Sega's Virtua Racing - Battle of the Home Ports!
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- Опубликовано: 31 янв 2025
- Let's take a look at the home versions of Virtua Racing and how they turned out.
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Opening "Sega" jingle is from Astal for the Sega Saturn.
Ending Music during the credits is from Batman for the Sega Genesis.
SLX Logo
By: Jan Neves
RUclips Page - / jan3d
Intro by Evan S.
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Episode Notes:
1. Arcade footage via MAME's latest version.
2. All other footage captured from real hardware.
3. Sega actually patented the view buttons in Virtua Racing. For years they actually collected money on every racing game that used it, until Nintendo and Sony challenged the patent years later. Sega lost that battle.
4. I always saw Indy 500 as sort of Virtua Racing's unofficial sequel. I really wish they had come home.
5. If you ever run across a Virtua Racing in the wild, sit down and play it. It still holds up.
6. The Saturn version of VR actually has a watch mode where the CPU will race for you.
7. Sega would do well to take the Sega Ages line on the Switch, package it as a compilation, and release it on other platforms. It was a mistake keeping them platform exclusive.
8. There is a gamma adjust in the Switch VR that adjusts the color to be more accurate to the arcade. The default setting is still wrong, however, so I still consider it a negative. You should NOT have to manually adjust a graphics setting to get a better result on a console.
I do not do giveaways on RUclips. If you get a reply to your comment saying contact them because you’ve won something, ITS A SCAM. This is not me.
But the Nigerian Prince is legit, tho, right?
The color issues on the Switch Virtua Racing has been fixed now, they released a patch which added gamma controls to the game, and if you lower them, it's 100% arcade accurate.
It also dreived from a cancelled 3DS port!
"SEGA has been it's worst enemy in regards to it's legacy..." Well said. Very well said sir.
They could be so brilliant and so incompetent at the same time. They are still that way. But that's our Sega, I guess.
@@FallicIdol Yep, Sega's only problem ever was Sega, esp between SOA and SOJ, had they swallowed their pride, they could've been on top.
@@victor.elkins I think their best hope now would be to be purchased by Nintendo or maybe even CapCom
The thing is, neither of those companies needs Sega's IPs. They take care of their own property well enough to have plenty. In fact, both have too many older IPs they simply don't have the resources to return to
Playing the 32X version when it first came out was enough to make me believe the system had a chance. How can a company be so good at making games and yet make so many bad business decisions? At any rate great video buddy. Keep it up.
I got to play the 32x here and there in 1995 but by then it was almost gone. I was sad because they had great games and I wondered if they would have developed more games for it, to see where it could have gone.
Tragul
Because the business side is pretty much a separate entity to the development side, although in saying that, sometimes their hand was forced, like with the 32X being discontinued for example.
I would have been happy with a continued series of Virtua Racing, as well as the other best titles like Shadow Squadron, Star Wars, etc.
Both SoA and SoJ are to blame here. SoA is responsible for the 32X debacle. That should never have been released.
Picked up my 32X CIB 6 months after release with 5 CIB games from a co-worker. Still have it 27 years later. Paid $35 for all of it.
This is why MAME is so important -- otherwise all these stellar past Sega arcade titles that never received home conversions would be completely forgotten.
Nah, arcade is for losers
Shopping mall trips have never been the same since Sega arcades stopped being a thing. Boy, I miss those days.
The craziest thing about the Switch port is that it had 8-player support, and at 640x360 per mini-screen, it actually ran at a higher resolution for each player than the arcade original did on a single screen. They should really bring it onto PS4/PS5 and Xbox One/Series. Could you imagine a 4K 8-player mode?! 1280x720 on all 8 screens.
Do those consoles even support that many controllers? I know the ps3 supports 7, but no idea how many do the ps5/sx support.
@@AntonioCardenasT Using Super Bomberman R as a benchmark, the Xbox One (and presumably the Series) supports 2-8 players locally, while Playstation 4 (and probably PS5) sadly only supports 2-4 players locally.
So we could definitely get it going on the Xbox, at the very least.
