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[IFireflyl]

If SEGA were still in the console industry then we'd all be worse off for it. The only way SEGA would still be around in the console industry would be if PlayStation had never existed. SEGA already struggled against Nintendo. They would have buckled against Microsoft's Xbox.

That is, of course, assuming that the Xbox as we know it would have still happened. It is extremely likely that the OG Xbox and its successors would have been radically different since the OG PlayStation and it's successor - the PlayStation 2 - set in motion a lot of things that the Xbox built on. Dual Analog controllers. CD use. DVD use. Backwards compatibility. Network adapter. And probably a dozen smaller or lesser-known items.

Even if Microsoft did release an Xbox without PlayStation ever existing, it would likely be radically different than it was because its main competitor was always going to be Sony. When your main competitor is the second or third runner-up then you don't have to try as hard.

This isn't to say that Sony is the only one who innovated or did great things. It's possible I'm wrong. We'll never know for sure of course. But the PlayStation dominated. The PlayStation 2 dominated. Even the OG Xbox dominated. The only way SEGA would still be around today is if Sony was out of the picture, and possibly Microsoft as well. They couldn't beat Nintendo, let alone the people that whooped Nintendo's rear for the better part of two decades. And before someone tries to yell that I'm starting a console war, that's not at all what is happening. When I say Nintendo was badly beaten by Sony and Microsoft, that is going off of console sales numbers.

Current-gen game console unit sales worldwide 2024| Statista

The Sony PlayStation 5 was the best-selling video game console worldwide in 2024, selling over ***** million units across the globe, having successfully overtaken the Nintendo Switch console in annual unit sales in 2023.

www.statista.com

Until about five years ago Nintendo was being trounced by Sony and Microsoft. It's no wonder SEGA collapsed. They couldn't reach Nintendo's market share, let alone compete with behemoths like Sony and Microsoft.

 

[SF Kosmo]

If SEGA were still in the console industry then we'd all be worse off for it. The only way SEGA would still be around in the console industry would be if PlayStation had never existed. SEGA already struggled against Nintendo. They would have buckled against Microsoft's Xbox.

That is, of course, assuming that the Xbox as we know it would have still happened. It is extremely likely that the OG Xbox and its successors would have been radically different since the OG PlayStation and it's successor - the PlayStation 2 - set in motion a lot of things that the Xbox built on. Dual Analog controllers. CD use. DVD use. Backwards compatibility. Network adapter. And probably a dozen smaller or lesser-known items.

Even if Microsoft did release an Xbox without PlayStation ever existing, it would likely be radically different than it was because its main competitor was always going to be Sony. When your main competitor is the second or third runner-up then you don't have to try as hard.

This isn't to say that Sony is the only one who innovated or did great things. It's possible I'm wrong. We'll never know for sure of course. But the PlayStation dominated. The PlayStation 2 dominated. Even the OG Xbox dominated. The only way SEGA would still be around today is if Sony was out of the picture, and possibly Microsoft as well. They couldn't beat Nintendo, let alone the people that whooped Nintendo's rear for the better part of two decades. And before someone tries to yell that I'm starting a console war, that's not at all what is happening. When I say Nintendo was badly beaten by Sony and Microsoft, that is going off of console sales numbers.

Current-gen game console unit sales worldwide 2024| Statista

The Sony PlayStation 5 was the best-selling video game console worldwide in 2024, selling over ***** million units across the globe, having successfully overtaken the Nintendo Switch console in annual unit sales in 2023.

www.statista.com

Until about five years ago Nintendo was being trounced by Sony and Microsoft. It's no wonder SEGA collapsed. They couldn't reach Nintendo's market share, let alone compete with behemoths like Sony and Microsoft.

The way I see it, there are two major alternate timelines:

1) Sega accepts Sony's deal to partner on PlayStation. They probably trounce Nintendo, but Sony then strike out on their own and competes with Sega on the next gen. Maybe MS tries to get into this crowded space or maybe they don't.

