Happy Birthday Dreamcast! (56k no no)

[Hellfire]

(pic stolen from BuddyC from NeoGaf)

7 years ago (9/9/99) the world saw the birth of the Sega Dreamcast in Japan, an awesome piece of silicone and plastic with amazing games. It didn't do as well as it deserved, but today, we honor you old friend!

 

Shenmue

Shenmue II

Jet Set Radio

Crazy Taxi

Chu Chu Rocket

Samba de Amigo

Sega GT

Sega Rally 2

Soul Calibur

Space Channel 5

Sonic Adventure

Sonic Adventure 2

Street Fighter Alpha 3

Skies of Arcadia

Phantasy Star Online

Power Stone

Power Stone 2

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2

Rayman 2: The Great Escape

 

There are more great games this baby can handle, these are just the best examples. How I miss playing PSO with some friends and looking for sailors.

Dreamcast, I salute you!

[pedrocasilva]

Happy birthday Dreamcast

 

Who'd say this was SEGA's last console attemp back then... and arguably the most inovative one... Sega went out with a bang, this was the end of a era not only for SEGA who changed radically since then (they still didn't release Shenmue 3) but for all industry.

 

And the culprits are still on the loose.

 

R.I.P. Dreamcast.

[Zell]

Dead but never forgotten, we salute you oh dreamcast!

[Dante]

Happy birthday to Dreamcast!

 

 

 

I never had a Dreamcast.

[The3rdChildren]

A great console killed dead by piracy.

[Mr. Bananagrabber]

Happy birthday best system I ever owned.

[Guest Jordan]

Happy birthday Dreamcast, i love you!

[KKOB]

Happy Birthday sexy :p

[Dante]

A great console killed dead by piracy.

 

A great console killed dead by Sega and Sony.

[Mokong]

7 years?

 

Man i'm starting get amazed at how long ago such things happened, and it's starting to make me feel really old.

 

anyway, Happy Birthday Dreamcast, definatly a console that deserved better

[ViPeR]

I bet if they re-released it it'd get 10x more sales than it did back then.

[Solo]

Ah, I remember purchasing this wonderous machine in the summer of 2001, I saw a bundle for only £99, with Sonic A, Jet Set Radio, Chu Chu Rocket and Power Stone. I was getting a little bored with my N64 and I craved for something with more power, something that could bring home the arcade games I loved so much. I went on to but Sonic A 2 a month later and then on to get all the classics that are mentioned above.

 

I had great times with the DA, may your spirit live on in everyones hearts... or something.

[Dante]

Dreamcast facts;

 

The Dreamcast used a proprietary format called GD-ROM or "GigaDisc" for storing games and software. Sega chose the GD-ROM format for its increased capacity while using inexpensive compact disc technology. All Dreamcast consoles could also play audio compact discs until the introduction of revised GD-ROM drives in 2001 that could not read burned CDs of any kind.

 

Windows CE

 

Microsoft co-operated with Sega in hopes of promoting its Windows CE operating system for video games. Windows CE offered easy porting of existing PC applications, but offered limited capabilities compared to the Dreamcast's native operating system. When developers took advantage of the easy development offered by Windows CE, the resulting games (e.g., Sega Rally 2) lagged in performance and framerate. The only Windows CE application known by most users was the pack-in CD containing a CE-based dialer and web browser.

 

The Dreamcast used the same technology as the Sega NAOMI arcade game hardware platform, therefore NAOMI-based games such as Crazy Taxi were easily ported to the Dreamcast. The Dreamcast, however, had less memory and games were loaded from GD-ROM discs (while some NAOMI games were released on GD-ROM most used ROM boards).

 

Graphics Output

 

The Dreamcast is able to output true 640x480 VGA (480p60 EDTV), which (at the time) set it apart from other consoles. The system, when combined with the VGA adapter accessory, had the ability to display high-res, non-interlaced picture(s).

