[GerbilSoft]

http://www.assembler...Real-Sega-Pluto

An ex-Sega employee has uploaded photos of a prototype Sega Pluto console. It appears to be a Saturn with a built-in NetLink.

It does turn on and show a standard Saturn boot screen (US NTSC), and functionality-wise seems to be the same as a regular Saturn.

This post has been edited by GerbilSoft: 17 April 2013 - 03:44 PM

[doc eggfan]

Cool. Possibly explains why the netlink Saturn games got their own catalogue number series.

[Bartman3010]

Pretty crazy considering how few NetLink games there were. One could have hoped the cartridge slot on that model wasn't absolute garbage.

[Overlord]

Does this mean there might well have been a Sega Uranus then? With the exception of Earth, it's the only planet (at the time) that doesn't have a codename... Sega planet codenames

[Tanks]

Overlord, on 17 April 2013 - 04:50 PM, said:

Does this mean there might well have been a Sega Uranus then? With the exception of Earth, it's the only planet (at the time) that doesn't have a codename... Sega planet codenames

Part of me would doubt it only because I could see half a boardroom going "lol Uranus" and skipping to Pluto... :P

[Meat Miracle]

Overlord, on 17 April 2013 - 04:50 PM, said:

Does this mean there might well have been a Sega Uranus then? With the exception of Earth, it's the only planet (at the time) that doesn't have a codename... Sega planet codenames

Given the rumours that Sega CD was the moon, Earth would have been fitting as the Megadrive.

Some of those codenames turn up at the most unexpected places though. The picture magic was Janus, wasn't it? I wonder if all those Sega graphic tablets, digital cameras, and the Mega Jet had any internal codenames. Or the Sega Karaoke Commander.

[doc eggfan]

I could have sworn that I read somewhere that the Mega Drive was known as Project Venus in Japan due to the fact that it was the Mark V (and V is for Venus in case you missed it).

I know the Nomad was Project Venus in Sega US development, but I could have sworn it was different in Japan. But I haven't found any sources.

[TmEE]

Nomad is the Venus

[Andlabs]

Does the planet naming system go back to 1988 though? How far back hae we traced it? Only 1990?

This post has been edited by Andlabs: 17 April 2013 - 09:57 PM

[doc eggfan]

TmEE, on 17 April 2013 - 09:55 PM, said:

Nomad is the Venus

Well I have a (completely unsubstantiated and definitely wrong) theory that Nomad was known as Venus in Sega US offices, but only because they were unaware of the Project V connection from the late 80's Sega of Japan. SOJ secretly referred to the American Nomad project as "Project Uranus", but never openly to SOA's face. And thus all planets are now filled

This post has been edited by doc eggfan: 17 April 2013 - 11:15 PM

[Dan Lioneye]

Meat Miracle, on 17 April 2013 - 06:26 PM, said:

Given the rumours that Sega CD was the moon, Earth would have been fitting as the Megadrive.

Ties in well with this

[doc eggfan]

And I guess that makes the Mark III Middle-earth

Dan Lioneye, on 18 April 2013 - 01:32 AM, said:

Meat Miracle, on 17 April 2013 - 06:26 PM, said:

Given the rumours that Sega CD was the moon, Earth would have been fitting as the Megadrive.

Ties in well with this

I'm pretty sure that's the only source of the rumours, unless there is any other documented evidence of a Project Moon?

This post has been edited by doc eggfan: 18 April 2013 - 01:54 AM

[Meat Miracle]

No evidence regarding the Sega CD being Moon, other than the bios having an image of the moon (which itself is unsubstantial as it's only in the us/uk bios), and the existence of Lunar games (which has fuck all to do with it).
Still, it would be quite logical. If Earth is the Megadrive, Moon is it's first viable expansion of humanity, and Mars is the second viable one.

For the nomad, the motherboards actually say IC BD VENUS MAIN. Not sure where, if anywhere, Mercury is stated for the Game Gear.
Saturn and Titan are no brainers.
Picture Magic ROMs have JANUS in the header.
Neptune is well known... but while we are at it, what is the first source to call it as the Neptune?

I want to see the insides of the Mega Jet and dump the roms for the SKC. Maybe they can tell us more.

As for the Mark V -> Venus connection, I don't think that was the case. They still used the old Mark 1-2-3-4 lineup at the time... But if Venus was just a generic term for the MD hardware, then Sega CD would be Earth, so we have the inner planets of the solar system all lined up in order.

This post has been edited by Meat Miracle: 18 April 2013 - 11:28 AM

[Black Squirrel]

Bartman3010, on 17 April 2013 - 04:46 PM, said:

Pretty crazy considering how few NetLink games there were. One could have hoped the cartridge slot on that model wasn't absolute garbage.

It's pretty groundbreaking when you think about it - it would have been the first (??) video game console to have internet support straight out of the box, presumably pre-dating the Dreamcast by a few months.

Nintendo and Sony didn't really get their act together on this front until 2006 - talk about ahead of its time

[Crasher]

Black Squirrel, on 18 April 2013 - 12:42 PM, said:

Bartman3010, on 17 April 2013 - 04:46 PM, said:

Pretty crazy considering how few NetLink games there were. One could have hoped the cartridge slot on that model wasn't absolute garbage.

It's pretty groundbreaking when you think about it - it would have been the first (??) video game console to have internet support straight out of the box, presumably pre-dating the Dreamcast by a few months.

Nintendo and Sony didn't really get their act together on this front until 2006 - talk about ahead of its time

The PS2 did support Internet, it was just by cable. Same as the Xbox and GC IIRC.