When Sega decided to release the Virtua Processor (SVP) chip for its Mega Drive/Genesis cartridges in response to Nintendo’s success with the Super FX chip in Star Fox, it aimed to bring fast and convincing 3D visuals. However, the high cost of production became evident when only a single game utilized this technology: the Mega Drive/Genesis port of Virtua Racing.
Developer Hideki Sato noted that producing a cartridge with an SVP could cost up to $62 in modern money, compared to a typical mid-1990s video game price range of $40-$60. This high production cost meant that Sega did not profit significantly from the Virtua Racing release. A Sega PR representative even hinted at pricing it as high as $80 in Japan, which was nearly the price of the console itself at the time.
The SVP chip itself was a 128kbit RAM-powered Digital Signal Processor (DSP) that would only find its place in Virtua Racing.
How much would you have been willing to pay for a Virtua Racing cartridge at launch if it offered significant improvements over standard Mega Drive/Genesis games?
The big surprise to me here is that you could apparently buy a whole console for the price of two games, that’s not how I remember it!