Dreamcast
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{{Infobox CVG system
|title = Dreamcast
|logo = [[Image:Dreamcast logo.svg|180px|center]]
|image = [[Image:Dreamcast-set-orange.png|center|250px]]
|manufacturer = [[Sega]]
|type = [[Video game console]]
|generation = [[History of video game consoles (sixth generation)|Sixth generation era]]
|lifespan = {{vgrelease|JP=[[November 27]], [[1998]]}} {{vgrelease|NA=[[September 9]], [[1999]]}} {{vgrelease|EU=[[October 14]], [[1999]]}}
|discontinued = North America and Europe: 2001<br>Japan: 2006
|CPU = 200 [[MHz]] [[SuperH|Hitachi SH4]] [[RISC]]
|GPU = 100 MHz PowerVR2 CLX2
|media = [[Compact disc|CD]], 1.2 GB [[GD-ROM]], [[DVD]] (unreleased)
|storage=[[VMU]], [[Nexus Memory Card]], [[Zip Drive]] (unreleased)
|onlineservice = [[SegaNet]], [[Dreamarena]]
|unitssold = 10.6 million<ref name="gamepro">{{cite web|url= http://www.gamepro.com/gamepro/domestic/games/features/111822.shtml|title=The 10 Worst-Selling Consoles of All Time| accessdate=2007-10-28|author=Blake Snow|publisher=[[GamePro]].com|date=2007-05-04}}</ref><ref name="dcsales">{{cite web| author=Russell Carroll|date=2005-09-06|title=Good Enough: Why graphics aren't number one|url= http://www.gametunnel.com/articles.php?id=263 | publisher=Game Tunnel|accessdate=2007-10-28}}</ref>
|topgame = ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'', 2.5 million <small>(as of June 2006)</small><ref>{{cite web|url= http://gamasutra.com/features/20060804/boutros_07.shtml|title=Sonic Adventure|work=A Detailed Cross-Examination of Yesterday and Today's Best-Selling Platform Games|accessdate=2007-10-28|date=2006-08-04|author=Daniel Boutros|publisher=[[Gamasutra]]}}</ref>
|predecessor = [[Sega Saturn]]
}}
The {{nihongo|'''Dreamcast'''|ドリームキャスト|Dorīmukyasuto|[[code name|code-named]] ''White Belt'', ''Black Belt'', ''Dural'', ''Dricas'', ''Vortex'', ''Katana'', ''Shark'', and ''Guppy'' during development}} is [[Sega]]'s last [[video game console]] and the successor to the [[Sega Saturn]]. An attempt to recapture the console market with a next-generation system, it was designed to supersede the [[PlayStation]] and [[Nintendo 64]]. Originally released sixteen months before the [[PlayStation 2]] (PS2) and three years before the [[Nintendo GameCube]] and the [[Xbox]], the Dreamcast is part of the [[History of video game consoles (sixth generation)|sixth generation of video game consoles]]. Dreamcast was widely hailed as ahead of its time, and is still held in high regard for pioneering online console gaming.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dreamcast Connects Console Gamers |date=July 2003 |publisher=GameSpy|url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july03/25smartest/index17.shtml|accessdate=2007-07-19 }}</ref> Nevertheless, it failed to gather enough momentum before the release of the PlayStation 2 in March 2000. Sega discontinued the Dreamcast in March 2001,{{Fact|date=May 2008}} and withdrew entirely from the console hardware business; however, support continued in Japan where consoles were still sold until 2006 and new licensed games were still being made by companies of the arcade market until 2007, as well as the huge and current worldwide support of the [[homebrew (video games)|homebrew]] community.
==History==
{{Refimprovesect|date=January 2008}}
In 1997, the [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]] was struggling in North America, and [[Sega of America]] president [[Bernie Stolar]] pressed for Sega's Japanese headquarters to develop a new platform which eventually became the Dreamcast. At the 1997 [[E3]], Stolar made public his opinion on the Saturn with his comment, "The Saturn is not our future" and referred to the doomed console as "the [[stillborn]]".
===Design===
[[Image:Dreamcast game.jpg|thumb|right|A European Dreamcast game jewel case and disc]]
When the time came to design the successor to the [[Sega Saturn]], the new President of Sega, [[Shoichiro Irimajiri]], took the unusual step of hiring an outsider, Tatsuo Yamamoto from [[IBM]] Austin, to head a "[[skunk works]]" group to develop the next-generation console. It soon became apparent that the existing Japanese hardware group led by [[Hideki Sato]] did not want to relinquish control of the hardware department, bringing rise to two competing designs led by two different groups.
The Japanese group led by Hideki Sato settled on an [[Hitachi, Ltd.|Hitachi]] [[SuperH|SH4]] processor with a [[PowerVR2]] graphics chip developed by VideoLogic (now Imagination Technologies) and manufactured by [[NEC Corporation|NEC]]. This was originally codenamed "White Belt". The first Japanese prototype boards were silkscreened "Guppy", and the later ones "Katana".
