Dreamcast (1999)
The head of Sega of America asked the head of Sega Japan to hurry up with the successor to the Sega Saturn. This was due to bad sales of the Saturn in the US and Europe. This angered many third party developers in Japan and led to EA deciding never to make a game for a Sega console ever again. EA’s decision to stop making games for Sega consoles was because they lost a lot of money developing games for the Saturn which was only supported for about 2 years in the US. Sega’s new president Shoichiro Irimajiri decided to hire an outsider called Tatsuo Yamamoto from IBM Austin to design the Dreamcast. This was due to Hideki Sato not wanting to relinquish control in the hardware department. This resulted in two different groups working on two different designs. The Japanese group was led by Hideki Sato and the US group was led by Tatsuo Yamamoto. The Japanese group chose a Hitachi SH4 processor with a Power VR graphics processor developed by VideoLogic, now Imagination Technologies and manufactured by NEC. The Japanese prototype boards were called “Guppy” and later “Katana”. The US group also used a Hitachi SH4 processor but used a 3dfx Voodoo 2 graphics processor for the graphics. The US group’s boards were called “Shark” and later “Dural”. In April 1997 3dfx revealed every detail of the contract with Sega when it released its IPO (Initial Public Offering). Sega had been keeping development of its next generation console secret and were supposedly furious when 3dfx released its IPO. Due to 3dfx’s IPO it was decided that the Japanese “Katana” project would become Sega’s next generation console. The Katana was later renamed the Dreamcast. The Dreamcast sold over a million units on launch day. Sony announced the PlayStation 2 shortly after the release of the Dreamcast to try and steal attention from Sega. This announcement failed to interest the public. The Dreamcast’s huge sales only lasted for about a year. When the PS2 was released many people chose it over the Dreamcast because the PS2 could play DVD videos and the Dreamcast couldn’t. The Dreamcast’s poor sales resulted in price drops as low as $20 or £15 even these very low price drops didn’t help sales because people thought is was to cheap to be any good. Although the Dreamcast was discontinued in 2001 Sega’s last game developed for the system was in 2004 with the most recent title being released in March 2007(may not be accurate anymore). The Sega Net was an online gaming service in the US. Sega Net was called Dream Arena in Europe and was and still is really popular. Many people still use the Dreamcast as their main gaming system as many companies still support it. Sega still sell Dreamcast systems from their online store Sega Direct of Japan. Dreamcasts bought from Sega Direct of Japan are refurbished units. The Dreamcast deal available at Sega Direct of Japan consists of one refurbished Dreamcast unit with controller, a mobile phone card and the game Radilgy. When the Dreancast came out it was considered ahead of its time. Even today the Dreamcast is still an impressive piece of kit for any gamer who is a fan of Sega consoles.
Technical specs
CPU – 128 Bit Hitachi SH4
Clock Speed – 200MHz
RAM – 16 MB
VRAM – 8 MB
Audio RAM – 2 MB
Flash RAM – 128 KB
Modem – 56 KB
Accessories
Official Arcade Joystick
The Official Arcade Joystick is perfect for those brilliant beat em up games. The Arcade Joystick is very sturdy and will withstand a high amount of force. This is perfect for someone who likes to exert a lot of force on the joypad but worries they might break it.
Official Keyboard
The keyboard is an essential piece of kit when using the bundled web browser. It is perfect for someone who hates fiddling with the control pad to enter a web address. The best part is it comes bundled in the box. It is also crucial for parts of certain games.
Official Mouse
The mouse is an essential piece of kit when using the bundled web browser. It is most useful for clicking on a link without waiting a while to move the cursor with the joypad.
Official Vibration pack
The vibration pack is essential for the gamer who wish’s to feel the controller vibrate to the action of a game. It slots into the controller behind where the VMU goes and runs on a small watch type battery.
Official Fishing Rod
The Fishing Rod is brilliant for the gamer who loves to fish. You can swing the rod forward and watch the line fly out into the river. When you think you’ve got a fish you can reel it in with the built in reel on the controller. This is an essential piece of kit for the fishing fan.
Official Gun
The Gun is excellent for shooting games because you can point it at the screen and aim with the cursor and when you think you’ve got a clear shot pull that trigger! It is also compatible with the VMU and Vibration Pack to make your gaming experience that bit better.
Visual Memory Unit (VMU)
The VMU is essential for saving games. It also doubles as a mini handheld gaming system thanks to the LCD screen on the front. Certain games like Sonic Adventure have mini games to download to your VMU to play on the move. The controllers design allows you to see the VMU’s screen while playing a game. The VMU might even display hints and tips in the middle of a game!
Also compatible with: