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The Dreamcast actually came out of the gate very fast, surprisingly so given the failure of the Saturn. However, in an era when UsefulNotes/{{DVD}}s were about to explode in popularity, Sony immediately leveraged that with the Platform/PlayStation2, which not only acted as a standalone DVD player (and was in fact cheaper than many dedicated DVD players for much of the generation), but boasted graphical capabilities far beyond what the Dreamcast could offer. A mere eleven days after the North American launch of the Dreamcast, Sony unveiled the [=PlayStation 2=] at the Tokyo Game Show, which dazzled the crowd of journalists with what looked like fancy tech-demo renders of ''VideoGame/Tekken3''[[note]]which would become an enhanced port of ''Tekken Tag Tournament''[[/note]] and ''VideoGame/GranTurismo''[[note]]at the time dubbed ''Gran Turismo 2000'' and was going to be a simple graphical remake of ''Gran Turismo 2'' before it eventually evolved into ''Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec''[[/note]], until the presenters took the controls and revealed they were actual playable demos. Just like that, the industry felt like the air was immediately out of the Dreamcast's balloon, to be rendered obsolete by the [=PS2=] in a year's time.
to:
The Dreamcast actually came out of the gate very fast, surprisingly so given the failure of the Saturn. However, in an era when UsefulNotes/{{DVD}}s Platform/{{DVD}}s were about to explode in popularity, Sony immediately leveraged that with the Platform/PlayStation2, which not only acted as a standalone DVD player (and was in fact cheaper than many dedicated DVD players for much of the generation), but boasted graphical capabilities far beyond what the Dreamcast could offer. A mere eleven days after the North American launch of the Dreamcast, Sony unveiled the [=PlayStation 2=] at the Tokyo Game Show, which dazzled the crowd of journalists with what looked like fancy tech-demo renders of ''VideoGame/Tekken3''[[note]]which would become an enhanced port of ''Tekken Tag Tournament''[[/note]] and ''VideoGame/GranTurismo''[[note]]at the time dubbed ''Gran Turismo 2000'' and was going to be a simple graphical remake of ''Gran Turismo 2'' before it eventually evolved into ''Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec''[[/note]], until the presenters took the controls and revealed they were actual playable demos. Just like that, the industry felt like the air was immediately out of the Dreamcast's balloon, to be rendered obsolete by the [=PS2=] in a year's time.
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* ''VideoGame/{{Vigilante 8}}: Second Offense''
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* ''VideoGame/{{Vigilante 8}}: Second Offense''''VideoGame/Vigilante8SecondOffense''
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* ''Literature/TheRing: Terror's Realm''
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* ''Literature/TheRing: Terror's Realm''''VideoGame/TheRingTerrorsRealm''
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The Dreamcast actually came out of the gate very fast, surprisingly so given the failure of the Saturn. However, in an era when UsefulNotes/{{DVD}}s were about to explode in popularity, Sony immediately leveraged that with the Platform/PlayStation2, which not only acted as a standalone DVD player (and was in fact cheaper than many dedicated DVD players for much of the generation), but boasted graphical capabilities far beyond what the Dreamcast could offer. A mere eleven days after the North American launch of the Dreamcast, Sony unveiled the [=PlayStation 2=] at the Tokyo Game Show, which dazzled the crowd of journalists with what looked like fancy tech-demo renders of ''Franchise/{{Tekken}} 3''[[note]]which would become an enhanced port of ''Tekken Tag Tournament''[[/note]] and ''VideoGame/GranTurismo''[[note]]at the time dubbed ''Gran Turismo 2000'' and was going to be a simple graphical remake of ''Gran Turismo 2'' before it eventually evolved into ''Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec''[[/note]], until the presenters took the controls and revealed they were actual playable demos. Just like that, the industry felt like the air was immediately out of the Dreamcast's balloon, to be rendered obsolete by the [=PS2=] in a year's time.
to:
The Dreamcast actually came out of the gate very fast, surprisingly so given the failure of the Saturn. However, in an era when UsefulNotes/{{DVD}}s were about to explode in popularity, Sony immediately leveraged that with the Platform/PlayStation2, which not only acted as a standalone DVD player (and was in fact cheaper than many dedicated DVD players for much of the generation), but boasted graphical capabilities far beyond what the Dreamcast could offer. A mere eleven days after the North American launch of the Dreamcast, Sony unveiled the [=PlayStation 2=] at the Tokyo Game Show, which dazzled the crowd of journalists with what looked like fancy tech-demo renders of ''Franchise/{{Tekken}} 3''[[note]]which ''VideoGame/Tekken3''[[note]]which would become an enhanced port of ''Tekken Tag Tournament''[[/note]] and ''VideoGame/GranTurismo''[[note]]at the time dubbed ''Gran Turismo 2000'' and was going to be a simple graphical remake of ''Gran Turismo 2'' before it eventually evolved into ''Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec''[[/note]], until the presenters took the controls and revealed they were actual playable demos. Just like that, the industry felt like the air was immediately out of the Dreamcast's balloon, to be rendered obsolete by the [=PS2=] in a year's time.
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In the late nineties, a commercial Platform/PlayStation emulator called ''Bleemcast!'' was released for the Dreamcast. A port of the first [=PS1=] emulator ever, it was able to enhance the graphics of [=PS1=] games by increasing the resolution and smoothing the textures out, which was an impressive feat considering that the [=PS1=] was still being sold. Unfortunately, the huge task of creating the emulator and a lawsuit from Sony meant that only three games were supported: ''VideoGame/GranTurismo 2'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', and ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} 3''.
to:
In the late nineties, a commercial Platform/PlayStation emulator called ''Bleemcast!'' was released for the Dreamcast. A port of the first [=PS1=] emulator ever, it was able to enhance the graphics of [=PS1=] games by increasing the resolution and smoothing the textures out, which was an impressive feat considering that the [=PS1=] was still being sold. Unfortunately, the huge task of creating the emulator and a lawsuit from Sony meant that only three games were supported: ''VideoGame/GranTurismo 2'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', and ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} 3''.
''VideoGame/Tekken3''.
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Like the Saturn before it, the Dreamcast had a heavy emphasis on arcade ports, though its capacity to play them was much more impressive than its big brother. While the Saturn's arcade conversions were quite solid, the 2D ones relied on RAM expansion accessories and the 3D titles often had to make noticeable compromises (e.g. a halved framerate) to run on the system. The Dreamcast, being based on Sega's NAOMI arcade board, was able to run {{Arcade Perfect Port}}s no problem, and the ports would often turn out even better than the originals. Popular arcade {{fighting game}}s such as ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur]]'' and ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive 2'' achieved greater acclaim through their Dreamcast versions, and the second (and last) ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' game was only ever ported to this console. The most famous port which isn't a fighting game is the arcade hit ''VideoGame/CrazyTaxi'', which was one of the Dreamcast's {{killer app}}s and successful enough to warrant two console-only sequels.
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Like the Saturn before it, the Dreamcast had a heavy emphasis on arcade ports, though its capacity to play them was much more impressive than its big brother. While the Saturn's arcade conversions were quite solid, the 2D ones relied on RAM expansion accessories and the 3D titles often had to make noticeable compromises (e.g. a halved framerate) to run on the system. The Dreamcast, being based on Sega's NAOMI arcade board, was able to run {{Arcade Perfect Port}}s no problem, and [[PolishedPort the ports would often turn out even better than the originals. originals.]] Popular arcade {{fighting game}}s such as ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur]]'' and ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive 2'' achieved greater acclaim through their Dreamcast versions, and the second (and last) ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' game was only ever ported to this console. The most famous port which isn't a fighting game is the arcade hit ''VideoGame/CrazyTaxi'', which was one of the Dreamcast's {{killer app}}s and successful enough to warrant two console-only sequels.
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Creator/{{Sega}} was down, but not out after the catastrophic flop of the Platform/SegaSaturn outside of Japan. They decided to get serious about the threat Creator/{{Sony}} posed in the leadup to [[MediaNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the sixth generation]]. They fired Bernie Stolar, and Advertising/SegataSanshiro died to save it. Their next and final system, released on November 27, 1998 in Japan, was the '''Dreamcast'''[[note]]Previously marketed in North America under the name Sega Dreamcast until 2000.[[/note]], a system that both kickstarted the sixth generation of console gaming and served as Sega's attempt to put themselves back on top.
to:
Creator/{{Sega}} was down, but not out after the catastrophic flop of the Platform/SegaSaturn outside of Japan. They decided to get serious about the threat Creator/{{Sony}} Creator/{{Sony|InteractiveEntertainment}} posed in the leadup to [[MediaNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the sixth generation]]. They fired Bernie Stolar, and Advertising/SegataSanshiro died to save it. Their next and final system, released on November 27, 1998 in Japan, was the '''Dreamcast'''[[note]]Previously marketed in North America under the name Sega Dreamcast until 2000.[[/note]], a system that both kickstarted the sixth generation of console gaming and served as Sega's attempt to put themselves back on top.
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The DC controller layout was based on that of the Saturn's 3D Control Pad. Eschewing memory cards, the Dreamcast uses "[=VMUs=]" (Virtual Memory Units) that insert directly into your controller to save game files (the drawback is that accidentally yanking the controller out of the console port whilst saving will corrupt your file)[[note]]Another drawback was their usable capacity of only 100 KB, for the sake of comparison the Platform/Playstation2 used an 8 MB Memory card, and the Platform/NintendoGameCube used 512 KB, 2 MB, and 8 MB memory cards. Some memory heavy games (particularly sports games that often track virtual stats as well as their real-life counterparts, which is a bit of an issue for a console that counts its in-house sports games as probably its biggest selling point) can take up a whole memory card. It was such an issue that Sega's line of ''2K'' sports titles would often come with a rebate for a severely discounted VMU. A "4X" version would later be released, but that's still only around 4% of the capacity of the [=PS2=]/GC cards, and it was incompatible with certain games[[/note]] . It doubles as a mini-handheld with a watch battery which you can remove and then play mini-games on. It occasionally bleeds into the core games as seen in ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia''[='=]s ''Pinta's Quest'': Pinta can be encountered during the story and will offer to bestow items that he finds in ''Pinta's Quest'', but it isn't necessary or relevant to progress. ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' has a VirtualPet game like ''Toys/{{Tamagotchi}}'' (''Chao Garden'') which you can load onto it. ''[[VideoGame/SanFranciscoRush Rush 2049]]'' has a goofy RacingGame you can load onto it. It was an interesting idea but wasn't used all that much in that fashion. It can also link up with other [=VMUs=] to trade data without being plugged into the console.
to:
The DC controller layout was based on that of the Saturn's 3D Control Pad. Eschewing memory cards, the Dreamcast uses "[=VMUs=]" (Virtual Memory Units) Units or simply known in Japan and Europe as Visual Memory) that insert directly into your controller to save game files (the drawback is that accidentally yanking the controller out of the console port whilst saving will corrupt your file)[[note]]Another drawback was their usable capacity of only 100 KB, for the sake of comparison the Platform/Playstation2 used an 8 MB Memory card, and the Platform/NintendoGameCube used 512 KB, 2 MB, and 8 MB memory cards. Some memory heavy games (particularly sports games that often track virtual stats as well as their real-life counterparts, which is a bit of an issue for a console that counts its in-house sports games as probably its biggest selling point) can take up a whole memory card. It was such an issue that Sega's line of ''2K'' sports titles would often come with a rebate for a severely discounted VMU. A "4X" version would later be released, but that's still only around 4% of the capacity of the [=PS2=]/GC cards, and it was incompatible with certain games[[/note]] . It doubles as a mini-handheld with a watch battery which you can remove and then play mini-games on. It occasionally bleeds into the core games as seen in ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia''[='=]s ''Pinta's Quest'': Pinta can be encountered during the story and will offer to bestow items that he finds in ''Pinta's Quest'', but it isn't necessary or relevant to progress. ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' has a VirtualPet game like ''Toys/{{Tamagotchi}}'' (''Chao Garden'') which you can load onto it. ''[[VideoGame/SanFranciscoRush Rush 2049]]'' has a goofy RacingGame you can load onto it. It was an interesting idea but wasn't used all that much in that fashion. It can also link up with other [=VMUs=] to trade data without being plugged into the console.