The U.S. skunk works group (11 people in a secret suite away from the Sega of America headquarters) led by Tatsuo Yamamoto settled on a Hitachi SH4 processor with a custom [[3dfx]] [[Voodoo 2]] or [[Banshee]] graphics chip, which was originally codenamed "Black Belt". After evaluating other contemporary RISC architectures from companies such as [[Intel]], [[MIPS Technologies]], [[ARM Limited]], the team selected the SH4 due to its vector floating point unit's class leading processing capabilities. The first U.S. prototype boards were silkscreened "Shark" and later "Dural" (whose name was taken from the shiny character from Sega's own [[Virtua Fighter]] series). An alpha version of the board was delivered to [[Sega-AM2]] for evaluation purposes.
When 3dfx declared its [[Initial Public Offering]] (IPO) in April 1997, it revealed every detail of the contract with Sega. Sega had been keeping the development of its next-generation console secret during this competition, and was supposedly outraged when 3dfx publicly laid out its deal with Sega over the new system in the IPO.
In July 1997, rumored as a result of 3dfx's IPO, it was decided that the Japanese "Katana" would be the chosen format, renamed Dreamcast. In September 1997, 3dfx filed a [[lawsuit]] against Sega and NEC (later including VideoLogic), stating "breach of contract", and accusing Sega of starting the deal in bad faith to take 3dfx technology, although they later settled.<ref name="3dfx">{{cite web|editor=Jim Turley|year=1998|title=MicroDesign Resources #8|date=1998-08-10|url=http://www.mdronline.com/publications/epw/issues/epw8.html|work=EPW Embedded Processor Watch|accessdate=2006-08-07}}</ref>
===Launch===
{{Refimprovesect|date=May 2008}}
The Sega Dreamcast was released on [[November 27]], [[1998]] in Japan; on [[September 9]], [[1999]] in [[North America]] (the date 9/9/99 featured heavily in U.S. promotion); and on [[October 14]], [[1999]] in [[Europe]]. The [[tagline]] used to promote the console in the U.S. was, "It's thinking", and in Europe, "Up to [6 Billion] Players."
Sega Dreamcast was the first console to include a built-in [[modem]] and [[Internet]] support for [[Online game|online gaming]]. Previous consoles such as the Genesis, Saturn, [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]], and [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]] had online capabilities, but these were comparably limited and/or required extra hardware ([[XBAND]], [[NetLink]], [[Sega Channel]]).
Sega Dreamcast enjoyed brisk sales in its first season, and was one of Sega's most successful hardware units. In the United States alone, a record 300,000 units<ref>''[[Maclean's]]'' [[24 September]] [[1999]].</ref> had been pre-ordered and Sega sold 500,000 consoles in just two weeks (including 225,132 sold on the first 24 hours which became a video game record). In fact, due to brisk sales and hardware shortages, Sega was unable to fulfill all of the advance orders.
Sega confirmed that it made US$98.4 million on combined hardware and software sales with Dreamcast with its [[September 9]], [[1999]] launch. Sega even compared the record figure to the opening day gross of ''[[Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace]]'', which made $28.5 million during the first 24 hours in theaters.
[[Chris Gilbert]], senior vice president of sales, Sega of America, said on [[November 24]], [[1999]]: "By hitting the one million units sold landmark, it is clear that the Sega Dreamcast consumer has moved beyond the hard-core gamer and into the mass market."{{Fact|date=May 2008}} He also likened it to a music album going platinum or a film netting $100 million in box office receipts.{{Fact|date=May 2008}}
Before the launch in the United States, Sega had already taken extra steps in displaying Dreamcast's capabilities in stores nationwide. Much like the [[PlayStation|PlayStation's]] launch in [[North America]], the displays of [[launch title|titles]] such as ''[[Soul Calibur]]'', ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'', ''[[Power Stone]]'', and ''[[Hydro Thunder]]'' helped Dreamcast succeed in the first year.
Although Dreamcast had none of EA's popular [[sports game]]s, due in part to EA's losses from the Sega Saturn, [[Sega Sports]] titles helped to fill that void. The biggest competition between Sega Sports and [[EA Sports]] in the U.S. was their (American) football and basketball games. This started with one of the launch titles of the Dreamcast, NFL 2K. Both Madden 2000 and NFL 2K were highly regarded, with the Dreamcast boasting a new graphics engine and Madden retaining the same engine that made it solid from the years prior. It was not until the next years release of the games where the Dreamcast proved its worth in the video game market. This was when ''NFL 2K1'' outsold ''Madden NFL 2001'' with about 410,000 copies.{{Fact|date=May 2008}}
===Competition===
{{Refimprovesect|date=May 2008}}
In April 1999, Sony announced its [[PlayStation 2]]. The actual release of the PS2 was not until March 2000 in Japan, and [[October 26]], [[2000]] in the United States. Sony's press release, despite being a year ahead of the launch of the PS2, was enough to divert a lot of attention from Sega. With the looming PS2 launch in Japan, the Dreamcast was largely ignored in that territory. While the system had great initial success in the United States, it had trouble maintaining this momentum after news of the PS2's release.
