Polymega announces SEGA Saturn support; clarifies video footage error (updated)

There’s certainly no shortage of clone consoles out there for retro gaming enthusiasts to choose from. What sets the Polymega apart from other multi-console systems such as the Retron 5 or the Retro Freak is that the base model Polymega is designed to play CD-based games, including those from the SEGA CD, PlayStation 1, Neo Geo CD, and the TurboGrafx-CD. The Polymega is also unique in its “modular” design, in which players can purchase additional hardware expansions to play cartridge games from the NES, SEGA Genesis, SNES, and TurboGrafx-16.
This week we finally got a full launch trailer, and Polymega revealed compatibility with yet another CD-based console: the SEGA Saturn.
You can watch the full launch video below.
However, it didn’t take long for the Internet to comb over the fine details. According to Saturn Memories, there are enough visual cues in the video above to indicate that the SEGA Rally footage is taken from the arcade version rather than the Saturn. Given the recent scandals surrounding other consoles aimed at retro enthusiasts such as the Coleco Chameleon, it’s reasonable for prospective buyers to approach with caution. We reached out to Polymega for clarification, and they responded that the incorrect footage was the result of a human error and that they would release some direct Saturn footage in the next week.
As a console, the Saturn is notorious for its difficulty to emulate, given the unorthodox structure of its dual processors. If Polymega has, in fact, been able to pull it off, there’s going to be quite a few happy hardcore SEGA fans. It’s unfortunate that the project has already had a slight brush with controversy, but it’s better to be an informed consumer rather than a remorseful buyer.
The Polymega is scheduled to release in early 2019, with the base model priced at $249.99. Preorders are now open on the Polymega website.
Update: Polymega has released several SEGA Saturn gameplay videos running on the Polymega hardware. You can read more here.
*Note: This post and its headline were updated on 8 September following the clarification by Polymega and on 17 September following the release of several new Saturn videos.
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