Difference between revisions of "Sega Dreamcast"

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{{ConsoleBob
 
{{ConsoleBob
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| logos=[[File:Dreamcast logo.svg|150px]]
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| | logo=Dreamcast logo.svg|150px]]
 
| consoleimage=Dreamcast.jpg
 
| consoleimage=Dreamcast.jpg
 
| imgwidth=320px
 
| imgwidth=320px
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| name= Sega Dreamcast
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| name= Dreamcast
 
| maker= [[Sega]]
 
| maker= [[Sega]]
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| variants=[[Sega NAOMI]], [[Atomiswave]], [[Sega Aurora]]
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| variants=[[Sega NAOMI]], [[Atomiswave]], [[Sega System SP]]
 
| processor= [[SuperH|Hitachi SH-4]]
 
| processor= [[SuperH|Hitachi SH-4]]
 
| releases={{releasesDC
 
| releases={{releasesDC
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| dc_rrp_jp=29,800
 
| dc_rrp_jp=29,800
 
| dc_code_jp=HKT-3000
 
| dc_code_jp=HKT-3000
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| dc_date_us=1999-09-09
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| dc_date_us=1999-09-09{{intref|Press release: 1999-09-02: Sega Dreamcast Launch Titles and Peripherals}}
 
| dc_rrp_us=199.99
 
| dc_rrp_us=199.99
 
| dc_code_us=HKT-3020
 
| dc_code_us=HKT-3020
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| dc_date_uk=1999-10-14{{fileref|CVG UK 216.pdf|page=52}}
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| dc_date_uk=1999-10-14{{magref|cvg|216|52}}
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| dc_rrp_uk=199.99{{fileref|CVG UK 215.pdf|page=59}}
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| dc_rrp_uk=199.99{{magref|cvg|215|59}}
 
| dc_code_uk=HKT-3030
 
| dc_code_uk=HKT-3030
 
| dc_date_fr=1999-10-14
 
| dc_date_fr=1999-10-14
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| dc_code_es=HKT-3030
 
| dc_code_es=HKT-3030
 
| dc_date_au=1999-11-30
 
| dc_date_au=1999-11-30
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| dc_rrp_au=499.00
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| dc_rrp_au=499.00{{magref|hyper|71|29}}
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| dc_date_br=1999-10-04{{ref|http://web.archive.org/web/20000303160725/http://www.tectoy.com.br/unshock/prop.htm}}
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| dc_date_br=1999-10-04{{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20000303160725/www.tectoy.com.br/unshock/prop.htm Dreamcast] ([[Tectoy]])}}
 
| dc_rrp_br=899.00
 
| dc_rrp_br=899.00
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| dc_date_ru=2000-11-10<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20010409225930/http://sega.ru:80/news.phtml</ref>
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| dc_date_pl=2000-12-01
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| dc_rrp_pl=999
 
| dc_date_as=1998-11
 
| dc_date_as=1998-11
 
| dc_code_as=HKT-3010
 
| dc_code_as=HKT-3010
 
| dc_date_kr=1998-11
 
| dc_date_kr=1998-11
 
| dc_code_kr=HKT-3010
 
| dc_code_kr=HKT-3010
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| dc_date_cz=2000-03
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| dc_rrp_cz=10400 <ref>https://www.idnes.cz/ekonomika/test-a-spotrebitel/nova-konzole-dreamcast-prehrava-konkurenci.A_2000M051T05A</ref>
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| dc_date_ma=1999-11-04
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| dc_rrp_ma=3.999 DH
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| dc_date_in=2000-12<ref>https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/22/dreamcast-heads-to-india</ref>
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| dc_rrp_in=14000<ref>https://www.afaqs.com/news/story/795_Stracon-ready-to-turn-the-TV-into-a-multi-dimensional-entertainment-device</ref>
 
}}
 
}}
 
}}
 
}}
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The '''Sega Dreamcast''' (ドリームキャスト) is a home video game console manufactured by [[Sega]] as a successor to the [[Sega Saturn]]. It was originally released in November 1998, becoming first machine to be released in what is now known as the sixth generation of video game consoles, sharing a platform with the [[PlayStation 2]], [[Nintendo GameCube]] and the [[Xbox]].
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<section begin=intro />The '''Dreamcast''' (ドリームキャスト) is a home video game console manufactured by [[Sega]] as a successor to the [[Sega Saturn]]. Dubbed as Sega's "Super Console"{{intref|Press release: 1998-05-21: Sega Unveils Super Console!}}, it is a "128-bit" machine designed with then-cutting edge hardware and a focus on the internet. The Dreamcast was originally released in Japan in November 1998 before seeing a Western release the following year.
  
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The Dreamcast was Sega's last home console. The first few years went well, but then the PlayStation 2 happened, killing Sega's livelihood overnight. Going into 2001, the Dreamcast was cancelled, with Sega pulling out of the console hardware business it had been pursuing for nearly twenty years. Roughly 10.6 million Dreamcast consoles had been sold worldwide.
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The Dreamcast was Sega's seventh and final home video game console, and was discontinued in early 2001{{intref|Press Release: 2001-01-28: Dúvidas e confirmações no futuro da Dreamcast}}{{intref|Press Release: 2001-10-29: Dreamcast não desiste e mostra novos trunfos}} due to financial constraints within the company. It had sold at least 8.2 million hardware units and 51.63 million software units by March 2001,{{fileref|AnnualReport2001 English.pdf|page=16}}, with estimates suggesting 10.6 million hardware units in total.<section end=intro />
  
 
An arcade counterpart to the Dreamcast exists as the [[Sega NAOMI]].
 
An arcade counterpart to the Dreamcast exists as the [[Sega NAOMI]].
 +
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<div class="toclimit-{{{1|{{{4|4}}}}}}">__TOC__</div>
  
 
==Hardware==
 
==Hardware==
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The Dreamcast is a small, white box with aesthetics designed to appeal to a wide-ranging audience. It was envisioned as an "128-bit" "super console", designed to leapfrog "32-bit" and "64-bit" contemporaries in the form of the PlayStation and Nintendo 64, respectively (although from a technical standpoint, its main processor deals in 32-bit or 64-bit instructions, with the 128-bit figure coming from the graphics hardware). Incidentally the Dreamcast was the last home console to use "bits" as a selling point, with processing capabilities now typically measured in other ways.
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The Dreamcast is a small, white box with aesthetics designed to appeal to a wide-ranging audience. It was envisioned as an "128-bit" "super console", designed to leapfrog "32-bit" and "64-bit" contemporaries in the form of the [[PlayStation]] and [[Nintendo 64]], respectively (although from a technical standpoint, its main processor deals in 32-bit or 64-bit instructions, with the 128-bit figure coming from the graphics hardware). Incidentally the Dreamcast was the last home console to use "bits" as a selling point, with processing capabilities now typically measured in other ways.
  
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Taking design cues from the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn, the Dreamcast contains four control ports, a removable modem, disc drive and an extension port (as well as the expected AV and power inputs). It is not backwards compatible with any prior [[Sega]] hardware or software (although [[Dreamcast Controller|its controller]] derives from the Saturn's [[3D Control Pad]]), and operates in much the same way as the Saturn (and PlayStation) does, with a configurable settings and memory management accessed through a BIOS screen.
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Taking design cues from the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn, the Dreamcast contains four control ports, a removable modem, disc drive and an extension port (as well as the expected AV and power inputs). It is not backwards compatible with any prior [[Sega]] hardware or software (although [[Dreamcast Controller|its controller]] derives from the Saturn's [[3D Control Pad]]), and operates in much the same way as the Saturn (and [[PlayStation]]) does, with a configurable settings and memory management accessed through a BIOS screen.
  
 
The Dreamcast uses a proprietary format of storage called [[GD-ROM]]s for games in order to circumvent software piracy, a strategy that ultimately backfired when the first run of discs had a high rate of defects. The format was also cracked fairly quickly (and in some cases, the pirated games were released ''before'' the legitimate versions). Sega largely had themselves to blame for the high levels of Dreamcast piracy—their use of the GD-ROM format was completely undermined by the console's support for the [[Mil-CD]] format, which allowed the console to boot from a standard CD-R. Mil-CD support was removed from the final Dreamcast revisions toward the end of the console's life.
 
