Hours of invaluable footage of Sega’s forward-thinking game streaming service from the 90s have been unearthed. What would Sonic look like with blue shoes?
Game hacker and Sega Channel enthusiast Billy Time! has received a collection of VHS recordings from back in Sega Channel’s heyday. Sixteen videos have been uploaded showcasing various menus, game lineups, and gameplay footage.
(This first tape also includes a random episode of TV show “Twitch“.)
If you’re unfamiliar, Sega Channel was a subscription-based streaming service for Sega Genesis games in America that ran from late 1994 to mid-1998. Data would stream directly from your cable line into a special Genesis cartridge. A plethora of games were available to download and play, cycling new stuff every month. The service would also feature exclusive games, contests, and information.
On a personal level, I only got to experience Sega Channel at my friend’s house a couple times before the service was ended. My memories of it are hazy, but I do recall playing Beavis & Butt-head and Sonic 3D Blast with him. (And also him bragging to me in gym class about playing Mega Man.)
Speaking of Sonic 3D Blast, we see in video 14 shows the game was split into Part 1/Part 2. I’m thinking Part 2 was what my friend loaded up, since I seem to remember it starting on the ice level.
Virtually everything from Sega Channel’s days is completely lost to time — but fading memories in a select few’s heads. So any kind of footage or data from this service is quite historically significant. (Perhaps the biggest boon was the discovery of a development disc from 1996 containing about a year’s worth of menus and texts.)
So if you’ve got any recordings from this elusive service’s heyday, please feel free to get in touch!