The 32X is an add-on for the Sega Genesis video game console. Codenamed "Project Mars", [1] the 32X was designed to expand the power of the Genesis and serve as a holdover until the release of the Sega Saturn. [2] Independent of the Genesis, the 32X used its own ROM cartridges and had its own library of games, as well as two 32-bit central processing unit chips and a 3D graphics processor. [1] Despite these changes, the console failed to attract either developers or consumers as the Sega Saturn had already been announced for release the next year. [1] In part because of this, and also to rush the 32X to market before the holiday season in 1994, the 32X suffered from a poor library of titles, including Genesis ports with minor improvements such as the number of colors that appeared on screen. [2] Originally released at US$159, Sega dropped the price to $99 in only a few months and ultimately cleared the remaining inventory at $19.95. [1] 800,000 units were sold worldwide. [3]
There were 40 [lower-alpha 1] games produced worldwide, including six that required both the 32X and the Sega CD add-ons, and ten that were only released in North America, as well as only one released exclusively for Brazil. Games that were announced or reported to be in development for the 32X, but never released, are listed at the list of cancelled 32X games.
Regions released | Region description |
---|---|
JP (Japan) | Japanese (NTSC-J) formatted release |
NA (North America) | North America and other NTSC territories, besides Japan |
PAL | PAL/SECAM territories: much of Europe, Australia, parts of Asia |
BR (Brazil) | NTSC-U release in Brazil (some systems may output PAL-M, but all games are NTSC-U) |
Title(s) [4] [5] | Requires Sega CD? [6] | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) [4] [5] | Release date | Ref(s) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
JP [4] [5] | NA | PAL | BR | |||||
After Burner Complete | No | Rutubo Games | Sega | January 13, 1995 | January 1995 | January 1995 | Unreleased | [7] [8] |
The Amazing Spider-Man: Web of Fire | No | Sega | Unreleased | March 1996 | Unreleased | Unreleased | [9] | |
BC Racers | No | Core Design | Front Street Publishing | Unreleased | June 1995 | Unreleased | Unreleased | [10] |
Blackthorne | No | Sega Tec Toy (Brazil) | Unreleased | September 1995 | Unreleased | January 1996 | [11] | |
Brutal: Above the Claw | No | GameTek | GameTek | Unreleased | March 1995 | Unreleased | Unreleased | [12] |
Corpse Killer | Yes | Digital Pictures | Digital Pictures | Unreleased | 1994 | 1994 | Unreleased | [13] |
Cosmic Carnage | No | Sega Tec Toy (Brazil) | January 27, 1995 | December 1994 | February 1995 | 1995 | [14] [15] | |
Darxide | No | Frontier Developments | Sega | Unreleased | Unreleased | January 1996 | Unreleased | [16] |
Doom | No | Sega Tec Toy (Brazil) | December 3, 1994 | November 21, 1994 | January 1995 | 1995 | [17] | |
Fahrenheit | Yes | Sega | Sega Tec Toy (Brazil) | Unreleased | 1995 | Unreleased | 1995 | [18] [19] |
FIFA Soccer 96 | No | EA Sports | Unreleased | Unreleased | November 1995 | Unreleased | [20] | |
Golf Magazine: 36 Great Holes Starring Fred Couples | No | Flashpoint Productions | Sega Tec Toy (Brazil) | February 24, 1995 | January 1995 | March 1995 | 1995 | [21] |
Knuckles' Chaotix | No | Sega | Sega Tec Toy (Brazil) | April 21, 1995 | April 1995 | June 23, 1995 | 1995 | [22] |
Kolibri | No | Novotrade | Sega Tec Toy (Brazil) | Unreleased | October 1995 | November 17, 1995 | January 1996 | [23] |
Metal Head | No | Sega | Sega Tec Toy (Brazil) | February 24, 1995 | February 1995 | April 1995 | 1995 | [24] [25] |