 

The feature was underused by the public despite the potential for improved video quality with the use of a PC monitor or HDTV set. This was likely due to lack of knowledge on the subject. Also, a few notable games were not compatible with this mode, including certain Capcom fighting games and 2D shoot-'em-up games.

 

Other well known graphic implementations such as cel-shading and bump mapping were first seen on Sega's console. In fact, the first completely cel-shaded animation game was Jet Set Radio (Jet Grind Radio in US), released in 2000 on the Dreamcast.

 

 

Connectivity

 

Much like the successive GameCube, the Dreamcast has the ability to connect to a handheld gaming unit. Using a special cable, with specific games, the Dreamcast could connect with the Neo Geo Pocket. SNK and Capcom took advantage of the connectivity to allow players of Capcom vs SNK and The King of Fighters to trade points between the console and handheld versions of their games.

 

Online

 

Dreamcast consoles came packed with a disc containing web browser software allowing dial-up Internet access. Dream Passport was the Japanese browser, Planetweb was used in America, and DreamKey in Europe. Version 3.0 of Planetweb included broadband capabilities, Java, Flash, and mouse support. In Europe, the final version of DreamKey was 3.0.

 

While Planetweb was a browser created specifically for the US market, Europe's DreamKey was in fact a translated version of the Japanese Dream Passport. It was used on some American game releases (such as Metropolis Street Racer); being called Internet Viewer.

 

The Dreamcast was one of the first home console systems to offer online gameplay with the game ChuChu Rocket! (which was distributed free to Dreamcast owners in Europe). Sega also has the honors of the first online console sports title (Sega Sports NFL 2K1) as well as the first ever online console RPG (Phantasy Star Online). The SegaNet online dial-up service (US$29/month membership) attracted 750,000 subscribers in America alone. About twenty-two games, including Quake III Arena and Phantasy Star Online, supported SegaNet. Other major online games include 4x4 Evolution (first crossplatform online game), Starlancer, and Ferrari F355 Challenge. Although the online features of most commercially-released online-capable Dreamcast games are no longer supported, with the complete shut-down of support in the US, some games are still playable online in Japan. Yet, fans have developed servers for playing Phantasy Star Online and the North American version of Quake III Arena which can still be played online by finding or setting up a server using software and a map pack released by Sega. The games still playable online are Quake III Arena, Starlancer, 4x4 Evolution, Phantasy Star Online, Maximum Pool Online, and Sega Swirl, which still have dozens of players online.

 

In Europe, the online service was known as Dreamarena. This was created and operated for Sega Europe by a partnership between ICL and BT (ICL developed the web sites and software, with BT providing the dial-up capabilities and network infrastructure). The service was free and the game servers hosted within it could not otherwise be accessed from the Internet. Dreamarena ran until the beginning of March 2002. As the DreamKey web browser was customised to only work with Dreamarena, Sega subsequently offered a free replacement version which would allow connection with the user's own Internet service provider.

 

The modem module in the Dreamcast could easily be replaced with a broadband module to allow networked gaming over Ethernet. Phantasy Star Online, Quake III Arena, Unreal Tournament, Outtrigger, Bomberman Online, and POD Speedzone included support for this device. It should be noted, however, that not all of those games supported the Ethernet adapter; the US release of Phantasy Star Online only officially supported dial-up connectivity, however it was possible to use the Japanese version of the game to configure usage of the Ethernet adapter (or, alternatively, another Japanese title that configured the same settings in the system BIOS) and then play the US release of the game with the Ethernet adapter.

 

Models

 

The standard Dreamcast unit is made of white and grey plastic. The power light, like the Dreamcast logo in NTSC regions, is orange (this color was chosen because the Japanese consider it to be lucky). Games were sold in jewel cases which initially had the Dreamcast name and logo on a white background, but later games used a black background (blue in Europe).

