Unlike Mega Drive region converters, it is usually easier for Saturn region converters to enable playing of games from all regions at once, rather than unlocking one specific region. But before the Action Replay Plus became the de facto accessory for Saturn collectors, consumers had to make do with a basic region converter, which offered no additional features. Converters come in all shapes and sizes, most notably the Action Replay Plus, which bypasses region locking as well as offering storage space and cheat facilities. there is no need to swap cartridges and discs to play games (unlike later consoles such as the Sega Dreamcast). The majority of converters start working as soon as the console is swiched on, i.e.
Saturn region converters are cartridges which plug into the Saturn's cartridge slot. Thus, in order to play the plethora of Japanese releases, to play American games in Europe, or vice-versa of either scenario, one requires a region converter. Various factors led to the Saturn being under-supported in the West. The Sega Saturn is region-locked, meaning that games can only be played on hardware from the same region.
