If Nintendo, Sega, and Sony disappeared in 1995 who would win the 90s console war

[Andykin Skysk8r | 49]

Turbografx would start out on top but I think 3DO would take over once their prices dropped. Other contenders would be the Atari Jaguar, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD, Amiga CD32, Apple Pippin, PC-FX, CDi, FM Towns Marty.

[Strange | 1,701]

I think NEC, Atari, and 3DO are the only ones with the necessary combination of know-how and hardware/software to emerge if the big three were gone.

Atari has the experience and the brand recognition, but they would either have to clean up the Jaguar’s act or put out something to really restore consumer confidence.

The Turbo has a cool library, I think without the big three outshining them they could really make some noise if they are able get their brand out there in peoples’ minds.

3DO for the reason you mentioned but also not everything in that library is garbage.

[Hammerfestus | 3,886]

I don’t think any of the leftovers could’ve carried the load.  Probably would’ve seen a steep decline in the industry if not the death of the home console.  PC gaming’s mass appeal probably would’ve benefited as it became the only place to video game.  

[Estil | 1,265]

Nobody really.  The TG-16 had already looooong since been retired by 1995...or perhaps even 1993.

[RH | 4,972]

Microsoft.

[Gloves | 11,839]

15 minutes ago, RH said:

Microsoft.

Ding ding ding.

[Tanooki | 4,952]

Speaking in the tunnel vision of the NA market.

NEC would have had a larger if not largest(but not blow out) chunk, and then it would have been Atari in there and after that, really, it would be either SNK and/or the 3DO company.

With Nintendo+Sega out, we can still look at the problems of what is on that list of things.  SNK and 3DO priced themselves out of the market badly, despite having compelling games, one being repinned arcade games at home(SNK), the other just fantastic arcade pc etc ports(3DO.)

I think looking through the years though, both of them could have held on as the 3rd if not 4th system because Nintendo and Sega wouldn't have been around to grind up most the market, and we can't argue for Sony because them trying to rob Nintendo got them into being vindictive taking their project and upgrading that to the PSX.  MS is a wildcard, maybe they'd have cared, maybe stayed at home on Windows since they control it anyway.

NEC in Japan stomped the crap out of not just Sega but even hurt Nintendo notably enough gobbling up some good famicom percentage of the market taking first place!  With the Famicom and Sega gone, they'd have been unimpeded until someone would have paid to import in and rebrand the Atari systems and the rest from the US as they did.  Being video game xenophobic like mad then, and still even now, NEC would have been rolling in it as the leader.  They I think would have been in a better place to not have utter garbage running the US market and the attempted sputtering failure of trying europe too.  They pioneered some great stuff and firsts too for home between their pseudo 16 bit setup to #1 with the CD drive.  Given who backed them, all those Nintendo licensees would have gone all out on there instead, they'd have had a real death grip of control.

Atari then would be the MS of the 2000s but in the 80s and 90s forward being the American entity that at a fair price point could rock it out, and into other non-asian markets fairly easy too.  They'd have picked up most the western developers for home games that did end up going to where we know they did now.  I know I'm writing less, but they're well known outside Japan and where they went wrong, but wouldn't have in this case not being driven mad by Nintendo and Sega making them look more awful than they were so people would have just been fine with it, bought in, and had fun.

SNK/3DO -- I think similar fate would have happened, but not so fatal.  They'd have held on.  (SNK) Neo would have probably gone with a better CD upgrade for home, a system with enough CD spin speed and memory to really crack out some awesome arcade copies for home but also far more new games, licensees included.  They'd still likely have brought that NGPC to market and we saw they had good mind to get third parties on that, so I think the CD would have held on, get a real upgrade (like the PS to PS2 quality boost) but again paralleling their arcade developments too and done nice.  But without the CD aspect it would have been costly, with it, still more than the others but not horrible.  3DO it's hard to argue either way, but they priced themselves out, and maybe they'd not have done as such, they got some good unique games too like Atari(Jag and before) did, but they didn't hang on long enough to get a good feel.

[cj_robot | 546]

I guess it depends on what exactly this scenario is. Like, they disappear in 1995, meaning there's no Saturn, PS1 and N64? But the Genesis and Super NES still exist? If that's the case, then I honestly think those 16-bit consoles just keep on going. I seriously doubt that the 3DO or Jaguar would ever have been able to make it. The consoles just weren't quite advanced enough to handle the kinds of games that the big boys (Capcom, Konami, EA, etc.) were wanting to put out in the next generation. Yes, obviously they were more powerful than the 16-bit consoles, but you were still getting way better experiences out of those old beasts than you were from the 3DO and Jaguar. Hell, those two were competing directly with the 16-bit machines for 2 whole years before Saturn and PS1 showed up, and didn't manage to make even a tiny dent in the market share. I think people just keep playing their SNES's and switch more to PC gaming until some other big player shows up and delivers a real next-gen console.