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* ''[[VideoGame/RivalSchools Project Justice]]''
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* ''[[VideoGame/RivalSchools Project Justice]]''
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Creator/{{Sega}} was down, but not out after the catastrophic flop of the Platform/SegaSaturn outside of Japan. They decided to get serious about the threat Creator/{{Sony}} posed in the leadup to [[UsefulNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the sixth generation]]. They fired Bernie Stolar, and Advertising/SegataSanshiro died to save it. Their next and final system, released on November 27, 1998 in Japan, was the '''Dreamcast'''[[note]]Previously marketed in North America under the name Sega Dreamcast until 2000.[[/note]], a system that both kickstarted the sixth generation of console gaming and served as Sega's attempt to put themselves back on top.
to:
Creator/{{Sega}} was down, but not out after the catastrophic flop of the Platform/SegaSaturn outside of Japan. They decided to get serious about the threat Creator/{{Sony}} posed in the leadup to [[UsefulNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames [[MediaNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the sixth generation]]. They fired Bernie Stolar, and Advertising/SegataSanshiro died to save it. Their next and final system, released on November 27, 1998 in Japan, was the '''Dreamcast'''[[note]]Previously marketed in North America under the name Sega Dreamcast until 2000.[[/note]], a system that both kickstarted the sixth generation of console gaming and served as Sega's attempt to put themselves back on top.
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As alluded to earlier, the Dreamcast was the console of choice for 2D fighters, playing host to the most-faithful versions of the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom'' games; indeed, the long-lived ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2'' [[TournamentPlay competitive scene]] kept the Dreamcast in the public consciousness beyond {{retrogaming}} circles after its death. These days it's easier to play ''[=MvC2=]'' on UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade or the UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork[[note]]Although, the Dreamcast version is arcade perfect thanks to being another NAOMI port. Future console versions tended to have certain flaws or quirks that make busting out a Dreamcast and controller converter worth the hassle for tournament play even to this day. This is another testament to the console's outstanding arcade conversions. That and said future console version had since been axed from online stores[[/note]].
to:
As alluded to earlier, the Dreamcast was the console of choice for 2D fighters, playing host to the most-faithful versions of the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom'' games; indeed, the long-lived ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2'' [[TournamentPlay competitive scene]] kept the Dreamcast in the public consciousness beyond {{retrogaming}} circles after its death. These days it's easier to play ''[=MvC2=]'' on UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade Platform/XboxLiveArcade or the UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork[[note]]Although, Platform/PlayStationNetwork[[note]]Although, the Dreamcast version is arcade perfect thanks to being another NAOMI port. Future console versions tended to have certain flaws or quirks that make busting out a Dreamcast and controller converter worth the hassle for tournament play even to this day. This is another testament to the console's outstanding arcade conversions. That and said future console version had since been axed from online stores[[/note]].
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** In 2003, Sega's new corporate parent Sammy would release the Atomiswave, which was an attempt to make back the investment in surplus Dreamcast chips by proposing a small, cost-effective arcade platform that was both 2D and 3D-compatible. The Atomiswave used cartridges (in a manner similar to the UsefulNotes/NeoGeo and other cartridge-based arcade platformers like the PGM) rather than boards. The platform would see some interest due to briefly becoming Creator/{{SNK}}'s arcade system of choice following the discontinuation of the Neo Geo. In 2020, hobbyist would find a way to backport Atomiswave games on Dreamcast consoles, making them playable through homebrew means.
to:
** In 2003, Sega's new corporate parent Sammy would release the Atomiswave, which was an attempt to make back the investment in surplus Dreamcast chips by proposing a small, cost-effective arcade platform that was both 2D and 3D-compatible. The Atomiswave used cartridges (in a manner similar to the UsefulNotes/NeoGeo Platform/NeoGeo and other cartridge-based arcade platformers like the PGM) rather than boards. The platform would see some interest due to briefly becoming Creator/{{SNK}}'s arcade system of choice following the discontinuation of the Neo Geo. In 2020, hobbyist would find a way to backport Atomiswave games on Dreamcast consoles, making them playable through homebrew means.
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** It had a 128-bit vector unit, which led to a misconception that the CPU itself is ''128-bit''. This is exactly how Sega marketed it- as a [[BlatantLies 128-bit console]] since the belief of [[UsefulNotes/HowVideoGameSpecsWork "more bits is better"]] still hung around, though this idea pretty much died during the Dreamcast's console generation.
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** It had a 128-bit vector unit, which led to a misconception that the CPU itself is ''128-bit''. This is exactly how Sega marketed it- as a [[BlatantLies 128-bit console]] since the belief of [[UsefulNotes/HowVideoGameSpecsWork [[MediaNotes/HowVideoGameSpecsWork "more bits is better"]] still hung around, though this idea pretty much died during the Dreamcast's console generation.
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The DC controller layout was based on that of the Saturn's 3D Control Pad. Eschewing memory cards, the Dreamcast uses "[=VMUs=]" (Virtual Memory Units) that insert directly into your controller to save game files (the drawback is that accidentally yanking the controller out of the console port whilst saving will corrupt your file)[[note]]Another drawback was their usable capacity of only 100 KB, for the sake of comparison the Platform/Playstation2 used an 8 MB Memory card, and the Nintendo Platform/GameCube used 512 KB, 2 MB, and 8 MB memory cards. Some memory heavy games (particularly sports games that often track virtual stats as well as their real-life counterparts, which is a bit of an issue for a console that counts its in-house sports games as probably its biggest selling point) can take up a whole memory card. It was such an issue that Sega's line of ''2K'' sports titles would often come with a rebate for a severely discounted VMU. A "4X" version would later be released, but that's still only around 4% of the capacity of the [=PS2=]/GC cards, and it was incompatible with certain games[[/note]] . It doubles as a mini-handheld with a watch battery which you can remove and then play mini-games on. It occasionally bleeds into the core games as seen in ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia''[='=]s ''Pinta's Quest'': Pinta can be encountered during the story and will offer to bestow items that he finds in ''Pinta's Quest'', but it isn't necessary or relevant to progress. ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' has a VirtualPet game like ''Toys/{{Tamagotchi}}'' (''Chao Garden'') which you can load onto it. ''[[VideoGame/SanFranciscoRush Rush 2049]]'' has a goofy RacingGame you can load onto it. It was an interesting idea but wasn't used all that much in that fashion. It can also link up with other [=VMUs=] to trade data without being plugged into the console.
to:
The DC controller layout was based on that of the Saturn's 3D Control Pad. Eschewing memory cards, the Dreamcast uses "[=VMUs=]" (Virtual Memory Units) that insert directly into your controller to save game files (the drawback is that accidentally yanking the controller out of the console port whilst saving will corrupt your file)[[note]]Another drawback was their usable capacity of only 100 KB, for the sake of comparison the Platform/Playstation2 used an 8 MB Memory card, and the Nintendo Platform/GameCube Platform/NintendoGameCube used 512 KB, 2 MB, and 8 MB memory cards. Some memory heavy games (particularly sports games that often track virtual stats as well as their real-life counterparts, which is a bit of an issue for a console that counts its in-house sports games as probably its biggest selling point) can take up a whole memory card. It was such an issue that Sega's line of ''2K'' sports titles would often come with a rebate for a severely discounted VMU. A "4X" version would later be released, but that's still only around 4% of the capacity of the [=PS2=]/GC cards, and it was incompatible with certain games[[/note]] . It doubles as a mini-handheld with a watch battery which you can remove and then play mini-games on. It occasionally bleeds into the core games as seen in ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia''[='=]s ''Pinta's Quest'': Pinta can be encountered during the story and will offer to bestow items that he finds in ''Pinta's Quest'', but it isn't necessary or relevant to progress. ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' has a VirtualPet game like ''Toys/{{Tamagotchi}}'' (''Chao Garden'') which you can load onto it. ''[[VideoGame/SanFranciscoRush Rush 2049]]'' has a goofy RacingGame you can load onto it. It was an interesting idea but wasn't used all that much in that fashion. It can also link up with other [=VMUs=] to trade data without being plugged into the console.
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Namespacing and removing Chained Sinkhole
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The DC controller layout was based on that of the Saturn's 3D Control Pad. Eschewing memory cards, the Dreamcast uses "[=VMUs=]" (Virtual Memory Units) that insert directly into your controller to save game files (the drawback is that accidentally yanking the controller out of the console port whilst saving will corrupt your file)[[note]]Another drawback was their usable capacity of only 100 KB, for the sake of comparison the UsefulNotes/Playstation2 used an 8 MB Memory card, and the Nintendo UsefulNotes/GameCube used 512 KB, 2 MB, and 8 MB memory cards. Some memory heavy games (particularly sports games that often track virtual stats as well as their real-life counterparts, which is a bit of an issue for a console that counts its in-house sports games as probably its biggest selling point) can take up a whole memory card. It was such an issue that Sega's line of ''2K'' sports titles would often come with a rebate for a severely discounted VMU. A "4X" version would later be released, but that's still only around 4% of the capacity of the [=PS2=]/GC cards, and it was incompatible with certain games[[/note]] . It doubles as a mini-handheld with a watch battery which you can remove and then play mini-games on. It occasionally bleeds into the core games as seen in ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia''[='=]s ''Pinta's Quest'': Pinta can be encountered during the story and will offer to bestow items that he finds in ''Pinta's Quest'', but it isn't necessary or relevant to progress. ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' has a VirtualPet game like ''Toys/{{Tamagotchi}}'' (''Chao Garden'') which you can load onto it. ''[[VideoGame/SanFranciscoRush Rush 2049]]'' has a goofy RacingGame you can load onto it. It was an interesting idea but wasn't used all that much in that fashion. It can also link up with other [=VMUs=] to trade data without being plugged into the console.
to:
The DC controller layout was based on that of the Saturn's 3D Control Pad. Eschewing memory cards, the Dreamcast uses "[=VMUs=]" (Virtual Memory Units) that insert directly into your controller to save game files (the drawback is that accidentally yanking the controller out of the console port whilst saving will corrupt your file)[[note]]Another drawback was their usable capacity of only 100 KB, for the sake of comparison the UsefulNotes/Playstation2 Platform/Playstation2 used an 8 MB Memory card, and the Nintendo UsefulNotes/GameCube Platform/GameCube used 512 KB, 2 MB, and 8 MB memory cards. Some memory heavy games (particularly sports games that often track virtual stats as well as their real-life counterparts, which is a bit of an issue for a console that counts its in-house sports games as probably its biggest selling point) can take up a whole memory card. It was such an issue that Sega's line of ''2K'' sports titles would often come with a rebate for a severely discounted VMU. A "4X" version would later be released, but that's still only around 4% of the capacity of the [=PS2=]/GC cards, and it was incompatible with certain games[[/note]] . It doubles as a mini-handheld with a watch battery which you can remove and then play mini-games on. It occasionally bleeds into the core games as seen in ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia''[='=]s ''Pinta's Quest'': Pinta can be encountered during the story and will offer to bestow items that he finds in ''Pinta's Quest'', but it isn't necessary or relevant to progress. ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' has a VirtualPet game like ''Toys/{{Tamagotchi}}'' (''Chao Garden'') which you can load onto it. ''[[VideoGame/SanFranciscoRush Rush 2049]]'' has a goofy RacingGame you can load onto it. It was an interesting idea but wasn't used all that much in that fashion. It can also link up with other [=VMUs=] to trade data without being plugged into the console.
