The Sega Genesis vs The Sega 32X - Part 1

[@ischmidt]

From a developer POV, the 32X was an unnecessary nightmare. It made the Genesis nearly as complex as the Saturn but with much less benefit. It had more colors and higher-quality sample playback, but it didn't actually do anything to help you with either of those things. The graphics were just a dumb framebuffer like VGA, and the audio was just a stereo DAC. So all of the work had to be done by the CPUs to draw backgrounds and sprites and mix the audio. You could mix the 32X video with the Genesis video and do 32X sprites over Genesis backgrounds or vice-versa, but that layering was done with analog video overlay technology so it reduced the image quality somewhat and wasn't very flexible. Also, Sega's list of hardware bugs that you had to watch out for was something like 15 pages long. That's something I've never seen again on any other piece of hardware, thankfully. 32X was called "Mars" by Sega in the documentation, on the basis that it was one step closer to Saturn, but "Asteroid Belt" would've been more accurate.

[@Alphanubilus1]

Having owned a 32x, you had to constantly fight with the hardware just to get it to work. It was a doomed system as it only served as a minor upgrade to the standard Genesis. MK2 was amazing though. Had it come out in 1993, I think it would have been a bit more successful, but with Saturn and PlayStation arriving there was no real point for it to exist.

[@upfront864]

I agree. Very unnecessary piece of hardware. Barely made the graphics better. No where near the 32bit action of a Saturn or PS1. Its like the mega system, genesis, Sega cd, and 32x were the same machine repackaged and slightly tuned (for better or worse)

[@Alphanubilus1]

@@upfront864 I think had the 32X been released in 93 or early 94, it might done a lot better. However with superior hardware coming out at the same time, Sega doomed it before it could live. It’s version of MK2 was the best port of that generation. It just came a little too late.

[@upfront864]

@@Alphanubilus1 i can agree with that fr

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

This is fascinating, I never thought I’d hear a real developers perspective. In a way though I’m glad it happened, as I love some of the massively aged early 3D games the console got, and seeing the way people made it work is fascinating. I remember the Jaguar had a lot of hardware bugs too but damn 15 pages is crazy. Hopefully some of that documentation leaks some day so fans can see it and maybe use it for 32X rom hacks.

[@krisfrederick5001]

Bless my Moms' heart for recognizing that I didn't NEED the 32x as I felt I did.

[@theconsolekiller7113]

Yea, better off getting 3 genesis games than that shit. ha ha.

[@JonnyJayJonson]

Yeah, same here, I wanted a Sega CD but my parents had the sense to do their research...!

[@TheChallenger1000]

@Latisha Queen I got one for Christmas in 1994. Doom and Star Wars. Loved both games. But as time passed it became obvious that the amount of good 32X games was low. I got a PlayStation 1 in 1995. I never played 32X again. Looking back, there were plenty of Genesis games that would have done the trick like Duke Nukem 3D, and had I known they existed I would have gotten those games instead of 32X.

[@TheChallenger1000]

@@JonnyJayJonson I got the Sega CD for Christmas in 1993. What I remember most was being disappointed by Joe Montana Football CD. That was a disaster. I had other games but that one was so bad it killed my enthusiasm.

[@ReaperCore15]

same for me haha !

[@entertainmentwizard2703]

I would really like to see a team try and push the 32x to the limit with todays knowledge!

[@buckroger6456]

I would love to see someone do that as well but sadly the low install base just wouldn't make it worth anyone's time.

[@ralphhoskins2115]

That would be awesome!!! I love the 32x.... I always wanted to see the true power of the shroom

[@entertainmentwizard2703]

@@ralphhoskins2115 A couple good attempts are Knuckles Chaotix and Darxide!

[@godzilla7391]

I would like someone to do that with the Saturn also. Maybe have a contest where todays major devs work on the game for year, with proceeds going to their favorite charity.

[@entertainmentwizard2703]

@@godzilla7391 Actually Sega lets devs work on there older consoles at no cost and there are a few Saturn projects in the works but to really push the Saturn Sega would have to release the dev kits that where being used to develop Shenmue and Virtua Fighter 3! Developing new dev software from scratch would take time!

[@hawaiianpunchaho]

This is by far the best Sega Channel on KZbin no bullshit I have not been disappointed on a video yet💯 props Sega Lord X

[@gaupau]

fax

[@SegaLordX]

That’s high praise. Thank you.

[@Michaelmaddsicc]

You ain't joking man. this guy shows why Sega had so much love back in the day and why people still love it today

[@thehappysack2362]

Agreed. The work that @SegaLordX puts in shows. Awesome channel.

[@skins4thewin]

The CPU inside of the 32x is what should have came inside the Sega CD to begin with, aka something that could produce more colors on screen. They wouldn't have needed two of them either like the 32x had, one would have been plenty and would have really pushed the Sega CD's capabilities beyond anything we had seen at the time. These two systems should have been combined and released as a single system somewhere in between both of their launch windows.

[@Astfgl]

Yeah one of the (many) problems of these two add-ons is that they had complementary enhancements. The Sega CD primarily improved audio, but didn't add much to the visual side other than sprite scaling and FMV support. The 32X improved visuals, but didn't make any noteworthy changes to the audio side. You really needed the two of them together to get the full effect, but that was ridiculously expensive and there are only about five games that make use of the Sega CD + 32X combo. If the two had been combined into a single unit from the start, it would've been a much more appealing product.

[@Hamdad]

would've been too expensive sadly. Even just the CD addon by itself cost a pretty penny at the time

[@skins4thewin]

@@Astfgl Well I dunno about all that man, the Sega CD had some pretty potent enhanced hardware in it. Only problem is it was VERY underutilized. Most devs only used the Genesis or the faster 68000 CPU inside the Sega CD and not the other additional hardware. Only a select few games made use of the added hardware such as the Batman game and a scaler shooter known as Soul Star. Probably a few others but there were not many. Either way, it definitely had the potential for some very enhanced visuals. No doubt tho that it would have been even better had the 32X hardware been added in as well.