2) Sega partners with Silicon Graphics the way Sega of America wanted instead of going with the Titan architecture favored by SoJ. They probably launch later, after PSX, but their system is basically and N64 with a CD drive, and Nintendo has to go with a different partner, probably without the same kind of 3D advantages.


Both of these are deals that were actually on the table, but Sega walked away from I think in Scenario 1, either MS gets edged out, or Sega just folds a little later than they did.

But Scenario 2 is a lot more interesting because either Nintendo and Sony are both super vulnerable. Especially since Sony is not an established player yet and it's their first system, it's possible they don't end up doing a second. Or it could put Nintendo late out of the gate and behind on hardware, probably still with something cartridge based... That could be hard to recover from.

 

[Captain Toad]

Great OP. Very insightful. Would read again.

Really? I couldn't finish that wall of text. Maybe I should give it another shot.

 

[IFireflyl]

The way I see it, there are two major alternate timelines:

1) Sega accepts Sony's deal to partner on PlayStation. They probably trounce Nintendo, but Sony then strike out on their own and competes with Sega on the next gen. Maybe MS tries to get into this crowded space or maybe they don't.

2) Sega partners with Silicon Graphics the way Sega of America wanted instead of going with the Titan architecture favored by SoJ. They probably launch later, after PSX, but their system is basically and N64 with a CD drive, and Nintendo has to go with a different partner, probably without the same kind of 3D advantages.


Both of these are deals that were actually on the table, but Sega walked away from I think in Scenario 1, either MS gets edged out, or Sega just folds a little later than they did.

But Scenario 2 is a lot more interesting because either Nintendo and Sony are both super vulnerable. Especially since Sony is not an established player yet and it's their first system, it's possible they don't end up doing a second. Or it could put Nintendo late out of the gate and behind on hardware, probably still with something cartridge based... That could be hard to recover from.

This is an interesting take. I think the reason they would still get edged out on the second scenario would be that Sony knew how to market their product. The marketing for the original PlayStation was next-level, and I think that likely still would have caused Sony to explode and overtake SEGA and Nintendo even in your second scenario. Again, all of this is MAJOR speculation, but we have the benefit of seeing what happened the first time, and there's no reason to think that they wouldn't have properly marketed their later machine in the second scenario.

The third scenario is that Sony backs off of video games completely after Nintendo snubs them. I don't know how likely that is, but I know that the Japanese board of directors did NOT want to be involved in "childish" video games. So that is a very realistic scenario that could have occurred.

 

[GriffinCorp]

* It would be yet another console you cant find of store shelves?

But I sure would love to have one. I still miss the Dreamcast.

 

[Tarin02543]

Why play Panzar Dragoon 3 when you can play COD 2022?

 

[OmegaSpirit32X]

I have a hard time picturing that because SEGA still can't figure out how to make a 3D Sonic game.

They already did though. It's called Sonic Generations... and Sonic Colors... and Sonic Unleashed... and Sonic Adventure...

The OG Xbox was bassically a Dreamcast 2 anyways.

 

[OmegaSpirit32X]

Sega would have moved beyond Sonic probably, and we'd have much less terrible Sonic games and fanart, so the world would be a better place.
A modern Sega firing on all cylinders could mean more original games, less dudebro stuff in the 2000s and less movie wannabes since the 2010s. While I never liked Sonic, you can't deny Sega could be as original as Nintendo when they still made arcades and consoles.

Not really, If anything, SEGA would put more effort into Sonic, making higher budgeted, AAA Sonic games. kinda like what Nintendo still does with Mario. also i'll repeat, not all Sonic fanart is cringe, fan content is out of SEGA's control, everything has weird shit, even Mario.

 

[Azelover]

That would mean I have to spend more money to play Yakuza.

That's the kind of thinking that led to their demise to begin with. And it almost pulled Nintendo in, too.

It would be different. Sega would be better, and the industry would be much better..

 

[Fat Frog]

In what world are SEGA struggling to release games ? Oh wait, I know. It's just in your mind.

Indeed.

More games than other big publishers.

2 X best metacritic publisher : More than Capcom or Nintendo.


SEGA

 

[The_Mike]

Then they would have bought Microsoft last Wednesday.