 

The unit was packaged with a video cable which supports composite video and right/left stereo audio. Available separately were an S-Video cable, a RF connector (included as standard in the UK and Portugal) and a VGA adapter

 

In the United States, a black Dreamcast was released in limited numbers with a sports pack which included two Sega Sports titles. Electronics Boutique offered a blue Dreamcast through its website. Similar offerings were sold through the Lik-sang website. Cases of different colors like blue, red, orange, and green were sold for replacements of the original casing. In Japan, Sega released many varieties of the system, including limited edition Sonic anniversary editions, and Hello Kitty outfits. The Sega Dreamcast Hello Kitty was released in 2000 in Japan. Due to its limited production, it has become an extremely rare collector's piece. The package contains a keyboard, a controller, a VMU, a mouse, and a Hello Kitty trivia game. The console and accessories are translucent pink in color with some printed designs. The Sega Dreamcast Hello Kitty special edition was also available in a blue with all the same accessories.

 

The Brazilian version, manufactured by Tec Toy under license, was essentially the same as the US version, however its video output was converted to the PAL-M standard and it didn't come with the modem, which was available separately.

 

The Dreamcast in Europe had its spiral logo in blue, similar to the logo on earlier Sega systems. This change in logo is thought to have been for copyright reasons. A German company, Tivola, had been using a similar swirl logo years before Sega branded the Dreamcast with the orange swirl. As well as the VGA mode (again using an adapter), the European Dreamcast supported PAL video, in both 50 Hz and 60 Hz modes. This was a first for games consoles, as no previous PAL console had offered the option to play games at full speed, using the ability of more modern PAL televisions to operate at 60 Hz. This became a feature of all major consoles released since. The 60 Hz option had to be enabled on the game disc, however, but only a small number of games lacked this. Games in Europe were sold in jewel cases exactly twice as thick as their US counterparts, possibly to enable the inclusion of thick instruction booklets containing instructions in multiple languages.

 

A third-party company from China named Treamcast released a portable modified Dreamcast which used the original first party Dreamcast components with a custom made plastic casing. This small system with its fold-down display resembled the later PS One. Many companies included software and a remote with the unit that enabled it to play MP3s and Video CDs. When the internet import videogame store, Lik-Sang, contacted Sega to ask permission to sell a modified version of the system with Sega trademarks on the system, they were told that Sega did not approve of the unit, and felt that it violated their trademarks. In reality, this system is not any different from selling a Dreamcast pre-modified with a third party shell, as the system's internals still use first party hardware, and contain no modifications whatsoever aside from the outside casing and modifications for internal sound and video.

 

Recently, in 2005, the internet import store, Lan-Kwei, has started selling a "Treamcast" portable modified Dreamcast with a 16:9 widescreen LCD. Aside from the cosmetic differences in the case to accommodate the larger screen, there are no differences between the original Treamcast portable modified Dreamcast and the newer widescreen model.

 

Accessories

 

Visual Memory Unit

The Visual Memory Unit, or "VMU", was the Dreamcast's memory card. It had a monochrome LCD screen, a D-Pad, and two gaming buttons. It could play minigames loaded onto it (a Chao game was obtainable in Sonic Adventure, for example). It could also display a list of the saved game data stored on it, and two VMUs could be connected together (end-to-end, needing no other hardware) to exchange data.

 

Standard memory cards could also be purchased without the additional features of the VMU. Most of these were manufactured by third-party companies (such as the Nexus Memory Card), although Sega eventually released a 4X memory card. The 4X cards did not have the VMU screen or stand-alone abilities, but they had four times the space by switching between four 200-block sectors.

 

Controller and Rumble Pack Most Dreamcast games supported a rumble pack ("Jump Pack"), which was sold separately and could be plugged into the controller. In Japan, the Jump Pack was named the "Puru Puru Pack".

 

The Dreamcast controller offered an analog stick, a D-pad, a Start button, four gaming buttons (labeled A, B, X, and Y), and two analog index finger triggers on the underside. It also contained two slots which fit memory cards or the rumble pack; the uppermost one had a window through which the VMU's display could be seen. The Dreamcast controller was somewhat large and a few players found it difficult to hold.

