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Dreamcast

North American Dreamcast with controller and VMU
Manufacturer	Sega
Type	Home video game console
Generation	Sixth generation
Discontinued	March 30, 2001
Units sold	Worldwide: 10.6 million
Media	CD, Mini CD, 1.2 GB GD-ROM
CPU	Hitachi SH4 32-bit RISC clocked at 200 MHz
Memory	RAM 16 MB, GPU 8 MB
Storage	128 Kbyte VMU
Display	VHF Composite video S-video VGA (via Dreamcast VGA)
Graphics	100 MHz PowerVR2 CLX2
Online services	SegaNet / Dreamarena
Predecessor	Sega Saturn

The Dreamcast (Japanese: ドリームキャスト, Hepburn: Dorīmukyasuto) is a home video game console that was released by Sega on November 27, 1998 in Japan, September 9, 1999 in North America, and October 14, 1999 in Europe. It was the first entry in the sixth generation of video game consoles, preceding the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. The Dreamcast is Sega's last home console to date, with no successor released since its discontinuation.

In contrast to the expensive hardware of the unsuccessful Sega Saturn, the Dreamcast was designed to reduce costs with "off the shelf" components, including a Hitachi SH4 CPU and an NEC PowerVR2 GPU. Backed by a strong marketing campaign, the Dreamcast enjoyed a highly successful U.S. launch, but interest in the system steadily declined as Sony built hype for the upcoming PlayStation 2. Sales did not meet Sega's expectations despite several price cuts, and the company continued to incur significant financial losses. After a change in leadership, Sega discontinued the Dreamcast on March 30, 2001, withdrawing from the console business and restructuring itself as a third-party publisher. 10.6 million Dreamcast units were sold worldwide.

Although the system experienced a short lifespan and limited third-party support, reviewers have considered the Dreamcast ahead of its time. Its game library contains many titles considered creative and innovative, including Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio and Shenmue, as well as high-quality ports from Sega's NAOMI arcade system board. The Dreamcast was also the first console to include a built-in modem for Internet support and online play.

History

Background

The Sega Genesis (known as "Mega Drive" outside of North America) was Sega's entry into the fourth generation of video game consoles, released in Japan as the Mega Drive in 1988, North America in 1989, and Europe as the Mega Drive in 1990. With 40 million consoles sold, Sega sold only 9 million fewer consoles than its main competitor, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The successor to the Genesis, the Sega Saturn, was released in Japan in 1994. The Saturn was a CD-ROM-based console that displayed both 2D and 3D computer graphics, but its complex dual-CPU architecture made it more difficult to program for than its chief competitor, the Sony PlayStation. Although the Saturn was released before the PlayStation in both Japan and the United States, its surprise U.S. launch—which came four months earlier than originally scheduled—was marred by a lack of distribution, which remained a continuing problem for the system. Moreover, Sega's early launch was immediately undermined by Sony's simultaneous announcement that the PlayStation would retail for US$299—compared to the Saturn's launch price of $399. Nintendo's long delay in releasing a competing 3D console, and the damage down to Sega's reputation by poorly supported add-ons for the Genesis (particularly the Sega 32X), allowed Sony to establish a foothold in the market. The PlayStation was immediately successful on launch, in part due to a massive advertising campaign that " the game market by storm", and strong third-party support engendered by Sony's excellent development tools and liberal $10 licensing fee. Sony's success was further aided by a price war, in which Sega lowered the price of the Saturn from $399 to $299 and then from $299 to $199 in order to match the price of the PlayStation, even though Saturn hardware was more expensive to manufacture and the PlayStation enjoyed a larger software library. Taking losses on the Saturn hardware contributed to Sega's financial problems, which saw the company's revenue decline from a 1992 peak through 1995 as part of an industry-wide slowdown, while Sega's focus on the Saturn over the Genesis prevented it from fully capitalizing on the continued strength of the 16-bit market.

Due to long-standing disagreements with Sega of Japan, Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske became increasingly disinterested in his position. On July 16, 1996 Sega announced that Shoichiro Irimajiri had been appointed chairman and CEO of Sega of America, while Kalinske would be leaving Sega after September 30 of that year. Sega also announced that Sega Enterprises cofounder David Rosen and Sega of Japan CEO Hayao Nakayama had resigned from their positions as chairman and co-chairman of Sega of America, though both men remained with the company. Bernie Stolar, a former executive at Sony Computer Entertainment of America, was named Sega of America's executive vice president in charge of product development and third-party relations. Stolar was not supportive of the Saturn due to his belief that the hardware was poorly designed, and publicly announced at E3 1997 that "The Saturn is not our future." After the launch of the Nintendo 64, sales of the Saturn and Sega's 32-bit software were sharply reduced. As of August 1997, Sony controlled 47 percent of the console market, Nintendo controlled 40 percent, and Sega controlled only 12 percent. Neither price cuts nor high-profile game releases were proving helpful to the Saturn's success. Due to the Saturn's poor performance in North America, 60 of Sega of America's 200 employees were laid off in the fall of 1997.

"I thought the Saturn was a mistake as far as hardware was concerned. The games were obviously terrific, but the hardware just wasn't there."

By March 1998, Sega reported losses of $309 million on the Saturn, and had begun to focus on a successor. During 1998, Sega took an additional $450 million loss. According to Stolar, his decision to abandon the Saturn was due to Sega's losses and his desire to rebuild with a new team. The decision to abandon the Saturn effectively left the Western market without Sega games for over a year. Rumors about the upcoming Dreamcast were leaked to the public before the last Saturn games were released.

Development

With the Sega Saturn losing against the PlayStation, Irimajiri decided to start looking outside of the company's internal hardware development division to create a new console. As early as 1995, shortly after the Saturn's release, there were rumors that Sega would team up with Lockheed Martin to create a new graphics processing unit. In 1997, Irimajiri enlisted the services of Tatsuo Yamamoto from International Business Machines to lead an 11-man team to work on a secret hardware project in the United States, which would be referred to as "Blackbelt". Accounts vary on how an internal team led by Hideki Sato also began development on Dreamcast hardware; one account specifies that Sega of Japan tasked both teams, while another suggests that Sato was bothered by Irimajiri's choice to begin development externally and chose to have his hardware team begin development. Sato and his group chose the Hitachi SH4 processor architecture and the VideoLogic PowerVR2 graphics processor, manufactured by NEC, in the production of their mainboard. Initially known as "Whitebelt", this project was later codenamed "Dural".

Yamamoto and his group opted to use 3dfx Voodoo 2 and Voodoo Banshee graphics processors, as well as a Motorola PowerPC 603e central processing unit (CPU), but was later asked to also use the SH4 chip. Both processors have been described as "off the shelf" components. According to former Sega of America vice president of communications and former NEC brand manager Charles Bellfield, presentations of games using the latter architecture showcased the performance and low cost delivered by the SH2 and PowerVR architecture, and stated that "Sega's relationship with NEC, a Japanese company, probably made a difference too." However, the PowerVR structure was also unconventional for developers. In 1997, 3dfx began their IPO, and as a result of legal obligations unveiled their contracts with Sega, including the development of the new console. Sega of Japan executives were angered by this. Eventually, the decision was made to utilize the Dural chipset, and Sega decided to cut their ties with 3dfx. According to Stolar, "I felt the US version, the 3Dfx version, should have been used. Japan wanted the Japanese version, and Japan won." As a result, 3dfx filed a lawsuit against both Sega and NEC claiming breach of contract, which would eventually be settled out of court. The choice to use the PowerVR architecture puzzled Electronic Arts (EA), a longtime developer for Sega's consoles; EA had invested in 3dfx but was unfamiliar with the selected architecture, which was reportedly less powerful. By February 1998, the Dural was renamed "Katana", although certain hardware specifications such as random access memory (RAM) were still not yet finalized.

