The Video Game Console Library

	Sega Dreamcast
	DW FACTS by Dark Watcher
	Page content, development and design by Marriott_Guy

Developer	Manufacturer	Release Date	Country(s)	Initial Price	Model Number	Game Releases	Overall Rating
Sega	Sega	27-Nov-98	Japan, N America, Europe, Australia	$199 USD	HKT-3020	Approx. 690	N\A
Ratings	Reviews	Pictures\Media	Specs\Manuals	Games\Emulation	Models	Clones	Links

Ratings
Consoles are rated based upon the available technology at the time of its release. Ratings based upon a 10 point scale (10 being excellent\very rare).
Console Design (appearance, functionality)	N\A
Console Durability (sturdy or frail and fragile)	N\A
Controllers (design, response, feel, use)	N\A
Graphics (graphical capability and presentation)	N\A
Audio (sound, music, speech, effects)	N\A
Media (game media format, design, durability)	N\A
Packaging (appeal, durability of packaging)	N\A
Game Library (quality, quantity of game library)	N\A
Innovations (technological industrial strides)	N\A
Gamer Value (good investment for the gamer?)	N\A
Collector Value (good collector investment?)	N\A
Games Rarity (general availability of games)	N\A
Console Rarity (general availability of a system)	N\A

Reviews

Sega Dreamcast - Front

HANDS ON REVIEW

Coming soon...

DW FACTS
- by Dark Watcher

Around March 12th 1997 rumors began to surface about what originally began as a 64-bit upgrade for the Sega Saturn. Eventually news began to leak about Sega's development of a totally new console. By June 1997 it was known that Sega had two different design specs for consideration to become the new console, one code-named 'Black Belt' and the other code-named 'Dural'.

'Black Belt' was being designed by Sega of America. The console would sport an IBM/Motorola PowerPC 603e CPU with 3Dfx Voodoo graphics chipset. As a result of the programming difficulties of the Sega Saturn, Sega of America also approached big time PC developer Microsoft to develop an easy to program operating system for the console (probably where Microsoft took an interest in the console market). Sega of Japan however began developing 'Dural' which would sport a Hitachi SH-4 CPU with PowerVR2 graphics chipset designed by old console rival NEC/Video Logic (maker of the TurboGrafx 16, Turbo Duo and PC-FX). Both designs were brought to the big shots at Sega and compared side by side. It was determined that the 'Dural' design would be used, but would incorporate elements of the 'Black Belt' design. As a result most of the members of the American design team quit the company. 3Dfx then files a breach of contract lawsuit against Sega.

Sega worked with Microsoft, Hitachi, NEC/Video Logic and Yamaha to produce this machine. It was announced to the public as the Sega Katana on September 7th 1997 and would be the first 128-bit console to enter the videogame market. Sega fueled the console's hype by spending $100 million to launch it. Due to the demand for units, the system now called Dreamcast was rescheduled a number of times. The Dreamcast was finally released in Japan on November 27, 1998.

By July 16, 1999, the Dreamcast was outselling the Nintendo 64 by a 3 to 1 ratio. Meanwhile in America, advertising for the Dreamcast was taking place and by August 1999 it had broken many sales records by grossing an estimated 98 million dollars. Europe also saw a successful release on October 14, 1999.

The Dreamcast was an impressive system boasting powerful specs, a simple to program Windows CE operating system and a built in modem for use in internet browsing and online game play. The year long wait from the Japanese release gave 3rd party developers ample time to bring a collection of software titles for the release. After some delays, SegaNet was finally introduced. SegaNet allowed Dreamcast users the ability to play games over the Internet. In January 2000, 30% of Japanese Dreamcast owners were online and by February 17 this had risen to almost 50%. In the US over 300,000 people were using DC's Internet and in Europe over 200,000 were reported. It would seem that Sega had finally corrected the mistakes that plagued them in the past.

Sega Dreamcast - General Even with the success of Dreamcast all was not well in the world of Sega. Sega faced numerous lawsuits from companies such as 3Dfx and were attempting to recover from a failed merger with Japanese company Bandai that occurred in January, 1997. The eventual release of Sony's 128-bit over hyped successor complicated matters with its backwards compatibility and ability to play DVDs (more bang for the buck). The President of Sega Sholchiro Irimajiri steps down and is replaced by Isao Ohkawa. One of Ohkawa's first steps is to issue an ultimatum and 500 million dollars to Sega of America to make the Dreamcast healthy in the U.S. market again. Sega also faced difficulties in a price war with Sony. Sega initially could not afford to lower the price of the console or they would never meet the break-even point due losses from previous console failures. (Console manufacturers actually lose money for each console sold and hope to recap losses by licensing each game released for the console.) With the announcements by Nintendo and Microsoft of new consoles, Sega knew they couldn't hold out.

On January 31, 2001, Sega of America announces a major restructuring. The price the Sega Dreamcast dropped to $99.95 on February 4 and production of new systems ceased on March 31. Sega left behind the hardware business and became a software developer. Sega of Japan followed suit two days later.

The Sega Dreamcast was an amazing console and possibly one of Sega's greatest successes. It opened the gateway to console online gaming and its heart lives on in Sega's NAOMI arcade board. Its a shame that the Dreamcast's success could not save Sega as a hardware company, but its amazing game library lives on in console / PC ports.

FACT: Sega's choice to use a simplistic operating system to run its console was not only a benefit to 3rd party software developers, but also to private programmers around the world. Even after Sega announced they would no longer support the console, the Dreamcast lives on special thanks to these amazing private software authors.

