Classic Game Room - SEGA SATURN VIDEO-CD TWIN OPERATOR review

Sega Saturn Video-CD Player Twin Operator review!
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Classic Game Room reviews the Victor Twin Operator, a Video-CD and Photo-CD playing card for the Sega Saturn video game system that allows your saturn to play Video CD movies like Star Wars!

[@laprasking]

Oh Dreamcast, if only you had DVD Playback when you launched....

[@laprasking]

Yeah but when PS2 came out, it was at the time the cheapest way to play DVDs. If only SEGA had thought of that, they could of shifted a lot more DCs...

[@iam16bits]

laprasking I remember reading years ago that they had originally planned on releasing the Dreamcast with DVD support but development cost made them go with GD-ROM instead. They did eventually announce a DVD player add-on however nothing ever came of it.

[@samwize]

laprasking DVD capability would've made the Dreamcast far too expensive for a 1998 launch.

[@CommodoreFan64]

***** yep, and the Japanese, and Asian countries in general loved, and still love disc based formats over things like VHS because in those countries the life span of a VHS tape was much shorter do too the humid climate, and their is no doubt SEGA could have sold the DreamCast at the same price with a DVD player, and very easily made up the difference in software sales by adding an extra $5 cost to each game, so when SONY launched the PS2 it was favored 5 fold simply for the added DVD support.

[@theodorerelic2718]

laprasking ...it would have likely cost $399 instead of the $199 it launched at, thus making it too expensive. Sony could eat that cost to make the PS2 $299 at the time; Sega couldn't afford to do that. Not to mention it would have forced a total redesign of the DC's case to incorporate the DVD drive. Sega would have died a fiery death had the DC incorporated a DVD drive in 1998-1999.

[@MrMario2011]

I'm actually quite surprised you've been able to show so many clips of the movie in this review.

[@SwankeyMonkey]

SEGA was always ahead of it's time. The most innovative gaming company. Too bad they learned first also that it is more profitable to be a software company than a company that loses millions a year making hardware. Because I loved and supported every console they put out, and will again, if they decide to get back into the console business.

[@Vectrex4Life]

"AW SHIT! THIS IS THE STUPID REMADE VERSION!" -Mark

[@marakarthegreat]

That is exactly what I thought when I saw A New Hope on TV

[@RGT85]

Wow, I didn't even know this existed. Really neat.

[@enemyofthestatevcdking5982]

RGT 85 how could you have not known about this? I been watching matrix on vcd in my Saturn since 2000 got a Saturn with card installed in back...guy must forgot it was there. Im from the USA but known about this for 2 decades

[@sebastiann.8088]

Enemy of The state That's pretty cool! You sir are quite a lucky man lol

[@enemyofthestatevcdking5982]

sebastian nelms thank you bro

[@deathmachinezack]

Imported my Saturn from Japan for $79.99 a few months ago and had one of the VCD cards in the back of it

[@WebVManReturns]

Mark... Why isn't CGR on Video-CD so I can play it in my Saturn?

[@deathmachinezack]

I want this NOW!

[@mrblonde609]

Man.. every time i have a bad day, feel depressed or something like that, i just watch these videos and Marks whole appearance, the voice, his passion and humor makes me feel instantly better. Would love to have a beer with you mark, cheers!

[@titot.vt.v.1142]

I can see where the ps2 got thier ideas from sega saturn was really awesome and ahead of its time

[@JessicaChastainFan]

THE SEGA SATURN IN GENERAL IS APPROVED...BY LORD KARNAGE.

[@segagamer8623]

The video cd card also improved video quality in cut scenes for specific games made them on par and if not better in most cases than the ps1 at the time

[@spiderjerusalem100]

It'd be hilarious if one of the only ways to see the original version of Star Wars was on this thing.

[@cartoonworld1000]

I mean technically if you have a good dvd player you can play VCDs on it, unless you are meaning to say if the star wars original edition was exclusive to the Saturn console itself lol

[@samuel-wankenobi]

Well it’s not the original version it’s the 1997 special edition but it’s better the the dvd and blue ray

[@TaylorShearin]

Great review! The Saturn just gets better and better. Thanks for uploading, Mark!