 

VGA Adapter Unique to the Dreamcast among current console gaming systems, it could use a VGA adapter for output to a computer display and HDTV compatible sets (which provided much better quality than a television set).

 

Not all games are compatible with the VGA adapter, but there are work arounds to trick all but a handful of games into working with it.

 

Dreamcast Mouse and Keyboard The Dreamcast supported a mouse as well as a keyboard which was useful when using the included web browser, but was also supported by certain games such as The Typing of the Dead, Quake 3, Phantasy Star Online and Railroad Tycoon 2. Other games such as REZ offer undocumented mouse support.

 

Fishing Rod A motion sensitive fishing rod was released for the few fishing games on the system.

 

Microphone There was a microphone peripheral used for Alien Front Online, version 2.6 of the Planetweb Web browser (long distance calling support), the European Planet Ring collection and Seaman (the first console game to use voice recognition in the US).

 

Lightgun

 

Sega also produced a light gun for the system, although this was not sold in the US presumably because Sega did not want its name on a gun in the light of recent school shootings. American versions of light gun games even blocked out using the official gun. Several third parties made compatible guns for the few light gun games released, including The House of the Dead 2 and Confidential Mission. The only other light gun compatible games were Death Crimson OX and its Japanese only prequel, Virtua Cop 2 on the Sega Smash Pack, and a light gun minigame in Demolition Racer No Exit.

For more details on this topic, see Dreamcast light guns.

 

Arcade Stick Sega also released the heavy-duty Arcade Stick, a digital joystick with six buttons using the same microswitch assemblies as commercial arcade machines. Although it could not be used for many Dreamcast games due to the lack of an analog joystick, it was well received and helped cement the Dreamcast's reputation for 2D shooters and fighting games. The Arcade Stick itself lives on beyond the Dreamcast, as adaptors are now available to use it on other hardware platforms.

 

Third-party sticks were also made, like the ASCII Dreamcast fighting Pad, which some regard as having a more comfortable 6-button configuration and a more precise digital direction pad.

 

Twin Sticks A twin stick peripheral was released specifically for use with the game Virtual-On. This add-on mimicked the original dual arcade stick setup and made gameplay much more precise. They are extremely rare and versions that appear on ebay sell for over $100.

 

Dreameye Sega developed the Dreameye, a digital camera for the Dreamcast, but it was only released in Japan.

 

Samba de Amigo controller Sega developed a special "maracas" controller for the Samba de Amigo music game.

 

Cancelled Accessories Toward the end of the Dreamcast's lifespan, Sega created and displayed prototypes of a high-capacity VMU/MP3 player, DVD player, and Zip drive peripherals. None of these items became available to the public.

 

Piracy and Legacy

 

The proprietary GD-ROM format is the only means of piracy protection and was quickly defeated. Using a combination of reverse-engineering and insecure firmware, one piracy method was made possible by the existence of regular-CD booting code in the Dreamcast BIOS to enable multimedia functions (called Mil-CD) for music CD releases on the Japanese market. Mil-CD support was removed from the final Dreamcast revisions toward the end of the console's life, but piracy is often cited as one of the major reasons for the failure of the Dreamcast.

 

Despite the advances, making perfect copies was not possible. While several games never came close to using the full capacity of a 1.1 GB GD-ROM, other games did and sometimes required more than one disc to contain the entire game. Games that did take advantage of the GD-ROM's extra capacity required some tinkering from hackers; the most common method was to downsample the video and audio portions of the disc to a lower bitrate, so they would take up less space. Although this method is usually successful, a few games, most noticeably Shenmue II and Sonic Adventure, are missing sound and sometimes video on pirated versions. This may be due to the process of "ripping", different from the alternate definition of copying the contents of a CD to a hard drive. "Ripping" in the Dreamcast piracy context means to completely remove some parts of game audio and video, since they are simply too large to downgrade with any success.

