The Saturn Appreciation Thread

[Down by Law]

It's possibly just a stiff connection. Make sure you really firmly push it in there. Sometimes happens on mine with an official MK2 scart lead 

[Shimmyhill]

5 minutes ago, Down by Law said:

It's possibly just a stiff connection. Make sure you really firmly push it in there. Sometimes happens on mine with an official MK2 scart lead 

Thanks - I will have a look and see if it’s not seating right!

 

I still have the sync issue tho, thought I had a work around but alas not - any ideas @MikeBeaver?  I’ve noticed when it’s outputting the wrong frequency the access light stops so poss to do with the mod?

[SeanR]

On 29/01/2023 at 19:02, SeanR said:

I just bought Andretti racing for £9, from Crack Converters in Gateshead.

 

or rather, £6 + £3p&p 

 

after seeing it in an "5 seconds of every saturn game" video

The demo mode looks great

 

 

the ossc shits the bed when it changes resolution, and I’ve already lost the remote…

[MikeBeaver]

18 minutes ago, Shimmyhill said:

Thanks - I will have a look and see if it’s not seating right!

 

I still have the sync issue tho, thought I had a work around but alas not - any ideas @MikeBeaver?  I’ve noticed when it’s outputting the wrong frequency the access light stops so poss to do with the mod?

Not sure I’m afraid, sorry 😢 

[Shimmyhill]

4 hours ago, MikeBeaver said:

Not sure I’m afraid, sorry 😢 

Ahh boo - it’s a shame as when I get it working it plays flawlessly, I was having a great time on Sega Rally earlier once I had it fired up and the image not being purple!

[Ninja Doctor]

It could very well be your av port on the Saturn. Looks like the green channel is not making a good contact. Do you have a second Saturn to test it on? 
 

Your other cable works fine as it’s probably not a RGB cable. 
 

hopefully its just a bit of dirt in the socket. Dip the end of the cable in some IPA (propan-2-ol not a tasty small batch ale) and plug it in and out a few times. 

[Shimmyhill]

3 hours ago, Ninja Doctor said:

It could very well be your av port on the Saturn. Looks like the green channel is not making a good contact. Do you have a second Saturn to test it on? 
 

Your other cable works fine as it’s probably not a RGB cable. 
 

hopefully its just a bit of dirt in the socket. Dip the end of the cable in some IPA (propan-2-ol not a tasty small batch ale) and plug it in and out a few times. 

Thanks, will give the IPA a go - not the good stuff obv, I did wonder about some contact cleaner so makes sense to try cleaning it!

 

As I’m running it through the OSSC the older cable must be RGB as no composite input, it’s defines much looser fit tho and unfortunately no second Saturn to try - maybe a nice white one should be purchased purely for testing purposes…..

[megamixer]

On 03/02/2023 at 20:36, Oh Danny Boy said:

Thanks. Been sticking to my own valuation of games. Generally under the £20 mark unless i consider it a combination of scarce  plus large desire to play it. Will never pay more than what I’d pay for a modern game. Most expensive there was Rayman that cost £60, been wanting to replay that for years. So much in the Saturn back catalogue I’ve been wanting to try for years, Steamgear Mash, Mr Bones and Street fighter the movie I picked up for that reason. Shame that there’s quite a few Saturn exclusives, that push £100+ so may never get a chance to play but will keep my eyes peeled for bargains over the months and years. 

Amazing how you got that Xmen vs Streetfighter boxset within that budget...any of those Vs fighters with the RAM carts in the big boxes used to be big money the first time I collected Saturn and that was years ago!

 

Incidentally, I have started buying again, beginning with a Japanese copy of my favourite game on the system (hence my username) Fighters Megamix. At £12 complete with the spine card it seems like an absolute steal given the amount of content in the game. Can't wait to receive it and play it again. It's been some years indeed!

[Oh Danny Boy]

1 hour ago, megamixer said:

Amazing how you got that Xmen vs Streetfighter boxset within that budget...any of those Vs fighters with the RAM carts in the big boxes used to be big money the first time I collected Saturn and that was years ago!

 

Incidentally, I have started buying again, beginning with a Japanese copy of my favourite game on the system (hence my username) Fighters Megamix. At £12 complete with the spine card it seems like an absolute steal given the amount of content in the game. Can't wait to receive it and play it again. It's been some years indeed!

Xmen v sf, pocket fighter, Sega rally and fighting vipers came with the console, grey Saturn and two pads for £180 delivered from Japan. Which I thought was pretty decent as xmen alone would easily cost £60. 

