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[a] 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) |
- ^ a b c d Kent, Steven L. (2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World. Roseville, California: Prima Publishing. pp. 493–496. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4.
- ^ a b Buchanan, Levi (2008-10-24). "32X Follies". IGN. Archived from the original on 2016-04-17. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
- ^ Stuart, Keith (2014). Sega Mega Drive Collected Works. Read-Only Memory. ISBN 9780957576810.
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."
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