Sega Saturn replaced Sega Genesis which was a very popular console in the 80s. The new version brought far more complicated architecture. It was a 32-bit unit with dual CPU processor layout and 8 processors. The original model was released in Japan in 1994 and in the United States and Europe in 1995. In Japan, it was a popular platform which was considered a success. However, it was a failure in the United States and other parts of the world.
The console used CD ROM to load games. It was very complicated and expensive, but this wasn't the main reason for its failure. The main reason, according to the Sega was the new version of Sonic the Hedgehog which was delayed several times. At the same time frame, Nintendo 64 was released with more affordable price and better support for the games. Today, Sega Saturn is a collectible and very desirable in the world of collectors. It was sold in over 9 million units but still was considered as a business failure. For comparison, the Genesis was sold in over 30 million units, which was a significant difference.
Sega Saturn used Hitachi chip in order to provide powerful support and be able to meet the expectations of the games. The versions for Japan and the United States were identical but not the same. The one for Japan was white with simpler buttons and controller, while the one for the United States was black with changed buttons and design. The color difference refers to the controllers as well. When it comes to the specifications and CPUs they were the same. All versions were ended in 2000 and a new console, Sega Dreamcast was introduced.
Some of the most popular games for this console include Virtua Fighter, Panzer Dragoon, Nights into Dreams and others. You can download them today in the form of Sega Saturn ISO files and use an emulator to play them. Highly desirable emulators are Retroarch, SSF, OpenEmu, and Yabause. Of course, there are additional emulators you can download and use to play all the Saturn ROMs developed for this console.