Editing Sega 32X (section)

==History==
===Development===
With the release of the Super Famicom in Japan and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America, [[Sega]] felt the need to leapfrog [[Nintendo]] in the technological department. Sega had various developments underway and focused most of its energy on the then new [[Sega Saturn]].
On 8 January 1994, the CEO of Sega, [[Hayao Nakayama]], ordered his company to make a 32-bit cartridge based console that would be in stores by Christmas 1994. They decided to modify the project to be based on CD-ROM as it was cheaper,<ref name="allgame"/> and instead of dropping the cartridge based platform it was decided that two separate consoles would be produced. The first idea was a new Mega Drive featuring more colors and a 32-bit processor, this being titled '''Project Jupiter'''. [[Sega/Sega of America|Sega of America]] research and development head Joe Miller proposed that an add-on to the Mega Drive would be a better idea, as he felt that gamers would not buy an improved version of the Mega Drive.<ref name="ulthistory"/> This project would be codenamed '''Project Mars''', and Sega of America would take all developmental responsivity.

The 32X was primarily envisioned as a system which would extend the life of the [[Sega Mega Drive]] and provide revenue while the Sega Saturn slowly grew in popularity.

===Launch===
The video-gaming public first got a glimpse at the Summer 1994 Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago, USA. The console was revealed as the 32X in September 1994, with a price projection of $170 USD.

The 32X hit the market in North America in November 1994, during the same month the [[Sega Saturn]] was released in Japan. The 32X had a rough start as the Saturn hardware was regarded as more powerful and had the support of many Japanese third party software developers, which the 32X was sorely lacking.

Only 600,000 consoles had been produced for North American consumption, yet orders were in the millions.<ref name="allgame">{{Cite web|last=Beuscher|first=Dave|title=Sega Genesis 32X|url=http://www.allgame.com/platform.php?id=35|publisher=AllGame|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114094433/http://www.allgame.com/platform.php?id=35|archivedate=14 November 2014|accessdate=26 February 2022}}</ref> The console allegedly had numerous mechanical problems. Games had been rushed for the system in the run up to Christmas 1994, as a total of 50 had been promised by [[Sega]] prior to release. Some early games came with errors in programming, causing crashes and glitches. Other games required leaving out parts in order to make the Christmas deadline; for example, the 32X version of ''Doom'' is missing seven levels present on the [[PC]] and Super Nintendo versions. Also, ''Doom'' for the 32X was criticized for having far worse music and sound effects compared to the other versions.<ref name="Sega-16">{{Cite web|title=Doom for the 32X|publisher=sega-16.com|url=http://www.sega-16.com/review_page.php?id=14&title=Doom|accessdate=29 April 2008}}</ref> Some consumers complained that their 32X was not working with their Mega Drive or television and Sega was forced to give away adapters.

Since this was an expensive add-on system, Sega decided to offer a £50 discount on games with the console in Europe. However, the offer came in the form of rebate vouchers, which were difficult to take advantage of, especially if the owner of the console was beginning to lose interest.

===Decline===
By mid-1995, development for 32X was in decline. Developers had abandoned the console in favor of what they perceived to be a true 32-bit console, the [[Sega Saturn]]. Even though the 32X was a 32-bit system, the games did not appear to take full advantage of 32 bit processing, as many games were extremely rushed and only produced in 2D. Many titles were slightly-enhanced ports of Mega Drive or old arcade games. In reality, as stated by Steve Snake, creator of ''NBA Jam'' and ''Mortal Kombat II'', these games were seriously pushing the limits of the Mega Drive even though they looked like minor enhancements. He cites that people were expecting far too much from it, and the over-hyping from magazines had helped to hurt it.<ref name="SegaBase">{{Cite web|title=Project Mars: Anatomy of a Failure|publisher=Goodcowfilms|url=http://www.goodcowfilms.com/farm/games/segabase_archives/SegaBase%20-%2032X.htm|accessdate=22 June 2007}}</ref>

Customers perceived the Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation as the true next-generation consoles, as they had rich launch titles and 3D graphics. Due to this favouritism, store shelves became littered with unwanted Sega 32X systems, and the price for a new console dropped as low as $19.95, along with some claiming that video game exchange stores became so full of the 32X that they began to refuse the console, even at no cost.<ref name="Video Game Critic">{{Cite web|title=32X Info|publisher=Videogame Critic|url=http://www.videogamecritic.net/32xinfo.htm|accessdate=22 June 2007}}</ref>

For many years prior to the 32X, consoles such as the ColecoVision, Intellivision II, and Atari promised devices like the similar to it that would extend and enhance the original system. Sega's 32X lacked the software titles and 3D capabilities of the competition, with the add-on technology representing a dead end. Ignorant of the idea that a console's primary strength is in standardization, Sega had created three different platforms, the Sega Mega Drive, Sega CD, and 32X, all under the same banner, therefore confusing both vendors and consumers in the process. The entire episode demonstrated that producing such add-ons is likely to have detrimental effects on a system's brand marketing strategy.

The peripheral's life came to an end in October 1995, when Sega's CEO, [[Hayao Nakayama]], ordered that the 32X and other Sega consoles be cancelled in order to focus its limited resources on the Saturn system.<ref name="SegaBase"/><ref name="Cyberia PC">{{Cite web|title=32X history|publisher=cyberiapc|url=http://www.cyberiapc.com/vgg/sega_32.htm|accessdate=22 June 2007}}</ref>