Portable Dreamcasts available in Hong Kong

00_NOP writes "It seems the Dreamcast just refuses to die. According to this article on Lik Sang's web site the hacker's favourite console can now be bought in a modded-to-be-portable format. No idea as to how legal this would be in the US or Europe though."

Comments

Looks like a big Gameboy Advanced SP

[mhesseltine]

Otherwise, it's a cool hack, if you happen to have one around.

OT: Please fix the time between postings. 2 minutes is crap

Please enlighten me

[Mensa Babe]

"No idea as to how legal this would be in the US or Europe though."

Why on Earth anyone sane would think it could be illegal?

Re:Please enlighten me

[Anonymous Coward]

Because the article says - if you had bothered to read it - that it appears to infring Sega's patents.

Re:Please enlighten me

[Mensa Babe]

As a matter of fact, I have bothered to read the article. The explanation "as it is infringing several Sega copyrights or patents" is very informative indeed. (Of course, I'm just being sarcastic. This "several Sega copyrights or patents" sounds like written by someone completely ignorant, who might also use the term "intellectual property" as well.)

Re:Please enlighten me

[josath]

I believe what they have done is made copies of the software in Sega's Dreamcast BIOS chip. I imagine if they wrote their own BIOS, it might have a chance to be legal.
A while back the PS2 Mod guy got sued, not because he was selling modchips, but because the modchips contained (modified) playstation firmware.

"Portable" indeed...

[Mensa Babe]

The kind of portability of this thing is closer to this than this, that's for sure. But having that been said, I still like the idea though. It looks kind of cute, if you ask me.

The article is unavailable, server doesn't respond

[Mensa Babe]

I don't know, maybe the server cannot handle the heavy load. Fortunately, I read it early and never closed the tab. Here it is:

Lik Sang News Archive

Looking for a past article or stories regarding a specific title? Search our online database and find what you are looking for.

Mass produced portable Dreamcast available in the streets of Hong Kong - Info and Pictures
Sat Jun 14 2003 20:23:30 Hong Kong Time - Dreamcast

Hong Kong is a freaky place... where you can find freaky tech stuff. The latest unbelievable-but-true thingy we could pick up in the streets of Sham Shui Po (we saw also a couple of units on some Mong Kok shops' shelves for those who are familiar with Kowloon) is a portable Dreamcast console.

What you get comes in a big zip-around nylon bag with a very original brand name on it: Treamcast (no joke).

In the bag, you get the unit itself and a bunch of accessories:

- Two Treamcast marked fighter pad style controllers
- A remote control for VCD/MP3 Playback mode (this feature is implemented in the system)
- A 'PS LCD Monitor Electronic Adapter' w/ US plug, Input 110-220V, Output 12V
- A Car adapter for long road trips ;)

The unit itself is a mutant Dreamcast machine with Sega made firmware inside (US games compatible), modified and with a specially designed shape. The top case of the DC machine is coming with a built-in LCD Screen (similar to those you can plug into your PSone or your GameCube). The LCD screen is backlit and comes with a brightness regulator on the side. There is also a volume regulator on the right side of the GD-Rom player. Speakers and headphone connector are also integrated in the monster.

There is also no logo whatsoever on the top of the system and the front logo is looking like the Dreamcast spiral, but with angles. The name on the LCD screen and on the back of the hardware is Treamacast :)

This can't be true? Just take a look at the pictures of the portable Dreamcast in action!

There is unfortunately no way for Lik Sang to carry this product as it is infringing several Sega copyrights or patents. It is likely that this is one more weird product that will never be exported and will remain exclusively available in the Hong Kong shopping centers, with a retail price between HK$ 1200 and 1500. But still we thought it was cool enough to make a pause ;)

This shows one more time two years after production has been discontinued, Dreamcast is still well alive. Lik Sang never believed it was dead and still carries hundreds of games and tons of accessories. Check out our Dreamcast section to find out!
Get informed always when it happens using the Lik Sang Product Alert®. Just enter your email address below and you don't have to worry about knowing EVERYTHING of importance as one of the first persons.

Re:The article is unavailable, server doesn't resp

[trentfoley]

You should check your internet connection. The site is working just fine.

Looks like a modded DC

[Hamster Lover]

Why would this be illegal? It looks like someone took a DC and plopped it in a case with an LCD screen attached. Hard to say without seeing one, mind you. If this is the case, no pun intended, then I don't see what patents/IP are violated, it's just a DC in a different cover.

Re:Looks like a modded DC

[FauxReal]

Well for starters it has a modified Dreamcast logo and is called Treamcast.

Re:Looks like a modded DC

[erax0r]

It's illegal because its being sold as a pre mod, which allows the hardware to be used illegaly out of the box. For VCDS and mp3s. etc.

Re:Looks like a modded DC

[Hamster Lover]

How is this different from companies like Vanagon (I think that's their name). They buy Ford trucks (minus the box), add a camper to the back and resell them again under the name Vanagon.

What if I took my DVD player, removed all the name branding and replaced it with "Shit Box" and sold it, would that be illegal too? Not trying to be smart ass, and I realize that this is HK we're talking about the last place on Earth where IP means anything, but if they're selling modified DC hardware I still do not see what is illegal about it.

Please don't interpret my comments as derision, I can think of a dozen different consumer products that have been modified and resold at some point, so I just don't understand why this product would be any different. What if they left the original DC name on the unit?

Re:The article is unavailable, server doesn't resp

[mythr]

You should check your internet connection.

I don't know if you caught the irony in this, but I sure did... :)

Re:The article is unavailable, server doesn't resp

[trentfoley]

I was trying to make clear that the site was functioning just fine and that "Mensa Babe" was karma whoring pretty badly.

Maybe it is just me, but when I see someone proudly associating themselves with Mensa, I want to break out the clue-sticks and start swinging. I was once invited to a Mensa meeting here in St. Louis. What I saw was a bunch of people that tested just high enough to join, and of course, they were so proud of themselves. Or, maybe I was at an Amway sales presentation...

Re:The article is unavailable, server doesn't resp

[oliverthered]

Mensa babe is a troll. I think. check out ?her? other posts.