Sega Dreamcast

Introduction

The Dreamcast, released in 1998 in Japan, and 1999 in North America and Europe, was Sega's last console as the failure of the video game system caused Sega to focus on software only for the home market. Although the Dreamcast lasted a mere 3 years the console is so beloved that many still look back at its short life favourably and there are as of 2018 fan made games being released for the system.

Despite its relatively small size the Dreamcast outperformed PC games of the era in terms of graphics, helped make online gaming a standard (the Dreamcast was sold with a dial-up modem attached to the expansion port), and featured 4 controller ports that accepted a wide range of peripherals.

Overview

The standard Dreamcast is white, features an orange power LED, a power button and an 'open' button to release the lid so that a game disc can be placed inside. The lid has 'Dreamcast' written on it and there is also the 'swirl' logo which is orange for the Japanese Dreamcast, red for the North American version, and blue for the European version. The reason for the different colour logo based on region was supposedly to avoid conflicts with the logo of German game/toy company Tivola, which is an orange swirl.

Four controller ports are provided on the front of a Dreamcast which can accept a wide range of peripherals, from standard controllers to fishing rods; please see the Accessories section for more information. The controller ports use a type of serial interface developed by Sega called the 'Maple 'interface.

The Dreamcast features a built-in power supply which only requires that a mains lead be connected to the socket at the back, but the power supply cannot tolerate world wide voltages so do not, for example, plug a US or Japanese Dreamcast into a UK mains socket.

Also at the back of the Dreamcast is a proprietary A/V port (marked 'AV OUT') which accepts a number of leads and adapters, from the standard RF and composite video with audio leads to VGA boxes. There is also a proprietary serial port connector which no doubt would have seen greater use had the Dreamcast lasted longer but nonetheless accepts a few leads for system link-up, for example. Please see the Accessories section for more information on A/V leads and cables that made use of the serial port.

At the right side of the Dreamcast is where the air vents are located for the built-in fan as is also where, further toward the back, expansion devices can be connected. The usual expansion device was the dial-up modem that shipped with standard Dreamcasts, and by including a modem with every Dreamcast (a first for a games console) it helped boost online gaming as a viable technology ready to be used by everyone. The other expansion devices were the broadband adapter and Karaoke Unit but no doubt more add-ons would have been available had the Dreamcast lasted longer.

In the photo that follows you can see a UK Dreamcast, some peripherals and Soul Calibur:

In the photo above in the bottom left you can see the Dreamcast games machine, which, take note has a blue logo as it's the PAL (UK) version. Above the Dreamcast is a keyboard accessory mainly used for online access and a number of games and to the right of the Dreamcast is Soul Calibur, a solid beat-'em-up regarded by many as a classic and one of the best in the series. To the right of Soul Calibur is a standard Dreamcast controller and below left of Soul Calibur is a Jump pack (Vibration pack) and to the right of that is a Visual Memory Unit (VMU).

There were a number of special editions of the Dreamcast which include:

Divers 2000, 14 inch CRT TV with built-in Dreamcast, Japan 2000. Please see this site for more details:

https://kotaku.com/there-was-a-dreamcast-tv-set-it-was-both-hideous-and-g-5875330

Hello Kitty Dreamcast, Japan 1999.

R7/ Regulation #7 Dreamcast, Japan 2001, initially designed for Pachinko parlours.

Resident Evil: CODE: Veronica Dreamcast, Japan 2000.

Seaman 'Skeleton' Dreamcast and Seaman Christmas edition Dreamcast, Japan 1999.

SEGA Sports branded Dreamcast, all black console released in America in 2000.

One of the more unusual uses of Dreamcast hardware is the very rare SEGA Fish Life system, a virtual aquarium for Japanese hotels, restaurants and the like. It uses a touch screen display and microphone, allowing users to interact with the virtual fish and learn more about them. Please see this video showing a quick look at the virtual aquarium:

Thanks to the efforts of volunteers you can even admire SEGA Fish Life yourself by way of the necessary files and a Dreamcast emulator although the experience is very limited without the microphone and touch screen interface. Please see this site which has information about the SEGA Fish Life restoration project:

https://segafish.museebolo.ch/en/

For more information about SEGA Fish Life please see the following sites:

http://www.thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk/2019/05/rare-dreamcast-powered-sega-fish-life.html

Games

Games for the Dreamcast came in GD-ROM format, a CD-like disc that could hold up to 1GB of storage instead of the more usual ~700MB of data that CDs could normally store. While the extra storage was of benefit to developers, on the downside packing more data on the disc meant that even minor scratches could cause errors when reading from the disc.