Knowing that the Sega Saturn had been set back by its high production costs and complex hardware, Sega took a different approach with Katana to use cheaper components and make programming for the system easier. The selections of hardware were more in line with what was common in personal computer hardware than that of video game consoles, reducing the system costs. According to Damien McFerran, "the motherboard was a masterpiece of clean, uncluttered design and compatibility." Isao Okawa, chairman of Sega's parent company CSK Holdings Corporation, was persuaded to include a modem with each system by the Chinese economist and future Sega.com CEO Brad Huang, despite significant opposition from Okawa's staff over the additional $15 cost per unit. Reports emerged in September 1997 that Sega's new console would be a 128-bit system, and that Microsoft would develop and provide the operating system for the Dural project, based on Windows CE. Known by the codename "Dragon", the new operating system included DirectX 5.2 and utilized a significant amount of system RAM. The intent of including the new operating system and DirectX was to make games for the system easy to develop, although programmers would later favor development tools from Sega over those from Microsoft. Rumors also circulated about the possibility of Dural games being playable on a personal computer, although this would turn out not to be the case when Sega selected the GD-ROM media format for the system. The GD-ROM was developed specifically for the Dreamcast to avoid the greater expense of DVD-ROM technology. As the GD-ROM format can hold about 1 GB of data, illegally copying Dreamcast games onto a 650 MB CD-ROM sometimes required the removal of certain game features, although this did not prevent copying of Dreamcast software.

Over 5,000 different names were considered before "Dreamcast" was chosen. Because the Saturn had tarnished Sega's reputation, the company planned to remove its name from the console entirely and establish a new gaming brand similar to Sony's PlayStation, but Irjmajiri's management team ultimately decided to retain Sega's logo on the Dreamcast's exterior. Sega spent US$50–80 million on hardware development, $150–200 million on software development, and $300 million on worldwide promotion—a sum which Irimajiri, a former Honda executive, humorously compared to the investments required to design new automobiles.

Launch

Despite taking massive losses on the Saturn, including a 75 percent drop in half-year profits just before the Japanese launch of the Dreamcast, Sega felt confident about its new system. The Dreamcast attracted significant interest and drew many pre-orders. However, NEC announced before the release that they were struggling to manufacture the PowerVR chipset due to a high failure rate in the manufacturing process. As a result, Sega could not achieve its Japanese shipping goals for the Dreamcast's Japanese launch. As more than half of its limited stock had been pre-ordered, Sega stopped pre-orders in Japan. On November 27, 1998, the Dreamcast was launched in Japan at a price of JP¥29,000, and the entire stock of units was sold out by the end of the day. However, of the four games available at launch, only one—a port of Virtua Fighter 3—sold well. Sega estimated that an additional 200,000-300,000 Dreamcast units could have been sold with sufficient supply. Key Dreamcast software titles Sonic Adventure and Sega Rally Championship 2, which had been delayed, arrived within the following weeks, but sales continued to be slower than expected. Irimajiri hoped to sell over 1 million Dreamcast units in Japan by February 1999, but less than 900,000 were sold, undermining Sega's attempts to build up a sufficient installed base to ensure the Dreamcast's survival after the arrival of competition from other manufacturers. There were reports of disappointed Japanese consumers returning their Dreamcasts and using the refund to purchase additional PlayStation software. Seaman, released in July 1999, was considered the Dreamcast's first major hit in Japan. Prior to the Western launch, Sega reduced the price of the Dreamcast to JP¥19,900, effectively making the hardware unprofitable but increasing sales. The price reduction and release of Namco's Soul Calibur helped Sega to gain 17 percent on its shares.

"Let's take the conservative estimate of 250,000 Dreamcast units at presage—that's a quarter of a million units at $200. We'll have a ratio of 1.5 or two games for every Dreamcast unit sold. That's half a million units of software. We think we'll be .5 to one on VMUs and peripheral items such as extra controllers and what have you. This could be a $60 to $80 million 24-hour period. What has ever sold $60 to $80 million in the first 24 hours?"

Working closely with Midway Games (which developed four launch titles for the system) and taking advantage of the ten months following the Dreamcast's release in Japan, Sega of America worked to ensure a more successful U.S. launch with a minimum of 15 launch games. Despite lingering bitterness over the Saturn's early release, Stolar successfully managed to repair relations with major US retailers, with whom Sega presold 300,000 Dreamcast units. In addition, a pre-launch promotion enabled consumers to rent the system from Hollywood Video in the months preceding its September launch. Sega of America's senior vice president of marketing Peter Moore, a fan of the attitude previously associated with Sega's brand, worked to develop the "It's Thinking" campaign of 15-second television commercials, which emphasized the Dreamcast's hardware power. According to Moore, "We needed to create something that would really intrigue consumers, somewhat apologize for the past, but invoke all the things we loved about Sega, primarily from the Genesis days." On August 11, it was reported that Stolar had been fired, leaving Moore to direct the launch. The Dreamcast launched on September 9, 1999 at a price of $199—which Sega's marketing dubbed "9/9/99 for $199". 18 launch titles were available for the Dreamcast in the U.S. More than a record-breaking 225,132 Dreamcast units were sold in 24 hours, earning Sega $98.4 million in what Moore called "the biggest 24 hours in entertainment retail history". Within two weeks, U.S. Dreamcast sales exceeded 500,000. By Christmas, Sega held 31 percent of the North American video game marketshare. Soul Calibur, an arcade fighting game that was graphically enhanced for the system and considered its greatest launch title, became the first Dreamcast software to sell over one million units. Another notable launch title was a high-quality football simulation called NFL 2K, which was produced by the Sega-owned developer Visual Concepts. On November 4, Sega announced they had sold over million units. The U.S. launch was hailed as "a masterpiece of marketing".

The European release of the Dreamcast came on October 14, 1999, at a price of GB₤200. By November 24, 400,000 consoles had been sold in Europe. By Christmas of 1999, Sega of Europe reported selling 500,000 units, placing them six months ahead of schedule. Sales did not continue at this pace, and by October 2000, Sega had sold only about 1 million units in Europe. As part of Sega's promotions of the Dreamcast in Europe, the company sponsored four European football clubs: Arsenal F.C. (England), AS Saint-Étienne (France), U.C. Sampdoria (Italy), and Deportivo de La Coruña (Spain).

Game development

Before the launch of the Dreamcast in Japan, Sega announced the release of its New Arcade Operation Machine Idea (NAOMI) arcade board (possibly named after Japanese singer Namie Amuro), replacing the previous Model 3 used to that point. NAOMI shared many hardware similarities to the Dreamcast, albeit with twice as much RAM. This allowed for home conversions of arcade games that were nearly identical to their coin-op versions. Sega would take advantage of this to port some of its own arcade titles such as F355 Challenge and Crazy Taxi, the latter of which was designed to bridge the gap between arcade and console games by rewarding skilled players with additional playtime. In addition, several leading Japanese arcade companies, such as Capcom, ported their games developed for the NAOMI to the Dreamcast, such as Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Power Stone and Project Justice.

Online games were supported by the SegaNet service, which launched in September 2000 and supported titles such as Phantasy Star Online and Quake III Arena. Sega also took the opportunity to bring back franchises from the Genesis era, with games such as Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future. Third-parties such as Acclaim, SNK, Ubisoft, Midway, Activision, Infogrames, and Capcom also supported the system in its first year. EA was one of the notable developers that did not publish games for the Dreamcast. EA had been irked by Sega's indecision over whether to include a modem and its choice of hardware design. During licensing negotiations, according to EA executive Bing Gordon, " couldn't afford to give us the same kind of license that EA has had over the last five years. So EA basically said, 'You can't succeed without us.' And Sega said, 'Sure we can. We're Sega.'" Stolar denied Gordon's account, saying "Sega didn't play hardball." Stolar recounted that EA president Larry Probst "came to me and said, 'Bernie, we'll support Dreamcast, but ... We want the exclusive rights to be the only sports brand on Dreamcast.'" Stolar had recently negotiated Sega's $10 million purchase of sports games developer Visual Concepts, and told Probst "We'll have Visual Concepts sports titles and we'll have EA sports titles", an offer which Stolar said Probst refused. Sega of Japan offered to lower the royalty rates that EA would pay for publishing its titles on the Dreamcast, but no deal was reached. While the Dreamcast had none of EA's popular sports games, "Sega Sports" titles developed mainly by Visual Concepts helped to fill that void.

