Today, let's take a nostalgic trip down memory lane with a little "What if...?" scenario. Remember the Sega 32X? It was this ambitious add-on for the Sega Genesis that aimed to catapult the beloved console into next-gen territory. While it didn't quite hit its mark, it left us wondering: what other classic consoles could have benefited from a similar leap forward?
Let's imagine—what if the N64 had gotten an "N128" upgrade? Could it have kept up with the PS1 and Saturn in that fierce console war era? Or maybe there’s another platform itching for a second wind, like the SNES or even the beloved Game Boy!
What other consoles do you think should've received their own "next-gen" add-ons?
it's a shame that this period of chaos at SEGA ended up giving console add-ons such a bad name. people were willing to shell out for add-ons in the cartridge, with how well SuperFX games did even though you were essentially buying the same upgrade over and over. people were and still are happy to buy mid-generation refreshes too like the DSi or the Master System even though if they already had the system they had to essentially buy it again. add-ons like this are more consumer friendly and more environmentally friendly
SuperFX games were much more streamlined in their use. You didn't have to know that a game had SuperFX, or even know what that was, to play the game. You didn't need to buy a new piece of hardware that was only good for a few games, which was the biggest factor.
Console add-ons are often attempted and rarely (never?) successful.
Did SuperFX games even cost appreciably more than regular games? It's hard to argue that you're buying it over and over if you're essentially getting it for free.
as i understand it prices varied widely because ROM size was a huge factor, so a massive jrpg and a smaller superfx game could cost the same amount. i'd be very suprised if any developers just ate the cost of it considering the chip shortages of the mid 90s