Dreamcast sales grew 156.5% from [[July 23]], [[2000]] to [[September 30]], [[2000]] putting Sega ahead of the Nintendo 64 in that period.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} For the month of November 2000, Dreamcast passed the Nintendo 64 as the second best selling system.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} During that time, the PlayStation 2 was plagued by production shortages, with people often paying in excess of $1000 on [[eBay]] for Sony's next-generation console.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} However, Dreamcast's online capabilities through [[SegaNet]], and a price cut around the second half of 2000 (which made it half the price of the PS2) did little to help sales once the PlayStation 2 was launched. American public attention also noted{{Fact|date=May 2008}} the Playstation 2's much hyped graphics and its ability to play DVDs, as it cost less than a standalone player at the time.
A key to Sony's relatively easy success with the PlayStation 2 was that they already enjoyed [[brand-name]] dominance over Sega after the huge success of the original [[PlayStation]], while Sega's reputation had been hurt due to commercial failure of the [[Sega Saturn]], [[Sega 32X]], and [[Sega Mega-CD|Sega CD]]. In particular, Sega's attempt to quickly kill off the struggling Saturn (which lagged in North America and Europe) in favour of Dreamcast had angered many third-party developers in Japan, where the Saturn had still been able to hold its own.<ref name="segaquits">{{cite web | editor=Nick Gibson | year=2006 | title=Sega exits the console business | url=http://www.gamesinvestor.com/Research/Thinkpieces/Past_Thinkpieces/Sega_exits_the_console_busines/sega_exits_the_console_busines.html | work=[http://www.gamesinvestor.com/ Games Investor] | accessdate = 2006-09-15}}</ref> While initial Dreamcast sales were strong, many prospective buyers and game developers were still skeptical of Sega and they held off from committing, possibly to see which console would prevail. By early 2001, game publishers abandoned Dreamcast development en masse in favor of the PlayStation 2 and canceled many nearly completed projects (notably ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'').
In 2000, the announcements of the [[Microsoft]] [[Xbox]] and [[Nintendo GameCube]] were widely regarded as the last straw for Dreamcast, which fueled speculation that Sega did not have the resources for a prolonged marketing campaign.
====Outside U.S. and Japan====
{{Unreferencedsection|date=May 2008}}
Sega had problems choosing suitable companies to promote Dreamcast outside the U.S. Marketing in European countries was done somewhat poorly, whereas Sony marketed the PlayStation 2 in each country's local media, such as newspapers and street shows. Sega recruited third-party companies to promote Dreamcast, some of which did not allocate sufficient money for advertising.
DreamArena (the European equivalent to SegaNet, the Dreamcast online service) was a fiasco in [[Finland]] because the cost of connection was more than three times the amount of a normal [[ISDN]] internet connection. This was because Sega allowed open pricing for third-party companies. The companies stated that the price was steep due to a lack of potential customers, but most believe that the companies were just using the open pricing to their advantage.
Many important titles were never released outside of Japan, and many were hard to find without importing them. While Dreamcast did receive a price cut in the U.S. to coincide with the PlayStation 2's American release, the European pricing remained the same, even when the PlayStation 2 was released in Europe.
===End of production===
{{Unreferencedsection|date=May 2008}}
On [[January 31]], [[2001]], Sega announced that production of Dreamcast hardware was to be discontinued by March of that year,{{Fact|date=May 2008}} although the 50 to 60 titles still in production would be published.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} The last North American release was ''[[NHL 2K2]]'', which was released in February 2002. With the company announcing no plans to develop a next-generation successor to Dreamcast, this was Sega's last foray into the home console business. Massive price cuts were quickly instituted in order to move the abundance of unsold hardware and the system had quickly dropped to prices as low as [[United States dollar|US$]]49.99 new.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} By late 2002 in the UK the Dreamcast was sold brand new for as little as £39.99 and was subject to incentive giveaways with contract mobile phones.
Though Dreamcast was officially discontinued in early 2001, commercial games were still developed and released afterwards, particularly in Japan. Unreleased games like ''[[Propeller Arena]]'' and ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'' continued to become available to the public through [[warez]] groups and independent hackers.
On [[February 24]], [[2004]], Sega released their final Dreamcast game, ''[[Puyo Pop Fever]]''. Afterwards, a small number of [[third-party developer|third-party]] games were still being released, such as ''[[Chaos Field]]'' released in December 2004, ''[[Trizeal]]'' released in April 2005, ''[[Radilgy]]'' released in February 2006, ''[[Under Defeat]]'' released in March 2006, and most recently ''[[Last Hope (video game)|Last Hope]]'' released January 2007, ''[[Trigger Heart Exelica]]'' released February 2007, and ''[[Karous]]'' released March 2007.
