Debunk: Sega protects the Dreamcast trademark, not doing another console

We know tons of aging Dreamcast fans' hearts skipped a beat today -- us included -- when Sega made a rustle with the brand name at the USPTO. But as it turns out, the recently filed trademark application is just a renewal on brand, and doesn't express any intentions to do another Dreamcast console. In fact, Sega further explained to GameDaily, rather flatly we might add, that they have "no plans to get back into the console business." We know, we're already reaching for the Zoloft, too, but did anyone really think Sega wanted to make one last go of game consoles when even mega-players like Sony can't keep it together?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Dylan K @ Dec 6th 2007 11:00PM]

I would have bought it.

[Ron Amadeo @ Dec 6th 2007 11:02PM]

What games would be on a sega console anyway? Sega consoles were great when they made good games. But now.....

[JohnTitor @ Dec 6th 2007 11:06PM]

notice they didn't say anything about handheld
DreamGear...

[Trace The Hedgehog @ Dec 6th 2007 11:09PM]

Well they DIDNT say they had no plans to go back to the HANDHELD bussiness...

[BigD145 @ Dec 6th 2007 11:25PM]

They're called "handheld consoles" for a reason.

[kojo87 @ Dec 6th 2007 11:06PM]

Sega would actually have something to prove and not just coast on a brand name like Sony did. Nintendo couldn't make a GameCube2. they changed it up and look what happened. i think Sega could pull the same thing off. the Dreamcast was way ahead of its time.

[JohnTitor @ Dec 7th 2007 1:52AM]

everything Sega made was kinda ahead of it's time (except maybe the Saturn), it only worked really well with Genesis because people were getting tired of Nintendo's 8-bit

[sgt_easton @ Dec 6th 2007 11:07PM]

There's no way Sega could have a new console. Hell, I don't know how they keep in the black these days.

[MatthewJ @ Dec 6th 2007 11:14PM]

It'd be great if they were keeping hold of the trademark so that its games could end up on the Virtual Console. Eh, I can dream.

[ssuk @ Dec 7th 2007 6:28AM]

Could be... However, the Dreamcast used 1GB CD-ROM media (GD-ROM), which the Wii doesn't have enough space on it's internal memory and a lot of people wont have 1GB+ SD cards in their Wii... Plus, the downloads would be MEGA HUGE for these games and the Wii's current download system would just be a nightmare... Of course, Nintendo could fix this by including background downloads in the Wii Shop, but I think they way Nintendo has handled the shop channel, it'd be very difficult to pull off. Plus, Dreamcast emulation isn't anywhere near 'great' at the moment. And one last kick in the balls... A lot of Dreamcast titles were ported to PS2 and Gamecube once the console died or was dying. Examples of this are found in; Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, Skies of Arcadia went to Gamecube, Grandia II, Resident Evil Code Veronica went to PS2... So I don't really think companies are really pushing for DC games to be ported again, especially when a big chunk were ported once in the same generation of console.

[Alexander @ Dec 6th 2007 11:18PM]

If it was different from xbox 360 then yea maybe they could have a OS X based console for sega wiuld be hot apple could advertise alot for them

[Alexander @ Dec 6th 2007 11:19PM]

sorry for double post

[Will @ Dec 7th 2007 2:15AM]

No worries =] Double the fail.

[Alexander @ Dec 6th 2007 11:18PM]

If it was different from xbox 360 then yea maybe they could have a OS X based console for sega would be hot apple could advertise alot for them

[Mikewpbf @ Dec 6th 2007 11:20PM]

I miss my dreamcast.. Hell it would be nice to have some of these so called next gen systems included an LCD display on the control for if anything at least a battery display instead of stupid lights you have to figure out.

Dail up game play, Nice graphics, Keyboard for chat, Burnable games with out mod, Fun games.

Ughhhh Dreamcast was so ahead of it's time it was refreshing. Maybe at this point im spoiled but nothing seems as refreshing as when i unboxed my dreamcast.

