Difference between revisions of "Sega Dreamcast"

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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 [[32-bit era|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.
 
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 [[32-bit era|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 [[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.
+
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.

Revision as of 15:33, 4 April 2017

Dreamcast.jpg
Sega Dreamcast
Manufacturer: Sega
Variants: Sega NAOMI, Atomiswave, Sega Aurora
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,-[4] HKT-3030
Sega Dreamcast
ES 		HKT-3030
Sega Dreamcast
FR 		1,690F1,690[3] HKT-3030
Sega Dreamcast
UK 		£199.99199.99[2] HKT-3030
Sega Dreamcast
AU 		$499.00499.00
Sega Dreamcast
BR 		R$899.00899.00
Sega Dreamcast
KR 		HKT-3010
Sega Dreamcast
AS 		HKT-3010

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 the 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.

The Dreamcast was Sega's last home video game console, and was discontinued in early 2001. Roughly 10.6 million Dreamcast consoles have been sold worldwide.

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,[6] order-independent transparency, and Dot3 normal mapping.[7]

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.

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

Technical specifications

CPU

  • Main CPU: Hitachi SH-4[8][9]
    • Operating frequency: 200 MHz
    • Features: RISC, 2-way Superscalar,[10][8] parallel pipelining[11]
    • Units: 128‑bit SIMD vector unit with graphic functions, 64‑bit floating‑point unit, 32‑bit fixed‑point unit, DMA controller[9] (frees CPU for other tasks),[6] interrupt controller[9]
    • 128‑bit vector graphic computational engine (SIMD) @ 200 MHz: Vector unit, geometry processor, DSP, graphic functions,[9][12] 3D capabilities,[6] calculates T&L geometry and lighting of polygons, creates 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)[13]
    • Bus width: 128‑bit internal, 64‑bit external
    • Bandwidth: 3.2 GB/s internal, 1.6 GB/s external
  • Performance:

Graphics

Graphical specifications of the Dreamcast:[15][13][16]