The Dreamcast uses a proprietary format of storage called [[GD-ROM]]s for games in order to circumvent software piracy, a strategy that ultimately backfired when the first run of discs had a high rate of defects. The format was also cracked fairly quickly (and in some cases, the pirated games were released ''before'' the legitimate versions). Sega largely had themselves to blame for the high levels of Dreamcast piracy—their use of the GD-ROM format was completely undermined by the console's support for the [[Mil-CD]] format, which allowed the console to boot from a standard CD-R. Mil-CD support was removed from the final Dreamcast revisions toward the end of the console's life.
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The Dreamcast has a modest hacking enthusiast community.  The availability of Windows CE software development kits on the Internet—as well as ports of Linux ([http://linuxdc.net/ LinuxDC]) and [http://www.netbsd.org/Ports/dreamcast/ dreamcast NetBSD] operating systems to the Dreamcast—gave programmers a selection of familiar development tools to work with, even though they do not really support the high speed graphics.  A homebrew minimal operating system called [http://sourceforge.net/projects/cadcdev/ Kallistios] offers support for most hardware, while not offering multi-tasking, which is superfluous for games.  Many emulators and other tools (MP3, DivX players, and image viewers) have been ported to or written for the console, taking advantage of the relative ease with which a home user can write a CD which is bootable by an unmodified Dreamcast.
 
The Dreamcast has a modest hacking enthusiast community.  The availability of Windows CE software development kits on the Internet—as well as ports of Linux ([http://linuxdc.net/ LinuxDC]) and [http://www.netbsd.org/Ports/dreamcast/ dreamcast NetBSD] operating systems to the Dreamcast—gave programmers a selection of familiar development tools to work with, even though they do not really support the high speed graphics.  A homebrew minimal operating system called [http://sourceforge.net/projects/cadcdev/ Kallistios] offers support for most hardware, while not offering multi-tasking, which is superfluous for games.  Many emulators and other tools (MP3, DivX players, and image viewers) have been ported to or written for the console, taking advantage of the relative ease with which a home user can write a CD which is bootable by an unmodified Dreamcast.
  
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Sega released an [[arcade]] board, using the same technology as the Dreamcast, called [[Sega NAOMI]], leading to many Dreamcast-exclusive games with a high level of arcade quality. They later packaged the Dreamcast into an arcade board as the [[Atomiswave]].
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Sega released an [[arcade]] board, using the same technology as the Dreamcast, called [[Sega NAOMI]], leading to many Dreamcast-exclusive games with a high level of arcade quality.
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The Dreamcast was the most powerful home system at the time of its release in 1998 and 1999, surpassing high-end PC hardware at the time, but not as powerful as Sega arcade systems like the [[Sega Model 3|Model 3 Step 2]], NAOMI or [[Hikaru]]. In terms of CPU geometry, the Dreamcast's [[SuperH|Hitachi SH-4]] is capable of calculating 1400 MFLOPS and more than 10 million lit polygons/sec,{{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20000823204755/computer.org/micro/articles/dreamcast_2.htm Sega Dreamcast: Implementation (IEEE)]}} while a PC's PIII 800 calculates 800 MFLOPS{{ref|1=[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ZyZPAQAAMAAJ&q=pentium+iii+800+mflops ''Automatic Performance Tuning of Sparse Matrix Kernels'', Volume 1, page 14]}}{{ref|1=[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Zi8lBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA9 ''Cluster Computing'', page 9]}} and 7 million lit polygons/sec.{{ref|[https://www.beyond3d.com/content/articles/50/ Benchmarking T&L in 3DMark 2000], Beyond3D}} In terms of GPU rendering, the Dreamcast's [[wikipedia:PowerVR|PowerVR CLX2]] has a peak fillrate of over 3200 MPixels/sec with opaque polygons{{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20000823204755/computer.org/micro/articles/dreamcast_2.htm Sega Dreamcast: Implementation (IEEE)]}} and 500 MPixels/sec{{fileref|Edge UK 067.pdf|page=11}} with translucent polygons, compared to the Voodoo3 3500 TV SE which renders 200 MPixels/sec and [[wikipedia:Nvidia|Nvidia]] GeForce256 which renders 480 MPixels/sec. The CLX2's rendering throughput is 7 million polygons/sec,{{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20000823204755/computer.org/micro/articles/dreamcast_2.htm Sega Dreamcast: Implementation (IEEE)]}} compared to the Voodoo3 3500 TV which renders 700,000 polygons/sec with a Celeron 300{{ref|[http://gamepilgrimage.com/content/3dmark-2000-benchmarks 3DMARK 2000 Benchmarks]}} (243 MFLOPS){{ref|1=[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nXs4u5ODdPAC&pg=PA301 ''Recent Advances in Parallel Virtual Machine and Message Passing Interface'', page 301]}} and 2 million polygons/sec with a PIII 800, while the GeForce256 renders 7 million polygons/sec with a PIII 800.{{ref|[https://www.beyond3d.com/content/articles/50/ Benchmarking T&L in 3DMark 2000], Beyond3D}} The Dreamcast is capable of rendering more than 100,000 polygons per frame,{{ref|[[#Graphics|Sega Dreamcast: Graphics]], Sega Retro}} while the most demanding PC games of 1999 rendered 10,000 polygons per frame and the GeForce256 is capable of 50,000 polygons per frame.{{ref|1=[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=90OvoBUqQoIC&pg=PA203 ''PC Mag'', 1 Dec 1999, page 203]}} In terms of bus bandwidth, the Dreamcast has an 800 MB/s CPU–GPU transmission bus,{{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20000823204755/computer.org/micro/articles/dreamcast_2.htm Sega Dreamcast: Implementation (IEEE)]}} compared to the Voodoo3's 533 MB/s AGP bus (2x AGP 2.0) and GeForce256's 1066 MB/s AGP bus (4x AGP 2.0);{{ref|[http://www.playtool.com/pages/agpcompat/agp.html AGP Peak Speeds]}} the Dreamcast has far more efficient bandwidth usage with the CLX2's tiled rendering, requiring only 32 bytes for each on-screen textured polygon with Gouraud shading (compared to the standard 40 bytes per polygon), textures sent directly to VRAM (freeing up CPU–GPU transmission bus for polygons), with 8:1 VQ texture compression (compared to Voodoo3's 4:1 texture compression and GeForce256's 6:1 S3TC compression), on-chip tile buffer (eliminating need for framebuffer or Z-buffer), and no overdraw (eliminating need to draw or texture overdrawn polygons), significantly reducing bandwidth requirements and giving the Dreamcast higher effective bandwidth.
 
  
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Compared to the rival PS2, the PS2 has a more powerful geometry engine, higher translucent fillrate, and more main RAM, while the Dreamcast has more VRAM and a higher opaque fillrate. The Dreamcast's GPU has more hardware features, such as full-scene anti-aliasing, tiled rendering, and texture compression, which the PS2's GPU lacks hardware support for. The Dreamcast's VRAM is twice as large, and with its tiled rendering, could render a larger framebuffer at a higher resolution without needing a Z-buffer. The Dreamcast effectively has higher texture memory, as the Dreamcast's tiled rendering does not require a framebuffer or Z-buffer, while texture compression allows it to compress 20-60 MB of texture data in its VRAM. Because the PS2 has only 4 MB VRAM, it relies on the main RAM to store textures. However, the PS2's CPU–GPU transmission bus for transferring polygons and textures has a bandwidth of 1.2 GB/s; while 50% faster than the Dreamcast's 800 MB/s CPU–GPU transmission bus, the Dreamcast's texture compression gives it 2-6 GB/s effective texture bandwidth. While the PS2 is more powerful at untextured polygons, particles, and lighting, the Dreamcast is more effective at textures and anti-aliasing. The Dreamcast is also easier to develop for, while the PS2 is more difficult to develop for.
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The Dreamcast's [[PowerVR CLX2]] was the first GPU for a home system with hardware capabilities such as [[wikipedia:Bump mapping|bump mapping]], [[wikipedia:Volumetric lighting|volumetric]] effects,{{magref|gr|3|29}} [[wikipedia:Order-independent transparency|order-independent transparency]], and [[wikipedia:Normal mapping|Dot3 normal mapping]].{{ref|1=''[[wikipedia:PC Magazine|PC Magazine]]'', [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=90OvoBUqQoIC&pg=PA193 December 1999, page 193]}}
  
 
===Models===
 
===Models===
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</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
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Japanese Dreamcasts can be identified by the triangle at the front of the unit. Though the power LED is identical across all regions, the piece of plastic attached to the lid of the Japanese model is transparent, while in North America it is grey.
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Japanese Dreamcasts can be identified by the triangle at the front of the unit. Though the power LED is identical across all regions, the piece of plastic attached to the lid of the Japanese model is transparent, while in North America it is grey. The Japanese models also have the text "Designed for Microsoft Windows CE" printed on the front right, whereas Western versions say "Compatible with Microsoft Windows CE".
  
 
For a full list of special edition Dreamcasts, see [[Special Dreamcast Models]].
 
For a full list of special edition Dreamcasts, see [[Special Dreamcast Models]].
  