[@skins4thewin]

@@Hamdad Very true. It was actually somewhat impressive that they were able to even offer it for $300 at the time. Guess that's probably a big reason why the system is so unreliable and uses such cheap components inside. These systems fail like nobodies business, specially the Model 1 versions with the front loading discs.

[@gtrzdaddy]

That would've been so nice... although mass market 32 -bit processors at the time of Mega-CD's development was unheard-of

[@mikef8846]

I bought a 32x because I thought I was getting a "Saturn Lite." But it turned out to be a "Genesis Plus."

[@RetroGamesBoy78]

Mike F Probably closer to say its a bit of both considering its Saturn related architecture and the 2 Virtua titles.

[@Lightblue2222]

Many feel that MK2 DOOM Virtua Racing and Virtua fighter actually play better on 32X. and I'm happy to explain why for either if anyone wants to know. and as for the other Saturn games, the 32X is comparable. Wrestlemania NBA JAM TE Afterburner Space Harrier Primal Rage And just for fun I'll include Stellar Assault and Tempo Since their sequels went onto Saturn and play similar. But what we don't know is how 32X would have handled later releases. And I agree, half of its library feels more like a "Genesis Plus", but there's def some Saturn Lites in there. :)

[@RetroGamesBoy78]

@@Lightblue2222 If the 32X had of gone on to do what Sega planned, those 'cash grabs' that plagued the system would have been done and dusted with and more next gen releases would have graced the 32X and it would have gotten a library of games that were more akin to what it was made for.

[@paradoxzee6834]

Even the Saturn and the 32X share the same CPU underclocked on the 32X) the biggest issue was the GPU, it could not render polygons, that means all 3D stuff was done by the CPU what limits really what you can do

[@CptKennyLoggins]

32X Primal Rage farting ape vs Atari Jaguar Kasumi Ninja fireball kilt would destroy the galaxy should the two moves meet in midair.

[@KTJohnsonkidThunder]

I agree on MK2 32X. As a matter of fact, I agree with you that many third-party publishers/developers who worked on the 32X didn't do much with their sound assets from their Genesis releases. OutRun, Super Hang-On, and even OutRunners should've got 32X ports. And very likely, OutRunners would've been a more competent port had it got a port on the 32X than the Genesis.

[@worsethanhitlerpt.2539]

After Burner looked pretty badass and Space Harrier was good too. MK2 looked about the same on Genesis, WTF- MK2 was a huge deal back then

[@JaredConnell]

Dont know why nobody has ever done a side by side comparison of the two systems like this before, but it proves why sega lordx is the best sega youtuber out there. You treat content with the love and respect people treat new generation games with and it really makes the difference. PS please continue this series will all other consoles you can think of. Genesis vs sega cd, ps1 vs sega, sony vs dreamcast, etc. I think the way you examine stuf will really pinpoint the differences that are hard to see with the naked eye

[@kellinwinslow1988]

Ah the 32X. It wasn't the Saturn that killed Sega. It was this. The only reason to remember this system is for the scrapped Neptune system which then became the name of the main character in the Neptunia games. The idea may have sounded good on paper but in reality it was a massive waste of money and resources. At the time it looked like Sega was fleecing their fans,and they were. They just never knew what they were doing. It's like they never really understood why the Genesis was successful. I never got one back in the day since I knew the Saturn was a thing and the 32X was an inferior product. Now when I think about getting one I realize that it would only be collecting for the sake of collection which is a stupid reason to get something. As James Rolf said in his AVGN episode,it looks like the 32X is trying to have it's way with the Genesis.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

He also brilliantly said it looked like the console was on life support with all the various cables you have to hook up and multiple AC plugs ( 3, one for the Genesis one for the Sega CD and one for the 32X yikes! And they were huge as well) if they've been able to consolidate it into the neptune it would have been a different story but not by much. As it is this day it's considered one of the worst decisions ever made.

[@kellinwinslow1988]

@@JohnDoe-wq5eu Yep, exactly. That about sums it up.

[@guitarspud1723]

Perfectly said. My soul still hurts that Sega opted out of the hardware business.

[@kellinwinslow1988]

@@guitarspud1723 Well it was fated to be. It's clear they didn't understand what they were doing and only stumbled onto success with the Genesis. It's amazing that happened actually and it's probably likely due to the American branch since the Mega Drive was never really popular in Japan. The history of Sega is an interesting one but looking at everything that happened the company never had a chance against Nintendo,Sony and Microsoft.

[@AaronVictoria]

This was a great video. I didn't even remember seeing this many games in stores for the 32X when I was a kid. And you're telling me there is a part two? Looking forward to more! Great work, as always man.

[@willeysingleton3057]

The 32x is basically a really expensive Aladdin deck enhancer.

[@worsethanhitlerpt.2539]

Some of the MK2 screens looked better on GENESIS!!!! Most were about the same

[@MaxAbramson3]

Honestly, more could have been done with the sega cd than the 32X. With color mixing, they were able to get 3300 color palettes with the genesis.

[@TheMultiGunMan]

I just recently bought the 32X for my Genesis. I had one as a teenager and I'm happy with it.

[@stabinghobo57]

Remember there is no 32 bit Super Nintendo!

[@wulver810]

It's not as good as the Arcade though.

[@illkid86]

U bout 26 years too late

[@qw0wp2]

I keep thinking about picking one up but it looks like shit on a CDX. I have been debating getting a model 1 setup for the whole tower of power!!