  • GPU: 2 graphics processors (SH‑4 SIMD, CLX2)
    • Cores: 6 cores (SH‑4 SIMD, 5 CLX2 cores)
  • GPU Geometry Processor: Hitachi SH‑4 SIMD @ 200 MHz (1.4 GFLOPS)
  • GPU Rasterizer: NEC‑VideoLogic PowerVR CLX2 (PVR2DC/HOLLY) @ 100 MHz (PowerVR2 series)
  • CLX2 Cores: Tile Accelerator (TA), Image Synthesis Processor (ISP), Texture & Shading Processor (TSP), Triangle Setup FPU, RAMDAC[17]
    • CLX2 units: 50 rendering units (37 ISP units, 10 TSP units, 2 FPU units, 1 RAMDAC)
  • TA Tile Accelerator: 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
  • ISP Image Synthesis Processor: Rasterizer, depth‑sorting, parallel‑processing of tiles/pixels/polygons at high speeds, reduces bandwidth requirements[20]
    • 37 ISP units: ISP Precalc Unit, ISP PE Array (32 PE), Depth Accumulation Buffer, Span RLC, Span Sorter, ISP Parameter Cache[21]
    • ISP PE Array: 32 processor elements (PE), on-chip depth sorting, on-chip Z-buffering, 3D processing of 32 pixels/cycle per PE (1024-bit), 32-bit Z-buffer depth data processing[gn 4]
    • ISP Parameter Cache: 12 KB
    • Span RLC: RLE tile/polygon compression, 32 pixels/cycle, 32-bit[gn 5]
  • TSP Texture & Shading Processor: Shader and texture‑mapping unit[gn 6]
    • 10 TSP units: TSP Precalc, Parameter Cache, Texture Cache, Iterator Array, Pixel Processing Engine, Tile Accumulation Buffer, Secondary Accumulation Buffer, Combine & Bump Map Unit, Fog Unit, Alpha Blending Unit[24]
    • Pixel Processing Engine: Texturing/Shading for 32-pixel data processed by ISP[22]
    • TSP Parameter Cache: 12 KB[21]
    • Texture Cache: 1 KB (64-bit), VQ texture compression/decompression
    • Tile Accumulation Buffer: 4 KB (32-bit),[25] 32×32 pixels[26]
    • Secondary Accumulation Buffer: 4 KB (32-bit),[25] 32×32 pixels
  • Triangle Setup FPU: 2 FPU rendering units, 728 MFLOPS
    • ISP Setup FPU: 100 MHz, 364 MFLOPS, surface and culling processing for polygons, 7,142,857 polygons/sec[gn 7]
    • TSP Setup FPU: 100 MHz, 364 MFLOPS, shading and texture processing[27] for tiles processed by ISP[22]
  • RAMDAC: 230 MHz[29]
  • CLX2 Capabilities:
  • Display Resolution: 320×240 to 800×608 pixels, interlaced and progressive scan, TV and VGA
    • Internal resolution: 320×240 to 1600×1200 pixels[29]
    • Texture map resolutions: 8×8 to 2048×2048 texels[31]
  • Refresh rate: 30–60 Hz (NTSC/PAL60), 25–50 Hz (PAL50)[50]
    • Maximum frame rate: 60 FPS (NTSC/PAL60), 50 FPS (PAL50)
  • Color Depth: 16‑bit RGB to 32‑bit ARGB,[38] 65,536 colors (16‑bit color) to 16,777,216 colors (24‑bit color) with 8‑bit (256 levels) alpha blending, YUV and RGB color spaces, color key overlay[51]
  • Framebuffer: Optional (raster method can be used with tile buffer)[52][53]
    • Strip/Tile buffer: 32×32×16‑bit (4 KB) to 32×32×32‑bit (8 KB) in local tile buffer cache memory[13]
    • Full framebuffer: 320×240×16-bit (300 KB) to 1600×1200×24‑bit (5625 KB) or 2048×2048×16‑bit (8 MB) in VRAM (optional)[53]
    • Note: Due to deferred rendering, framebuffer only needs to be filled once per fram[gn 9]
  • VRAM: 8 MB (unified framebuffer and texture memory, effectively 21–63 MB with texture compression)[54][13]
    • Framebuffer: 300–5625 KB (optional)[gn 10]
    • Polygons: Stored in double-buffered display lists,[55][56] 22 bytes per shaded triangle,[gn 11] 31 bytes per textured triangle,[gn 12] 36 bytes per bump-mapped triangle,[gn 13] 38 bytes per volume-modified triangle,[gn 14] 96 bytes per sprite[gn 15][57]
    • Textures: 32 KB[gn 16] to 8 MB (effectively 21–63 MB with texture compression),[33][gn 17] 32 bytes[gn 18] to 386 KB[gn 19] or 1026 KB[gn 20] per texture
    • VRAM bandwidth: 800 MB/s (effectively up to 2.1–6.3 GB/s with texture compression)
    • Note: Main RAM also used to store polygon display lists. Textures transferred directly to VRAM. Main RAM can also optionally be used to store textures.
  • Floating-Point Performance: 2.1 GFLOPS