Forget the consoles you potato-level-IQ-peasants. Get it on PC. 4K+ at 240fps+ would be easy on any mediocre GPU. Get some VR, ultrawide screen and mod support in there too and you'll have something far superior to anything a console can do.
@@Window_Licker 16 player local co-op on a 32:9 screen \o/
@@Window_Licker username checks out.
I’m super into sim racing these days (have an awesome custom racing rig) and this game and, of course, Daytona USA, planted the seed that grew into a lifelong love of cars and racing.
Excellent as always Sega Lord X!
I always loved the “default” car layout of the Deluxe version! A layout clearly inspired in the McLarens of that time (with blue in the front so it doesn’t look too obvious maybe), the yellow helmet, and knowing that the Japanese loved Ayrton Senna, I always had the impression that he was the inspiration for that car. Also worth noting that the other cars all look inspired in the other teams of that time - the two Williams always in the front, Benettons, Ferraris… what a great game!
I think (maybe I'm wrong) lots of Sega games of this era had easter eggs like these. It gave these games a subtle refrence to the real world without displaying a big logo or brand officially on the title screen. It's a reason why I love arcade of those years.
THIS
On the Switch version with the ability to change the colors of the car for Grand Prix mode there's an orange color that makes it look more like Senna's beloved McLaren.
This is like retro core battle of the ports
Yep but we know which is the original :p
Lord X should change the name. I really respect this channel, but this seems like a rip-off.
Sega lord x strikes again ! Thank you for these awesome , nostalgic and historically accurate videos on sega man … Im sure it’s a lot of work but thank you man !
Impressive how Sega was trailblazing the 3D era, unmatched technical prowess, but unable to use any of that on their business strategy. The unexistence of any Scud Race port to this day... it is such a Sega move lol
Sega should have made a Racer’s Megamix with all the cars and tracks from its polygon racers. Virtua Racing, Daytona, Sega Rally and Super GT/Scud Race. They even had a Le Mans game and some other more obscure titles. I’m sure licensing would have been an obstacle, but one can certainly dream.
If they actually did this, and made it a fully fledged game, then it'd be cheaper to licence than the 1st Gran Turismo.
Gran Turismo has WAY more licenced cars and tracks than Sega's poly games.
Sega could knock this out of the park, if they were competent. The Gran Turismo Rally stages, but with Sega Rally's handling and the whole fleet of cars from Sega Rally 1-3, plus some bonus Power Drift cars...
Also Indy 500
I rented the Genesis version from my local mom 'n' pop video store and played the hell out of it. Somewhere out there, somebody has that manual that has my incredibly tight best time on the Easy track.
I read you SLX. Sega are really missing a trick with their old IP’s. It would make my day if they decided to release M1, M2 and M3 collections.
I’m turning 47 in a few days.. so I’m part of the generation that grew up when gaming was changing fast.. exciting times. Also times when arcades existed.. these are now pretty much a thing of the past and an experience younger gamers will never know of. That feeling of going to a dark dingy arcade with hardware you could only dream of in the home, yet when those ports did come home were still masterpieces.. well, sometimes :)
The sad fact is, the older my generation gets that the memories and nostalgia of these once great and ground breaking games will become lost. Sega really are missing the window to release these to the generation that grew up with them.. and the generation that lined their pockets making these games and them such a success.
They should have released these awesome titles yesterday, they need to get them out sooner rather than later.. before no one gives a cr@p!
Sega as much as l love them, continue to show why they bowed out of the home console market with their stupid decisions they still continue to make and have never truly recovered.
I'm sure I saw a Virtua Racing Battle of the Ports video many years ago. :D
Also, many other Battle of the Ports videos!
Yeah. About 419 of them, if I recall
Man...This is a very heavy handed review lol. My depression levels spiked like hell towards the end.
One of the most under appreciated OSTs ever. Always really enjoyed the music for this game.
I'll second that, particularly the 32X version. Whoever programmed that version did a bang up job. The 32X sound track absolutely slaps.
I have Virtua Racing on the Genesis and I really enjoy it. It's an incredible conversation piece.
