Sega Dreamcast: $0

According to this CNN article, Sega will announce today a $200 rebate on its $200 Dreamcast console. They'll even throw in a free keyboard. Game consoles have always played "lose money on the razor, make it on the blades," but now, the blades have changed: the catch is a mandatory two years of their online service at $22/mo. So, exactly how much ass do the Dreamcast's online games kick?

Comments

sega dc thoughts from sega dc owner ...

[Naum]

... yeah i have a sega saturn and a sega genesis (the last "real" winner they had though i didn't fall for the equally ill-fated 32x and cd products ...) ... i swore i would never buy a sega product ever again after the saturn debacle ... but then again, i don't buy sony products either as every single sony item i have ever bought broke within a year (though the 5th walkman i bought a little over a year ago is still working ... hmm ...) ...

anyway, i'm not sure if this manuever by them is too little too late ... they needed to have the online gaming up at christmas, not this fall sometime which translates into winter or maybe early next year ... there is big market for those gamers who while quite adept at video games are real clueless about PC setup and plus the cost of putting together a high end gaming setup ...

the internet access they provide works - and you don't need them as a provider - i hooked it up to freei.net - so i can surf on the tv for free though it is an exercise in primitivity (heh, that ain't a word ...) ... most of the time you can only see a fraction of the page on the tv screen and i don't have a keyboard so typing urls in is a pain - then, add that fact to the fact that you need to store the bookmarks on a memory cartridge that plugs in to one of the controllers ... even with a keyboard i can't imagine smooth surfing ...

but like i said, they missed the boat - though the games i have purchased are very good, it would be cool to play online and the ease (or perceived ease) of setting up and getting on would be a boon for many gamers - i.e. no worry about machine differences, sound cards, 3d cards, etc ... just log in and play ... but the success of these gaming consoles is not predicated on the power of the box, but the quantity and quality of the games ... probally quantity being more important ... (witness the sony playstation success ...)

anyway, i wish it would work for sega, but i don't see it happening ... sega will end up being sony's bitch just like ms ate up netscape ... l8

Dreamcast tidbits

[drwiii]

For anyone who's interested, here's a quick screenshot tour of Sega's included Web Browser. (Note: They have released a much faster and less buggy upgrade to the browser, look on DC Mag disc, March 2000. If you want a free 1.1 browser GD shipped to you, go here.)

I really hope Sega can pull this off. Regardless of what's coming around the bend, Dreamcast is a great system.

It's fun to take apart too. Here's some pictures of my DC with a blue power LED that I soldered in to commemerate its compatibility with a Microsoft product (WinCE).

DC netplay impressions from a Sega fan

[Green Monkey]

I've spent a fair amount of time with the Dreamcast's Internet play features. In general, things are looking pretty good -- lag is an issue, but that's something that will probably get ironed out over time. A DC cable modem is also going to be released later this year, so you lucky Low Ping Bastards can join in on the fun ;). (And, once again, you don't need a separate ISP for the Dreamcast... you can just use your existing phone line / broadband access.)

One of the best features of Dreamcast online gaming is the way you communicate. ChuChu Rocket, and other future games, give you a standardized set of phrases and messages you can activate from the controller. The cool part is that these messages appear to other users in whatever language they're playing in. In other words, if I'm playing against someone in Japan, I can select English phrases on my screen and they'll appear in Japanese to the person on the other end. CCR just offers a few taunts and gripes, but the multiplayer online RPG Phantasy Star Online (coming out worldwide this summer) lets you construct entire translatable sentences out of stock words.

The biggest problem right now, of course, is game selection ;). Right now, there's only one game supported, ChuChu Rocket, which is basically Hungry Hungry Hippos on speed and is entertaining beyond belief. (If you haven't seen the infamous CCR commercial, you must download it now :P). Unfortunately, it gets old pretty quickly, and even in the month since it came out it's losing its appeal. There's a slew of online games coming up, though, including big names like Quake III and Half-Life.

As a diehard console gamer, I'm psyched that we're finally getting all the online features that our PC counterparts have been enjoying for years ;). If you've been playing Quake for years, DC netplay is nothing special, but IMO it's a big step in the right direction for console gaming.