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?
so sega realised that rather than sell a retro console once, they can sell a reboot filled with DLC and monthly subscriptions forever. nice.
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.
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.
Yep. They’ll probably change their tune again when more powerful SoC’s come out.
ha yes! that is depressingly likely to be 100% correct.