[@ultimateman55]

@@illkid86 you're never too old for 32X dude

[@TheTrueBro]

I always thought the 32X was a way for the American division of Sega to be cocky on a really stupid way. After watching the Netflix documentary about VG and seeing the Sega episode, it pretty much confirmed it. Tom Kalinske surely helped Sega in the Genesis days, but it seemed like he couldn't think outside the box and got stuck there trying to extend the system's lifespan as much as possible, instead of focusing on how to make the Saturn more affordable. They already got a peripheral that could give nice upgrades (the Sega CD). The 32X... was pretty much unnecessary, IMO

[@supersexysega]

Tom Kalinske didn't want the 32x. Sega of Japan commissioned it and Sega of America went along with it. Also Tom didn't want to release the Saturn early. Once again SOJ forced the early release and cut off support of all consoles except Saturn (huge mistake). Either way the Genesis didn't need any help especially in late 94'. The Genesis sold better then the Saturn did in 95'. Infact they were short supply 400,000 Genesis that holiday season.

[@shiningphantasy1393]

@@supersexysega Correct Sega of Japan's decisions pretty much left Tom disillusioned and drove him away from his role in the company. Between the subpar rollouts of the Sega CD, 32X, and the mishandled early release of the Saturn Sega of Japan really fractured trust with many western consumers and made them feel uneasy about investing in their offerings going forward. I still purchased a Saturn around August of 1995 and expressed some loyalty at the time, but I was often a bit frustrated over it even though I had high value for select software releases.

[@MmntechCa]

@@supersexysega Also worth noting that SOA had wanted to partner with Sony on a true next gen console. They were close to a deal too before SOJ executives canned it. If anyone's to blame for taking Sega off that cliff, it's Hayao Nakayama. Most of those bad decisions came top down from his office. Decisions that Sega arguably still hasn't fully recovered from. I will give SOJ some credit though. Unlike Nintendo, I think they did take the PlayStation threat seriously. IMO, this is why the 32X was actually created. Not as a stop gap for the Saturn, but rather as a lower cost option to keep people in their ecosystem and away from Sony. It's pretty clear though that they severely underestimated what the PS1 was capable of. That and arcades and arcade style games were on their way out globally.

[@NoNoseProduction]

Agreed. There are too many sega usa apologists. It's clear sega usa is why sega is out of the console market. They are also the reason sega became a contender. But with a tech company you need engineers and designers long term not marketing fucks. So many companies died from focusing on profit over innovation.

[@maroon9273]

@@MmntechCa even the n64 chipset were also another option sega of american during the development of the Saturn as well. But Sega of Japan refuse to work with sgi (n64 chipset). Also, america was working with nvidia on a console that will replace the Saturn with the cancelled NV2 chipset and later with Lockheed martin real 3d chipset from the model 3 arcade board. However if sega was united and conservative with spending during the 5th gen era, I believe sega would have still create consoles to this day. Saturn would have had great run along with the dreamcast and there sucessors.

[@KREllis-vr1ix]

A welcome sight on a Saturday night. I got a 32X on Christmas of its release. While flawed, I certainly enjoyed Star Wars Arcade and Doom on Christmas morning.

[@SegaLordX]

Doom 32X is the first time I owned the game. It definitely holds a place in my heart.

[@f.k.b.16]

@@SegaLordX Doom on the 32x was my first 32x game and my first doom experience. It played well and I remember when a Baron snuck up behind me and I turned around just to see him about to take a swipe at you made me and my friend literally jump! Everyone hates the music on it so just for fun I uploaded a video on my channel that I corrupted the game data to see if I could make the music sound better. (this isn't a plug... I could care less about my channel growing) the funny thing is... I think it worked!

[@RickyLake]

I was thinking 32x was like Genesis Pro. No that's not right because original Genesis games don't look better on the 32x. That got me thinking how it's nice all our games are online. Imagine if Genesis games could be updated to run better on 32x? Anyways, I'm high as balls and should probably take a nap.

[@Gatorade69]

Or just do some more cocaine so you don't need a nap.

[@_TheElMan]

That would be neat. If some games could have the colour info on the cartridge and the 32x allows it to be displayed, or something... 32x should of just been the SVP cartridge done like Sonic & Knuckles, not a full add on

[@qw0wp2]

This reminds me of when I got my first 3d accelerator card in late 96. I really thought it was going to just work on all the existing games in my library. No regrets though :)

[@calico5722]

@@Gatorade69 hell ya bro I need to flex about doing drugs in the comments of a video about sega games

[@Gatorade69]

@@calico5722 Hell yeah bro ! Here, take a xanny and relax bro. Now that we all chillll. It was a joke. He said he was "High as balls" and since "High can literally mean off anything I joked that he was doing cocaine. So I'm not the one "flexing." Sometimes you should remove the stick from the ass and just chill out. I mean it obviously bothered you enough you had to make a comment.

[@Syntox]

This right here is how it started to go completely wrong for this company.

[@RetroGamesBoy78]

Syntox Not really, it started to go wrong when a company called Sony had far better management with a far better strategy that could also produce their own hardware "in house" cutting out the middle man and passing it on to the consumer. There was a genuine reason the Saturn cost more than the PS1, it wasn't greed as some seem to think, the Saturn simply cost more to produce & the Saturn MK1 was also a better quality product.

[@Rountree1985]

@@RetroGamesBoy78 your fanboyism is showing. Look, I’m a huge Sega fan and was during the 32 bit era. But I saw the writing on the wall back then, even as a 13 year old when I purchased a PlayStation, because Sega Saturn was too expensive and didn’t have the third party support I was looking for. PlayStation is a better overall console, I don’t care if Saturn is more powerful.

[@RetroGamesBoy78]

@@Rountree1985 So what exactly do you disagree with? You're "recollection" of your 13 year old self seems pretty disingenious if you ask me.

