sega dream cast

 

The Dreamcast (ドリームキャスト Dorīmukyasuto?) is a video game console that was released by Sega in November 1998 in Japan and later in 1999 in other territories. It was the first entry in the sixth generation of video game consoles, preceding its rivals, the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. The Dreamcast was Sega's last home console to date.

Sega tried to launch the console as part of a comeback after its previous efforts with the Sega Saturn failed. With a strong marketing campaign and reformed studios to develop new creative content, the Dreamcast was initially well received with a very successful launch and strong sales. However when Sony announced the PlayStation 2, sales of the Dreamcast quickly plummeted, due in no small part to the console's inability to support movies on the new DVD format. Sega later came to the realization that it did not have the financial resources to compete. The company discontinued the Dreamcast in North America early in March 2001,[3] withdrawing from the console hardware business altogether and restructuring itself as a third-party developer. Support of the system continued in Europe and Oceania until the end of 2002, while in Japan, new licensed games continued to be released.[4] 10.6 million units were sold worldwide.[1]

Despite its short lifespan, the Dreamcast was widely hailed as ahead of its time.[5] It saw the release of many new game series which have been considered creative and innovative, such as Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, and Shenmue, the most expensive game ever produced upon release.[6] Ports of games from other platforms were also praised for the system and the console introduced many aesthetic and software design features to be later emulated. It was the first[citation needed] game console to render full frames (as opposed to interlaced only) in VGA mode at 640×480, and features online console gaming; it was the first console to include a built-in modem and Internet support for online play.[7][8] The Dreamcast came to be held in high regard, and its influence can be greatly seen in Microsoft's Xbox, as Sega worked with the company before the Xbox's release and during its development.[9] As of 2014, the Dreamcast is still supported via small independent publishers such as GOAT Store Publishing and RedSpotGames. In 2009, Dreamcast was ranked #8 on IGN's list of the Top 25 Video game consoles of all time.[10]