Dreamcast
| File:SEGA.svg | Information in this article is about real-life people, companies, and objects, which do not relate to the in-universe Sonic series. |
The Dreamcast (ドリームキャスト Dorīmukyasuto?) is a home video game console and the last one to be manufactured by Sega, being the successor of the Sega Saturn. It was the first of the sixth generation of video game consoles, preceding the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Competition with the PlayStation 2 meant it failed to generate sufficient revenue and Sega continued to incur significant financial losses, eventually withdrawing from the console market altogether.
The Dreamcast had a relatively short life, being released in 1998 in Japan and 1999 in the rest of the world. Despite the console's positive reviews, the Dreamcast was discontinued in North America in November 2001, followed by Europe and Australia in September 2002, and finally Japan in early 2007 after only 9.14 million units sold. After the failure of the Dreamcast, Sega became a software company outside the arcades, where they make arcade equipment.
Only four Sonic the Hedgehog games were released for the platform.
Sonic games[edit | edit source]
| File:Sonicadventuredcog.jpg Sonic Adventure |
 Sonic Shuffle |
| File:Sega Smash Pack (DreamCast).jpg Sega Smash Pack Volume 1 |
File:Sonic Adventure 2.jpg Sonic Adventure 2 |
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Characters introduced[edit | edit source]
VMU[edit | edit source]
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The VMU is the primary memory card for the Dreamcast. It can also be used as a secondary screen, a real-time clock, and a file manager.
Models[edit | edit source]
The Dreamcast featured a variety of different models. These lists do not include variants that are simply standard white consoles with a decal.
North America[edit | edit source]
| Name | Appearance | Came with | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top | Bottom | Decal | Games | Accessories | ||
| Sonic Bundle | White | N/A | Sonic Shuffle, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2: The Trial | Transparent blue VMU | N/A | |
| Sega Sports pack | Black | Sega Sports logo in the centre | NFL2K and NBA2K | Matching controller. | N/A | |
Japan[edit | edit source]
| Name | Appearance | Came with | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top | Bottom | Decal | Games | Accessories | ||
| Sonic 10th Anniversary | Blue | Sonic Adventure art of Sonic in the centre with "Sonic the Hedgehog 10th Anniversary" wrapped around. The anniversary and Sonic Team logos are in the top corners | N/A | White and blue controller | Only 50 units were produced, with 40 being signed by Yuji Naka | |
| Hello Kitty | Pale transparent pink | White | Hello Kitty sitting in the centre | Hello Kitty Garden Panic (ハローキティのガーデンパニック Harō Kiti no Gāden Panikku?) | Matching controller, keyboard and VMU | N/A |
| Hello Kitty | Transparent blue | White | Hello Kitty sitting in the centre | Hello Kitty Garden Panic (ハローキティのガーデンパニック Harō Kiti no Gāden Panikku?) | Matching controller, keyboard and VMU | N/A |
| Sakura Wars | Pale pink | White | Semi-circle of characters with the Sakura Wars logo in the centre | Sakura Wars Kinematron Hanagumi Mail (サクラ大戦キネマトロン 花組メール Sakura Taisen Kinematoron Hanagumi Mēru?) and a demo for Sakura Wars 3 (サクラ大戦3 Sakura Taisen 3?) | Matching controller and VMU | |
| R7 | Black | Large gold "R7" in the centre | N/A | Matching controller (also featuring the "R7" decal) | ||
| Seaman | Transparent | Grey | Seaman logo in the centre | Seaman (シーマン Shīman?) | Matching controller | Only 500 units were produced |
| Seaman Xmas | Bright orange | Seaman logo in the centre | Seaman (シーマン Shīman?) | Matching controller and VMU | ||
| Code Veronica | Transparent red | Dark grey | Resident Evil Code: Veronica | Matching controller and dark grey VMU | ||
| S.T.A.R.S. | Transparent navy blue | Dark grey | S.T.A.R.S logo from Resident Evil in the centre | Resident Evil Code: Veronica | Matching controller and dark grey VMU | |
| Sega Partners | White | Silver plaque with Shoichiro Irimajiri's signature in the centre | N/A | Matching controller and a Dreamcast keychain | Only 100-500 units were produced | |
| Metallic Silver | Silver | Black | N/A | N/A | Matching controller | Only 200 units were produced, sold through Dreamcast Direct |
| Pearl Blue | Pearlescent blue | White | N/A | N/A | Matching controller | Only 200 units were produced, sold through Dreamcast Direct |
| Pearl Pink | Pearlescent pink | White | N/A | N/A | Matching controller | Only 200 units were produced, sold through Dreamcast Direct |
| Super Black | Black | N/A | N/A | Matching controller | Sold through Dreamcast Direct | |
| RX-78 | Blue | White | N/A | N/A | Matching controller | Sold through Dreamcast Direct |
The Divers 2000 Dreamcast is an all-in-one, 14-inch, light blue CRT television and console that was designed to look like Sonic. It was released in Japan in 2000 and came with a transparent teal controller, keyboard, VMU and DreamEye camera, along with a light blue TV remote.[6] It was developed by Fuji and sold for ¥88888 (~$830 USD),[7] with only 500-1000 units produced.
