
Always wanted a Japanese Saturn, saw one for $50 shipped. Came with 5 Ram carts, 1 controller & hookups. Plus them nice little R4 devices for another $25.
Love my JP Saturn. Best system ever if you are into shmups and Fighters. Also the JP versions of almost all games is cheaper that the US versions. I have so many JP games instead of US ones due to the cheapness.
Plus, some Japanese games are quite different from their American versions. For instance, The Japanese version of Fighting Vipers has a secret character called "Pepsiman" (based on the soft drink) that's not in the American version. I can understand that Sega of America probably didn't have the license for that name, but they could have changed the name and left him in the game instead of removing the character completely and not replacing it with anything.
Also, the Japanese version of Daytona USA Circuit Edition has the music from the original Daytona USA in addition to the remixes, and adds the option to race at different times of day, including night racing.
You're right about Japanese games being much cheaper. I also think the Japanese CD packaging is more attractive than the U.S. longboxes, and I've always liked the Japanese "Sega Saturn" lettering (on the game cases & discs) better than the American.