DF Retro: Sega Saturn vs Sony PlayStation - The Driving/Racing Game Face-Off

This has been one of the ambitious DF Retro projects we've ever undertaken. What if Digital Foundry - with all of the modern tools at its disposal - could have covered the mid-90s Sega Saturn vs Sony PlayStation cross-platform releases? We have a general idea of how the systems compared, but does the modern DF methodology make the case or bust the myths? It took time for our digital-based workflow to adapt to the analogue days of yesteryear - particularly on Saturn where no HDMI mods exist - but here we are, and we think you're going to enjoy it. John Linneman kicks off proceedings with a look at the fifth generation consoles' line-up of driving and racing games.

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[pogkappen]

I know it's been said before but videos like this are what make DF one of the best in gaming content. No clickbait, no unfunny skits or animated characters, no disinformation. Just pure goodness made by and for true gamers. Thanks.

[choggi]

Psygnosis
6:02 Wipeout
10:52 Wipeout XL
12:34 Destruction Derby

EA
15:14 The Need for speed
18:35 Road Rash
20:03 Hi-Octane
23:05 Andretti Racing
25:45 Nascar '98

Genki
29:35 Drift King
30:02 Shutokuo Battle

Ubisoft
32:28 Street Racer

36:09 Hardcore 4x4
37:42 Formula Karts
39:56 Race Driving
42:19 Night Striker
44:26 Mass Destruction
45:29 Death Throttle
48:37 Snowboarding Trix '98
51:30 Off-World Interceptor Extreme

[chilldude]

DFs output is insane. John's expecially. Most channels that produce such long and complex videos as this release videos only every few months and that's all they make. Somehow john makes these alongside the regular tech analysis/review videos. Incredible. And I know the DF guys basically each independently produce/edit their own videos. We're blessed to have DF and John but I hope you aren't overworking yourself man - much love and this was an awesome video.

[Stevie-Steele]

THANKYOU for making this! I was one of the kids who bought a Saturn instead of a Playstation - mainly because of brand loyalty to Sega. The MegaDrive (Genesis) was hugely popular here in the UK so that influenced my choice.
There were definitely times when I REGRETTED that choice - as time went on, I saw most of my friends buying PlayStations, I saw the system become WAY more popular.
That regret was soon tempered by a profound sense of appreciation, pride and loyalty to the system as I realized how unique the game library was.
The PlayStation is awesome but the Saturn will always be the underdog I root for - it was awesome too. Totally unique technology and totally unique game library - a far cry from all of the systems today which mainly have similar libraries and run on variations of similar hardware.
I have strong nostalgia for the system - but I don't think it will only appeal to those with nostalgia and rose-tinted-goggles - I think kids of today can still appreciate the best games in it's glorious library!
Long Live the Sega Saturn!!!

[PandaMoniumReviews]

The cinematography at 1:05 is *makes chef's kiss noise*
Also, your NFS music choices, with Romulus and Paradigm Shifter in the video — great selections.
EDIT: Thank you very much for the shoutout. Being mentioned on DF is a wild honor. And yes, everyone loses with Hi Octane.

[bradleythatcher]

I totally understand the need to use current PC architectures in modern consoles but when each console use to have custom and varied hardware it was much more interesting.

[iPlaySEGA]

I ♥ the SEGA Saturn! 5 Virtua Fighter and 3 Panzer Dragoon games are reason enough to LOVE this beautiful system! HAPPY 30th ANNIVERSARY!

[MagisterHamid]

If you weren’t there back in 1995 you can’t properly comprehend how big impact games like wipeout had on the hype for PlayStation.

[BlueKudu-]

Honestly this was just the BEST era of gaming for me. Saturn and PS1 really pushed the boundaries for consoles, not least for racing games! Sega Rally, Daytona, Manx TT, NFS, RR, GT, WipEout, Colin McRae, TOCA… Good times ❤️. Culminating in RR Type 4 for PS1, arguably the best ever arcade racer. Thank you so much John, fantastic DF Retro content once again, so well produced and a pleasure to watch during this horrendous UK weather. Trust DF to carry us through! 😉

[garycormack]

Missed the DF retro vids, this is the sort of stuff that makes my day

[IsraelWokoh]

Mr. Linneman delivers cinema once more.

[d]

DF RETRO are my favorite things you all do. Love these dives into gaming history.

[segaman]

Bravo, John. This is that YouTube Emmy-type goodness. DF retro is an evergreen program. I still go back to your early DF Retro stuff when I want that nostalgic kick. Especially the Lobotomy videos on Duke, Powerslave, and Quake. Keep’em coming, brother!

[abaddon]

The warping near camera issue is likely due to lack of any near-plane clipping (or any clipping for that matter) in the hardware/SDKs. Developers had to do it themselves, but a lot of us didn't really know what we were doing at the time 🤣(and the platforms didn't really support the features necessary). As the points of the polygons closest to the camera approach the near plane the math gets funky. So you need to break them into smaller polygons so you can fully discard them as they near/cross the near clip plane to avoid geometric distortion.

As a developer who cut his teeth in console gaming during this era, I love series like this. Hopefully one of the games I worked on gets the full treatment soon!

[ThatVSMBro]

How I stumbled into the DF loop was the retro videos at first. These are amazing!

[kylerclarke]

Timeless, meticulously researched and edited bespoke content. Thanks, John

[GameSack]

Excellent video! It's funny that Sega would rather not have those Psygnosis games at all than bad ports of them. I have a very detailed look at that Need for Speed game (all 3 versions) coming in January. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to race a few laps in Mass Destruction. :)

[parappatherapper]

OMG I genuinely missed these videos. Thank you very much, please bring more content like this, I love it.

[XJSLP]

Love this new series! Can I also vote for a special episode covering the best exclusives each console had to offer in terms of graphics/quality…

[fossilfern]

I love the Saturn. Still play it to this day.