Lockheed Martin Real3D/100 and SEGA

Okay, so let me see if I understand the implications of this alternate reality you're envisioning. Sega goes with the Real3D/100 for the Saturn, likely wins the fifth generation console war, goes on to make a 6th gen console that's more powerful than an Xbox, doesn't go into bankrupcy, and continues to make consoles to this day? Do I have that right? I would imagine Lockheed Martin would probably still be making consumer PC graphics cards today as well.

It's fun to dream, but you must recognize the silliness of what I just wrote.

 

Yes, exactly. It's fun to dream.

 

The only "real" Real3D/Sega work i know are two arcade games, both running on Model2 Hardware

Desert Tank (1994)
http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=713&gid=2032#2032

Behind Enemy Lines (1998)
http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=716&gid=2063#2063

Any other prototypes known?

 

Those were *games* designed by Martin Marietta/Sega and Lockheed Martin/Sega.



The other work was all hardware.

General Electric Aerospace worked on the Model 1 board.
Martin Marietta worked on the Model 2 board.
Lockheed Martin/Real3D worked on the Model 3 board.

 

x

 

That was sorta what I was trying to say. I don't think the Saturn was Sega's fatal error. I think their error was releasing the Dreamcast too soon, and not marketing it well enough. It probably wouldn't have been economically feasible to release a Naomi 2-like console in 1999, but if they had waited a couple years, until around the time of the PS2 launch, they would have been in a much better position.

If you want to really have some crazy, unrealistic dreams, I wish they'd just released a straight console version of the Model 3 in 1996, like SNK had done with the MVS and the AES. It probably would have bankrupted them, but actually I think that would've been a cooler way to go than what eventually happened.

 

x

 

The specs are way beyond what would be possible in a home console at the time. Otherwise, it would have been done. That stuff is better by many times than the N64, which saw a 1996 release.

I hate pointless wild speculation like this. It makes no sense to write "what ifs" that could never happen.

 

That version of Real3D/100 is 1995 technology. By late 1996 it could've been shrunk down into a single chip solution and sold at a mass market price, not unlike M2. The M2 was advanced technology also, the same could've been said about it in 1995, that there's no way something like that could be used in a home console in 1996. Well, M2 almost launched in 1997 but Matsushita pulled out at the last minute. Anyway, it's true Real3D/100 is more advanced than N64 and M2 but still I believe it could've been sold for mass market price in late 1996. Anyway, it's just a dream that could never happen. No reason to hate these threads ^__^

 

my grandfather has been working at lockheed/dobins airforce bas for 60 years i wonder if he has ever seen one of these . on another note this is my 300th post:dance:.

 

Probably because Lockheed Martin's Real3D division was based in Florida. However every time you see a Sega Model 3 based arcade game, you are looking at Lockheed's graphics technology ^__^

 

Megadrive is that you?

BTW, Real3D engineers and tech are (or were) split between Lockheed Martin, NVIDIA and ATI at this point.

 

Exactly. Saturn didn't need to have dream boat 3D graphics that were wildly superior to Playstation and Nintendo 64. Having more built-in RAM would be great, the 2D ports of excellent games like Metal Slug and Street Fighter Zero 3 show the importance of lots of memory. Having the industry standard of triangles rather than quads would have been smart too. Same with translucency/blending improvements. And don't forget texture perspective correction! Compression in hardware is always nice, just think if the Saturn had hardware texture compression like the DreamCast did and the PS2 did not. I do think that going with a single SH2 or SH3 processor that was more powerful than just a single SH2 from the Saturn would have been a better design too for streamlining things a bit.

Having MegaDrive and Mega CD compatibility would have been really cool too. But in my opinion if they had such support it should be an option that adds little if anything to the cost of consoles for players that do not want it.

One thing that I will always like about the Saturn is that unlike the PS1, it supported the still very relevant 2D games and arcade games particularly via the 1 and 4 megabyte RAM expansion cartridges. If you play games like Metal Slug, Marvel Super Heroes Vs Street Fighter / X-Men Vs Street Fighter on PS1 it is butchered crap. Metal Slug X faired half decent I believe on PS1 but if they had just been able to include memory expansion it would have done so much for everyone. I really can't stand the butchered PS1 ports. When the port sucks that bad they shouldn't even release it at all such as in the cash of MSH Vs SF and I think MVSC. One last thought, it bothered me for awhile that the Saturn never got ports of Metal Slug 2 or King of Fighters 98'. KoF 98 is one of my favorites and MS2 would have been neat to have too. Actually in general I wish alot more Capcom and SNK arcade games had made it to the Saturn. It also makes me wonder if DreamCast had lasted longer if it would have gotten Metal Slug 3.

 

Yeah swaaye that's me ^__^