Sega’s cancelled console, the Neptune, was a proposed merger of their Mega Drive (Genesis) with the 32X. This would have provided gamers with a cleaner and more straightforward upgrade path than the complex jungle of cables used for the original setup.
However, Sega decided that it wasn’t worth pursuing, instead focusing on Saturn. Now, decades later, fans are recreating this console in what has become quite an elaborate undertaking.
Jake Smith commissioned modder and console repair expert Simon Lock to build one such machine. Simon meticulously crafted the Neptune from existing hardware, taking over three weeks of intense troubleshooting.
The resulting console is a masterpiece but comes with a hefty price tag: over £1,000, not including the 32X and shell procurement. This translates to nearly $2,600 USD for a single unit.
Key Points:
- The Neptune was intended as an alternative to the complex 32X attachment system used with Mega Drive/Genesis consoles.
- It’s incredibly expensive to recreate due to the meticulous build and troubleshooting involved.
- Only six systems of this kind currently exist, all manually built by enthusiasts.
Would you shell out $2,600 for your very own Sega Neptune?
A collector would definitely spend money on it. It has nothing to offer to the common retro gamer though.
Less cable management than a real 32x!