    • SH-4 SIMD: 1.4 GFLOPS geometry
    • CLX2: 728 MFLOPS rendering
  • Rendering Fillrate:[10][13]
    • 3.2 GPixels/s: Maximum fillrate for opaque polygons[gn 21]
    • 500 MPixels/s: Average fillrate for translucent and opaque polygons[59][gn 22]
    • 100 MPixels/s: Minimum fillrate for translucent polygons with hardware sort depth of 60[gn 23]
    • 100 MPixels/s to 3.2 GPixels/s, depending on translucency and depth of polygons[gn 24]
  • Texture Fillrate:[gn 25]
    • 3.2 GTexels/s: Maximum fillrate for opaque polygons
    • 500 MTexels/s: Average fillrate for translucent and opaque polygons
    • 100 MTexels/s: Minimum fillrate for translucent polygons with hardware sort depth of 60
  • SH-4 Polygon T&L Geometry: 1.4 GFLOPS[10][60]
    • Matrix transformations: 50 million vertices/s[gn 26]
    • Perspective transformations: 16.6 million vertices/sec,[gn 27] 16 million polygons/s[gn 28]
    • 1 light source: 14.2 million vertices/s,[gn 29] 14 million polygons/s[gn 30][10]
    • 4 light sources: 6.89 million vertices/s,[gn 31] 6.8 million polygons/s
  • CLX2 Polygon Rendering:[10][57]
    • 16 million vertices/s[gn 32]
    • 7.1 million polygons/s: Lighting, Gouraud shading[gn 33]
    • 7–7.1 million polygons/s: Lighting, texture mapping, Gouraud shading[gn 34]
    • 7 million polygons/s: Lighting, texture mapping, shadows[29][gn 35]
    • 7 million polygons/s: Lighting, texture mapping, trilinear filtering[69][gn 35]
    • 5–6.4 million polygons/s: Lighting, texture mapping, Gouraud shading, shadows, modifier volumes, bump mapping[gn 36]
    • 4.13 million polygons/s: Lighting, texture mapping, anisotropic filtering[gn 37]
    • 3.12 million polygons/s: Lighting, texture mapping, Gouraud shading, shadows, modifier volumes, bump mapping, anisotropic filtering, translucent polygons[gn 38]
  • 2D sprite capabilities: Sprites rendered as textured translucent quad polygons[71]
    • Colors per sprite: 16 colors (4-bit color) to 16,777,216 colors (24-bit color)[72]
    • Sprite sizes: 8×8 texels (224 bytes) to 2048×2048 texels (1026.2 KB)[30][33]
    • Sprite fillrate: 100 MTexels/s
    • Maximum sprites per frame: 26,041 sprites (8×8, 60 FPS), 31,250 sprites (8×8, 50 FPS)
    • Maximum texels per scanline: 6944 texels (NTSC/PAL60), 8333 texels (PAL50)
    • Maximum sprites per scanline: 868 sprites (NTSC/PAL60), 1041 sprites (PAL50)
  • 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[10]
Notes
  1. ↑ [2 instructions per cycle[14] 2 instructions per cycle[14]]
  2. ↑ [7 floating-point operations per cycle 7 floating-point operations per cycle]
  3. ↑ [32-bit,[18] 2397 bytes[19] 32-bit,[18] 2397 bytes[19]]
  4. ↑ [3 cycles/polygon, 1 tile/cycle[22][23] 3 cycles/polygon, 1 tile/cycle[22][23]]
  5. ↑ [3.2 GPixels/s 3.2 GPixels/s]
  6. ↑ [Avoids shading/texturing overdrawn pixels/tiles and back‑facing polygons to maximize bandwidth for on‑screen pixels/tiles and front‑facing polygons, perspective correction for all texture/shading elements (including fog and alpha blending)[20] Avoids shading/texturing overdrawn pixels/tiles and back‑facing polygons to maximize bandwidth for on‑screen pixels/tiles and front‑facing polygons, perspective correction for all texture/shading elements (including fog and alpha blending)[20]]
  7. ↑ [14 cycles per polygon, 51 floating-point operations per polygon, 51 floating-point operations per 14 cycles[27][28] 14 cycles per polygon, 51 floating-point operations per polygon, 51 floating-point operations per 14 cycles[27][28]]
  8. ↑ [32 pixels per cycle[10][20] 32 pixels per cycle[10][20]] (Wayback Machine: 2000-08-23 20:47)
  9. ↑ [For opaque polygons, while translucent polygons can overdraw with up to 100 MPixels/s (200–300 MB/s) For opaque polygons, while translucent polygons can overdraw with up to 100 MPixels/s (200–300 MB/s)]
  10. ↑ [Average 1200 KB (640×480, 16-bit color, double-buffered) Average 1200 KB (640×480, 16-bit color, double-buffered)]