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<references/>
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===Technical specifications===
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{{mainArticle|Sega Dreamcast/Technical specifications}}
  
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==Technical specifications==
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===Hardware comparisons===
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===CPU===
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{{MainArticle|Sega Dreamcast/Hardware comparison}}
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{{multicol|
 
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* Main CPU: [[Hitachi]] [[SuperH|SH-4]] ([[RISC]], 2&#8209;way [[wikipedia:Superscalar|Superscalar]]){{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20000823204755/computer.org/micro/articles/dreamcast_2.htm Sega Dreamcast: Implementation (IEEE)]}}{{fileref|SH-4 Software Manual.pdf}}
 
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** Operating frequency: 200 MHz
 
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** Units: 128‑bit [[wikipedia:SIMD|SIMD]] vector unit with graphic functions, 64‑bit [[wikipedia:Floating-point unit|floating‑point unit]], 32‑bit fixed‑point unit
 
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** 128‑bit [[wikipedia:SIMD|SIMD]] @ 200 MHz: Vector unit, geometry processor, graphic functions, [[wikipedia:Direct memory access|DMA]] controller, interrupt controller{{fileref|SH-4 datasheet.pdf}}
 
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** 128‑bit graphic computational engine: Calculates geometry and lighting of polygons, creates [[wikipedia:Display list|display lists]] of polygons for tiling, DMA allows SH4 access to VRAM and PowerVR2 access to Main RAM, store queue mechanism (allowing high‑speed packet transfers between Main RAM and VRAM){{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf}}
 
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** Bus width: 128‑bit internal, 64‑bit external
 
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** Bandwidth: 3.2 GB/s internal, 1.6 GB/s external
 
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* Fixed‑point performance: 360 [[wikipedia:Instructions per second|MIPS]]
 
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* Floating‑point performance: 1.4 [[wikipedia:FLOPS|GFLOPS]] <small>(7 MFLOPS per 16 MB/s)</small>
 
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* Geometry performance: More than 10 million polygons/sec, with lighting calculations <small>(140 FLOPS per polygon)</small>
 
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}}
 
  
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===Graphics===
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==History==
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Graphical specifications of the Dreamcast:{{fileref|Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf}}{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf}}{{fileref|PowerVR2DCFeaturesUnderWindowsCE.pdf}}
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{{MainArticle|History of the Sega Dreamcast}}
  
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{{multicol|
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===Localised names===
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* GPU: 2 graphics processors (SH‑4 SIMD, PowerVR2)
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{{aka
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** Cores: 6 cores (SH‑4 SIMD, 5 PowerVR2 cores)
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|en_name=Sega Dreamcast
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* GPU Geometry Processor: Hitachi SH‑4 SIMD @ 200 MHz (1.4 GFLOPS)
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|jp_name=ドリームキャスト
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* GPU Rasterizer: [[NEC]]‑[[wikipedia:Imagination Technologies|VideoLogic]] [[wikipedia:PowerVR|PowerVR2 CLX2]] (PVR2DC/HOLLY) @ 100 MHz
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|jp_trans=Dreamcast
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* PowerVR2 Cores: Tile Accelerator (TA), Image Synthesis Processor (ISP), Texture & Shading Processor (TSP), Triangle Setup FPU, RAMDAC{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf|page=94}}
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|il_name=דרימקאסט
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** TA: Tile renderer, partitions infinite strip polygon data, divides polygons into tiles, performs tile clipping, generates object lists, retrieves display lists from SH4 (through store queues and DMA), generates ISP/TSP parameters
 
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*** Tile buffer: 600 tiles, 128 bytes per tile, 75 KB tile buffer{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf|page=165}}
 
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** ISP: Rasterizer, depth‑sorting, [[wikipedia:Run-length encoding|RLE]] tile/polygon compression, parallel‑processing of tiles/polygons at high speeds <small>(1 clock cycle per vector, 32 [[pixel]]s per clock cycle)</small>
 
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*** ISP units: ISP Precalc Unit, ISP PE Array, Depth Accumulation Buffer, Span RLC, Span Sorter
 
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** TSP: Shader and texture‑mapping unit, avoids shading/texturing overdrawn [[pixel]]s/tiles and back‑facing polygons to maximize bandwidth for on‑screen pixels/tiles and front‑facing polygons
 
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*** TSP units: TSP Precalc + Param Cache, Texture Cache, Iterator Array, Pixel Processing Engine, Micro Tile Accumulation Buffer
 
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** Triangle Setup FPU: 2 FPU rendering units, 200 MFLOPS{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf|page=94}}
 
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*** ISP Setup FPU: 100 MHz, 100 MFLOPS, 14 cycles per polygon, 7,142,857 polygons/sec
 
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*** TSP Setup FPU: 100 MHz, 100 MFLOPS
 
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** [[wikipedia:RAMDAC|RAMDAC]]: 230 MHz{{ref|http://segatech.com/technical/gpu/index.html}}
 
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* PowerVR2 Buses: 2 buses at 100 MHz, 64-bit TA Bus for transferring polygons and textures (800 MB/s), 32-bit PVRIF Bus for register memory (400 MB/s), 96-bit total bus width (1.2 GB/s total bandwidth){{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf|page=42}}
 
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* PowerVR2 Capabilities:
 
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** [[wikipedia:Texture mapping|Texture mapping]]: [[wikipedia:Texture mapping#perspective correctiveness|Perspective‑correct]] [[wikipedia:Mipmap|mipmapping]], [[wikipedia:Environment mapping|environment mapping]], 1×1 to 2048×2048 texture sizes, [[wikipedia:Vector quantization|VQ]] [[wikipedia:Texture compression|texture compression]],{{ref|[http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5471/12172411045_18bfc5912f_c.jpg Hideki Sato Sega Interview (Edge)]}} 12.52% (8:1) to 37.5% (3:1) texture compression ratios, texture clamping/wrapping/mirroring, [[wikipedia:Multitexturing|multi‑texturing]], [[wikipedia:Bump mapping|bump mapping]] (2‑pass), [[wikipedia:Normal mapping|normal mapping]] (Dot3 bump mapping)
 
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** [[wikipedia:Texture filtering|Filtering]]: [[wikipedia:Nearest-neighbor interpolation|Point filtering]], [[wikipedia:Bilinear filtering|bilinear filtering]],{{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20000823204755/computer.org/micro/articles/dreamcast_2.htm Sega Dreamcast: Implementation (IEEE)]}} [[wikipedia:Trilinear filtering|trilinear filtering]], [[wikipedia:Anisotropic filtering|anisotropic filtering]]
 
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** [[wikipedia:Spatial anti-aliasing|Anti‑aliasing]]: [[wikipedia:Supersampling|Super‑sampling anti‑aliasing]] (up to 4× SSAA), [[wikipedia:FSAA|full‑scene anti‑aliasing]] (FSAA), edge anti‑aliasing
 
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** [[wikipedia:Alpha blending|Alpha blending]]: 256 levels of transparency, multi‑pass blending, per‑pixel translucency sorting
 
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** [[wikipedia:Shading|Shading]]: Perspective‑correct ARGB [[Gouraud shading]], flat shading, [[wikipedia:Shadow mapping|shadows]]
 
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** [[wikipedia:Rendering (computer graphics)|Rendering]]: [[wikipedia:Render output unit|ROP]] (render output unit), 32‑bit floating‑point [[wikipedia:Z-buffering|Z‑buffering]] (on‑chip), 256 [[wikipedia:Distance fog|fog effects]], vertex fog. per‑pixel table fog, hardware clipping to viewport
 
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** Lighting: [[wikipedia:Specular highlight|Specular highlighting]],{{ref|[http://www.ludd.luth.se/~jlo/dc/ta-intro.txt Tiling Accelerator Notes]}} [[wikipedia:Per-pixel lighting|per‑pixel lighting]]{{ref|[http://ign.com/articles/2000/01/22/zombie-revenge-3 Zombie Revenge (21 January 2000)]}}
 
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** [[wikipedia:Tiled rendering|Tiled rendering]]: Screen partitioning into 32×32 tiles, tile/strip/line buffer (framebuffer compression), each tile rendered in internal 32×32 buffer in register memory before being copied to main framebuffer, increases [[fillrate]] significantly{{ref|[http://mc.pp.se/dc/pvr.html PowerVR (Dreamcast Hardware)]}}
 
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** [[wikipedia:Deferred shading|Deferred rendering]]: [[wikipedia:Hidden surface determination|Hidden surface removal]] (32‑bit floating‑point), [[wikipedia:Back-face culling|back‑face culling]], culling of tiny polygons
 
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** Polygons: [[wikipedia:Triangle mesh|Triangle polygons]], [[wikipedia:Polygon mesh|quad polygons]], [[sprite]] polygons, effective performance of more than 10 million polygons/sec (including overdrawn and back‑facing polygons), capable of drawing 7 million front‑facing polygons/sec on screen (geometry data storage for polygon models reduce VRAM available for textures), purely opaque polygons drawn at high speed <small>(32 pixels per clock cycle)</small>{{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20000823204755/computer.org/micro/articles/dreamcast_2.htm Sega Dreamcast: Implementation (IEEE)]}}
 