As well as supporting GD-ROM discs, the Dreamcast could also read CD-DA, CD-ROM XA, Photo CD, Video CD and other formats too.

The Dreamcast has a wide range of games from racing to adventures to RPG's to beat'-em-ups and you can see three examples in the screenshots that follow which are from Power Stone, Skies of Arcadia and Sonic Adventure.

An interesting demo for the Dreamcast, or at least Shenmue fans, is 'What's Shenmue?' available in Japan only in June 1999 and was sort of compensation due to the delay in the release of Shenmue. The demo includes parts of Dobuita, Yokosuka and you explore as Ryo, just like in the final game, encountering characters such as Tom and Nozomi, as Ryo looks for Mr Yukawa (the then Senior Managing Director). The demo disc also has a number of explanatory movies that would end up on the Passport disc of the retail version of the game.

What's Shenmue? does not have any capsule toy machines (something Shenmue is very well known for), the character Izumi Takano makes an appearance even though she doesn't officially enter the Shenmue world until Shenmue II, and Ryo can be made to crouch using the 'X' button, which is not possible in the final version. The ending of the demo involves Yukawa waking up in a room full of Dreamcasts, sees a poster of Shenmue, which encourages him (to sell the Dreamcasts), which is quite ironic as unfortunately Shenmue did not sell that well.

While for most Dreamcast games that came out in the US and Japan they came in standard CD jewel cases, much thicker cases were used for Dreamcast games released in Europe to accommodate the instruction manuals featuring text written in multiple languages. In the image below (left) is the Japanese version of Pen Pen TriIcelon (known as Pen Pen in Europe) in a CD-like jewel case and to the right is the PAL version of Skies of Arcadia. Although Skies of Arcadia is a 2 disc game the non-European cases are still of the slim type for even that particular game but as mentioned the PAL versions have the large manuals and so need bigger cases.

Later Dreamcast game releases in Japan actually came in DVD cases so that they were more noticeable unlike with the jewel cases that could be mistaken for older generation games. For more information, including a list of Dreamcast games released in DVD cases please see this site:

http://www.thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk/2015/07/the-final-indignity.html

Accessories

Even though the Dreamcast did not last long it had a wide range of accessories produced for it, some of which did not make it out of Japan (at least not when first released). Read on to learn more about theses accessories.

Arcade Stick

The Dreamcast arcade stick was available with the system's launch and was designed with beat-'em-up and shoot-'em-up games in mind. It has arcade style trigger buttons, A,B, X and Y that are found on a standard controller but also has C and Z buttons too (instead of L and R that you would find on a standard controller), all bright green in colour. There is a small, yellow start button and in place of an analog stick is an 8-way digital joystick that has a green top matching the colour of the main buttons. There is provision for a memory card or VMU to be inserted into the arcade stick.

While most games will be happy for you to use the arcade stick it is not practical to use it with games that rely on an analog stick for control, such as to move a player character. Over 110 games were made especially with the arcade stick in mind; please see the following site for the full list:

https://segaretro.org/Dreamcast_Arcade_Stick

A/V cables

There were a number of options for connecting a Dreamcast to a TV or monitor with RF and composite being the most common for connection to a TV; RF gives the lowest quality audio (usually mono) and video and was the type of cable typically shipped with a Dreamcast whereas composite (making use of the RCA red, white and yellow plugs) offers a somewhat better A/V experience although typically picture quality is still poor. Another option is S-video which gives a clearer image than composite but doesn't carry sound so you will still need to make use of the red and white plugs of an S-video cable to get sound. The next best form of connection is an RGB SCART lead although some games do not support it and of course you will need a TV that supports RGB SCART (note that usually if a TV has multiple SCART sockets only one of them usually can operate in RGB mode).