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Between 1998 and 2003, Sega operated at a net loss. The Dreamcast made them money but the games just weren't selling (usually the opposite is true with home consoles), and they couldn't compete with the [=PS2=] or Platform/NintendoGameCube. Sega's president at the time, Isao Okawa, held majority shares and fronted $695 million of his own money to keep them from going bankrupt and to pacify investors. He died soon afterward while in negotiations with Microsoft to support Dreamcast games on the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} (though not before forgiving Sega's $695 million debt owed to him), and the guy who replaced him was adamant about staying out of hardware from then on. It didn't cover the damages, and riding out the Dreamcast for another year wouldn't have turned it around, so they folded (having made a little under 11 million of the things) and retreated to making software shortly thereafter. The Dreamcast saw its dream die on March 31, 2001. With that, Sega ended nearly three decades as a leading console manufacturer. The last game Sega would ever publish for the Dreamcast--and by extension, [[SwanSong their own consoles]]--was ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoFever'' on February 24, 2004. Dreamcast consoles were still sold in Japan until 2006, where third-party games continued to trickle out until '07. The final Dreamcast game released that year was ''Karous''.
A common misconception is that the Dreamcast is compatible with [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Microsoft Windows CE]] due to the [[CoversAlwaysLie misleading label slapped onto the front of the console]], but this is not the case.[[note]]A popular rumor at the time was that due to the Dreamcast being a "Windows based" console the later Microsoft [=Xbox=] was backwards compatible with it - in other words that you can play Dreamcast games on an [=Xbox=]. This is also not the case. This is likely an offshoot of another rumor at the time spread around by Sega fanboys: That the Dreamcast was nothing but a beta version of the [=Xbox=] and Microsoft had the Dreamcast killed off when the [=Xbox=] was released. This is ''also'' not the case.[[/note]] Sega and Microsoft partnered to develop a Windows CE-based development kit under the codename of ''Dragon'' to allow developers to more easily port over games from the PC platform using an abstraction layer with familiar API's such as [=DirectX=] (Specifically [=DirectX=] 6) rather than needing to code to the bare metal of the console. The game would then ship with the libraries it would require from this environment rather than the entire operating system. Ultimately however, the Windows CE based SDK fell to the wayside in favor of Sega's own ''Katana'' software development kit which was more optimized and easier to work with due to not needing to worry about the overhead cost of the Windows libraries and compatibility issues between the two platform's architecture, but that did not stop around 75 games from using the Windows CE-based kit (including a cancelled port of ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' plus ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', ''VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles'' and ''VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation'')
A common misconception is that the Dreamcast is compatible with [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Microsoft Windows CE]] due to the [[CoversAlwaysLie misleading label slapped onto the front of the console]], but this is not the case.[[note]]A popular rumor at the time was that due to the Dreamcast being a "Windows based" console the later Microsoft [=Xbox=] was backwards compatible with it - in other words that you can play Dreamcast games on an [=Xbox=]. This is also not the case. This is likely an offshoot of another rumor at the time spread around by Sega fanboys: That the Dreamcast was nothing but a beta version of the [=Xbox=] and Microsoft had the Dreamcast killed off when the [=Xbox=] was released. This is ''also'' not the case.[[/note]] Sega and Microsoft partnered to develop a Windows CE-based development kit under the codename of ''Dragon'' to allow developers to more easily port over games from the PC platform using an abstraction layer with familiar API's such as [=DirectX=] (Specifically [=DirectX=] 6) rather than needing to code to the bare metal of the console. The game would then ship with the libraries it would require from this environment rather than the entire operating system. Ultimately however, the Windows CE based SDK fell to the wayside in favor of Sega's own ''Katana'' software development kit which was more optimized and easier to work with due to not needing to worry about the overhead cost of the Windows libraries and compatibility issues between the two platform's architecture, but that did not stop around 75 games from using the Windows CE-based kit (including a cancelled port of ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' plus ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', ''VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles'' and ''VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation'')
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Between 1998 and 2003, Sega operated at a net loss. The Dreamcast made them money but the games just weren't selling (usually the opposite is true with home consoles), and they couldn't compete with the [=PS2=] or Platform/NintendoGameCube. Sega's president at the time, Isao Okawa, held majority shares and fronted $695 million of his own money to keep them from going bankrupt and to pacify investors. He died soon afterward while in negotiations with Microsoft to support Dreamcast games on the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} Platform/{{Xbox}} (though not before forgiving Sega's $695 million debt owed to him), and the guy who replaced him was adamant about staying out of hardware from then on. It didn't cover the damages, and riding out the Dreamcast for another year wouldn't have turned it around, so they folded (having made a little under 11 million of the things) and retreated to making software shortly thereafter. The Dreamcast saw its dream die on March 31, 2001. With that, Sega ended nearly three decades as a leading console manufacturer. The last game Sega would ever publish for the Dreamcast--and by extension, [[SwanSong their own consoles]]--was ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoFever'' on February 24, 2004. Dreamcast consoles were still sold in Japan until 2006, where third-party games continued to trickle out until '07. The final Dreamcast game released that year was ''Karous''.
A common misconception is that the Dreamcast is compatible with[[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows [[Platform/MicrosoftWindows Microsoft Windows CE]] due to the [[CoversAlwaysLie misleading label slapped onto the front of the console]], but this is not the case.[[note]]A popular rumor at the time was that due to the Dreamcast being a "Windows based" console the later Microsoft [=Xbox=] was backwards compatible with it - in other words that you can play Dreamcast games on an [=Xbox=]. This is also not the case. This is likely an offshoot of another rumor at the time spread around by Sega fanboys: That the Dreamcast was nothing but a beta version of the [=Xbox=] and Microsoft had the Dreamcast killed off when the [=Xbox=] was released. This is ''also'' not the case.[[/note]] Sega and Microsoft partnered to develop a Windows CE-based development kit under the codename of ''Dragon'' to allow developers to more easily port over games from the PC platform using an abstraction layer with familiar API's such as [=DirectX=] (Specifically [=DirectX=] 6) rather than needing to code to the bare metal of the console. The game would then ship with the libraries it would require from this environment rather than the entire operating system. Ultimately however, the Windows CE based SDK fell to the wayside in favor of Sega's own ''Katana'' software development kit which was more optimized and easier to work with due to not needing to worry about the overhead cost of the Windows libraries and compatibility issues between the two platform's architecture, but that did not stop around 75 games from using the Windows CE-based kit (including a cancelled port of ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' plus ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', ''VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles'' and ''VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation'')
A common misconception is that the Dreamcast is compatible with
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The Dreamcast was also known for being a ''de facto'' open platform: long before its death, modders had hacked it wide open to the point of being able to run versions of UsefulNotes/{{Linux}} and [=NetBSD,=] as well as allowing programmers to write their own games using [=KallistiOS=] as a developing environment. So although the GD-ROM format was abandoned in 2007, indie developers still continue to make Dreamcast (and VMU) games. A complete first-person shooter called ''Paranoia'' [[http://www.moddb.com/mods/paranoia/downloads/dreamcast-paranoia was released in May 2010.]] Later on, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSMHzNE5xbo a side-scrolling shooter]] came out.
The Dreamcast also helped standardize online gaming for consoles; while online play had been experimented with as far back as the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem era and had even earlier pre-internet precursors in the UsefulNotes/Atari2600 days, the Dreamcast is what first made online connectivity a genuine and prioritized point of interest within the gaming industry. The system came with a modem, as previously mentioned, and had robust online services based on the region. Asia had Dricas, North America had [=SegaNet=], Europe had Dreamarena, and Australia had Comma. [=SegaNet=] required a subscription but ended up being the most successful, quickly reaching over 1.5 million subscribers right after the Dreamcast launched in North America. Outside of online multiplayer and matchmaking, the services also allowed for internet browsing, access to email, and the first vestiges of DownloadableContent. The potential of DLC was very restricted, however, due to memory constraints with the [=VMU=]s (they could only hold 100 kilobytes of data; even in its day, what we would call DLC packs would consist of multiple megabytes). Microsoft actually assisted with the creation of [=SegaNet=], and would go on to use the experience they gained from their partnership with Sega on the Dreamcast's SpiritualSuccessor: the Xbox (Bill Gates was even in talks to consider cross-console compatibility between the two consoles, but the negotiations fell through over the choice of online services). Several games Sega had been developing for the DC ended up as early Xbox exclusives (in an attempt to win Japanese gamers, which failed). Even the original Xbox "Duke" controller's layout (which was subsequently improved upon with the Platform/Xbox360 and Platform/XboxOne controllers) is based on that of the Dreamcast's.
The Dreamcast also helped standardize online gaming for consoles; while online play had been experimented with as far back as the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem era and had even earlier pre-internet precursors in the UsefulNotes/Atari2600 days, the Dreamcast is what first made online connectivity a genuine and prioritized point of interest within the gaming industry. The system came with a modem, as previously mentioned, and had robust online services based on the region. Asia had Dricas, North America had [=SegaNet=], Europe had Dreamarena, and Australia had Comma. [=SegaNet=] required a subscription but ended up being the most successful, quickly reaching over 1.5 million subscribers right after the Dreamcast launched in North America. Outside of online multiplayer and matchmaking, the services also allowed for internet browsing, access to email, and the first vestiges of DownloadableContent. The potential of DLC was very restricted, however, due to memory constraints with the [=VMU=]s (they could only hold 100 kilobytes of data; even in its day, what we would call DLC packs would consist of multiple megabytes). Microsoft actually assisted with the creation of [=SegaNet=], and would go on to use the experience they gained from their partnership with Sega on the Dreamcast's SpiritualSuccessor: the Xbox (Bill Gates was even in talks to consider cross-console compatibility between the two consoles, but the negotiations fell through over the choice of online services). Several games Sega had been developing for the DC ended up as early Xbox exclusives (in an attempt to win Japanese gamers, which failed). Even the original Xbox "Duke" controller's layout (which was subsequently improved upon with the Platform/Xbox360 and Platform/XboxOne controllers) is based on that of the Dreamcast's.
