Dreamcast
| |
| Dreamcast | |
| Designer | Sega |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Sega Tec Toy (Brazil) |
| CPU | 200 MHz Hitachi SH-4 32-bit RISC |
| Graphics | 100 MHz PowerVR2 |
| Memory | 16 MB RAM 8 MB Video RAM |
| Media | GD-ROM, MIL-CD Audio CD |
| Released | JP: November 27, 1998 NA: September 9, 1999 EU: October 14, 1999 AU: November 30, 1999 |
| Added to Museum | September 9, 1999 |
Dreamcast was the fifth, and final, home console by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999, in Europe on October 14, 1999, and in Oceania on November 30, 1999.
Development
On June 23, 1997, Sega's Chief Operating Officer announced "the Saturn is not our future", publicly revealing for the first time that they were working on a successor. This console would use a 200 MHz Hitachi SH-4 for its CPU and a 67 MHz ARM processor for sound. The code name for the console was Katana, but it was given the name Dreamcast by the time it hit retail.
Media
The gigabyte disc format was developed for this console, both as a larger storage medium and to deter piracy. However, pirate games were released that played on the console less than a year after the release of the console outside Japan.
The Music Interactive Live-CD was a digital optical storage format using standard compact disc media.
The purpose of the MIL-CD format was to allow music companies to release music CDs with multimedia functions that could be played on a Dreamcast.
Discontinuation
Sega announced that it was discontinuing the console on January 23, 2001. Production of new games continued in North America until spring 2002, in Europe and Oceania until winter 2002, and in Japan until 2007.
Legacy
The Dreamcast continues to have an active commercial life among independent game developers.
Dreamcast games
Dreamcast applications
| Title | Developer | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09 Chairs | Snappers | 1999 | MIL-CD album |
| Action Replay CDX GameShark CDX |
Datel Interact |
2000 | Cheating device |
| bleemcast! for Gran Turismo 2 for Metal Gear Solid for Tekken 3 |
bleem! | 2001 | PlayStation emulator |
| Heartbreak Diary | dps | 1999 | MIL-CD album |
