Dreamcast
Latest
Papercraft NES and Dreamcast cost less, play just as many cutting edge games
Finally, your lovingly prepared SNES model is getting some well-heeled new friends to hang out with. Cubeecraft is a website wholly dedicated to the paper-based recreation of cultural icons, and it's prepared a pair of exquisitely detailed clones of the NES and Dreamcast. While some such projects might require patience and finesse, putting together the above templates doesn't even ask for any glue or tape. So what are you waiting for, grab your scissors and run to the links below for full 150dpi printouts -- just be sure to make the time for some imaginary Contra action afterwards.[Via Technabob]Read - NES cutoutRead - DC cutout
HORI's revamped TwinStick EX: fit for Virtual On addicts only
We'll admit, that cheap-o Virtual On mod we peeked earlier this year was pretty stellar, but those obsessed with the anime-themed title are likely tired of using a hacked up Xbox 360 gamepad in order to advance from stage to stage. If you've found yourself in that increasingly narrow niche, HORI has a fine piece you should feast your eyes upon. The refreshed TwinStick EX was designed specifically for Microsoft's latest console and to be used specially with Virtual On. The result? A ¥30,000 ($325) joystick that you'll probably never quite justify the purchase of to your significant other. Get your pre-orders in early; we get the feeling these are bound to sell out.[Thanks, Marv]
Brand new 2D shmup 'Dux' released ... for Dreamcast
It's a sad fact that at the end of every console war, a remainder of die-hard zealots from each camp stay behind, waving high their console's battle standard while refusing to endorse any and all future pieces of hardware. Such a camp surely exists for the Sega Dreamcast, and while time may have forgotten these stubborn warriors, the kind folks at developer HUCAST have not -- they recently released a 2D horizontal shoot-em-up titled Dux exclusively on the extinct piece of Sega hardware.Dux is currently selling for the bizarre price of $27.90. Fortunately, it won't be the last game to come out on the system -- HUCAST is nearing completion on another Dreamcast-exclusive shmup titled Last Hope: Pink Bullets, which was presumably co-developed by The Shins.
Some ThinkGeek Dreamcasts not so new
The fiction we'd established for ourselves around ThinkGeek's recently unleashed stash of new Dreamcasts was fairly elaborate. Let's just say it involved one of Bernie Stolar's forgotten summer homes and a tesseract. But now it seems that some of the supply was just plain old.One of ThinkGeek's customers complained to Destructoid yesterday, saying that their console (advertised as new-in-box) had fairly obvious signs of wear and tear. The company said that it would offer a refund to the customer, explaining that it had inspected some other consoles from the same batch and found them all to be brand new.It's nice that ThinkGeek's doing the right thing, but we can't help but be disappointed watching our "fold in space-time" theory go up in smoke.
New FPS on the way -- for Dreamcast
Think The Conduit is the biggest Sega first-person-shooter news this year? ... You're right. But it's not the only Sega-related FPS being published on an unexpected platform. A team of homebrewers is working on a game called Hypertension for Windows, Linux ... and Dreamcast. Great news for all of you who just bought the system!Hypertension is a reimagining of Blood, made in the Doom-based EDGE engine. The use of fairly antiquated technology, and source material, seem appropriate for a game being released on a console that came out in 1999 After the break, you can see some footage of the current alpha version of Hypertension, which is looking very Doomy. TDGMods has yet to specify a release date for the game, but it's not like there's a rush at this point. The Dreamcast will still be old.[Via Sega Nerds]
Marvel vs. Capcom 2's HD upgrade explained
Making us a little more comfortable with the slow death of S-Video is the news that the Sega Dreamcast version of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. With its introduction to the HD console era, Capcom's had to make some changes to the classic, although it isn't getting a full frame by frame rework like Super Street Fighter II HD Remix, producer Rey Jimenez blogged about some of the updates, including the three options for sprite filtering seen above to keep things sharp in 1080p. Also new for 2009 is widescreen support (the stages are still the same size) with notes from two prominent player promising "the same game, only prettier." The only real question now is which game is next?
It's ThinkGeeking: Online retailer selling new Dreamcasts
We thought ThinkGeek's coolest items were the fake ones the company made up for April Fools Day. It has finally outdone its staff's own imagination, with Sega Dreamcasts. For $99.99, you can purchase a brand new North American Dreamcast, complete with cables, controllers, a web browser disc (version 2.0, so it includes Sega Swirl) and a demo disc.You're on your own for games, which means you may have to resort to putting used games in your new console. Not that it's really a problem to spend the tiny amount of money required to equip your system with a bunch of great games -- Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, Bangai-O, Space Channel 5 and Typing of the Dead come to mind immediately.We're of the opinion that the gaming community would get along so much better if everybody just played some Dreamcast and remembered what fun was like. After the break, we remember Segata Sanshiro, and the noble sacrifice that granted the Dreamcast its life.