Oh man, I've been waiting for this one Mel! Count me in the camp that hates the Saturn version however, I remember how excited I was unwrapping it from EB, then that feeling went to negativity once I experienced the game play. 32X all day, baby!
Honestly seeing the Genesis just playing the game is impressive.
I absolutely love Virtua Racing and find the whole era of early 3D games fascinating, so I know a ridiculous amount about this gsme. I love this video and it’s epic you made it! The more videos about this forgotten classic the better. I thought I’d post a few fun facts here that most people don’t know:
1. The reason why Virtua Racing looks so dithered and lacking in colour on the Mega Drive is because the SVP blasts the 3D polygon data into a single background layer, this means that the 3D graphics are limited to a single 16 colour palette. Using 2 layers and rendering the polygons separately would’ve increased the risk of de-syncs unfortunately so they were stuck with 16 colours. It runs at a reduced resolution from the usual 320x224 and runs at 15fps, and the split screen mode doesn’t lose much framerate.
2. The 32x port runs at an increased resolution but still under 320x224, and runs at 20fps. It’s very playable. The maps from there were going to be included in the Switch port, but they were in a weird format and the developers didn’t have the time or budget to make it work, although they did include a song from the 32x port.
3. Back in the day very rich arcade owners could buy a second model 1 and set it up as a display screen networked into the main cabinet, giving people in the queue something to watch. It displayed cinematic cameras and had a virtual commentator, Virt McPolygon, who you also see in the switch port. This luxury would cost about $10,000 IIRC so these were less common. These display units only had 4:3 screens, however a deluxe cabinet could be set to 16:9 mode and configured as a live monitor, so the cinematic camera screen needed 16:9 support, which could be useful for people building MAME cabinets today.
4. Virtua Racing is one of the few games that has it’s network board emulated by MAME, which means you can run several instances of the emulator and link them together, meaning you can play basically arcade-perfect 2-player in MAME cabs or on PC, and you can even link a machine and set it to Live mode to see Virt McPolygon’s commentary. This isn’t just local either, with enough faff you can link 2 separate PCs together for the ultimate experience.
10/10 episode for Sega lord X. Gamer's these day have no idea how important Sega was to the entire industry, from console's to PC's, GPU assisted hardware for games really kicked off when Sega got involved.
I will go with the 32X version. I remember playing that one as well as the arcade version.
And I tend to agree as to what you said about the non-preservation of games that were made by their own company. That is why it is up to us to do the job to preserve those great old games for the modern audiences to see and for us to relive those great 90s arcade times.
I bought the Switch version in 2019 and I am still playing it. This is the best version out there! I like it more than Daytona now but the difficulty will drive you crazy! No pun intended...
I picked up the Genesis version last year - it's a very impressive conversion and is still fun to play to this day.
I'm a Nintendo fan.. it started at the NES days but when the Megadrive came out I bought and cherished that over the SNES I now have a Wii U and switch so I've come full circle but Sega will always have a place in my heart until the end 🙏🏽😁👍🏾🤘🏾
Great video! The last part where you spoke about Sega’s legacy was particularly good. I’ve often wished that another company would buy Sega out and finally open the vault sitting atop the mountain of IP they’re sitting on.
I only saw a full configuration once in my life. It was glorious.
Never stop doing your videos Sega Lord X. 🔥🔥🔥👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
The Sega Ages Port on Switch is sublime.
Marvelous.
@Werewolf Trax that is... VERY peculiar, because I just looked up the game in-store and it was readily available there. Could it have been archived without your knowledge, and needs to be redownloaded? Becaude I find no news that it should have been delisted.
Time Warner Interactive's V.R. Virtua Racing is a lot more understandable when you realise that Sega _refused_ to give Time Warner *ANY* of the source code to the arcade or even the Mega Drive or 32X releases. All they were given was an arcade cabinet and told to figure it out from there, so they had to rebuild the game from scratch by recording video of the screen and attempting to match the feel of the game.
Yep which was a shame as the driving is a fair bit different but it has good content and features, I have the Saturn disc and prefer the 32X version as far as handling goes.