[Shimmyhill]

1 hour ago, Oh Danny Boy said:

Xmen v sf, pocket fighter, Sega rally and fighting vipers came with the console, grey Saturn and two pads for £180 delivered from Japan. Which I thought was pretty decent as xmen alone would easily cost £60. 

 

Was that on ebay? Ive seen there are loads of Saturn games and consoles from sellers in Japan but not sure how trustworthy etc!

 

IPA hasn’t solved the purple, ive emailed RGC to see if they think it could just be a faulty cable - trying to find another Saturn to test it on is tricky as im the only one mad enough to own one in 2023 it seems 😂

[Oh Danny Boy]

46 minutes ago, Shimmyhill said:

 

Was that on ebay? Ive seen there are loads of Saturn games and consoles from sellers in Japan but not sure how trustworthy etc!

 

IPA hasn’t solved the purple, ive emailed RGC to see if they think it could just be a faulty cable - trying to find another Saturn to test it on is tricky as im the only one mad enough to own one in 2023 it seems 😂

Yeah, the fleabay, best console deals seem to be from Japan based sellers. Came well packaged and quickly considering it was shipped from the other side of the world. 

[Oh Danny Boy]

You get some good deals from Japan and USA based sellers, especially those who selling videogames is not their primary business, those sellers are more likely to leave a game on a very high BIN for months. If videogames are not their main area of business they are more likely to want to sell I find. The downside being VAT and postage prices. Space Harrier cost me $30 but was nearly £40 with postage and VAT. Also just stick the BIN games that interest you in your watchlist, some sellers when they notice extra watchers make you an offer which you can counter.  Can pick up stuff a bit more cheaper that way I find. 

[megamixer]

7 hours ago, Oh Danny Boy said:

Also just stick the BIN games that interest you in your watchlist, some sellers when they notice extra watchers make you an offer which you can counter.  Can pick up stuff a bit more cheaper that way I find. 

This. This. This.

 

It's the only feature that ebay have introduced in recent years that I would hand-on-heart say has been a fantastic addition to the site (being able to send watchers offers directly).

 

I do it with everything I buy - trading cards, books, games etc. Obviously if I really want something I just buy it before its gone but those Tier 2 or non-priority purchases (as I like to call them) that you aren't in a rush to buy at full asking price are great to have on a watch list just in case.

[MikeBeaver]

1 hour ago, megamixer said:

This. This. This.

 

It's the only feature that ebay have introduced in recent years that I would hand-on-heart say has been a fantastic addition to the site (being able to send watchers offers directly).

 

I do it with everything I buy - trading cards, books, games etc. Obviously if I really want something I just buy it before its gone but those Tier 2 or non-priority purchases (as I like to call them) that you aren't in a rush to buy at full asking price are great to have on a watch list just in case.

As an eBay seller, I can 100% agree this is a great feature, onec there are 10+ lines in that little box marked " send an offer " I click them all and drop 5% off with the option to counter offer.

Only thing that does niggle is that if you do a single item, you can auto offer the reduction on all future watchers, but if you do multiples, you don't

[gizmo1990]

9 hours ago, Oh Danny Boy said:

You get some good deals from Japan and USA based sellers, especially those who selling videogames is not their primary business, those sellers are more likely to leave a game on a very high BIN for months. If videogames are not their main area of business they are more likely to want to sell I find. The downside being VAT and postage prices.

Buying/bidding overseas now has become insanely expensive. I don't understand how anyone can make it worth the punt? The US especially is mad, postage rates are off the chart. Then you factor in vat, which also takes into account the postage amount, and you end up with mindboggling sums!

[phillv85]

Yeah the US market is just a monster. Even shipping from there is super expensive. Japan on the other hand is less accessible but much, much cheaper.
 

I can’t vouch for eBay, but buying direct from Japanese sellers using a proxy, paying internal postage in Japan, fees to package and bundle the items, then onward shipping and taxes often still works out cheaper than buying directly in the UK on a lot of mid-priced games. This works out more so when buying in bundles and splitting shipping across all your items. 
 

I spent most of my gaming budget over the last couple of years doing just this and have had some incredible deals. It’s not easy to see often, but these games in Japan when not being sold in obvious places to westerners are dirt cheap. You can pick up an X-Men vs. Street Fighter in box with RAM cart in ok condition for about 4500 yen if you’re willing to wait.

[DeciderVT]

MK2 NTSC-J Saturn arrived from eBay this week but it looks like the cart slot is temperamental, despite the listing saying it was tested. Sigh. I think a third-party cart has buggered the pins.

[Down by Law]

Put the cart all the way in and gently begin to lift it out. You should feel it get tighter which is the pins making connection. All the Saturn cart slots are a bit weak

[phillv85]

Yeah that’s worth a try. I’ve never had a Saturn that’s got a 100% reliable cart slot.