[Andykin Skysk8r | 49]

13 hours ago, cj_robot said:

I guess it depends on what exactly this scenario is. Like, they disappear in 1995, meaning there's no Saturn, PS1 and N64? But the Genesis and Super NES still exist? If that's the case, then I honestly think those 16-bit consoles just keep on going. I seriously doubt that the 3DO or Jaguar would ever have been able to make it. The consoles just weren't quite advanced enough to handle the kinds of games that the big boys (Capcom, Konami, EA, etc.) were wanting to put out in the next generation. Yes, obviously they were more powerful than the 16-bit consoles, but you were still getting way better experiences out of those old beasts than you were from the 3DO and Jaguar. Hell, those two were competing directly with the 16-bit machines for 2 whole years before Saturn and PS1 showed up, and didn't manage to make even a tiny dent in the market share. I think people just keep playing their SNES's and switch more to PC gaming until some other big player shows up and delivers a real next-gen console.

Another thing to consider is 3DO was 650 dollars when it was losing to the SNES, but a few years later they got their manufacturing figured out and were selling them for 200. I wonder how many have SNES fans this could have lured over through the late 90s, though I agree with you probably PC gaming would be the biggest winner.

[Andykin Skysk8r | 49]

15 hours ago, Tanooki said:

Speaking in the tunnel vision of the NA market.

NEC would have had a larger if not largest(but not blow out) chunk, and then it would have been Atari in there and after that, really, it would be either SNK and/or the 3DO company.

With Nintendo+Sega out, we can still look at the problems of what is on that list of things.  SNK and 3DO priced themselves out of the market badly, despite having compelling games, one being repinned arcade games at home(SNK), the other just fantastic arcade pc etc ports(3DO.)

I think looking through the years though, both of them could have held on as the 3rd if not 4th system because Nintendo and Sega wouldn't have been around to grind up most the market, and we can't argue for Sony because them trying to rob Nintendo got them into being vindictive taking their project and upgrading that to the PSX.  MS is a wildcard, maybe they'd have cared, maybe stayed at home on Windows since they control it anyway.

NEC in Japan stomped the crap out of not just Sega but even hurt Nintendo notably enough gobbling up some good famicom percentage of the market taking first place!  With the Famicom and Sega gone, they'd have been unimpeded until someone would have paid to import in and rebrand the Atari systems and the rest from the US as they did.  Being video game xenophobic like mad then, and still even now, NEC would have been rolling in it as the leader.  They I think would have been in a better place to not have utter garbage running the US market and the attempted sputtering failure of trying europe too.  They pioneered some great stuff and firsts too for home between their pseudo 16 bit setup to #1 with the CD drive.  Given who backed them, all those Nintendo licensees would have gone all out on there instead, they'd have had a real death grip of control.

Atari then would be the MS of the 2000s but in the 80s and 90s forward being the American entity that at a fair price point could rock it out, and into other non-asian markets fairly easy too.  They'd have picked up most the western developers for home games that did end up going to where we know they did now.  I know I'm writing less, but they're well known outside Japan and where they went wrong, but wouldn't have in this case not being driven mad by Nintendo and Sega making them look more awful than they were so people would have just been fine with it, bought in, and had fun.

SNK/3DO -- I think similar fate would have happened, but not so fatal.  They'd have held on.  (SNK) Neo would have probably gone with a better CD upgrade for home, a system with enough CD spin speed and memory to really crack out some awesome arcade copies for home but also far more new games, licensees included.  They'd still likely have brought that NGPC to market and we saw they had good mind to get third parties on that, so I think the CD would have held on, get a real upgrade (like the PS to PS2 quality boost) but again paralleling their arcade developments too and done nice.  But without the CD aspect it would have been costly, with it, still more than the others but not horrible.  3DO it's hard to argue either way, but they priced themselves out, and maybe they'd not have done as such, they got some good unique games too like Atari(Jag and before) did, but they didn't hang on long enough to get a good feel.

Now Im imagining the war between the Turbografx-64 and the Atari Xbox lol

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

I'm guessing that the XBOX would overtake the TG-16 as the top video game console and then Microsoft would just run unopposed in the space for the next 15+ years. 

[Brickman | 4,015]

I actually think PC would take over. Microsoft wouldn’t bother making an Xbox and just continue with all their resources into PC gaming. 

[Tanooki | 4,952]

4 hours ago, Shmup said:

I actually think PC would take over. Microsoft wouldn’t bother making an Xbox and just continue with all their resources into PC gaming. 

I'd agree with this over MS taking over.  They're not loved by the majority of gamers, they never have been, never would be even with Nintendo Sega not existing.  There are just haters of the company, and those who reasonably hate their business model, their genre focus, etc who buy the competition because they do things they don't they prefer.  That's how Nintendo and Sony both handle them well as large as MS is, they could just buy their way through so much if they really wanted to throw the kitchen sink with it.  MS would just as you said there, push the PC even harder as they already have that lock, the rest would be wasted resources.

