Author Archives: Big Elk

The Game Gear has turned 35 years old in North America

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The year is 1991. Movies like Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Boyz n the Hood, The Scilence of the Lambs, The Addams Family, and Beauty And The Beast premiered in theaters. Shows like Dinosaurs, Home Improvement, Taz-Mania, Darkwing Duck, Samurai Pizza Cats, and Nickelodeon’s 3 premiere Nicktoons Rugrats, Doug, and The Ren & Stimpy Show premiered on TV. Songs like Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana, Bring The Noise by Public Enemy and Anthrax, Unbelievable by EMF, It Ain’t Over ’til It’s Over by Lenny Kravitz, and Groove Is In the Heart by Deee-Lite topped the charts. Video games like Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, The Simpsons Arcade, Another World, Neverwinter Nights, and Road Rash came out. Sega launched games like Streets of Rage, Toejam & Earl, Quackshot Starring Donald Duck, Rad Mobile, and uh, oh yeah… an obscure little game that just never took off called Sonic the Hedgehog. (Stay tuned for that anniversary coming up.) Sega had done something else even more significant on this day that very same year, though. (Okay, maybe not more significant than Sonic, but stay with me here.) They launched their one and only dedicated handheld gaming console: The Game Gear.

On April 11th, 1991, the Game Gear first hit store shelves only in test markets in New York City and Los Angeles. On the 26th of that same month, it launched in the rest of North America. At the time, Game Gear went up against Nintendo’s Game Boy and Atari’s Lynx, and wound up sitting comfortably in second place behind the Game Boy in sales and popularity worldwide. Still, the Game Gear retains its place in video game history as a memorable handheld with its own line of enjoyable games available nowhere else.

So grab your own Gear if you got one and join us past the break as we continue this little trip down memory lane in full color.

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Propeller Arena finally playable online thanks to Dreamcast Live

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Welcome to SegaBits!! Hi there! I’m your writer for this exciting news, Big Elk! You all as happy to see a new Dreamcast game playable online as I am!? Sit back, relax, and enjoy the wind rushing through your hair as you read on!

On April 1st, 2026, Dreamcast Live had, for the first time ever, opened up the internet features of the unreleased Dreamcast game Propeller Arena: Aviation Battle Championship for business, but this is no April Fools joke. Dreamcast Live heroes Shuouma and Flyinghead have done it again, figuring out how to finally allow for this game to be enjoyed over the internet thanks in part to the fact Propeller Arena made use of the same netcode as another game these two had brought back online: Outtrigger. If you’d been dreaming of one day finally experiencing online dogfighting in this game like I have, then your dream has finally come true.

Check in past the break for more info, then get set for flight.

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Sega reveals their return to the console race with the Dreamgen, powered by AI (April Fools)

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The time has finally come, Sega fans. This news should excite those dedicated old school Sega fans who refuse to support anything Sega has ever done since they left the console race behind them 25 years ago.

It is with great elation that Sega have revealed they are finally re-entering the console hardware business with a sequel to the legendary Dreamcast console. The new Dreamgen will be entirely powered by Sega’s new AI system, Mother Brain, named after the omnipotent AI system managing the entire environment of the planet Mota in Phantasy Star II (1989). Dreamgen’s Mother Brain will play a similar role with the new console, and just like Phantasy Star II’s Mother Brain, it can always be relied upon to function as intended and never cause any major issues.

This announcement is way too huge for you to just have an AI summarize everything for you, so click on past the break below and read on. You don’t want to miss this moment for anything.

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Former Sega hardware engineers Kenji Tosaki and Junichi Naoi confirmed a Saturn Graphics Accelerator was in development

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Ever heard the rumor that Sega was working on a Saturn add-on to enhance its graphics? I hadn’t. Apparently it really happened, though, or at least someone tried to make it happen.

In an interview with Japanese outlet Beep21, former Sega hardware designers Kenji Tosaki and Junichi Naoi confirmed that Sega really had sought out to create an add-on to help the Sega Saturn produce much better graphics than it could on its own. Essentially, this would’ve been the same thing for the Saturn that the 32X was for the Genesis/Mega-Drive, in that it would have its own line of Saturn games that would require it be attached to the console in order for those games to function. What’s more, the cancelled Saturn version of Shenmue, as well as a planned Saturn port of Virtua Fighter 3, were both planned to utilize it.

