The 32X was an add-on device for the Sega Genesis video game console. It was given the code name "Project Mars" and was created to increase the power of the Genesis and help move the console from the 16-bit era to the 32-bit era before the Sega Saturn was released. The 32X used its own special ROM cartridges and had its own collection of games. It was called Super 32X in Japan and South Korea, Genesis 32X in North America, Mega 32X in Brazil, and Mega Drive 32X in other regions.
Sega introduced the 32X at the Consumer Electronics Show in June 1994. It was presented as a low-cost way to play 32-bit games. The idea came after Sega saw the Atari Jaguar and worried that the Saturn might not be ready for sale by the end of 1994. Although the 32X was first planned as a separate console, Sega of America executive Joe Miller and his team suggested making it an add-on for the Genesis. This change made the Genesis more powerful. The final design included two 32-bit central processing units and a visual display processor.
The 32X did not attract many game developers or buyers because the Saturn was released at the same time in Japan. Sega rushed the 32X to market, leaving less time for game development. This led to a small collection of 40 games that did not fully use the 32X’s capabilities, including some games that were also available on the Genesis. Sega made 800,000 units and sold about 665,000 by the end of 1994. The remaining units were sold at big discounts until the 32X was stopped in 1996 as Sega focused on the Saturn.
The 32X is seen as a commercial failure. At first, people liked it because of its low price and the way it improved the Genesis. However, later reviews, both from the time and later, were mostly negative. This was because of the small number of games, poor timing in the market, and the confusion it caused for players who used the Genesis.
History
The Sega Genesis was released in 1988. By early 1994, Sega became worried about competition from newer, more powerful 32-bit consoles, such as the Atari Jaguar and the 3DO. The Sega CD, a previous add-on for the Genesis, had not met commercial goals, and the Genesis' successor, the Sega Saturn, would not be fully released worldwide until late 1995. This created a nearly two-year gap that Sega feared would allow competitors to gain an advantage. Former Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske said, "Initially, the argument was that we could get another year of life out of the Genesis before introducing the Saturn. Japan disagreed with me on that, so as a temporary solution, the 32X was created."
During the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in January 1994, Sega of America research and development head Joe Miller received a phone call in his Las Vegas hotel suite from Sega president Hayao Nakayama, who emphasized the need for a quick response to the Atari Jaguar. On this call were Sega of America producer Scot Bayless, Sega hardware team head Hideki Sato, and Sega of America vice president of technology Marty Franz. One idea suggested by the Japanese team, called "Genesis 2" by former Sega of America producer Michael Latham, was to create an entirely new independent console. This would have been a new Genesis model with an improved color palette and limited 3D capabilities using ideas from the Sega Virtua Processor chip.
According to Latham, Miller dismissed an upgraded Genesis as "a bad idea. If you only improve the system, you should make it an add-on. If it’s a new system with new software, that’s great. But if it only doubles the colors…" Miller believed the existing Genesis should be used to avoid forcing customers to throw away their systems and to control the cost of the new system as an add-on. From these discussions, the new add-on, codenamed "Project Mars," was developed.
With Miller pushing for his American team to create the system, the 32X was designed as a peripheral for the existing Genesis, increasing its power with two 32-bit SuperH-2 processors, the same as those used in the Saturn but with a lower clock speed. The SH-2 was developed in 1993 as a joint project between Sega and Hitachi. The original design for the 32X add-on, according to Bayless, was drawn on a cocktail napkin, but Miller denied this. In another account, Bayless said Franz designed the 32X on a hotel notepad, drawing two SH-2 processors with separate framebuffers.
Although the new unit was more powerful than originally planned, it was not compatible with Saturn games. Sega explained that both platforms would coexist, and the 32X was aimed at players who could not afford the more expensive Saturn. Bayless praised the system, calling it "a coder’s dream for the day" because of its twin processors and 3D capabilities. Sega of America led the development of the 32X, with some help from Sato’s team in Japan. Shortages of processors, caused by the same chips being used in both the 32X and the Saturn, slowed development, as did the language barrier between teams in Japan and the United States.
Before the 32X was launched, the Saturn’s release date in Japan was announced for November 1994, matching the 32X’s target launch date in North America. Sega of America was tasked with marketing the 32X alongside the Saturn’s Japan release. They described the 32X as a "transitional device" between the Genesis and the Saturn, but Bayless said this made them look "greedy and dumb" to consumers.