[@RetroGamesBoy78]

@@Rountree1985 Still waiting!

[@Rountree1985]

@@RetroGamesBoy78 and you’ll keep waiting.

[@KozyKool2287]

I remember getting the 32x for Christmas as a kid. I felt so cheated. One of the most pointless add-ons in gaming history.

[@michaeloffgrid]

Were you excited in the moment, or did you know it was about to be a flop?

[@Lightblue2222]

Star Wars Arcade blew my mind. Was the 1st 3D game I ever saw at home. Then there's shadow squadron, virtua racing, fighter. The Genesis alone couldn't come close to any of these. Doom played nice too.

[@Killjoy-dk5xf]

matt fahringer just because it miss third of the games doesn’t mean it “SUCKED” it played decently and ran decently it was overall a decent game.

[@buckroger6456]

@@Lightblue2222 I'm with you on that. I was pretty blown away by what we 1st got with the 32x but was bummed that later we just got ports that didn't add much at all.

[@TobeyStarburst]

Why lie?

[@jmon25]

The nba jam sprites on the 32x look like they have scaled oversized heads. The genesis version has them looking much more proportional.

[@wraithcadmus]

They did have _slightly_ bigger heads than real in the Arcade, but it's more pronounced on 32X.

[@JamesChessman]

@@wraithcadmus I think nba jam usually had codes for normal heads or large heads. So that might be what we're seeing, idk

[@gc3k]

Back in the day I didn't want the home versions of NBA Jam because they didn't have the accurate player faces like the arcade. If you followed the NBA in the 90s that was a detail you didn't overlook. The 32X port added that detail back in (though I never played it)

[@rodmunch69]

The heads in the arcade game were oversized, and that's before the big head mode code. On a CRT TV, NBA Jam on the 32X is gorgeous, all that dithering seen here is basically gone and the game is really colorful. I just played it a few months on my TV on the 32X and was surprised at how good it looked compared to the Saturn version - it's not as good, but it's pretty close.

[@ultimateman55]

One of the problems with the 32X was, as you mentioned, that the backgrounds were often still handled by the Genesis hardware and therefore lacked color and detail compared with what the 32X was outputting. I first learned this about 5 years ago when I modded my Genesis for s-video output. I was curious what the s-video port I added to the Genesis would output when I connected it to the TV with a 32X game running. With both Mortal Kombat 2 and Virtua Racing Deluxe, I saw a single background layer from the Genesis s-video, meaning the 32X had nothing to do with those graphics. Of course the biggest problem was that the 32X practically incentivized developers to create a lazy, barely upgraded second version of a game they were already making for the Genesis.

[@lo1bo2]

Doing rolls in 32X Afterburner was fun! This video reminds me of renting most of the 32 library back in the day and sometimes being disappointed. Rentals were a GREAT way to cheaply try many games before deciding what to buy.

[@deku812]

Hey, Happy New Year Sega Lord X. One thing with the Afterburner comparison is because of the time scale difference, the original Genesis version was on a 2 Mbit cart. The 32X port had four times its memory at 8 Mbit, so it also had more storage for sprites allowing for smoother scaling. I assume a Genesis conversion on the same cartridge size as the 32X version would look a bit better, even if it loses to the 32X still. Also, I think the reason why so many 32X sidescrollers had dithered background is how the hardware worked. The Genesis still handles the background layers on these games while the 32X handled the foreground and gameplay elements. This is why so many games had dithered backgrounds, because it was literlaly just the genesis.

[@n0isyturtle]

I remember picking up a 32X from Caldor's for $19.99 along with a free game of choice(I got Knuckles Chaotix.) Helluva deal, like they couldn't give the things away.

[@rodmunch69]

Now you need a 32X CD vs Sega CD episode... all those colors! I still have Corpse Killer 32X CD new in box, sealed, it's my retirement fund.

[@jeffm5056]

The best part of Toughman Contest was what went on in the background.

[@MetalJody1990]

Like the guy who picks his nose, in the 32X version.

[@mattnova18]

Yeah I have toughman contest on 32x... the foreground is so dull I just look at the background and lose lol. Not much of an upgrade at all.

[@GregsGameRoom]

I've never felt that that MK2 on 32X was that much of an upgrade. Slightly better sound and graphics sure, but it's the gameplay that matters. And they're really identical in that area.

[@SegaLordX]

The sound effects made all the difference for me. It really was a big upgrade.

[@GregsGameRoom]

@@SegaLordX - I can respect that. The Genesis did have some scratchy voices. I've learned to find them endearing. :D

[@HellTantrumbull]

Though I wish the music was improved it was good to see the 32x added the arcade opening. Interesting thing is the genesis could have had the opening too if the programmers didn't decide to cut corners.

[@gentarofourze]

I preferred it, wasn't just the sound which I did love as an extra but the colours on the base version were far too dark.

[@maroon9273]

@@gentarofourze felt a little grainy, mostly dark and muddy.

[@katarinazelenova4748]

The Sega 32X is like when my dad gave me his old Iphone6S to use as a tablet because getting a new Ipad was too pricey. Pretty good, and good enough, but you know there's something a lot better and more practical out there to replace the stopgap. Eventually I saved and bought the Ipad and the Iphone 6 became a controller my dad used in his office for security cameras because he was sure the night custodians were rummaging through his desk. They were innocent but he did see several coworkers go in and out to help themselves to M&Ms from his big jar.

[@rustymixer2886]

Tom Brady still uses it in 2021

[@pipikakachu]

Lol you can have a 32x emulator on the iPhone 6S

[@rustymixer2886]

@@pipikakachu for free, show me. Link. Link me to jaguar one that works too.