These two had quite a lot to say about this cancelled hardware expansion, so join us after the break if you wanna hear more.

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RGG Studio Directors Ryosuke Horii and Yutaka Ito reveal new behind the scenes info about the retro Sega games in Yakuza titles

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One of the many things people typically love about the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series of games are the old school Sega games included as part of the bonus games you can play in your downtime away from the main story. The latest game in the franchise, Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, might have been a divisive entry, but what anyone can agree on are that the choice of new Model 3 games and the addition of Game Gear and NAOMI games are a welcome addition. It’s also just wonderful to have access to these games on modern platforms, even as side content in a Yakuza game.

Video game news outlet Automation JP have just sat down with current day RGG Studio directors Ryosuke Horii and Yutaka Ito to talk about the retro games added to the series. This should be a fun read if this is one of your favorite aspects about Yakuza, so sit down and join us past the break. We’re about to learn some unbelievable things about what went into choosing the games to include, how they implemented them into the larger game, and what the future holds for retro Sega games inside and outside the Yakuza franchise.

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Sovietborgs and Xenocider developer Retro Sumus has shut down

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⚠️ Retro Sumus has disbanded. If you’re interested in purchasing a digital copy of #Xenocider for #Dreamcast, please drop us a line.
🤖 In case you’re curious, you can also play the #Sovietborgs demo here: retrosumus.com/sovietborgs-demo/
🧑‍💻 Thank you for your continued support.

[image or embed]

— Retro Sumus (@retrosumus.bsky.social) February 24, 2026 at 4:10 AM

Sad news, Tovarisch. Retro Sumus, the talented Spanish developer of Xenocider and the unreleased Genesis/Mega-Drive title Sovietborgs has now disbanded.

They have revealed this news on February 24th, 2025 with the above social media post on Bluesky and on Twitter and Facebook. Their website is now only made up of the same farewell message. This comes following their unsuccessful Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign in August 2025 to fund the completion of Sovietborgs, their latest game which was planned for Genesis, Neo-Geo, MS-DOS, and Dreamcast. While the team was still committed to finishing the game anyway and finding a publisher, it seems now their optimism was misplaced.

Join me after the break to get in on saying farewell right back to them.

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Basic Fun!/Arcade1Up show off a brand new Sonic the Hedgehog home arcade cabinet at Toy Fair 2026

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Arcade1up, hot off of their recent acquisition by Basic Fun!, have come to the International Toy Fair 2026 in New York City to show off their latest home arcade cabinets releasing later this year. This includes a new Ms. Pac-Man cabinet with the usual Namco arcade classics and a new WWE Wrestlefest cabinet featuring that game and a few other classics by Technos Japan, but the most relevant for us is their 3rd and most recent collaboration with Sega (And probably their least exciting to date): a Sonic the Hedgehog arcade cabinet. This is an all-new original upright cabinet that, so far, features Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, and Sonic 3D Blast.

Despite these games having no prior history in arcade settings (Maybe some, technically, though I doubt these versions of these games will be included), they’re all coming soon to a new arcade cabinet meant for your home arcade/Sonic gaming space. The cabinet itself is assumed to be of the typical build quality as all of Arcade1up’s more recent cabinets, including the others shown off at this year’s International Toy Fair, so you’ll likely be able to play them all just fine here. Any other special features this may have are likely to be announced at a later date as this cabinet comes closer to its release.

I know you must be chomping at the power pellet to get this wholly unexciting new arcade machine, so check in after the break to hear more.

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Hideki Sato, the father of Sega console hardware, has passed away

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On February 13th, 2026, the main designer of every Sega home console, Hideki Sato, passed away at the age of 77. News of his passing was first reported over that weekend by Japanese gaming news outlet Beep21, then later by a few English language news outlets like Kotaku.

Sato-san was the main man behind the overall design of all of Sega’s home consoles. The SG-1000, Mark-III/Master System, Genesis/Mega-Drive, Saturn, and Dreamcast were all designed by him and would, undoubtedly, be very different forms of tech without his influence. He fully took charge of Sega’s R&D department as part of that job during the Genesis years. Before all that, however, he had worked on arcade hardware at Sega right after joining the company in 1971 straight out of Tokyo Metropolitan Technical College. He would also serve as the company’s president from 2001 to 2003, as Sega was making their rough transition from a console hardware company to just a game development and publishing company, where his penchant for leadership was especially crucial.