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** GMV (general modifier volumes): Light beams, shadows, lasers, glowing suns{{ref|[http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/DCPScompare.htm Dreamcast Comparison]}}
 
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* Display [[Resolution]]: 320×240 to 800×608 [[pixel]]s, interlaced and progressive scan, TV and [[Dreamcast VGA Adapter|VGA]]
 
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** Internal resolution: 320×240 to 1600×1200 pixels{{ref|http://segatech.com/technical/gpu/index.html}}
 
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* Frame rate: 30-60 frames/sec
 
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* Color Depth: 16‑bit RGB to 32‑bit [[wikipedia:RGBA color space|ARGB]], 65,536 colors (16‑bit color) to 16,777,216 colors ([[wikipedia:24-bit color|24‑bit color]]) with 8‑bit (256 levels) [[wikipedia:Alpha compositing|alpha blending]], [[wikipedia:YUV|YUV]] and [[wikipedia:RGB color space|RGB color spaces]], [[wikipedia:Chroma key|color key]] overlay{{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20070811102018/www3.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/reviews/video/neon250/2.shtml Neon 250 Specs & Features]}}
 
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* [[wikipedia:Framebuffer|Framebuffer]]: Optional (raster method can be used){{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf|page=13}}
 
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** Strip/Tile buffer: 32×32×16‑bit (4 KB) to 32×32×32‑bit (8 KB) in local tile buffer cache memory{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf}}
 
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** Full framebuffer: 320×240×16‑bit (160 KB) to 1600×1200×32‑bit (7520 KB) in VRAM (optional)
 
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* Floating-Point Performance: 1.6 GFLOPS
 
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** SH-4 SIMD: 1.4 GFLOPS geometry
 
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** PowerVR2: 200 MFLOPS rendering
 
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* Vector Performance:
 
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** Geometry: 23 million vertices/sec <small>(60 FLOPS per vertex)</small>{{ref|1=[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-4ngT05gmAQC&pg=PA868 Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice (Page 868)]}}
 
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** Rendering: 21,428,571 vertices/sec <small>(14 ISP FPU cycles per 3 vertices)</small>{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf|page=95}}
 
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* Polygon Geometry: Effective performance, including overdrawn and back‑facing polygons not drawn on screen
 
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** 11 million polygons/sec <small>([[Sega NAOMI 2#Technical Specifications|130 FLOPS]] per polygon)</small>
 
−
** More than 10 million polygons/sec: Lighting <small>(under 140 FLOPS per polygon)</small>{{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20000823204755/computer.org/micro/articles/dreamcast_2.htm Sega Dreamcast: Implementation (IEEE)]}}
 
−
* Rendered On‑Screen Polygons: Front‑facing polygons drawn on screen, not including overdrawn and back‑facing polygons <small>(including them, effective performance is more than than 10 million polygons/sec)</small>{{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20000823204755/computer.org/micro/articles/dreamcast_2.htm Sega Dreamcast: Implementation (IEEE)]}}{{ref|[http://www.segatech.com/gamecube/overview/ Floating-Point Calculations]}}
 
−
** 7,142,857 polygons/sec <small>(14 ISP FPU cycles per polygon)</small>{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf|page=95}}
 
−
** 7 million polygons/sec: Lighting, textures, shadows,{{ref|http://segatech.com/technical/gpu/index.html}} trilinear filtering{{ref|1=[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wZnpAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA277 Vintage Game Consoles: An Inside Look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the Greatest Gaming Platforms of All Time (Page 277)]}}
 
−
** 6 million polygons/sec: Lighting, textures, trilinear filtering, Gouraud shading <small>(243 FLOPS per polygon)</small>
 
−
** 4.2 million polygons/sec: Lighting, textures, anisotropic filtering, Gouraud shading
 
−
** 3.3 million polygons/sec: Lighting, textures, trilinear filtering, Gouraud shading, bump mapping <small>(430 FLOPS per polygon)</small>{{fileref|PowerVR2DCFeaturesUnderWindowsCE.pdf|page=11}}
 
−
* Rendering [[Fillrate]]:{{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20000823204755/computer.org/micro/articles/dreamcast_2.htm Sega Dreamcast: Implementation (IEEE)]}}{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf}}
 
−
** 3.2 [[Pixel|GPixels/s]]: Opaque polygons <small>(32 pixels per clock cycle)</small>
 
−
** 500 [[Pixel|MPixels/s]]: Average fillrate with translucent and opaque polygons{{fileref|Edge UK 067.pdf|page=11}}
 
−
** 100 MPixels/s: Translucent polygons with maximum hardware sort depth of 60 <small>(1 pixel per clock cycle)</small>
 
−
** 100 MPixels/s to 3.2 GPixels/s, depending on opacity/translucency of polygons <small>(1–32 pixels per clock cycle)</small>{{fileref|PowerVR2DCFeaturesUnderWindowsCE.pdf}}
 
−
* Texture Fillrate:
 
−
** 500 [[Texel|MTexels/s]]: Effective fillrate (including overdrawn and back‑facing textures)
 
−
** 100 MTexels/s: Front‑facing textures drawn on screen
 
−
* [[VRAM]]: 8 MB (unified framebuffer and texture memory,{{fileref|Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf|page=18}}{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf}}{{ref|[http://segatech.com/technical/consolecompare2/ Polygon Calculations]}} effectively up to 63 MB with maximum texture compression)
 
−
** Framebuffer: 160 KB to 7520 KB (optional), 1200 KB (640×480, 16-bit color, double-buffered)
 
−
** Polygons: 32 bytes to 7840 KB (10 million textured polygons/sec with Gouraud shading and modifier volumes, 48 bytes per polygon, 60 frames/sec, 166,666 polygons per frame), 3646 KB (7 million textured polygons/sec with Gouraud shading, 32 bytes per polygon, 60 frames/sec, 116,666 polygons per frame), 5334 KB (5 million textured polygons/sec with Gouraud shading, 32 bytes per polygon, 30 frames/sec, 166,666 polygons per frame){{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf|page=201}}
 
−
** Textures: Up to 8 MB (effectively up to 63 MB with maximum texture compression), 3.2 MB (7 million textured polygons/sec with Gouraud shading, 640×480 framebuffer, effectively up to 25 MB with maximum texture compression), 1.6 MB (5 million textured polygons/sec with Gouraud shading, 32 bytes per polygon, 30 frames/sec, effectively up to 12 MB with maximum texture compression)
 
−
** Note: Main RAM also used to store polygon display lists. Main RAM can also be used to store textures.
 
−
* VRAM bandwidth: 800 MB/s (effectively up to 6.3 GB/s with maximum texture compression)
 
−
** Framebuffer: 4.8 MB/s to 452 MB/s (optional, 30-60 frames/sec), 74 MB/s (640×480, 16-bit color, double-buffered, 60 frames/sec)
 
−
** Polygons: 2 KB/s to 471 MB/s (10 million textured polygons/sec with Gouraud shading and modifier volumes, 48 bytes per polygon, 60 frames/sec), 224 MB/s (7 million textured polygons/sec with Gouraud shading, 32 bytes per polygon, 60 frames/sec)
 
−
** Textures: Up to 800 MB/s (effectively up to 6.3 GB/s with maximum texture compression), 502 MB/s (7 million textured polygons/sec, 640×480 framebuffer, effectively up to 4 GB/s with maximum texture compression)
 
−
* Full Motion Video: MPEG decoding, video compression, 320×240 to 640×320 and 320×480 video resolutions, 3D polygons can be superimposed over FMV video{{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20000823204755/computer.org/micro/articles/dreamcast_2.htm Sega Dreamcast: Implementation (IEEE)]}}
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
===Sound===
+
==Games==
−
{{multicol|
+
{{MainArticle|Sega Dreamcast games}}
−
*Sound Card: Super Intelligent ([[Yamaha]]) Sound Processor with 47 MHz 32&#8209;Bit [[RISC]] ARM7 CPU core built‑in (64 channel PCM/ADPCM)
 
−
** [[wikipedia:Sound chip|Sound engine]]: [[Yamaha Super Intelligent Sound Processor|Yamaha AICA Super Intelligent Sound Processor]] @ 67 MHz{{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20000823204755/computer.org/micro/articles/dreamcast_2.htm Sega Dreamcast: Implementation (IEEE)]}}
 
−
** Internal CPU: 32&#8209;bit [[wikipedia:ARM7|ARM7]] RISC CPU @ 45 MHz
 
−
** CPU performance: 40 MIPS{{ref|[http://www.segatech.com/technical/saturnspecs/ Dreamcast & Saturn Specifications]}}
 