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The Dreamcast was also known for being a ''de facto'' open platform: long before its death, modders had hacked it wide open to the point of being able to run versions of UsefulNotes/{{Linux}} Platform/{{Linux}} and [=NetBSD,=] as well as allowing programmers to write their own games using [=KallistiOS=] as a developing environment. So although the GD-ROM format was abandoned in 2007, indie developers still continue to make Dreamcast (and VMU) games. A complete first-person shooter called ''Paranoia'' [[http://www.moddb.com/mods/paranoia/downloads/dreamcast-paranoia was released in May 2010.]] Later on, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSMHzNE5xbo a side-scrolling shooter]] came out.
The Dreamcast also helped standardize online gaming for consoles; while online play had been experimented with as far back as theUsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem era and had even earlier pre-internet precursors in the UsefulNotes/Atari2600 Platform/Atari2600 days, the Dreamcast is what first made online connectivity a genuine and prioritized point of interest within the gaming industry. The system came with a modem, as previously mentioned, and had robust online services based on the region. Asia had Dricas, North America had [=SegaNet=], Europe had Dreamarena, and Australia had Comma. [=SegaNet=] required a subscription but ended up being the most successful, quickly reaching over 1.5 million subscribers right after the Dreamcast launched in North America. Outside of online multiplayer and matchmaking, the services also allowed for internet browsing, access to email, and the first vestiges of DownloadableContent. The potential of DLC was very restricted, however, due to memory constraints with the [=VMU=]s (they could only hold 100 kilobytes of data; even in its day, what we would call DLC packs would consist of multiple megabytes). Microsoft actually assisted with the creation of [=SegaNet=], and would go on to use the experience they gained from their partnership with Sega on the Dreamcast's SpiritualSuccessor: the Xbox (Bill Gates was even in talks to consider cross-console compatibility between the two consoles, but the negotiations fell through over the choice of online services). Several games Sega had been developing for the DC ended up as early Xbox exclusives (in an attempt to win Japanese gamers, which failed). Even the original Xbox "Duke" controller's layout (which was subsequently improved upon with the Platform/Xbox360 and Platform/XboxOne controllers) is based on that of the Dreamcast's.
The Dreamcast also helped standardize online gaming for consoles; while online play had been experimented with as far back as the
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* The Videologic Power VR 2 100MHz (GPU). The list of features it supports made it rather advanced for its time and relatively simple to program for, even if it isn't the most powerful or sophisticated. Some of its features wouldn't become standard in [[UsefulNotes/Playstation4 cons]][[UsefulNotes/XboxOne oles]] or PC graphic cards (barring the one attempt Videologic tried to bring another version of this GPU to the PC market) for at least ''a decade''.
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* The Videologic Power VR 2 100MHz (GPU). The list of features it supports made it rather advanced for its time and relatively simple to program for, even if it isn't the most powerful or sophisticated. Some of its features wouldn't become standard in [[UsefulNotes/Playstation4 cons]][[UsefulNotes/XboxOne oles]] consoles or PC graphic cards (barring the one attempt Videologic tried to bring another version of this GPU to the PC market) for at least ''a decade''.
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* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Stoler initially pushed for a controller with two analog sticks ''à la'' the UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation}}'s [=DualShock=]. Sega was also involved in talks to bring games like ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' to the platform.
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* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Stoler initially pushed for a controller with two analog sticks ''à la'' the UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation}}'s Platform/PlayStation's [=DualShock=]. Sega was also involved in talks to bring games like ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' to the platform.
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In a similar vein to the later UsefulNotes/WiiU's [=GamePad=], the VMU's screen (typically used as a clock and calendar) could also display game information while plugged in. It was particularly useful in multiplayer games; for instance, players could choose their plays in ''[=NFL 2K=]'' on their VMU screen rather than the normal playcall screen (which would display the play art for opponents to see), and in ''VideoGame/SonicShuffle'', where movement was decided by hands of numbered cards rather than random dice rolls as in ''VideoGame/MarioParty'', players' hands would be concealed on their VMU screens.
to:
In a similar vein to the later UsefulNotes/WiiU's Platform/WiiU's [=GamePad=], the VMU's screen (typically used as a clock and calendar) could also display game information while plugged in. It was particularly useful in multiplayer games; for instance, players could choose their plays in ''[=NFL 2K=]'' on their VMU screen rather than the normal playcall screen (which would display the play art for opponents to see), and in ''VideoGame/SonicShuffle'', where movement was decided by hands of numbered cards rather than random dice rolls as in ''VideoGame/MarioParty'', players' hands would be concealed on their VMU screens.
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** ''Sakura Taisen Kinematron Hanagumi Mail''
** ''Sakura Taisen Online''
** ''Sakura Taisen Online''
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Creator/{{Sega}} was down, but not out after the catastrophic flop of the Platform/SegaSaturn outside of Japan. They decided to get serious about the threat Creator/{{Sony}} posed in the leadup to [[UsefulNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the sixth generation]]. They fired Bernie Stolar, and Advertising/SegataSanshiro died to save it. Their next and final system, released on November 27, 1998 in Japan, was the '''Dreamcast''' (it was previously marketed in North America under the name Sega Dreamcast until 2000), a system that both kickstarted the sixth generation of console gaming and served as Sega's attempt to put themselves back on top.
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Creator/{{Sega}} was down, but not out after the catastrophic flop of the Platform/SegaSaturn outside of Japan. They decided to get serious about the threat Creator/{{Sony}} posed in the leadup to [[UsefulNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the sixth generation]]. They fired Bernie Stolar, and Advertising/SegataSanshiro died to save it. Their next and final system, released on November 27, 1998 in Japan, was the '''Dreamcast''' (it was previously '''Dreamcast'''[[note]]Previously marketed in North America under the name Sega Dreamcast until 2000), 2000.[[/note]], a system that both kickstarted the sixth generation of console gaming and served as Sega's attempt to put themselves back on top.
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The system did have its share of drawbacks and design flaws. Sega decided that the pack-in modem for Europe and Asia would only be 33.6K at a time when 56K was industry standard (the American release came with a 56K modem) and with ISDN and Broadband starting to emerge. Despite the possibility of replacing the pack-in modem, the high cost and rarity of upgrade units (a replacement 56K modem and a 10/100 Ethernet "broadband adapter"), along with the decision to software-lock the console to a small number of partnered [=ISPs=] in some territories (the bundled modem setup disc would only allow settings for these [=ISPs=]), severely handicapped the console's growth as a potential online platform. Another point of contention was the controller. While it was generally well received by players and has proven to be quite durable, Sega made the curious decision to only use 4 buttons[[note]]Not counting the Start button or analog triggers[[/note]] (3 less than the upcoming UsefulNotes/GameCube, 7 less than the upcoming UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, which has the same amount as the original Dualshock for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, and 5 less than the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} and even the Dreamcast's predecessor in the Sega Saturn) and only ''one'' analog stick, all chalked up to polling from gamers who remarked that controllers had too many inputs at the time, meaning that porting over certain games from other consoles was difficult or impossible. That's not counting complaints about the jagged D-pad (following the sublime perfection of the Saturn d-pad), the increased bulk, or the odd design of the bottom facing controller cord which effectively reduced its length.
to:
The system did have its share of drawbacks and design flaws. Sega decided that the pack-in modem for Europe and Asia would only be 33.6K at a time when 56K was industry standard (the American release came with a 56K modem) and with ISDN and Broadband starting to emerge. Despite the possibility of replacing the pack-in modem, the high cost and rarity of upgrade units (a replacement 56K modem and a 10/100 Ethernet "broadband adapter"), along with the decision to software-lock the console to a small number of partnered [=ISPs=] in some territories (the bundled modem setup disc would only allow settings for these [=ISPs=]), severely handicapped the console's growth as a potential online platform. Another point of contention was the controller. While it was generally well received by players and has proven to be quite durable, Sega made the curious decision to only use 4 buttons[[note]]Not counting the Start button or analog triggers[[/note]] (3 less than the upcoming UsefulNotes/GameCube, Platform/NintendoGameCube, 7 less than the upcoming UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, Platform/PlayStation2, which has the same amount as the original Dualshock for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, Platform/PlayStation, and 5 less than the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} Platform/{{Xbox}} and even the Dreamcast's predecessor in the Sega Saturn) and only ''one'' analog stick, all chalked up to polling from gamers who remarked that controllers had too many inputs at the time, meaning that porting over certain games from other consoles was difficult or impossible. That's not counting complaints about the jagged D-pad (following the sublime perfection of the Saturn d-pad), the increased bulk, or the odd design of the bottom facing controller cord which effectively reduced its length.
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Creator/{{Sega}} was down, but not out after the catastrophic flop of the Platform/SegaSaturn outside of Japan. They decided to get serious about the threat Creator/{{Sony}} posed in the leadup to [[UsefulNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the sixth generation]]. They fired Bernie Stolar, and Advertising/SegataSanshiro died to save it. Their next and final system, released on November 27, 1998 in Japan, was the '''Dreamcast''', a system that both kickstarted the sixth generation of console gaming and served as Sega's attempt to put themselves back on top.
to:
Creator/{{Sega}} was down, but not out after the catastrophic flop of the Platform/SegaSaturn outside of Japan. They decided to get serious about the threat Creator/{{Sony}} posed in the leadup to [[UsefulNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the sixth generation]]. They fired Bernie Stolar, and Advertising/SegataSanshiro died to save it. Their next and final system, released on November 27, 1998 in Japan, was the '''Dreamcast''', '''Dreamcast''' (it was previously marketed in North America under the name Sega Dreamcast until 2000), a system that both kickstarted the sixth generation of console gaming and served as Sega's attempt to put themselves back on top.
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[[redirect:Platform/SegaDreamcast]]
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[[caption-width-right:350: ''It's thinking.'']]
-> ''"In the annals of console history, the Dreamcast is often portrayed as a small, square, white plastic [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy JFK]]. A progressive force in some ways, perhaps misguided in others, but nevertheless a promising life cut tragically short by dark shadowy forces, spawning complex conspiracy theories that endure to this day."''
-->-- [=EuroGamer=], "[[https://archive.is/w2gx Dreamcast: A Forensic Retrospective]]"
Creator/{{Sega}} was down, but not out after the catastrophic flop of the Platform/SegaSaturn outside of Japan. They decided to get serious about the threat Creator/{{Sony}} posed in the leadup to [[UsefulNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the sixth generation]]. They fired Bernie Stolar, and Advertising/SegataSanshiro died to save it. Their next and final system, released on November 27, 1998 in Japan, was the '''Dreamcast''', a system that both kickstarted the sixth generation of console gaming and served as Sega's attempt to put themselves back on top.
It was the first Sega console since the Mark III which isn't colored black (though there was a black-colored variant with Sega Sports branding on it and another black-colored one, for the Japanese market), breaking a tradition held since the Platform/SegaMasterSystem. The Sega name was tarnished by the Saturn debacle; advertising and packaging downplayed the company responsible and emphasized the spotless Dreamcast 'brand'.
