Is The Dreamcast Undead? 61
PlaidG writes "An interesting article has been posted on Antigames.com about the community revolving around the yet-living Sega Dreamcast. It covers the reasons behind the continuing viability of the Dreamcast, and the thriving underground surrounding it." Quite apart from the cool stuff such as MP3 players or Dreamcast Linux you can hack around with, the array of great games now available so cheaply makes Sega's console very enticing, even past its prime.
Re:Biggest Mistake (Score:4, Insightful)
Um... How exactly would having the broadband adaptor enable piracy? Last time I checked, Dreamcasts didn't include hard drives and CD burners...
Re:Biggest Mistake (Score:2)
Re:Biggest Mistake (Score:2)
Easy. Write a program for the Dreamcast that dumps the contents of a GD-ROM to a host computer. Make any adjustments necessary to get it to fit on a CD, burn to said CD, and you've just committed copyright infringement.
(Got an Ethernet interface? Must be a criminal...)
Re:Biggest Mistake (Score:1)
Re:Biggest Mistake (Score:2)
I'm sorry spending all they did to STOP pirates by using the GDROM (primarily anyways, there were standard CD
Nice to know but... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Nice to know but... (Score:3, Informative)
that said, dreamcast is unbeliviable price/entertainment value, 'normal' people have lost their intrest in it. there's at leas as many GOOD games for it as there is for xbox..
True. (Score:2)
I'd pick one of those suckers up in a second, if I saw it (can't be bothered to order online). I mean, the sheer neat factor of the VMUs alone would be worth it, let alone the mods mentioned above.
Re:True. (Score:1)
Why do this? (Score:1)
Re:Why do this? (Score:1)
Re:Why do this? (Score:2)
That, and some nice PC titles have been ported. Most of the major famous games that went open source (Q1,2, Descent, Doom, Wolf, ROTT, etc) have been ported to DC. Jumpnbump.
Most notably, the SNES emulator is pretty friggin sweet for some games. Emulators in general are a pretty good feature.
The price is right! (Score:4, Insightful)
well, undead is a pretty gray area (Score:4, Insightful)
This is all uber-cool and very stimulating to my inner nerd self, but lets be real-- its not exactly giving the Xbox a run for the money.
On the other hand, the dreamcast is a very nice little custom game platform. I am surprised no one has figured out commercial applications for a 50 dollar Windows CE based platform that has zippy graphics, a cd-rom drive, and a modem. Hey, add a crad reader and a tv and you could make it into an ATM!
Oh well. I bought the Dreamcast for one reason, and one reason only. A reason that refuses to die even this very day. And that reason is....
S E A M A N !
(start Leonard Nimoy's voice)
Welcome back. It is good to see you so.....
(unnatural pause)
Re:well, undead is a pretty gray area (Score:2)
Re:well, undead is a pretty gray area (Score:2)
Re:well, undead is a pretty gray area (Score:5, Funny)
Not dead... (Score:2)
Plus, I need to invest the time to figure out how to burn a CD with MAME and some ROMs. That should prolong its life.
Re:Not dead... (Score:1)
Graphics don't make a Game. (Score:1)
The games that you can get for the dreamcast are still some of the very best games availible for any console. Plus you can pick up a new DC at some places for under $50 and the best games for around $10-$20.
That is a hard bargin to pass up.
Better value than PS2, Cube... (Score:4, Insightful)
The games are easy to back up (which, yes, makes them easy to pirate, too) so I don't have to worry about $60 going to waste on a PS2 DVD because of an errant fall or a little carelessness in loading the disc. The one concern I have with the DC is the laser motor - sites like DCEmu [dcemulation.com] seem to indicate this is a legitimate fear, as there are tools available on their site making backups a little easier on the DC's laser.
I got my DC with a dozen games, two controllers and a memory pack for under $50. I bought more games but I still play the nucleus of old games and get at least a couple hours' use out of them every night. Needless to say, I am very happy with this purchase.
Re:Better value than PS2, Cube... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Better value than PS2, Cube... (Score:1)
Re:Better value than PS2, Cube... (Score:2)
The well-document
Re:Better value than PS2, Cube... (Score:2, Informative)
check out DCEmu [dcemulation.com], I promise, there's a lot of documentation on doing this.