In what has been called "a brief moment of remarkable creativity", in 2000 Sega restructured its arcade and console development teams into nine semi-autonomous studios headed by the company's top designers. The most notable studios were United Game Artists (headed by former Sega Rally Championship producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi), Hitmaker (headed by Crazy Taxi creator and future Sega president Hisao Oguchi), Smilebit (headed by Shun Arai and including many former Panzer Dragoon and future Yakuza developers from Team Andromeda), Overworks (headed by Noriyoshi Oba and composed of developers from Sega franchises including Sakura Wars, Shinobi and Streets of Rage), Sega AM2 (Sega's most famous arcade studio and the developer of Sega's Virtua Fighter fighting game series, headed by the company's top developer, Yu Suzuki), and Sonic Team (the developer of Sega's flagship series, Sonic the Hedgehog, headed by Yuji Naka). Combined with Western partners such as Visual Concepts, Sega became "the most prolific publisher in the business." Moreover, Sega's design houses were encouraged to experiment, resulting in titles such as Rez (an attempt to simulate synaesthesia in the form of a rail shooter), The Typing of the Dead (a version of The House of the Dead 2 remade into a touch typing trainer), Seaman (a pet simulator in which players use a microphone to interact with a humanoid fish whose growth is narrated by Leonard Nimoy), and Shenmue (the first part in a planned 16-part interactive novel and a striking attempt at creating a detailed in-game city, which was rumored to have cost more than $50 million to develop). Sega's internal studios were consolidated starting in 2003, with Mizuguchi leaving the company following the merger of United Game Artists with Sonic Team.

Competition and decline

Though the launch of the Dreamcast had been quite successful, Sony still held 60% of the overall video game market share with the PlayStation at the end of 1999. On March 2, 1999, in what one report called a "highly publicized, vaporware-like announcement" Sony revealed the first details of its "next generation PlayStation", which Ken Kutaragi claimed would allow video games to convey unprecedented emotions. The center of Sony's marketing plan and the upcoming PlayStation 2 itself was a new CPU (clocked at about 300 MHz) jointly developed by Sony and Toshiba—the "Emotion Engine"—which Kutaragi announced would feature a graphics processor with 1,000 times more bandwidth than contemporary PC graphics processors and a floating-point calculation performance of 6.2 gigaflops per second, rivaling most supercomputers. Sony, which invested $1.2 billion in two large-scale integration semiconductor fabrication plants to manufacture the PlayStation 2's "Emotion Engine" and "Graphics Synthesizer", designed the machine to push more raw polygons than any video game console in history. Sony claimed the PlayStation 2 could render 75 million raw polygons per second with absolutely no effects, and 38 million without accounting for features such as textures, artificial intelligence, or physics. Even with such effects, Sony estimated the PlayStation 2 could render 16 million polygons per second (compared to the Dreamcast's 3 million), although independent estimates ranged from 3 million to 20 million. The system would also utilize the DVD-ROM format, which held 8 gigabytes on standard discs and 17 gigabytes on dual-layered discs as opposed to the 1 gigabyte stored by the Dreamcast's GD-ROM format. Because it could connect to the Internet while playing movies, music, and video games, Sony hyped PlayStation 2 as the future of home entertainment. Rumors emerged that the PlayStation 2 was a supercomputer capable of guiding missiles and displaying Toy Story-quality graphics, while Kutaragi boasted its online capabilities would give consumers the ability to "jack into 'The Matrix'!" In addition, Sony emphasized that the PlayStation 2 would be backwards compatible with hundreds of popular PlayStation games. Sony's specifications appeared to render the Dreamcast obsolete months before its U.S. launch. The same year, Nintendo announced that its next generation console would meet or exceed anything on the market, and Microsoft began development of its own console.

When the PS2 launched in Japan on March 4, 2000, all 600,000 units Sony had allotted to retailers sold out within three hours. However, its 13 launch games were not considered impressive, and PS2 software sales were initially low. The most popular PS2 title in Japan, Ridge Racer V, was the eighth best-selling Japanese software unit as of December 2000—while the first, second and fourth were all PlayStation games. The PS2 did not have a million-selling game for 15 months. In the months following its launch in Japan, the "number-one use" for the system was as a DVD movie player—in part because DVD players had not sold as many units in Japan as they had in the U.S., while the PS2 provided DVD playback at the same price or less than dedicated DVD players at the time—and its top software title was the film The Matrix. For the PS2's October 26 U.S. launch, Sony achieved a larger library of 29 games, but only one first-party title was available, and developers levied complaints about Sony's unintuitive middleware and the distinct difficulties of programming PS2 software. Achieving optimal performance with the PS2's complex hardware design required effectively dividing tasks between its CPU and two vector processors, known as VU0 and VU1, which may have contributed to early PS2 software's failure to demonstrate the system's full potential.

Sega's initial momentum proved fleeting, as U.S. Dreamast sales—which exceeded 1.5 million by the end of 1999—began to decline as early as January 2000. In addition, poor Japanese sales left Sega with a US$412 million net loss in the quarter ending March 2000—double the loss Sega first expected— while its profitable arcade business in Japan declined. Knowing that "they have to fish were the fish are biting", Sega of America president Peter Moore (who assumed his position after Stolar had been fired) and Sega of Japan's developers focused on the U.S. market to prepare for the upcoming launch of the PS2. To that end, Sega of America launched its own Internet service provider, Sega.com, led by CEO Brad Huang. On September 7, 2000 Sega.com launched SegaNet, the Dreamcast's Internet gaming service, at a subscription price of $21.95 per month. Although Sega had previously released only one Dreamcast title in the U.S. that featured online multiplayer (ChuChu Rocket!, a puzzle game developed by Sonic Team), the launch of SegaNet (which allowed users to chat, send email, and surf the web) combined with NFL 2K1 (a football game including a robust online component) was intended to increase demand for the Dreamcast in the U.S. market. Sega employed aggressive pricing strategies with relation to online gaming. In Japan, every Dreamcast sold included a free year of Internet access, which Okawa personally paid for. Prior to the launch of SegaNet, Sega had already offered a $200 rebate to any Dreamcast owner who purchased two years of Internet access from Sega.com. To promote SegaNet in the U.S., Sega dropped the price of the Dreamcast to $149 (compared to the PS2's U.S. launch price of $299) and offered a rebate for the full $149 price of a Dreamcast (and a free Dreamcast keyboard) with every 18-month SegaNet subscription.

"We had a tremendous 18 months. Dreamcast was on fire - we really thought that we could do it. But then we had a target from Japan that said we had to make x hundreds of millions of dollars by the holiday season and shift x millions of units of hardware, otherwise we just couldn't sustain the business. So on January 31st 2001 we said Sega is leaving hardware. We were selling 50,000 units a day, then 60,000, then 100,000, but it was just not going to be enough to get the critical mass to take on the launch of PS2. Somehow I got to make that call, not the Japanese. I had to fire a lot of people; it was not a pleasant day."

Moore stated that the Dreamcast would need to sell 5 million units in the U.S. by the end of 2000 in order to remain a viable platform, and ultimately fell short of this goal with some 3 million units sold. Sega suffered a JP¥17.98 billion loss for the 6 months ending September 30, 2000, and a yearly loss of JP¥42.88 billion, making it Sega's third consecutive annual loss. Sales increased greatly following the $149 price reduction, then declined. Although the PS2's U.S. launch in October was marred by shortages—with only 500,000 of a planned 1 million units shipped due to a manufacturing glitch—this did not benefit the Dreamcast as much as expected, as many disappointed consumers continued to wait for a PS2—while the PSone, a remodeled version of the original PlayStation, was the best-selling console in the U.S. at the start of the 2000 holiday season. According to Moore, "the PlayStation 2 effect that we were relying upon did not work for us ... people will hang on for as long as possible ... What effectively happened is the PlayStation 2 lack of availability froze the marketplace". Eventually, Sony and Nintendo held 50 and 35 percent of the US video game market, respectively, while Sega held only 15 percent. According to Bellfield, Dreamcast software sold at an 8-to-1 ratio with the hardware, but this ratio "on a small install base didn't give us the revenue ... to keep this platform viable in the medium to long term."