−
** Features: DSP, sound [[wikipedia:Synthesizer|synthesizer]], [[MIDI]],{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf}} PCM sampling, ADPCM
 
−
* [[Pulse-code modulation|PCM/ADPCM]]: 16&#8209;bit [[wikipedia:Audio bit depth|depth]], 48 kHz [[wikipedia:Sampling rate|sampling rate]] ([[wikipedia:DVD-Audio|DVD quality]]), 64 channels{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf}}
 
−
* Middleware: Audio compression, voice recognition{{ref|[http://web.archive.org/web/20000823204755/computer.org/micro/articles/dreamcast_2.htm Sega Dreamcast: Implementation (IEEE)]}}
 
−
}}
 
−
 
 
−
===Memory===
 
−
{{multicol|
 
−
* System [[RAM]]: 26.125 [[Byte|MB]]
 
−
** Main RAM: 16 MB SDRAM ([[:file:HY57V161610D datasheet.pdf|Hyundai HY57V161610D]])
 
−
*** Can be used for storing textures and polygon display lists, accessible by SH4 and PowerVR2 (via SH4 DMA){{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf}}
 
−
** [[VRAM]]: 8 MB SDRAM (unified framebuffer and texture memory){{fileref|Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf|page=18}}
 
−
*** Accessible by Power VR2 and SH4 (via DMA and store queues)
 
−
** Sound RAM: 2 MB SDRAM
 
−
** [[GD-ROM]] buffer RAM: 128 KB{{fileref|Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf}}
 
−
* System [[ROM]]: 2 MB{{fileref|Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf}}
 
−
* Flash Memory: 128 KB{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf}}
 
−
* Internal Processor Memory: 150,216 [[byte]]s (147 KB){{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf}}
 
−
** SH4: 26,178 bytes (8 KB instruction cache, 16 KB data cache, 64 bytes store queue cache,{{fileref|SH-4 Software Manual.pdf|page=25}} 1538 bytes registers)
 
−
** PowerVR2: 91,258 bytes (128 bytes ISP cache, 1 KB texture cache, 509 bytes fog table, 4093 bytes palette RAM, 8.25 KB registers,{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf|page=17}} 256 bytes FIFO buffer, 75 KB tile buffer)
 
−
** AICA: 32,780 bytes (32 KB sound registers, 8 bytes RTC registers,{{fileref|Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf}} 4 bytes FIFO buffer)
 
−
* [[GD-ROM]] Drive: 12× maximum speed (when running in Constant Angular Velocity mode){{fileref|Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf}}{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf}}
 
−
** Disc formats: GD&#8209;ROM, CD&#8209;ROM, CD&#8209;DA, , Photo CD, Video CD, CD Extra, CD+G, CD+EG
 
−
** Storage capacity: 1 GB per GD&#8209;ROM, 656 MB per CD&#8209;ROM
 
−
}}
 
−
 
 
−
====Bandwidth====
 
−
{{multicol|
 
−
* System RAM Bandwidth: 1.75 [[Byte|GB/s]] <small>(4 buses, 160-bit bus width)</small>{{fileref|Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf}}
 
−
** SH4, PVR2 <‑> Main RAM — 800 [[Byte|MB/s]] <small>(64‑bit, 100 MHz)</small>{{fileref|Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf|page=14}}
 
−
** PVR2 <‑> VRAM  — 800 MB/s <small>(64‑bit, 100 MHz, 7 [[wikipedia:Nanosecond|ns]], 2x 32-bit buses)</small>{{fileref|Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf|page=6}}{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf|page=49}}
 
−
** AICA <‑> Sound RAM — 132 MB/s <small>(16‑bit, 66 MHz)</small>
 
−
** SH4 <‑> GD‑ROM buffer — 13.3 MB/s <small>(16‑bit)</small>
 
−
* System ROM Bandwidth: 20 MB/s <small>(16‑bit, 10 MHz)</small>
 
−
* Transmission Bandwidth: 1.4 GB/s{{fileref|DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf|page=42}}
 
−
** SH4 <‑> PVR2 — 800 MB/s <small>(64‑bit, 100 MHz)</small>
 
−
** SH4IF <-> PVRIF — 400 MB/s <small>(32‑bit, 100 MHz)</small>
 
−
** SH4 <-> Root Bus — 200 MB/s <small>(32‑bit, 50 MHz)</small>
 
−
* Internal Processor Memory Bandwidth: 3.06 GB/s
 
−
** SH4: 1.6 GB/s <small>(64‑bit, 200 MHz)</small>
 
−
** PowerVR2: 1.2 GB/s <small>(96‑bit, 100 MHz)</small>
 
−
** AICA: 256 MB/s <small>(32‑bit, 67 MHz)</small>
 
−
* GD‑ROM Drive: 1.8 MB/s transfer rate, 250 milliseconds access time
 
−
}}
 
  
−
===BIOS===
+
==Production credits==
−
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
+
A list of names, likely the various people involved with console's creation, can be found at '''0x1A1A0''' in the flash ROM.
−
|+ BIOS Revisions
+
{{creditstable|
−
|-
+
*[[Shoichiro Irimajiri]], [[Sadahiko Hirose]], [[Hidekazu Yukawa]], [[Hideki Satou]], [[Nobuhisa Yamada]], [[Taku Matsubara]], [[Kazuhiro Yasutomi]], [[Shoji Nishikawa]], [[Takashi Sekimoto]], [[Toshihiro Oba]], [[Shuji Hori]], [[Masaharu Shinohara]], [[Kazuhiro Baba]], [[Katsunori Gendo]], [[Kouji Horikawa]], [[Masatoshi Horikawa]], [[Osamu Hosokawa]], [[Seiichi Kajiwara]], [[Junko Kase]], [[Toshikazu Kawada]], [[Yasuhisa Kawase]], [[Yusuke Kiguchi]], [[Naohiko Kobayashi]], [[Manabu Kubo]], [[Teruaki Kuwana]], [[Kunihiro Mori]], [[Tomoyuki Mori]], [[Shigeru Motoyoshi]], [[Takeshi Nagashima]], [[Yoshifumi Nakamura]], [[Chuji Nakayama]], [[Madoka Nakayama]], [[Tatsuya Namatame]], [[Yasuhiro Nishiyama]], [[Toshiyuki Ogawa]], [[Tadashi Ohya]], [[Tetsuya Okawa]], [[Tatsuya Sakurai]], [[Hideaki Satou]], [[Yutaka Suetsugi]], [[Eriko Suzuki]], [[Masahiko Takeuchi]], [[Makoto Takiguchi]], [[Ryo Taki]], [[Masaki Tanaka]], [[Kazuo Tsuda]], [[Satoshi Tsuda]], [[Koichi Takayasu]], [[Naoki Niizuma]], [[Atsunori Himoto]], [[Tomoe Shinohara]], [[Kunihiro Tokumaru]], [[Yoshikazu Nagao]], [[Satoshi Kira]], [[Akitoshi Oikawa]], [[Hirokazu Hama]], [[Toshimichi Sugai]], [[Naoji Ozaki]], [[Hiroki Goto|Hiroki Gotou]], [[Masaharu Yoshii]], [[Masaki Kawahori]], [[Yuki Yamanaka]], [[Shinichi Uchida]], [[Masahiro Seki]], [[Takashi Ando]], [[Hideki Kudo]], [[Nobuhiro Fukuda]], [[Jiro Terakawa]], [[Yoichi Uchida]], [[Hiroki Okabata]], [[Kazuyoshi Hara]], [[Yuko Nasu]], [[Syuuji Okada]], [[Yutaka Okunoki]],  [[Tatsuya Kouzaki|Tatuya Kouzaki]], [[Tadashi Jokagi]], [[Yoshiaki Kashima]], [[Kazumi Suyama]], [[Yutaka Sugano]], [[Tomoko Hasegawa]], [[Kazuhiro Matsuta]], [[Katsuhiko Sato]], [[Manabu Kusunoki]], [[Shinichi Oya]], [[Takeshi Suzuki]], [[Kazunori Shibata]], [[Shigeyuki Shimizu]], [[Masayuki Imanishi]], [[Kenji Otsuji|Kenji Ohtsuji]], [[Masamichi Miyoshi]], [[Tarou Mitani]], [[Takaaki Jindou]], [[Yoshitake Noguchi]]
−
! width="50"| BIOS Version
+
| source=ROM text{{ref|https://tcrf.net/Dreamcast}}
−
! Machine
+
| console=DC
−
! Download
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1.004
 
−
| Sega Dreamcast (Commercial-Early)
 
−
| {{file|Jp_dc_1.004.7z|1.004 (Japan)}}
 
−
|-
 
−
| rowspan="3"| 1.01d
 
−
| rowspan="3"| Sega Dreamcast (Commercial)
 