[@ArielJerseyJr]

Here in the Philippines many people still buy VCD than DVD or even Blu-ray.

[@DagobertDrug]

that’s why the philippines ROCK!

[@NihilistSolitude]

Holy crap that what hook up behind my Japanese modded Saturn all this time.

[@JDubya2k]

Recently got The Green Mile Video-CD 3 disc set from a local thrift store, you can have it Mark!

[@EndUser2090]

Does anyone remember Liksang's VCD maker for the Dreamcast? This reminds me of it.

[@mattorama]

Holy crap, I never even knew there was an expansion port back there.

[@ljessecusterl]

I still miss my Laser Disc player.

[@j.a.e.8682]

I looked into these awhile ago, good luck finding one for sale. I heard aside from enabling VCD functionality it also improves the graphics from CG scenes in some of the regular saturn games.

[@NeoVejiita]

Seeing you try and close the Saturn lid on your Star Wars laser disc made me cringe :S

[@MrGauller]

NeoVejiita Me, too.

[@megaheroes3611]

More like trying to ruin the valubility.

[@evoGage]

VCD were very popular in HK and China during the 90s.

[@GigawingsVideo]

evoGage All over Asia to be exact.

[@hitachicordoba]

+evoGage I watched a lot of the Gundam series on HK VCD from ebay before the dvd releases. Bad subs and low res but it got the job done at the time lol

[@GammaCatch]

I watched DBZ episodes on those things

Also in europe

[@videogameobsession]

The Philips CD-i played VCD (White Book) years before the Saturn and its menus are less laggy too. It uses this format for its great ports of Dragon's Lair 1&2, Space Ace, and others.

[@dualizehorizons7531]

WHOA!! My Japanese Saturn randomly came with one of those, that's awesome!!

[@lemonfed]

I did burned a few VCD back a long time ago with my laptop since it din't have a dvd burner , they also work fine in most DVD players.

[@give_me_my_nick_back]

Actually I remember few years ago all the movies with magazines were on VCD here in the EU :P But never seen any VCD movie sold at stores. I remember there were normal menus like on DVDs, it even had a player for windows computers on the CD and only difference between them and DVDs was the shitty quality and that some movies were on 2 discs or really long movies even on 3 or 4.

[@TG5455]

0:58-1:11 Mark is getting his freak on thanks to the wonderful theme song.

[@Sjono]

SEGA Saturn had better third party support than N64

[@marakarthegreat]

Sjono true

[@TheSegaStoner]

I LOVE VCD! They still make them today too! So you could watch Age of Ultron on your Saturn, 3DO, CD-i, or my personal favourite, the Dreamcast!! Also, why is CGR NOT on VCD!?

[@jdcatabas2260]

Yeah, VCDs were more popular in the East during the '90s, especially Southeast Asia. I was told that humid climate caused problems for VCRs, so the format I guess was a fine alternative to VHS. I remember seeing the format often when I went to the Philippines around that time.

[@WebVManReturns]

Can you use the Action Replay on a U.S. Saturn along with this Twin Operator or do you have to have a Japanese Saturn?

[@jakesteven1980]

I still have VCDs with me. Even the ones with Chinese subtitles. Almost everyone of them I have were pirated and bootlegged.

[@boogerf3679]

The best reviews are when he says not to but the product just does it for the pure love of entertaining.

[@damianprice8422]

Totally funny when you "ahh shit!"

[@Malouco]

Hey lord karansada what is the sleepiness sleeper game on ps2 to ps4 (including 360,Wii)?

[@sailingwhisper149]

Well in the original, Greedo doesn't shoot at all.

[@WDWjustin]

Exactly!! It's "Han shot". That's it. No first. Ever.

[@Ostnizdasht206]

Michael C Fuck Greedo

[@clutchkman]

Michael C Yep, and it was perfect that way.

[@marakarthegreat]

or how about the scene where they both shoot at the same time

[@NoFormalTraining]

The next special edition will feature Greedo backed up by a squad of Storm Troopers, all of whom fire at the same time, missing and then be taken out by Han with one shot as his gun now suddenly has a wide beam setting. God only knows what would happen if Greedo had the Death Star as backup......