On May 22, 2000 Okawa replaced Iramajiri as president of Sega. Okawa had long openly advocated that Sega abandon the console business. His sentiments were not unique; Sega co-founder David Rosen had "always felt it was a bit of a folly for them to be limiting their potential to Sega hardware", and Stolar had previously suggested that Sega should have sold their company to Microsoft (who worked with Sega to develop the Dreamcast's operating system). In September 2000, in a meeting with Sega's Japanese executives and the heads of the company's major Japanese game development studios, Moore and Bellfield recommended that Sega abandon its console business and focus solely on software—prompting the studio heads to walk out. Nevertheless, on January 24, 2001, Sega announced the discontinuation of the Dreamcast and the restructuring of the company as a "platform-agnostic" third-party developer. The decision was Moore's. Sega also announced a Dreamcast price reduction to $99 to clear out remaining inventory. Okawa, who had previously loaned Sega $500 million in the summer of 1999, passed away on March 16, 2001; shortly before his death, he forgave Sega's debts to him, and returned his $695 million worth of Sega and CSK stock, helping the company survive the third-party transition. As part of this restructuring, nearly one-third of Sega's Tokyo workforce was laid off in 2001.

Overall, the Dreamcast sold approximately 10.6 million units during its lifetime. After the Dreamcast's discontinuation, commercial games were still developed and released for the system, particularly in Japan. In the United States, game sales continued until the end of the first half of 2002. As of 2014, the console is still supported through various MIL-CD independent releases. Sega continued to bleed money annually until posting a profit in October 2003.

Reasons cited for the failure of the Dreamcast include hype for the PS2; a lack of support from EA and Squaresoft, considered the most popular third-parties in the U.S. and Japan respectively; disagreement among Sega executives over the company's future, and Okawa's lack of commitment to the product; Sega's lack of advertising money, with Bellfield doubting that Sega spent even "half" the $100 million it had pledged to promote the Dreamcast in the U.S.; that the market was not yet ready for online gaming; Sega's focus on "hardcore" gamers over the mainstream consumer; and poor timing. Perhaps the most frequently cited reason is the damage to Sega's reputation caused by several previous commercial failures. Writing for GamePro, Blake Snow stated that "The much beloved console launched years ahead of the competition but ultimately struggled to shed the negative reputation had gained during the Saturn, Sega 32X, and Sega CD days. As a result, casual gamers and jaded third-party developers doubted Sega's ability to deliver." Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead noted that the "wait and see" approach of consumers and the lack of support from EA were symptoms rather the cause of Sega's decline, concluding "Sega's misadventures during the 1990s had left both gamers and publishers wary of any new platform bearing its name." According to 1UP.com's Jeremy Parish, "While it would be easy to point an accusatory finger at Sony and blame them for killing the Dreamcast by overselling the PS2 ... there's a certain level of intellectual dishonesty in such a stance ... 's poor U.S. support for hardware like the Sega CD, the 32X, and the Saturn made gamers gun shy. Many consumers felt burned after investing in expensive Sega machines and finding the resulting libraries comparatively lacking".

The announcement of Sega's third-party transition was met with widespread enthusiasm. According to Fahs, "Sega was a creatively fertile company with a rapidly expanding stable of properties to draw from. It seemed like they were in a perfect position to start a new life as a developer/publisher." Former Working Designs president Victor Ireland wrote that "It's actually a good thing ... because now Sega will survive, doing what they do best: software." Rosen predicted "they have the potential to catch Electronic Arts". Game Informer, commenting on Sega's tendency to produce under-appreciated cult classics, stated: "Let us rejoice in the fact that Sega is making games equally among the current console crop, so that history will not repeat itself."

Technical specifications

Hardware

Physically, the Dreamcast measures 190 mm × 195.8 mm × 75.5 mm (7.48 in × 7.71 in × 2.97 in) and weighs 1.5 kg (3.3 lb). The Dreamcast's main CPU is a Hitachi SH-4 32-bit RISC at 200 MHz with a 128-bit vector graphics engine, 360 MIPS and 1.4 GFLOPS using the vector graphics engine. The graphics hardware is a NEC PowerVR2 CLX2 chipset, capable of drawing more than 3 million polygons per second peak performance and trilinear filtering. Graphics hardware effects include gouraud shading, z-buffering, spatial anti-aliasing, per-pixel translucency sorting (also known as order independent translucency) and bump mapping. The system supports approximately 16.77 million colors color output and displays interlaced or progressive scan video at 640 × 480 video resolution. For sound, the system features a Yamaha AICA sound processor with a 32-bit ARM7 RISC CPU operating at 45 MHz. The Dreamcast has 16 MB main RAM, along with an additional 8 MB of RAM for graphic textures, and 2 MB of RAM for sound. The system reads media using a 12x speed Yamaha GD-ROM Drive, capable of running at its maximum speed when in constant angular velocity mode. A customized version of Windows CE serves as the system's operating system. In most regions, the Dreamcast included a removable modem for online connectivity. The original Japanese model and all PAL models had a transfer rate of 33.6 kbit/s, while consoles sold in Japan and the US after September 9, 1999 featured a 56 kbit/s modem.

Models

The Dreamcast was constructed in several variations by Sega. Most variations were exclusive to Japan. The R7 model, consisting of a special refurbished Dreamcast unit that was originally used as a network console in Japanese pachinko parlors in a black case, has been noted for its exterior being similar to the Mega Drive. Another unique model, the Divers 2000 CX-1 possesses a shape similar to Sonic's head and includes a television bundled in, as well as software for teleconferencing. A Hello Kitty version, limited to 2000 units produced, was targeted at Japanese female gamers. A special edition was created for Seaman, as well as two for Resident Evil Code: Veronica. Several color variations were also sold through the Dreamcast Direct service in Japan. Toyota also offered special edition Dreamcast units at 160 of its dealers in Japan. In North America, a limited edition black Dreamcast was released with a Sega Sports logo below the Dreamcast logo on the lid with matching Sega Sports-branded black controllers, along with two games. An unofficial Chinese variant called Treamcast was a portable version of the system.

Accessories

The Dreamcast's controller includes both an analog stick and a digital pad, as well as four action buttons and two analog triggers. The system has four ports for controller inputs, but only included one packed in with the console. The design of the Dreamcast's controller was criticized because "unlike most controllers, Sega's pad forces the user's hands into an uncomfortable parallel position." Various third-party controllers, such as one made by Mad Catz, include extra features such as additional buttons for performance on different genres of games. Third-party companies also manufactured arcade-style joysticks for fighting games, such as Interact's Alloy Arcade Stick. Steering wheel controllers were also created by companies such as Mad Catz and Agetec for racing games. Sega refused to release an official light gun, despite having done so with the Menacer for the Sega Genesis before, though third party developers such as Interact did so. The Dreamcast also hosts a "fishing controller" designed specifically for fishing games, as well as a keyboard for text entry. Additional packs were created to be inserted into controllers to give force feedback, including Sega's "Jump Pack" and Performance's "Tremor Pack".

Memory storage is provided for the Dreamcast by way of the VMU, which functions both to store data and provided a small LCD screen for mini-games or game information. For example, players could use the VMU to call plays in NFL 2K, or raise virtual pets in Sonic Adventure. Various third-party cards also provide storage; some provide only storage while others also contain the LCD screen addition. Another proposed peripheral for storage for the Dreamcast was a Zip drive manufactured by Iomega and could store up to 100 MB of data on removable discs. However, the Zip drive never made it into stores for consumer purchase.

Video for the console can be supplied by several accessories. The console itself came with A/V cables, considered at the time to be the standard for video and audio connectivity. Sega and various third parties also offered up RF modulator connectors, as well as S-Video cables. An alternate method of video display for the Dreamcast is the VGA adapter, allowing Dreamcast games to be played on computer displays or Enhanced-definition television sets in 480p.

