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Dreamcast

15 years ago today, the Sega Dreamcast made its debut in Japan (the The states release engagement was famously 9/nine/99). This baroque beige machine didn't even last three years on the market, only it left a lasting marker on the world of video games. From 2nd screen gameplay to online multiplayer to DLC, the Dreamcast was well alee of its time. Let's accept this opportunity to examine what fabricated the Dreamcast special, and pay respects to ane of the most bizarre moments in gaming history.

Compared to the PS4 and Xbox 1, information technology's startling only how petty horsepower the Dreamcast had to work with back in 1998. Information technology shipped with a 200 MHz CPU, 16MB of RAM, 8MB of VRAM, and had a max resolution of 480p. That said, the Dreamcast's hardware was miles ahead of the other consoles on the marketplace at the time. The Nintendo 64, released two years before, had a 93.75MHz CPU, 4MB of unified RAM (expandable to 8MB), and maxed out at 480i. At that point, the original PlayStation had been out for nearly iv years in Japan, and its specs were even worse. Without a doubt, the Dreamcast blew existing hardware out of the h2o from a technical perspective.

The Dreamcast's functioning superiority didn't final long, though. The PS2 launched less than ii years afterwards, and was capable of rendering essentially amend looking games. Frankly, the PS2 was an unstoppable juggernaut, and that lead to Sega's untimely get out from hardware production. Even so, the Dreamcast had a number of quirky features that put it apart from everything else at the fourth dimension, and ended up influencing the future of console gaming in a major mode.

2d screen gaming

VMU Whenever anyone brings up the Dreamcast, the VMU (Visual Memory Unit) is jump to be discussed. Long earlier tablets and smartphones became mutual tools for interacting with games, the Dreamcast'due south memory menu could serve as a 2d screen. The VMU'southward primary office was that of a standard retention carte du jour, only information technology could also be used as a tiny handheld gaming system.

Games similar Sonic Chance could load a mini-game on the VMU, and gamers could touch on their game saves on the go. If you lot played a mini-game on the VMU, the game save would reverberate that the next time you plugged it back into the Dreamcast. At present that so many games are tied into social networks and mobile apps, it's easy to see where Sega was headed with this incredibly novel concept.

Online connectivity

Samba de Amigo The Dreamcast came with a dial-up modem right out of the box in most markets, and it could be hands upgraded to have reward of broadband connections as well. With this congenital-in internet functionality, developers were able to take the plunge into total-fledged online gaming on a console for the very first time. While dissever accessories, like the oddball Satellaview, had been sold for previous consoles, the included modem meant that anybody could take reward of online features. I would argue that Sega's Phantasy Star Online was the very commencement game to make a compelling example for the utility of online consoles. Today, internet connectivity is a given for whatsoever gaming device, and we definitely have the Dreamcast to thank for spearheading that move.

The Dreamcast'southward connectivity didn't stop at online multiplayer, though. Information technology too ushered in the concept of DLC for console games. In Sega's colorful rhythm game Samba de Amigo, players could connect to the net, and unlock a number of additional songs. While the tracks themselves weren't being downloaded over the internet, and stored on a tiny memory card, this is surprisingly similar to the way on-disc DLC is handled with modern games.

Windows CE

Old Windows Logo 1 of the strangest aspects of the Dreamcast era was Sega'due south prominent partnership with Microsoft. The Dreamcast itself was compatible with a specialized version of Windows CE, and some games included a version of Redmond'due south Os to have advantage of the DirectX compatibility.

The goal was to provide more than options for developers, and theoretically make the Dreamcast more appealing for a number of large-proper name ports. Unfortunately, not many games ended upwards using Windows CE on the Dreamcast thanks to the licensing and performance issues associated with it. Even so, information technology's safe to say that this partnership helped pave to fashion for Microsoft to launch the original Xbox just a few years later on.

The Dreamcast's legacy

The Dreamcast only ended up selling a few million units over its brusk lifespan, and its failure a huge hit to Sega. It'due south far from a perfect console, just it was innovative and frontward-facing in a fashion unlike everything else that came before. 15 years later, we can now await back on the Dreamcast'south legacy, and see that it'due south the foundation that everything since has been congenital upon.

Now read: Shoulder buttons of giants: The evolution of controllers leading up to PS4 and Xbox One

[Image credit: Evan-Amos]