The DC controller layout was based on that of the Saturn's 3D Control Pad. Eschewing memory cards, the Dreamcast uses "[=VMUs=]" (Virtual Memory Units) that insert directly into your controller to save game files (the drawback is that accidentally yanking the controller out of the console port whilst saving will corrupt your file)[[note]]Another drawback was their usable capacity of only 100 KB, for the sake of comparison the UsefulNotes/Playstation2 used an 8 MB Memory card, and the Nintendo UsefulNotes/GameCube used 512 KB, 2 MB, and 8 MB memory cards. Some memory heavy games (particularly sports games that often track virtual stats as well as their real-life counterparts, which is a bit of an issue for a console that counts its in-house sports games as probably its biggest selling point) can take up a whole memory card. It was such an issue that Sega's line of ''2K'' sports titles would often come with a rebate for a severely discounted VMU. A "4X" version would later be released, but that's still only around 4% of the capacity of the [=PS2=]/GC cards, and it was incompatible with certain games[[/note]] . It doubles as a mini-handheld with a watch battery which you can remove and then play mini-games on. It occasionally bleeds into the core games as seen in ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia''[='=]s ''Pinta's Quest'': Pinta can be encountered during the story and will offer to bestow items that he finds in ''Pinta's Quest'', but it isn't necessary or relevant to progress. ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' has a VirtualPet game like ''Toys/{{Tamagotchi}}'' (''Chao Garden'') which you can load onto it. ''[[VideoGame/SanFranciscoRush Rush 2049]]'' has a goofy RacingGame you can load onto it. It was an interesting idea but wasn't used all that much in that fashion. It can also link up with other [=VMUs=] to trade data without being plugged into the console.
In a similar vein to the later UsefulNotes/WiiU's [=GamePad=], the VMU's screen (typically used as a clock and calendar) could also display game information while plugged in. It was particularly useful in multiplayer games; for instance, players could choose their plays in ''[=NFL 2K=]'' on their VMU screen rather than the normal playcall screen (which would display the play art for opponents to see), and in ''VideoGame/SonicShuffle'', where movement was decided by hands of numbered cards rather than random dice rolls as in ''VideoGame/MarioParty'', players' hands would be concealed on their VMU screens.
Determined not to repeat the Saturn's mistakes, Sega designed it to be a powerful 3D system which was easy to develop for. In the U.S., it launched on the now-iconic date of September 9, 1999 (with "9.9.99" becoming something of a slogan for the system in the leadup to its American release) with a mainline 3D ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' game, ''Sonic Adventure'' (in Japan, a slightly earlier version of ''Adventure'' came out 1 month after the console launched). Microsoft also lent a hand with the system's online capability, which helped pioneer online gaming for consoles with titles like ''VideoGame/ChuChuRocket'' and especially ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline''.
Like the Saturn before it, the Dreamcast had a heavy emphasis on arcade ports, though its capacity to play them was much more impressive than its big brother. While the Saturn's arcade conversions were quite solid, the 2D ones relied on RAM expansion accessories and the 3D titles often had to make noticeable compromises (e.g. a halved framerate) to run on the system. The Dreamcast, being based on Sega's NAOMI arcade board, was able to run {{Arcade Perfect Port}}s no problem, and the ports would often turn out even better than the originals. Popular arcade {{fighting game}}s such as ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur]]'' and ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive 2'' achieved greater acclaim through their Dreamcast versions, and the second (and last) ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' game was only ever ported to this console. The most famous port which isn't a fighting game is the arcade hit ''VideoGame/CrazyTaxi'', which was one of the Dreamcast's {{killer app}}s and successful enough to warrant two console-only sequels.
While arcade ports were an important part of the system, the Dreamcast did birth a new generation of [=IPs=] like ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio'' and ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}''. The [[VideoGame/GrandiaII first sequel]] in the ''VideoGame/{{Grandia}}'' series began as a Dreamcast exclusive, as did ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica''. Both were true [[VideoGame3DLeap 3D leaps]] for their respective franchises: ''[[VideoGame/Grandia1 Grandia I]]'' and the previous ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' games used a SpritePolygonMix.
As alluded to earlier, the Dreamcast was the console of choice for 2D fighters, playing host to the most-faithful versions of the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom'' games; indeed, the long-lived ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2'' [[TournamentPlay competitive scene]] kept the Dreamcast in the public consciousness beyond {{retrogaming}} circles after its death. These days it's easier to play ''[=MvC2=]'' on UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade or the UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork[[note]]Although, the Dreamcast version is arcade perfect thanks to being another NAOMI port. Future console versions tended to have certain flaws or quirks that make busting out a Dreamcast and controller converter worth the hassle for tournament play even to this day. This is another testament to the console's outstanding arcade conversions. That and said future console version had since been axed from online stores[[/note]].
The system did have its share of drawbacks and design flaws. Sega decided that the pack-in modem for Europe and Asia would only be 33.6K at a time when 56K was industry standard (the American release came with a 56K modem) and with ISDN and Broadband starting to emerge. Despite the possibility of replacing the pack-in modem, the high cost and rarity of upgrade units (a replacement 56K modem and a 10/100 Ethernet "broadband adapter"), along with the decision to software-lock the console to a small number of partnered [=ISPs=] in some territories (the bundled modem setup disc would only allow settings for these [=ISPs=]), severely handicapped the console's growth as a potential online platform. Another point of contention was the controller. While it was generally well received by players and has proven to be quite durable, Sega made the curious decision to only use 4 buttons[[note]]Not counting the Start button or analog triggers[[/note]] (3 less than the upcoming UsefulNotes/GameCube, 7 less than the upcoming UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, which has the same amount as the original Dualshock for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, and 5 less than the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} and even the Dreamcast's predecessor in the Sega Saturn) and only ''one'' analog stick, all chalked up to polling from gamers who remarked that controllers had too many inputs at the time, meaning that porting over certain games from other consoles was difficult or impossible. That's not counting complaints about the jagged D-pad (following the sublime perfection of the Saturn d-pad), the increased bulk, or the odd design of the bottom facing controller cord which effectively reduced its length.
The Dreamcast actually came out of the gate very fast, surprisingly so given the failure of the Saturn. However, in an era when UsefulNotes/{{DVD}}s were about to explode in popularity, Sony immediately leveraged that with the Platform/PlayStation2, which not only acted as a standalone DVD player (and was in fact cheaper than many dedicated DVD players for much of the generation), but boasted graphical capabilities far beyond what the Dreamcast could offer. A mere eleven days after the North American launch of the Dreamcast, Sony unveiled the [=PlayStation 2=] at the Tokyo Game Show, which dazzled the crowd of journalists with what looked like fancy tech-demo renders of ''Franchise/{{Tekken}} 3''[[note]]which would become an enhanced port of ''Tekken Tag Tournament''[[/note]] and ''VideoGame/GranTurismo''[[note]]at the time dubbed ''Gran Turismo 2000'' and was going to be a simple graphical remake of ''Gran Turismo 2'' before it eventually evolved into ''Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec''[[/note]], until the presenters took the controls and revealed they were actual playable demos. Just like that, the industry felt like the air was immediately out of the Dreamcast's balloon, to be rendered obsolete by the [=PS2=] in a year's time.
There was also the fact that the system's copy protection was quickly defeated. Hackers eventually discovered the console's support for [=MIL-CDs=], a format with a whopping 8 releases [[NoExportForYou exclusive to Japan]] which adds multimedia functions to music [=CDs=] whenever the Dreamcast plays them. For example, MIL-CD music releases can offer enhanced navigational menus, internet capabilities, and full-screen video. Contrary to popular belief however, this didn't leave the Dreamcast ''completely'' vulnerable. While MIL-CD support could theoretically leave a backdoor into the Dreamcast, Sega foresaw this and implemented an additional layer of copy protection to stop people from simply re-formatting GD-ROM images into MIL-CD images and burning them onto CD-Rs. The boot sector of a MIL-CD was scrambled from the factory, and when inserting the disc into the Dreamcast and it detected it as a MIL-CD, it would attempt to unscramble the boot sector. If the result came back scrambled instead of unscrambled, it would not boot. This deterred pirates for a while, but unfortunately for Sega, a hacking group obtained a Dreamcast dev kit, which included a scrambler program. They then used it to create a special program to rip GD-ROM discs from a retail Dreamcast via a serial cable or through tunneling software and the modem/broadband adapter and then formatting the data to adhere to the MIL-CD format; early attempts used an MIL-CD boot disc such as the famous Utopia Boot Disc which had to first be inserted and booted up before playing a burnt CD. This also had the benefit of bypassing the region coding installed to the console's BIOS-IPL allowing you to run imports. Towards the end of the console's life, pirates eventually created a workaround in the form of a self-booting disc image which contained the scrambled bootloader built in. The final revision of the Dreamcast hardware removed MIL-CD support completely.
A caveat to this however was the need to strip data from the 1.1GB GDI disc image to allow it to fit onto a standard 700MB CD-ROM. Common sacrifices were compressed audio tracks, textures or [=FMVs=] and in certain cases outright removal of these components or to split them across multiple discs. Several early scene releases would also miss entire levels or sequences (A scene release of ''Sonic Adventure'' would always crash on the Twinkle Park stage due to missing files needed for the level to load). Later Dreamcast games would start adding their own anti-piracy checks to try and deter pirates, but by that time it was too little, too late.
The most significant factor was the large debt Sega had accrued from their earlier string of failed hardware. Not only did this limit Sega's ability to promote the Dreamcast, it also meant they had to sell it at an unrealistic margin in order for them to become profitable again. Developers, retailers and consumers likewise viewed the console warily given Sega's shaky situation, and Creator/ElectronicArts famously refused to support the system at all: they had previously wanted to be the exclusive supplier of sports titles for the DC, and when Sega said no (as they had just purchased developer Visual Concepts for the express purpose of creating sports games), EA exacted their revenge. On the upside, Visual Concepts' ''NFL [=2K=]'' and ''VideoGame/NBA2K'' wound up becoming huge hits even after the Dreamcast's demise, and were seen as worthy competitors to EA's sports titles, with EA giving up on basketball entirely for a few years. However, ''NFL [=2K=]'' wound up being ScrewedByTheLawyers when EA struck a deal to become the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]]'s exclusive video game partner.
Between 1998 and 2003, Sega operated at a net loss. The Dreamcast made them money but the games just weren't selling (usually the opposite is true with home consoles), and they couldn't compete with the [=PS2=] or Platform/NintendoGameCube. Sega's president at the time, Isao Okawa, held majority shares and fronted $695 million of his own money to keep them from going bankrupt and to pacify investors. He died soon afterward while in negotiations with Microsoft to support Dreamcast games on the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} (though not before forgiving Sega's $695 million debt owed to him), and the guy who replaced him was adamant about staying out of hardware from then on. It didn't cover the damages, and riding out the Dreamcast for another year wouldn't have turned it around, so they folded (having made a little under 11 million of the things) and retreated to making software shortly thereafter. The Dreamcast saw its dream die on March 31, 2001. With that, Sega ended nearly three decades as a leading console manufacturer. The last game Sega would ever publish for the Dreamcast--and by extension, [[SwanSong their own consoles]]--was ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoFever'' on February 24, 2004. Dreamcast consoles were still sold in Japan until 2006, where third-party games continued to trickle out until '07. The final Dreamcast game released that year was ''Karous''.