For the very best in video quality you will want to use a VGA adapter box which lets the Dreamcast be connected to either a TV or monitor with a VGA connection (sometimes referred to as 'PC mode' on a TV). Not all games support the VGA box and the official one was only released in Japan but fortunately many unofficial VGA adapters were released outside of Japan which do the same job. Typically a VGA box will connect to a Dreamcast using the A/V port and the adapter will offer VGA output and some form of audio connection too; some VGA boxes also offer composite and S-video to avoid the need to swap cables for games that don't support VGA. If you try to run a game that doesn't support VGA mode the Dreamcast will pop up a message and ask you to power down the Dreamcast and plug in a compatible A/V cable. Whether a game supports VGA mode will be advertised on the back of the game box but that is not always the case as, for e.g., the UK Power stone box mentions nothing of supported peripherals (but does indeed support VGA boxes). It is also worth mentioning that a number of unofficial VGA/HDMI cables for the Dreamcast may not work with some games so it's best to do some research before purchasing such cables or adapters.

For an example of an unofficial VGA adapter please see the next image:

This VGA box was released under the Electronics Boutique brand (no longer operating in the UK) and features a cable that plugs into the Dreamcast A/V port, a VGA connector for connection to a PC monitor/HD TV as well as a 3.5mm stereo socket for sound, RCA composite connections for TV and a switch to choose either VGA (PC) or composite (TV) mode. Unfortunately the VGA box does cause vertical lines to appear on my TV and even more so on my monitor. Supposedly this is due to the Dreamcast actually outputting video higher than 640x480 and this causes the graphical issues. If using a monitor you can try adjusting its pixel clock & phase settings (if available) to lessen the lines. While that helped I ended up buying a Dreamcast VGA cable, which produces a much cleaner image on the monitor and I couldn't even see the lines when using my TV with the cable.

Coder's cable

The Coder's cable is a special cable that connects a Dreamcast to a PC and has a serial connector on one end to plug into a Dreamcast and on the other end either a D-type RS-232 style connector or a USB connector. The purpose of the cable is that is can be used to transfer software to a Dreamcast that is then run, it can be used for debugging homebrew software by sending useful information to a PC and a Dreamcast can receive commands, which is again useful for debugging.

You can buy a Coder's cable online, ideally the USB type but make sure your system is compatible and in addition, you have the necessary software to use the cable. If you are adventurous and skilled with soldering you can make your own cable. Please see:

https://www.obscuregamers.com/threads/sega-dreamcast-usb-coders-port-tutorial.1041/

It is also possible to adapt a Neo Geo Dreamcast link cable, please see this site for more information:

http://devcast.dcemulation.org/mods/codercable/codercable.php

Controller

The standard controller is white, has an analog stick, a d-pad, 4 coloured action buttons (A is red, B is blue, X is yellow and Y is green), a start button, and 2 analog triggers (L and R) toward the back of the controller. The controller is supported by every game produced for the Dreamcast and the Dreamcast itself can have at maximum of four controllers connected at once. Up to 2 add-ons can be inserted into a controller to enhance the software being played, with typically a VMU placed at the front and a Jump pack in the back slot of the controller.

The Dreamcast controller evolved from the Sega Saturn 3D Control Pad, which was a controller for the Saturn that featured an analog stick but did not come with Saturn consoles as standard, meaning that the Dreamcast was Sega's first (and only) console to come with a controller with an analog stick out of the box. Interestingly, the Dreamcast can support controllers with 2 d-pads and 2 analog sticks and although there was a prototype for a Dreamcast controller with 2 ananlog sticks it never made it to retail supposedly due to cost issues. Note that Sony released their dual analog stick controller, the Dual Analog Controller, for the PS1 in 1997 so Sony would have still beaten Sega in getting to sale a dual analog stick controller even if the Dreamcast controllers had two analog sticks.

Controller to PC adapter

While not a Dreamcast accessory as such, the Mayflash adapter (see photo below) is a modern adapter that accepts two standard Dreamcast controllers so they can be used on a PC via the USB connection attached to the adapter, which is particularly useful if you are emulating the Dreamcast on a computer.

Once set up, the Dreamcast controllers 'appear' to the PC as normal game controllers meaning it should be possible for the adapter to be used with most software; I have tested that it works on Demul, a Dreamcast emulator. For more information about the adapter please follow this link and see toward the end of the Emulator section:

https://sites.google.com/site/jamesskingdom/Home/program-your-own-video-games/dreamcast-game-programming#h.p_ID_58

Densha De Go! Controller

Only released in Japan in 2000, the Densha De Go! controller from Taito is a train controller designed for use with the train simulator game Densha de Go! 2: Kousoku-hen 3000 Bandai (sold separately) The controller has a brake handle on the left and throttle lever on the right, and select, start, A, B, and C buttons, as well as a space on the controller to put a pocket watch (yes, you read that right).