  11. ↑ [Flat/Gouraud shading, 43 bytes double-buffered Flat/Gouraud shading, 43 bytes double-buffered]
  12. ↑ [Gouraud shading, 62 bytes double-buffered Gouraud shading, 62 bytes double-buffered]
  13. ↑ [Textured, Gouraud shading, bump mapping, 72 bytes double-buffered Textured, Gouraud shading, bump mapping, 72 bytes double-buffered]
  14. ↑ [Textured, Gouraud shading, modifier volumes, 75 bytes double-buffered Textured, Gouraud shading, modifier volumes, 75 bytes double-buffered]
  15. ↑ [Sprite, quad, 192 bytes double-buffered Sprite, quad, 192 bytes double-buffered]
  16. ↑ [8×8 texture, 16 colors 8×8 texture, 16 colors]
  17. ↑ [Average 5 MB[58] (effectively 20–30 MB with texture compression)[32] Average 5 MB[58] (effectively 20–30 MB with texture compression)[32]]
  18. ↑ [8×8×4-bit 8×8×4-bit]
  19. ↑ [1024×1024×24-bit[33][31] 1024×1024×24-bit[33][31]]
  20. ↑ [2048×2048×16-bit[31] 2048×2048×16-bit[31]]
  21. ↑ [32 pixels per cycle,[20] 1 pixel per PE (processor element)[22][23] 32 pixels per cycle,[20] 1 pixel per PE (processor element)[22][23]]
  22. ↑ [5 pixels per cycle, 6 PEs (processor elements) per pixel 5 pixels per cycle, 6 PEs (processor elements) per pixel]
  23. ↑ [60 layers depth, 1 pixel per cycle, 32 PEs per pixel 60 layers depth, 1 pixel per cycle, 32 PEs per pixel]
  24. ↑ [1–60 layers depth, 1–32 pixels per cycle,[16] 1–32 PEs per pixel 1–60 layers depth, 1–32 pixels per cycle,[16] 1–32 PEs per pixel]
  25. ↑ [Same as pixel rendering fillrate Same as pixel rendering fillrate]
  26. ↑ [4 cycles per matrix transformation[61] 4 cycles per matrix transformation[61]]
  27. ↑ [12 cycles per vertex (12 cycles division latency)[62]
    • 4 cycles matrix transformation[61]
    • 5 cycles perspective division: 2 multiplies, 1 divide, 2 FLDI1[63] (1 MAC per cycle,[64] 1 divide per cycle,[62] 1 cycle per FLDI1)[65] 12 cycles per vertex (12 cycles division latency)[62]
    • 4 cycles matrix transformation[61]
    • 5 cycles perspective division: 2 multiplies, 1 divide, 2 FLDI1[63] (1 MAC per cycle,[64] 1 divide per cycle,[62] 1 cycle per FLDI1)[65]]
  28. ↑ [N triangle strips per N+2 vertices[66] N triangle strips per N+2 vertices[66]]
  29. ↑ [14 cycles per vertex: 4 cycles matrix transformation, 5 cycles perspective division, 1 cycle surface normal, 4 cycles lighting matrix[67][60][68] 14 cycles per vertex: 4 cycles matrix transformation, 5 cycles perspective division, 1 cycle surface normal, 4 cycles lighting matrix[67][60][68]]
  30. ↑ [N triangle strips per N+2 vertices N triangle strips per N+2 vertices]
  31. ↑ [29 cycles per vertex: 4 cycles matrix transformation, 5 cycles perspective division, 4 surface normals (4 cycles), 4 lighting matrices (16 cycles) 29 cycles per vertex: 4 cycles matrix transformation, 5 cycles perspective division, 4 surface normals (4 cycles), 4 lighting matrices (16 cycles)]
  32. ↑ [14 ISP FPU cycles per 3 vertices,[27] 192 pixels per vertex 14 ISP FPU cycles per 3 vertices,[27] 192 pixels per vertex]
  33. ↑ [14 ISP FPU cycles per polygon,[27] 119,000–187,000 polygons per scene, 450 pixels per polygon 14 ISP FPU cycles per polygon,[27] 119,000–187,000 polygons per scene, 450 pixels per polygon]
  34. ↑ [116,000–130,326 polygons per scene, 70 texels per polygon 116,000–130,326 polygons per scene, 70 texels per polygon]
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 [116,000–116,667 polygons per scene, 71 texels per polygon 116,000–116,667 polygons per scene, 71 texels per polygon]
  36. ↑ [83,000–107,736 polygons per scene, 78–100 texels per polygon 83,000–107,736 polygons per scene, 78–100 texels per polygon]
  37. ↑ [68,832 polygons per scene,[70] 121 texels per polygon 68,832 polygons per scene,[70] 121 texels per polygon]
  38. ↑ [50,000–56,000 polygons per scene, 32 texels per polygon 50,000–56,000 polygons per scene, 32 texels per polygon]