[Strange | 1,701]

I was focusing on the companies mentioned and hadn’t even considered the PC market in the scope of this question but that+Microsoft is the correct answer lol

[phart010 | 1,708]

On 7/2/2021 at 9:29 PM, RH said:

Microsoft.

Didn’t Microsoft collaborate with Sega to develop the Xbox? With no Sega they’d possibly not enter the console market and just focus on PC gaming.. 
 

PC gaming would likely become the mainstream norm. Either that or one of the big developer/publishers like Konami, Namco or Capcom would make their own console. After all, the big Japanese developers make their own arcade hardware, they could just adapt it into a console.

[chuppy44 | 56]

I doubt PC gaming would have ever become mainstream back then. The prices and setup were even more of a barrier than they are now.

Considering Atari, 3D0 and NEC all rushed out their half-baked barely-better-than-SNES hardware to the market right before 1995 I'm not sure they would have been able to get away with launching any more capable hardware soon enough. Maybe NEC could, since PCFX only released in Japan.

Presumably the core of the N64 hardware designed by Silicon Graphics would still have existed so whoever would have picked up that tech in Nintendo's absence may have won I'd imagine.

[Andykin Skysk8r | 49]

On 7/3/2021 at 10:29 PM, phart010 said:

Didn’t Microsoft collaborate with Sega to develop the Xbox? With no Sega they’d possibly not enter the console market and just focus on PC gaming.. 
 

PC gaming would likely become the mainstream norm. Either that or one of the big developer/publishers like Konami, Namco or Capcom would make their own console. After all, the big Japanese developers make their own arcade hardware, they could just adapt it into a console.

Atari was discussing a Jaguar 2 in some interviews so maybe in the alt history we would have the Microsoft Jaguar 2. 

 

Also worth mentioning in this thread that Capcom, Konami, EA, Hudsonsoft and Activision all published games for the 3DO. There was at least potential they could have thrown their weight behind it. 

[WhyNotZoidberg | 586]

On 7/2/2021 at 8:17 PM, Strange said:

I think NEC, Atari, and 3DO are the only ones with the necessary combination of know-how and hardware/software to emerge if the big three were gone.

3DO was founded by Trip Hawkins, co-founder of EA. So if EA hadn't been a thing without Nintendo and SEGA, then 3DO wouldn't have come into existence.

Atari is probably the best bet in this scenario.

On 7/2/2021 at 9:29 PM, RH said:

Microsoft.

Yus.

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

I'd imagine PC would actually have become the master race and the XBOX might never have existed, because PC would be THE gaming platform. 

[asmikace | 68]

Nintendo, Sega and Sony of that period was carrying gaming during that period. Doom did create interest in computer gaming so that would have carried people into PC but a lot of console demographic wouldn't carry over. NEC,3DO, and Atari didn't not connect to the masses and even with the major three out of the picture they wouldn't fill the void. It would take 5 or 6 years for Microsoft to come with the Xbox so it would be interesting if they put out a 32-128 bit console during the later half of the 90s.

[Inzoreno | 102]

In at least North America, I think Atari would be the one to rise to the top, assuming no one else decides to join the fray. They had the name recognition that neither NEC or 3DO had, even if it was a name from almost two decades before. But I think it's easier to believe a parent would pick one of those up for their child just off the name alone. Especially if Atari positioned itself as the cheaper alternative to the expensive 3DO and whatever else was out at the time. Without Sega, Sony or Nintendo, they probably could get a much more impressive library of games than they ended up with. 

[Sumer | 221]

Maybe Atari (but PC gaming would have been even bigger).  Remember, at that time, Atari was being run by the Tramiels...and they were some ornery cusses!  Especially Jack, the patriarch.  BUT, because of Jack Tramiel and the vengeance he wanted to take on Commodore for ousting him, his attentions were divided by the home PC market and video game market, with the PC market probably taking precedence since Jack had that experience from Commodore.  So yeah, interesting "what if..."  Because of that history between Atari and Commodore, we may have to throw Commodore in there as well as being a strong influencer on Jack's ego/thinking/marketing strategy.

All I know, an Atari ST computer is still on my list to obtain somewhere down the line!

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

I agree with some others here and my vote goes to Microsoft. I'm not sure they would have released a console, but I bet they would've found a way to make PC gaming bigger.

My second place vote goes to NEC. I feel like they would have given it one more shot.

Edited July 9, 2021 by DoctorEncore

[fcgamer | 4,753]

Funtech's Super A'can would have won.

[SpoonMan Abrams X | 697]

In the context of the OP, Sony Nintendo and Sega were still around but then "vanished" being bought out or something?

I feel like just naming another console.company as "taking over" wouldn't be sufficient. Unless I'm missing something you'd probably see the likes of Miyamoto and other luminaries in the industry just cropping up elsewhere.

Certainly Atari would've been the go to. Companies like Microsoft or Apple in the US would've probably gotten into game much more and much sooner then they would have. Maybe even companies like Samsung or something elsewhere in the world.