If Sega didn't make so many poor business decisions, would they be making consoles today?

Oops sorry.

 

...no? The forum's history is well documented on the wiki, we've been around since the late 90s when a kid from Hong Kong* found a ROM of a prototype version of Sonic 2 and released it to the internet. He added forums to his website either at release or some time after, I'm not sure which; I wasn't around yet at the time of the ROM's release. Sega was still in the hardware business at the time. The "Sonic Retro" name came from a project to combine several disparate places into one website: the Sonic Classic forums (a spinoff of Simon Wai's Sonic 2 Beta Page), the Sonic the Hedgehog Information Treasury** wiki, strange fanart-forum-thing Sonic Hot Dimensions, and a last-ditch attempt at reviving Jan Abaza's old Sonic Area 51 site. Stuff happened that's documented in the Wiki link and Sonic Retro (the wiki) became its own thing then started absorbing all of the SWS2B spin-offs to become Perfect Cell the site and forums that are around today.

We existed before SEGA left the hardware business and any change in them leaving the hardware business would not have an effect on our existence.

* I think Hong Kong? I know it was a Hong Kong site of some kind where he found the ROM and I'd feel like a stalker looking up where Simon was from before he moved to Canada after we've drifted so far apart over the years.
** Or was it "Sonic Hacking Information Treasury?" I heard the "Sonic the Hedgehog Information Treasury" name first myself, but on the SWS2B forums the "Sonic Hacking Information Treasury" name came up pretty often. Either way, the acronym was well-known lol

 

If Sega might still dominate eastern and Western hardware market would Dimps still be involved in Sonic Rush,Sonic Rush Adventure,Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 &2. Could they make even Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 3 which was cancelled? Could they'll be able to make more levels like 7 zones in sth4ep1 and 11 zones in sth4ep2 instead of just 5 zones? So both these games could be little bit longer?

 

Yes! Yes yes yes, it's all true! We'd be on Sonic 4 Episode 13 with 72 levels by now if only we were in the proper timeline! Curse it all.

 

Hahaha Lol XD.

 

Well that .gif of Johnny from The Room one of scenes. Anyway I just wanted to know how might Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 & 2 might be looking like in alternative universe if Sega might be still doing hardware. I guess I just gave too much questions.

 

I wasn't trying to be mean, it's just that none of us have any actual answers for all these wild ass hypotheticals lmao

You're just gonna have to hope one of us finds a way to cross into parallel universes.

 

I have to admit I was sounding like weirdo. Because if I'm too much self aware of fact that something might still exist if some american-japanese big company like Sega make hardware,but they made a huge mistakes in past I should not give obvious questions. Anyway let's make conclusion of my posts how they should look like.
If Sega might still be making consoles then Yuji Naka,Masato Nakamura,Tom Kalinske,Hideki Naganuma might never left Sega/Sonic Team,Sega might never partnership with Nintendo so this means no Sonic Advance 1,Sonic Advance 2,Sonic Advance 3,Gunstar Super Heroes on GameBoy Advance,no cross-platform playing,indie games like Spark the Electric Jester,Rad Rodgers,Cuphead,Freedom Planet 1,Freedom Planet 2,Dust An Elysian Tail could be more popular,Microsoft could never make Xbox so this means in this au scenario pc platforms like Steam,UPlay,Epic Games Launcher,GOG...etc. might be launched earlier probably,e-sports tournaments wouldn't be so popular,arcade machines might be released outside Japan instead of mobile gaming. I regret so much that I asked you too much obvious questions like dumb jerk. Well it's theory and I'm still just speculating.

 

I don't think so. According to gamecrate article of "
WHAT IF SEGA NEVER LEFT THE CONSOLE BUSINESS?" which I guess I posted link earlier earlier before
https://www.gamecrate.com/when-cons...e-upgrades-might-make-consoles-obsolete/24601
So in this timeline Microsoft never entered the ring...etc.
As for next article according to UbiSoft pc streaming(Steam Cloud will be competing with Google Stadia) will replace video game consoles and 9th console generation. However when Sony announced PS5 even this year it seems this japanese corporation is still thinking about PS6,PS7,PS8,PS9 and PS10. Even creator of Undertale and Deltarune speculated about PS13.
Anyway I can share this link again if you guys want https://www.gamecrate.com/what-if-sega-never-left-console-business/17610

 

Mircosoft was already thinking of joining the console market when the Dreamcast was in development despite it using Windows CE, the OG Xbox was known as "DirectX box" in development. Even if Sega still was still working in consoles they would still obviously would join the console market to compete with Sega as well as the likes of Nintendo and Sony.

EDIT: I shouldn't act like a moderator here, however I don't think Sony would make SO MANY Playstation models (Your statement sounded like a stupid theory there), if that timeline you stated existed, we would still have 4 Playstation models today. I don't think those statements are true the article doesn't event state any of that.

 

1. Here let me prove it. https://pclab.pl/news78116.html it was written in polish it's my native language. So let me translate this article for you.
2. Ubisoft: the next generation of consoles will be the last.
   