Memory

  • System RAM: 26.125 MB
  • Internal Processor Cache: 91.326 KB[mn 3][13]
  • System ROM: 2 MB[15]
  • Flash Memory: 128 KB[13]
  • GD-ROM Drive: 12× maximum speed (when running in Constant Angular Velocity mode)[15][13]
    • Disc formats: GD‑ROM, CD‑ROM, CD‑DA, , Photo CD, Video CD, CD Extra, CD+G, CD+EG
    • Storage capacity: 1 GB per GD‑ROM, 656 MB per CD‑ROM

Bandwidth

  • System RAM Bandwidth: 1.75 GB/s[mn 7]
  • Internal Processor Cache Bandwidth: 18.8 GB/s[mn 12]
  • System ROM Bandwidth: 20 MB/s[mn 16]
  • Transmission Bandwidth:[78]
    • SH4 <‑> CLX2 — 800 MB/s[mn 17]
    • SH4IF <-> PVRIF — 400 MB/s[mn 18]
    • SH4 <-> Root Bus — 200 MB/s[mn 19]
  • GD‑ROM Drive: 1.8 MB/s transfer rate, 250 milliseconds access time
Notes
  1. ↑ Hyundai HY57V161610D[73]
    • Can be used for storing textures and polygon display lists, accessible by SH4 and PowerVR2 (via SH4 DMA)[13]
  2. ↑ [Unified framebuffer and texture memory[54]
    • Accessible by Power VR2 and SH4 (via DMA and store queues)
    Unified framebuffer and texture memory[54]
    • Accessible by Power VR2 and SH4 (via DMA and store queues)]
  3. ↑ [93,518 bytes 93,518 bytes]
  4. ↑ [26,178 bytes: 8 KB instruction cache, 16 KB data cache, 64 bytes store queue cache,[74] 1538 bytes registers 26,178 bytes: 8 KB instruction cache, 16 KB data cache, 64 bytes store queue cache,[74] 1538 bytes registers]
  5. ↑ [34,560 bytes:
    • Register memory: 8.25 KB[75] (2397 bytes TA tile buffer,[19][18] 509 bytes fog table, 4093 bytes palette RAM)[76]
    • ISP cache: 12.25 KB (12 KB ISP Parameter Cache,[21] 128 bytes Depth Accumulation Buffer, 1024-bit ISP PE Array)[22]
    • TSP cache: 13 KB (4 KB TSP Parameter Cache,[21] 1 KB Texture Cache,[20] 4 KB Tile Accumulation Buffer,[26][25] 4 KB Secondary Accumulation Buffer)[25]
    • FIFO buffer: 256 bytes
    34,560 bytes:
    • Register memory: 8.25 KB[75] (2397 bytes TA tile buffer,[19][18] 509 bytes fog table, 4093 bytes palette RAM)[76]
    • ISP cache: 12.25 KB (12 KB ISP Parameter Cache,[21] 128 bytes Depth Accumulation Buffer, 1024-bit ISP PE Array)[22]
    • TSP cache: 13 KB (4 KB TSP Parameter Cache,[21] 1 KB Texture Cache,[20] 4 KB Tile Accumulation Buffer,[26][25] 4 KB Secondary Accumulation Buffer)[25]
    • FIFO buffer: 256 bytes]
  6. ↑ [32,780 bytes: 32 KB sound registers, 8 bytes RTC registers,[15] 4 bytes FIFO buffer 32,780 bytes: 32 KB sound registers, 8 bytes RTC registers,[15] 4 bytes FIFO buffer]
  7. ↑ [4 buses, 160-bit bus width[15] 4 buses, 160-bit bus width[15]]
  8. ↑ [64‑bit, 100 MHz[77] 64‑bit, 100 MHz[77]]
  9. ↑ [64‑bit, 100 MHz,[78] 64‑bit, 100 MHz,[78]]
  10. ↑ [16‑bit, 66 MHz 16‑bit, 66 MHz]
  11. ↑ [16‑bit 16‑bit]
  12. ↑ [384‑bit 384‑bit]
  13. ↑ [128‑bit, 200 MHz 128‑bit, 200 MHz]
  14. ↑ [1248‑bit, 100 MHz:
    • Register memory: 1.2 GB/s (32-bit ISP registers, 32-bit TSP registers,[43] 32-bit TA tile buffer)[18]
    • ISP PE Array: 12.8 GB/s (1024-bit)[22]
    • TSP cache: 1.6 GB/s (64-bit Texture Cache,[20] 32-bit Tile Accumulation Buffer, 32-bit Secondary Accumulation Buffer)
    1248‑bit, 100 MHz:
    • Register memory: 1.2 GB/s (32-bit ISP registers, 32-bit TSP registers,[43] 32-bit TA tile buffer)[18]
    • ISP PE Array: 12.8 GB/s (1024-bit)[22]
    • TSP cache: 1.6 GB/s (64-bit Texture Cache,[20] 32-bit Tile Accumulation Buffer, 32-bit Secondary Accumulation Buffer)]
  15. ↑ [32‑bit, 67 MHz 32‑bit, 67 MHz]
  16. ↑ [16‑bit, 10 MHz 16‑bit, 10 MHz]
  17. ↑ [64‑bit, 100 MHz 64‑bit, 100 MHz]
  18. ↑ [32‑bit, 100 MHz 32‑bit, 100 MHz]
  19. ↑ [32‑bit, 50 MHz 32‑bit, 50 MHz]