While he may not be the only man responsible for these consoles being the way they were, he was still a highly important figure in their construction. His intuitive thinking drove Sega’s hardware team to push boundaries and construct beautiful designs that stood the test of time. That forward thinking became part & parcel of the kind of philosophy that drove Sega and won them so many lifelong fans throughout the decades. No matter what your favorite Sega console is, you can thank Sato-san for just about anything you love best about it.

If you’d like to hear more about this legendary designer, you can read more after the break. For now though, on behalf of Segabits and Sega fans all over the world, I will give personal thanks to Hideki Sato for his services to gaming. I can only hope his final hours were peaceful and that he may rest in peace now. Much condolences go out to his surviving friends and family as well.

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Several mini-games and retro games in Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties revealed and detailed

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When you can’t focus on the main story because of all the side games stealing your attention

Today, Sega and RGG Studio have detailed a bunch of side games in the upcoming Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties. Here, they’ve talked about beloved returning games such as karaoke and Reaper hunting and brand new stuff such as retro Sega games, substories, the Kanda’s Damage Control side missions in Dark Ties (Mine’s Story), and LaLaLa Loveland in Yakuza Kiwami 3 (Kiryu’s Story).

Clear out your afternoon, warm up your vocal pipes, gather up as many AA batteries as you can, and step on past the break to find out what awaits you during any downtime you have in Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, which releases worldwide next month.

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Power Smash online functionality restored thanks to Dreamcast Live

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Dreamcast Live is on a roll all of a sudden!

The online multiplayer of the Dreamcast Tennis classic Power Smash is back in full swing thanks to Dreamcast Live hero Shuouma, who just came off of restoring online multiplayer for the classic Dreamcast RTS Hundred Swords exactly two weeks ago.

If the name Power Smash doesn’t ring a bell, but the game still looks familiar to you, that’s because Power Smash released internationally as Virtua Tennis. However, Virtua Tennis released first in North America and Europe, then had online functionality added in for the Japanese release a few months later, so only the Japanese version can go over the net. (Pun intended) Up to two players can play in online matches, but two local players on both ends can be present for four player Doubles matches.

For details on how to get the game online, check in past the break below.

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Sonic Racing: Crossworlds Nintendo Switch 2 Edition physical release date announced; Blue Star EX Gear now available to all for free

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The wait to own a physical copy of Sonic Racing: Crossworlds for Nintendo Switch 2, one that actually has the game on the card, is nearly over. Mark March 26th, 2026 on your calendars.

While Sonic Racing: Crossworlds had already been available as a native Nintendo Switch 2 game, complete with an upgrade pack for owners of the original Nintendo Switch version, since December 2025, it was only available digitally. (You can still buy the upgrade pack if you had a physical Nintendo Switch 1 version.) If you’ve been waiting for a native Nintendo Switch 2 game card, then pre-orders have just opened up for it. The pre-order price sits at $69.99 USD. Currently, only Amazon has a pre-order page open, but other retailers are sure to follow soon. You can check Sega’s own Sonic Racing: Crossworlds website for the most up to date information on where you can pre-order or where you can order any other version of the game.

As an added bonus, Sega have also made the Blue Star Extreme Gear DLC available for free on all platforms. (Currently it isn’t live on the Nintendo eShop, but this could be an error. Keep checking for it.) Originally available exclusively for those who signed up for a Sega account and redeemed it when the game originally launched in September, the Blue Star is an extra boost vehicle that’s based on Sonic’s Extreme Gear from Sonic Riders (2006). If you never signed up for a Sega account, you forgot to redeem the Blue Star DLC, or you’ve since bought Sonic Racing: Crossworlds on a second platform or a different platform than you originally intended, you can still get this absolutely free now.

Be sure to cross over past the break to see a bit more info on the physical Nintendo Switch 2 Edition that you might like to know.

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The late bloomer Saturn homebrew game, Vigilant Paradise, is available now

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I’ve long waited for the day I could talk about an impressive new indie game for the Sega Saturn, and the wait is finally over.

Vigilant Paradise is a new Miami Vice inspired FPS designed for the Saturn by one Riccardo Campione. Of course, although I say it’s new, the game actually made its debut with little-to-no fanfare in November 2025. It sat quietly on itch.io until someone going by dmar3000 just happened across it from simply searching for “Sega Saturn” on itch one day and then posted about it on Reddit. From there, it caught the attention of our good friends at Sega Saturn Shiro, who then wrote about the game themselves. It goes to show that sometimes going off the beaten path can lead you to some interesting hidden discoveries.