Re:Better value than PS2, Cube... (Score:2)
Re:Better value than PS2, Cube... (Score:2)
Re:Better value than PS2, Cube... (Score:2)
You say the DCEmu has a lot of information; however, their focus is in-house software develo
It's too big to die (Score:2)
With a legacy like that, I'd expect it to last a good, long time.
My mistake... (Score:2)
X_X;
Re:My mistake... (Score:1)
Or better yet, when I hit preview how about I get shown all the other current replies at the same level so it ensures that someone doesn't make a correction while I'm typing up my post thereby making me look like an ass when I do post it.
Hmmmm.. Nah. Taco would never go for it.
(Wandering Mind Rant Over)
Re:It's too big to die (Score:1)
Even the SNES had far fewer than 2,000 games released for it if my memory serves me correctly.
Interweb Terminal (Score:5, Informative)
Is the Dreamcast Undead? (Score:1)
Maybe not dead.. (Score:2, Funny)
Solution: After I turn the machine on, I open the lid and rapidly spin the disc with my finger, then slam the lid shut (like the propellers on old WWI planes). While the motor can't accelerate , it is apparently powerful enough to keep it going at a constant angular velocity. Besides, my friends get a kick out of watching me do it.
Re:Maybe not dead.. (Score:2)
It also overheated a lot in the LA summer, and required manual cooling. Unfortunately, due to being electronic liquid water was out of the question. My roommate was quit
I Love my DC! (Score:4, Interesting)
A few months ago, I was really jonsin for some NES. I tried using an emulator on my iBook and my PDA, but it just wasn't what I wanted. I was thinking about making an NES controller adapter for my iBook or PC and then outputting to the screen, but that was a huge PIA.
The other option was buying a new NES. After looking around some, I accidentally came across information about emulation on the Dreamcast. Did a little math, and found that it would likely be cheaper to get a DC than it would to get an NES that worked with some additional games!
So, I bought a DC for $30 from Half.com. [half.com] I've seen them at my local Funcoland for $35 as well. Man, $30! For that $30, I have a machine that can not only play the NES games I have, but pretty much every damned NES game that has ever existed. Plus, SNES, Genesis, Sega Master System, and others! And, I don't have to deal with a super-crashy NES and all the associated mouth-wind-rituals involved.
I am not sure if it is needed, but I made sure to get a DC manufactured before Dec 2000 (or whatever the cut-off is), so that I could easily burn CDs of ROMs and emulators as well as my own and other folks' homebrew software.
I don't own one DC game though... I've been meaning to find out a couple decent ones and buy them cheap. But we've got the GameCube for that, so I've not really been motivated to look too hard.
Can anyone reccomend any really good games that can be had for the DC that I couldn't get for the GameCube? I'd love to hear some reccomendations!
Re:I Love my DC! (Score:4, Interesting)
- Shen Mue 1 (unbelievable adventure/fighting game)
- Shen Mue 2 (sequel to previously mentioned unbelievable adventure/fighting game)
- Rayman 2 (available on other systems)
- Bangai-O (incredibly fun Shooter)
- Skies of Arcadia (I know you said something you *can't* get on GC, but I had to list it off anyway)
- Grandia 2 (too good not to list, despite it being available on PS2)
- Soul Calibur (nearly the best 3D fighter ever made for console)
- Virtua Tennis 1 & 2 (I loath sports games. I played the hell out of these until my hands bled. Very fun 4 player)
- Powerstone 1 & 2 (pretty fun multiplayer titles. I can only really recommend if you have 3-4 players involved)
- Crazy Taxi 1 & 2 (semi-entertaining driving games)
- Sword of the Berserk (relatively decent hack and slash for fans of the manga by the same name. You'll like it more if you're already familiar with the series)
- Chu Chu Rocket (very fun four player puzzle game)
- NFL2k1 & 2k2 (very fun, addictive and well designed football games. I hate sports games but I played these as much as the tennis games)
I have bizarre taste in games, but that's everything I really enjoy on that system. There's a few others to check out if you're really bored, but I can't guarantee you will see the beauty in these titles the way I do:
- Zombie Revenge (insanely cheesy Zombie killing action. horrid controls, horrid plot, budget game all the way, but it's so very fun to play)
- Samba De Amigo (very quirky and really addictive music title. I recommend tracking down the maraca controllers)
- Seaman (not incredibly good, but too quirky and unique not to list)
- Space Channel 5 (same as above, not too incredible, but really strange and fun)
- Vanishing Point (Interesting racing game. Not the best, but killer stunt driving tests that will make your head hurt)
- Wild Metal (this game is horrid. For some reason it addicted my best friend and I in the multiplayer, so we played it for more hours than your average RPG. Interesting use of basic physics in gameplay, good variety of weapons, and it was pretty fun. Very reminiscent of Scorched Earth. Really bad game though, you've been warned)
Hope I didn't leave anything out. With that said, I hope you at least pick up the Shen Mue games. Those two games alone have honestly been the the most amazing experiences I've had in a game since I was a wee lad. Nothing else like them.