−
| {{file|Us_dc_1.01d.zip|1.01d (North America)}}
 
−
|-
 
−
| {{file|Eu_dc_1.01d.zip|1.01d (Europe)}}
 
−
|-
 
−
| {{file|Jp_dc_1.01d.zip|1.01d (Japan)}}
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1.011
 
−
| Sega Dreamcast (HKT-0120 Devbox)
 
−
| {{file|Jp_dc_1.011(dev).7z|1.011 (HKT-0120 Devbox)}}
 
−
|}
 
−
 
 
−
===Other specifications===
 
−
{{multicol|
 
−
* Operating Systems:
 
−
** [[Sega]] native operating system
 
−
** Custom [[Windows CE]], with [[wikipedia:DirectX|DirectX 6.0]], [[wikipedia:Direct3D|Direct3D]] and [[wikipedia:OpenGL|OpenGL]] support
 
−
* Inputs: Four ports that can support a digital and analog controller, steering wheel, joystick, keyboard, mouse, and more
 
−
* Dimensions: 189mm x 195mm x 76mm (7 7/16" x 7 11/16" x 3")
 
−
* Weight: 1.9kg (4.4lbs)
 
−
* Modem: Removable; Original Asia/Japan model had a 33.6 Kbytes/s; models released after 9 September 1999 had a 56 Kbytes/s modem
 
−
*[[Sega Dreamcast Broadband Adapter]]: these adapters are available separately and replace the removable modem
 
−
** HIT-400: "Broadband Adapter", the more common model, this used a RealTek 8139 chip and supported 10/100mbit
 
−
* HIT-300: "Lan Adapter", this version used a Fujitsu MB86967 chip and supported only 10mbit
 
−
*Storage: "Visual Memory Unit" ([[VMU]]) 128 Kb removable storage device
 
−
*Input devices: (4 custom controller ports)
 
−
**[[Dreamcast Controller|Standard Dreamcast gamepad]] with two add‑on ports
 
−
***Add-ons: VMU, 4x Memory Card, Jump Pack
 
−
**Sega Dreamcast Keyboard
 
−
**Sega Dreamcast Mouse
 
−
**[[Dreamcast fishing controller|Sega Dreamcast Fishing Controller]]
 
−
**Sega Dreamcast Microphone (bundled with Seaman)
 
−
**[[VMU MP3 Player]] (Unreleased)
 
−
**[[Swatch Access for Dreamcast]] (Unreleased)
 
−
*Output devices:
 
−
**Sega Dreamcast RF Unit
 
−
**Sega Dreamcast AV cables (composite)
 
−
**[[Sega Dreamcast VGA Adapter]]
 
−
*Add-ons:
 
−
**Sega Dreamcast Karaoke System (Japan only)
 
−
**[[Dreameye]] (Japan only)
 
−
**[[Dreamcast Zip Drive|Sega Dreamcast Zip Drive]] (Unreleased)
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
==History==
+
{{creditstable|
−
{{MainArticle|History of the Sega Dreamcast}}
+
*[[Hideki Sato]]
−
 
+
*[[Hiroyuki Ohtaka]]
−
==Games==
+
*'''Start-up Video Production:''' [[Kazuhiro Fumoto]]
−
===List of games===
+
*'''Start-up Jingle:''' [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]]
−
{{MainArticle|List of Dreamcast games}}
+
| source=Developer mentions{{fileref|Sega_Consumer_History_JP_EnterBrain_Book.pdf|page=23}}{{ref|https://www.facebook.com/hiroyuki.ohtaka/about_work_and_education}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20231029150957/https://area.autodesk.jp/column/tutorial/softimage_maniacs/}}<ref>JW Szczepaniak (2014). ''The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers: Volume 1''</ref>
−
 
+
| console=DC
−
===Launch titles===
 
−
====Japan====
 
−
*''[[Godzilla Generations]]''
 
−
*''[[July]]''
 
−
*''[[Pen Pen TriIcelon]]''
 
−
*''[[Virtua Fighter 3tb]]''
 
−
 
 
−
====North America====
 
−
{{multicol|
 
−
*''[[Air Force Delta]]''
 
−
*''[[Blue Stinger]]''
 
−
*''[[Expendable]]''
 
−
*''[[Flag to Flag]]''
 
−
*''[[House of the Dead 2]]''
 
−
*''[[Hydro Thunder]]''
 
−
*''[[Monaco Grand Prix]]''
 
−
*''[[Mortal Kombat Gold]]''
 
−
*''[[NFL 2K]]''
 
−
*''[[NFL Blitz 2000]]''
 
−
*''[[PenPen TriIcelon]]''
 
−
*''[[Power Stone]]''
 
−
*''[[Ready 2 Rumble Boxing]]''
 
−
*''[[Sonic Adventure]]''
 
−
*''[[SoulCalibur]]''
 
−
*''[[TNN Motorsports Hardcore Heat]]''
 
−
*''[[Tokyo Xtreme Racer]]''
 
−
*''[[TrickStyle]]''
 
 
}}
 
}}
−
 
−
====Europe====
 
−
{{multicol|
 
−
*''[[Blue Stinger]]''
 
−
*''[[Dynamite Cop]]''
 
−
*''[[Incoming]]''
 
−
*''[[Millennium Soldier: Expendable]]''
 
−
*''[[Monaco Grand Prix: Racing Simulation 2]]''
 
−
*''[[Power Stone]]''
 
−
*''[[Ready 2 Rumble Boxing]]''
 
−
*''[[Sega Rally 2]]''
 
−
*''[[Sonic Adventure]]''
 
−
*''[[Tokyo Highway Challenge]]''
 
−
*''[[Trick Style]]''
 
−
*''[[Virtua Fighter 3tb]]''
 
−
}}{{fileref|DreamcastMagazine UK 03.pdf|page=7}}
 
−
 
−
====Brazil====
 
−
*''[[Blue Stinger]]''
 
−
*''[[Flag to Flag]]''
 
−
*''[[House of the Dead 2]]''
 
−
*''[[Hydro Thunder]]''
 
−
*''[[Mortal Kombat Gold]]''
 
−
*''[[Ready 2 Rumble Boxing]]''
 
−
*''[[Sonic Adventure]]''
 
−
{{ref|http://web.archive.org/web/20000303160725/http://www.tectoy.com.br/unshock/prop.htm}}
 
  
 
==Magazine articles==
 
==Magazine articles==
 
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}}
 
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}}
 +
 +
==Video coverage==
 +
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Video coverage}}
  
 
==Promotional material==
 
==Promotional material==
−
===Print advertisements===
+
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Promotional material}}
 +
 
 +
==Digital manuals==
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
−
Dreamcast BR PrintAdvert.jpg|BR (1)
+
Dreamcast US DigitalManual.pdf|US manual
−
Dreamcast BR PrintAdvert2.jpg|BR (2)
 
−
Dreamcast_BR_PrintAdvert3.jpg|BR (3)
 
−
DCInternet DC UK PrintAdvert British.jpg|UK (the British)
 
−
DCInternet DC UK PrintAdvert French.jpg|UK (the French)
 
−
DCInternet DC UK PrintAdvert Germans.jpg|UK (the Germans)
 
−
DCInternet DC UK PrintAdvert Spanish.jpg|UK (the Spanish)
 
−
DCInternet DC FR PrintAdvert British.jpg|FR (the British)
 
−
DCInternet DC FR PrintAdvert Germans.jpg|FR (the Germans)
 
−
DCInternet DC FR PrintAdvert Spanish.jpg|FR (the Spanish)
 