[@pipikakachu]

Mac Gyver it’s called RetroArch

[@rustymixer2886]

@@pipikakachu and? I have a real 32x that works. Why are you even talking to me? Enjoy your retro arch emu stuff on pi or andriod or iphone6s(mall) or whatever.

[@vincediesil]

I've never seen your channel before, but I really liked the effort put into this video. SUBSCRIBED.

[@gopherbone697]

Instant watch, I love all of your videos!!!

[@SegaLordX]

Thanks. I appreciate the kind words.

[@aztecklover69]

@@SegaLordX what richard said; keep the good work and don't forget to have fun, while doing it:)

[@Duck_106]

Agreed awesome videos always

[@Twenty_Six_Hundred]

Also dithering was standard practice for a long time after the Sega Genesis. Even 90% of Playstation 1 titles used dithering as on CRT televisions it actually adds depth rather then rendering more colours on screen thus in return yields better performance. These are all programming tricks due to limitations no matter if sprite of poly based graphics

[@maroon9273]

Atleast, the dithering was not grainy or muddy/dark sprites/2D backgrounds.

[@Twenty_Six_Hundred]

@@maroon9273 It's not when displayed on a CRT which the effect is designed for. It's not fair to judge based on a flatscreen monitor when in those days never existed. It was a programming trick that was smart and very effective at the time. These are things we had to do when working with so many limitations to get the most of of the hardware possible.

[@maroon9273]

@@Twenty_Six_Hundred even back then the colors were still grainy in CRT TVs compare to the snes, 3do, jaguar, n64, saturn and ps1.

[@Twenty_Six_Hundred]

@@maroon9273 Considering the other systems could display twice, if not many times more the amount of on screen colours at one given time, it's pretty much expected. There is a reason the Genesis used dithering alot, and well as i explained previously it was due to the limitations of the system. My original comment still stands, that even in the later years well beyond the Gen/SNES era many systems still used dithering for this very reason. It's hardly fair to judge the system based off dithering as it's the software developers that actually incorporated it. No one said it had to be used but rather it actually gives the illusion of more onscreen colours. Like i was saying on a CRT it can be hardly noticeable especially when played through RF. The only time many would notice is when some developers used heavy dithering which in reality it's expected to show on the final product.

[@Atariatari-ky9te]

Fun fact sell wise the 32X was the best selling 5th Generation system in 1994 with 600,000 sells in the US compared to the 500,000 Sega Saturn sells in Japan and the 300,000 Playstation sells in Japan. In my opinion the US launch title line up on the 32X was better than the Launch title line up of the Japanese Saturn and Japanese Playstation. Im sure there is someone that worked with Sega that believes it was just not a good move to stop the support of the 32X in the US. In Japan fine but in the US if they would have kept supporting the system and putting out software. Who knows the 32X possibly could have outsold and been more popular than the Saturn here in the US. Not hating on the Saturn because its one of my favorite Systems of all time but I my self was very pleased and blown away with the 32X when my Parents bought me one in 94'. We were blown away by Virtura Racing Deluxe (which in my opinion is the best Virtura Racing port between the Genesis, 32X and Saturn). The 32X also arguably has the best Virtura Fighter 1 port too. Much Props to Sega Of America they knew what they were doing with the 32X. Even though the Sega Saturn launch in Japan was successful it was not more successful than the 32X launch around the same time in the US. Much respect to Sega as a whole they were killing it sell wise in 1994 with the 32X in the US and Sega Saturn in Japan.

[@JGD185]

It's crazy looking at those old football games thinking that used to look cutting edge when we were kids.

[@thefurthestmanfromhome1148]

Minor niggles, but Activision only published Pitfall The Mayan Adventure, Zombie Virtual Reality Entertainment, Big Bang Software handled the conversion for them. I never realised the 32X was lacking so much in 2D hardware. No sprite scaling. No hardware scrolling? It really does seem a Frankenstein Monster piece of hardware from an engineering point of view. Great video 😍

[@ShinobiWan1]

One difference in the 32x version of Toughman Contest is that it only features one ring girl (the blonde from Rome). The Genesis has a different girl for each location.

[@buckroger6456]

More ring girls is a win in my book 😏

[@skins4thewin]

Thank you very much for providing the link to Part 1 in your Part 2 video. That helped a lot!

[@Mighty-VizioN]

I was one of the few people that actually like the 32x. I saw so much potential in it. Specially with sega arcade games like Outrun. If 5he people didn't complain so much about it I bet we would have had a great library of games in later years.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

Nah the problem was Sega of Japan had totally different ideas over Sega of America. Whereas Sega CD was Japan's idea 32X was purely Sega US. And the Japan HQ had no problem telling them to cut support on it and tell people to buy a Saturn.

[@gtrzdaddy]

Really enjoyed this episode! Excellent coverage and presentation as always. Technically speaking, 32X does have hardware "scaling" because its graphics is done in drawing polygons to frame buffer method similar to modern 3d graphics cards.

[@maroon9273]

And the SH2 doing the heavy work

[@PaleHorse73]

These are some of my favorite types of videos, and you do them great! Thanks :D

[@SegaLordX]

I tried to really showcase the visuals directly. These games often were much closer than many realize.

[@cmcb7230]

I bought the 32x new in late 1996 for $30 just to play knuckles chaotix, I played it once or twice and that was it. It was huge PIA to set up with all cables etc. crazy how back them there were 3-4 versions of essentially the same game all sold by the same company genesis version, sega cd version, 32x version and the Saturn version.

[@Cafeman_2D]

Sega should have bundled Space Barrier and Afterburner in 1 32x cart. The games were appealing but not worth buying full price at that point. Imagine also Outrun and Super Hang On 32x bundle.

[@MasterV]

One small (or is it, heh) detail to notice about the NBA Jam TE 32X version is that it retains the busty lady spectating under the basket on each side of the court. Her "assets" are missing from the regular 16-bit version.