3. Then just streaming. Gaming companies are increasingly loudly saying that the future of electronic gameplay is closely linked to the development of streaming technology. The opinion of Yves Guillemot, the president of Ubisoft, is part of this trend. According to a representative of the French company, only one generation of consoles separates us from the transition to streaming, which will be very difficult for many people to accept.
   
   The topic of streaming games was raised by Yves Guillemot in an interview with Variety website editor. The president of Ubisoft spoke very strongly about the future of the gaming market: - There will be another generation of consoles, and then we will all be streaming [games] - he said. He added that this technique will be able to use more users than now, so there will be no need to have specialized gaming equipment at home.
4. Interestingly, Guillemot believes that streaming will allow faster development of the entire industry, which will be seen in particular in the case of high-budget productions. Thanks to streaming, all you need is a smartphone or TV set to play, thanks to which the number of potential customers will increase significantly. As an example of a company that is rapidly developing streaminge technology, Ubisoft CEO mentions Nvidia, which has its own GeForce Now platform.
5. 
   Guillemot may be right, of course, at the twilight of traditional gaming equipment, but console manufacturers are the last word. Here you can not see any specific moves that would indicate a quick transition to streaming. Importantly, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony are making money from selling devices, so it's hard to say if they'll get rid of this revenue with a light hand.
6. https://tech.wp.pl/co-tam-ps5-sony-juz-zglosilo-znak-towarowy-ps6-ps7-a-nawet-ps10-6440325549414529a
   
7. Screw PS5.(I'm just trying to provide better translation than Google Translator poor quality)
8. What's up PS5. Sony has already applied for the trademarks PS6, PS7 and even PS10
   PlayStation 5 has not yet appeared in stores, and Sony is already protecting itself with the future in mind. Nobody will take away the names of their future consoles.
   
   
9. The giant has patched(it should be registered trademarks instead) such names as PS6, PS7, PS8, PS9 and even PS10 in Japan. Are you already thinking about new consoles? Not at all. Sony simply protects itself in the event that a joker registers the PS6 trademark. And thus the company would have a problem, let's say in 2026, if the time came for a new console.
   
   Interestingly, Sony registered the "PS5" trademark in ... 2006. So 14 years before the planned launch of PlayStation 5. Then the name was taped together with PS4, which appeared in 2013. This shows well how far in advance you need to act.
   
   Although in this case Sony's operation is unusual. There were not so many trademarks registered before. How do you explain that? Not necessarily that Sony has changed its philosophy and will be releasing new equipment more often in the coming years. Perhaps it was recognized that once, trademark protection was not as important as it is now.
10. What's after PS5?
    Calculations have already appeared on the network assuming that since the one generation cycle lasts seven years, the PS10 will come out in ... 2055. In the world of technology, looking ahead for more than five years seems crazy, but it's worth considering whether such a scenario is possible at all.
11. Voices have been heard for years that the consoles we know are coming to an end. These will not be other devices connected to the TV, offering better components - as it should be in the case of PlayStation 5. All entertainment will move to the cloud.
    
    While 2-3 years ago such opinions were not taken seriously, now they do not seem so crazy. We remind you that Google announced the Google Stadia project. In turn, Microsoft has Project xCloud. Yes, Sony with a strong PS5 may be ready for the coming years, but with the appearance of the 5G network, playing in the cloud will cease to be a pipe dream.
    
    And then playing on any device - and not an expensive console - will not be an obstacle. Maybe Sony taped the names "just in case", but it may turn out to be completely unnecessary.
12. Oops sorry I want to apologise you for causing some minor fact of Toby Fox speculating about Sony's ps14. At least he made some small progress of Deltarune Chapter 2. So I guess these news aren't still outdated at all.
13. https://www.gamecrate.com/toby-fox-...ils-including-how-it-connects-undertale/21275
    
14. So that's it for now.

 

So in conclusion Sega made too many consoles in the past including add-ons SG-1000,Sega Master System,Sega Mega Drive/Genesis,Sega Pico,Advanced Pico(tablet-like consoles created before,earlier and after,later even when pre-and during NDS,3DS,Wii U console games era due to stylus support-I didn't know that Sega is still making video game consoles,but inside japan only I thought they are only still making arcade machines only in japan of course),Sega/Mega CD,Sega 32X,Sega Game Gear,Sega AI Computer(which was in mid-80's looking more like not even digitalized japanese board game something like Scribble or more like Sudoku),Sega Nomad,Sega Mega Jet(released only in japanese airlines)(which was official protable version of Sega Mega Drive)Sega Neptune(which was just a fusion of Sega Mega Drive,Mega CD,Sega 32X not sold separately),Sega Pluto(which was earlier reindition prototype of Sega Saturn,but with better peripherals),Sega Saturn(Furthermore, hardware released around the time the Saturn was had codenames based on Saturn's moons Titan or Janus),Sega Blackbelt(it was initial idea for hardware successor of Sega Saturn before Sega Dreamcast aka Sega Saturn 2),Sega Dreamcast,when I was a kid I had some Sonic games from McDonald's it was something equivalent to Nintendo's first handheld console Nintendo Game & Watch however I'm unable to name it precisely so I described it a little instead,Sega Earth. I heard before Tom Kalinske left Sega in late 90's before he was replaced by Bernie Stolar he planned to cooperate he planned to save Sega from upcoming unevitable downfall,but Hayao Nakayama(he made very poor business decision,it was the worst choice he ever made) disagreed and refused for such a hardware concept.