Site's such a DCEmulation are the go to place to find MP3 Players, VCD Players, emulators and even homemade games (such as dRxLax) all capable of running on the good ole Sega Dreamcast. Best of all...these authors do it for free. A special thanks to them.

Pictures & Media

Various pictures for this console. Click pictures to enlarge.

Some optional accessories for the Sega Dreamcast

Official Sega Dreamcast Keyboard

Official Sega Dreamcast VMU

BLAZE MP3 Player
Popular media player for the Dreamcast

Specs & Manuals

For the hardware enthusiasts out there - all the detail you\we love.

Processor Type	Processor Speed	Other Processor Information	RAM \ Video RAM
128-bit Hitachi SH4 CPU	200 MHz \ 360 MIPS \ 1.4 GFLOPS	PowerVR2 CLX2 GPU	16 MB \ 8 MB
Screen Resolution	Color Palette	Polygons \ Sprites	Audio
Up to 640 x 480	16.7 M	3 M polygons\sec	64-Channel Yamaha AICA Sound Processor (32-Bit ARM7 RISC CPU)
Media Format	Media Capacity	Games Released	Other Supported Formats
Proprietary GD-ROM (12x Yamaha)	1.2 GB	Approx. 690	MP3 (via player software)
Internal Storage	External \ Removable Storage	Game Controllers	Other Game \ Peripheral Devices
None	Visual Memory Unit (128 KB) 4X Memory Card (512 KB)	Mutli-function Gamepad with shoulder trigger buttons	Keyboard, Rumble Pack, Mouse, MIDI cable, Microphone, Digital Camera
Controller Ports	Network Ports	Other Ports	Audio \ Video
Four (4)	33.6 kbps Internal Modem (57.6 kbps NA\European models)	None	RF \ Composite \ S-Video (VGA via optional accessory)
Power Supply - Internal	Other Outputs	Other Details \ Notes
AC 100-120V, 50/60Hz, 27W	None	Customized Windows CE operating system with DirectX support
Manuals
Sega Dreamcast Owners Manual (PDF) - 31.4 MB

Games & Emulation

Games, media format, emulators and screen shots for titles released on this system.

Sega Dreamcast - Online Enabled Software for the Sega Dreamcast was distributed on the GD-ROM format, which were packaged in the standard jewel case. Initially the cover art for US titles featured a white, concave side banner, which was subsequently changed to black with an added Dreamcast logo. An example of this change is pictured to the left.

The Dreamcast was also the first mainstream console to include networking capabilities built directly into the hardware. Most games which took advantage of this multiplayer network gaming featured an Online Enabled button image on the front cover. Details on the specific requirements, supported accessories and online features were located on the back of the casing. Examples of Online Enabled games are pictured to the right.

Online access was initially provided through the SegaNet ISP, which was a shirt lived venture. After less than one year of service, SegaNet was shut down and third party suppliers entered the scene.

Sega Dreamcast Game Boxes

Sega Dreamcast game collection

Sega Dreamcast Game Screenshots

18 Wheeler American Pro Trucker

Cannon Spike

Capcom vs. SNK

Carrier

Crazy Taxi

Daytona USA 2001

Dead or Alive 2

Deadly Skies

Giga Wing 2

Grandia 2

Gunbird 2

Hundred Swords

Jet Grind Radio

Mars Matrix

Marvel vs. Capcom 2

NBA 2K2

NFL 2K1

Phantasy Star Online

Rayman 2

Rez

Sega Bass Fishing 2

Skies of Arcadia

Sonic Adventure

SoulCalibur

Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles

Street Fighter 3: Third Strike

Virtua Cop 2

Striker 2

Virtua Tennis

World Series Baseball 2K1

Third Party Emulators
Program	Website	Description
DEmul	http://demul.emulation64.com/	Dreamcast emulator for Windows based systems.

Models

Additional authorized releases for this console.

The Sega Dreamcast had a number of Limited \ Special Editions released, but only had three basic models due to its limited production run. The initial release featured a 33.6 kbps modem, while systems released after September 1999 featured an upgraded 57.6 kbps unit. The disc drives were also altered sometime in early 200 to provide upgraded anti-piracy protection for the system. Most of the variations involve changes in the color of the chassis and packaging.

The original model had a light grey chassis, while later releases featured a myriad of different color combinations (chassis, logo, lighting indicators, etc.), Here are a couple of our favorites.

Dreamcast Toyota

Dreamcast R7

Dreamcast Katana (Dev Unit)

Please visit Sega Retro for other SE \ LE Dreamcast models.

Clones

Non-licensed releases (clones).

By far, the most famous Dreamcast clones is definitely the Treamcast. This system featured a built-in LCD screen and actually had a few different releases due to its popularity. The following picture were obtained via eBay.

If you intend on acquiring one of these units, be prepared to shell out a few bucks. In addition to having been released in multiple colors, accessories are also available for those that are diehard Dreamcast fans. This clone is manufactured in China, yet it runs on standard 110/120 US power. Another plus for this clone is that it is region-free.

If you plan on grabbing a clone for the Dreamcast, or for any system for that matter, the Treamcast is one of the best produced models available.

Links

Highly recommended additional sites\resources for this system.

Name	Website	Description
DCEmulation	http://www.dcemulation.org/	Great site for everything DC including free games!

visitors since 01-Apr-2008
Page last updated 11-Dec-2011

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