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110°

Why Did Sega Pull the Plug on Its Video Game Systems?

The company that was a market leader with the Genesis ran out of extra lives against a new competitor: Sony.

"Old gamers enjoy telling tales of a time when home video game consoles didn’t have names like Playstation or Xbox, and Sony and Microsoft were known for the Walkman and Windows, respectively.

Back then, Nintendo and Sega were the big players, and while both have seen better days, Sega is the company that has plunged the furthest, knocked from its perch as a leader in the home console market before fleeing that business arena completely." By Joe Vince

PhoenixUp3830d ago

In short, because is terrible business practices

derkasan3829d ago

Yep. Plus, Sega of America and Sega of Japan just couldn't get along.

Mikefizzled3829d ago

Still don't by the looks of it.

star_lancer3829d ago (Edited 3829d ago )

Exactly. Sega of Japan forced Sega of America to pull the plug prematurely on the Genesis, even though Genesis remained popular in the U.S. into the late 90's. Sega could have made a ton of profit from Genesis that would have offset some of the losses from Saturn.

Plus, SOA wanted to use the chipset that eventually became the N64 instead of the complex one that was ultimately used in the Saturn.

Minute Man 7213829d ago

Had the Dreamcast and sold it due to the PS2 hype. Should have never sold it :(

darthv723829d ago

dont know what you got... till its gone.

3829d ago
ShadowKnight3829d ago (Edited 3829d ago )

Great memories with Genesis and Dreamcast!

3829d ago
3829d ago
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80°

(For Southeast Asia) New Price Changes for PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal remote player

For Southeast Asia, new price changes.

Prices effective starting May 1st, 2026.

Read Full Story >>
blog.playstation.com
45d ago Replies(1)
BeHunted45d ago

Looks like PlayStation took a hit with Marathon and is now quietly adjusting prices worldwide to recover the losses

andy8545d ago

Lets be honest raising prices doesn't do that when no one's buying it. I imagine the profit it greater selling 10 times more at a lower price

Pergele44d ago

Whatever you say buddy, let's all wear the tinfoil hats.

IceKoldKilla44d ago (Edited 44d ago )

LMFAO Your comment alone says a lot more about you than anything else. When has one game not selling 10 million copies made a company raise the prices of their console? Then Xbox would be costing $5000 by now lol. You remind of the crazy drug addicts on the street rambling on about conspiracies. xD You sure you don't need a hug, buddy?

ChunkyMonk44d ago

One game that Sony payed $200 million for. lol
Also, you sure were quick to get triggered. Maybe your the one who needs a hug?

Eonjay44d ago

If nothing else, we should be united against the real issue here. AI and unnecessary tariffs that are effecting all gamers.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 44d ago
Athlon10145d ago (Edited 45d ago )

The price increases are due to the RAM demand associated with AI and the US-Iran war. You can look to any business news website and local news to see that. Heck, even the 2026 Asus Zenbook Duo I've been eyeing has faced delays and has had a price increase of $400; that laptop has two specs. Asus is doing a staggered release with per-orders for the lower spec now and shipping in May and pre-orders for the higher spec that I'm eyeing starting in June. Basically, all computer manufactures are affected. It'll most likely start affecting smart phones too if it hasn't already. I can't remember the last time any major console maker (Nintendo, Sony, Sega, etc) increased the price of their console mid cycle outside of Microsoft just to make more profit.

S2Killinit44d ago

Its not the war. Its the RAM issue.

jznrpg44d ago

War is causing gas prices to rise. Transport of everything requires gas so the prices of those items go up as well. So it does have an impact

Athlon10144d ago (Edited 44d ago )

The blockage of the Straight of Hormuz due to the US-Iran war has affected raw components used in semi-conductor manufacturing such as bromine, aluminum, and helium. Iran had attacked the liquified natural gas (LNG) plant in Qatar which is a large producer (1/3 globally) of helium which is used in semiconductor etching. So it's the both the war and the RAM crises.

badz14944d ago

Oh no...should I get the Pro now before the price increase?

80°

Former Xbox Exec Says Developers Didn't Want a Sony Monopoly

Former Xbox executive Ed Fries comments on the early days of Xbox, the opinion of Japanese game companies, and more.

Read Full Story >>
insider-gaming.com
58d ago Replies(2)
Reaper22_58d ago

I dont think that'll ever happen. But i must say back in the day, they were definitely trying because they were more cash rich than their competitors.

CosmicTurtle57d ago

I think MS were and still are the richer company. They tried to acquire Sega back in the day (and considered doing so again more recently), they obviously bought exclusivity to Halo which was originally shown as a Mac title. I don’t think as a company MS can claim the moral high ground here. It’s a wilful lack of self awareness.

Of course Sony would try exactly the same if they had the resources, but when the PS2 dominated the industry was in a much healthier place with an abundance of great third parties.

This has been a depressing generation as far as first party decisions are concerned. The fact we are debating business plans rather than which game is better is a sad reflection of the state of things.

Darkseeker58d ago (Edited 58d ago )

There was Nintendo as well, Sony wouldn't have had a monopoly. In fact, the world would be better today if Xbox never existed in the first place. They pretty much brought all bad practices we have today. We might have gotten all of it either way, but not this early. In term of franchises, I don't think there is anything Microsoft released that would actually be missed if it didn't exist. Even Halo the world wouldn't notice if Halo didn't exist.

S2Killinit57d ago

MS was definitely a bad influence on gaming.

raWfodog58d ago

I think almost everyone will agree that a monopoly is not good for the industry. But that being said, the competition needs to be smart and strategic with their business. Simply buying up publishers and traditional third-party studios just to keep them out of the other companies reach is not a sustainable practice. That goes for all parties so don't think I'm just referring to Xbox.

I'm no business guru by any stretch of the imagination but I firmly believe that the best way to drive consumers to your software and hardware is to invest smart in your first-party studios. Give them full support and guidance in making unique, fun games that are only available to play in your ecosystem and the gamers will come.

Reaper22_58d ago (Edited 58d ago )

But first party studios aren't enough. They only make up a small portion of the industry. Without 3rd party there would be no industry for Microsoft or sony.Developing games take time and money and sometimes you gotta make moves to stay competitive.

raWfodog58d ago

Nah, I never said first-party was enough. I said it’s the ‘best way’ to drive gamers to your platform. 3rd-party is a free-for-all and there’s no guarantee that gamers will use your hardware to play the game. If you want to push your own software and/or hardware you need first-party, or at least exclusive deals with third-party studios.

SimpleDad58d ago

They Shure did a great job... 25 years later Xbox is dead.

Reaper22_58d ago

Then why be so emotional and continue to talk about it. Xbox will never die be ause it stays in so many people's head.

lodossrage58d ago

How can you even see him being "emotional" in that comment?

If anything, you're the emotional one, constantly trying to go at anyone that says anything against Microsoft. So when you call him emotional, it comes off as deflection

Elda57d ago

I own an XBSX & I can say it's becoming irrelevant out of the 3 current consoles.

58d ago Replies(2)
Show all comments (34)
30°

Tickets go on sale for consumer event IGN Live 2026, returning to LA on 6 June

Two-day event includes exclusive reveals, trailers and playable games on show floor.

Read Full Story >>
gamesindustry.biz