Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Dreamcast Reading An IDE Hard Drive

Posted by timothy on from the this-isn't-a-cd-dave dept.

evilpaul13 writes: "Somebody got an IDE Harddrive hooked up to his Dreamcast! He plans to build a new case for it as a later project. Maybe this will encourage new Linux for Dreamcast work with the greater possibilities it presents for a small SH6 based web server?" This is still a work in progress -- but it's encouraging, especially given the current price of Dreamcast consoles.

10 of 178 comments (clear)

  1. Dreamcast is Cheap, but not easy to find anymore by LordZardoz · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A friend of mine was / is looking to purchase a Dreamcast, but none of the large retailers carry them any more. Unless you can get one off of E-Bay or a Pawn Shop, you will probably have great difficulty finding any these days.

    END COMMUNICATION

  2. Re:Dreamcast is Cheap, but not easy to find anymor by DarkEdgeX · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Agreed, they're no where to be found on places such as Amazon.com or EBworld.com (or Gamestop.com), which are the big three retailers AFAIK. Smaller online specialty shops may still have them, but I imagine they're asking more than retail given the shortages these days.

    --
    All I know about Bush is I had a good job when Clinton was president.
  3. Not SH6 by ldspartan · · Score: 5, Informative

    It uses a Hitachi SH4, not SH6, iirc. Just splitting hairs :).

    --
    Phil

  4. Dreamcast videosystem is designed by PowerVR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative
    If I remember correctly, the Dreamcast sports a first gen Kyro graphics chipset. Also noteworthy, PowerVR has just released its 2nd wave of BETA X11 XServer, GLX, and DRI drivers for their Kyro and Kyro II graphics chipsets. I submitted this as news, but apparently Slashdot doesn't think it's noteworthy. What realy is noteworthy is POWERVR has NOW opensourced their DRIVERS! Check it out on their download page...

    SuSE 7
    RedHat 7
    Mandrake 8
    SOURCE RPM
    and SOURCE TARBALL ;)

    PowerVR has just made the Dreamcast into an aspiring platform for Linux gaming! Good graphics, 128 bit SuperH CPU, good BUS, affordable(less than $100 at retail, cheaper used), and now a harddrive... shame on them ;)

  5. Re:Sorry still wonder why. by magicslax · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Given the relative slowness of the dreamcast, even at less than a $100 buck it still can't compete with a PC. You can easily put together a Duron sytem for around the same cost and have a far more useful Linux box. Being able to run binaries and not recomiling to run on the dreamcast will save a boatload of time in the long run too.

    You missed the point. This isn't about "useful," "practial." or "cheap." This is Good ol fashioned hardware hacking. (see look, it even says it on the site. neeener.) It has much less to do with how usable it is as it does with its coolness factor.

  6. Linux on the DC... by Junta · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It has beend done, here is a url:
    http://www.m17n.org/linux-sh/dreamcast/
    You can even get an ISO for the modified RedHat/eCos there.
    It supports the video card (unaccelrated framebuffer, maybe improved by now), and the BBA (if you are lucky enough to have one). You *could* make it into a web server through nfs, or static on CD, but see no good reason. Doesn't support the sound though.
    Personally, If I had a BBA and linux supported the sound, it could make a convenient MP3 jukebox with neato visualizations, or even an MPG player. You can get software to play MPG and MP# from CD already, but over NFS would be so much more convenient... Home theater applications, that could be useful, since it's form factor is so nice. Linux on the XBox would be a truly great Home Theater thing (hard drive and ethernet built in). Hell, any general purpose OS on the XBox would make the box more attractive, the games sure as hell don't excite me.

    --
    XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
  7. Re:Dreamcast is Cheap, but not easy to find anymor by sparcv9 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Hit up a Babbage's or FunCoLand (same parent company). Babbage's sells mostly new stuff, but has some used/refurbed DC stuff, and FunCoLand is primarily a used game/console store. The one near me has about a half-dozen used DCs for sale. I even got a DC keyboard at FunCoLand for $10, new in the box. The Electronics Boutiques around here seem to be dropping the DC merchandise and just selling off the remainder, though, and the local Wal*Marts have stopped carrying it completely.