[@shaggymcdaniel3216]

My 32X seems to only work half the time. Those damn ribbon cables. I love it though 💕

[@SegaLordX]

Capacitors love to leak in 32X systems. You may need a recap or have it checked for broken solder joints.

[@HellTantrumbull]

Are you sure it's the cables or the 32x over heating? If you're unlucky like me heat builds up in the cart slot and cause the system to screw up unless you can keep it cooled.

[@shaggymcdaniel3216]

@@SegaLordX good idea. Speaking of capacitors, I just got my McWill modded GG today and man, it blew me away. Can’t wait for GG Aleste 3. I’m a GG guy now!

[@alexcontrerasnegativened7777]

I wonder what would sonic 1, 2, cd, 3, and knuckles would look like on sega 32x and I also wonder what they would look like if the sonic jam collection supported the sega saturn 4MB ram extension cartridge.

[@SuperHns]

I honestly love the Sega Mortal Kombat 2 music, it sounds so gritty

[@BeB02090]

Thank you for covering this SLX! Can't wait for part 2 and 3. More games built from the ground up would have been great. Great video! Happy 2021 everyone.

[@Schraiber]

I was so stoked when I got a 32X as a kid. I absolutely loved it too! I had Doom and Spider-Man Web of Shadows and loved both. No accounting for taste when you're a kid tbh...

[@lvitntnmrcls]

I really liked this episode. Can’t wait for the next in series!! Thank you

[@DaveVoyles]

LOVE these side-by-side comparisons! More of this!

[@Sinn0100]

Before I get into what is on my mind here...I wanted to say something. You really are quite good at this. You have found your calling and despite this videos age it shows your form started and stayed at the very top. Great job Sega Lord X. Now, onto my strange Sega CD post about Super Scalers. I know this is old and I posted 2 years ago; However, with new information hitting daily on Sega's old hardware I found out some interesting things about the Sega CD. I know this is 32X vs Genesis video but you gave me the perfect segway...@ 2:53. Here goes... I recently read some documentation on the Sega CD that was quite eye-opening (this is going somewhere relevant). Basically, during development it was found that the 68K inside the Genesis wasn't powerful enough to keep up with the Sega CD's hardware scaling. This was the reason given for the addition of a second 68K inside the Sega CD. Even with the new RAM and co-processor there were still major problems apparently with the Sega CD. Now, I'm wondering if this is the real reason Sega decided not to go Super Scaler crazy? For years I found myself saying "what if" but now, I think I have my answer.

[@jeffreys431]

Would love to see you compare Sega CD versions as well. It has my favorite version of NBA Jam

[@TheRealDustinNunn]

If I had a 32X, I would get WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game, Mortal Kombat 2 and Knuckles' Chaotix.

[@Savitor]

SLX, You rocked it again! Another awesome video, really enjoyed this one. Appreciate your effort put it. Quality.

[@huckleberries407]

Nice video. I loved my 32X, until I got a PlayStation 😏. Look forward to part 2 and 3!

[@8bits161]

Love to see Eric Esch on the thumbnail👍

[@jsttv]

Great video as always. Can’t wait for part 2.

[@ThePoorMansRetroGameRoom]

In the last year or so I added a 32X and recollected my Sega CD and I love your informative and entertaining videos. Can't wait for part 2! One of the things that the 32X can help on an original unmodded Sega Genesis is to remove the jail bars and color banding that you see on a CRT, and the bonus is you can play Afterburner 2 and Star Wars. Thank you for the videos.

[@nayyarrashid4661]

Can't wait for the wrestling game comparison video... Subscribed

[@GMdieselman]

Hope you do a similar video series comparing the Sega CD games as well. Love your take on this stuff. I also love every time you play NBA Jam, you play as the Spurs. I always use them too, gotta love Dennis Rodman!!

[@stucazzo2000]

With NBA Jam on the 32x, the gameplay looks slower and not as smooth as the Genesis gameplay. Also, I was never good at Afterburner This video with your gameplay will help! :-)

[@malcolmar]

Another EXTERMEMLY well done episode! Props on the quality. I really appreciate it. Can't wait for the next one. I have a soft spot for the 32X. If a talented independent company makes a game from the ground up tailor made for the system I would definitely fork over my hard earned cash. I'm hoping the release of the Polymega will broaden the user base of potential 32X players to make such a game worth it. Again, very well done!

[@buckroger6456]

We can only hope.

[@ThePixeljunker]

Great video man, loved it. I was fascinated by the 32x as a kid, and always wondered what I was missing.

[@zecle]

We still have afterburner at my theater 30 years later.

[@Ruddskies]

Games like kolibri and knuckles chaotix are just awesome

[@supersexysega]

Absolutely and should have been stock Genesis titles.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

@@supersexysega That's the problem both the 32X and Sega CD were underutilized stop gaps meant to tide people over until Saturn. The problem was the enhanced versions that came out for 32X and Sega CD we're predominantly marginally enhanced at best. CD games at least got way better sound but 32X with the exception of some good Sega games were very very underwhelming. (And that's being overly kinda)

[@supersexysega]

@@JohnDoe-wq5eu The Sega CD was in development before the Genesis even took off in North America so it wasn't positioned or thought of as a stop gap. I believe it's original position was to compete with the PC Engine CD in Japan. At the end of the day there were alot of things working against the Sega CD. It was to expensive and a horribly inefficient design. Added audio chip barely used, scaling and rotation chip barely used, added cpu to help for use with games that used the scaling rotation chip barely used. The original plan was to launch at $199 and if they went in any direction it should have been to cut hardware and make it even cheaper. Then you talk about the games and lack of 3rd party support. SOJ pretty much used the Sega CD for RPG'S in Japan. Well that simply didn't work for the Western market at the time, especially Sega owners. So SOA had to sell a 299$ add-on that brought in 90% of cases nothing more to the table other then CD audio and FMV clips. I would say the fact that the Sega CD didn't completely flop was because Sega's marketing and momentum was at it's heights. The 32x was a combination of SOJ wanting an upgraded Genesis, a lower cost 32-bit alternative and to compete with the Jaguar and 3DO not allowing them market share.