If this looks interesting to you, you can read on past the break to find out more about this hidden homebrew gem.

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Daytona USA unofficially playable in VRChat courtesy of Zone-Sama

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One of the most beloved and recognizable arcade racing games of all time, Daytona USA, is now playable in VR through the game VRChat. Now you can feel even closer to the action than ever before in the Hornet’s virtual driver’s seat.

And who do we have to thank for this? Not Sega, of course, but the longtime internet and Newgrounds culture legend Zone-Sama. For those of you in the know (especially those acting like you don’t know), Zone-Sama has been well known since the early 2000’s as a legendary animator of the Nice Sega Flavored Water variety, most recently including a certain Egyptian Animal Crossing cat captivating the internet with her mysterious dance. (Wait… that’s not Sega flavored at all…) He’s actually a man of many talents, but I bet you didn’t know that included programming.

As for VRChat, that is a well known free game allowing you to create an avatar and hang out in a variety of virtual worlds, including many user generated worlds like this one. You can communicate with others in real time, play games with them, and generally just goof off to your heart’s content. You don’t even need a VR headset to try it, though it can make things much more immersive. It’s also available on Steam if you prefer to get it there.

If that’s got you interested, then get strapped in and go beyond the break to learn how this works exactly.

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SEGA co-founder David Rosen passed away on Christmas Day, 2025

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It’s a sad day for all of us Sega fans. One of the most important people in the entire history of Sega has finally left this mortal coil.

David Rosen, the founder of Rosen Enterprises, which would later become the company we all know and love today as Sega, has passed away on December 25th, 2025 at the age of 95 in his Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles home. His funeral was held on January 2nd, 2026 at Inglewood Park Cemetary. News of his passing only just became public on January 2nd courtesy of Replay Magazine.

Very few people in the history of Sega are more worthy of being celebrated than David Rosen. He alone began the chain of events that led to the creation of Sega, and by extension, many of the games they had brought to the world that touched our hearts for decades. Whether it’s Sonic the Hedgehog, NiGHTS, OutRun, Phantasy Star, Shenmue, Like A Dragon, or countless other examples, Mr. Rosen allowed for all of that to eventually be possible.

But it’s not just Sega fans who have plentiful reason to celebrate this man’s life. Part of why Mr. Rosen founded Rosen Enterprises in the first place is because he saw great potential in the coin-op market in post-war Japan. His company was first made to help import coin-op games, which we know now as arcade games, to Japan. This eventually led to Sega making arcade games of their own, but the entire arcade industry owes a major debt of gratitude to Mr. Rosen for that.

If you’d like to hear more about the prestigious spot Mr. Rosen holds in video game history, you can hear more past the break. For now, though, on behalf of SegaBits and Sega/gaming fans around the globe, we salute the amazing David Rosen and thank him for his services to gaming. We are glad he lived such a long, fulfilling life and that he may now rest in peace. Many condolences go out to his surviving family and friends as well.

EDIT: I’ve edited my write-up on Sega following the Gulf+Western buyout to clear up some false information. My apologies for that.

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Hundred Swords’s online multiplayer is restored thanks to Dreamcast Live

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Happy New Year, Sega fans! What better way to ring in the new year than with a new Dreamcast game to play online!?

Sega’s medieval real time strategy game Hundred Swords, has just had its online multiplayer features brought back online. This effort comes from the familiar Dreamcast Live hero Shuouma, who had previously brought games like Outtrigger, Sega Tetris, Speed Devils: Online Edition, and even the unreleased Dee Dee Planet back online.

The only downside here is that Hundred Swords was only released in Japan and no fan translations were prepared to coincide with this online multiplayer restoration. Without a decent grasp on the Japanese language (including kanji), you and the up-to-3 other players you’ll be playing with might be fumbling around through menus and such until you figure out what to do and how to do it. If you’re familiar with RTS games like Command & Conquer or Age of Empires, which this game was inspired by, the interface and basic goals may still be familiar to you. Prepping the game for online action is still simple, unless you wish to use your Broadband Adaptor, which Hundred Swords is sadly not compatible with. Go get your DreamPi ready and journey with me past the break to find out more.

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