This console was intended to be something equivalent to Philips CD-i. It could be something like cd player generic home magnetophone. During that time Nintendo and Sony planned their own add-on for SNES first(before Panasonic 3DO,Sony Playstation,Microsoft Xbox)then they initially planned to work together as the same team on Nintendo Playstation as prototype,but instead of doing this Nintendo secretly signed contract with Philipps to make first video game console which could support CD-Rom discs which didn't end up as failures such as with Sega CD,Sega 32X. Sonic CD instead of Mega CD,Sega 32X Sega Mega Drive add-on should be finished on Sega Earth because Philipps CD-i,Amiga PC(Amiga and Atari companies should reject their 32-bit consoles within CD-ROM slot add-ons just like Sega at least rejected Sega Neptune which these 3 companies quitted hardware business which leaded them to their irreversible downfall),probably even ZX Spectrum too. If Sega Earth might be released in early 90's we might have memes not only about Zelda CD-i series and Hotel Mario,but also about Sonic CD and who knows maybe even Landstalker Earth series.

It hard to say because it's unknown and it still remains a mystery which of these video game console codenames might be used in future as home consoles,hand-held consoles or hybrids such as Nintendo Switch to this day.
https://segaretro.org/Planet_codenames
But I have to admit Sega VR had more potential than Nintendo's Virtual Boy because due to screen filter that was displaying red color on screen for instance.

And yes Sega allegedly(I think so I'm not in 100% even sure) was going to make third add-on and first one for Sega Saturn.

In my opinion Sega Blackbelt should be and work better as Sega Dreamcast successor competing with Sony Playstation 2,Microsoft Xbox,PC and Nintendo GameCube rather than just a replacement for Sega Dreamcast instead usually due to controller port slots and size reminding me kind of GameCube speaking of Sega they could able to enter sixth console generation even more properly. This is Sega should do(in my timeline theory-I was also reading some article that besides Sony,Microsoft also started planning their own home console even in the late 90's) to survive console wars in 20th,21st century in right way let's start(because I'm not which one Sega 8-bit portable video game console was the best) with Sega Drive(the 4th console generation),reject any add-ons just like Nintendo did(they were aware and afraid that Sony might split up to make their own console)okay I changed my mind Sega Master System(as predeccessor to Sega Genesis/Mega Drive),Sega Earth,Sega VR,no Sega Saturn(because I heard this video game console had issues and problems with development of 3D indie games in mid-90's than Sega Dreamcast in late 90's),Sega Dreamcast,Sega Blackbelt and Sega Zone(something equivalent to Nintendo Wii)...etc.
https://segaretro.org/Sega_Zone
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Zone_(console)
And of course company who made and who was responsible for re-releasing their own hardware version of Sega Genesis Mega Drive aka Sega Genesis Classic Game Console. I heard it was very awful console. Well it was before Sega Genesis/Mega Drive came out. Also anyway we don't know how Sega's hand-held consoles should look like in XXI century to compete with Sony's PSP,PSVita,Nintendo's GBA,DS,3DS and Nintendo Switch.
Sega should at least re-release Sega Zone at second time,but more properly just like with Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Mini.
Sega's codename changes and minor hardware redesign changes were very mind-blowing, confusing and they didn't even make up their minds.

https://www.gamespot.com/forums/sys...the-successor-of-the-sega-dreamcast-26704587/
This idea never came into fruition. I heard Sega wanted backwards compatibility with Sega Dreamcast games, but Microsoft disagreed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qmltWj6Zgc&app=desktop
Sega honestly they were and are still making better software than hardware decisions.
Anyway it seems we need in real-life some people like Dr. Emmett Brown or Rick Sanchez to cross some barriers and bound some limits of quantic physics.

 

CLICKBAIT OVERLOAD

 

...Well. lol

To get on a tangible discussion from this..

I imagine Microsoft probably wouldn't have jumped into making their own console so quick if Sega would've made enough decisions to make them feel like they were a partner worth investing in. Xbox development didn't start until the Dreamcast was already released in Japan and was readying for release in the US; so that was more than enough time for them to examine the platform and decide if they felt it was up to snuff with what they thought they could do on their own.

Microsoft and Sega's relationship at the time was pretty undeniable, though. Sega putting first party titles on PC was a fairly unprecedented concept (and kinda remained as such until EXTREMELY recently), Windows CE was an attempted start at something together, there were talks all the way up to the release of the Xbox to bring their brands together for marketing in Japan, and lastly (and most obviously) the Xbox controller line is directly based on the DC controller (even originally having VMU-like slots in it's proto designs).

I think had Sega proved the console's viability + worked closer on Dreamcast than just having CE on the side, Microsoft probably could've joined forces with them; which would've done not only wonders for Sega's struggle with paying for hardware, but Microsoft's (still continuing) struggle with having worthwhile IPs.

But I guess that would've required both companies to not be mountainous pillars of hubris, lmao.