The 32X was introduced to the public at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show in June 1994 in Chicago. Marketed as the "poor man’s entry into 'next generation' games," the 32X was promoted for its $159 price, a less-expensive alternative to the Saturn. However, Sega did not confirm whether a Genesis with a Sega CD and 32X could run Saturn software. Trip Hawkins, founder of The 3DO Company, said the 32X was a "Band-Aid" and not a "next generation system." In response, Sega executive Richard Brudvik-Lindner said the 32X could play Genesis games and had the same system architecture as the Saturn.
In August 1994, GamePro highlighted the 32X’s 32-bit processors and lower price, noting that "gotta-get-it-now gamers" might buy the Saturn or PlayStation, but the 32X could be a choice for others. Edge magazine questioned if the 32X was only a temporary solution for the Christmas season and called the Japanese release a "PR exercise" rather than a serious effort. Kalinske responded, "Saturn will be priced to avoid mass sales. In terms of volume and excitement, it’s Genesis and 32X."
The 32X was released on November 21, 1994, in North America, in time for the holiday season. It sold for $159.99 without a pack-in game. Demand was high, and Sega struggled to meet orders. Over 1 million units were ordered, but only 600,000 were shipped by January 1995. Nearly 500,000 units were sold in the U.S. by Christmas 1994, exceeding Sega’s initial sales goal. The 32X cost about the same as a Genesis but was less than half the price of the Saturn. It was released in Europe in November 1994 for £169.99 and also had high demand.
Sega promised 12 games at launch and 50 by 1995 from third-party developers. Only six games were available at launch, including Doom, Star Wars Arcade, Virtua Racing Deluxe, and Cosmic Carnage. While Virtua Racing was strong, Cosmic Carnage was poorly received. Games sold for $69.95. Advertising showed the 32X connected to a Genesis to create an "arcade system." Japan received the 32X on December 3, 1994, two weeks after the Saturn’s launch. The 32X launched in Brazil in March 1995.
Despite its lower price, Sega had trouble convincing third-party developers to make games for the 32X. Many developers focused on the upcoming Saturn, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation, believing the 32X could not compete. Problems also arose with in-house games due to the 32X’s quick development timeline. According to Bayless, "games in the queue were rushed into boxes as fast as possible, leading to major issues."
Technical aspects and specifications
The 32X can only be used with a Genesis system. It is inserted into the system like a standard game cartridge. The add-on needs its own power supply, a cable to connect it to the Genesis, and an extra cable for the original Genesis model. The 32X can play its own games, as well as games from the original Genesis system. It can also work with the Sega CD to play games that use both add-ons. The 32X came with a spacer to fit properly with the second model of the Genesis. A second spacer was planned for use with the Sega Genesis CDX system, but it was never sold because of the risk of electric shock when the 32X and CDX were connected. To install the 32X, you must insert two electromagnetic shield plates into the Genesis’ cartridge slot.
Placed on top of a Genesis system, the 32X measures 115 mm × 210 mm × 100 mm (4.5 in × 8.3 in × 3.9 in). The 32X has two Hitachi SH-2 32-bit RISC processors that run at 23 MHz. Sega said this would make the system 40 times faster than a stand-alone Genesis. Its graphics processor can display 32,768 colors and render 50,000 polygons each second, which is a major improvement over the Genesis’ polygon rendering. The 32X includes 256 kilobytes of RAM and 256 kilobytes of video RAM. Sound is produced using a pulse-width modulation sound source. The 32X connects to a television through a provided A/V cable that sends composite video and stereo audio, or through an RF modulator. Stereo audio can also be played through headphones using a headphone jack on the attached Genesis.
Game library
The 32X library includes 40 games, six of which needed both the 32X and Sega CD. These games include versions of arcade titles such as After Burner, Space Harrier, and Star Wars Arcade, a side-scrolling game with a hummingbird as the main character called Kolibri, and a 32X-exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog spinoff named Knuckles' Chaotix. Some games for the 32X are improved versions of earlier Genesis games, such as NFL Quarterback Club and World Series Baseball '95. In a later review, Star Wars Arcade was named the best 32X game by IGN for its teamwork features, music, and accurate recreation of the Star Wars experience. In another review, IGN writer Levi Buchanan said Shadow Squadron was better than Star Wars Arcade. Retro Gamer writer Damien McFerran called Virtua Fighter "the jewel in the 32X's crown," while GamesRadar+ named Knuckles' Chaotix the best game for the system. Next Generation described Virtua Fighter as "the colorful wreath on 32X's coffin," meaning it was both the 32X's strongest release and a sign the system was failing. This was because Virtua Fighter was not as good as the already-released Saturn version of Virtua Fighter Remix or the upcoming Saturn version of Virtua Fighter 2. Sega later told fans the 32X hardware was not strong enough to run Virtua Fighter 2.