BIOS

BIOS Revisions
BIOS Version Machine Download
1.004 Sega Dreamcast (Commercial-Early) 1.004 (Japan) (info) ("Jp_dc_1.004.7z" does not exist)
1.01d Sega Dreamcast (Commercial) 1.01d (North America) (info) ("Us_dc_1.01d.zip" does not exist)
1.01d (Europe) (info) ("Eu_dc_1.01d.zip" does not exist)
1.01d (Japan) (info) ("Jp_dc_1.01d.zip" does not exist)
1.011 Sega Dreamcast (HKT-0120 Devbox) 1.011 (HKT-0120 Devbox) (info) ("Jp_dc_1.011(dev).7z" does not exist)

Other specifications

  • Operating Systems:
  • 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)
  • Output devices:
  • Add-ons:

Technical comparison

Main article: Sega Dreamcast/Hardware comparison.

History

Main article: History of the Sega Dreamcast.

Games

List of games

Main article: List of Dreamcast games.

Launch titles

Japan

North America

Europe

[81]

Brazil

[5]

Magazine articles

Main article: Sega Dreamcast/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advertisements

  • UK (the British)

  • UK (the French)

  • UK (the Germans)

  • 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)

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Print advert in Official Dreamcast Magazine (US) #1: "September 1999" (1999-08-24)
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Print advert in Official Dreamcast Magazine (US) #1: "September 1999" (1999-08-24)
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Print advert in Official Dreamcast Magazine (US) #1: "September 1999" (1999-08-24)
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Print advert in Official Dreamcast Magazine (US) #1: "September 1999" (1999-08-24)
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Print advert in Arcade (UK) #10: "September 1999" (1999-07-27)
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Print advert in DC-UK (UK) #1: "September 1999" (1999-09-02)
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Print advert in Official Dreamcast Magazine (UK) #preview: "Taster" (1999-xx-xx)
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Print advert in Consoles Max (FR) #2: "Juillet/Août 1999" (1999-0x-xx)
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Print advert in Dreamcast: Das Offizielle Magazin (DE) #1: "Oktober 1999" (1999-10-14)
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Print advert in Dreamcast: Das Offizielle Magazin (DE) #1: "Oktober 1999" (1999-10-14)
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Print advert in MAN!AC (DE) #1999-11: "11/99" (1999-10-06)
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Print advert in MAN!AC (DE) #1999-12: "12/99" (1999-11-03)
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Print advert in Gamers (BR) #44: "Ano 6 No. 44" (xxxx-xx-xx)
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Print advert in SuperGamePower (BR) #89: "Agosto 2001" (2001-xx-xx)
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Retailers

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Print advert in Arcade (UK) #10: "September 1999" (1999-07-27)
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Television advertisements

  • UK (launch)

  • UK (the British)

  • UK (the French)

  • UK (the Germans)

  • JP (Campaign)

