Saturn lands first at Toys 'R' Us; set-tops showing at E3 make for crowded floor, shelves - Sega of America Inc.'s introduction of its 32-bit interactive game set, Electronic, Entertainment Expo

Discount Store News, June 5, 1995 by Pete Hisey

LOS ANGELES -- Retailers will have to make some hard choices in the interactive set top market after May's debut of [E.sup.3], the Electronic Entertainment Expo. In addition to established platforms like SNES, Genesis and Game Boy, as well as CD-based systems 3DO and CD-i, Sega's new 32-bit Saturn and Sony's equally powerful PlayStation have jumped into the fray. And Nintendo will introduce its 3D version of Game Boy, Virtual Boy, this summer, followed by its 64-bit Ultra 64, next April.

Add in Atari's 32-bit Jaguar system, and the playing field is getting pretty crowded.

Sega stole a march on Sony by shipping its first Saturn units May 11, months before PlayStation was due to ship. However, it is a move that may well backfire. Because of limited supplies, Sega will ship to only four chains (Toys "R" Us, Babbage's, Software Etc. and Electronics Boutique) until fall, which is certain to annoy chains like Best Buy and Wal-Mart, which have supported Sega products for years.

Sony, burned a few years ago when it introduced its MiniDisc recordable CD system at a price too high for most consumers, isn't taking any chances this time. PlayStation will debut at $299 in September, compared to $399 at introduction for Saturn. However, Saturn will have a game, valued at about $60, packed in.

That may make underdog 3DO the best bargain among the top contenders. A GoldStar version of the multiplayer is already on the market at $379 with two games packed in. GoldStar sweetened the offer at [E.sup.3] with a $50 mail-in rebate, bringing the final cost down to as little as $329.

But most impressive at 3DO was a demo of its new M2 accelerator, which effectively turns the machine into a 64-bit player, with graphic capabilities far ahead of everything except Ultra 64. Unfortunately, no one knows when or at what price the M2 will be introduced. However, its performance is so impressive that rumors flew about possible acquisition of 3DO by any of its major competitors.

Also, Atari's Jaguar system introduced a new virtual reality add-on, expected to sell for $300.

Developed by the English firm Virtuality, the Jaguar VR will have at least two titles for introduction later this year.

On the software side, publishers appeared willing to support virtually all platforms. No clear winner emerged in talks with dozens of third-party developers. "We'll support them all," noted Interplay's Kirk Green. "It'll be a long time before a clear winner emerges."

Nintendo stumbled in introducing Ultra 64, which had been due on the market in August. Instead, it will debut in Japan in November and in the United States next April, missing the vital Christmas season.

Nintendo came out swinging in a pre-show presentation to media, analysts and developers, claiming that 16-bit is far from dead and that even early adopters will sit out the first rush of new technologies until a truly representative selection of software is on the market and a winner emerges.

It will sink some $80 million into '95 promotions, mainly for its new portable Virtual Boy (due in August at $199) and two SNES software titles, the follow-up to the smash Donkey Kong Country and Killer Instinct, based on the arcade title. Both will incorporate ACM (advanced computer modeling) to provide the best graphics on the market, a spokesperson said.

Nintendo will debut a unique promotion for Virtual Boy. Blockbuster Video will offer the 3-D unit and two software titles for two nights for $9.99 to get players used to the new quasivirtual reality technology.