With a purpose to cut up right into a timeline, the place Sega nonetheless makes video games consoles, we have to return to the event of the Dreamcast. The Sega Saturn had been a catastrophe, and had left Sega in a extra precarious monetary place than it actually ought to have been after the great occasions of the Mega Drive.
The Dreamcast’s failure was a case of loss of life by 1,000 papercuts, however a few of these cuts had been bigger than others. One which stands out specifically was the choice to make use of PowerVR graphics chips as a substitute of 3dfx Voodoo-based graphics – this led to huge manufacturing points throughout the Japanese launch that stopped tons of of 1000’s of attainable pre-orders, and the chip was cited by EA as a purpose to not carry its sports activities video games to the console, which pushed the tens of millions of Madden and FIFA gamers to different platforms (largely PS2).
So let’s think about a world the place Sega sticks with 3dfx, makes more cash from the launch in Japan, and its US/European launch comes with help from EA’s essential video games portfolio. The PS2 remains to be more likely to be the dominant pressure in gaming that technology, due to its DVD drive and Sony’s good advertising and marketing, however the Dreamcast is a sturdy vendor, and is prepared for the upcoming world of on-line gaming, because of Sega’s imaginative and prescient to incorporate a modem with each Dreamcast.
This implies there’s no gap for Microsoft to leap into with the event of the Xbox (which actually started in earnest on the time it was clear the Dreamcast was doomed) and Xbox Stay.
The Xbox was developed partly as a result of Sony was positioning the PS2 as a super-computer that might substitute PCs in addition to different consoles, and Microsoft wasn’t about to let that occur. However within the alternate timeline, Microsoft would by no means have to develop its personal console to do this, as a result of it’s already partnered with Sega.
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In the actual world, Microsoft had developed a particular model of Home windows CE to run on the Dreamcast, to make it simpler to port video games. Sega had additionally promised that if video games may run on a Pentium II 200, they might run on Dreamcast – once more, aimed toward making porting much less unsure. So within the alt timeline, the Sega/Microsoft partnership develops.
As a substitute of utilizing its DirectX graphics know-how to launch its personal console, Microsoft makes use of it to assist Sega eke extra efficiency from the Dreamcast within the face of the superior PS2. It helps Sega to port artistic and academic instruments to the Dreamcast too, making it a extra reasonably priced equal to a household pc, incomes it extra gross sales.
Because the Dreamcast begins to really feel lengthy within the tooth, Sega works with Microsoft and Nvidia (which has purchased 3dfx at this level) on its subsequent system, designed to lean much more into bringing the ability of PCs to the lounge. Microsoft brings its pal Intel into the combination, pushing the chip maker to develop the multi-core energy that video games are beginning to want, combined with Nvidia graphics, powered by DirectX.
Porting from PC is trivially straightforward, and so Microsoft faucets up its former worker Gabe Newell for a coup. In 2004, the Dreamcast’s successor is launched, with Half-Life 2 as a console unique prepared on launch day.
The PS3 launches two years later for a hideously excessive value, and its Cell processor is convoluted to program for, whereas the Sega console is bustling with a vibrant ecosystem of PC video games in addition to Sega’s huge franchises. The PS3’s further energy helps it to develop momentum, however Sega’s use of PC structure and software program means it may well launch a higher-powered model to maintain up as a mid-generation improve, and video games are simply up to date to reap the benefits of the ability – successfully doing what real-world consoles did within the PS4/Xbox One period, however an entire technology earlier.
https://www.t3.com/news/what-if-sega-hadnt-failed-with-the-dreamcast | What if… Sega nonetheless made video games consoles at this time, and killed the Xbox consequently?