A common misconception is that the Dreamcast is compatible with [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Microsoft Windows CE]] due to the [[CoversAlwaysLie misleading label slapped onto the front of the console]], but this is not the case.[[note]]A popular rumor at the time was that due to the Dreamcast being a "Windows based" console the later Microsoft [=Xbox=] was backwards compatible with it - in other words that you can play Dreamcast games on an [=Xbox=]. This is also not the case. This is likely an offshoot of another rumor at the time spread around by Sega fanboys: That the Dreamcast was nothing but a beta version of the [=Xbox=] and Microsoft had the Dreamcast killed off when the [=Xbox=] was released. This is ''also'' not the case.[[/note]] Sega and Microsoft partnered to develop a Windows CE-based development kit under the codename of ''Dragon'' to allow developers to more easily port over games from the PC platform using an abstraction layer with familiar API's such as [=DirectX=] (Specifically [=DirectX=] 6) rather than needing to code to the bare metal of the console. The game would then ship with the libraries it would require from this environment rather than the entire operating system. Ultimately however, the Windows CE based SDK fell to the wayside in favor of Sega's own ''Katana'' software development kit which was more optimized and easier to work with due to not needing to worry about the overhead cost of the Windows libraries and compatibility issues between the two platform's architecture, but that did not stop around 75 games from using the Windows CE-based kit (including a cancelled port of ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' plus ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', ''VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles'' and ''VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation'')
For all its failures, the Dreamcast is still remembered fondly by a subset of gamers and has a cult following. Many Sega fans consider the Dreamcast to be the height of Sega's creative powers: they not only pumped out an incredible number of well-received first-party games but titles like ''Seaman'', ''Jet Grind Radio'', ''Crazy Taxi'', ''Space Channel 5'' and so forth were noted for a ''je ne sais'' Sega in terms of art direction and style that made their games stand out from Nintendo and Sony.
The Dreamcast was also known for being a ''de facto'' open platform: long before its death, modders had hacked it wide open to the point of being able to run versions of UsefulNotes/{{Linux}} and [=NetBSD,=] as well as allowing programmers to write their own games using [=KallistiOS=] as a developing environment. So although the GD-ROM format was abandoned in 2007, indie developers still continue to make Dreamcast (and VMU) games. A complete first-person shooter called ''Paranoia'' [[http://www.moddb.com/mods/paranoia/downloads/dreamcast-paranoia was released in May 2010.]] Later on, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSMHzNE5xbo a side-scrolling shooter]] came out.
The Dreamcast also helped standardize online gaming for consoles; while online play had been experimented with as far back as the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem era and had even earlier pre-internet precursors in the UsefulNotes/Atari2600 days, the Dreamcast is what first made online connectivity a genuine and prioritized point of interest within the gaming industry. The system came with a modem, as previously mentioned, and had robust online services based on the region. Asia had Dricas, North America had [=SegaNet=], Europe had Dreamarena, and Australia had Comma. [=SegaNet=] required a subscription but ended up being the most successful, quickly reaching over 1.5 million subscribers right after the Dreamcast launched in North America. Outside of online multiplayer and matchmaking, the services also allowed for internet browsing, access to email, and the first vestiges of DownloadableContent. The potential of DLC was very restricted, however, due to memory constraints with the [=VMU=]s (they could only hold 100 kilobytes of data; even in its day, what we would call DLC packs would consist of multiple megabytes). Microsoft actually assisted with the creation of [=SegaNet=], and would go on to use the experience they gained from their partnership with Sega on the Dreamcast's SpiritualSuccessor: the Xbox (Bill Gates was even in talks to consider cross-console compatibility between the two consoles, but the negotiations fell through over the choice of online services). Several games Sega had been developing for the DC ended up as early Xbox exclusives (in an attempt to win Japanese gamers, which failed). Even the original Xbox "Duke" controller's layout (which was subsequently improved upon with the Platform/Xbox360 and Platform/XboxOne controllers) is based on that of the Dreamcast's.
%%Normally, this wouldn't be listed, but the Dreamcast was so short-lived that any way to play more games on it is welcome.
In the late nineties, a commercial Platform/PlayStation emulator called ''Bleemcast!'' was released for the Dreamcast. A port of the first [=PS1=] emulator ever, it was able to enhance the graphics of [=PS1=] games by increasing the resolution and smoothing the textures out, which was an impressive feat considering that the [=PS1=] was still being sold. Unfortunately, the huge task of creating the emulator and a lawsuit from Sony meant that only three games were supported: ''VideoGame/GranTurismo 2'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', and ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} 3''.
----
!!Technical Specifications:
!!![[AC:Processors]]
* CPU: 32-bit Hitachi SH-4 at 200MHz, with a peak performance of 360 MIPS and 1.4 GFLOPS. It also has a 64-bit double-precision superscalar [=SuperH-4=] RISC Central processing unit core with a 32-bit integer unit using 16-bit fixed-length instructions, a 64-bit data bus allowing a variable width of either 8, 16, 32 or 64-bits, and a 128-bit floating-point bus. The SH-4 also comes equipped with a Memory Management Unit or MMU for managing system memory resources. Although the MMU is disabled by default and must be enabled by the software title running to use it. The MMU was only mostly used in ''Dragon SDK'' developed games.
** It had a 128-bit vector unit, which led to a misconception that the CPU itself is ''128-bit''. This is exactly how Sega marketed it- as a [[BlatantLies 128-bit console]] since the belief of [[UsefulNotes/HowVideoGameSpecsWork "more bits is better"]] still hung around, though this idea pretty much died during the Dreamcast's console generation.
* GPU: [=PowerVR2 CLX2=] codenamed "Holly" at 100MHz. Holly also acts as the System Bus for all controller input.
* Sound: Custom Yamaha chip called AICA at 45MHz. AICA supports up to 64 PCM channels in 16 or 8 bit at a sample rate of 44.1Khz. It's also split into submodules including a ADPCM decoder and a [=ARM7TDI=] at 2.82MHz for controlling AICA. This controller uses small drivers written into S-RAM to control it. AICA is also reponsible for handling the onboard real time clock. Curiously enough, the Dremcast has support for 2 MIDI based inputs through AICA, most likely for development purposes.
* The VMU uses a 8bit Sanyo [=LC86K87=] clocked at 6MHz when attached to the Dreamcast controller and 32KHz when detached.
!!![[AC:Memory]]
* 16MB of main memory running at 100MHz on a 64-bit interface.
** 8MB of video memory running at 100MHz on a 4 x 16-bit interface.
** 2MB of sound memory running at 66MHz on a 16-bit interface.
* 2MB of system ROM for the BIOS and 256KB of flash memory (though this doesn't store game saves, it's to save internet connection settings via dial-up or broadband or serial information for online games)
* Games are stored on GD-ROM, a proprietary, high density optical disc format that was incompatible, mostly, with CD drives. The "GD" stood for "'''G'''igabyte '''D'''isc", as 1.1 GB was the format's maximum storage capacity.
** Part of the GD disc was CD compatible as the first data track. This was used to either play an audio track informing the person the GD disc is only usable on a Dreamcast or offer some bonus content for [=PCs=]. GDROM's read using Constant Angular Velocity (CAV) at a x12 read speed.
* Game saves were stored on a device called the Visual Memory Unit or VMU, which offered a storage space of 100KB divided into 200, 512 byte blocks. The full capacity is 128KB but the first 28KB are reserved by the VMU. Homebrew tools can unlock this extra storage space at the cost of some games becoming unable to read the VMU.
** The VMU itself comes with 512 bytes of WRAM. 256bytes is reserved for the system BIOS, leaving the remaining 256 bytes for onboard programs. The System IPL is stored on a 16KB mask ROM.
!!![[AC:Graphics]]
* The Videologic Power VR 2 100MHz (GPU). The list of features it supports made it rather advanced for its time and relatively simple to program for, even if it isn't the most powerful or sophisticated. Some of its features wouldn't become standard in [[UsefulNotes/Playstation4 cons]][[UsefulNotes/XboxOne oles]] or PC graphic cards (barring the one attempt Videologic tried to bring another version of this GPU to the PC market) for at least ''a decade''.
** Capable of rendering 7 million polygons per second. Dreamcast games can be expected to run 0.5 to 5 million polygons (depending on the game engine) per second.
** Hardware (thus at all times, irrespective of software) full screen supersampling anti-aliasing,
** Anisotropic filtering
** VQ hardware texture compression (average 5:1), saving memory on RAM and disk
** Tile based rendering, saving on memory bandwidth and allowing it to only render visible polygons
** Real time lighting through gouraud shading and bump mapping.
** Optimized for 640x480 resolution, capable of up to 1600x1200, though no commercial game ever went above 640x480, as that was the highest resolution television sets of the time supported. Some games also used 320x240, mostly 2D fighters such as ''Marvel Vs. Capcom''. Unlike the [=PS2=], it blends frames together, creating an image with no "shimmering" and less jagged edges at the cost of a blurrier image.
** Note that the capabilities supported by the hardware are optional, so some games may sacrifice graphical improvements to achieve adequate frame rate. For instance, its anti-aliasing requires the Dreamcast to render 4 times the pixels for a slightly smoother image, so it was usually the first to go.
* Can output through coaxial, composite, S-Video, and VGA (with a VGA Box)
!!![[AC:Accessories]]
* There are many, ''many'' accessories, but the ones that really stand out are:
** The Dreamcast Controller, noted for its wide variety of color schemes, dual expansion ports and an unusual shape (it's an update to the Saturn's 3D Control Pad).
** The VMU (Visual Memory Unit), which is needed to save games, and doubled as a portable game system. It plugs into the controller via the aforementioned expansion ports (typically the one in the front, which had a cutout so you could see the screen; certain games would display additional information on the VMU screen). The memory is flash, meaning it works even when the tiny watch battery is depleted (which explains the loud "BEEP" heard when you start up a console; that's the VMU telling you it has no battery).
*** There was also a higher-capacity alternative called the [=4X=] Memory Card, which, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as the name implies]], can hold four times the amount of a standard VMU, or 800 blocks (400KB). However, since the Dreamcast was only designed to read 200 blocks (100KB) from a single VMU at a time, the data is split across four 200 block "pages". You switch between these blocks by pressing a button on the memory card, and there are four [=LEDs=] that light up corresponding to what page the card is set to. It resembles a standard VMU, but the big difference is that there is no screen or face buttons, so it lacks several VMU-specific features such as the in-game second screen and ability to play VMU minigames. This "4 page design" has some drawbacks, for one, you cannot copy data between pages without a separate memory card as a temporary holding place, and game saves cannot span multiple pages.[[note]]For example, if you have a game that needs 10 blocks to save, but page 1 only has 5 blocks remaining, you can't save 5 blocks on page 1 and 5 blocks on page 2, you have to save the entire file on page 2.[[/note]] In addition, the device also has compatibility issues with some games. Some games don't like it when you hot-swap memory cards (which is essentially what pressing the button on the card is simulating), some won't recognize the card at all, while with others the card will straight up [[GameBreakingBug crash the game.]] Read [[https://segaretro.org/4x_Memory_Card here]] for a list of games with compatibility issues.
** Jump Pack: Allowed for rumble support. Yes, you heard that right -- rumble wasn't built into the controller, making it the only console of the generation to not have it natively. While the implementation of this accessory was much more friendly than its closest equivalent on the Nintendo 64 -- the second port negated any need for pack swapping and it didn't require batteries -- this would end up being quite a miscalculation on Sega's part. At the very least, since it was available from launch, nearly every action game supported it.