[Enki @ Dec 6th 2007 11:20PM]

I don't blame the dev teams, I blame the managment for what has happened to sega since the dreamcast.

[Chird @ Dec 6th 2007 11:23PM]

I purchase consoles backwards. i.e. Xbox --> Gamecube --> PS2 --> Dreamcast. Since I got the DC I have barely touched my other systems. Sega rocks. If they had the money to get back in the hardware game I would back them 100 percent. If not I plan to start a petition for Jet Set Radio 3, because man...I loves me some JSR.

[Jason @ Dec 6th 2007 11:39PM]

Engadget is so pro-360 it's sickening.

Sony isn't keeping it together? That's nonsense. PS3 kicks ass and is very successful.

I love my PS3 and so do many many others. Crapbox360 is the biggest piece of junk I have ever seen and I would rather have no console than own a 360. You can keep Live too, Sony's network is free and Home will rock. Microsoft should stick to Office suites and messengers, that's all they are good at.

PS3 Forever

[topspinserve @ Dec 6th 2007 11:46PM]

I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but there's this other game console out now called the Wii. It's also competing in the console wars.

[Patuxentbball @ Dec 6th 2007 11:51PM]

Troll much?

[Kalen @ Dec 7th 2007 12:13AM]

You know a console is in the hole when you can flip open any gaming mag and still find an advertisement for a game thats a year old. Aka Resistance for the PS3.

[John P @ Dec 7th 2007 12:56AM]

Silver membership to Live is free, and honestly, it's worth $50/year. It's the best online service available. In fact, it is one of my favorite things about the 360. It's the easiest thing to use and is just so enjoyable that I could surf Live as much as I play the games online.

I'm glad you like your ps3. I like my 360 and Wii. So what's your point? People stand buy the money they spend, usually. Doesn't change the fact that the 360 is actually a great success and the PS3 is still not selling too well.

[ByronGman @ Dec 7th 2007 12:59AM]

It's funny that you would rather not have a console than own a 360.

Because with the amount of games available for the PS3 right now, you pretty much don't own one anyway.

[pepper @ Dec 7th 2007 3:07AM]

i have and like both 360 and the ps3 but i think you guys helped prove jasons point. this is definately a spin off of the 3fixme fanboi site.

really if you say the dreamcast was ahead of it's time, why cant you also see the ps3 is ahead of its time with everything it can do and all that is built in?

[Robert @ Dec 7th 2007 8:56AM]

Dude wake up!

The Wii is outselling the Xbox360 and the PS3 is doing way bad. Check sales numbers yourself:

www.vgchartz.com
www.nexgenwars.com

[Kevin @ Dec 8th 2007 2:13AM]

Lol, PS3 kicks ass?

Sales figures to date:

pick the 360
Xbox360
12,731,655

PS3
consoles sold
5,453,696

Wii
consoles sold
13,177,480

[Josh @ Dec 13th 2007 7:40PM]

I like my 360... for anyone who has played online PC games (MMO) that are not free it is easy to find place for $50/yr... by comparison of the $15/mo = $180/yr plus the cost of expansions. I think that the PS3 tried to do too much with their hardware and rebounding from that we see that people aren't buying them due to the price. Now that everyone owns a 360 or a wii... why buy a ps3?

[Jonhimslf @ Dec 6th 2007 11:44PM]

I looooved my Dreamcast. Reading this article I might have to grab it out of storage and play some Crazy Taxi or NFL2K... It's already been said, but it was ahead of its time and achieved nowhere near the success it probably deserved.

[Bobs @ Dec 7th 2007 1:26AM]

Grab powerstone and powerstone 2 while your at it, some of the best VMU games of all times. Tragically, my dreamcast was destroied by lightning, or something. a bright flash lit up the room, and my dreamcast was a cast of broken dreams

[kyle allen @ Dec 7th 2007 12:39AM]

didnt those have 3dfx chips? or was it ati but they were thinking of useing 3dfx chips... either way, even the fact that they considered 3dfx chips makes them awesome.

