Released in Japan at the honk-end of 1998, and in the rest of the world around 12 months later, the Dreamcast was Sega's final games console. It was a final throw of the dice, a lottery ticket bought with a couple of quid found down the back of the Sega sofa. And the gamble failed to pay off.
The system was discontinued in March 2001, with the company announcing that it would henceforth be a third-party software publisher - even going as far to release Sonic The Hedgehog on Nintendo systems. In gaming terms, this was akin to Jeremy "Red Jez" Corbyn stepping down as leader of the Labour Party, and opening an octopus cafe with all profits going to support UKIP.
After 18 years or so as a hardware manufacturer, the company no longer had the resources or support to compete. Years of poor decisions - from the Mega-CD, to 32X, to the Saturn - had damaged Sega's bottom line - and, indeed, its bottom.
Whatever you might think of Sega, the Dreamcast has to be seen as a fantastic machine that was simply a case of too little too late. The self-harm Sega had done to its own brand, and Sony's continued dominance of the games industry, ensured that confidence in the Dreamcast was virtually non-existent. Electronic Arts and Squaresoft - two of the industry's biggest third-party publishers - declined to support it, ensuring that many of the big brands never made it to the system.
Really, it's a massive shame. The Dreamcast deserved a better fate than the one it received. Sega's time as a console manufacturer didn't end with an ellipsis so much as an exclamation mark.
Here are ten reasons why it should've "twanged" more "of" your "goitres".
The system was discontinued in March 2001, with the company announcing that it would henceforth be a third-party software publisher - even going as far to release Sonic The Hedgehog on Nintendo systems. In gaming terms, this was akin to Jeremy "Red Jez" Corbyn stepping down as leader of the Labour Party, and opening an octopus cafe with all profits going to support UKIP.
After 18 years or so as a hardware manufacturer, the company no longer had the resources or support to compete. Years of poor decisions - from the Mega-CD, to 32X, to the Saturn - had damaged Sega's bottom line - and, indeed, its bottom.
Whatever you might think of Sega, the Dreamcast has to be seen as a fantastic machine that was simply a case of too little too late. The self-harm Sega had done to its own brand, and Sony's continued dominance of the games industry, ensured that confidence in the Dreamcast was virtually non-existent. Electronic Arts and Squaresoft - two of the industry's biggest third-party publishers - declined to support it, ensuring that many of the big brands never made it to the system.
Really, it's a massive shame. The Dreamcast deserved a better fate than the one it received. Sega's time as a console manufacturer didn't end with an ellipsis so much as an exclamation mark.
Here are ten reasons why it should've "twanged" more "of" your "goitres".
GREAT BRANDING
We all made fun of that Dreamcast swirl at the time, suggesting it signified Sega's fortunes being flushed down a lavatory. Really though, snark aside, it's rather nice - and a huge step up from that horrible tapeworm-around-an-egg Saturn logo.
Also, as a name, Dreamcast - though clearly Sega's attempt to launch a PlayStation-esque brand which kept the hardware at arm's length from Sega's own damaged brand - is both lovely and playful. It suggests much, without labouring the point; this is a machine which is going to make your dreams come true.
Unless you're Sega, in which case it'll simply manifest your worst nightmares, and make you wet the bed...
Also, as a name, Dreamcast - though clearly Sega's attempt to launch a PlayStation-esque brand which kept the hardware at arm's length from Sega's own damaged brand - is both lovely and playful. It suggests much, without labouring the point; this is a machine which is going to make your dreams come true.
Unless you're Sega, in which case it'll simply manifest your worst nightmares, and make you wet the bed...
GREAT DESIGN
Yeah, again, it borrows from the PlayStation - but if you're going to steal, steal from the best. Or the most popular anyway.
Plus, by making the Dreamcast a brilliant white - the most pale of colours - it succeeded in standing out from both the prevailing none-too-black winds of its soon-to-be-rival PlayStation 2, and its own unloved predecessor.
Furthermore, by being so compact it did away with the hollow feeling which slightly blighted the Mega Drive and Saturn, making them both feel cheap. Also, that triangle light bit managed to make it feel magical and high-tech at the same time.
Plus, by making the Dreamcast a brilliant white - the most pale of colours - it succeeded in standing out from both the prevailing none-too-black winds of its soon-to-be-rival PlayStation 2, and its own unloved predecessor.