[@poposterous236]

The way you describe the 32x in the intro made it sound like Sega intentionally planned to be in competition with itself. Its a wonder Sega ever made it past the 32 bit era. I can't think of another company like this where they unsuccessful to the point where it looks like they failed on purpose a la 'The Producers'.

[@TetsuDeinonychus]

Competing with itself was a mistake Sega made frequently.

[@stevenr224]

32x Games like Star Wars and Chaotix, should have been Saturn Games. If Saturn would have started with These Games and also Eternal Champions, ist would of helped. But, creating the 32x anyways, they could have used it for the System32 Arcade Games. Revenge of Death Ader, Arabien Fight etc. would have been Great.

[@maroon9273]

Much better alternative with no suprise launch than what were living in now.

[@brianjl7477]

I am sort of surprised to not be seeing any real differences visually in these games. It's minor and about at the SNES level. My friend had a 32X and we played Star Wars on it a lot, but that didn't have a Genesis counterpart so I guess I didn't realize the upgrade was so minor.

[@samfrito]

For the most part all i really wanted from 32X was sprite scaling games from Segas arcade roots. A PROPER version of Super Hang On, Out Run, and Power Drift would have been all the rage. We got Space Harrier and After Burner which are the best they'd ever been at home, so the system does live up to promise. Shame the staff at Sega didn't build out some of existing Genesis hits like a Super Shinobi, Dynamite Duke, or a Kid Chameleon. Thanks for doing this SLX. Shows how much you care.

[@bgp001]

I always knew something was up with that Pitfall 32x. It was unplayable for me.

[@rodneyabrett]

Great idea for a video. I've always wanted a deep analysis of the multi releases of the same games with the 32x vs. the base system.

[@JustinLeeper]

Subscribing so I’ll see the second installment. What I’d like to see is if you insert the cart without properly connecting the 32-X power/AV, which will show how much can be shown using JUST Genesis hardware. (Hope that makes sense)

[@petermalek935]

I absolutely adore Pitfall. Got the Genesis version as a kid, and later, the SEGA CD version. With how improved CD was over Genesis, I was STOKED for the 32X version... what a disappointment the frame rate was!

[@buckroger6456]

Good game but why did they drop the frames for?! I was lucky that I bought the game in the bargain bin one day for $20, still had fun with it but was shocked by the lower frames.

[@ez054098]

Dude, I love these comparative videos. Can’t wait for parts 2 & 3.

[@chaospoet]

I often think Sega should have kept the 32x just for here in North America and ported over Saturn games onto it. Then I'm reminded of Pitfall and then imagine if they had done it and ported games like Astal and I'm glad that didn't happen. God, now I'm imagining the Saturn port of Castlevania Symphony of the Night with even more slowdown and half the frames. *shudder*

[@maroon9273]

Most likely Saturn would have never had astal and other ports if the 32x kept going. Saturn software lineup in NA/EU will be very thin.

[@djstyles97]

I hope 32X vs Saturn releases is part of this series too!

[@ENiceGeo]

I'd definitely play the 32X versions of Doom and MK2 over the Saturn versions any day of the week. Maybe even Virtua Fighter and Virtua Racing.

[@stevesteve0521]

@@ENiceGeo Doom yes, MK2 I’ll say yes because of the dumb loading the Saturn and ps versions had for everything from fatalities to Shang tsung to sub zero’s freeze to just plain loading. Virtua fighter I’ll say no even though the 32X version played great, the Saturn version was still slightly better and virtua racing I can go either way

[@MaxwellsUnearthly]

Although the 32X gave the genesis a nice boost, it just wasn't enough to get me interested to want to beg my parents to buy it. Spectacular segment, thank you!!

[@ChrisAnt]

Both Sega and Nintendo should have built their custom 3D chip into a pass through cartridge like Sonic and Knuckles so you only purchase it once and buy the games for cheaper and just plug them in. I guess they were just pushing the 32X.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

For every game that thoroughly used the Sega CD or the 32X the vast overwhelming amount of games that came out for them were either basic upgrades to Genesis games they just added CD quality music and sound or in the case of 32X minimal better colors/contrast but usually with the downside of slower frame rate. Sega were the really the only ones who did any level of supporting the greater feature set. And of course there were plenty of Japanese games for the CD we would never get.

[@kingkui12]

Just in time. Just reheated some pizza and was looking for something to watch

[@SegaLordX]

Glad I could help.

[@123OGNIAN]

@@SegaLordX Do you plan on making a review of the dreamcast D2 game? (maybe even cover the whole series?) Would be really cool experience!

[@mariocubed411]

Pretty sure the 32x library was exactly that. Leftover pizza

[@WWammyy]

I had not seen the Arcade versions of Super Scaler games like Afterburner before and I used to think the Mega Drive versions were Arcade perfect. So when I first saw the 32x Space Harrier and Afterburner I thought they were sequels to the ones on the Megadrive. Also the 32x / Megadrive soundtrack is better than the Arcade one for me hence I still go back to the Megadrive / 32x versions to play MK1 and 2

[@SomeOrangeCat]

While Altered Beast on the Genesis was a "Wow you NAILED! IT! *chef kiss*" Afterburner was more of a "Bless your heart. You tried."

[@f.k.b.16]

As long as you say "bless your heart" you can make any insult or less than exemplary comment you want and not appear rude! Like, "Oh wow! You are the ugliest person who ever lived, bless your heart!"