 

[RoadHazard]

Sega would be out of business, and the rest would be pretty much the same.

 

[Nocturno999]

 

[Dream-Knife]

Sega now a days has probably the strongest third party for RPGs with SMT, Persona, and Yakuza, so it would be a must own machine IMO.

In fact, I would say if consoles weren't a dying market, they should jump back in as Xbox and Playstation are basically the same thing anymore.

 

[Bragr]

They would never survive, Nintendo only survives because they are masters of specialization.

 

[EverydayBeast]

SEGA would be acknowledged by the gaming community I think they would show the gaming world let's stop talking about Nintendo Xbox and PlayStation.

 

[Rest]

Probably mostly the same, except with SEGA limping along. They'd have tiny market share, and if they made their games exclusive to their own consoles, it would hamper sales to the point that all of the good stuff they've made in the last ten years (which is mostly just Yakuza) would be suffering with bad sales and smaller budgets, to the point it would be mediocre or bad like most of what SEGA has produced since the failure of the Dreamcast. There would have been no Shenmue III. There likely wouldn't have been a Sonic movie. That Golden Axe game they aborted onto the PS3 would have been even worse. Phantasy Star Online still would not have been released in America.

 

[captainraincoat]

So hypothetically sega didnt release Mega Cd/32x and they didnt fuck up the saturn so bad nobody wanted the awesome dreamcast...

It would probably be just like it was in the early 90s with Sega and Nintendo trading barbs
if sega had landed the dreamcast off a successful Saturn you probably would not have playstation as they probably would of bowed out after being outsold by Sega
and Nintendo....to be honest Sony have Sega fucking up so bad to thank for the playstation today as it literally took over its market.

Without Sony succeeding you probably would not have xbox as they would not of even dipped their toes in
Sega probably would of taken the early 2000s as gamecube era was one of Nintendo's weakest and Nintendo probably would of struck back with the Wii

If we fast forward to today both Sega and Nintendo would probably have very similar hardware and gamewise it would also be the same as i think Sega had the better 1st party depth to counter nintendos first party
(people dont realise how much unused first party stuff sega could actually resurrect if they wanted to)

So overall it would be a neck and neck race with Nintendo still

 

[lh032]

We will have more shitty AAA sonic games.

 

[captainraincoat]

We will have more shitty AAA sonic games.

Sega took much bigger risks with their first party than nintendo did ....its just they cant at the moment as unproven games may not make them money


If they didnt release endless sonic games they would probably not be around but those sorts of games have been enough to keep them ticking along for the past 20 years without a dedicated hardware system
which is pretty impressive

 

[ButchCat]

It would obviously mean a bigger Japanese presence in the west probably to a point where western devs would emulate Japanese games even more.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Sega struggles to put out games in 2021 a console would do them in for sure.

They were rated Best Publisher by Metacritic Aggregate Average in 2020 and a few more years of the 2010s as well so...?

 

[StreetsofBeige]

It would be a tiny fraction of gaming hardware base. Most gamers wouldnt care because their first party games are shallow. Aside from some PC games that dont even come to console, they still focus on fast paced arcadey games more suited for the 16 and 32 bit days. Some reason they never changed.

I'd say the biggest jump they did was 20 years ago when they got 2K Sports up and running where they were on another level compared to EA. Great games..... but then they sold it all to Take Two! Goolging it, Take Two bought out their sports division for only $24 million!

If they got a billion in funding to make some awesome new games, they'd probably just make another Sonic, VF or Sega Genesis Collections Pack. The biggest console game theyve been attached to recently is probably Shenmue III. That says it all.

 

[Majukun]

not much different to be honest

 

[melekind]

then it would be in the console space

 

[Jacknapes]

We'd probably not have Xbox as a console in it's current form, or if at all. Nintendo would still be Nintendo, however i don't think PlayStation would be anywhere near as popular as it is. In the 90's, you were either a Sega or Nintendo player between the Mega Drive/Genesis and SNES. That probably would have continued.

If Microsoft were coming into the market, we know they tried to buy Nintendo. Would they have tried to buy Sega instead?