Editing Sega Dreamcast

{{Infobox information appliance
| title        = Dreamcast
| logo         = Dreamcast logo.svg
| logo_size    = 130px
| image        = Dreamcast-Console-Set.jpg
| image_size   = 
| caption      = North American Dreamcast with controller and VMU
| manufacturer = [[Sega]]
| type         = [[Home video game console]]
| generation   = [[Sixth generation of video game consoles|Sixth generation]]
| releasedate  = JP: November 27, 1998<br />NA: September 9, 1999<br />EU: October 14, 1999<br />AU: November 30, 1999
| lifespan     = 1998–2001
| price        = [[Japanese yen|JP¥]]29,000<br>[[United States dollar|US$]]199<br>[[Pound sterling|GB₤]]200
| discontinued = WW: March 31, 2001
| unitssold    = 9.13 million<!-- Do NOT change to "10.6 million"; see talk page on the overall sales number  -->
| media        = 1&nbsp;GB [[GD-ROM]], [[CD-ROM]], [[Mini-CD]]
| cpu          = [[SuperH|Hitachi SH-4]] 32-bit [[RISC]]
| CPUspeed     = 200&nbsp;[[Hertz|MHz]]
| memory       = 16&nbsp;[[Megabyte|MB]] RAM, 8&nbsp;MB [[video RAM]], 2&nbsp;MB audio RAM
| memory card  = 128&nbsp;[[Kilobyte|KB]] [[VMU]]
| display      = Video output formats
* [[RF modulator]]
* [[Composite video]]
* [[S-video]]
* RGB [[SCART]]
* [[VGA]] <small>(via [[Dreamcast VGA]])</small>
| GPU          = 100&nbsp;MHz [[PowerVR]]2, integrated with the system's [[Application-specific integrated circuit|ASIC]]
| sound        = 67&nbsp;MHz Yamaha AICA with 32-bit [[ARM7]] RISC CPU core, 64 channels
| service      = [[SegaNet]], [[Dreamarena]]
| dimensions   = {{convert|190|x|195.8|x|75.5|mm|in|abbr=on}}
| weight       = {{convert|1.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| topgame      = ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'', 2.5 million sold
| predecessor  = [[Sega Saturn]]
}}

=Introduction=

The '''Dreamcast''' is a [[home video game console]] released by [[Sega]] on November 27, 1998 in Japan, September 9, 1999 in North America, and October 14, 1999 in Europe. It was the first in the [[History of video game consoles (sixth generation)|sixth generation of video game consoles]], preceding Sony's [[PlayStation 2]], Nintendo's [[GameCube]] and Microsoft's [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]]. The Dreamcast was Sega's final home console, marking the end of the company's 18 years in the console market.

In contrast to the expensive hardware of the unsuccessful [[Sega Saturn]], the Dreamcast was designed to reduce costs with "off-the-shelf" components, including a [[Hitachi]] [[SuperH|SH-4]] [[central processing unit|CPU]] and an [[NEC]] [[PowerVR]]2 [[Graphics processing unit|GPU]]. Released in Japan to a subdued reception, the Dreamcast enjoyed a successful U.S. launch backed by a large marketing campaign, but interest in the system steadily declined as Sony built hype for the upcoming PlayStation 2. Sales did not meet Sega's expectations despite several price cuts, and the company continued to incur significant financial losses. After a change in leadership, Sega discontinued the Dreamcast on March 31, 2001, withdrawing from the console business and restructuring itself as a third-party publisher. 9.13 million<!-- Do NOT change to "10.6 million"; see talk page on the overall sales number --> Dreamcast units were sold worldwide.

Although the Dreamcast had a short lifespan and limited [[Video game developer#Third-party developers|third-party]] support, reviewers have considered the console ahead of its time. Its library contains many games considered creative and innovative, including ''[[Crazy Taxi (video game)|Crazy Taxi]]'', ''[[Jet Set Radio]]'' and ''[[Shenmue]]'', as well as high-quality [[Porting|ports]] from Sega's [[List of Sega arcade system boards#Sega NAOMI|NAOMI arcade system board]]. The Dreamcast was also the first console to include a built-in [[modem]] for Internet support and [[Online game|online play]].

