The Ultimate Polymega Test: Sega Saturn
New machines capable of playing retro console games on HDTVs are a growing industry, and perhaps no project is more ambitious than the Polymega — a super all-in-one device that promises to take virtually anything. The list is longer than anything else on the market: NES, SNES, Genesis, Sega CD, Saturn, PlayStation, TurboGrafx-16 and TurboDuo CD. Of all those machines, it’s the Saturn that’s most intriguing. This console has been the hardest of the 32 & 64-bit generation to emulate, due to its Frankenstein of a chipset that included EIGHT dedicated processors, among other things. Originally conceived as the ultimate 2D powerhouse, crude 3D polygon capabilities were bolted onto the Saturn’s circuit board midway through development when Sega finally woke up and realized how important that was going to be. Because the Saturn is so hard to recreate, this means its games — some of which are rare classics — are tough to play. Until now, the only real solution has been to find a working Saturn AND $500-apiece copies