Game library

Sega's first-party studios produced a variety of games for the system. United Game Artists (UGA) created the music game Space Channel 5, in which players help a female outer space news reporter named Ulala fight aliens with "groove energy" by dancing. Intended for a "female casual" audience, Space Channel 5 is considered one of Sega's "most daring and beloved" original properties, combining a "defiantly retro" and "uplifting" soundtrack with "dazzling" and "colorful" visual presentation—despite "a lack of real gameplay substance." Neither Space Channel 5 nor UGA's Wassily Kandinsky-inspired rail-shooter Rez were commercially successful, and the latter title was only available in the U.S. market through a PS2 port released in limited quantities. Hitmaker's arcade ports included Crazy Taxi—an open world arcade racing game known for its addictive gameplay, which sold over one million copies and has been frequently cited as one of the best Dreamcast games—and Virtua Tennis—which revitalized its genre with a simple two-button control scheme and use of minigames to test the player's technique. Smilebit's Jet Set Radio—in which players control a Tokyo-based gang of youthful, rebellious inline skaters called the "GGs", who use graffiti to claim territory from rival gangs while evading an oppressive police force—has been cited as a major example of Sega's commitment to original game concepts during the Dreamcast's lifespan. Lauded for composer Hideki Naganuma's "punchy, psychedelic" soundtrack incorporating elements of "J-pop and electro-funk" as well as its message of "self-expression and non-violent dissent", the game also popularized cel shaded graphics. Despite universal praise for its style, Jet Set Radio's gameplay was criticized as mediocre, and it failed to meet Sega's sales expectations. Produced by Rieko Kodama, the Overworks-developed traditional role-playing game Skies of Arcadia was acclaimed for its surreal Jules Verne-inspired fantasy world of floating islands and sky pirates, charming protagonists, unique emphasis on the environmental properties of weapons, exciting airship battles, and memorable plot (including a sequence viewed from multiple perspectives).

AM2 developed what Sega hoped would be the Dreamcast's killer app, Shenmue, a "revenge epic in the tradition of Chinese cinema." The action-adventure title involved the quest of protagonist Ryo Hazuki to avenge his father's murder, but its main selling point was its rendition of the Japanese city of Yokosuka, which included a level of detail considered unprecedented for a video game. Incorporating a simulated day/night cycle with variable weather, non-player characters with regular schedules, and the ability to pick up and examine detailed objects (also introducing the Quick-time event in its modern form), Shenmue went over budget and was rumored to have cost Sega over $50 million. Originally planned as the first installment in a 16-part saga, Shenmue was eventually downsized to a trilogy—and only one sequel was ever released. While Shenmue was lauded for its innovation, visuals and music, its critical reception was mixed; points of criticism included "invisible walls" which limited the player's sense of freedom, boredom caused by the inability to progress without waiting for events scheduled to occur at specific times, excessive in-game cutscenes and a lack of challenge. According to Moore, Shenmue sold "extremely well", but the game had no chance of making a profit due to the Dreamcast's limited installed base. Shenmue II "was completed for a much more reasonable sum", while Sato defended Shenmue as an "investment will someday be recouped" because "the development advances we learned ... can be applied to other games". In addition to the mixed reception for Shenmue, IGN's Travis Fahs stated that "the era wasn't as kind to as earlier years"—citing (among others) F355 Challenge as an "acclaimed" arcade title that "didn't do much at home", and Genki's port of Virtua Fighter 3 as inferior to the arcade version, "which was already a couple years old and never as popular as its predecessors." The Virtua Fighter series would experience a "tremendous comeback" with the universally acclaimed Virtua Fighter 4—which saw a console release exclusively on PS2.

As the first fully 3D platforming game starring Sega's mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Team's Sonic Adventure was considered "the centerpiece of the launch". Adventure garnered criticism for technical problems including erratic camera angles and glitches, but was praised for its "luscious" visuals, "vast, twisting environments" and iconic set pieces —including a segment in which Sonic runs down the side of a skyscraper —and has been described as the Sonic series' creative apex. However, it failed "to catch on with players in nearly the way that Mario 64 had done", perhaps due to a perceived lack of gameplay depth. Distinguished by its innovative use of multiple storylines with varied forms of play, Adventure sold 2.5 million copies, making it the Dreamcast's best-selling title. Sonic Team also developed the Dreamcast's first online game—ChuChu Rocket!—which was widely complimented for its addictive puzzle gameplay and "frantic" multiplayer matches, and the critically successful music game Samba de Amigo, which was noted for its expensive maracas peripheral and colorful aesthetic. Perhaps the most influential of Sonic Team's Dreamcast releases was Phantasy Star Online, the first online console RPG. Developed after Okawa requested an online game from Sonic Team, PSO was heavily influenced by the PC action RPG Diablo, but refined and simplified its style of gameplay to appeal to console audiences.

Visual Concepts' NFL 2K football series and its NBA 2K basketball series were critically acclaimed. NFL 2K was considered an outstanding launch game for its high-quality visuals and "insightful, context-friendly, and, yes, even funny commentary", while NFL 2K1 featured groundbreaking online multiplayer earlier than its chief competitor, EA's Madden NFL series. Madden and 2K continued to compete on other platforms through 2004—with the 2K series introducing innovations such as a first person perspective new to the genre, and eventually launching ESPN NFL 2K5 at the aggressively low price point of $19.95—until EA signed an exclusive agreement with the National Football League, "effectively putting every other pro-football game out of business." After Sega sold Visual Concepts for $24 million in 2005, the NBA 2K series continued with publisher Take-Two Interactive. During the Dreamcast's lifespan, Visual Concepts also collaborated with Sonic the Hedgehog level designer Hirokazu Yasuhara on the action-adventure game Floigan Bros. and developed the critically successful action game Ooga Booga.

To appeal to the European market, Sega formed a French affiliate called No Cliché, which developed titles such as Toy Commander. Sega Europe also approached Bizarre Creations to develop the critically successful racing game Metropolis Street Racer, which featured detailed recreations of London, Tokyo, and San Francisco—complete with consistent time zones and fictional radio stations—and 262 individual race tracks.

Third-party developer support proved to be difficult to obtain due to the failure of the Sega Saturn and the profitability of publishing for the PlayStation. Namco's Soul Calibur, for example, was released for the Dreamcast because of the relative unpopularity of the Soul series at the time; Namco's more successful Tekken franchise was associated with the PlayStation console and PlayStation-based arcade boards. Nevertheless, Soul Calibur received overwhelming critical acclaim and has been frequently described as the best Dreamcast launch title and one of the best games for the system. Capcom produced a number of fighting games for the system, including the Power Stone series and Marvel vs. Capcom 2, as well as a temporary exclusive in the popular Resident Evil series called Resident Evil Code: Veronica. The Dreamcast is also known for several shoot 'em ups, most notably Treasure's Bangai-O and Ikaruga.

In January 2000, three months after the system's North American launch, Electronic Gaming Monthly offered praise for the game library, stating, "...with triple-A stuff like Soul Calibur, NBA 2K, and soon Crazy Taxi to kick around, we figure you're happy you took the 128-bit plunge." In a retrospective, PC Magazine referred to Dreamcast's games as a "killer library" and emphasized Sega's creative influence and visual innovation as being at its peak during the lifetime of the system. The staff of Edge agreed with this assessment on Dreamcast's original titles, as well as Sega's arcade conversions, stating that the system "delivered the first games that could meaningfully be described as arcade perfect." GamePro writer Blake Snow referred to the library as being "much celebrated". Damien McFerran of Retro Gamer praised Dreamcast's NAOMI arcade ports, opining "The thrill of playing Crazy Taxi in the arcade knowing full well that a pixel-perfect conversion (and not some cut-down port) was set to arrive on the Dreamcast is an experience gamers are unlikely to witness again." According to author Steven L. Kent, "From Sonic Adventure and Shenmue to Space Channel 5 and Seaman, Dreamcast delivered and delivered and delivered."

Reception and legacy

In December 1999, Next Generation rated the Dreamcast 4 out of 5 stars and stated, "If you want the most powerful system available now, showcasing the best graphics at a reasonable price, this system is for you." However, Next Generation rated the Dreamcast's future prognosis as 3 stars out of 5 in the same article, noting that Sony would ship a superior hardware product in the PlayStation 2 in the next year, and that Nintendo had said it would do the same with the GameCube. At the beginning of 2000, Electronic Gaming Monthly had five reviewers score the Dreamcast 8.5, 8.5, 8.5, 8.0, and 9.0 out of 10 points. By 2001, the reviewers for Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Dreamcast scores of 9.0, 9.0, 9.0, 9.0, and 9.5 out of 10. BusinessWeek recognized the Sega Dreamcast as one of the best products of 1999.