Furthermore, by being so compact it did away with the hollow feeling which slightly blighted the Mega Drive and Saturn, making them both feel cheap. Also, that triangle light bit managed to make it feel magical and high-tech at the same time.
GREAT CONTROLLERS
Yeah, sure... they were big, and the colours borrowed from the Super NES, and the design was a shameless "evolution" from the N64 and PlayStation pads, but - importantly - the Dreamcast controller was comfortable to hold.
The various buttons and triggers were easy to access, and it even had a pair of expansion ports (typically, one held the storage system, while the second was used to add a rumble pack).
Plus, it was the first joypad to feature a screen - which was, to boot, removable. The VMU (Visual Memory Unit), which doubled as the storage device, could be programmed to display information pertinent to the game, and in a handful of occasions even its own Tamagotchi-like minigames.
It ended up being rather under-utilised, but you can't fault Sega's foresight. It created what was, at that point, the best console controller ever made.
The various buttons and triggers were easy to access, and it even had a pair of expansion ports (typically, one held the storage system, while the second was used to add a rumble pack).
Plus, it was the first joypad to feature a screen - which was, to boot, removable. The VMU (Visual Memory Unit), which doubled as the storage device, could be programmed to display information pertinent to the game, and in a handful of occasions even its own Tamagotchi-like minigames.
It ended up being rather under-utilised, but you can't fault Sega's foresight. It created what was, at that point, the best console controller ever made.
GREAT GAMES
The Dreamcast boasts one of the best exclusive software line-ups ever.
Choke on this: Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, Shenmue, Metropolis Street Racer, Power Stone, Space Channel 5, Virtua Tennis, Seaman, Skies of Arcadia, Soul Calibur, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, Rez, Headhunter, and Chu Chu Rocket were all worth the price of admission. Most of these games were unlike anything available on other systems, giving the Dreamcast a unique identity. And that's before you even get into its peerless catalogue of 2D beat 'em ups.
Additionally, Toy Commander, Bangai-O, Ooga Booga and Floigan Bros. may not have captured the public's imagination, but they were quite unlike anything else, a direct result of Sega asking its developers to experiment more.
The results speak for themselves. And mostly they say: "These are really good games, which not enough people wanted to buy."
Choke on this: Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, Shenmue, Metropolis Street Racer, Power Stone, Space Channel 5, Virtua Tennis, Seaman, Skies of Arcadia, Soul Calibur, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, Rez, Headhunter, and Chu Chu Rocket were all worth the price of admission. Most of these games were unlike anything available on other systems, giving the Dreamcast a unique identity. And that's before you even get into its peerless catalogue of 2D beat 'em ups.
Additionally, Toy Commander, Bangai-O, Ooga Booga and Floigan Bros. may not have captured the public's imagination, but they were quite unlike anything else, a direct result of Sega asking its developers to experiment more.
The results speak for themselves. And mostly they say: "These are really good games, which not enough people wanted to buy."
IT WAS AHEAD OF ITS TIME
It's fair to say that the Dreamcast did a lot which would later become fashionable, but far and away its biggest innovation was online connectivity. It had an in-built dial-up modem (which could be switched out for a broadband adaptor), and its own online subscription service.
Regrettably, both were fairly under-used - console gamers simply didn't really understand what online meant at that point - with only really the great Phantasy Star Online making full use of it. Neverthelesss, had more developers embraced online back then, the Dreamcast could've really shown up its rivals as yesterday's hardware.
Regrettably, both were fairly under-used - console gamers simply didn't really understand what online meant at that point - with only really the great Phantasy Star Online making full use of it. Neverthelesss, had more developers embraced online back then, the Dreamcast could've really shown up its rivals as yesterday's hardware.
GREAT LAUNCH
Everything Sega got wrong with the Saturn launch it got right with the Dreamcast. It had a decent line-up of launch titles, it was priced competitively, and there was plenty of stock.
Indeed, in the US at least it got off to a flying start - but this was tempered by the fact that, straight out of the gate in Japan, it ran head-first into a fence, got tangled up in some bunting, then ran shrieking onto a busy motorway, where it was run over by a metaphor delivery truck. Or it might've been carrying similes. Doesn't matter.
Point is, the hype that Sony was building over its imminent PlayStation 2 was simply too much for Sega, its finances battered by years of bad decisions, to compete with. As the launch of the PlayStation 2 got closer, so sales of the Dreamcast faded away, and with it Sega's chance of remaining a player in the hardware game.
