If you’re a fan of miniature consoles and the novel convenience they bring, then unfortunately you might want to just keep ahold of your current collection, because it doesn’t sound like Sega is particularly keen on making any more.
In an interview with The Guardian (thanks, Time Extension), Shuji Utsumi, the CEO of Sega America and Europe, dashed any hopes that we might see a ‘Saturn Mini’ or ‘Dreamcast Mini’ in the future. He stated that while the company appreciates its legacy, it wants to focus on the future and “embrace modern gamers”:
“I’m not going for the Mini direction. It’s not me. I want to embrace modern gamers.
“We are not a retro company. We really appreciate our legacy, we value it, but at the same time, we want to deliver something new – otherwise we’ll become history. That’s not what we’re aiming for.”
The Guardian then received further confirmation from Sega that the company is not currently planning any more retro-inspired miniature consoles. The last one to be released was the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis 2 in 2022, which featured the likes of Sonic CD and Streets of Rage 3.
Nintendo seems to have given up on its own line of miniature consoles too, having released the NES Classic Mini and SNES Classic Mini in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Since then, the company has leveraged the Nintendo Switch Online service to allow users (with the relevant subscription) access to games from the NES, SNES, Mega Drive, N64, Game Boy, and Game Boy Advance.
Sega also raised a few eyebrows earlier this year when it removed SEGA Mega Drive Classics from the Switch eShop alongside other major platforms. Eyebrows were then raised clean off our heads when Utsumi stated in a separate interview that the company was “evaluating” opportunities around its own subscription-based game service.
If you're a fan of miniature consoles and the novel convenience they bring, then unfortunately you might want to just keep ahold of your current collection, because it doesn't sound like Sega is particularly keen on making any more.
In an interview with The Guardian (thanks, Time Extension), Shuji Utsumi, the CEO of Sega America and Europe, dashed any hopes that we might see a 'Saturn Mini' or 'Dreamcast Mini' in the future. He stated that while the company appreciates its legacy, it wants to focus on the future and "embrace modern gamers":
"I’m not going for the Mini direction. It’s not me. I want to embrace modern gamers.
"We are not a retro company. We really appreciate our legacy, we value it, but at the same time, we want to deliver something new – otherwise we’ll become history. That’s not what we’re aiming for."
The Guardian then received further confirmation from Sega that the company is not currently planning any more retro-inspired miniature consoles. The last one to be released was the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis 2 in 2022, which featured the likes of Sonic CD and Streets of Rage 3.
Nintendo seems to have given up on its own line of miniature consoles too, having released the NES Classic Mini and SNES Classic Mini in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Since then, the company has leveraged the Nintendo Switch Online service to allow users (with the relevant subscription) access to games from the NES, SNES, Mega Drive, N64, Game Boy, and Game Boy Advance.
Sega also raised a few eyebrows earlier this year when it removed SEGA Mega Drive Classics from the Switch eShop alongside other major platforms. Eyebrows were then raised clean off our heads when Utsumi stated in a separate interview that the company was "evaluating" opportunities around its own subscription-based game service.