As early as March 2000 and since its discontinuation, there have been rumors suggesting that Sega was working on a "Dreamcast 2", which Sega has repeatedly denied. Microsoft's Xbox, which received a number of exclusive Sega titles, has been described as the Dreamcast's spiritual successor; similarities between the Xbox 360 and Dreamcast have also been described.

IGN named the Dreamcast the 8th greatest video game console of all time, giving credit to the innovations and software for the system. According to IGN, "The Dreamcast was the first console to incorporate a built-in modem for online play, and while the networking lacked the polish and refinement of its successors, it was the first time users could seamlessly power on and play with users around the globe." PC Magazine named the Dreamcast the greatest video game console ever, emphasizing that the system was "gone too soon". Edge named the console the 10th best console of the last 20 years, highlighting innovations that the Dreamcast added to console video gaming, including in-game voice chat, downloadable content, and second screen technology through the use of VMUs. Edge explained the Dreamcast's poor performance by stating, "Sega’s console was undoubtedly ahead of its time, and it suffered at retail for that reason... ut its influence can still be felt today." Writing in 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die, Duncan Harris noted "One of the reasons that older gamers mourned the loss of the Dreamcast was that it signaled the demise of arcade gaming culture ... Sega's console gave hope that things were not about to change for the worse and that the tenets of fast fun and bright, attractive graphics were not about to sink into a brown and green bog of realistic war games." Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer, discussing the Dreamcast's portrayal "as a small, square, white plastic JFK", commented that the system's short lifespan "may have sealed its reputation as one of the greatest consoles ever": "Nothing builds a cult like a tragic demise". According to IGN's Travis Fahs, "Many hardware manufacturers have come and gone, but it's unlikely any will go out with half as much class as Sega."

