SuperSega FPGA ‘ultimate Sega console’ project dies after trademark fight, dubious demos, and angry backers
In an expected turn of events, the saga of the SuperSega vaporwave has finally reached its conclusion. Spanish engineer Alejandro Martin has announced the “official death” of the SuperSega Project, an ambitious FPGA-based console hailed as the ultimate Sega all-in-one machine.
The project was finally wound down after nearly two years of hype, glaring red flags, and unfulfilled pledges totalling over $156,000. A product that possibly never existed to begin with has now been cancelled.
Alejandro Martin kick-started the project in June 2024 and presented SuperSega as a revolutionary emulation system harnessing the power of Xilinx UltraScale+ FPGA technology. This tech would allow gamers to natively replicate Sega’s hardware heyday consoles, including the Sega 8-bit Master System, the Sega Mega Drive, the Sega Saturn, and the Sega Dreamcast.
Contrary to the hiccups and artifacting observed on many emulators, the FPGA promised backers pixel-perfect accuracy, no latency issues, and flawless compatibility. It seemed too good to be true, considering no consumer FPGA had been capable of offering such widespread compatibility.
Martin pitched the device as a retro fan's dream, positioning it as “a single device to play the company’s entire hardware history.” The SuperSega was priced at €299 for pre-orders. Everything seemed to be going well until Sega raised trademark concerns over the Super Sega branding. Coincidentally, Martin’s prior track record also came to light.
Previously, Martin launched a separate crowdfunding campaign for the Cinimartin 8K camera. The crowdfunded project declared bankruptcy, and none of the backers received their promised device.
Martin faced significant criticism as early as 2024. He uploaded prototype videos of the FPGA hidden under a suspiciously massive heatsink. Eagle-eyed experts noticed that the PCBs were incomplete. The gameplay audio glitched, and the purported “FPGA” gaming seemed suspiciously similar to software emulation on a PC.
Rival retro company Analogue criticized Martin, but he dismissed them as thieves while flaunting a Lamborghini Gallardo and asking for more funding in a November post.
Backers who pledged $3 were suspiciously charged for the full price. Future demos were a significant downgrade, with games crashing, no audio, and a child on camera stating that the SuperSega “sucked.”
Martin was arguably in trouble when Sega approached the Spanish IP firm Cuatrecasas and demanded that the SuperSega name be abandoned and that prototypes be destroyed.
After excuses ranging from hospitalization issues to negotiations with Sega and selling his Lambo to refund contested backers, Martin announced SuperSega’s death in an email to Time Extension, stating, “There will be no more videos, no more news unless resurrected, which is almost impossible.”
While Martin’s SuperSega crowdfunding exploits have come to an end, many backers are still waiting on refunds.
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