[@lunarpking]

Tatooine blown up and Han fires a single shot from the rubble that blow up the universe, Han then yells "SEE YOU IN HELL!"

[@NoFormalTraining]

***** Yeah, because "sorry about the mess" just wouldn't work anymore lol ;)

[@enemyofthestatevcdking5982]

Was r2d2 leg gold or silver in these vcds...know why I'm asking?

[@GillianSeed]

When are you going to do Saturn week?

[@ImmortalInflames]

Does the Video CD add-on work with PAL Sega Saturn (and ones from other reigns?) - or just NTSC-J ?

[@eetsuou]

Sega released Video CD Card in PAL regions too. I don't know does the Japanese cards work on pal systems.

[@dankmoo]

Japan cards don't work on PAL systems.

[@GiuseppeGaetanoSabatelli]

What's the quality compared to VHS? Looks pretty crisp from here but hard to say watching a recording of a CRT.

[@adenowirus]

I would say it's comparable to VHS, but, of course, doesn't deteriorate over time.

[@brianoconnell6459]

The reason the Sega Saturn didn't have a DVD drive, was because the hardware (and disc) costs hadn't dropped enough in price, even standalone players were prohibitively expensive when they were introduced in 1999, almost a full 4 years after the Sega Saturn. However, the VCD was a lot more compatible with older hardware (including PCs). Encoded in MPEG-1, all that the Saturn required was that card which was basically a decoder, and additional RAM, which came in the form of that cartridge, or a card that you slide into your Saturn, depending on the model.

[@brianoconnell6459]

+Brian O'Connell Oops, skipped a beat there, that's the card, yep. But of course, being exclusively Japanese, these cards were used to play porn, that was pretty much the point.

[@davezanko9051]

The Saturn was released in Japan in November 1994. The DVD standard was finalized almost exactly a year later in November 1995. That's why the Saturn doesn't include a DVD drive. It didn't even exist yet.

[@theshadowman1398]

Now I know why I wasn’t able to find this channel. It again had a name change.

[@Nixel85]

Oh no, Mark has send the world toward in time and now I'm 99 years old

[@laststopformadness]

Did you know they still make the movies for the Video CD for the Sega Saturn I have a few of the new ones.

[@MetalTiger88]

so cool, i need this :D

[@user-dc4bl1cu2k]

Is this the 1997 special edition or the 2004 edition? I prefer the 1997 edition (at least for Episode V and VI)

[@shixiongzhi]

well，it‘s chinese version starwar so，VCD not available in US？what do you watch tape on 90‘s？LD&VHS？and jump to DVD in 2000？

[@3Havoc]

"Now all the other robots are going to shoot first durrr" love that.

[@MisterSouji]

How high will the Saturn date go?

[@RetroGamePlayers]

Nice Stormtrooper Saturn!! Did that transformation occur when you played that crappy version of Star Wars on VCD??

[@gunmatheretrogamer747j]

can I use this to play burned cd?

[@segaboy9894]

Does this work on a US Saturn without a region mod?

[@Mariobrosteen64]

+Sega Boy it should

[@geraldojunior7467]

It's sad to see Mark quit posting videos about games. For me it was the best channel about old games.

[@MahoganyBlack]

That reaction was hilarious! @ 3:35

[@thepooroldsoul8179]

After all, good movies don't have good remakes.

[@DH1986]

I don't think I have ever seen the original version. What's the best way to way to watch them?

[@davezanko9051]

Three options. First, track down a vintage VHS tape from before 1997. The last VHS release from before the special editions was in 1995. Of course, the problem with that is VHS degrades over time, even without playing, and it wasn't a high resolution image to begin with (though analogue video is different than digital, it's effectively half the resolution of standard definition television). Also, they were almost always pan-and-scan, not widescreen. Option two is to track down the laserdisc releases, which are the finest analog picture available. But you'd also need a laserdisc player. And those are not cheap. Option three is to track down the 2006 DVD sets, which included two discs, one with the 2004 DVD release versions, and a second with the original theatrical versions taken from the laserdisc prints. They're not anamorphic (meaning they're centered in the screen, not the whole screen. They're also not cheap at this point, though you might be able to get lucky on eBay.

