I miss Sega



Nintendo Switch's launch brought back wonderful memories of Sega Dreamcast's launch, the last console by Sega, Nintendo's arch-nemesis in the '90s. I miss Sega.

Sega, like Nintendo, was a pure videogame-company, unlike Sony, which is mostly an electronics-company, and Microsoft, which is mostly a software-company. When Sega and Nintendo battled it out, they battled it out with games, and the Sega Genesis-Super Nintendo rivalry stands as the greatest rivalry in the history of the videogame-industry.

The games during that era still hold up today, partly because technically, the machines produced 2D sprites that still look good today, and partly because the competition inspired each other to produce their best work. Sega and Nintendo pushed each other to greater heights than they would have aspired to had it not been for the other. I miss that.

Nowadays, Sony and Microsoft are the big two contenders, and all they're doing is pushing technology. Sony had a rumored PS4 Neo (which became PS4 Pro), so Microsoft counterattacked with Project Scorpio. Instead of going game-for-game, they go tech-for-tech. It doesn't really benefit gamers.

They have, somewhat, tried to battle it out with games. Microsoft had a timed exclusive with Rise of the Tomb Raider to combat Naughty Dog's Uncharted series, and Sony acquired Guerrilla Games in an attempt to combat Microsoft's popular Halo franchise. This hasn't been enough.

Of course, an argument can be said that exclusives are no longer relevant. Did Microsoft's timed exclusivity-deal with Rise of the Tomb Raider really help them all that much? No. Why did PS4s sell the best? Exclusives? No. It was the tech inside that drew consumers who wanted a console-priced gaming-PC.

The Dreamcast was an amazing system because it truly took graphics to the next level. Its graphics were a true step beyond what Nintendo 64 or Playstation could do.

With the Nintendo Switch, I consider it a half-step beyond what Wii U could do. I don't really feel the impact. Fast RMX looks gorgeous, but it's merely just a resolution-bump.

It is certainly ironic that I talked about the Sega-Nintendo rivalry producing great games, and then talking about the technology, but that's what videogames are - great entertainment coupled with great technology; and I miss that.

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