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
−
{{gallery
 
−
|{{GalleryPrintAd
 
−
|ODCM US 01.pdf|odmus|1|23
 
−
}}
 
−
|{{GalleryPrintAd
 
−
|ODCM US 01.pdf|odmus|1|52
 
−
}}
 
−
|{{GalleryPrintAd
 
−
|ODCM US 01.pdf|odmus|1|79
 
−
}}
 
−
|{{GalleryPrintAd
 
−
|ODCM US 01.pdf|odmus|1|100
 
−
}}
 
−
|{{GalleryPrintAd
 
−
|Arcade UK 10.pdf|arcade|10|2-3
 
−
}}
 
−
|{{GalleryPrintAd
 
−
|DCUK 01.pdf|dcuk|1|27
 
−
}}
 
−
|{{GalleryPrintAd
 
−
|ODM UK Preview.pdf|odmuk|preview|18-19
 
−
}}
 
−
|{{GalleryPrintAd
 
−
|ConsolesMax FR 02.pdf|consolesmax|2|8-9
 
−
}}
 
−
|{{GalleryPrintAd
 
−
|DDOM DE 01.pdf|dmde|1|34-35
 
−
}}
 
−
|{{GalleryPrintAd
 
−
|DDOM DE 01.pdf|dmde|1|54-55
 
−
}}
 
−
|{{galleryPrintAd
 
−
|MAN!AC DE 1999-11.pdf|maniac|1999-11|15
 
−
}}
 
−
|{{GalleryPrintAd
 
−
|MAN!AC DE 1999-12.pdf|maniac|1999-12|13
 
−
}}
 
−
}}
 
−
====Retailers====
 
−
{{gallery
 
−
|{{GalleryPrintAd
 
−
|Arcade UK 10.pdf|arcade|10|7
 
−
}}
 
−
}}
 
  
−
===Television advertisements===
+
==Gallery==
 +
{{ratings|DC}}
 +
===Official photographs===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
−
DC UK TVAdvert Barbers.mp4|UK (launch)
+
DreamcastScreenshots Hardware dreamcast & cd.png
−
DC UK TVAdvert UK.mp4|UK (the British)
+
DreamcastScreenshots Hardware back dreamcast.png
−
DC UK TVAdvert France.mp4|UK (the French)
+
DreamcastScreenshots Hardware dreamcast master.png
−
DC UK TVAdvert Germany.mp4|UK (the Germans)
+
DreamcastScreenshots Hardware Dreamcast 1.png
−
DC JP TVAdvert SomethingCampaign.mp4|JP (Campaign)
+
DreamcastScreenshots Hardware Dreamcast 2.png
 +
DreamcastScreenshots Hardware dream cast & board.png
 +
DreamcastPressDisc4 Hardware dc mit joypad und vm.jpg
 +
DreamcastPressDisc4 Hardware CONSOLE.jpg
 +
DreamcastPressDisc4 Hardware CONSOLE CONTR.jpg
 +
DreamcastPressDisc4 Hardware CONSOLE CONTR VM.jpg
 +
DreamcastPressDisc4 Hardware GROUP VM.jpg
 +
DreamcastPressDisc4 Hardware console frei.jpg
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
−
===Other advertisements===
+
==Logos by regions==
−
<gallery>
+
{|class="prettytable sortable" style="background: #f2f2f2;"
−
PlayStationBestBefore DC UK Advert.jpg
+
|-
 +
! style="width:100px;" style="text-align: center;" |'''Logo'''
 +
! style="width:100px;" style="text-align: center;" |'''Region'''
 +
|- style="background: silver;"
 +
|-
 +
|<gallery>Dreamcast logo.svg</gallery>
 +
|Used in Japan, Asia and South Korea
 +
|-
 +
|<gallery>Dreamcast logo.svg
 +
Dreamcast US Logo Sega.svg
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
|Used in North and South America
 +
|-
 +
|<gallery>Dreamcast PAL logo.svg</gallery>
 +
|Used in Western and Eastern Europe,<br> Asia, Africa, Australasia
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
==Artwork==
 
==Artwork==
−
===Hardware diagrams===
 
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
−
Dreamcast Diagram1.svg
+
Dreamcast Diagram1.svg|Hardware diagrams
 
Dreamcast Diagram2.svg
 
Dreamcast Diagram2.svg
 +
DreamcastPressDisc4 Logos STYLEGUIDE.pdf|EU branding guidelines
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
−
===Logos===
+
==Patents==
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
−
Dreamcast logo.svg|Japanese/North American logo
+
Patent USD412940.pdf|USD412940
−
Dreamcast PAL logo.svg|European/Australian logo
 
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
==External links==
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20000621105240/http://www.dreamcast.com.au/ www.dreamcast.com.au (Australia and New Zealand)]
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20010207203709/http://www.sega.at/start.html www.sega.at (Austria)]
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20020811061905/http://dreamcast.gz.ee/ dreamcast.gz.ee (Estonia)]
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/19991006055629/http://www.dreamcast-europe.com/ www.dreamcast-europe.com (Europe)]
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20010723143113/http://www.dcfin.net/ www.dcfin.net (Finland) ]
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/2001*/http://dreamcastfinland.net/ dreamcastfinland.net (Finland) ]
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040615201546/http://segadc.uw.hu/main/main.htm segadc.uw.hu (Hungary)]
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/19991110181603/http://www.dreamcast.is/ www.dreamcast.is (Iceland)]
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20011030031554/http://dreamcast.times.lv/ dreamcast.times.lv (Latvia)]
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20030603165424/http://www.symbas.com/dreamarena/index.html dreamarena.ru (Russia) ]
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20020109174127/http://www.dreamcast.pl/dreamcast/ www.dreamcast.pl (Poland)]
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20030424194435/http://dreamcast-rus.boom.ru/  dreamcast-rus.boom.ru (Russia)]
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20020321230534/http://dream-cast.narod.ru/  dream-cast.narod.ru (Russia)]
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20010302164645/http://dreamcast.miesto.sk/ dreamcast.miesto.sk (Slovakia)]
 +
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20000618081150/http://www.dreamcast.nu/ www.dreamcast.nu (Sweden)]
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
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[[Category:Sega Dreamcast| ]]
 
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Latest revision as of 15:21, 1 January 2024

Dreamcast logo.svg
Dreamcast.jpg
Dreamcast
Manufacturer: Sega
Variants: Sega NAOMI, Atomiswave, Sega System SP
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Dreamcast
JP 		¥29,80029,800 HKT-3000
Sega Dreamcast
US 		$199.99199.99 HKT-3020
Sega Dreamcast
DE 		DM 499,-499,-[5] HKT-3030
Sega Dreamcast
ES 		HKT-3030
Sega Dreamcast
FR 		1,690F1,690[4] HKT-3030
Sega Dreamcast
UK 		£199.99199.99[3] HKT-3030
Sega Dreamcast
CZ 		10400 Kč10400 [9]
Sega Dreamcast
PL 		999zł999
Sega Dreamcast
RU
Sega Dreamcast
AU 		$499.00499.00[6]
Sega Dreamcast
BR 		R$899.00899.00
Sega Dreamcast
MA 		3.999 DH3.999 DH
Sega Dreamcast
IN 		₹1400014000[11]
Sega Dreamcast
KR 		HKT-3010
Sega Dreamcast
AS 		HKT-3010

The Dreamcast (ドリームキャスト) is a home video game console manufactured by Sega as a successor to the Sega Saturn. Dubbed as Sega's "Super Console"[12], it is a "128-bit" machine designed with then-cutting edge hardware and a focus on the internet. The Dreamcast was originally released in Japan in November 1998 before seeing a Western release the following year.

The Dreamcast was Sega's seventh and final home video game console, and was discontinued in early 2001[13][14] due to financial constraints within the company. It had sold at least 8.2 million hardware units and 51.63 million software units by March 2001,[15], with estimates suggesting 10.6 million hardware units in total.

An arcade counterpart to the Dreamcast exists as the Sega NAOMI.

Hardware

The Dreamcast is a small, white box with aesthetics designed to appeal to a wide-ranging audience. It was envisioned as an "128-bit" "super console", designed to leapfrog "32-bit" and "64-bit" contemporaries in the form of the PlayStation and Nintendo 64, respectively (although from a technical standpoint, its main processor deals in 32-bit or 64-bit instructions, with the 128-bit figure coming from the graphics hardware). Incidentally the Dreamcast was the last home console to use "bits" as a selling point, with processing capabilities now typically measured in other ways.

Taking design cues from the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn, the Dreamcast contains four control ports, a removable modem, disc drive and an extension port (as well as the expected AV and power inputs). It is not backwards compatible with any prior Sega hardware or software (although its controller derives from the Saturn's 3D Control Pad), and operates in much the same way as the Saturn (and PlayStation) does, with a configurable settings and memory management accessed through a BIOS screen.

The Dreamcast uses a proprietary format of storage called GD-ROMs for games in order to circumvent software piracy, a strategy that ultimately backfired when the first run of discs had a high rate of defects. The format was also cracked fairly quickly (and in some cases, the pirated games were released before the legitimate versions). Sega largely had themselves to blame for the high levels of Dreamcast piracy—their use of the GD-ROM format was completely undermined by the console's support for the Mil-CD format, which allowed the console to boot from a standard CD-R. Mil-CD support was removed from the final Dreamcast revisions toward the end of the console's life.

The GD-ROM format also put the console at a disadvantage when competing against the PlayStation 2 - the PS2 used DVDs, and could therefore run DVD videos making it an inexpensive DVD player as well as a video game console. DVD-ROMs also have more storage space, allowing for bigger games (though the initial run of PS2 games used a blue CD-ROM format). Sega looked into DVD technology during the Dreamcast's development but claimed it was too expensive.

The Dreamcast was the first video game console to ship with a built-in 56k modem, with broadband adapters being made available later on in certain regions. This allowed the system to connect to the internet using a custom, fully-functional web browser and e-mail client. Many games released for the Dreamcast shipped with online play modes, the most popular being Phantasy Star Online and the Sega Sports lineup (now published under the ESPN label). Although other consoles before the Dreamcast had network gaming support, such as the Sega Saturn's NetLink and the Sega Mega Drive's XB∀ND, the Dreamcast was the first game console to include this ability out of the box and is therefore considered the first internet-enabled home game system.