[spanky debrest]

I just pretend I don't own RAM and memory carts these days.

 

The RAM cart games aren't as unique / special as they once were and the Saturn internal memory is adequate considering that I don't play any games that generate huge save files. 

 

I have no inclination to work on fixing cart port(s) that decided to randomly stop working one day. 

 

Bring on the MiSTer core.

[DeciderVT]

Hasn't really been an issue on my other Saturns, which I now have to dig out and check. Of course it has also been a while since I used my carts, which I'll be cleaning in due course. In two minds about returning it or sending it off for repair. The whole point was to install a MODE and leave a 4MB RAM cart permanently in the slot anyway.

[Down by Law]

Picked up another game i've been looking out for the last 4 years, the V2 plastic version of Exhumed.
Apparently Sega did a small print run following renewed interest after the release of Duke and Quake, and as such it's extremely uncommon.

Managed to get this one from an auction which didn't specify it was this version.

 

 

The holy trinity !

 

 

[Down by Law]

Speaking of cart slots - the VA1 has a more robust looking one than the VA2. Wonder why they changed it. Here is some cheeky cart slot porn for your enjoyment.

 

VA1

VA2

[Oh Danny Boy]

1 hour ago, DeciderVT said:

Hasn't really been an issue on my other Saturns, which I now have to dig out and check. Of course it has also been a while since I used my carts, which I'll be cleaning in due course. In two minds about returning it or sending it off for repair. The whole point was to install a MODE and leave a 4MB RAM cart permanently in the slot anyway.

Basically just leave an action replay cart in there, extra memory, 1mb & 4mb ram support and makes the Saturn multi region. No need to ever take it out. 

[Gorf]

28 minutes ago, Oh Danny Boy said:

Basically just leave an action replay cart in there, extra memory, 1mb & 4mb ram support and makes the Saturn multi region. No need to ever take it out. 

Yes, the action replay cart is the answer

 

When I sold off a number of Saturn back up memory and ram carts on eBay a few years ago every single buyer complained that they didn’t work, some got really upset with me

 

I just refunded them all and told them to bin the cart

[spanky debrest]

18 minutes ago, Oh Danny Boy said:

Basically just leave an action replay cart in there, extra memory, 1mb & 4mb ram support and makes the Saturn multi region. No need to ever take it out. 

 

This particular model 1 Saturn I have hooked up has only ever had official memory carts in its slot. Nothing third party or without beveled edge connectors has ever been used on it. After a few years of no swapping or faffing whatsoever it stopped reading carts. Cleaning didn't revive it, and I'm not currently up for attempting to reflow the cart port connectors.

 

I just wouldn't take any apparantly healthy cart slot for granted and I certainly wouldn't want to be wholly dependent on that cart slot to boot imports / backups.

[DeciderVT]

58 minutes ago, Oh Danny Boy said:

Basically just leave an action replay cart in there, extra memory, 1mb & 4mb ram support and makes the Saturn multi region. No need to ever take it out. 

 

That's what I usually do but I was hoping to avoid using a third-party cart with a thicker PCB if possible. Oh well! Maybe I'll tinker a bit when I get around to modding it.

[Down by Law]

It's easy to take the lid off and brush the cart connectors with a toothbrush with a bit of isopropyl on it. I've received some Saturns in job lots that are caked in rust, must have been kept in garages for 20 years or something, and that's done the job bringing the slot back to life.

[megamixer]

One problem with the AR cart that effects some games: basically, some Japanese games won't play right on a PAL Saturn with the AR cart if you haven't also got a 50/60Hz mod. I remember trying to play Vampire Saviour with it on a PAL Saturn and the audio was all messed-up and echoey.

[megamixer]

19 hours ago, gizmo1990 said:

Buying/bidding overseas now has become insanely expensive. I don't understand how anyone can make it worth the punt? The US especially is mad, postage rates are off the chart. Then you factor in vat, which also takes into account the postage amount, and you end up with mindboggling sums!

I may be incorrect here, but I believe that US ebay sellers are forced to use ebay's Global Shipping Programme for international orders (whereas we can opt out) and that's why it's expensive. They charge you all of the customs crap at checkout to make it "easier" for you, whereas before you'd only really pay what the postage is worth and there was a decent chance the package could slip through customs. Now you pay them (and the GSP) the whole amount regardless. I don't think US sellers can even opt to send something their own way.

 

It definitely seems that you pay VAT on bloody everything these days! I was selling on Etsy and one point and there were around three different fees and every single one, even non-tangible charges for digital services, had a VAT charge on top.