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The Dreamcast is Still Dead
00_NOP writes "Dreamcast lovers' hopes were raised earlier this month when it came to light that Sega had extended trade mark protection on the console's name. But hopes have now been dashed that we'll ever see another Dreamcast console, as even GameDaily's optimistic take on Sega's motivation makes clear. 'SEGA has no plans to get back into the hardware business, but we also want to protect our past and current brands. The trademark application was filed to protect our current and potential future use of the word DREAMCAST and to prevent other parties from using it in a way that could be confused or linked with SEGA.'"
Not quite. That might be what they're claiming but the truth is more amazing.
I have a spy in Sega, and they are planning to release the all new "Dreamcast 360x3". It features:
1. "EHDVD+", Sega's new high definition DVD format. Not compatible with Blu-ray or HD-DVD because it's better.
2. A 64 bit PowerPC that's multicore. IBM is specially designing this for Sega.
3. Some kind of ATI graphics, including a 1080i mode.
4. The ability to connect to the Internet. A new service, "Dreamcast Connected", will allow you to subscribe to multiplayer games and stuff.
5. Wireless controllers, with tilt detection for that "Not quite a Wii-mote" functionality
6. Large size and with big glowing lights on the front ensuring you'll never miss it when it's sitting in front of your TV
Sega hasn't come up with a final price yet, but they're expected to release different models of it for somewhere between $400 and $900. The $400 version will have the smaller hard drive and only an S-Video hookup, whereas the $900 will include a bundled copy of "Sonic XII: The SecondLife edition" plus an exclusive Hi-def copy of Employee of the Month on EHDVD+.
This is amazing stuff, a truly innovative console that will turn the market on its head.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
I thought x-mas had come early this year.....sad...
Dead people are still dead. While a shock, scientists revealed today that previously dead people are still dead. More at 6.
I like having Sega on third-party software, I'm happy to buy games from SEGA, but I'd never put down $400 for a console just to play those games as first-party titles. Besides, I enjoy Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games.
The mods chopped it from the posted article, but you are a Dreamcast owner I'd really like your help
Just so we're "in the know" on the livelihood of Dreamcast. Also please have daily updates on how dead the Sega Saturn is, how dead Asheron's Call servers are, how dead Betamax is, how dead the musket is, and finally how dead Van Damme's career is.
I like basketball!!1!
The Dreamcast never really died. It kept getting new games, mostly in Japan. Then there's the whole homebrew game scene, of which some games get a commercial release once in a while.
Maybe this is a good time for them to get back into the console game. I don't know how much money they are making on games, but Sony has been showing us for a while that there is huge money in consoles. Plus the market for video games is bigger than ever and will probably continue to grow faster than other forms of entertainment. We can expect video games to take in more revenue than box office sales this year in the US. Plus, there is a greater variety of gamers now, so Sega can probably make a "casual" or "social" console similar to the Wii and make plenty of money. Or maybe they could dream up an entirely different style of console.
NO!!!!! SAY IT AIN'T SO!!!!!!
Well, they already do PodCasts... Why not beam them to you directly while you sleep? But, now they can't call them DREAMcasts...
Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what your country did to you
"This breaking news just in... Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!"
[And] finally how dead Van Damme's career is.
Really, can something be dead which never lived?
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
Then they would not need any plans for new HW.
Netcraft confirms it!
I noticed when I got an Xbox... that the Dreamcast I had ran on Windows CE, that the controllers for the Dreamcast and the Xbox had notable similarities in terms of button layout and gameplay, and have been of the opinion that Microsoft borrowed (or bought) heavily from Dreamcast in much the same way Windows NT borrowed from the OS/2 project. I just hope that Sega fared better in the deal than IBM had in theirs.
"The Dreamcast is Still Dead"
But what about the PS3???
The initial price of the Dreamcast, coupled with the very bad taste everyone had in their mouths from Saturn's
debacle in the console market is precisely why it went belly up. I played the titles I bought when they were in the process of axing the thing in the tail end of Sega's production of them. Some of the titles were as good as anything on PS/2- some of them were arguably better in gameplay or quality of graphics. If they'd not shot themselves in the foot with the 32x, SegaCD, and Saturn so badly, they would be in the position Nintendo is now with the Wii. But it was too late and too costly in light of the other past offerings- people just didn't give it the credibility that it honestly deserved.
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
It is an ex-console
The innovative thing about the Dreamcast was the NEC PowerVR video chip. Shame it died just like the Rendition did.
Apparently the Virtual Console store in Japan now has two vacant slots on it. http://kotaku.com/335527/two-more-consoles-for-virtual-console Either Sega likes to waste money extending their trademarks, or Dreamcast compatibility is coming soon.
"We need a fourth console in this race as much as we need a hole in the head. Seriously, the best idea is to not release a new console. "
Set-top boxes would be a nice market. Marry a console with a Tivo connected via broadband and you have a very useful endpiece.
Due to size restraints, it wouldnt be feasable for virtual console to support CD based games. The largest N64 cartridges were 512Mb (small b), compared to a potential 700MB for CDs, although i dont know how much space the average CD game used. The Wii only has 512MB of useable storage (the SD slot is for backups), so its unlikely we'll ever see games that were originally on CD on the Wii.
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
True. Furthermore, all current-gen consoles suck.
I think there's room for a somewhat high-end console. Make it DVD based, put in a moderately good graphics card, HDMI, an ergonomic controller with a motion sensor, and make it not break once ever other week, and not sound louder than the PS3. Include a small-ish HD and price it 200-300 US$. It doesn't need Bluray, or a Cell. It doesn't even need to look quite as good as the Xbox. It doesn't need Ethernet, but put in wifi. Use an off-the-shelf dual-core PPC processor.
Then, get support from Activision, EA and Ubisoft. Get Sega to make a good 3D Sonic for it exclusively, preferrably a sequel to Sonic Adventure with only Sonic levels and no j-punk music so you have an iconic, console-defining game (this part should be quite easy if you are Sega).
I'd buy that, and I think a lot of people would.
ELVIS!!!!
(It is good that the Gen. Franco angle was not lost in this discussion. I would have brought it up if you hadn't already done so. Good work!)
Bow-ties are cool.
I still have mine and got some games for it cheap. I find the graphics to be as good as the PS2s for the most part. The controllers... Well they where not so good. But yes it was a good system all the way around.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.