[tanooki2003 @ Dec 7th 2007 9:16AM]

Actually you are incorrect. The dreamcast used an 8MB PowerVR GPU. The CPU was a Hitachi SH-4 running at 200 Mhz. The standard VMU unit sports an 8-bit CPU w/ 128K of internal memory.

I know all of these specs because I currently still own one with almost every title downloaded from BT. I still play the dreamcast and refuse to get rid of it. The graphics are still totally impressive by today's standards, even Half Life impresses me with it's fluid smooth animation.

I even went as far to having a Linux OS burned for my dreamcast so I can use it as a standard computer that is completely functional with the mouse and keyboard I have for it, along with the broadband adapter.

[z0phi3l @ Dec 7th 2007 12:51AM]

I always considered the Xbox the Dreamcast2, look at the formfactors and look at the original Xbox controllers

[almostinfamous @ Dec 7th 2007 3:20AM]

YES. i agree, the first xbox controllers, the giant ones were basically dreamcast controllers on steroids and with a lame sticker instead of a cool LCD on the memory card.

[captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Dec 7th 2007 4:08PM]

The xbox was designed when sega asked msft to help make the Dreamcast (which ran on windows CE) this of course resulted in the similar controller designs.

Just like the Playstation is really The SNES 2

[tekdemon @ Dec 7th 2007 10:50PM]

The 360 is even more of a dreamcast successor due to the color scheme being more similar. Just wish the 360 was more reliable (mine came with some kinda insane crashing issue that wouldn't let me play past parts of Rainbow Six Vegas, even after swapping the disc with another one it'd freeze up).

At least MS extended the warranty period for the ring of death.

[T-Bone @ Dec 7th 2007 1:52AM]

I loved my family's Dreamcast until it broke 3 days after the warranty expired. My dad, brother, and I all counted the days on the calendar 3 times each to be sure. That was a sad day.

[kingkael @ Dec 7th 2007 2:07AM]

I loved my dreamcast... I always played Crazy Taxi, Trickstyle, and Sonic Adventure. Then they basically stopped making games for it. Sonic Adventure 2 was the last game I bought for it, and it was used. Eventually it ended up in the hands of someone I sold it to on the street for $20. A sad way to say goodbye.

[TubeTop100.com @ Dec 7th 2007 8:05AM]

Shenmue alone makes it worth to buy a Dreamcast. Shenmue 1 & 2 are simply the best games ever made.

Just port 'em to the Wii, Sega. Shenmue + motion controls = uber Shenmue


and then...

create Shenmue 3


Please.

[Tony @ Dec 7th 2007 12:13PM]

overlords...?

[sinergy @ Dec 7th 2007 1:54PM]

c-c-c-combo breaker!

[T-4 @ Dec 7th 2007 8:16PM]

Actually, if you recall, the Gamecube did have a system for individual screens, just in the GBA connected to the GC as a controller. Sony hinted that this may also be possibly using the PSP to control the PS3 via Wi-Fi.

[william @ Dec 8th 2007 6:43PM]

New console I doubt it. But I would love to see shenmue3. If there is a videogame god he needs to move this to the top of the creation list. Come on Sega, all you have to do now is focus on games, where are the minds behind most of the dreamcast titles. Next gen seems to only apply to graphics, and nothing more.(excluding the Wii's game play)Gamers open your eyes. When was the last time you saw a new game, I mean not a sequel or a clone of another game, or the same game with better graphics? Where are the oddworlds of today, or the shenmues of today? What has become of originality?

[Christian @ Dec 9th 2007 3:54PM]

it really is such a shame the individual screen idea was never applied to the new consoles, especially in the relm of play calling for sports games.

And I remember when I first played Soul Calibur, it was a revelation. ohhhh Ivy.....mmmmm

[S2K1 @ Dec 7th 2007 1:57PM]

The VMU was GREAT for calling sports plays. I love my Dreamcast and play it almost as much as my 360.