''[[Visual Novel]]'' games were still released even when the Dreamcast was discontinued. There was a big support until 2004. The last ''[[Visual Novel]]'' game released on Dreamcast was Angel Wish, in early 2005.
Despite its short lifespan, as of 2007, Dreamcast is still a popular and highly-regarded console among many fans due to its impressive library of both mainstream and more offbeat titles. It is even starting to gain a [[cult following]], as the system is becoming harder to find.
Sega would later re-release the Dreamcast through the [[Sega Direct]] division of Japan in early 2006. Although they were only refurbished units, they did come with the new ''[[Radilgy]]'' game and a phone card.
Several Dreamcast emulation projects have emerged after Dreamcast's end of production, with [[Chankast]] being the most notable, along with the recently released [[nullDC]].
As of 2008 the Dreamcast still receives homebrew games made available to the public via 'retro game publishers' one example of this is Dux a side scrolling shooter due out in July, other projects are believed to still be in production.
== Hardware ==
The power light, like the Dreamcast logo in [[NTSC]] regions, was [[orange (colour)|orange]] (this color was chosen because the Japanese consider it to be lucky). Games were sold in [[Optical disc packaging#Jewel case|jewel cases]]. In North America, these initially had the Dreamcast name and logo on a white background, but later games used a black background, similar to the PlayStation's. Japanese games used an orange-and-white scheme, and European and Australian games used blue.
The unit was packaged with a video cable which supported [[composite video]] and [[stereophonic sound|stereo]] sound. Available separately were an [[RGB]] [[SCART]] cable, an [[S-Video]] cable, an [[RF connector]] (included as standard in the UK, Germany and [[Portugal]]), and a [[VGA]] adapter (see accessories below).
Although there was no reset button on the Dreamcast system itself, there was a way to reset a game during play. If the player wanted to reset a game, they would have to press the A, B, X, and Y buttons all together and then press the start button. This would then take them to the game's main menu. If repeated, it would take players to the Dreamcast menu.
In North America, a black Dreamcast was released in limited numbers with a sports pack which included two Sega Sports titles. This was the same as other models except for the black casing and the Sega Sports logo located directly below the Dreamcast logo on the lid. [[Electronics Boutique]] offered a blue Dreamcast through its website. Similar offerings were sold through the [[Lik Sang]] website. Cases of different colors like blue, red, orange, and green were sold for replacements of the original casing. In Japan, Sega released many varieties of the system, including a limited edition ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog series|Sonic]]'' anniversary version, a pink [[Sakura Taisen]] version, and a [[Hello Kitty]] version released in 2000 in [[Japan]] which, due to its limited production, has become an extremely rare collector's piece. The package contains a [[computer keyboard|keyboard]], [[game controller|controller]], [[VMU]], [[computer mouse|mouse]], and a Hello Kitty [[trivia]] game. The console and accessories came in both translucent [[pink]] and [[blue]] in color with some printed designs.
The [[Brazil]]ian version, manufactured by [[Tec Toy]] under license, was essentially the same as the North American version, but its video output was converted to the [[PAL|PAL-M]] standard and did not come with the modem, which was available separately.
Dreamcast in [[Europe]] had a blue spiral logo, similar to the logo on earlier Sega systems. This change is thought to have been for [[copyright]] reasons: German company [[Tivola Publishing]][http://www.tivola.de/] had been using a similar swirl logo years before Sega branded Dreamcast with the orange swirl.
As well as the VGA mode to connect to a [[Computer display|PC monitor]] (again using an adapter), the European Dreamcast supported PAL video, in both 50 Hz and 60 Hz modes. This was a first for game consoles, as no previous PAL console had offered the option to play games at full speed, using the ability of many PAL televisions to operate at 60 Hz. This feature was exploited in previous consoles but only by modifying the [[console]] with a chip to allow it to run NTSC games (e.g., [[Sony]]'s [[PlayStation]]), or by adding switches to the internal circuitry to manually select between 50 Hz and 60 Hz (e.g., SEGA's [[Master System]], [[Mega Drive]] or [[Saturn]]). Although the 60 Hz code had to be enabled on the disc, doing so was a simple matter, and only a small number of games lacked it. The 60 Hz feature has become standard on all major consoles released since.
Games in Europe were sold in jewel cases exactly twice as thick as their North American counterparts, possibly to enable the inclusion of thick instruction booklets containing instructions in multiple languages.
A third-party company from [[China]] named [[Treamcast]] released a portable modified Dreamcast which used the original first-party Dreamcast components with a custom made plastic casing. This small system with its fold-down display resembled the later [[PlayStation|PS One]]. Many companies included software and a remote with the unit that enabled it to play [[MP3]]s and [[Video CD]]s. When the Internet import video game store [[Lik Sang]] contacted Sega to ask permission to sell a modified version of the system with Sega trademarks on the system, they were told that Sega did not approve of the unit, and felt that it violated their trademarks. In reality, this system is no different from a Dreamcast pre-modified with a third party shell, as the system's internals still use first party hardware, and the only modifications are the outside casing and internal sound and video adjustments.
