Sega Saturn is a home video game console developed by Sega, which was released in Japan on November 22, 1994, North America on May 11, 1995, and Europe on July 8, 1995. It is part of the fifth generation of video game consoles and is the successor to the successful Sega Genesis. Saturn has a dual CPU architecture and eight processors. Its games are in CD-ROM format, and its game library contains some arcade games and ports of original games.
Saturn's development began in 1992, the same year Sega's groundbreaking 3D Model 1 arcade hardware debuted. Saturn is designed around the new CPU of Japanese electronics company Hitachi. Sega added another video display processor in early 1994 to better compete with Sony's upcoming PlayStation.
Saturn was initially successful in Japan, but failed to sell in large numbers in the United States after its surprising launch in May 1995, four months before its planned release date. After the Nintendo 64 debuted at the end of 1996, Saturn quickly lost market share in the United States and ceased production in 1998. With 9.26 million sold worldwide, Saturn is considered a commercial failure. The failure to release the Sonic the Hedgehog series of games (called Sonic X-treme in development) is considered a factor in its poor performance. Saturn was inherited by Dreamcast in 1998.
Although Saturn has been commemorated in several highly acclaimed games, including "Night Into The Night", "Armored Dragoon" series and "Vitaa Fighter" series, due to its complex hardware design and limited third parties Support, its reputation is mixed. Sega’s management was criticized for its decisions during system development and shutdown.