= Specifications =

== Hardware ==
{{Multiple image
| image1 = Sega-Dreamcast-Internals.jpg
| width1 = 200
| image2 = Sega-Dreamcast-Motherboard-Top.jpg
| width2 = 178
| footer = Internal view of a Dreamcast console including optical drive, power supply, controller ports, and cooling fan (left), and the system's isolated motherboard (right).
}}
Physically, the Dreamcast measures {{convert|190|x|195.8|x|75.5|mm|in|abbr=on}} and weighs {{convert|1.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name="EGM115"/>  The Dreamcast's main CPU is a [[Symmetric multiprocessing|two-way]] 360&nbsp;[[Instructions per second|MIPS]] [[superscalar]] Hitachi [[SuperH|SH-4]] [[32-bit]] [[RISC]]<ref>{{cite journal|title=SH-4 CPU Core Architecture|publisher=STMicroelectronics and Hitachi, Ltd.|date=September 12, 2002|page=15}}</ref> clocked at 200&nbsp;MHz with an 8 [[Kilobyte|Kbyte]] [[CPU cache|instruction cache]] and 16 Kbyte data cache and a 128-bit graphics-oriented [[floating-point unit]] delivering 1.4&nbsp;[[GigaFLOPS|GFLOPS]].<ref name="Unified"/> Its 100&nbsp;MHz NEC PowerVR2 rendering engine, integrated with the system's [[Application-specific integrated circuit|ASIC]], is capable of drawing more than 3 million polygons per second<ref name="EGM115"/> and of [[deferred shading]].<ref name="Unified"/> Sega estimated that the Dreamcast was theoretically capable of rendering 7 million raw polygons per second, or 6 million with textures and lighting, but noted that "game logic and physics reduce peak graphic performance."<ref name="Unified"/> Graphics hardware effects include [[trilinear filtering]], [[gouraud shading]], [[z-buffering]], [[spatial anti-aliasing]], [[Order-independent transparency|per-pixel translucency sorting]] and [[bump mapping]].<ref name="Unified"/><ref name="EGM115"/> The system can [[Color depth|output]] approximately [[True Color|16.77 million colors]] simultaneously and displays [[Interlaced video|interlaced]] or [[progressive scan]] video at 640&nbsp;×&nbsp;480 [[video resolution]].<ref name="EGM115"/> Its 67&nbsp;MHz Yamaha AICA<ref name="NextGen211"/> sound processor, with a 32-bit [[ARM architecture|ARM7]] RISC CPU core, can generate 64 voices with [[Pulse-code modulation|PCM]] or [[Adaptive differential pulse-code modulation|ADPCM]], providing ten times the performance of the Saturn's sound system.<ref name="Unified"/>  The Dreamcast has 16 [[Megabyte|MB]] main RAM, along with an additional 8 MB of RAM for graphic textures and 2 MB of RAM for sound.<ref name="Unified"/><ref name="EGM115"/>  The system reads media using a 12x speed Yamaha GD-ROM Drive.<ref name="EGM115"/> In addition to Windows CE, the Dreamcast supports several Sega and [[middleware]] [[application programming interface]]s.<ref name="Unified"/> In most regions, the Dreamcast included a removable modem for online connectivity, which was modular for future upgrades.<ref name="Unified"/> The original Japanese model and all PAL models had a transfer rate of 33.6&nbsp;kbit/s, while consoles sold in the US and in Japan after September 9, 1999 featured a [[56 kbit/s line|56 kbit/s]] dial-up modem.<ref>{{cite book|last=Carless|first=Simon|title=Gaming Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools|publisher=[[O'Reilly Media]]|year=2004|page=198|isbn=978-0596007140}}</ref>

== Models ==
[[File:Sega-Dreamcast-Sports-Black-Console.jpg|thumb|right|The limited-edition black "Sega Sports" model.]]
[[File:Fuji Divers 2000 series CX-1 Dreamcast 08.jpg|thumb|left|The Divers 2000 CX-1 was a special edition of the Dreamcast that had a built-in television set.]]
Sega constructed numerous Dreamcast models, most of which were exclusive to Japan.  A refurbished Dreamcast known as the R7 was originally used as a network console in Japanese pachinko parlors.  Another model, the Divers 2000 CX-1, possesses a shape similar to Sonic's head and includes a television and software for teleconferencing.  A ''[[Hello Kitty]]'' version, limited to 2000 units produced, was targeted at Japanese female gamers. Special editions were created for ''Seaman'' and ''[[Resident Evil Code: Veronica]]''. Color variations were sold through a service called "Dreamcast Direct" in Japan. [[Toyota]] also offered special edition Dreamcast units at 160 of its dealers in Japan. In North America, a limited edition black Dreamcast was released with a Sega Sports logo on the lid, which included matching Sega Sports-branded black controllers and two games.