Although the 32X had 32-bit processing and could produce better graphics and sound than the Genesis, most games did not use these features. Doom for the 32X received high praise but was later criticized for missing levels, poor visuals and sound, and gameplay issues like jerky movement and windowed screens. Franz noted few developers focused on using the 32X's improved audio capabilities. One reason was the rush to release games for the 32X's launch. Former Sega of America executive producer Michael Latham said it took "a lot of convincing" to release the 32X's launch game, Cosmic Carnage. For Doom, programmer John Carmack had to remove a third of the game's levels to meet the 32X's launch date. Time limits also led developers to create simpler games that did not fully use the 32X's hardware. Another issue was the 32X's two processors and graphics processor struggling to access memory, causing developers to use only one processor for most games. In 1995, Sega vice president of marketing Mike Ribero said Sega was not abandoning the 32X but admitted first-party support was weak: "I won't lie to you, we screwed up with 32X. We overpromised and underdelivered."
Reception and legacy
Initial reception to the 32X and its games when it was first released was positive. In 1995, four reviewers from Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the 32X high marks in their Buyer's Guide, noting its improvements to the Genesis. However, they also questioned how long the system would be supported. One reviewer believed the 32X had a "bright future," while another thought it was only meant to last until the release of the Saturn. A GamePro reviewer mentioned that the 32X required multiple cords, making it "as complicated as setting up your VCR," and noted some issues with the prototype, like freezing and overheating. However, the reviewer believed production models would work well and approved of the add-on overall.
By late 1995, feedback about the 32X became more negative. In its 1996 Buyer's Guide, Electronic Gaming Monthly’s four reviewers scored the add-on 3, 3, 3, and 2 out of 10, criticizing its limited game selection and Sega’s focus on the Saturn instead. A Next Generation review called the 32X weak at handling 3D graphics and criticized developers for using overly bright colors to show off its features. The review also said the 32X seemed to be a way for Sega to gain market share before the Saturn was released, giving it only 1 out of 5 stars. Game Players said the 32X was less powerful than the Saturn and PlayStation, and most of its games could have been made on the Super NES. They also noted weak support from both Sega and third-party developers, concluding that the 32X "never was" a successful system.
Looking back, the 32X is widely criticized for its limited game library, lack of support, and poor timing after the Saturn was released in Japan. 1UP.com’s Jeremy Parish said the 32X "tainted just about everything it touched." GamesRadar+ ranked the 32X as their ninth-worst console, with reviewer Mikel Reparaz calling it a temporary solution that was abandoned when the Saturn was released. Retro Gamer’s Damien McFerran praised the 32X’s ability to accurately port games like Space Harrier and Virtua Fighter and its lower price, but noted it sold poorly despite its potential. IGN’s Levi Buchanan said the 32X was a better idea than the SEGA CD but criticized its weak library and implementation.
The 32X’s status as an add-on and its release after the Saturn was announced are seen as major reasons for its failure. Allgame’s Scott Alan Marriott said add-ons discouraged buyers and made it harder for third-party companies to create games. GamePro criticized the cost of buying the 32X and its accessories, with Blake Snow noting that buyers could spend up to $650 for a system that weighed as much as a small dog. GamesRadar+’s Reparaz said developers avoided the 32X because it was seen as outdated, and gamers followed suit, making the 32X a "footnote in console history." Reparaz also said Sega’s decision to release the 32X was "short-sighted" because it created competition with its own Saturn. IGN’s Buchanan noted that the 32X likely ended the trend of add-ons like itself, which is a good thing because they often split audiences.
Former Sega executives had mixed views on the 32X. Bayless believed it warned the industry against creating add-ons that could split the market, criticizing later systems like the Kinect and PlayStation Move. Franz said the 32X failed because it needed a Genesis and lacked a CD drive, even though it worked with the Sega CD. Miller remembered the 32X positively but admitted its timing was bad because the Saturn was coming soon.