[@Meteotrance]

I remember seeing " Forest Gump " and " Pink Floyd delicate sound thunder " with this device on my Sega Saturn back then, it was amazing DVD and DIVX before DVD, it was build on the MPEG 1 made for the Phillips CDI, people forget how good those digital video was back then on a regular CRT.

[@cooiolhh8955]

Thats why sega is the goat always head with features in consoles. Only ppl who never had A saturn were amazed with ps2 with a dvd player lol

[@paspax]

These were released in PAL regions.

[@xiaochicash]

I like how you set the clock to 2084. Good, by then I'll be able to wear holographic parachute pants and drive around in my jet powered 2082 camero... with wood panel interior. Wood paneling is awesome.

[@Dragonrider1227]

Sure, The best of classic game room is on DVD but let's put it on Video-CD After all, what if you want to watch it on your Sega Saturn Video-CD Player Twin Operator? XD

[@Membrane556]

What's in the device is probably a mpeg decoder chip and some rom to support it.

[@MattJohnsonhikes]

2084: the year Robot Ron will be born. All hail, Robot Ron.

[@thethrillretrogamer9730]

Sad it doesn't play truxton. When we getting another truxton video, its like a big mac from the 80's i want it so much...

[@MrThunderwing]

Finally, i find out what the flap on the back of my Saturn was for...

[@terencehill2320]

4:07 ALL TIME LMFAO!!

[@MarkTheMorose]

"I placed entertainment vital to the survival of the rebellion into the memory systems of this R2-Saturn unit. CGR will know how to retrieve it. You must see this Saturn safely delivered to him on KZbin."

[@wolfgangfrost8043]

As a suburbs Bay Area kid in the 90's, I always took pride that Sega of America HQ was in the area. Weird Asian imports were commonplace too, so I'm not surprised that's where this came from. I was one of the few westerners digging VCD in my teen years.

[@NikhchansGaming]

When is the Best of Classic Game Room coming out on VCD?

[@paianis]

Good to see the Saturn doesn't suffer from the 2038 problem.

[@ChaseMC215]

In a nutshell, it's a addon that goes into the Paralel Port of the Sega Saturn, but it was released only in Japan, so you need a Japanese Sega Saturn for it to actually get it working

[@CecilTheDarkKnight234]

correct me if I'm wrong but don't you need a video cd card to play games like lunar 1-2?

[@g1nobleteam]

I don't think you do, as I heard it just improves video quality for games that supported it.

[@theodorerelic2718]

***** There were two versions of Lunar Silver Star for the Saturn in Japan; the non-MPEG-1 version (I played through that one back in the late 90s) and the one with MPEG-1 support. I am not sure whether there were two versions of Eternal Blue or not for the Saturn, but I am positive there was an MPEG-1 version. And it's the MPEG-1 version that requires the card. PS1 versions of both of those games were released in both Japan and the US.

[@Siegfried39ify]

Ronald Spillman There was no MPEG version for Eternal Blue.

[@theodorerelic2718]

Siegfried39ify Huh, didn't realize that. I saw copies of Eternal Blue for the Saturn and assumed it was an MPEG-1 version. I should know better than "assuming" anything is true :)

[@Siegfried39ify]

I have all three Lunar games for Saturn.And Eternal Blue actually don't need MPEG version,cut scenes already are full screen and in great quality even if compared to Playstation standards.

[@adamd3441]

Please review Pac Man World Rally for the GameCube!

[@ArmaBiologica35]

Adam D Send him a copy then.

[@CornishCreamtea07]

ArmaBiologica35 I sent them a copy of Super Farm and they never reviewed it.

[@sebastiann.8088]

CornishCreamtea07 Eventually they will do not worry. They are constantly getting flooded with games to review so you need to wait your turn. It will get there eventually ;)

[@jakesteven1980]

I'm sorry for Mark on having the Special Edition version of Star Wars but let's face it, this is on all VCDs we have around 2000. Laserdisc is the only way to get the real version.