== Accessories ==
[[File:Sega-Dreamcast-Cont-n-VMU.jpg|thumb|right|The Dreamcast controller has two dock connectors for use with multiple accessories, like the [[VMU]]]]
The Dreamcast controller includes both an analog stick and a digital pad, four action buttons, and two analog triggers. The system has four ports for controller inputs, although it was bundled with only one controller. The design of the Dreamcast's controller, described by the staff of ''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'' as "an ugly evolution of [[Nights into Dreams...#Release|Saturn's 3D controller]]," was called "[not] that great" by 1UP.com's Sam Kennedy and "lame" by ''Game Informer''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Andy McNamara. The staff of [[IGN]] wrote that "unlike most controllers, Sega's pad forces the user's hands into an uncomfortable parallel position." In contrast to the Sega CD and Sega Saturn, which included internal backup memory, the Dreamcast uses a 128 kbyte [[memory card]] called the [[VMU]] (or "Visual Memory Unit") for data storage. The VMU features a small [[Liquid crystal display|LCD]] screen, audio output from a one-channel [[Pulse-width modulation|PWM]] sound source, [[non-volatile memory]], a directional pad, and four buttons. The VMU can present game information, be used as a minimal handheld gaming device, and connect to certain Sega arcade machines. For example, players use the VMU to call plays in ''NFL 2K'' or raise virtual pets in ''Sonic Adventure''. Sega officials noted that the VMU could be used "as a private viewing area, the absence of which has prevented effective implementation of many types of games in the past." After a VMU slot was incorporated into the controller's design, Sega's engineers found many additional uses for it, so a second slot was added. This slot was generally used for vibration packs providing [[Haptic technology|force feedback]] like Sega's "Jump Pack" and Performance's "Tremor Pack", although it could also be used for other peripherals including a microphone enabling voice control and player communication. Various third-party cards provide storage, and some contain the LCD screen addition. [[LenovoEMC|Iomega]] announced a Dreamcast-compatible [[zip drive]] that could store up to 100 MB of data on removable discs, but it was never released.

Various third-party controllers from companies like [[Mad Catz]] include additional buttons and other extra features; third-parties also manufactured arcade-style joysticks for fighting games, such as Agetech's Arcade Stick and Interact's Alloy Arcade Stick. Mad Catz and Agetec created racing wheels for racing games. Sega decided against releasing its official light gun in the U.S., but some third party light guns were available. The Dreamcast supports a Sega fishing "reel and rod" [[motion controller]] and a keyboard for text entry. Although it was designed for fishing games such as ''[[Sega Bass Fishing]]'', ''Soul Calibur'' was playable with the fishing controller, which translated vertical and horizontal movements into on-screen swordplay in a manner that was retroactively cited as a predecessor to the [[Wii Remote]]. The Japanese Dreamcast port of Sega's ''[[Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram]]'' supported a "Twin Sticks" peripheral, but the game's American publisher, [[Activision]], opted not to release it in the U.S. The Dreamcast could connect to [[SNK Playmore|SNK]]'s [[Neo Geo Pocket Color]], predating Nintendo's [[Nintendo GameCube–Game Boy Advance link cable|GameCube–Game Boy Advance link cable]]. Sega also produced the [[Dreameye]], a digital camera that could be connected to the Dreamcast and used to exchange pictures and participate in [[Videotelephony|video chat]] over the system's Internet connection. Sega hoped developers would use the Dreameye for future software, as some later did with Sony's similar [[EyeToy]] peripheral. In addition, Sega investigated systems that would have allowed users to make telephone calls with the Dreamcast, and discussed with [[Motorola]] the development of an Internet-enabled cell phone that would have used technology from the console to enable quick downloads of games and other data.

The console can supply video through several different accessories.  The console came with [[RCA connector|A/V cables]], considered at the time to be the standard for video and audio connectivity.  Sega and various third parties also manufactured [[RF modulator]] connectors and [[S-Video]] cables. A [[Dreamcast VGA|VGA adapter]] allows Dreamcast games to be played on [[visual display unit|computer displays]] or [[Enhanced-definition television]] sets in [[480p]].

[[Category:Sega consoles]]