In 2005, the internet import store Lan-Kwei started selling a "[[Treamcast]]" portable modified Dreamcast with a 16:9 widescreen [[LCD]]. Aside from the cosmetic differences in the case to accommodate the larger screen, there are no differences between the original [[Treamcast]] and the newer widescreen model.
=== Technical specifications ===
[[Image:Dreamcast-internal.jpg|thumb|Internal view of a Dreamcast console.]]
[[Image:Dreamcast mainboard.jpg|thumb|The mainboard of the Sega Dreamcast.]]
'''Processor'''
* [[SuperH|SH-4]] [[RISC]] CPU with 32-bit Instruction Set and 128-bit FPU functions (operating frequency: 200 [[MHz]], 360 [[Instructions per second|MIPS]], 1.4 GFLOPS)
'''Graphics Engine'''
* [[PowerVR]]2
:*CLX2, 7.0 Mil polygons/second peak performance, supports [[Trilinear filtering]]. Actual maximum in game performance (with full textures, lighting, gameplay, etc.) of over 5 Mil polygons/second.
:*Tile Based Deferred Rendering eliminates overdraw by only drawing visible fragments. This makes required fillrate almost independent from scene depth complexity, thus making up for a low, compared to other 6th generation consoles, nominal fillrate of 100 MPixels/s as effective fillrate can be triple that amount.
:*Graphics hardware effects include [[gouraud shading]], [[z-buffering]], [[anti-aliasing]] and [[bump mapping]].
'''Memory'''
* Main RAM: 16 [[MB]]<ref name="BinaryPrefix">In this article, the conventional prefixes for computer memory denote base-2 values whereby “kilobyte” (KB) = 2<sup>10</sup> bytes, “megabyte” (MB) = 2<sup>20</sup> bytes.</ref> 64 Bit 100 MHz
* Video RAM: 8 MB 4x16 Bit 100 MHz
* Sound RAM: 2 MB 16 Bit 66 MHz
* VQ Texture Compression (5:1 texture compression)<ref name="FiringSquad-Dreamcast-review">{{cite web |title=Sega Dreamcast Review Part 1 |publisher=FiringSquad.com |date=1999-09-07 |url=http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/dreamcasthw/page2.asp |accessdate=2007-07-19 }}</ref>
'''Sound Engine'''
*[[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]] AICA Sound Processor: 22.5 MHz 32-Bit [[ARM architecture|ARM7]] [[RISC]] CPU: 45 MHz,<ref name="FiringSquad-Dreamcast-review"/> 64 channel [[Pulse-code modulation|PCM/ADPCM]] sampler (4:1 compression), XG MIDI support, 128 step DSP
'''Storage'''
* [[Yamaha]] [[GD-ROM]] Drive: 12x maximum speed ([[Constant Angular Velocity]])
* [[GD-ROM]]: Holds up to 1.2 [[GB]]
* [[VMU|Visual Memory Unit]] ("VMU") 1 [[Mbit]] (128 [[KB]]<ref name="BinaryPrefix"/>) removable storage device and 4x memory cards that hold four times as much data.
'''Input/Output'''
* Inputs: [[Universal Serial Bus|USB]]-like "[[Maple Bus]]". Four ports support devices such as digital and analog controllers, steering wheels, joysticks, keyboards, mice, and more.
* [[Color depth|Color Output]]: Approx. [[Truecolor|16.78 million colors (24-bit)]]
* [[Video resolution]]: 640x480 interlaced or progressive scan
'''Dimensions'''
* 189 mm × 195 mm × 76 mm (7 7/16in × 7 11/16in × 3in)
* Weight: 1.9 [[Kilogram|kg]] (4.2 [[Pound (mass)|lb]])
* Color: Majority are white.
:* Japan: Various limited edition designs and colored consoles were produced
:* North America: Only a black "Sega Sports"-labeled model and a blue model from Electronics Boutique were officially available
:* PAL: No known alternate designs or colors
'''Networking'''
[[Image:DreamcastModem.png|thumb|A black 56k Dreamcast modem.]]
* [[Modem]]: Removable; speed varied among regions:
:* Original Asia/Japan model had a 33.6 kbit/s; consoles sold after [[September 9]], [[1999]] had a [[56 kbit/s line|56 kbit/s]] modem
:* All American models had a 56 kbit/s
:* All PAL models had a 33.6 kbit/s
* Broadband: these adapters are available separately and replace the removable modem
:* HIT-401 "Broadband Adapter", the more common model, this used a [[Realtek]] 8139 chip and supported [[10BASE-T|10]] and [[100BASE-TX|100]] [[Megabit|Mbit]] speeds, this device was released in Japan.
:* HIT-400: "Broadband Adapter", the more common model, this used a [[Realtek]] 8139 chip and supported [[10BASE-T|10]] and [[100BASE-TX|100]] [[Megabit|Mbit]] speeds, this device was released in US.