Someone has interfaced with the Densha De Go! controller for their own project, which you can read about here:

https://modelrail.otenko.com/arduino/arduino-dreamcast-densha-de-go-controller

Here is a video showing the Densha De Go! controller in action:

Dreameye

When most people think of a camera-like device used with a video game console they may have memories of the Playstation EyeToy, the Playstation Eye, the Game Boy Camera, the Kinect, or even the various camera add-ons for the PSP. Sega actually was first to produce a digital camera for a non-portable game console, the Dreameye for the Dreamcast, although it did not see release outside of Japan. Available in September 2000 (note: EyeToy wasn't released until 2003), the Dreameye was sold both as a kit and was also bundled with the Divers 2000 Dreamcast (a special edition TV with built-in Dreamcast).

The Dreameye has a sensor resolution of 0.3 megapixels (640×480 pixels), a very respectable spec for the time, and images (up to 31 in total) are saved to its internal flash memory in jpg format. The Dreameye can be used as both a standalone camera when connected to the supplied battery pack or function as a webcam if connected to a Dreamcast and coupled with the microphone supplied in the Dreameye kit and appropriate software (such as the included VisualPark).

To be able to do anything useful with the pictures taken by the Dreameye the images must be transferred to a Dreamcast via a specialised transfer cable and software (Visual Park was included in the Dreameye kit, and Dream Photo Fun was also available). Images transferred to a Dreamcast can then be viewed and edited before being emailed if desired, although at a reduced resolution of 320x240 pixels.

It looks like Sega had plans to let gamers put photos taken with the Dreameye into games and we can suggest that even EyeToy-like interaction with games may have been possible had the Dreameye and the Dreamcast itself lasted longer. As mentioned, there was a version of the Dreameye that came with Divers 2000 Dreamcast which is a different colour and can be seen on this page:

http://driph.com/words/2009/09/divers-2000-series-cx-1-dreamcast/

Today, if you want to buy a Dreameye kit you may get lucky and pick one up fairly cheap but then can go for hundreds of pounds. I had bought a supposedly complete kit from ebay, which we'll now look at:

The box specifies the model number 'HKT-9402' along with the text 'Dreamcast will take you to a brand new world more than just a TV game. A new level of entertainment awaits you.'

Here is another view of the box showing also the front and promising that with the Dreameye kit it can be used as a TV phone, for video mail and also for photo:

Next, we will have a look at what you get in the Dreameye kit but please note that the transfer cable is missing:

From top-left we have the Dreameye battery pack (which screws on to the Dreameye and takes x2 AAA batteries), and to the right of that the Dreameye itself, model number HKT-9400, already screwed into its stand. The yellow shutter button is visible on the top of the Dreameye and to the right (not quite visible) is the power switch which is a sliding button. It's interesting that the Dreameye has a black logo and 'Dreamcast' text on it, matching the style of the front of a Dreamcast console and contrasting with the colourful version of the logo. On the back of the Dreameye is the viewfinder that helps for taking the shot and underneath is a small, red LED that indicates the camera's status. So it does mean that when you take a photo the LED flashes in your eye but fortunately it's not too distracting.

At the far right, above is the microphone adapter, which looks somewhat like a memory card and plugs into a Dreamcast controller. Below the adapter is the microphone itself which looks like a headset but without the headphone part. The microphone can be used on any PC-like device that supports a standard wired microphone and that also means you can use any standard wired microphone in place of the one supplied with the Dreameye, which is probably a good idea as it may result in better sound.

Bottom left in the photo above is the VisualPark software and underneath the instruction manual.

As mentioned previously, I did not get the transfer cable with the kit I had bought so I investigated making my own cable but I did not have the correct connector to interface with the Dreameye. Fortunately, after some waiting another Dreameye came up on ebay but from Japan and not complete but it included the much needed transfer cable. Considering it came from Japan it took less than a month to arrive and after paying £60 for both kits I now have a complete Dreameye kit plus a second Dreameye , stand, battery pack and microphone adapter. The transfer cable is shown in the photo that follows:

I tested both Dreameye cameras using a Japanese Dreamcast and the VisualPark software; as indicated in the supplied manual I connected a controller to port 1 and the Dreameye to port 2 but I didn't connect a keyboard to port 3. The Dreameye will make a reassuring short bleep when the Dreamcast is powered on.