Dreamcast tablet is a handsome, portable solution for your discontinued gaming needs
This isn't the first Dreamcast mod we've seen around here, not by a long shot -- but it's surely one of the most elegant. Built around a 15-inch LCD, this guy is a scant 2 1/4-inches thick, but it gets up to 3.5 hours of playtime on a full charge, sports an A/V out, one watt stereo sound, and a custom-built tray loading GD-ROM -- just the thing for playing House of the Dead 2 on the go. We won't belabor the point -- just make sure you check out the mod-licious video after the break. [Via Nowhere Else]
Dreamcast SD adapter could make for homebrew magic
9.9.99 will always hold a special place in our hearts, and so long as hackers are making the most of Sega's last great console, we'll continue to pay attention. Today, we're doing our best to wrap our minds around the Dreamcast SD Adapter, which could be used to easily bring SD-based homebrew apps and emulators over to the console. It's still a touch unclear what exactly the device would be used to deliver, but needless to say the potential is mind-boggling. Right now, the creators are feeling out the market to see just how many Dreamcast loyalists would be willing to hand over €20 ($26), so if you think you're willing to pony up, tap that read link and let 'em know.[Thanks, Craig]
Old iMac becomes a home for Dreamcast
How do you play games on a Mac? It's easy -- just pull out all the computer parts and put a Dreamcast inside.Modder Logicdustbin pulled all of the obsolete computer parts out of the shell of a vintage iMac, replaced the bulky CRT with an LCD, and added a Dreamcast to the now-hollow unit. He fit controller ports onto the front of the computer and wired up the power button, with the result being this love letter to the late '90s. It's basically a homebrew version of Sega's own Divers 2000 Dreamcast!After the break, we've got a video of this self-contained retrogaming box in action, along with a picture that answers the question on everyone's mind: Why? How do you get discs in there?[Via Engadget]
Apple iMac murdered, reborn as all-in-one DreamCast mod
This may look like a beloved iMac, but make no mistake, it's just a shell of its former self. CGCC forum member Logicdustbin decided to gut the all-in-one and replace its innards with a Sega Dreamcast and 15-inch LCD monitor. The result? The iCast, a beautiful homage to simpler times. Hit up the video after the break to see this Fronk-en-shteen in action, playing a game that'll assuredly prepare our children for a post-apocalyptic world. [Via hack a day]
VOOT! Virtual On Oratorio Tangram coming to XBLA
The latest issue of Famitsu reveals an XBLA game that we can already pretty much guarantee is going to be awesome -- because it already was awesome in arcades and on the Dreamcast. The 5.66 revision of Virtual On Oratorio Tangram, Sega's classic arena game about robots shooting each other until they explode, is on the way to Japan's Xbox Live Arcade at a price of 1200 ($15).Gamers outside of Japan can look forward to the release as well: a listing for VOOT showed up on the Australian OFLC ratings board yesterday, indicating a new release for a platform that was, at the time, unknown. Now that mystery has been solved!
Sega directing ChuChu Rocket! to WiiWare?
Does Sega share our view that ChuChu Rocket! was Born for Wii? The company's U.S. arm re-registered a trademark for ChuChu Rocket! on December 22, and Siliconera's Spencer predicted that this could mean a future release for ... Xbox Live Arcade. In this case, we hope Spencer is totally wrong, and that this actually signals a forthcoming WiiWare adaptation. Sega recently made its WiiWare debut with Let's Catch, so has already shown an interest in the service. Obviously, this news could also mean nothing, but we don't like to dwell on that possibility -- the dark satisfaction to be had from guiding your opponent's ChuChus towards a hungry KapuKapu is something we want to experience again. %Gallery-25945%
Dreamcast PC features Blu-ray, nostalgia for the late 1990s
Following hot on the heals of the Sega Saturn case mod we saw last month, the gang from Akiba PC in Japan are back with the Dreamcast PC. This machine sports a Sony NEC Blu-ray drive, an AMD mini-ITX mainboard with 780G Chipset and ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics, HDMI output, 4GB RAM and 160GB storage. We thought that the four USB ports (previously the console's controller ports) were a particularly nice touch. Manufactured for ¥100,000 (roughly $1,045), the machine is unlikely to go on sale any time in the near future, but if you're so inclined feel free to take the long weekend and jet over for a look yourself. Be sure to tell 'em Engadget sent you. And mourn for Shenmue.