:* HIT-300: "Lan Adapter", this version used a Fujitsu MB86967 chip and supported only [[10BASE-T|10]] [[Megabit|Mbit]] speed.
See Also: [[Dreamcast Broadband Adapter]]
=== Accessories ===
'''Visual Memory Unit''' <br>
The [[VMU|Visual Memory Unit]], or "VMU", was the Dreamcast [[memory card]]. It featured a [[monochrome]] [[Liquid crystal display|LCD]] [[Display device|screen]], a [[D-Pad]], and two gaming buttons. The VMU could play mini-games loaded onto it from certain Dreamcast games, such as a [[Chao (video game)|Chao]] game transferable from ''Sonic Adventure''. It could also display a list of the saved game data stored on it, and two VMUs could be connected together end-to-end to exchange data. Also while playing games such as [[Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2]] or [[Crazy Taxi]] messages like "Awesome", "Rad", and "Nice Combo" would appear on the VMU screen.
Standard memory cards could also be purchased without the additional features of the VMU. Most of these were manufactured by third-party companies, (such as the [[Nexus Memory Card]]), although Sega eventually released a 4X memory card. The 4X cards did not have the VMU screen or stand-alone abilities, but they had four times the space thanks to the ability to switch between four 200-block sectors.
The VMU design cannot be considered a full success, as it was fairly power-intensive, draining the two watch batteries at an alarmingly fast rate, and the architecture could not be expanded. However, contrary to popular belief, the VMU does not need the batteries to retain the saved data once the VMU is disconnected from the controller, as it incorporates [[flash memory]] storage for this purpose — the batteries are only used when the VMU is disconnected from the controller in order to browse/exchange saved data and play mini-games in a handheld fashion away from the console.
'''Controller and Rumble Pack''' <br>
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Dreamcastcontroller.gif|right|thumb|Standard Dreamcast controller.]] -->
Most Dreamcast games supported a [[haptic|rumble pack]], or "Jump Pack", which was sold separately and could be plugged into the controller. In Japan, the Jump Pack was named the "Puru Puru Pack".
The Dreamcast controller featured a similar design to the Sega Saturn's analog controller, offering an [[analog stick]], a [[D-pad]], a Start button, four action buttons (labeled A, B, X, and Y, two buttons less than the Saturn), and two analog triggers on the underside. It also contained two slots which could hold memory cards or the rumble pack, with a window on the front of the controller through which the VMU's display could be seen. The Dreamcast controller was somewhat larger than many other controllers, and some players found it difficult to hold. Other players complained about the odd positioning of its controller cord, which comes out from the bottom of the controller.
'''[[Dreamcast VGA|VGA Adapter]]''' <br>
Unique to Dreamcast was a [[Video Graphics Array|VGA]] adapter for output to a computer display or [[High-definition television|HDTV]] compatible sets in true 480p, providing much better quality than a standard television set. Not all games were compatible with the VGA adapter, but work-arounds existed to trick all but a handful of games into working with it. There are also certain models of the VGA adapter that have Composite and S-Video out, which is helpful those games that do not support VGA.
'''Dreamcast mouse and keyboard''' <br>
Dreamcast supported a [[computer mouse|mouse]] as well as a [[Computer keyboard|keyboard]], which were useful when using the included web browser (fully functional), and also supported by certain games such as ''[[The Typing of the Dead]]'', ''[[Quake 3]]'', ''[[Phantasy Star Online]]'' and ''[[Railroad Tycoon 2]]''. Other games such as ''[[REZ]]'' offered undocumented mouse support.
'''Fishing Rod''' <br>
A motion sensitive [[fishing rod]] was released for the few fishing games on the system. The fishing rod can actually be used with [[SoulCalibur]] and [[Tennis 2k2]] like the Wii Remote.
'''Microphone''' <br>
There was a [[microphone]] [[peripheral]] used for version 2.6 of the Planetweb [[web browser]] (providing long distance calling support), the European ''[[Planet Ring]]'' collection, ''[[Alien Front Online]]'', and ''[[Seaman (video game)|Seaman]]'', the first console game to use [[speech recognition]] in the U.S.
'''Lightgun''' <br>
Sega also produced a [[light gun]] for the system, although this was not sold in the United States, possibly because Sega did not want its name on a gun in light of recent school shootings (the [[Columbine High School massacre]]). American versions of light gun games even blocked out using the official gun. However, several third parties made compatible guns for the American Dreamcast. One of them was [[Mad Catz]]'s [[Dream Blaster]] which became the official Sega Dreamcast light gun for use in the United States.
The games that did not work in United States with the official Dreamcast light gun were ''[[The House of the Dead 2]]'' and ''[[Confidential Mission]]''. Other light gun compatible games were ''[[Death Crimson OX]]'' and its Japanese [[prequel]] ''[[Death Crimson 2]]'', ''[[Virtua Cop 2]]'' on the ''[[Sega Smash Pack]]'', and a light gun minigame in ''[[Demolition Racer No Exit]]''.