Because the software is mainly in Japanese I used a combination of Google translate and looking at videos of the Dreameye online to navigate the menus. One option, which is the third one down on the main menu screen is intended for recording 25 seconds of video and requires that you have the microphone adapter plugged into the rear socket of the controller. This menu option is useful as a quick way to check the camera is working but be warned that the video quality is very poor; the lighting is bad and as the lens is fixed focus objects too close to the camera will look, well, very out of focus.

The fourth option from the main menu screen is where you can view and edit the photos that were taken using the Dreameye but as stock photos and pictures are supplied even if there are no photos on the connected Dreameye the supplied images can be used with the software.

For an overview of using the VisualPark software, or at least to see better how to use it please check out this video:

To use the Dreameye independently of a Dreamcast to take photos, put 2 AAA batteries into the battery pack which is then screwed into the Dreameye. On the Dreameye push and hold the side slider up for about 5 seconds and the Dreameye will respond with a series of bleeps. Push for about 1 second if you want to power down, which will result in some bleeps. We take for granted having an LCD on our modern cameras to give us detailed information but fortunately I found an article by IGN (see Links section) that explains the meaning of the bleeps:

One bleep means it's on.

One bleep plus LED flash: ready to take a photo.

Three quick bleeps followed by single bleep means you successfully took a picture.

Three long bleeps followed by two short bleeps: out of storage space.

Included in the Dreameye kit is a sticker, in Japanses text, explaining the bleeping and advising that the sticker should be placed on the back of the camera.

If you get no response from the Dreameye when running it off batteries then make sure you're using new, non-rechargeable batteries. If that is the case and the Dreameye still won't react to its power switch, if you have a multimeter check the 2 contacts on the battery pack that interface with the Dreameye. I found with some batteries I had to put a small washer on top of the negative end of the battery that's at the end where the battery pack closes up and then carefully close the battery pack.

Use the viewfinder to judge the shot and then quick press the yellow button at the top of the Dreameye to take a photo. As you'll see when you check the photos using your Dreamcast (and appropriate software, such as VisualPark) it's very difficult to take a decent shot using the Dreameye. Note that you can keep the battery pack with batteries attached to the Dreameye even while the Dreameye is connected to a Dreamcast.

Another piece of software that supports the Dreameye and is actually a game, is the Japanses version of Jet Set Radio, which supports importing pictures from a connected Dreameye.

Rather than use VisualPark, which uses mainly Japanese text, a fan has made a Dreameye photo manager program, which you can download from:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/ljsdcdev/files/Dream%20Photo%20Manager/

Fishing controller

The Fishing controller (Tsuri Controller in Japan) for the Dreamcast is unique in being the only official fishing controller made for a games console. It was available in 1999 in Europe and North America, and in 2000 in Japan. Shaped like a fishing rod, the Fishing controller has standard controller buttons A, B, X, Y and start, an analog stick, and it can detect horizontal and vertical motion to allow for more 'realistic' fishing. The Fishing controller does not have space for a VMU or memory card (a second controller must be plugged into the Dreamcast with an inserted VMU/memory card) but it does have built-in vibration.

A total of 8 Dreamcast games support the Fishing controller, some of wish are fishing games - Reel Fishing: Wild, Sega Bass Fishing and Sega Marine Fishing being a few examples - but also non-fishing games too, which are Soul Calibur and Virtua Tennis, with Virtua Tennis being especially notable as it means you can swing the fishing rod in a Wii-like manner to operate the racket. Sadly, it is not possible to play Big the Cat's sections of Sonic Adventure using the fishing controller, which would have made his adventure more enjoyable.

Gun

The official light gun for the Dreamcast is known as the Dreamcast Gun, works with CRT TVs (even in VGA mode), has a slot for a VMU/memory card or Vibration Pack, and was available in Japan and Europe in 1999 but not in the USA due to the events of the Columbine High School massacre. However, Mad Catz released an officially licensed Dreamcast light gun for America in 1999, the Dream Blaster. Although Dreamcast peripherals aren't region locked, US Dreamcast software that supports the Mad Catz light gun will not work with the Dreamcast Gun. There were also other, unofficial light guns for the Dreamcast.

There are six Dreamcast games that have light gun support, which are as follows:

Death Crimson OX.