The Dreamcast has a modest hacking enthusiast community. The availability of Windows CE software development kits on the Internet—as well as ports of Linux (LinuxDC) and dreamcast NetBSD operating systems to the Dreamcast—gave programmers a selection of familiar development tools to work with, even though they do not really support the high speed graphics. A homebrew minimal operating system called Kallistios offers support for most hardware, while not offering multi-tasking, which is superfluous for games. Many emulators and other tools (MP3, DivX players, and image viewers) have been ported to or written for the console, taking advantage of the relative ease with which a home user can write a CD which is bootable by an unmodified Dreamcast.

Sega released an arcade board, using the same technology as the Dreamcast, called Sega NAOMI, leading to many Dreamcast-exclusive games with a high level of arcade quality.

The Dreamcast's PowerVR CLX2 was the first GPU for a home system with hardware capabilities such as bump mapping, volumetric effects,[16] order-independent transparency, and Dot3 normal mapping.[17]

Models

Main article: Dreamcast consoles.

  • Japanese model

  • North American model

  • European model

Japanese Dreamcasts can be identified by the triangle at the front of the unit. Though the power LED is identical across all regions, the piece of plastic attached to the lid of the Japanese model is transparent, while in North America it is grey. The Japanese models also have the text "Designed for Microsoft Windows CE" printed on the front right, whereas Western versions say "Compatible with Microsoft Windows CE".

For a full list of special edition Dreamcasts, see Special Dreamcast Models.

Technical specifications

Main article: Sega Dreamcast/Technical specifications.

Hardware comparisons

Main article: Sega Dreamcast/Hardware comparison.

History

Main article: History of the Sega Dreamcast.

Localised names

Also known as
Language Localised Name English Translation
English Sega Dreamcast Sega Dreamcast
Japanese ドリームキャスト Dreamcast
Hebrew דרימקאסט

Games

Main article: Sega Dreamcast games.

Production credits

A list of names, likely the various people involved with console's creation, can be found at 0x1A1A0 in the flash ROM.

Source:
ROM text[18]


Source:
Developer mentions[19][20][21][22]


Magazine articles

Main article: Sega Dreamcast/Magazine articles.

Video coverage

Main article: Sega Dreamcast/Video coverage.

Promotional material

Main article: Sega Dreamcast/Promotional material.

Digital manuals

  • US manual

Gallery

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
GameZine (UK)
90
[23]
Komputer Świat Gry (PL)
75
[24]
Man!ak (PL)
85
[25]
Play (PL)
60
[26]
PSX Extreme (PL)
78
[27]
PSX Extreme (PL)
57
[28]
Sega Dreamcast
 74
Based on
6 reviews

Sega Dreamcast

Official photographs

  • DreamcastScreenshots Hardware dreamcast & cd.png
  • DreamcastScreenshots Hardware back dreamcast.png
  • DreamcastScreenshots Hardware dreamcast master.png
  • DreamcastScreenshots Hardware Dreamcast 1.png
  • DreamcastScreenshots Hardware Dreamcast 2.png
  • DreamcastScreenshots Hardware dream cast & board.png
  • DreamcastPressDisc4 Hardware dc mit joypad und vm.jpg
  • DreamcastPressDisc4 Hardware CONSOLE.jpg
  • DreamcastPressDisc4 Hardware CONSOLE CONTR.jpg
  • DreamcastPressDisc4 Hardware CONSOLE CONTR VM.jpg
  • DreamcastPressDisc4 Hardware GROUP VM.jpg
  • DreamcastPressDisc4 Hardware console frei.jpg

Logos by regions

Logo Region
  • Dreamcast logo.svg
 Used in Japan, Asia and South Korea
  • Dreamcast logo.svg
  • Dreamcast US Logo Sega.svg
 Used in North and South America
  • Dreamcast PAL logo.svg
 Used in Western and Eastern Europe,
Asia, Africa, Australasia

Artwork

  • Hardware diagrams

  • Dreamcast Diagram2.svg

  • EU branding guidelines

Patents

  • USD412940

External links

References

  1. ↑ Press release: 1999-09-02: Sega Dreamcast Launch Titles and Peripherals
  2. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "November 1999" (UK; 1999-10-13), page 52
  3. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "October 1999" (UK; 1999-09-15), page 59
  4. ↑ File:ConsolesMicro FR 01.pdf, page 15
  5. ↑ File:NextLevel DE 1999-0910.pdf, page 6
  6. ↑ Hyper, "September 1999" (AU; 1999-xx-xx), page 29
  7. ↑ Dreamcast (Tectoy) (Wayback Machine: 2000-03-03 16:07)
  8. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20010409225930/http://sega.ru:80/news.phtml
  9. ↑ https://www.idnes.cz/ekonomika/test-a-spotrebitel/nova-konzole-dreamcast-prehrava-konkurenci.A_2000M051T05A
  10. ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/22/dreamcast-heads-to-india
  11. ↑ https://www.afaqs.com/news/story/795_Stracon-ready-to-turn-the-TV-into-a-multi-dimensional-entertainment-device
  12. ↑ Press release: 1998-05-21: Sega Unveils Super Console!
  13. ↑ Press Release: 2001-01-28: Dúvidas e confirmações no futuro da Dreamcast
  14. ↑ Press Release: 2001-10-29: Dreamcast não desiste e mostra novos trunfos
  15. ↑ File:AnnualReport2001 English.pdf, page 16
  16. ↑ Gamers' Republic, "August 1998" (US; 1998-07-21), page 29
  17. ↑ [PC Magazine, December 1999, page 193 PC Magazine, December 1999, page 193]
  18. ↑ The Cutting Room Floor: Dreamcast
  19. ↑ File:Sega_Consumer_History_JP_EnterBrain_Book.pdf, page 23
  20. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/hiroyuki.ohtaka/about_work_and_education
  21. ↑ https://area.autodesk.jp/column/tutorial/softimage_maniacs/ (Wayback Machine: 2023-10-29 15:09)
  22. ↑ JW Szczepaniak (2014). The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers: Volume 1
  23. ↑ GameZine (UK) (+0:00)
  24. ↑ Komputer Świat Gry, "Czerwiec-lipiec 2000" (PL; 2000-xx-xx), page 72
  25. ↑ Man!ak, "Grudzień 1999" (PL; 1999-xx-xx), page 10
  26. ↑ Play, "Wszystko o Konsolach" (PL; 2001-xx-xx), page 2
  27. ↑ PSX Extreme, "02/99" (PL; 1999-0x-xx), page 18
  28. ↑ PSX Extreme, "03/2001" (PL; 2001-0x-xx), page 42
Sega Home Video Game Systems
83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11
SG-1000 SG-1000 II Mega Drive Mega Drive II
SC-3000 Mega-CD Mega-CD II Genesis 3
Sega Mark III 32X Dreamcast
Master System Master System II
AI Computer Game Gear
Saturn
Pico Beena


Sega Dreamcast
Topics Technical specifications (Hardware comparison) | History (Development | Release | Decline and legacy | Internet) | List of games | Magazine articles | Promotional material | Merchandise
Hardware Japan (Special) | Western Europe | Eastern Europe | North America | Asia | South America | Australasia | Africa
Add-ons Dreamcast Karaoke | Dreameye
Controllers Controller | Arcade Stick | Fishing Controller | Gun (Dream Blaster) | Race Controller | Maracas Controller (Third-party) | Twin Stick | Keyboard | Mouse | Third-party
Controller Add-ons Jump Pack (Third-party) | Microphone | VMU (4x Memory Card | Third-party)
Development Hardware Dev.Box | Controller Box | Controller Function Checker | Sound Box | GD-Writer | C1/C2 Checker | Dev.Cas | GD-ROM Duplicator
Online Services/Add-ons Dreamarena | SegaNet | WebTV for Dreamcast | Modem | Modular Cable | Modular Extension Cable | Broadband Adapter | Dreamphone
Connector Cables Onsei Setsuzoku Cable | RF Adapter | Scart Cable | S Tanshi Cable | Stereo AV Cable | VGA Box

Dreamcast MIDI Interface Cable | Neo Geo Pocket/Dreamcast Setsuzoku Cable | Taisen Cable

Misc. Hardware Action Replay CDX | Code Breaker | Kiosk | MP3 DC | MP3 DC Audio Player | Official Case | Treamcast
Third-party accessories Controllers | Controller converters | Miscellaneous
Unreleased Accessories DVD Player | Zip Drive | Swatch Access for Dreamcast | VMU MP3 Player
Arcade Variants NAOMI | Atomiswave | Sega Aurora
Retrieved from "https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=Sega_Dreamcast&oldid=947838"