Mortal Kombat II | No | Probe Entertainment | Acclaim Entertainment Tec Toy (Brazil) | May 19, 1995 | March 1995 | March 1995 | 1995 | [26] |
Motocross Championship | No | Artech Studios | Sega | Unreleased | January 1995 | March 1995 | Unreleased | [27] [28] |
NBA Jam Tournament Edition | No | Iguana Entertainment | Acclaim Entertainment | September 1, 1995 | 1995 | June 1995 | Unreleased | [29] |
NFL Quarterback Club | No | Iguana Entertainment | Acclaim Entertainment | July 14, 1995 | 1995 | July 1995 | Unreleased | [30] |
Night Trap | Yes | Digital Pictures | Sega | Unreleased | January 1995 | 1995 | Unreleased | [31] |
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure | No |
| Activision | Unreleased | October 1995 | Unreleased | Unreleased | [32] |
Primal Rage | No | Probe Entertainment | Sega | Unreleased | November 14, 1995 | March 1996 | Unreleased | [33] [34] |
R.B.I. Baseball '95 | No | Time Warner Interactive | Time Warner Interactive | Unreleased | 1995 | Unreleased | Unreleased | [35] |
Sangokushi IV | No | Sega | Koei | July 28, 1995 | Unreleased | Unreleased | Unreleased | [36] |
Shadow Squadron NA Stellar AssaultJP/EU | No | Sega | Sega | April 26, 1995 | June 1995 | June 1995 | Unreleased | [37] [38] |
Slam City with Scottie Pippen | Yes | Digital Pictures | Digital Pictures | Unreleased | 1995 | 1995 | Unreleased | [39] |
Space Harrier | No | Rutubo Games | Sega | December 3, 1994 | January 1995 | January 1995 | Unreleased | [7] |
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Starship Bridge Simulator | No | Interplay Tec Toy (Brazil) | Unreleased | 1995 | Unreleased | 1995 | [40] | |
Star Wars Arcade | No | Sega InterActive | Sega Tec Toy (Brazil) | December 3, 1994 | November 21, 1994 | January 1995 | March 1995 | [41] |
Supreme Warrior | Yes | Digital Pictures | Digital Pictures | Unreleased | 1995 | 1995 | Unreleased | [42] |
Surgical Strike | Yes | The Code Monkeys | Tec Toy | Unreleased | Unreleased | Unreleased | 1995 | [43] |
T-MEK | No | Bits Corporation | Sega | Unreleased | 1995 | October 1995 | Unreleased | [44] |
Tempo | No | Sega Tec Toy (Brazil) | March 24, 1995 | 1995 | Unreleased | 1995 | [45] | |
Toughman Contest | No |
| EA Sports | Unreleased | May 1995 | June 1995 | Unreleased | [46] |
Virtua Fighter | No | Sega-AM2 | Sega Tec Toy (Brazil) | October 20, 1995 | October 10, 1995 | November 30, 1995 | 1995 | [47] |
Virtua Racing Deluxe | No | Sega-AM2 | Sega Tec Toy (Brazil) | December 16, 1994 | November 21, 1994 | January 1995 | March 1995 | [48] |
World Series Baseball Starring Deion Sanders | No | Blue Sky Software | Sega | Unreleased | February 1996 | Unreleased | Unreleased | [49] |
WWF Raw | No | Sculptured Software | Acclaim Entertainment | September 1, 1995 | 1995 | September 1995 | Unreleased | [50] |
WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game | No | Sculptured Software | Acclaim Entertainment | Unreleased | November 1995 | Unreleased | Unreleased | [51] |
Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000 NA MotherbasePAL ParasquadJP | No | CSK Research Institute | Sega | July 14, 1995 | June 1995 | June 1995 | Unreleased | [52] [53] |
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Finally with regards the launch of the 32X Shinobu Toyoda of Sega of America recalls, "We had an inventory problem. Behind the scenes, Nakayama wanted us to sell a million units in the US in the first year. Kalinske and I said we could only sell 600,000. We shook hands on a compromise - 800,000. At the end of the year we had managed to shift 600,000 as estimated, so ended up with 200,000 units in our warehouse, which we had to sell to retailers at a steep discount to get rid of the inventory."