[@AcesnEights698]

It was better than the Genesis Super Thunder Blade...ugh.

[@SomeOrangeCat]

@@AcesnEights698 Yeah, some ports just shouldn't have been attempted.

[@nikminichiello6776]

Love this.. Can't wait for some all and one emulating gaming devises so i can really compare and contrast 32x (genesis) with saturn for myself.. Also, can't wait for part 2

[@carlaustin1093]

NBA Jam 32x is one of the best home versions you could take home. The Jaguar version took the crown on cartridge while the playstation ver was almost arcade perfect. Almost too perfect as the playstation version even seems to use the arcade Ai. The 32x wasn't the best version but the most enjoyable to play over all.

[@maroon9273]

Also PC and Saturn was arcade perfect with CD sountracks.

[@MarginalSC]

The limitations of the 32x made it difficult. The Genesis chipset was still doing a lot of stuff in addition to the 32x.

[@maroon9273]

Master and slave cpu set up. The genesis being the master and the 32x or sega cd being the slave.

[@Imgema]

Why does NBA JAM look like it has frame rate issues on the 32X? Is it a problem with the capture?

[@SegaLordX]

It runs at a lower fps on the 32X.

[@Imgema]

Are you playing the game on a real console or emulator? I'm aware that Picodrive had issues with this game's frame rate and it needed a hack especially for this. I tested it and it runs at smooth 60fps with the fix for me. You didn't mention any fps issues in the video so that's why i asked.

[@JWbabyshark]

I love this game. Now I'm in my mid-30s now, I have to purchase this game again and wow it brought back some memories.

[@thefurthestmanfromhome1148]

Aren't the sprites in 32X Mortal Kombat II smaller than those in the SNES version?

[@cireza_]

" the 32X lacked a surprising amount of basic features. Without the Genesis, it was nearly useless for fast scrolling 2D graphics." That's why the console is an add-on. It was never meant to totally ignore the Genesis hardware. And there is still Kolibri that scrolls some huge 32X generated backgrounds, that often fill the screen.

[@SegaLordX]

It’s still important to make the point. Clinging to so much of the Genesis functionality really impacted what this was capable of. And the reason it got so many shit ports.

[@maroon9273]

@@SegaLordX the hardware should have been a standalone console with major hardware upgrades enough that it can be favor over the Saturn hardware and replace the hardware inside the Saturn.

[@frozenfrost5647]

i absolutely luv you sega vids thank you for producing them

[@rancid_]

Loved this theme and video. 32x was a huge disappointment which is no surprise, very nice to see side-by-side comparisons. Would be even cooler to throw in the snes ports alongside.

[@honorablejay]

One of the funnier side effects with games like Pitfall Mayan Adventure: While the 32x was animating and scrolling in 30fps, the background layers produced by the Genesis itself would scroll at 60fps.

[@ENFDO]

Had it in 1995.I bought génesis just for 32x (o had snes since release date and Amiga 500 since 1991)... 32x was serious stuff... o bought with virtua racing deluxe... later i bought motocross 32x and sucked and changed for mortal kombat 2 and sucked so much (had the snes version much better... since september 94). Afterbuner and space harrier wasnt in my radar because i was looking for 32 bit games, with 3d graphics and sadly 32 didnt provided that experience. Later, a few months later i bought sega saturn (june 1995) and thats another story.

[@voodooturbo]

I thought the 32X version of Mortal Kombat II was the best home port prior to later consoles having it as part of a collection. It played extremely well. Beyond that, well, there wasn't much on the 32X that made it worthwhile unfortunately.

[@maroon9273]

The snes version was more balanced graphic and audio wise. 32x has a edge with sprite framerates some of the sound effects, and a faster smooth gameplay compare to the snes.

[@rockhyde7775]

I remember playing Pitfall: the Mayan Adventure on the Genesis. I played it at my relative’s house, along with Zoom, Warlock (don’t know much about the movie though), Alien 3, Virtua Racing and Tinhead. Man what a letdown the 32X version is. Slower speed, choppier scrolling and delayed controls, I think. Not 32-bit at all there. 32X having practically the same as its brother doesn’t warrant a 32-bit label there, that’s false advertising.

[@LoganHunter82]

That ending song sounds a lot like "Fear of the Dark"

[@kevinmcqueary7395]

That Rage game looks like a mix between Jurassic Park, and Mortal Kombat.

[@dustmasterflex1541]

That's what it was.

[@gc3k]

I'm almost positive that was the sales pitch

[@matthewnikitas2904]

I got my 32x complete in box with all cords at a flea market about a year ago for 75 bucks. Still one of the most prized possessions in my collection even though I don’t use it a lot

[@Axle-F]

The side-by-side really shows what a terrible idea the 32X was. I nearly convinced my mum buy one for me but she asked the right questions of the clerk and decided it wasn’t a good offering. My mum is completely hopeless with tech but even she could see it was a bad deal.

[@CaptainGinyu]

all they had to do was bite the bullet and give sega cd a bigger color palette in the first place, that was the only thing holding it back

[@maroon9273]

Or even delay the sega cd and put in a 32-bit hardware design similar to the 32x cd but a single CPU set up. Maybe add a dsp such as the SVP.

[@HedgehogY2K]

14:34 wait, that sounds like... Lemme look it up. Oh yeah! this game has Qsound, no wonder it sounds like SRS Circle Surround on my headphones. But why a game like this where first of all it has a single point of view, and second it's just the crowd you're hearing. Did they just decide to do a quicky Qsound mix to differentiate it with pseudo surround sound since it was SO EASY TO APPLY HERE?

[@yuwish6320]

Your review of Primal Rage on these systems is spot on.

[@LupusRexRgis]

I’ve been waiting for a comparison like this for ages!! 😊🤙