Death Crimson 2 (Japan only).

Demolition Racer: No Exit (North America only).

Confidential Mission.

House of the Dead 2.

Virtua Cop 2.

Jump pack

For vibration feedback when playing games, a jump pack could be inserted into one of the ports of a controller (usually the rear port as the front port was reserved for a VMU). The jump pack was available in 1999 and is known as the Puru Puru Pack in Japan and as the Vibration Pack in Europe. Almost 400 games support the jump pack.

Karaoke Unit

You wouldn't expect anything less of Sega as a Japanese company that they would release for the Dreamcast a Karaoke add-on, available in 2001 in Japan only. The Karaoke unit sits under the Dreamcast and connects using the expansion port normally used by the modem/broadband adapter (the Karaoke unit has its own expansion port for connecting a modem to). Instead of supplying power directly to the Dreamcast, power is provide to the Karaoke add-on which in turn delivers power to the Dreamcast via a short mains cable that connects to the Dreamcast's power port. In addition, the Dreamcast's AV port is connected to the Karaoke unit's AV in port using a special cable (looks to be composite and stereo sound), meaning that the Karaoke add-on provides the final A/V for connecting to a TV using its A/V out port (which is composite video only).

On the front of the Karaoke device are two 1/4" inputs for 2 microphones and 2 microphone volume controls. As the Karaoke add-on only came with one microphone it makes you wonder if Sega sold additional microphones separately but nonetheless it should be possible to use any standard microphones with the Karaoke add-on, that have the appropriate connector.

To actually get the Karaoke going you would need to use the supplied Sega Kara disc which would allow for browsing of songs to be downloaded and then sung, but as the disc needs to access a now defunct server, Dreamcast Karaoke in modern days is just a dream.

Keyboard

The Dreamcast being very much about online browsing and gaming it's not surprising that a keyboard was produced to plug into a free controller port of the Dreamcast, often used with the mouse also. There were many editions of the Dreamcast keyboard based on the region it was designed for as well as special versions, such as the Hello Kitty keyboard. The standard keyboard for Japan came out in 1998, the version for North America in 1999 and for most most parts of Europe the keyboard could be purchased in 1999.

Over 130 software titles support the Dreamcast keyboard with some notable examples being ChuChu Rocket!, Daytona USA 2001, Phantasy Star Online, Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2, Quake III Arena, Resident Evil 3, Sonic Adventure and The Typing of the Dead (probably one of the games that requires the keyboard the most). For a full list of supported software and pictures of the various models please see:

https://segaretro.org/Dreamcast_Keyboard

Memory card

A plain memory card without the extra features of a VMU was available from Sega and known as the 4x Memory card (Memory Card 4x in Japan), and released in 2000 in North America and Japan. The 4x Memory card did not make it to Europe but third parties produced their own memory cards for the Dreamcast.

It had 800 blocks for game saves but since the Dreamcast could only see 200 blocks the 4x Memory card has a switch to cycle through each page of 200 blocks with the currently selected page indicated by its own LED. Note that the memory card always defaults to the first page when the Dreamcast boots up.

The following games do not support the 4x Memory card or have issues with it:

Airforce Delta

Carrier

Dynamite Cop

F1 World Grand Prix

Rayman 2: The Great Escape

Virtua Tennis (errors when switch page on the memory card).

Zombie Revenge (errors when switch page on the memory card).

Modem and Broadband Adapter

The Dreamcast helped pioneer modern online gaming so it seemed only right that the Dreamcast came with a dial-up modem already installed in the Dreamcast, and was either a 56K (North America/Europe) or 33.6 Kbps (Japan) modem. A broadband adapter (BBA) later became available in 2001 (Japan and North America only) to replace the modem, allowing for much faster Internet access, however, the BBA was only available in Japan and USA. You can easily tell the difference between the modem and BBA just by looking at the cable connector type: it will be labelled on the device as 'LINE' if it's a modem and 'LAN' if it's a BBA.

As well as online gaming, the modem and broadband adapters could also be used to allow for general web browsing and some games had Downloadable Content (DLC), a first for a home console. Please see this site for an archive of Dreamcast DLC:

https://www.dreamcastlive.net/dlc

Especially since the BBA was never released in Europe, trying to get hold of one in modern times can set you back a lot of money. Be aware that there are two main models of the BBA:

HIT-0300: known also as the 'Lan Adaptor'. Supports only 10 Mbps and only works with the included browser software. Released in Japan only.