Regional differences[edit | edit source]
In North America, the Dreamcast features a red swirl, grey triangle, and the text "Compatible with Windows CE" on the front. In Japan, the swirl is orange, the triangle is instead clear, and the text reads "Designed for Windows CE". In Europe, the swirl is now blue (due to copyright issues), the triangle is again grey, and the text on the front reads "Compatible with Windows CE". In Brazil, Tectoy distributed the Dreamcast with a blue swirl and grey triangle, along with two controllers and two VMUs.
PC compatibilities[edit | edit source]
The Dreamcast uses a proprietary optical media named "GD-ROM", which are close to the size of a regular compact disc and can be inserted into a PC to access bonus content, such as special pictures in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- The Dreamcast is the first entry in the sixth generation of consoles, followed by the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube years later.
- The Dreamcast is the first console to support online multiplayer and 480p video without the use of an adapter.
- The Dreamcast appears as an easter egg in the cutscenes of Sonic Unleashed.
- One is seen when Dr. Eggman presses the button to fire his laser in the opening movie.
- One is also seen when Sonic defeats the Egg Dragoon, to the right of Eggman.
- When Sonic loses his Werehog form, another is seen to the left of Eggman.
- If the player looks closely at the two games beside the Dreamcast in the intro cutscene, one says "Eggman Adventure", while the other says, Nights into Dreams.
- Sonic Shuffle and Sonic Adventure, along with a playable demo of Sonic Adventure 2, were packaged with the Dreamcast in 2000.
- In Sonic Adventure 2, there is a poster in City Escape that says "Playing SA2 is habit forming! Don't turn off your DC!"
- Some Dreamcast games were compiled into the Dreamcast Collection for the Xbox 360 and PC.
- The logo swirl was orange in Japan and red in North America. However, the swirl had to be changed to blue in Europe and Australia because of copyright reasons as a German company, Tivola, uses a similar red swirl and Sega would have gotten into litigation for copyright infringement.[5]
- Despite this, European Dreamcasts still feature a red light when turned on.
- In Eggmanland in Sonic Unleashed, Sonic can meet a robot named EF-DC1998, who's name is a reference to the Dreamcast console and the year its first Sonic title released.
- The Dreamcast has the second least amount of Sonic titles on a console behind the Sega Saturn, which had three.
- The Dreamcast appears as a controller in boat mode driven by AGES in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.
- The Dreamcast makes cameo appearances in Disney's TV show, Sonny with a Chance.
- A deleted scene for the animated short Sonic: Night of the Werehog features Sonic and Chip playing on a Dreamcast inside the haunted house.[8]
- Dreamcast GD-ROM discs were region-locked, but this could be circumvented with the use of boot discs and an installation of a region-free BIOS.
- The Dreamcast was the last console to be marketed with the processer's bits.[9][10]
- The Dreamcast was the second Sega console to compete with a Sony console, the first being the Sega Saturn which tried to compete with the first PlayStation, and The Dreamcast competed with the PlayStation 2 later on.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
Dreamcast Magazine (UK) issue 2, (Late 1999), pg. 2
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Sega Dreamcast to spark price war. BBC News (16 April 1999). Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved on 1 October 2018. "In the US, Dreamcast will ship on 9 September, 1999, and cost $199"
- ↑ Reed, Kristan (5 March 2006). 2005 UK Sales Review • Page 2. Eurogamer. Retrieved on 10 June 2018.
- ↑ Sega Dreamcast Launch Titles and Peripheral. Business Wire (2 September 1999).
- ↑ "What to do... THE NEXT". Computer and Video Games (216): 52. November 1999. Archived from the original.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Pettus, Sam; Munoz, David; Williams; Barroso, Ivan (20 December 2013). David Chen]. ed. Service Games: The Rise and Fall of SEGA: Enhanced Edition. Smashword Edition. p. 308, 310, 442. ISBN 9781311080820.
- ↑ Ainsworth, Chris (9 September 2009). Divers 2000 series CX-1 Dreamcast. driph.com/words.
- ↑ Fuji Television Network to Launch TV With Dreamcast PowerVR Series2 Technology. Imagination Technologies (24 March 2000). Archived from the original on 24 March 2013. Retrieved on 7 June 2022.
- ↑ Bloom, Ryan (7 March 2009). Concept Art Unleashed: Night of the Werehog. TSSZ News. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015.
- ↑ Mullen, Michael (5 September 1999). ECTS: The Truth About the Dreamcast.... Retrieved on 25 July 2018.
- ↑ Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine Premier Issue Cover.
External link[edit | edit source]
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