The M2 version for the Switch had a patch that allowed you to adjust the "gamma" which allows you to dial it in to look exactly like the Arcade version. It's a perfect+ port now. Playing on YuZu (Switch emulator) on PC is 100% the best way to play it. You can run it up to 8K @60fps and it's gorgeous! At that resolution even the dithered shadows look like transparencies now. Very slick indeed.
Good. Colors was a major problem in Switch version for me
Same, I'm not happy about the coulor choice on the Switch version.
Even today - some 30 years later - the game is still eye catching. Simply timeless
And I for one LOVE the PS2 port.
Sega lord x the legend himself, this channels gonna have as much if not more of an impact than these games had if videos keep coming out consistently
Love this comparison. Would love to play a Virtua Racing 2 someday
Another great video by the great SLX! Thank you for this. My only times playing this was on the Genesis and the Saturn I don’t think I had the opportunity to play it in the arcade.
We wouldn't even know about the final secret car from the Saturn port if the youtuber Pandamonium didn't interview one of the devs for his review of the game a year ago.
Your content is amazing, as it has always been, but now I'm kinda paying more attention to the spoken part of the video, the text itself: you sir seem to put a lot a effort into that, and allow me to tell you that it is absolutely magnificent. thank you for being such a passionate researcher and writer.
I appreciate your kindness. Thank you.
Played the arcade original in the f1 cabinet with the engine sound speaker behind the head. Felt really emmersive for the time. Later bought the mega drive version (I live in Europe) and had a blast setting laptimes with my father and uncle. Finally got the deluxe version for the 32X, played it a bit, but didn't engage as much. The split screen multi-player was decent, but the graphics were heavily compromised for it, making it hard to understand where to go if you were new to it. V.R. Keeps a place in my heart as the first really emmersive racing experience I had. Thanks for bringing me back to that place! Keep up the great work!
Around 1992 I worked at a top arcade during the height of Vitua Racing and we had the tricked out fully decked Sega Virtua Racing cabinets. It was an experience just to step into the game as it was a F1 racing car cabinet. You felt like you were sitting in a F1 car and the speakers were top notch.When you set the display mode to driver view, it was the closest feeling I remember to actual racing. It was priced at $2 a game, which was very expensive at the time (most games were 25 to 50 cents). But many people played and it attracted a big crowd when somebody good played.
Awesome video! Great job SegaLX!
I have great memories playing this in arcades back in high school with friends, fun game
I enjoyed this video because i do remember seeing VR in the arcade the first time and being in awe of the game! It was extraordinary! It felt so new and different, just like Virtua Fighter. The 3D gameplay was otherworldly... I wish we couldve gotten AM model 1, 2 and 3 games at home in perfect translations...
Eventually, we'll have rereleases of all the 90's and early 00's arcade, console exclusives and the likes. The future of the gaming industry is to make available what it can, much like music and video, it may take time, but it will happen.
Highly unlikely, why would they rerelease games that were unsuccessful in the first place?!
SLX, excellent video - the arcade version of this game was spectacular for the time.
I wish we could get a HD version of Star Wars Arcade(32x or arcade or hybrid)
Bless you man, got this vid as a suggestion, game was on sale at the time for the M2 switch port for a few pennies (or free if you have some switch points to spare) !
30 year arcade tech here and playing in arcades since the 70s and still today. I know I have some video somewhere of our local Putt Putt when they had this game and a bunch of us playing it. We were all about it and Street Fighter 2 Turbo of course. Our location had the 4 player version, and it had the Commentary monitor that showed the results on top while the players raced. We being regulars the owner would let us stay after closing, and we found out there was a 50 lap mode for the regular track.
Just thought I'd mention Virtua Racing is one of the confirmed titles for the Sega Genesis 2 (Megadrive 2) mini!
Great vid and I still think the 32x shines the best for its extra stages and cars, especially Highland which seems based on Estes Park, Colorado, with the Rockies glowing in the background. :)
(So I think it's the best content, regardless of the Switch version having the best upgraded quality graphics, there's no Highland, baby!!)
Also this video's great visual content, mainly showing all the diff. versions, makes this vid great to replay, it's a lot of great graphics to enjoy.