** Broadband modem, ultra rare but then oh so useful. Nowadays, not so much. This replaced the packed-in modem; both would plug into an expansion port along the console's edge (there was no "filler" door to put in place, unlike the Genesis).
** VGA box. When installed, the produced RGB is not converted to Composite/S-Video/Coaxial and back to RGB for the screen to use and instead goes directly to the monitor, a possible biproduct of the system being based on arcade hardware. This should have been offered as standard, as it allows more color than ''all'' of its competitors while in VGA mode which also shortens response time, produces the natural resolution (480p) in progressive mode (''i.e.'' lines don't appear when moving, clearer image), does not require external power source, and it was cheap to make ($20 finds you one). Contact with the graphics port may be faulty though, which makes colored lines to randomly appear on the screen, and there may be compatibility issues with modern [=TVs=].[[labelnote: Explanation]]This is due to the VGA Box outputting an unconventional 720x480 resolution (the standard resolution for 480i/480p video on a television, but not on a computer monitor). This wasn't a issue on an analog CRT computer monitor, but many [=TVs=] will expect a 640x480 resolution over VGA as it is the standard for computers outputting 480p. Even if it does work, it will likely misinterpret the signal as a 640x480 resolution, and since the Dreamcast still renders in 640x480 (the extra horizontal resolution is not used), the result may be an ever-so slightly squished image or the introduction of other unwanted artifacts. The best way to rectify this is by feeding the signal into an OSSC and convert the unconventional VGA signal into something the TV can understand. For more information, read [[https://www.retrorgb.com/dreamcast.html here.]][[/labelnote]] If your TV lacked a VGA port or if a game didn't support VGA (due to VGA being unable to transmit an interlaced video signal, you will receive an error message and the game will not boot if you're using VGA and the game does not support progressive scan), you could still use the video and S-Video ports.
** A variety of peripheral, and often unusual, controllers, including a fishing rod and maracas, as well as arcade sticks and light guns. A mouse and keyboard were also available, mostly useful for Internet-related games and functions and the occasional EdutainmentGame like ''[[VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead Typing of the Dead]]''. ''Side note'': Sega didn't actually release [[https://segaretro.org/Dreamcast_Gun their light gun]] in North America. Sega didn't want to risk a backlash over a gun peripheral in the wake of the Columbine massacre. Instead the third-party Mad Catz "[[https://segaretro.org/Dream_Blaster Dream Blaster]]" was promoted and approved by Sega since unlike the Dreamcast Gun, it could not be mistaken for an actual weapon. Most lightgun games released in the U.S. also [[DummiedOut prevented players from using imported Dreamcast Guns]].
!!![[AC:System Software]]
* As noted on a sticker on the front of the console, Microsoft collaborated with Sega to produce a version of Windows CE (a special version of Windows designed for low-powered, single-tasking embedded machines like consoles) for the Dreamcast. Contrary to popular belief, this was not built into the console itself, but was instead available as an option for developers to include with their games in order to make porting from the PC easier.
* The Dreamcast's hardware is known among arcade enthusiasts for being a match with the Sega NAOMI arcade hardware, allowing for the relatively simple creation of arcade ports. If you find an arcade game running on Sega NAOMI, there's a high likelihood it has a Dreamcast port.
** In 2003, Sega's new corporate parent Sammy would release the Atomiswave, which was an attempt to make back the investment in surplus Dreamcast chips by proposing a small, cost-effective arcade platform that was both 2D and 3D-compatible. The Atomiswave used cartridges (in a manner similar to the UsefulNotes/NeoGeo and other cartridge-based arcade platformers like the PGM) rather than boards. The platform would see some interest due to briefly becoming Creator/{{SNK}}'s arcade system of choice following the discontinuation of the Neo Geo. In 2020, hobbyist would find a way to backport Atomiswave games on Dreamcast consoles, making them playable through homebrew means.
** In 2005, Sega would introduce the System SP, or “Spider Hardware” as it became known throughout the Arcade industry, for powering novelty machines like a giant Tetris machine, their card gacha games and kiddie rides. This would also use the NAOMI as its base design but with a different loader- the system uses compact flash as its storage media. This hardware would be manufactured for almost a decade, until 2014. It was last used for a novelty token pusher machine.
* All DC consoles came bundled with a web browser disc (simply titled the ''Dreamcast Web Browser'') so you could take advantage of the built-in connectivity; when [=SegaNet=] was launched the browser discs were updated to be compatible with it. Certain copies also came with the ''Sega Swirl'' puzzle game. European consumers had the ''[=DreamKey=]'' series of browser discs (allowing access to the ''[=Dreamarena=]'' online service), while in Japan the web discs were known as ''Dream Passport'' (unlike in other regions there was no unified online gaming service).
There are many other details; here you can read the [[http://www.segatech.com/technical/overview/index.html complete hardware specs]].
----
!!Games/Series:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:#-D]]
* ''VideoGame/EighteenWheelerAmericanProTrucker''
* [[index]]''VideoGame/AirForceDelta''
* ''VideoGame/AloneInTheDarkTheNewNightmare''
* ''VideoGame/BangaiO''
* ''VideoGame/BlackMatrix''
* ''VideoGame/BlueStinger''
* ''VideoGame/BombermanOnline''
* ''VideoGame/BorderDown''
* ''VideoGame/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand''
* ''VideoGame/CannonSpike''
* ''VideoGame/{{Carrier}}''
* ''VideoGame/CastleOfShikigami II'' (Japan exclusive)
* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaResurrection'' (cancelled)
* ''VideoGame/Centipede1998''
* ''VideoGame/ChaosField''
* ''Charge 'n Blast''
* ''VideoGame/ChuChuRocket''
* ''VideoGame/CleopatraFortune''
* ''VideoGame/ConfidentialMission''
* ''VideoGame/CrazyTaxi''
** ''Crazy Taxi 2''
* ''VideoGame/{{Culdcept}} Second''
* ''[[VideoGame/VirtualOn Cyber Troopers Virtual-On: Oratorio Tangram Ver.5.45]]''
* ''VideoGame/{{D2}}''
* ''VisualNovel/DancingBladeKatteNiMomotenshi''
** ''Dancing Blade Katte ni Momotenshi II: Tears of Eden''
* ''VideoGame/DaytonaUSA 2001''
* ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive 2''
* ''VideoGame/DenshaDeGo 2''
* ''VideoGame/DinoCrisis''
* ''VideoGame/{{Dinosaur}}''
* ''VideoGame/DonaldDuckGoinQuackers''
* ''VideoGame/DynamiteCop''
[[/folder]]
[[folder:E-H]]
* ''VideoGame/EccoTheDolphin: Defender of the Future''
* ''Videogame/ElementalGimmickGear''
* ''VideoGame/EvilDeadHailToTheKing''
* ''VideoGame/EvolutionTheWorldOfSacredDevice''
** ''Evolution 2: Far Off Promise''
* ''VideoGame/{{Expendable}}''
* ''VideoGame/FightingForce 2''
* ''VideoGame/FightingVipers 2''
* ''[[VideoGame/FireProWrestling Fire Pro Wrestling D]]''
* ''VideoGame/FloiganBros''
* ''VideoGame/{{Frogger}} 2: Swampy's Revenge''
* ''VideoGame/FurFighters''
* ''[[VideoGame/GarouMarkOfTheWolves Garou: Mark of the Wolves]]''
* ''VideoGame/{{Gauntlet}} Legends''
* ''VideoGame/GigaWing''
** ''Giga Wing 2''
* ''VideoGame/GrandiaII''
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto2''
* ''VideoGame/TheGrinch2000''
* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGearX''
* ''Gunbird 2''
* [[/index]]''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':[[index]]
** ''VideoGame/MobileSuitGundamSideStory0079RiseFromTheAshes''
** ''[[VideoGame/GundamVsSeries Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon DX]]''
* ''VideoGame/{{Gunlord}}''
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' (beta, never released)
* ''VideoGame/{{Headhunter}}''
* ''Magazine/HeavyMetal: Geomatrix''
* ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead'':
** ''The House of the Dead 2''
** ''The Typing of the Dead''
** ''VideoGame/ZombieRevenge''
* ''VideoGame/HydroThunder''
[[/folder]]
[[folder:I-L]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Ikaruga}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Illbleed}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Incoming}}''
* ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio'' (also known as ''Jet Grind Radio'')
* ''VideoGame/JoJosBizarreAdventureHeritageForTheFuture''
* ''VisualNovel/{{Kanon}}''
* ''VideoGame/KaoTheKangaroo''
* ''VideoGame/{{Karous}}''
* [[/index]]''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'':[[index]]
** ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters98 The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999]]''
** ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters99 The King of Fighters: Evolution]]''
** ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2000'' ([[NoExportForYou Japan exclusive]])
** ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2001'' (Japan exclusive)
** ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2002'' (Japan exclusive)
* ''VideoGame/{{Langrisser}} Millennium''
* ''VideoGame/TheLastBlade 2''
* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKainSoulReaver''
[[/folder]]
[[folder:M-P]]
* ''VideoGame/MakenX''
* ''VideoGame/MarsMatrix''
* ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'':
** ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomClashOfSuperHeroes''
** ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2''
* ''VideoGame/{{MDK2}}''
* ''Metropolis Street Racer''
* ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat4 Mortal Kombat Gold]]''
* ''VideoGame/MrDriller''
* ''VideoGame/MsPacManMazeMadness''
* ''VisualNovel/NakoruruAnoHitoKaraNoOkurimono''
* ''VideoGame/NappleTaleArsiaInDaydream''
* ''VideoGame/{{NBA 2K}}'' and ''NFL 2K'', which launched the companies 2K Sports and 2K Games; critically, they were praised more than the offerings from venerable EA Sports and ''NFL 2K'' was a rare KillerApp sports game. When Sega's first-party run ended, these two series wound up on the current consoles and continued their run of success, eating well into EA Sports's market share. NBA 2K2, in particular, was one of four games to make it to all four sixth generation consoles. It helped that EA was completely absent from the DC due to their own legal chicanery; Sega had just bought Visual Concepts to produce their in-house Sega Sports titles, which then went on to kick EA's butt. Although ''NFL 2K'' came to an abrupt end when EA won the NFL's exclusivity bid in 2005, ''NBA 2K'' eventually outclassed ''Live'' both commercially and critically. EA didn't offer another game for four years apart from some failed reboots; the company knew they could not compete with 2K and cancelled them.