Indeed, in the US at least it got off to a flying start - but this was tempered by the fact that, straight out of the gate in Japan, it ran head-first into a fence, got tangled up in some bunting, then ran shrieking onto a busy motorway, where it was run over by a metaphor delivery truck. Or it might've been carrying similes. Doesn't matter.
Point is, the hype that Sony was building over its imminent PlayStation 2 was simply too much for Sega, its finances battered by years of bad decisions, to compete with. As the launch of the PlayStation 2 got closer, so sales of the Dreamcast faded away, and with it Sega's chance of remaining a player in the hardware game.
SONIC
One of the biggest mistakes Sega made with the Saturn was its failure to release a bona-fide 3D platformer featuring its most recognisable character. The Nintendo 64 had sold on the strength of Mario 64 alone, and many Sega fans were anticipating Sega's response. It never came, the fabled Sonic X-Treme failing to materialise, and the character's only Saturn appearances were a trio of apologetic shrugs: Sonic R, Sonic Jam, and Sonic 3D Blast.
Sonic Adventure was ready from day one on the Dreamcast, and though it might not have been exactly the game we'd anticipated, there's no denying that it was an intriguing and well put-together effort, which didn't merely replicate the Super Mario 64 template.
Heck, Sega even managed to release Sonic Adventure 2 before the end of the Dreamcast's life. Albeit, by then, the donkey had swollen up like a big grey balloon, and floated off into space.
Sonic Adventure was ready from day one on the Dreamcast, and though it might not have been exactly the game we'd anticipated, there's no denying that it was an intriguing and well put-together effort, which didn't merely replicate the Super Mario 64 template.
Heck, Sega even managed to release Sonic Adventure 2 before the end of the Dreamcast's life. Albeit, by then, the donkey had swollen up like a big grey balloon, and floated off into space.
IT EMPHASISED FUN
For the Dreamcast, Sega focused more on arcade-y experiences than the moodier, po-faced, games that were fast becoming popular. It sought to embrace the fun of gaming and its limitless potential, with experiences that were fast-paced and full of colour.
Alas, with gaming in the process of "growing up", it was - for the vast majority of gamers - time to put away frivolity, and paint their bedrooms black. Sony succeeded in appealing to this prevailing trend.
Alas, with gaming in the process of "growing up", it was - for the vast majority of gamers - time to put away frivolity, and paint their bedrooms black. Sony succeeded in appealing to this prevailing trend.
IT WAS MORE POWERFUL THAN ITS RIVALS
Hands down, at the time it was released, the Dreamcast was the most powerful console available. It used off-the-shelf PC components (which helped keep the cost down), but it's obvious from games like Shenmue and Jet Set Radio, that there was nothing on the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 to compete in purely visual terms.
However, Sony's PS2 was over the horizon, and Sony was preparing to convince the world that it was a powerful enough "super-computer" that Saddam Hussein would use it to power his weapons of mass destruction. For pity's sake.
Even though Dreamcast games remained better-looking than most of what the PS2 had to offer, the Sony hype blinded players to its many visual charms.
However, Sony's PS2 was over the horizon, and Sony was preparing to convince the world that it was a powerful enough "super-computer" that Saddam Hussein would use it to power his weapons of mass destruction. For pity's sake.
Even though Dreamcast games remained better-looking than most of what the PS2 had to offer, the Sony hype blinded players to its many visual charms.
IT HAD THE BEST PERIPHERALS
Fishing rods, maracas, a mouse and keyboard, a microphone, a twin stick controller for Virtual On... there were even a Dreamcast webcam and karaoke add-on released in Japan. The range of accessories available for the Dreamcast allowed Sega to release some of the most niche games ever - remember Typing of the Dead? Or being able to talk to your half-fish friend in Seaman?
And they were just the official peripherals; third-parties embraced the Dreamcast with train controllers, dance mats, and more. Indeed, the Dreamcast represented something of a golden age for weird hardware and unique ways to play games - at least until the Wii came along.
Rest well, Dreamcast. You were a real nice thing, and deserved better than you got.
And they were just the official peripherals; third-parties embraced the Dreamcast with train controllers, dance mats, and more. Indeed, the Dreamcast represented something of a golden age for weird hardware and unique ways to play games - at least until the Wii came along.
Rest well, Dreamcast. You were a real nice thing, and deserved better than you got.
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