,000 units, it did not perform well and none of the released games used the full capability of the hardware. Game developers were not drawn to release games for the console due to the sequential release of the Saturn. The 32x was discontinued in 1996 with many units being sold very cheaply just to clear stock in preparation to focus driving the sales on the Saturn.