Other advertisements

  • PlayStationBestBefore DC UK Advert.jpg

Artwork

Hardware diagrams

  • Dreamcast Diagram1.svg
  • Dreamcast Diagram2.svg

Logos

  • Japanese/North American logo

  • European/Australian logo

References

  1. ↑ File:CVG UK 216.pdf, page 52
  2. ↑ File:CVG UK 215.pdf, page 59
  3. ↑ File:ConsolesMicro FR 01.pdf, page 15
  4. ↑ File:NextLevel DE 1999-0910.pdf, page 6
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dreamcast (Tectoy) (Wayback Machine: 2000-03-03 16:07)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 File:GamersRepublic US 03.pdf, page 29
  7. ↑ [PC Magazine, December 1999, page 193 PC Magazine, December 1999, page 193]
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 File:SH-4 Software Manual.pdf
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 File:SH-4 datasheet.pdf
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 Sega Dreamcast: Implementation (IEEE) (Wayback Machine: 2000-08-23 20:47)
  11. ↑ File:SH-4 Software Manual.pdf, page 187
  12. ↑ File:SH-4 Next-Generation DSP Architecture.pdf
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 13.9 File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf
  14. ↑ File:SH-4 Software Manual.pdf, page 5
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 File:Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 File:PowerVR2DCFeaturesUnderWindowsCE.pdf
  17. ↑ File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 94
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 165
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 101
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 96
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 PC 3D Graphics Accelerators FAQ: VideoLogic PowerVR
  22. ↑ 22.00 22.01 22.02 22.03 22.04 22.05 22.06 22.07 22.08 22.09 22.10 File:PowerVR.pdf, page 3
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 File:Patent US20030025695.pdf
  24. ↑ File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 110
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 111
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 127
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 95
  28. ↑ File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 203
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 VideoLogic's 100 MHz PowerVR Series2
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 98
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 144
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Hideki Sato Sega Interview (Edge)
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 File:PowerVR2DCFeaturesUnderWindowsCE.pdf, page 9
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 SEGA Dreamcast: Programming Hints
  35. ↑ File:PowerVR2DCFeaturesUnderWindowsCE.pdf, page 11
  36. ↑ File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 120
  37. ↑ File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 116
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.3 File:Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf, page 22
  39. ↑ Optimizing Dreamcast Microsoft Direct3D Performance (1999-03-01) (Microsoft)
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 File:PowerVR.pdf, page 4
  41. ↑ Tiling Accelerator Notes
  42. ↑ Zombie Revenge (21 January 2000)
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 PowerVR (Dreamcast Hardware)
  44. ↑ Dreamcast Comparison
  45. ↑ Quake III Arena vs Unreal Tournament (IGN)
  46. ↑ Dreamcast homebrew - winter terrain and light bloom
  47. ↑ Dreamcast homebrew engine: More dynamic shadows and lighting
  48. ↑ DF Retro: Shenmue - A Game Ahead Of Its Time (Digital Foundry)
  49. ↑ PowerVR: The Second Generation (February 21, 1998)
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 File:Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf, page 23
  51. ↑ Neon 250 Specs & Features (Wayback Machine: 2007-08-11 10:20)
  52. ↑ File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 13
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 93
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 File:Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf, page 18
  55. ↑ File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 102
  56. ↑ File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 152
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 199
  58. ↑ How Many Polygons Can the Dreamcast Render?
  59. ↑ File:Edge UK 067.pdf, page 11
  60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 File:SH-4 Software Manual.pdf, page 151
  61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 File:SH-4 Next-Generation DSP Architecture.pdf, page 12
  62. ↑ 62.0 62.1 File:SH-4 Software Manual.pdf, page 211
  63. ↑ Dreamcast: Basic matrix operations (KallistiOS)
  64. ↑ File:SH-4 Next-Generation DSP Architecture.pdf, page 4
  65. ↑ File:SH-4 Software Manual.pdf, page 295
  66. ↑ File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 91
  67. ↑ Design of Digital Systems and Devices (page 96)
  68. ↑ File:SH-4 Next-Generation DSP Architecture.pdf, page 31
  69. ↑ Vintage Game Consoles: An Inside Look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the Greatest Gaming Platforms of All Time (Page 277)
  70. ↑ Homebrew Test
  71. ↑ File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 103
  72. ↑ File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 138
  73. ↑ File:HY57V161610D datasheet.pdf
  74. ↑ File:SH-4 Software Manual.pdf, page 25
  75. ↑ File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 17
  76. ↑ File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 37
  77. ↑ File:Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf, page 14
  78. ↑ 78.0 78.1 File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 42
  79. ↑ File:DreamcastDevBoxSystemArchitecture.pdf, page 49
  80. ↑ File:Dreamcast Hardware Specification Outline.pdf, page 6
  81. ↑ File:DreamcastMagazine UK 03.pdf, page 7
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
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