I've said it before and I'll say it AGAIN...the back catalog of SEGA would/could be a Gold mine....if,well WE all know SEGA!! Great Vid SLX, I feel your pain bro.
Great Job , Reminded me of the videos by Retrocore. More Battle of the Ports.
Ive said it before! SEGA KNEW how to make some hardware!!
I have the megadrive, saturn & Switch versions. I love this game !
This game had some stout force feedback in the arcade. My little kid self had a hard time with it.
Yeesh, Mega Drive version was £80 in the UK and I remember thinking no way at the time. Get this or two games that would go for longer, no brainer for me.
thank you Lord for this great video
I remember a friend of my dads back then had a great Genesis collection and being told VR was $100 blew my 6 year old mind.
I can play this game over and over again on 32x... The graphic and gameplay , is so amazing!
I would have loved a Sega Ages of Virtua Fighter. I remember the first time I played Virtua Racing. I went to a virtual reality experience at some mall. While waiting to get in and play the VR games, they had stuff like Virtua Racing for you to drop some bills into.
I was able to find Virtua Racing Deluxe for free at the town dump a week or two ago. There's a little area where people can leave things for others to take; it's a common thing in northern New England. And I guess someone in this small town of about 7,000 left their old Sega games there (NBA Jam for Sega CD and the aforementioned 32x game). No add-ons though, which would've been appreciated given the ridiculous prices those go for now.
When it comes to the home console versions, 32X and Switch are the best ones.
32x>Saturn>PS2>Switch. The saturn version is much much better than the 32x
@@johnjames7332 The Saturn version is the worst? It doesn't play like the game at all.
I hope that Sega realize the potential, of their IP´s and bring them back to modern consoles.
It´s sad not having a sequel to Shinobi, Shadow Dancer, Crazy Taxi 3, Jet Set Radio Future, Sega Rally and the list goes on.
They have so much good licences, too bad they aren't even able to exploit them properly.
What, listening to the soundtest in the Mega Drive port wasn't enough extra content for you? 😛 I spent ages listening to it.
I'm glad you're a fan of Saturn VR.
Awesome video as usual, man.
Excellent video!
VIRRRRRRRRRRCHA RAYCEN!
Ah, man, I'm a bit sad that your coverage of the Switch version still doesn't include the gamma slider. It was patched in but nearly all videos about the port either don't know it exists, or reviewed it right at launch before it did. The game is gorgeous on Switch now.
They definitely hit the nail in the coffin with a switch exclusive they should’ve made it multi platform. I think a lot of people would’ve bought it
I wrote to M2 asking them to add a mirror mode to the tracks. From 3 to 6 with almost zero programming. I never got an answer. Should we make an alliance here? And while we're at it, a time trial mode would do wonders (again, very little programming involved).
Also, the colors on Switch are fixed, someone mentioned it below, making this version objectively better than the arcade, how incredible (unless the lower res and FPS is part of the charm to you of course).
I can totally relate: VR arcade made me dream as much as you as a kid, and it's when I saw its port on Switch that I decided to buy one. Worth every penny :)
Man, I think sega should have you on the pay role, I grew up on the Atari drop out of video games until the PS 1 (still have it, bought it '95 so it has all the goodies) but after watching your videos, I take notes and am ready to start my genesis collection. Thank you!
Your assessment of stagnating game IP is spot on. So many treasures out there.
Great video! I've always loved Virtua Racing but because it only has three tracks I've been obsessed with playing through the different ports, mainly as most offer new tracks too. Would have loved to see more tracks in the Switch port although credit to M2 the increase in resolution and frame rate really makes that version shine and is better than the Arcade original.
I have a RUclips friend from Australia who used a piece of music from the Virtua Racing game for some of his video.
I think those videos were called The Vlog Files.
his username is Last Gamer.
Love these videos always a pleasure to watch I appreciate all the hard work you put in for entertaining us thank you .👍 im a 16 bit sega guy and pc engine fanatic
At 1994, I was really impressed playing the Genesis version in a 29" CRT.
Virtua Racing in the local arcade ate many of my quarters:_))) / thanks for the video.