[@Danbo22987]

I wonder if Saturn had pushed this feature in the west if it could’ve had more success similar to how the PS2 was a novelty as a DVD player.

[@Mariobrosteen64]

what song is at 0:34

[@ssj4jason737]

Review the Pioneer Laseractive it can play Laserdiscs

[@MrJ0mmy]

i own like 50 vcd movies

[@Mitsuraga]

It just wouldn't be a Classic Game Room SEGA Saturn video without Mark setting the clock into the future.

[@clutchkman]

Too bad about the Star Wars remakes, but that video-cd player attachment is pretty cool.

[@emmittmorgans8076]

Yeah, I'm cool; I got the Malaysian version of the Star Wars VCDs before the DVDs were released... the downside is that they're sped up to PAL speed (from 24fps to 25fps), but they're subtitle FREE! English packaging, too! They're still the Special Editions, but at least they're the FIRST version of the Special Editions... if that somehow makes it better.

[@fafling]

+Emmitt Morgans VCD shot first ;-)

[@Ray199149]

The VCD didn't take off in the Japanese market either, I remember they go from VHS/LD to DVD directly lol...

[@only257]

Awesome 😈

[@gman83090]

What’s the point of having a ad on for Sega Saturn if you can get a dedicated video CD player

[@Lando00100]

Wow playing movies on the dreamcast makes a lot more sense now lol

[@Xtrubu]

It seems to have a typo, it says SCENE SERCH.

[@darkenigma7492]

I always wondered what the hell that slot was for.

[@Gayestskijumpever]

I need 16 of these

[@NukTap]

that moment you realize you got the remastered editon ...

[@TheCooterpuppet]

Best video ever!

[@LorenHelgeson]

I remember seeing this as a menu option on my Sega CD and Saturn, but never had a disc to see what it actually looked like. So, it's kinda like a poor man's precursor to DVD? I always thought that port on the Saturn was just for replacing the battery.

[@centipede167]

I don't get it. What's wrong with the SE version of Star Wars? (Besides the Wampa cave in Episode 5. It was more suspenseful without shots of the monster.)

[@princessshana9945]

Holy crap! Video CD actually exists?! I wonder if it works on my Sega Saturn (and my Dreamcast). I have the NA/PAL version since I am from Canada. Anyone else from Canada have one?

[@eijentwun5509]

By the way...VICTOR is the Japanese name for the American JVC (Victor Company of Japan) so this is probably a very legit VideoCD card!

[@SmoothCriminalAaron]

Why did you always have to set the date with sega consoles?

[@CommodoreFan64]

SmoothCriminalAaron Because the internal lithium battery that keeps the time settings is dead, it's best to replace those before they leak, and same with the Dreamcast, but just to note the Dreamcast uses a rechargeable Cr2032, so if you use a normal Cr2032 in a Dreamcast as a replacement it will explode, and leak.

[@theodorerelic2718]

SmoothCriminalAaron Technically, you don't with the Saturn; you have to change the CR2032 battery where Mark stuck the card into, and once you do, the battery (which saves both the clock and your game saves) is usually good for around five years. I've had my Saturn since early 1997, and I think I'e changed the battery 3 times. My saves are backed up onto a Pro Action Replay 5-in-1, and I make sure I back up new saves there, just in case the battery does go south. I just wish changing the battery in my DC were that easy...

[@DacDaMan710]

Wow this is like before DVD's and BR's

[@mikanichie4849]

It's my first time to hear that there were no vcd(video cd) in western world...

[@argedismun2]

Where’s the Dreamcast dvd playback add on

[@cooiolhh8955]

Dreamcast dont need it . Its perfect 👌

[@myrongaines5542]

3:37 lmaooooo

[@NinjaxShadowXx]

LOL "This version sucks!" haha loved that part.

[@GigawingsVideo]

Ah yes the VCD era. I remember paid quite a fee to port a VHS video of Street Fighter The Video Game: The Movie and got super disappointed with the movie only to appreciate Raul Julia acting as I got older.

[@seydevilchick8]

damn ! thats nice