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103. "The 30 Defining Moments in Gaming". Edge. 2007-08-14. p. 3. Retrieved 2014-11-14. The Sega Dreamcast was the first home console that could go online out of the box, and the first to offer pay-to-play online games. These features clearly affected Sega's primary rival, Sony, who promised many online features for the upcoming PlayStation 2 in press reports from 1999. Once Sega abandoned the Dreamcast, Sony quietly dropped its plans for online gaming and movie distribution, and settled for a much less ambitious patchwork strategy. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
104. ^ Kent 2001, p. 571. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
105. "Here Comes PlayStation 2: More Than Just a Superpowerful Game Console, Sony's New Black Beauty Aims to Turn the Company into an Internet Giant". Newsweek. 2000-03-06. Retrieved 2014-10-30. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
106. Grift, Kris (2008-09-17). "How Consoles Die". Edge. p. 4. Retrieved 2014-11-14. The Sony hype machine didn't help Dreamcast's prospects either, as execs promised PS2 graphics on par with the CG movie Toy Story. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
107. cf. Smith, Tony (2000-12-19). "Iraq buys 4000 PlayStation 2s in world conquest bid". The Register. Retrieved 2014-11-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
108. Kent 2001, pp. 563, 574. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
109. Demaria & Wilson 2004, p. 313. sfn error: no target: CITEREFDemariaWilson2004 (help)
110. Parkin, Simon (2014-06-27). "A history of videogame hardware: Xbox". Edge. Retrieved 2014-11-14. In the run-up to the launch of Sony's PlayStation 2, a number of Microsoft engineers became concerned at the Japanese company's claims that their new console was set to wipe the PC from the home. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
111. Kent 2001, p. 570. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
112. Perry, Douglass C. (2000-03-06). "PS2 Launch: PlayStation 2 Arrives". IGN. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
113. ^ Wehrfritz, George; Itoi, Kay (2000-12-18). "Pow! Sony Gets Hit". Newsweek. Retrieved 2014-10-30. Japanese gaming guru Hiroyuki kicked off the Sony-slam with a question: "How many of you own a PS2?" Hands shot up all over the room. "What are you playing on it?" asked Hiroyuki, who goes by one name. The audience of 50 gameplayers and designers fell silent, then succumbed to giggles. "Dragon Quest for PS1," someone finally offered sheepishly, referring to a game for the first, supposedly outdated PlayStation 1. "DVD movies!" a second voice shouted. With that, the geekerati erupted in derisive hoots and hollers. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
114. Kent 2001, pp. 580–581. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
115. "Sony's PlayStation Gamble Pays Off". Business Asia. 2000-03-17. Retrieved 2014-10-30. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
116. "The PS2 Launch Titles". IGN. 2000-10-27. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
117. Kent 2001, pp. 568, 580. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
118. Davis, Jim (2001-01-11). "Sega's sales fly despite business woes". CNET News. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
119. Kent 2001, p. 566. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
120. "Sega warns of losses". BBC News Online. February 28, 2000. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
121. Kent 2001, p. 582. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
122. Kent 2001, pp. 578–579. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
123. ^ Satterfield, Shane (2000-09-07). "SegaNet Launches". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
124. ^ Kent 2001, p. 579. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
125. ^ Justice, Brandon (2000-03-07). "Chu Chu Rocket". IGN. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
126. Kent 2001, pp. 578–579, 581. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
127. ^ "Behind The Scenes: Phantasy Star Online". GamesTM. Retrieved 2014-10-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
128. Thurrot, Paul (2000-04-04). "Sega unveils plans for free Dreamcast, online gaming". Windows IT Pro. Retrieved 2014-10-30. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
129. ^ Stuart, Keith (September 15, 2008). "Peter Moore Killed The Dreamcast". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
130. Kent 2001, pp. 581, 588. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
131. Smith, Tony (November 24, 2000). "Sega full-year loss to widen". The Register. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
132. Smith, Tony (2000-10-09). "Price cut sends Dreamcast sales through roof". The Register. Retrieved 2014-10-30. Of course, it can't last, not with PlayStation 2 ready to hit the US console market in a couple of weeks. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
133. Kent 2001, p. 584. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
134. Becker, David (2000-12-05). "Old PlayStation tops holiday game console sales". CNET News. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
135. Kent 2001, pp. 585–588. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
136. Kent 2001, p. 588. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
137. Kent 2001, p. 585. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
138. Kent 2001, pp. 581–582. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
139. Kent 2001, pp. 577, 582. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
140. ^ Kent, Steven L. (April 2001). "A Few Words on Sega, From the Founder". Next Generation (Lifecycle 2). 3 (4). Imagine Media: 9.
141. Kent 2001, pp. 588–589. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
142. ^ "Sega pulls plug on Dreamcast". Next Generation (Lifecycle 2). 3 (4). Imagine Media: 7–9. April 2001.
143. Kent 2001, pp. 582, 589. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
144. Stout, Kristie Lu (2001-03-19). "Late Sega exec leaves legacy, new leadership". CNN. Retrieved 2014-10-31.
145. "Sega: The Blue Sky Company". Edge. 2007-05-31. Retrieved 2014-11-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
146. ^ Snow, Blake (2007-05-04). "The 10 Worst-Selling Consoles of All Time". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2007-10-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
147. "Keeping The Dream Alive: The Men Behind Dreamcast Homebrew". Gamasutra. May 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
148. Belson, Ken (October 17, 2003). "World Business Briefing Asia: Japan: Profit At Sega Rises". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
149. ^ Whitehead, Dan (2009-01-02). "Dreamcast: A Forensic Retrospective". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
150. "The ten greatest years in gaming". Edge. 2006-06-27. Retrieved 2014-11-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
151. ^ "Dreamcast 2.0: 10 reasons why the Xbox 360 will succeed where the Dreamcast failed". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2014-10-31.
152. Kent 2001, p. 573. Charles Bellfield: "When you consider that Microsoft has announced a $500 million marketing program for the launch of Xbox and that Nintendo has a $5 billion war chest and the overall power behind Sony's PlayStation brand, Sega does not have the ability to compete against those companies". sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
153. Sewart, Greg (August 5, 2005). "Sega Saturn: The Pleasure And The Pain". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2014-03-17.
154. "Classic Reviews: Burning Rangers". Game Informer. 12 (110): 104. June 2002.
155. "Sega Sports NFL 2K1 Outsells the Competition on Its Debut; First Ever Online Console Game NFL 2K1 Becomes Number One Football Game This Fall". Business Wire. November 28, 2000. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
156. "Model:SEAMAN" (in Japanese). Sega of Japan. June 15, 1999. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
157. "Dreamcast CODE:Veronica" (in Japanese). Sega of Japan. December 6, 1999. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
158. "Dreamcast Direct" (in Japanese). Famitsu. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
159. "Toyota to market Sega's Dreamcast". Kyodo News International, Inc. January 28, 1999. Retrieved October 15, 2014 – via The Free Library.
160. Justice, Brandon. "Sega Reveals Details on Sega Sports Pack". IGN. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
161. "The Xbox Controller". IGN. 2001-01-05. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
162. ^ "Dreamcast Arrives!". Next Generation (Lifecycle 2.1.1). Imagine Media: 51–57. September 1999.
163. Reynolds, Matthew (March 16, 2013). "Menacer retrospective: The Mega Drive's light-gun flop". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
164. "Dreamcast VMU". IGN. 1999-08-13. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
165. Redsell, Adam (2012-05-20). "Sega: A Soothsayer of the Games Industry". IGN. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
166. ^ Ekberg, Brian (2005-08-02). "GameSpot Sports Classic - NFL 2K". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
167. Mott 2013, p. 410.
168. ^ Whitehead, Dan (2009-01-02). "The Dreamcast Dozen". Retrieved 2014-11-04.
169. ^ "The Top 25 Dreamcast Games". IGN. 2009-09-11. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
170. cf. "Crazy Taxi-Dreamcast". Game Informer. 2000-03-01. Retrieved 2014-11-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
171. cf. Justice, Brandon (2000-01-28). "Crazy Taxi". IGN. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
172. Hegelson, Matt (September 2002). "Tennis 2K2". Game Informer. 12 (113): 81.  ... universally hailed as the greatest tennis game ever.
173. Chen, Jeff (2000-07-07). "Virtua Tennis: Sega Professional Tennis". IGN. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
174. Gerstmann, Jeff (2000-07-10). "Virtua Tennis Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
175. cf. Reed, Kristian (2002-11-19). "Virtua Tennis 2". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2014-11-04. Two of the greatest sports titles ever made were released on the console: Virtua Tennis and its superior sequel Virtua Tennis 2.
176. "Virtua Tennis (Dreamcast)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
177. ^ "Top 100 Games of All Time". Game Informer. 11 (100): 22–41. August 2001.
178. Mott 2013, p. 431.
179. Justice, Brandon (2000-10-27). "Jet Grind Radio". IGN. Retrieved 2014-11-04. Smilebit shows why Sega has the best development stable in the world ... It truly is an original creation, and you can see this distinctness shine through in every aspect of the game.
180. Reiner (December 2000). "Jet Set Radio". Game Informer. 10 (92): 116–117. The rewards are magnificent, and each stage is something to behold, but the gameplay is mediocre at best.
181. Ingenito, Vince (2012-09-17). "Jet Set Radio Review". IGN. Retrieved 2014-11-04. The overall gameplay in Jet Set Radio is merely passable ... But the game didn't enslave a throng of loyal fans because of its gameplay, odd as that might sound. It was its style and spirit that made it worth experiencing.
182. Leone, Matt. "The Essential 50 Part 48: Jet Grind Radio". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2014-11-04. Takayuki Kawagoe: It would be a success if it can become a part of the memory of the users rather than set a record for sales.
183. Kent 2001, p. 587. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
184. Thomason, Steve (January 2007). "Birth of a Hedgehog". Nintendo Power. 20 (211): 71.
185. Chau, Anthony (2000-11-14). "Skies of Arcadia". IGN. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
186. Shoemaker, Brad (2000-10-16). "Skies of Arcadia Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
187. Reiner. "Skies of Arcadia Legends". Game Informer. Retrieved 2014-11-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
188. Mott 2013, p. 438.
189. ^ Kolan, Patrick (2007-08-07). "Shenmue: Through the Ages". IGN. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
190. ^ Mott 2013, p. 406.
191. Lamosca, Adam (2007-06-24). "On-Screen Help, In-Game Hindrance". The Escapist. Retrieved 2014-10-26. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
192. Kent, p. 578. sfn error: no target: CITEREFKent (help)
193. Kent 2001, p. 578. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFKent2001 (help)
194. ^ Chau, Anthony (2000-11-03). "Shenmue". IGN. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
195. Provo, Frank (2000-11-11). "Shenmue Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-10-26. Like an old style text adventure, albeit filled with appointments and curfews.
