DreamON
Introduction
If the success of the worldwide business is the one that offers the best, most innovative and, at the same time, the cheapest product, it is very surprising that the Dreamcast was denied a greater success.
The Dreamcast offers hardwareside the best parts - from the chipsets of the former competitor NEC over Hitachi's newest main processor and Yamaha's best sound chip to the development environment, which in contrast to the rather difficult to program Saturn now with Microsoft's Windos CE Including DirectX, every small developer has the possibility to use all the capabilities of the console.
In addition, SEGA developed a memory card for the Dreamcast, which not only protects games, but also as an independent, Small system and gradually became available in many different colors.
The default Dreamcast Visual Memory Unit (VMU) is mainly used to store and store gameplay (200Blocks / 128kb Flash memory) by plugging it into the expansion slot of the Dreamcast Pad, but it can also be used as a second display in games. For example, in SEGA's NFL series on the 48 * 32 pixel small black-and-white display, the next move can be planned without the other player being aware of this, or in Resident Evil 2 the state of the character can be read off. Furthermore, some titles offer examples and apps that can be loaded and played on the VMU, such as the Chao-Minor example from Sonic Adventure, where you guard a small Chao like a Tamagotchi, Improve its abilities and finally use it again in the game. For the game functions the VMU offers a control cross as well as 2 actionbuttons. Other features include direct linking of two VMU's to move gameplays or play multiplayer minigames. Background pictures, mono speakers as well as a time and wake-up function complete the small, innovative product.
Furthermore, SEGA is the first console manufacturer to install a modem for online multiplayer matches, to connect to the WWW or to download patches / updates / addons into the system. The forecasts at the end of the nineties for the development of the Internet were so good that SEGA hoped for some advantages over the competition by forcing the server-based online gameplay.
And as with the still uncreased copy protection of the SEGA Saturn CD's, SEGA also set the Dreamcast to a format which should prevent a simple copying of games. But in contrast to the safety ring of the Saturn CD's, they extended the standard CD format in cooperation with Yamaha and thus, on the one hand, the storage capacity of the medium on up to 1, 2GB in comparison to the CD-ROM and at the same time prevent the stand-alone GD-ROM format on standard CD-burners could be read / burned. Later, this format was even used in the arcade for the new Naomi, Chihiro and TriForce boards.
Although there was as an alternative medium also the DVD developed jointly by the film industry - but this was still hardly at this time (in the year of the Dreamcast in Europe and the USA 1999 were sold in Germany just 2.1 million DVD's - opposite But still nearly 40 million VHS cassettes) and at the same time too expensive in the production against a normal CD. Later, this format was even used in the arcade for the new Naomi, Chihiro and TriForce boards.
Although there was as an alternative medium also the DVD developed jointly by the film industry - but this was still hardly at this time (in the year of the Dreamcast in Europe and the USA 1999 were sold in Germany just 2.1 million DVD's - opposite But still nearly 40 million VHS cassettes) and at the same time too expensive in the production against a normal CD. Later, this format was even used in the arcade for the new Naomi, Chihiro and TriForce boards.
Although there was as an alternative medium also the DVD developed jointly by the film industry - but this was still hardly at this time (in the year of the Dreamcast in Europe and the USA 1999 were sold in Germany just 2.1 million DVD's - opposite But still nearly 40 million VHS cassettes) and at the same time too expensive in the production against a normal CD.
1998
Already on May 21, 1998, SEGA presented its latest baby to the public. The previous development names such as Black Belt, Dural and Katana have now been replaced by the somewhat strange sounding word word Dreamcast, and the press was presented with some tech demos, which, in addition to a fully animated head of the SEGA President Irimajiri also by means of a city rendered in real time in the Desert, the mouths were open to the participants and thus gave the fans around the world the hope to be able to reach the top of the market again after the disaster with Saturn with a SEGA console.
However, as they had almost become the standard at SEGA, they had not been able to launch the launch of the Dreamcast quite smoothly, Since the manufacturer of the semiconductors did not come with the production and thus to the release fewer consoles at the dealers were on place than the Japanese players wanted to buy them. Nevertheless, the console struck as a bomb and SEGA was able to sell an impressive 900,000 Dreamcast in the first 4 months after its release on November 27, 1998, a value that previously could not be achieved by any console. And according to the motto Software sells Hardware , SEGA offered the players a good assortment of games already at the start.
In the master system, especially in Japan Nintendo's gagging contractions prevented numerous good games to the start, the MegaDrive could not convince the launch games such as Altered Beast or Super Thunderblade,
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However, unlike the aged PlayStation and N64 graphics, SEGA was now able to offer convincing launcher titles, especially since the PlayStation 2 was not yet known to the public at all. For the release, Virtua Fighter 3tb already had a system vendor who received top ratings all over the world, including the Adventure July, the Funracer PenPen TriIceLon and the action title Godzilla Generations. Only a short time later, the jump-off Sonic Adventure, Shooter Incoming, the Tetris 4D puzzler, and finally the RPG Seventh Cross were added. And also the already announced games, above all the world-wide for shining Shenmue, let the press and players snap their tongue.