    --

    This is not a Fugazi .sig
  8. I can actually think of a use... by Paradoxish · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...for running Linux off of a HDD hooked up to a dreamcast, although the PS2 serves the purpose a little better for me (just based on its shape and its PC-like CD tray): car "PC" systems! Think about it, a console is generally cheaper than a PC, has a smaller profile, doesn't generate as much heat, and has more "out of the box" uses (A PS2 placed in a car is already capable of playing games, DVDs, AND CDs - and with Linux running on it could probably very easy serve as an mp3 player).

    A Dreamcast might not be as useful for that specific purpose, but the moral is don't immediatly assume any Linux project done "just for the hell of it" has no practical use. Anyone with the creativity and skill to get Linux running on unusual hardware (and in this case modify the hardware itself) can definetly come up with a good use for it.

    --
    If you need to interpret my post, then you don't get it.
  9. Re:Summary of Sega consoles/CPU's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    As someone who has written a Genesis emulator, I can assure you that the Z80 is indeed the sound CPU. There was only 1 game which used the SMS compatibility mode that I'm aware of (Phantasy Star -- exact same game as the SMS counterpart, in a Genesis cartridge.)

    Try firing up some games in your favorite Genesis emulator and then disabling the Z80. What's that? Sound stops? Oh! :) Some games did PSG sound through the 68K but the bulk of sound output was done through the YM2612 FM (and its DAC) using the Z80.

    The SMS compatibility mode was activated via a cart pin. It disabled the 68K, put the VDP in SMS compatibility mode, and the made the Z80 think it was an SMS Z80.

    The Game Gear is basically just an SMS (the only real difference is that its palette can define more colors.)

    The 32X used twin SH-2s in a set up that was somewhat similar to the Saturn. The Saturn used 2 SH-2s, NOT SH-3s. There was an SH-1 in the CD-ROM drive, but you couldn't load code on it, so it basically worked like a black box.

    AFAIK the Dreamcast uses an ARM CPU for sound.

    If you can't already tell, programming old Sega consoles for fun is something I've dabbled in :)

  10. DC Has lots of great stuff already. by NiGHTSFTP · · Score: 5, Informative

    I've been following the scene for quite awhile. Was hop in #dcemu 6 months or so, when it wasnt busy. Went through the big John Henderson fiasco.

    There is alot the DC offers, that nobody realizes. Do you know its the only cheap $50 console, that has accelerated 3d rendering? in free, open source libraries (KOS 1.1.7).

    Rocket Racer beta2 is a wipeout-style game, no AI or Multiplayer till beta 3, but the techdemo of it kicks ass (4 cars, 2 tracks, time trials only).

    DCShooter (beta that is out is old, wait for next release).. loads Q2 levels. Its a homebrew multiplayer (1-4) shooting game. Will soon be goldeneye-style.

    DCAsteroids and DCFighting are both 3d, but are on backburner for the shooting game at the moment.

    Look at fucking DcDivx!! Made by team Project Mayo themselves! (Divx 3,4,5 support, AVI, MP3 - Disc Swap Support) Its only beta 3, and is an -excellent- movie player.

    There are outstanding emulators too.

    NES : NesterDC 6.0
    SNES: DreamSNES 0.9.7
    GB : DCGNUboy 1.0.3-0.4
    Genesis : DCGen 0.34b
    Sega Master System/ Game Gear : Smeg 0.84

    Just to name a few.

    The harddrive is only a smaller mod that makes up the DC as a whole. Look at everything, and it kicks the crap out of any PS2 or Xbox...

    Go ahead, play a super nintendo game on the Xbox.
    Play a DivX movie on your PS2.

    http://www.dcemulation.com/
    http://www.dcvison. com/
    http://www.boob.co.uk

    --
    http://www.angryburrito.com/ The best, completely unfinished software review site ever.