 

However, downgrading or removing audio and video streams wasn't the only method used by release groups. Some even denote a high amount of hardware and software knowledge, like the method used on the Echelon release of Skies of Arcadia. Because the game came on two GD-ROMs, featured no pre-rendered FMV, and all audio was chip generated, there was nothing to be ripped or downsampled from it. Therefore, the game was reprogrammed with a decompression program that was actually handled data management on the fly (see: http://www.theisonews.com/release.php?releaseid=28702).

 

One of the least successfully pirated games on the system was Warp's D2. Shipping on four GD-ROMs, the game required the user to swap discs without saving to continue on. Swapping to a new disc initiated another disc security check by the system, which would then fail. Pirates eventually circumvented this by using 99 minute CD-R's, but because of the rarity of the discs, the method was not widespread. Other multi-disc games like Shenmue 2 let the user save before swapping discs, whereby they would then power down and load the next disc if it wasn't a legitimate copy.

 

The Dreamcast continues to have a modest hacking enthusiast community. The availability of Windows CE software development kits on the Internet, as well as ports of Linux and NetBSD/Dreamcast operating systems, gave programmers a selection of familiar development tools to work with. A homebrew minimal operating system named KallistiOS offers good hardware support (though does not provide multitasking, which is generally unimportant for games anyway). Many emulators and other tools such as MP3 and DivX players and image viewers have been ported to or written for the console, taking advantage of the relative ease with which a home user can burn a CD bootable by an unmodified Dreamcast.

 

Sony,Nintendo & Mircosoft have taken ideas from the Dreamcast.

[Shino]

7 years ago (9/9/99)

 

It was doomed at birth.

 

Happy Birthday Dreamcast, even thou I didn't bought you, I did played a lot.

[weeyellowbloke]

Oh Dreamcast, has it really been 7 long years. I've missed your sexy white controllers and your strange swirly logo. Remember when we played Chu Chu Rocket together for hours, those were some good times.

[Sparko]

I never owned a Dreamcast, but I was definitely sad to see Sega quitting in the hardware market. So much of my childhood was spent playing on Sega consoles with my mates, hours and hours of Golden Axe and Streets of Rage

 

Happy birthday Dreamcast.

[Blue_Ninja0]

Oh dreamcast... Wouldn't it be nice if Wii could emulate you and read your disks?

Happy birthday.

[Letty]

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

etc..

[Platty]

Ok so this thread has so made me wanna play my dreamcast.

 

Happy birthday old chap

[RoadKill]

A great console killed dead by piracy.

 

No. The PlayStation had way more piracy but it lived.

 

Also, viva la Dreamcast!

 

~It's still thinking

 

I have SIX PAL Dreamcasts... and many legal games.

 

Yes, 6. Fuck you all for I am #1

[Pit-Jr]

though i never bought a DC, my roommate at that time did, but i played the hell out of it. I loved the control pad and the VMU was a godsend for playcalling in the NFL2K series. Im hoping EA releases some kind of VMU ripoff that attaches to the remote for Madden

[The3rdChildren]

No. The PlayStation had way more piracy but it lived.

 

Also, viva la Dreamcast!

 

~It's still thinking

 

I have SIX PAL Dreamcasts... and many legal games.

 

Yes, 6. Fuck you all for I am #1

 

Six? Jesus?

 

I guess I was misinformed. It's just that nobody I knew who had a Dreamcast back then had legal games. They just used that boot disc deal and played games written onto CD-Rs and the like.

 

What other cool stuff could be done with it? I know it could play VCDs somehow.

[Hellfire]

I have plenty of legal games

Also the VMU ruled, it would be nice if the Wiimote also had a small screen.

EDIT: http://youtube.com/watch?v=h_DRNlCv85s

Awesome dreamcast commercial

[Been Insane]

Wow. Think I wanna put in shenmue now and give it another long overdue play.

[Caris]

I remember a dreamcast for the first time in my local cinema where they had a pod, ahh memorys...