{{details|Dreamcast light guns}}
'''Arcade Stick''' <br>
A heavy-duty Arcade Stick was put out by Sega, featuring a digital joystick with six buttons using the same microswitch assemblies as commercial arcade machines. Although it could not be used for many Dreamcast games due to the lack of an analog joystick, it was well-received and helped cement Dreamcast's reputation for playing 2D shooters and fighting games. Adaptors are now available to use the Arcade Stick on other hardware platforms.
Third-party sticks were also made, like the [[ASCII]] Dreamcast fighting pad, which some regard as having a more comfortable 6-button configuration and a more precise digital direction pad.
'''Twin Sticks''' <br>
A twin stick peripheral was released specifically for use with the game [[Virtual-On]]. This add-on mimicked the original dual arcade stick setup and made gameplay much more precise. This peripheral is extremely rare and often quite expensive.
'''Dreameye''' <br>
Sega developed the [[Dreameye]], a [[digital camera]] for Dreamcast, but it was only released in [[Japan]].
'''Dream Karaoke''' <br>
Developed as a [[Karaoke]] add-on for the Dreamcast by Sega and released only in [[Japan]]. It included a Microphone and built in modem (due to Japanese Dreamcast's not including the modems) It would download [[Karaoke]] songs onto the system to be played; however, it could not save any songs so you had to re-download the songs if you wanted to play them again. The servers for the system went offline in 2006.
'''Samba de Amigo controller''' <br>
Sega developed a special [[maraca]] controller for the ''[[Samba de Amigo]]'' music game.
'''Densha De Go! 2 controller''' <br>
A special controller made specific to [[Densha De Go! 2]] only. The controller was only available in Japan and is very rare because of the few numbers produced.
'''Canceled Accessories''' <br>
Toward the end of Dreamcast's lifespan, Sega created and displayed prototypes of a high-capacity VMU/MP3 player, DVD player, and [[Zip drive]] peripherals. None of these items were ever released.
== Games ==
{{Seealso|List of Dreamcast games}}
As of November 2007, the Dreamcast has more than 325 official games available in its library.<ref name="dcgames">{{cite web | editor=MobyGames Staff | year=2006 | title=MobyGames Game Browser — Dreamcast | url=http://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/dreamcast/o,1/ | work=[http://www.mobygames.com/ MobyGames] | accessdate = 2006-08-07}}</ref>
===Copying===
{{Unreferencedsection|date=October 2007}}
The Dreamcast's proprietary [[GD-ROM]] format served as a means of copy protection. It was ultimately circumvented. By using a combination of reverse-engineering and exploits in firmware, a standard [[compact disc|CD]] could [[booting|boot]] code in the Dreamcast [[BIOS]] to enable multimedia functions. This utilized functionality designed for [[Mil-CD]] a special type of multimedia CD released to the Japanese market. Soon, creations such as the [[Utopia bootdisk]] appeared, which allowed the ability to boot [[Optical disc authoring|burned]] CD games. Mil-CD support was removed from the final Dreamcast revision.
== Online ==
{{Unreferencedsection|date=April 2008}}
{{Seealso|List of Dreamcast network games}}
The Dreamcast was composed of online servers run by [[SegaNet]], [[Dreamarena]], and [[GameSpy]] networks. Online servers were sustained by the lifespan of the system although in Japan it was generally considered as a more popular online system because of its superior arcade game play. Hence more available network modes in games such as ''[[Frame Gride]]'', ''[[Tech Romancer]]'', and ''[[Project Justice]]''. Dreamcast was previously online before the emergence of online play upon its release. Browser technology was made by independent companies such as [[Planetweb]] in order to customize the Dreamcast web service into standard [[HTML]] coding. This as well as Java, was available for uploads, movies, and mouse support in its later browsers. Dreamarena came with games such as ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'', and ''[[Chu Chu Rocket]]'' while Planetweb offered free browsers with the Dreamcast demo disc inside the Official Dreamcast Magazine. Its final browser, Planetweb version 3.0, was available with all the support and was sold separately.
There are still six online games available: Phantasy Star Online, which is run via the private server at www.schtserv.com; 4x4 Evolution, which is run by Gamespy, though you will always be able to play games via IP address; Starlancer, which is also run by Gamespy, though there have been reports saying that this game is also going to be forever accessed online; Quake III Arena, which can be ran via a home server on Linux or Windows; Maximum Pool, ran by home servers as well; and SEGA Swirl, which is a strategy game where scores are sent via e-mail to your opponent.
== Independent Software==
{{Seealso|List of commercially released independently developed Dreamcast games}}
[[Image:Last Hope package.jpg|thumb|''Last Hope,'' a homebrew Dreamcast game.]] The Dreamcast continues to have a modest [[Hack (technology slang)|hacking]] enthusiast community. The availability of the [[KallistiOS]] [[software development kit]] on the Internet, as well as ports of [[Linux]]<ref>[http://linuxdc.net/ Linux for the Sega Dreamcast]</ref> and [[NetBSD]]/Dreamcast<ref>[http://www.netbsd.org/ports/dreamcast/ NetBSD/dreamcast]</ref> operating systems, gave programmers a selection of familiar development tools to work with.