** There were also the ''NHL 2K'' and ''MLB 2K'' series, but those didn't take off the way the other two did.
* ''[[VideoGame/GoldenLogres Neo Golden Logres]]''
* ''VideoGame/NFLBlitz 2000''
** ''NFL Blitz 2001''
* ''VideoGame/NightmareCreatures II''
* ''VideoGame/OmikronTheNomadSoul''
* ''Outtrigger''
* ''VideoGame/PanzerFront''
* ''[=PenPen TriIcelon=]''
* ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline''
** ''Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2''
* ''VideoGame/PierSolarAndTheGreatArchitects'' [[UpdatedRerelease HD]]
* ''[[VideoGame/StarGladiator Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein]]''
* ''VideoGame/PopNMusic'' 1-4
* ''VideoGame/PowerStone''
** ''Power Stone 2''
* ''[[VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia3D Prince of Persia: Arabian Nights]]''
* ''[[VideoGame/ProPinball Pro Pinball Trilogy]]'', consisting of ''Pro Pinball: Timeshock!, Pro Pinball: Big Race USA,'' and ''Pro Pinball: Fantastic Journey'' on one disc
* ''Propeller Arena: Aviation Battle Championship'' (unreleased prototype)
* ''VideoGame/PsychicForce 2012''
* ''[[VideoGame/RivalSchools Project Justice]]''
* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'':
** ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyon''
** ''Puyo Puyo Da!''
** ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoFever'', among the four titles that were released on all four sixth generation consoles. The game also became the final first-party title release on a Sega console.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Q-T]]
* ''VideoGame/QBert''
* ''VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena''
* ''VideoGame/{{Radirgy}}''
* ''VideoGame/RailroadTycoon 2: Gold Edition''
* ''[[VideoGame/FantasticNightDreamsCotton Rainbow Cotton]]''
* ''VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape''
* ''VideoGame/Ready2RumbleBoxing''
** ''Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2''
* ''Roleplay/RecordOfLodossWar''
* ''[[VideoGame/RentAHero Rent A Hero No. 1]]''
* [[/index]]''Franchise/ResidentEvil'':[[index]]
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2''
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis''
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica''
* ''VideoGame/{{Rez}}''
* ''Literature/TheRing: Terror's Realm''
* ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'':
** ''VideoGame/SakuraWars1996''
** ''VideoGame/SakuraWars2ThouShaltNotDie''
** ''VideoGame/SakuraWars3IsParisBurning''
** ''VideoGame/SakuraWars4FallInLoveMaidens''
** ''Hanagumi Taisen Columns 2''
* ''VideoGame/SambaDeAmigo''
* ''VideoGame/SanFranciscoRush 2049''
* ''VideoGame/{{Seaman}}''
* ''Sega GT''
* ''VideoGame/SegaRally Championship 2''
* ''Sega Smash Pack Volume 1''
* ''VideoGame/{{Segagaga}}''
* ''VideoGame/ShadowMan''
* ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}''
** ''VideoGame/ShenmueII''
* ''VideoGame/SilentScope''
* ''VideoGame/{{Silver}}''
* ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia''
* ''VideoGame/SlaveZero''
* ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom'':
** ''VideoGame/CapcomVsSNKMillenniumFight2000''
** ''VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium'', one of four games that manage to see a release on all four sixth-generation consoles.
* ''VideoGame/SoldierOfFortune''
* [[/index]]''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':[[index]]
** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''
** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''
** ''VideoGame/SonicShuffle''
* ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Calibur]]''
* ''VideoGame/SouthParkRally''
* ''VideoGame/SpaceChannel5''
** ''Space Channel 5 Part 2''
* ''VideoGame/SpawnInTheDemonsHand''
* ''VideoGame/SpiderMan2000''
* ''VideoGame/{{Starlancer}}''
* [[/index]]''Franchise/StarWars'':[[index]]
** ''VideoGame/StarWarsEpisodeIJediPowerBattles''
** ''VideoGame/StarWarsEpisodeIRacer''
* [[/index]]''Franchise/StreetFighter'':[[index]]
** ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha 3''
** ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII: Double Impact''
** ''Street Fighter III: Third Strike - Fight for the Future''
** ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterII Super Street Fighter II X for Matching Service]]''
* ''Super Puzzle Fighter II X for Matching Service''
* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha''
* ''Super Runabout: San Francisco Edition''
* ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheBerserkGutsRage''
* ''VideoGame/TechRomancer''
* ''VideoGame/TestDrive'':
** ''Test Drive 6''
** ''Test Drive Le Mans''
** ''Test Drive V-Rally''
* ''VideoGame/TimeStalkers''
* ''VideoGame/TokyoXtremeRacer''
** ''Tokyo Xtreme Racer 2''
* [[/index]]''Franchise/TombRaider'':[[index]]
** ''VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation''
** ''VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles''
* ''[[VideoGame/RainbowSix Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six]]''
** ''Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear''
* ''VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater''
** ''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2''
* ''VideoGame/ToyCommander''
* ''VideoGame/ToyStory2''
* ''VideoGame/TriggerheartExelica''
* ''VideoGame/TwinkleStarSprites''
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U-Z]]
* ''VideoGame/UnderDefeat''
* ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament''
* ''VideoGame/UrbanChaos''
* ''[[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Vampire Chronicle for Matching Service]]''
* ''VideoGame/{{Vigilante 8}}: Second Offense''
* ''VideoGame/VirtuaCop 2''
* ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'':
** ''Virtua Fighter 3tb''
** ''Virtua Fighter 4 Passport''
** ''Virtua Fighter History''
* ''VideoGame/{{Wetrix}}''
* ''[[VideoGame/WildMetalCountry Wild Metal]]''
* ''VideoGame/WindAndWaterPuzzleBattles''
* ''VideoGame/{{Worms}}'':
** ''Worms Armageddon''
** ''Worms World Party''
* ''[[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]] Wrestling/RoyalRumble''
* ''Zero Gunner 2''[[/index]]
[[/folder]]
----
!!Tropes:
* ArcadePerfectPort: The Dreamcast's hardware was basically Sega's NAOMI arcade board as a console, making it extremely easy to make accurate ports of arcade games. And the Atomiswave hardware is also near-identical to a Dreamcast[[note]]Despite some databases erroneously listing it as having double the V-Ram, the Atomiswave is just a consumer Dreamcast board with the GD Rom-reader swapped for a cartridge slot and battery SRAM to save high scores and operator settings[[/note]], allowing for some easy, if unofficial conversions, of Atomiswave games, including [[NoPortForYou games that never got an official port]].
* BeepingComputers: This system is somewhat remembered for the amount of noise it makes. For starters, the VMU emits an elongated beep if its batteries are dead when the system is powered on, and it beeps whenever you save your game. Its disc drive -- the motor used to move the laser pickup back and forth is ''obnoxiously'' noisy, making a very loud grinding sound. It's so noisy in fact that many people have initially been misled to believe something was wrong with their console.
* BookEnds: Some of the later ads, including the [=SegaNet=] launch commercial, reused the old "SEGA!" scream from the Genesis days.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: The swirl icon was colored differently depending on the region, In Japan and North America it was red/orange, whereas in Europe and Australia it was blue. This was due to German game developer Tivola using a similar orange swirl logo at the time (and to this day still); as a consequence, the swirl was removed from the PAL-region system menu and some accessories, including the [=VMUs=]. Brazil wound up using both versions due to mixing-and-matching imported games and accessories.
* EasterEgg: ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoFever'' contains a unique "Dreamcast Main Menu Screen Setting" option that allows you to save a special file to your memory card. Doing so enables a "real mode" for the Main Menu that turns on shading for icons and a reflective water surface below the menus, and also allows you to tilt the perspective.
* GhostInTheMachine: Early ads after the launch depicted tons of characters from the initial launch games all inside the Dreamcast, talking and interacting with each other (such as the ad for ''Crazy Taxi'' depicting characters in line at the DMV, including Sonic, [[WolverinePublicity for some reason]]), hence the tagline "[[Advertising/ItsThinking It's thinking....]]".
* InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt: The console was officially branded as just the "Dreamcast" worldwide - nonetheless, the cover artwork of earlier North American games (and, incidentally, this very page) referred to it as the "''Sega'' Dreamcast".
* MoeAnthropomorphism:
** ''VideoGame/{{Neptunia}}'' introduces Uzume Tennouboshi/Orange Heart, who in her human form is a rough-and-tumble {{Tomboy}} who secretly is a childish daydreamer in her CPU form. She also plays up the "dream" aspect of the Dreamcast by being able to [[RealityWarper make her dreams/wishes into reality]]. [[spoiler:In her past, she was also a goddess filled with hopes and dreams before she ultimately sealed herself away into a console (that looks very much like a Dreamcast) when her people turned against her for how dangerous her powers could be, and split into two beings: her original self going crazy and evil while her inner goodness became a new Uzume.]]
** ''Anime/HisCooolSeHaGirls'': Dreamcast is depicted as a CuteClumsyGirl who lives in perpetual poverty (a reference to Sega's financial troubles) and can access the internet (but only through dial-up, and preferably at night for the best connection speeds).
* PopStarComposer: Bizarrely the case for the system's ''startup sound'' of all things, composed by acclaimed ElectronicMusic artist and Music/YellowMagicOrchestra member Music/RyuichiSakamoto.
* ProductFacelift: Outside of internal revisions, the console's short lifespan meant that, aside from the aforementioned logo coloration issues there wasn't much variation in the models; though Japanese consoles had a slightly different Windows CE logo, and the gray triangle on the disc lid was translucent plastic instead of solid. There were some unique versions, including a limited-edition black "SEGA Sports" model which came prepackaged with two games. Another model, the Diver 2000 CX-1, can best be described as a CRT television with a Dreamcast built into it (and it was designed to look like Sonic's head). The North American packaging for both the games and hardware [[http://www.thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk/2015/07/stars-spangled-box-art.html underwent a change:]] going from a blurry, blue-orange shot of the console to a "horizon" or "eclipse" design. The coloration of the spines of the GD-ROM jewel cases switched from white to black, which makes them tougher to distinguish from [=PS1=] games.
* ReleaseDateChange: The system was originally scheduled to be available in Europe just two weeks after its American launch, but a variety of factors led to it being delayed at the last minute to 14 October.
* {{Vaporware}}: Several add-ons, including a Zip Drive (which made it to prototype stage) and a proposed Dreamcast/DVD player combo which may have been nothing more than a shell. Bernie Stoler wanted to roll out three features when he [[http://www.thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk/2018/03/an-interview-with-bernie-stolar.html was in charge:]] Online play, DVD support, and an internal hard drive. He focused his energies on the first one, but there were unused connections in the console for a hard drive, which [[http://www.thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk/2014/03/setting-pace.html ended up being the basis for a failed European project]] involving a mix of the Dreamcast and a Creator/{{Sky}} Digibox. A small team of hackers rediscovered the unused IDE like connections in 2004 and designed several hardware mod's to install IDE hard drives or [=CompactFlash=] card readers to run a custom OS known as [=DreamShell=] and load GDI's without needing to burn discs or sacrifice the GD-ROM drive for an ODE (Optical Drive Emulator). He was also apparently involved in a pitch with an "early DVR company" (likely [=TiVo=] or [=ReplayTV=]) to have an on-demand games service delivering DC, Saturn, Genesis and Master System games via their box.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Stoler initially pushed for a controller with two analog sticks ''à la'' the UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation}}'s [=DualShock=]. Sega was also involved in talks to bring games like ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' to the platform.
** The aforementioned ''[[VideoGame/HalfLife1 Half-Life]]'' port is this - originally, the game was going to be ported to the system with a new bonus campaign developed by Creator/GearboxSoftware focusing around the Black Mesa security guards, much like how the [=PlayStation 2=] version of the game had ''Decay'' as a bonus campaign. However, the Dreamcast version was ultimately cancelled. Gearbox opted to release the bonus campaign as a PC expansion, and the result was ''VideoGame/HalfLifeBlueShift''.
----
-->''[[VindicatedByHistory It's (Still) Thinking.]]\\\
[[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 Sayonara]], [[BittersweetEnding Troper...]] until we meet again!''
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