Same video idea, but...Virtua Cop? 🤔🤩
definitely loved the saturn version of virtua racing! also did play a race or two of the SEGA AGES 2500 version. definitely picked up the switch conversion of virtua racing, I did enjoy it although I personally prefer SEGA's other racers, daytona/outrun/Initial D/SCUD Race but I do appreciate how technically impressive virtua racing's AGES port was.
This game and Star Wars Arcade were the reason I bought a 32X when it came out. Still a great game. Nice comparison, thanks!
Great video!
I do find it odd that while I have no interest in modern driving games, Daytona USA followed by Virtua Racing are my favourite arcade games of all time. I think it's down to the presentation - the audio in particular gets you pumped for that whole arcade experience. I really wish Sega would release a collection of arcade racing ports; imagine Daytona 1+2, VR, Scud Race and Touring Car in one collection. As long as they didn't butcher the controls like Banana Mania (still sour...!)
15:13 As a fan of multiple Sega series, this statement hurts so badly because it's so true.
When we were kids with friends after school, we often played Virtua Racing on the Mega Drive. It was very interesting to play split screen.
Several times in the same year (1995) I played arcade machines.
Played on 32X. Was in my collection and on the Sega Saturn. I really liked the PS2 version. Now with great pleasure I periodically play on the Nintendo Switch.
The game is an era.
And more importantly, a good game.
I remember I had been playing Microprose Grand Prix a year before VIrtua Racing was released. However, I vaguely remember being in awe of the ability to change camera whilst driving.
I had the 32X version back sometime in junior high/high school. I remember wanting a true 3D experience so badly that I fashioned a homemade cardboard "headset" to my old Commodore 64 monitor. Ridiculous looking back, as you had to stay seated and hunched over. But I was bent on experiencing the future. Spoiler: I didn't.
Still, Virtua Racing on the 32X was the height of excellence back then in my book. Awesome video, X. Another banger.
I have very fond memories of this game and virtua fighter in the arcades in the early to mid 90s....
I love this game. All the ports are unique for sure. Here is my favorites in order from least to my favorite.
6. Genesis
5. Saturn
4. Playstation 2
3. Switch
2. 32X (I love this port)
1. Arcade
Great video! One can only hope that some Sega exec gets to watch the end bit for this video & gets inspired to do the right thing.
I always like watching the credits of VR, the character animations are so funny. AM2 really improved on that with Virtua Fighter in 1993 😅
The granddad of Sega 3d racers
Been playing the MD version and 32X version on my MD mini. I should give the Saturn, PS2 and Switch versions a go! Thanks for the video!
Great video as usual!! I really love Virtua Racing. How about a review of Ayrton Senna Super Monaco GP2?
@Dances Rainy Streets I will check it, thanks
Wow I’m honestly really impressed about that frame-rate boost on the 32x version I knew the 32x was good but I never knew it was that good also the colors are way better then the genesis version the 32x version looks brighter than the genesis version
I still play Virtua Racing regularly. I alternate between all the different versions and will usually play two of the ports back to back. The 32x and Switch versions are my favorite. The Genesis version is the one I play the most just because it still blows me away to this day that the Genesis got a port of VR that played as excellent as it does
6:53 why didn't you use camera C for comparison that Arcade used? You zoomed Genesis out. SHOULD HAD CAMERA like 32X 8:23
I got the Switch version in a sale for £2 a few days ago. Imagine what M2 could do with Scud Race/Super GT... God damnit Sega
17:05 To be fair, there's probably more Nintendo Switch owners who don't have a PS4 or Xbox One than there are PS4/Xbox One owners who don't have a Switch.
Yeah when you look at the switch install base size they aren't really losing many customers.
VR on switch handles like the arcade game, you really need to use the analog steering option as full steering lock doesn't turn you as much as an 80% lock, they simulate tire slip and that's amazing for such an old arcade racer.
VR Racing on the Nomad is one the greatest things I've ever played.
I loved the SEGA Ages 2500 version on PS2. The Switch version to me is a 1:1 home conversion despite the color issues.
Totally agreed on the Genesis, 32X, & Saturn ports.