196. Jay (December 2000). "Shenmue". Game Informer. 10 (92): 120. Every critical encounter ... lasts for less than a minute, and if you fail, you simply try again ... what once seemed so intricate in the Japanese version has become elementary now that the language barrier is broken. Determining your character's next move requires little more than talking to someone, who will then tell you who to see or where to go ... Shenmue is not the next step in video games; merely a glimmer of what the future of gaming might hold ... all that's left is a guy walking around an amazingly detailed environment. If I wanted to experience that, I could see it in another game with proven endless entertainment value. It's called life.
197. "Shenmue Review". Edge. 2000-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-14. Shenmue is much more than an interactive movie, but certainly does not deliver the freedom expected. It's involving, and ultimately rewarding, but only represents a step towards what may be possible in the future, rather than the milestone Edge hoped for. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
198. In a 2009 retrospective, IGN's then senior vice-president of content Peer Schneider, among others, criticized IGN's contemporary coverage of Shenmue, stating: "I'm as amazed today as I was back in 2000 when we gave it a 9.7." See "Where the F@!* is Shenmue?". IGN. 2009-09-11. Retrieved 2014-10-26. The game was defended by IGN UK's Martin Robinson: "Shenmue's stupendously large canvas, its superlative evocation of a time and place that to date remains alien territory to videogames and its unfading beauty all ensure it classic status ... the sweetest memory came just this year, when on a trip to Japan with my girlfriend I convinced her to come with me to Yokosuka, the port town that stars in the original game and is only an hour's ride from central Tokyo. It's the ultimate Dreamcast fanboy's pilgrimage, and as I took my first steps down Dobuita Street and recognized locations I'd walked past countless times before—Kurita's Military Store, Mary's Embroidery Store and the parking lot where Ryo honed his fighting skills—I couldn't help but go a little dewy eyed."
199. Kent, p. 587. sfn error: no target: CITEREFKent (help)
200. Kent, p. 587, 578. sfn error: no target: CITEREFKent (help)
201. cf. Matt (December 2000). "F355 Challenge: Passione Rossa". Game Informer. 10 (92): 124. F355 Challenge was breathtaking when played in the three-monitor coin-op unit, but it seems to lose impact on Dreamcast. For an alternative perspective, see Wiley, Mike (2000-09-19). "F355 Challenge". IGN. Retrieved 2014-10-26. It is smoooooth.
202. cf. "Virtua Fighter 3tb". Game Informer. 1999-10-25. Retrieved 2014-10-26. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
203. cf. Gantayat, Anoop (1999-10-01). "Virtua Fighter 3tb". IGN. Retrieved 2014-10-26. The conversion was flawed, lacking, of all things, a versus mode.
204. "Virtua Fighter 4". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
205. cf. Andy (May 2002). "Virtua Fighter 4". Game Informer. 12 (109): 78–79. Will change everything you have ever come to expect from this genre. cf. "The Top 50 Games of 2003: Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution". Game Informer. 14 (129): 64. January 2004. The most balanced and challenging fighting game the world has ever seen.
206. ^ Mott 2013, p. 370.
207. ^ Justice, Brandon (1999-09-08). "Sonic Adventure". IGN. Retrieved 2014-11-04. Engrossing, demanding, and utterly awe-inspiring, Yuji Naka's vision has finally come full circle in this phenomenal title.
208. ^ "Sonic Adventure-Dreamcast". Game Informer. 1999-10-27. Retrieved 2014-11-04. I wish more time was spent to make this game truly remarkable, rather than the decent game we see today. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
209. Smith, Sean (June 22, 2006). "Company Profile: Sonic Team". Retro Gamer. 3 (26): 27. {{cite journal}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |journal= (help)
210. Noble (2009-05-06). "The 20 Best Platformers: 1989 to 2009: Number 7: Sonic Adventure". GamePro. p. 3. Retrieved 2014-11-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
211. Demaria & Wilson 2004, p. 312. sfn error: no target: CITEREFDemariaWilson2004 (help)
212. While Sonic Adventure 2 was positively reviewed, the extent of its improvements over the original have been debated. See "Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-11-04. cf. Chau, Anthony (2001-06-22). "Sonic Adventure 2". IGN. Retrieved 2014-11-04. There aren't many viewing problems ... be prepared to take a more active role when playing. cf. Reiner (August 2001). "Sonic Adventure 2". Game Informer. 11 (100): 100. Hardly any mistakes from the original were fixed ... The lackluster difficulty and cartoon-like presentation is perfect for kids, but it really does nothing for hardcore gamers or Sonic fans of yesteryear.
213. Boutros, Daniel (August 4, 2006). "A Detailed Cross-Examination of Yesterday and Today's Best-Selling Platform Games". Gamasutra. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
214. Jay (2000-05-02). "Chu Chu Rocket-Dreamcast". Game Informer. Retrieved 2014-11-04. I consider it the best and most original puzzle game since Tetris. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
215. Nutt, Christian (1999-12-13). "ChuChu Rocket! Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-10-04.
216. Mott 2013, p. 385.
217. "Samba de Amigo (Dreamcast)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
218. Justice, Brandon (2000-10-18). "Samba De Amigo". IGN. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
219. Gerstmann, Jeff (2000-06-16). "Samba De Amigo Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
220. Mott 2013, p. 405.
221. For a negative review, see Reiner (December 2000). "Samba de Amigo". Game Informer. 10 (92): 124. cf. "Retro Reviews: Samba de Amigo". Game Informer. 18 (178): 110. February 2008.
222. Mott 2013, p. 435.
223. Parish, Jeremy. "The Decade That Was: Essential Newcomers: Phantasy Star Online". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
224. Oestreicher, Jason (2013-07-04). "Time Sinks-Phantasy Star Online". Game Informer. Retrieved 2014-11-05. Certainly, by today's standards, it was rudimentary and repetitive. But at the same time, it was revolutionary. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
225. "Retrospective: Phantasy Star Online". Edge. 2014-06-15. Retrieved 2014-11-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
226. "NFL 2K1 (Dreamcast)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
227. "NFL 2K2 (Dreamcast)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
228. "NBA 2K1 (Dreamcast)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
229. "NBA 2K2 (Dreamcast)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
230. cf. Justice, Brandon (1999-11-24). "NBA2K". IGN. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
231. cf. "NBA 2K-Dreamcast". Game Informer. 2000-01-24. Retrieved 2014-11-05. Never before have I seen a developer deliver such excellence with its first year product. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
232. ^ "Best Launch Titles". GameSpot. 2005-09-30. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
233. cf. Justice, Brandon (1999-09-24). "NFL2K". IGN. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
234. cf. "Sega Sports NFL 2K". Game Informer. 1999-10-28. Retrieved 2014-11-05. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
235. Justice, Brandon (2000-09-07). "NFL2K1". IGN. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
236. Paul (November 2000). "NFL 2K1". Game Informer. 10 (91): 118–119. The online play is truly revolutionary.
237. Kato; Reiner (September 2003). "ESPN NFL Football". Game Informer. 13 (125): 106. Madden has become a deeper simulation, but it hasn't evolved to the degree that Sega's title has. ESPN NFL Football is jam-packed with new features, innovative ideas, and must-see elements. First-person football sounds like a nightmare, but Sega figured out a way to make it work.
238. Bissell, Tom (2012-01-26). "Kickoff: Madden NFL and the Future of Video Game Sports". Grantland. Retrieved 2014-11-05. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
239. Feldman, Curt; Surette, Tim (2004-12-13). "Big Deal: EA and NFL ink exclusive licensing agreement". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
240. "SEGA Sells Visual Concepts Entertainment to Take-Two Interactive". Businesswire. 2005-01-24. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
241. GI Staff (August 2003). "Sonic's Architect: GI Interviews Hirokazu Yasuhara". Game Informer. 13 (124): 116. {{cite journal}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |journal= (help)
242. Andy (August 2001). "Floigan Bros.". Game Informer. 11 (100): 101.
243. "Ooga Booga (Dreamcast)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
244. cf. "Toy Commander-Dreamcast". Game Informer. 1999-10-25. Retrieved 2014-10-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
245. cf. Justice, Brandon (1999-11-04). "Toy Commander". IGN. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
246. "The Making Of: Metropolis Street Racer". Edge. 2012-10-07. Retrieved 2014-11-05. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
247. "Metropolis Street Racer (Dreamcast)". Retrieved 2014-11-05.
248. cf. Paul (December 2000). "Metropolis Street Racer". Game Informer. 10 (92): 121. I found the game's control and physics to be exceptional. Likewise, the graphics are brilliant and are probably the best of any racing game on the Dreamcast.
249. cf. Justice, Brandon (2001-01-19). "Metropolis Street Racer". IGN. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
250. Mott 2013, p. 432.
251. "Soul Calibur (Dreamcast)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
252. Mott, pp. 421, 432–434. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMott (help)
253. Mott, pp. 382, 465. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMott (help)
254. "...Should you buy a Dreamcast or Wait?". Electronic Gaming Monthly (126). EGM Media, LLC.: 150 January 2000.
255. ^ "The 10 Greatest Video Game Consoles of All Time". PCmag.com. Retrieved November 10, 2013. A collection of creative, fun, and quirky games that you'd be hard-pressed to find in such abundance on any other platform.
256. ^ "The ten best consoles: our countdown of the greatest gameboxes of the last 20 years". Edge. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
257. Kent, Steven L. (2006-10-09). "SOMETIMES THE BEST". Sad Sam's Place. Retrieved 2014-10-31.
258. "The War for the Living Room". Next Generation (2.1.4). Imagine Media: 95. December 1999.
259. Davison, John; et al. (January 2000). "Electronic Gaming Monthly 2000 Buyer's Guide". Electronic Gaming Monthly. EGM Media, LLC. {{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |author= (help)
260. Leahy, Dan; et al. (January 2001). "Electronic Gaming Monthly 2001 Buyer's Guide". Electronic Gaming Monthly. EGM Media, LLC. {{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |author= (help)
261. Kennedy, Sam (1999-12-10). "Business Week Praises the Dreamcast - GameSpot.com". Retrieved 2013-02-23.
262. "Dreamcast 2 a Reality?". Electronic Gaming Monthly (128). EGM Media, LLC.: 42 March 2000.
263. Ng, Keane (August 13, 2009). "Sega Not Celebrating Dreamcast's 10th Birthday on 9/9/09". The Escapist. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
264. Barenblat, Adam (July 23, 2008). "E308 Simon Jeffery Destroys All of Your Hopes For Dreamcast 2, Shenmue 3, and Seaman 2". Kotaku. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
265. ^ "The Xbox Was As Close As We Got To A Dreamcast 2". Kotaku. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
266. Jackson, Mike (2007-04-05). "The Rise and Fall of the Dreamcast". Computer and Video Games. p. 2. Retrieved 2014-10-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
267. Kennedy, Sam (November 4, 2005). "Dreamcast 2.0: Is Xbox 360 the second coming of the Sega Dreamcast?". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
268. Mott 2013, p. 434.

Bibliography

• Mott, Tony (2013). 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die. New York, New York: Universe Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7893-2090-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• DeMaria, Rusel; Wilson, Johnny L. (2004). High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games. Emeryville, California: McGraw-Hill/Osborne. ISBN 0-07-223172-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Kent, Steven L. (2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World. Roseville, California: Prima Publishing. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

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