1999
But, of course, the competition did not just look so calm as SEGA seemed to get on its feet again, so Sony presented its PlayStation 2 Specs in March 1999, which seemed to be superior in almost all aspects of the Dreamcast technique and the console next to The DVD functionality also offered a downward compatibility to the PS1.
But it should not be so easy with Sony's dominance. Namco, during the times of the SNES / Megadrive still overflows to SEGA, could be clamped during the 32Bit-era still completely from Sony. But now they announced in the beginning of 99 the successor to the very successful Playstation spanking game SoulEdge exclusively under the name Soul Calibur for the Dreamcast.
In the course of the year, other 3rd party developers also released many top titles such as Aero Dancing, Bio Hazard 2 (aka Resident Evil 2), Elemental Gimmick Gear, Giant Gram, King of Fighters, Capcom, Monaco Grand Prix 2, Pop'n Music, PowerStone, Puyo Puyo, Streetfighter III or the twisted Tokyo Bus Guide (with extra controller you could feel like a bus driver) as well as Seaman, where the player equipped with a micro Human-like fish from the larval stage to a rather predicted fish, can talk with him and this responds by voice recognition also correspondingly.
In the middle of the year, SEGA prepared everything for the launch of the system on 9.9.99 in the USA and on 14.10.99 in Europe (in the US, 9.9 is a popular date,
While SEGA initially had a budget of just under $ 100 million for the release of the Dreamcast in the Western world, they were able to go back to a huge sum of $ 500 million due to the success of the Dreamcast in Japan SEGA system launches relatively much advertising also to the peak times to send. In America, several spots with the magical date and the message It's thinking made for increased interest and in Europe the players with the slogan Up to 6 Billion players (up to 6 billion players) were given a reason to think about the online functionality .
And even outside Japan, a regular run seemed to take place on SEGA's new console, SEGA in the US already before release 300. 000 pre-orders and, in the first 24 hours after release, a further record of 225,000 units. In Europe, which took place on 14th October 1999 (instead of on the 23rd of September) after a small delay, SEGA was able to bring 300,000 systems to the people from the beginning (3x as many as the PlayStation) In both markets, the players were offered a very large game portfolio (19 titles each) for the launch. But even here, production difficulties prevented even higher sales figures. 000 systems (3x as many as the PlayStation to launch) - and in both markets a huge game portfolio (19 titles each) was offered to the players for the launch. But even here, production difficulties prevented even higher sales figures. 000 systems (3x as many as the PlayStation to launch) - and in both markets a huge game portfolio (19 titles each) was offered to the players for the launch. But even here, production difficulties prevented even higher sales figures.
In Europe, SEGA changed the Dreamcast logo from a red to a blue squiggle. Officially it was said that SEGA assumes that the color blue is better in Europe than the aggressive red, but it is assumed that this change came about due to legal problems with the almost identical logo of the German company Tivola Publishing. What explanation you now give more faith, be left entirely to you.
Thus, at the end of 1999, SEGA launched the Dreamcast with great successes worldwide, numerous top games were already available and hundreds more were announced and under development. 4 million Dreamcast could be sold worldwide and SEGA had over 1 million registered users in the online network.
2000
And just at this time, the SEGA CEO, Isao Okawa, caused a disturbance that left many SEGA fans in shock and made them think of old times. He is quoted with the following words: I think in the future SEGA will have the opportunity to become a pure software company. Even if the Dreamcast should sell well, we will go this step.
Words that beat the incredible MegaDrive, the Mega CD and 32X flop and the fast-dead Saturn, in memory of the prematurely dropped MegaDrive, as many feared to buy a console that was no longer supported would.
But SEGA did not manage the projected sales of hardware and software in Japan for fiscal year 99 (end of March 2000) with titles such as Shenmue, Virtua Striker or SpaceChannel 5, which could be described as killer apps in Japan, to reach. In the USA and Europe, they were able to exceed the set targets by far.
But only at the end of 1999 / beginning of 2000, that is, over 1 year after the launch of the Dreamcast, SEGA also used the online functionality for multiplayer games, as the first Dreamcast game ChuChu Rocket from the SonicTeam the integrated modem for connecting several players over the Internet Was used. But also the offline games like Crazy Taxi, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Carrier or Dead or Alive 2, the SEGA fans were able to inspire, Until then, in March 2000, the day of truth approached.