Dreamcast still alive in Sonic Unleashed
The keen-eyed Sega fanatics over at Sega Nerds picked up on something interesting. See the image above? Notice anything? There's a Dreamcast! Apparently, Robotnik likes to take a break from hunting down Chaos Emeralds every now and then with a game of Lucky Hit. We may be a Wii-based gaming blog, but we love the Dreamcast. And we're glad that Sega took the time to toss the system into Sonic Unleashed like they did. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some people to question about a black car. You know, the one on the day of the incident? Have you seen it?%Gallery-19031%[Via Kotaku]
Ben Heck apprentice strikes again with DarthCast
Look out Ben Heck, you don't want to be overcome by one of your own followers, now do you? Merely months after the clearly talented hailrazer churned out a mighty impressive portable Nintendo 64, the guy has done it again by creating an on-the-go Dreamcast -- using the same style of Lazer Doodle shell, to boot. After acquiring another chassis, a Dreamcast, a Quantam controller, PSOne LCD, power supply and some serious battery power, the DarthCast was created. Reportedly, the thing can go for around three hours before puckering out, and you'll know your time is short when it starts sighing heavily in a muffled tone. Check the vid after the break, and pay your respects in the read link, son.
Born for Wii: Cosmic Smash
When you read "Cosmic Smash", does your mind instantly wander to brutal, over-the-top space battles full of massive explosions, flaming spaceships and blazing arcs of deadly plasma? Okay, so maybe that's just me -- but when I first heard of the name Cosmic Smash, the real thing wasn't exactly what I had pictured. Fortunately for my overly-active imagination, the actual game is almost as awesome as its name implies.Cosmic Smash was originally released in Japanese arcades in 2001, and Sega soon followed up with a Japan-only Dreamcast release later that year. But what is Cosmic Smash? A futuristic, electronica-infused amalgamation of racquetball and Breakout. With a visual style that will instantly feel at home to anyone who's played Rez, Cosmic Smash keeps things simple with pristine environments and a pseudo-wireframe character. Cosmic Smash is like Wii Sports Tennis on steroids and LSD, and anything that meets that description is Born for Wii. #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } NEXT >> %Gallery-34337% Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
Limited edition red 'Resident Evil Code: Veronica' Dreamcast pops up on eBay
Console collectors know good and well that Sega dished out a few less-than-easily-attainable versions of the Dreamcast back in the day, but only the hardest of hardcore fanatics are apt to have one this bad boy. Just 1,800 of these limited edition bundles were made, which feature an atypical Code: Veronica box, a translucent red version of the Japanese console, a matching controller, a copy of Biohazard Code: Veronica (Japan's version of Resident Evil Code: Veronica), all the traditional connection cables and a huge dose of bragging rights. Number 280 out of the 1,800 units can be yours right now for the low, low asking price of $800, and believe us, we don't foresee this one hanging around sans an owner for too much longer.[Via Gadget Review]
Peter Moore talks death of the Dreamcast
We just poured out some virtual ones for our fallen homey the Dreamcast, and now Peter Moore has recalled his fond memories of the labor pains and death throes of the unfortunate console with The Guardian.As you read the whole account, it's interesting to see that the Dreamcast didn't actually die, it just didn't get huge quick enough. It's a solemn reminder of why you don't see more smaller companies with limited cash flow trying (and succeeding) to get into the console game. Oh, and if you don't care about gaming history in the slightest, you can at least read about Peter Moore playing against Ice Cube in NBA 2K1. So, you know, there's a little something for everybody.
Nine years later, the Dream(cast) continues
It was nine years ago today that Sega launched its final entry into the video game console market in North America. Still very near and dear to our hearts, the Dreamcast was home to new takes on classic Sega franchises and gave birth to some beloved ones of its own.It's hard to imagine a gaming world without the likes of Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, Samba de Amigo, Space Channel 5 and the 2K Sports series, not to mention wonderful one-offs like Rez, Skies of Arcadia and Typing of the Dead. Of course, there was also perhaps its greatest contribution to the annuls of gaming: Seaman. (Sorry, Pen Pen TriIcelon.)So, Dreamcast may be gone, but it's certainly not forgotten. Series that began life on the console continue to this day on other platfoms, and there are still one or two indie Dreamcast games in the works. Do you have any especially fond Dreamcast-related memories? Share them in comments! We could totally get in on a nice, nostalgic DC love-in with some fellow Fans For Life.
