Same. I've had my Saturn since 1997 and I have no problem with my cart slot.
Sega Saturn |OT| Appreciation and Emulation Thread
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Mine work perfectly fine with the 4 MB ram cart. However my action replay cart used to give me issues so I assumed it was just the cart. Haven't had any issues since I stopped using it
Hm. Mine are all second-hand used Saturns, so who knows what their history is.
I definitely know that the cartridge slot being generally pretty bad is not an isolated issue, but I thought most Saturns had issues by now…
Someone said there are screws that loosen over time that also cause the cart slot to function incorrectly. Next time I open up the Saturn, I'll give that a try.
Heh, I actually came across this mod while researching this topic - it's a lot of wires to solder!
I definitely know that the cartridge slot being generally pretty bad is not an isolated issue, but I thought most Saturns had issues by now…
Someone said there are screws that loosen over time that also cause the cart slot to function incorrectly. Next time I open up the Saturn, I'll give that a try.
Heh, I actually came across this mod while researching this topic - it's a lot of wires to solder!
The two US units I have function pretty well w/r/t the cartridge slot, but I also don't really remove my Action Replay. I need to test my other unit that doesn't have the fenrir installed, but I think it'd be nice to have a unit that plays from the slot, and another from an ODE.
I really should just buy a JP Saturn, just to round things out a bit.
I really should just buy a JP Saturn, just to round things out a bit.
I say go for it. They are dirt cheap and with how old these consoles are getting, if one breaks down you have a backup
Definitely not discounting folks issues with their cart slots, just pointing out I'm fortunate to not have any issues with mine FYI, sounds like there are some others too.
If the saroo-like solutions continue to get cheaper, we could start seeing the cost of the actual console start bumping up in price as "collectors" discover them.
In the last few months since the saroo has come out I've seen way more youtube vids, twitter threads, and forum activity on the saturn than I have in years so we are on an upswing in interest.
If I was thinking about buying another one I'd do it now rather than later.
If the saroo-like solutions continue to get cheaper, we could start seeing the cost of the actual console start bumping up in price as "collectors" discover them.
In the last few months since the saroo has come out I've seen way more youtube vids, twitter threads, and forum activity on the saturn than I have in years so we are on an upswing in interest.
If I was thinking about buying another one I'd do it now rather than later.
Yea the Saturn shiro discord seems to have had quite a decent amount of growth since saroo news started popping up
Either eBay or buyee. However with buyee you also need to pay shipping fees which can add up. The nice thing about buyee is you can consolidate a bunch of items you purchased. Great for importing a bunch of stuff at once
Saroo recieved.
I'm excited to dig a saturn out tomorrow and give it a shot.
Also amazon has the retro-bit official wireless saturn pads back in stock (have been out for a while), which from looking at the reviews, seem to be hit or miss on the actual quality when using it on a saturn.
Reckon I'll see.
I'm excited to dig a saturn out tomorrow and give it a shot.
Also amazon has the retro-bit official wireless saturn pads back in stock (have been out for a while), which from looking at the reviews, seem to be hit or miss on the actual quality when using it on a saturn.
Reckon I'll see.
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So spent an hour or so on the Saroo with my US Saturn. It still had my 4meg action replay in it from when I packed it away probably 8 or so years ago. Action replay was a completely square, non-beveled board btw (as is the saroo).
Emulation seems great and I revisited a bunch of games trying to compare how I remembered they played.
Layer Section which is one of my all time faves plays great. Same with panzer dragoon 2, which despite some VERY dated graphics still holds up amazingly well gameplay wise in 2024.
Vampire Savior is the only game out of trying maybe 15 that didn't load.
I WILL say my particular saroo's game selection is pretty bizzare. I opted for the 64meg card and there are some pretty big omissions. No daytona. No virtua fighter.
The biggest game I'm missing and one that will make me figure out how to add additional games to the SD card is Dragon Force. That was probably the main non-shooter/fighting game that I was looking to replay and it's a not on my card.
So overall I'd say the thing is great and absolutely worth the 71usd.
if anyone has a lead on saroo tutorials/guides lemme know, I'm currently just googling stuff.
Also in the giant tub of misc retro game stuff I found at least ten 6 button sega pads still shrink wrapped for $3.99 a pop.
View: https://imgur.com/HZ8KWa8
Emulation seems great and I revisited a bunch of games trying to compare how I remembered they played.
Layer Section which is one of my all time faves plays great. Same with panzer dragoon 2, which despite some VERY dated graphics still holds up amazingly well gameplay wise in 2024.
Vampire Savior is the only game out of trying maybe 15 that didn't load.
I WILL say my particular saroo's game selection is pretty bizzare. I opted for the 64meg card and there are some pretty big omissions. No daytona. No virtua fighter.
The biggest game I'm missing and one that will make me figure out how to add additional games to the SD card is Dragon Force. That was probably the main non-shooter/fighting game that I was looking to replay and it's a not on my card.