On March 4, 2000, Sony released its PlayStation 2 in Japan and, with a few days of shopping in front of the stores, reached the most successful launch of all time for a video game console. Within just a few hours, all the 980,000 devices available went over the ladder tables, and an additional 500,000 units were sold via the online pre-order service. Once again Sony had managed to make its hardware so interesting to the general public that a kind of hype around the PS2 (so what is happening around Apple nowadays) and thus they sold over 140 million units by the end of 2009 The most successful console of all time - a brand that could only reach a Nintendo DS.
Over this shock helped for the rest of the year games like 18 Wheeler, Bangai-O, Capcom vs.. SNK, Ecco the Dolphin, F355 Challenge, Grandia 2, Jet Set Radio, Le Mans 24, Metropolis Street Racer, Phantasy Star Online, Quake 3 Arena, Rainbow Six, Resident Evil 3, Samba de Amigo, Seaman, SEGA GT, Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia, Streetfighter 3: 3rd Strike, Sword of the Berserk, Tomb Raider 4, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2, Virtua Athlete or Virtua Tennis.
But after this furious start of the competition, one could already guess how it would go on. SEGA of course still tried to secure a considerable market share, in addition to the excellent games eg
2001
Due to this tense situation, the bosses were now preparing the exit of SEGA's from the hardware business, as Isao Okawa had said a year before. The in-house R & D teams have been outsourced as independent sub-companies, have now received their new names (eg Hitmaker, Amusement Vision or Overworks) and the release of developments for other consoles. As a result of this change, SEGA's name also changed from SEGA Enterprises to SEGA Corporation. But after 3 consecutive years with high losses in the neck and with the entry of another giant named Microsoft in the video game market in front, it was probably the only correct decision, thus avoiding the bankruptcy.
David Rosen, co-founder of SEGA Enterprises and longtime CEO: I advocated this idea that SEGA would become a software producer for all existing and upcoming systems like the Xbox. The hardware SEGA has always braked. To sell your software on one system is to limit your mobility. Why should SEGA have a disadvantage against companies like Electronic Arts, THQ and other companies, which in turn can sell their games on all systems? I've always believed that SEGA is crazy about limiting its potential to its own hardware. Unfortunately, this situation, in which they are now, needed to understand that a change is necessary.
In spring 2001, SEGA announced the production stop of the Dreamcast console, To withdraw completely from the console business and to produce software for all systems in the future. And as if this were not enough tears in the eyes of SEGA, March 2001 the company manager Isao Okawa at the age of 74 years.
Okawa had donated 700 million euros to his company, which was to become one of the biggest software producers of one of the largest consoles.
In the course of the year 2001 appeared the first transformations of some SEGA hits on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and other consoles. Super Monkey Ball for the GameCube was the first game developed by SEGA for a foreign console. Well, with the certainty that the Dreamcast would be abandoned in the near future and no successor console would be the light in the world, most 3rd party developers / publishers jumped off the Dreamcast train and canceled their scheduled games.
For the Christmas business in 2001, there were the DCs for 69Pfund (or 200DM), because of which the demand rose so fast that SEGA had to start production again. On the soft side, of course, some very good games were released in 2001, including Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, SNK 2, Confidential Mission,
2002 today
And in 2002, the last games released in the West, such as Cannon Spike, Conflict Zone, Evil Twin, Freestyle Scooter, Headhunter, Heavy Metal: Geomatrix, NBA / NFL / NHL 2K2, and Ikaruga, King of Fighters 2000/2001, Sakura Taisen 3/4 or Space Channel 5 Part 2.
But now SEGA is also beginning to save on the cost of online servers, and gradually the players can only play their favorite multiplayer gaming at home with friends instead of their opponents around the world to search. Starting in 2003, new games are only released in Japan, the last official SEGA game for their own console is the Puyo Pop Fever developed by the SonicTeam in 2004. In 2006, together with the release of the Shooter Radirgy, they were also re-created Dreamcast Consoles into the SEGA Direct Shop. And until 2007, when SEGA announced the release of the GD-ROM format, some smaller companies such as Pionesoft, G.rev, Milestone and Warashi were taking care of the hungry Dreamcast fans Much more.
Almost at the same time, the last two official Dreamcast games Karous and Trigger Heart Exelica were released in early 2007, before the stage was released for homebrew projects ala Last Hope, Wind and Water: Puzzle Battle or Rush Rush Racing by the Munich publisher redspotgames. In particular, the German brothers Timm and Rene Hellwig seem to be extremely hard pressed with professionally pressed and elaborately designed / developed Dreamcast games, there was after the development of Last Hope under the developer name NG: DEV. TEAM still 2009 with DUX this time as team HuCast again supplies from German lands.
To date, new, naturally unlicensed, Dreamcast games are regularly released.