Re:I Love my DC! (Score:2)
Daytona USA - This game is great fun! This is a spot on perfect arcade translation.
Wacky Races - This one is great fun too. Racing around with Captain Caveman is just too cool to miss.
Any of the Sega 2kx sports games... They're all pretty fun if you're into sports games. Try to get a 2k1 or 2k2 if you can though as it will have more features than older versions
Re:I Love my DC! (Score:1)
1) Soul Calibur - Probably still my favorite fighting game. I mean, you beat people with dope weapons? Respect.
2)Any of the Sega Spor
DC!! (Score:1)
However, only downside are the VMUs. While they are really novel, th
Undead, but not alive (Score:4, Interesting)
A long time ago, I worked for Convergent Technologies, which partnered with post-breakup AT&T to produce the first commercial hardware to be sold under the AT&T label. (Before the breakup, AT&T was a utility, and thus not allowed to sell hardware commercially.) This was (dig the irony) "Project Safari". The biggest result of this collaboration was the Unix PC [taronga.com].
Now, AT&T spent about $1 billion on this project. Paid most of it to Convergent to fill their supply chain with these boxes. Which they never even tried to sell, because upper management decided to concentrate on IBM compatibles. Almost all got remaindered away to various hackers who jumped at the chance to buy a serious Unix workstation for less then it cost to manufacture the thing. Hundreds of people got their introduction to Unix this way. Not a bad thing, but not a ressurection either.
Alive? (Score:1)
But all joking aside, the DC rocks. Sega just has really bad luck with gaming systems. The genesis did really well, but the sega CD and 32x bombed. Which was sad, because sega CD had some really solid games.
Bah, I'm too tired to rant.
Still got it! (Score:1)
For arcade fighting, especially 2D, no other console can beat the Dreamcast. Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 were two of the coolest games I've ever played, you can get discs of old ROMs (SNES and Megadrive) to play on a DC, and finding older games and/or ISOs is pretty easy now
Best of the Bunch.... (Score:1)
Ikaruga, Rez, Gigawing, Soul Calibur, Zero Gunner, Mars Matrix - all waiting to be bettered.
If your in the UK don't look at it as a cheap platform though - most of the best games are imports costing up to £50 a pop.
Re:Best of the Bunch.... (Score:2)
Incidentally, I wish they'd hurry up and do their production run of the new Dreamcast BBAs. It's getting more than a little annoying; I could really use mine now..
Great for Linux and NetBSD (Score:2)
Dreamcast is terriffic for its price and ability to run Linux and NetBSD off CDs. Ive always wanted to put a beowulf cluster of dreamcasts on my resume.. but have yet to buy the first dreamcast. The problem is I'm always considering PS2 that might fall in price after the PS3 is debuted, which has native Linux support. The dreamcast also has its BBA thats too expensive.. dont you just wish it had an ISA slot instead?
Cheap? Are you crazy? (Score:1)
This is one of the reasons I decided to break down and get a PS2. The games I wanted were availible on current platforms at nearly the same if not better prices.
Now, indeed there are some good cheap games out there: Tokyo Xtreme Racer ($14.99), SF3 Double Impact ($14.99), Virtua Fighter 3TB ($8.00, I was dancing over that one), Shenmue ($19.99), ShadowMan ($14.99). But on the who
Re:Cheap? Are you crazy? (Score:1)
Re:Cheap? Are you crazy? (Score:2)
You're standing in a national chain of price-hiking game stores and expecting a bargain on, well, anything?
Sorry, but places like EBX, Electronics Boutique, Software Etc., and really any other game shop that is big enough to live in a mall, are major clip joints. "Trade in your old system (like, say, a Dreamcast :) plus fifty of your old games and we'll give you a two dollar credit towards a new game, and price your old stuff to sell at just a bit under original retail!"
Try the game shops that live in s
Re:Cheap? Are you crazy? (Score:1)