Technical information

Sega Saturn Software Development Standards, SOA version 2.0 18
8.2.4 Sega Saturn Input Peripheral Software Development
Standards
This document contains standards for developing Sega Saturn
software applications that support Sega Saturn input peripheral
devices such as the standard Sega Saturn Control Pad, 6Player, and
the Mouse. The basic terms as well as concepts used in this
document are based on the Sega Saturn Software Development
Standards.
Important! Note that the standards contained in this document do not address
current and future Sega Saturn peripherals such as the Backup RAM
Cartridge (available now), Floppy Disk Drive (TBA), and Keyboard
(TBA). The operating procedure of “hot-plugging” peripherals to the
Saturn discussed in this document DO NOT apply to these
peripherals.
In addition to this document, refer to sections 1. Game Sequence, 2.
Peripheral Check, and 8.2 Control Pad and Button Settings in the
Sega Saturn Software Development Standards for more information
regarding Sega Saturn input peripheral support.
Note that the information provided in this document represents only
a minimum set of development guidelines. This document is not
meant to be a comprehensive guide to dealing with all modes of
player interaction with Sega Saturn software applications using Sega
Saturn input peripherals. It is ultimately the responsibility of all
application developers to carefully implement support for
peripherals in their products.
Important! It is crucial that the support for peripherals in the Sega Saturn
application be implemented in a user-friendly manner whenever
possible. More importantly, SOFTWARE MUST NEVER BE
ALLOWED TO CRASH.
As a general rule, users typically focus on the user interface ease-of-
use as an evaluation criteria when purchasing software. The
implementation of an input peripheral user interface can have a
critical impact on the commercial value of a product. Always bear
this factor in mind during the design of a peripheral user interface.