“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” -Winston Churchill
Rumor: Sega possibly making a Dreamcast 2
Why the rumor? Sega renewed a license to keep the name “Dreamcast”
Fact: Despite an array of decent games and the success of a previous console, Sega’s Dreamcast went belly-up almost two years after it’s initial release (1999-2001). Why? One of the influences was Sony’s release of it’s new Play Station 2, though it came out months before Sega finally admitted they were bailing on the hardware and software for the Dreamcast.
Sega couldn’t keep up with the speed at which video game graphics were progressing. They couldn’t keep up with the hardware advancements. So, they decided to quit while they were ahead, relatively, and keep their dignity as a third party developer. Why on earth, if they lost the fight in hardware almost seven years ago, would they re-enter in the faster, dog-eat-dog market of today?
If you ask me, and gamespot.com, they’re renewing their name for some reason other than to make a brand new system. Perhaps something will be on the Virtual Console for the Wii, or maybe they’re trying to collect on some residual income with the trademark of the name. Either way, I don’t think Sega is dumb enough to get back into hardware unless they have a way better system than Dreamcast. It was good, but it wasn’t great.
Moral of the story? If you’re good at hardware, stick to hardware and if you’re good at software, stick to software. I’d rather do one thing well than five things semi-decent. But that’s just me.
December 10th, 2007 at 2:26 am
I must disagree that the dreamcast was merely “good” and not great. Sega had the technology for the dreamcast system way back in 1997, the only drawback was sega’s timing to release their system. It took a whole year before the system was released in Japan (November 1998), and another year after that to be released in North America (September 1999). With the dreamcasts innovative features, amazing graphics (it only had the N64 to compete with) and internet capabilities the dreamcast was advanced far beyond it’s time.
If sega had pushed for a 1998 North America release, we’d probably have FOUR next-gen systems in competition.
But back on topic, as much as I would love another Sega system out on the market and unless Sega’s been working on some crazy system for like six years, I also doubt a new console release.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:10 am
You make a good point. “Great” was my opinion because the Dreamcast was the first system that read discs we had at my house, so I am a little biased
Looking back now, and looking at the PS2 (which I didn’t play until years after it came out and hadn’t really payed any attention to), I can see where you’re coming from. Obviously Sony had the better system, and still makes great systems, the PS3’s a little on the pricey side even after the reduction, but still great systems.
December 13th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Wait a second… lol, role reversal there, i thought I was defending dreamcast. You were the one who typed “unless they have a way better system than Dreamcast. It was good, but it wasn’t great.” I was simply stating it was great, and saying how much greater it could have been had it come out at a more opportune time. I meant that it was bad thing PS2 came out so suddenly after Dreamcast because otherwise we may have had a next-gen Sega console.
So, do we agree?
December 17th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Group hug everybody, hug out the hate.
December 21st, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Haha, I’m not sure anymore. I think we do agree. This is what I get for doing a million things at once. I wrote that post and comment pre-graduation and was more than a little stressed with my mind in a million different places. I have a tendency to read things very quickly and misunderstand what I just read. I don’t have any systems I hate, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. So I’m just going to say we agree.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
WRONG dreamcast wasnt good, IT WAS FN GREAT
thats why now, the fanbase is stronger than ever, people
see the dreamcast as the greatest system ever, that shouldve
lived too its full potential