[[KallistiOS]] is a homebrew minimal operating system that offers support for a majority of the Dreamcast's hardware and peripherals. Its [[BSD license|license]] allows hobbyist programmers to release games created with this SDK to be released commercially. Recent examples being [[Cryptic Allusion]]'s ''[[Feet of Fury]]'' (2003), [[S+F Software]]'s ''[[Inhabitants]]'' (2005), [[JMD (game developer)|JMD]]'s ''[[Maqiupai]]'' (2005), [[Harmlesslion]]'s ''[[Cool Herders]]'' (2006), and NG:DEV.TEAM's ''[[Last Hope (video game)|Last Hope]]'' (2007).
Using the [[BSD license|free]] [[KallistiOS]] [[SDK]], a port of the [[Neo Geo (console)|Neo Geo]] Homebrew game ''[[Last Hope (video game)|Last Hope]]'', developed by ''NG:DEV.TEAM'' was sold via various online stores on [[January 31]], [[2007]].
Using KallistiOS, many [[Free Software|free]] games, emulators and other tools such as [[MP3]] and [[DivX]] players and image viewers have been ported to or written for the console, taking advantage of the relative ease with which a home user can burn a CD that can be booted by any unmodified Dreamcast. One of the unusual but interesting hack examples is [[QNX]] Dreamcast Project.<ref>[http://www.qnxzone.com/~jeremy/qnxdc/ The QNX Dreamcast Project]</ref>
==In popular culture==
*As part of [[Sega]]'s promotions of the Dreamcast in [[Europe]], the company sponsored four European [[Football (soccer)|football]] clubs: English team [[Arsenal F.C.]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Sonic signs for Gunners |date=1999-04-22 |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/326010.stm |accessdate=2007-07-19 }}</ref> French team [[AS Saint-Étienne]],<ref>{{cite web |title=SEGA EUROPE strikes third major European sponsorship deal with A.S. SAINT-ETIENNE |date=1999-06-15 |publisher=PRnewswire.co.uk |url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=50451 |accessdate=2007-07-19 }}</ref> Italian team [[U.C. Sampdoria]]<ref>{{cite web |title=SEGA EUROPE strikes sponsorship deal with U.C. SAMPDORIA |date=1999-06-11 |publisher=PRnewswire.co.uk |url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=31106 |accessdate=2007-07-19 }}</ref> and Spanish club [[Deportivo de La Coruña]].<ref>{{cite web |title=SEGA announce new price for Dreamcast |date=2000-09-01 |publisher=SEGA |url=http://www.sega.co.jp/corp/release/2000/0901_4/ |accessdate=2007-07-19 }}</ref>
*Sega was a sponsor of the 1999 and 2000 [[MTV Video Music Awards]]. During the 2000 program, Ulala (of ''[[Space Channel 5]]'' fame) announced the nominees for the Viewers' Choice category.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}
*The plot of the fourth season episode of ''[[South Park]]'' entitled "[[The Tooth Fairy Tats 2000]]" centers around the children trying to gather enough money to buy a Dreamcast.
*In [[MTV]]'s short running show [[Doggy Fizzle Televizzle]], Snoop Doggy Dogg had a skit where he was making demands to police for a crime he committed, and one of the demands was "a Dreamcast with a blue controller".
*''[[Mega64]]'', a comedy show parodying video games, made a song parody about the history of Dreamcast done in the style of [[Nuthin' but a "G" Thang]] by [[Dr. Dre]]. {{Fact|date=April 2008}}
*The rap artist [[Del tha Funkee Homosapien|Del]] is seen with a Dreamcast controller on the cover of his album ''[[Phoney Phranchise]]''. {{Fact|date=April 2008}}
*In the movie ''[[The Forbidden Kingdom]]'', a Dreamcast is visible on Jason's shelf near the beginning of the movie.
* In the anime show [[Full Moon wo Sagashite]], one of the characters, Takuto Kira, makes a reference to a Dreamcast keyboard when the main character, Mitsuki Kouyama, mishears the [[kanji]] in a [[Japanese language|Japanese]] word.
*In the TV show [[My Wife And Kids]] a Dreamcast can be seen on the lounge table and is even played in some episodes. It was soon replaced with a [[Gamecube]] and then a [[Playstation 2]].
*In the film [[Malibu's Most Wanted]], one of the gangsters admits to owning a "Gamecast," an obvious knockoff alluding to the [[Game Cube]] and [[Dreamcast]] console systems.
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
{{commonscat|Sega Dreamcast}}
{{Portal|Sega}}
* {{dmoz|Games/Video_Games/Console_Platforms/Sega/Dreamcast|Sega Dreamcast}}
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