PS1 vs Sega Saturn - which was more powerful?

[lindbergh]

So, we know that the PS1 blew away the Sega Saturn into oblivion. It had a lot more games due to the support that it received from 3rd party developers while the Sega Saturn was left wanting. But what about when it comes to power? Which console do you think is more powerful? I have read some reports that there was even a Shen Mue game made for the Saturn... What are your thoughts on this?

Shen Mue for Sega Saturn

 

[DrRipley]

I was probably the only kid at my school who had a Saturn, and although I really didn't envy my classmates who had a Playstation at the time because I preferred the controller and I still do, but I did see a lot of the advantages they were getting. One of the most prominent ones being that memory cards proved to be a lot more reliable than their memory battery counterparts in Saturn. I had so many games that I had to start again just because the saving system wasn't reliable, and that's why I'd put the vote on Sony. It really doesn't matter how much powerful Saturn is over PS, if ever they were, because they weren't as reliable, in my opinion. I might just have been doing it wrong, though, because like I said, I was a kid back then.

 

[mosul210]

Interesting topic, obviously the PS1 hardware handled 3D gaming a bit better. As for which system was more popular with me, that would be the SEGA Saturn. I just loved some of SEGA's first party titles such as Panzer Dragoon, Daytona, Virtua Fighters, etc..

 

[dannyboy]

PS1 all the way. I think Sega Saturn was a decent console, but PS1 provided a better playing experience for me.

 

[Dame6089]

The PS1 was the more powerful console. The Saturn was more like a 1/2 step or 3/4 step between generations. The PS1 on the other hand, was a full generational step from the SNES Genesis era.

 

[SS42A]

The only Sega console I purchased was the Genesis, and I didn't get a chance to purchase the Sega Saturn because I ultimately went with the PS1. The PS1 had a better library of games, and while the Sega Saturn also had some of my favorites, the PS1's library appealed more. For me, it's the PS1 RPG's like FFVII, Suikoden, Vandal Hearts, Wild Arms, FF Tactics, and others which gave the console a huge lead.

 

[mauricioq]

For me PS1 was better, although that Sega Saturn was actually pretty good for the time it got released.
But the Sony console wins overall, more games, better graphics, better hardware, for me it was more enjoyable.

 

[lindbergh]

Most people said that the Sega Saturn had superior 2D graphics as compared to Sony. However, they said that Saturn was as powerful in the 3D department. The only problem they said was that the Sega Saturn was more complex and more difficult to grasp which gave developers a bit of difficulty in making games.

 

[themarting]

Most people said that the Sega Saturn had superior 2D graphics as compared to Sony. However, they said that Saturn was as powerful in the 3D department. The only problem they said was that the Sega Saturn was more complex and more difficult to grasp which gave developers a bit of difficulty in making games.

This is correct. The saturn actually had two processors, both running at 28mhz (can you believe that? we run a 4000mhz now) 4 mb total ram (once again, thats ridiculous, considering the ps4 has 8192 megabytes of ram) and dual graphics processors.

it was definitely more capable, but like you mentioned, the developers were never able to grasp it well enough to develop to its full potential. For that reason, it didnt do as well as the playstation. The playstation had slightly less power but was much easier to develop for, and as a result developers were able to tap more of the available power with less effort.

 

[Annetteb]

I like sega and the sega saturn was a good gaming console, but the PlayStation was way better. It had better games and I loved playing onil it over the saturn. I found more interesting games on the PS and so I basically went with it over the saturn.

 

[DrRipley]

Most people said that the Sega Saturn had superior 2D graphics as compared to Sony. However, they said that Saturn was as powerful in the 3D department. The only problem they said was that the Sega Saturn was more complex and more difficult to grasp which gave developers a bit of difficulty in making games.

This makes sense to me. I remember being so amazed at how all my Street Fighter games on my Saturn played so close to how it was in the arcades, but whenever I played the 2D fighters on my friends' Playstation, they would always have some sort of compromise and was ultimately very disappointing for me.

 

[lindbergh]

The game where I really noticed the Saturn's power over the PS1 was X-Men vs Street Fighter. The PS1 featured no true tag team action while the Saturn handled it perfectly. The PS1 needed to "cheat" using a "Cross Over" mode just to have a tag match and it really detracted from the fun of the game. This showed that the Saturn really had the 2D department in the bag.