So overall I'd say the thing is great and absolutely worth the 71usd.
if anyone has a lead on saroo tutorials/guides lemme know, I'm currently just googling stuff.
Also in the giant tub of misc retro game stuff I found at least ten 6 button sega pads still shrink wrapped for $3.99 a pop.
View: https://imgur.com/HZ8KWa8
Definitely look at getting some translation patches. There's tons of games that have been patched. Segaxtreme is a good resource. The community is really active on it. I sort of wish I knew some Japanese and how to code the required changes because I'd love to work on the SFZ3 patch.
So I gave the Retro-Bit Official Sega Saturn 2.4 GHz Wireless Controller
a try on my saturn:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08C4ZGF7K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
TLDR: Random disconnects, down direction got stuck multiple times
So the pad feels great. I was able to play SFA2 and it felt pretty much just like a normal saturn 6 button pad that hasn't been broken in yet. Shoulder buttons are WAY different though and a huge downgrade compared to the original.
In saroo after a certain amount of down taps it gets stuck scrolling down through the menu every time and you need to reset. If you choose a game quick you're fine.
After about twenty mins of SFA2 it disconnected.
So, returned it goes. Which stinks cause I really like how it feels. :(
a try on my saturn:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08C4ZGF7K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
TLDR: Random disconnects, down direction got stuck multiple times
So the pad feels great. I was able to play SFA2 and it felt pretty much just like a normal saturn 6 button pad that hasn't been broken in yet. Shoulder buttons are WAY different though and a huge downgrade compared to the original.
In saroo after a certain amount of down taps it gets stuck scrolling down through the menu every time and you need to reset. If you choose a game quick you're fine.
After about twenty mins of SFA2 it disconnected.
So, returned it goes. Which stinks cause I really like how it feels. :(
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Any advice on where and which Sega Saturn to buy that would be a reliable? I have a white Japanese one that even after replacing the laser routinely doesn't read discs. My OG black US one reads some games, but then stops after playing for a while. I have an action replay 4mb cart, which functions well.
I'm happy to buy again from Japan, but I'm unsure of who on ebay is a reliable buyer, and which model would be my best bet. Still can't beat Panzer Dragoon Saga because my Saturn crapped out. Feels silly to own it but not beat it.
Any advice appreciated!
I'm happy to buy again from Japan, but I'm unsure of who on ebay is a reliable buyer, and which model would be my best bet. Still can't beat Panzer Dragoon Saga because my Saturn crapped out. Feels silly to own it but not beat it.
Any advice appreciated!
PD Saga is one of the few games in the system that really need all the hardware juice available and even then can occasionally fail if the system isn't pristine and the Moon isn't on the right place in the sky. What you thought was a laser failure is likely a power supply not being able to power up the system reliably anymore for both of your consoles. Those are ancient so it's not surprising.
There are some power supply replacement projects with a modern Pico adapter board and others that designed something specific tailored for the system like the ReSaturn. If you don't get scared of taking apart a system, it's not hard to replace with one of those.
Sadly, as these systems age, it's going to be harder and harder to find one that just works. Many of them are getting to the point where they need some sort of servicing. This is especially true with the CD and DVD based systems since optical drives can be unreliable.
One of the most basic things to do is to at least ensure the CD drive's lens is clean. You can either use a cotton swab with some 91% (or higher) isopropyl alcohol or one of those special lens cleaning discs (or both). Cleaning and regreasing the rails that the laser mechanism rides on can also help alleviate disc reading issues.
The next thing to consider is old capacitors. As they age, they're more likely to fail and cause all sorts of issues (including reading discs). This isn't that difficult to do yourself if you have the equipment and knowledge, but it's something most systems will need at some point.
Even if you buy another one that works great now, you may be back where you started in a few years. It's really hard to tell with consoles that are this old. It may be better (and possibly even cheaper) to see about servicing your current Saturns.
Now going to your specific case, the white Saturns were Model 2s. They were pretty similar to Model 1s in terms of general reliability, but they did have compatibility issues with just a couple of games. If it's not those games that its having difficulty reading, then the next thing to check would be the optical drive, but you said you've already replaced it with (what I assume is) a known working drive. If that's the case, then it might not have anything to do with the drive itself and capacitors would be the next thing to check. You may not even need to recap the whole console, it might just be the ones in the power supply that have gone bad like Saoshyant said. I'd recommend trying to repair the power supply before replacing it with an third party one though.
If your US Model 1 is having problems reading discs and the discs themselves are fine, then it could be the same situation. I recapped the power supply and main board of my own Model 1 and it improved the disc reading significantly. I had one disc that was heavily scratched--including damage on the label side--wouldn't play at all. After the recap it would play everytime. I then tested it on another Model 1 that still had the original capacitors and it was failing to load just like on the other Saturn.
Thanks to you and Saoshyant! I'll try to recap my power supply. The capacitors don't look inflated or leaky, but I'll give it a shot. Fingers crossed it works!
Nice to have a resource for these questions too.