HIT-0400/HIT-0401 supports 10/100 Mbps. Note: HIT-0401 refers to the Japanese packaging whereas HIT-0400 it the BBA itself, regardless of region.

Note that the BBAs are region free so you can, for example, use a Japanese BBA in a PAL Dreamcast.

Not all games supported the BBA; please see the following site for more information:

https://segaretro.org/Broadband_Adapter

Thanks to private servers that have been set up by Dreamcast fans, even today it is still possible to play some games online using the Dreamcast, such as Quake III arena, Toy Racer and Phantasy Star Online.

Let's look at the HIT-0400/HIT-0401 BBA in more detail, Japanese version. On the front of the box it reads 'Dreamcast will take you to a brand new world more than just a TV game. A new level of entertainment awaits you.'. There is also mention of '10/100Base', referencing the 10/100 Mbps speed of the BBA. In the box you get some pieces of paper, one of which is clearly highlighting the difference between a phone line and ethernet connector. There is also a black and white manual for the broadband passport which contains some cartoony illustrations as well as more serious looking ones. Then there is the broadband passport disc in a jewel case and the BBA adapter itself bearing the 'HIT-0400' model number.

Microphone

The Dreamcast microphone (Dreamcast mic device in Japan) is an usual looking microphone for the Dreamcast which consists of a device sort of resembling a memory card which plugs into a Dreamcast controller slot and the detachable microphone which plugs into the adapter. The Dreamcast microphone was released in 1999 in Japan and 2000 in North America and Europe. A total of 17 Dreamcast games support the microphone which includes Battle Beaster(Japan only), Mr. Driller, Planet Ring (Europe only), Seaman (not released in Europe) and Seaman: Kindan no Pet: 2001 Nen Taiouban (Japan only). The Dreameye (please see the Dreameye section) had its own microphone adapter and microphone.

The microphone itself can be used with any PC-like device that has a dedicated microphone input and in turn, any standard wired PC microphone can be used with the Dreamcast by plugging it into the microphone adapter instead of the provided one.

MIDI cable

Only available in Japan, the Dreamcast MIDI cable permits the connection of electronic instruments to the Dreamcast, such as an electronic piano, for use with software that supports the MIDI cable, which officially is only O.to.i.Re: Dreamcast Sequencer, music creation software only released in Japan. One end of the MIDI cable plugs into the Dreamcast's serial port and the other end has 2 traditional MIDI DIN-style connectors, one for MIDI in and the other for MIDI out.

Here is a video demonstrating the use of the MIDI cable O.to.i.Re:

The Divers CX2000, a special release version of the Dreamcast built into a TV, has integrated MIDI ports, as does also the Dreamcast dev kits, to aid with developing software with MIDI support.

Mouse

A 'ball' type mouse that has standard left and right buttons and a scroll wheel but doesn't have a button below the wheel, however, it does have an extra button located at the left of the mouse. The mouse connects to the Dreamcast via one of the standard controller ports and is intended to be used with the keyboard (see below) for online activities, such as web browsing. It is also supported by a number of games including Hidden & Dangerous, Outtrigger, Quake III Arena, and Unreal Tournament.

Race controller

The Race controller, known as Racing controller in Japan, and Rally Wheel in North America, is the official steering wheel for the Dreamcast, available in 1999 in Japan, Europe and North America. There is no built-in vibration in the Race controller but it does have a slot for a memory card/VMU and oddly that are no pedals (third party Dreamcast steering wheels do provide pedals) or gear stick. In total, 40 games support the Race controller, including 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker, Crazy Taxi, Crazy Taxi 2, F355 Challenge and Toy Racer. For a complete list please see:

https://segaretro.org/Race_Controller

Samba de Amigo Maracas

Designed with the Samba de Amigo game in mind, the maracas are used as an alternative means to play games, and were packaged with the rhythmic Samba de Amigo game, and released in Japan, North America and Europe in 2000. Unlike the standard controller, the maracas have the ability to detect their position and when they are shaken, as a means to interact with the game. The maracas are red and have a small, yellow menu navigation button and not surprisingly the maracas rattle when shaken, however, the rattling part can be unscrewed for a quieter experience. Unfortunately the maracas aren't wireless (the Wii version of Samba de Amigo is essentially a wireless version) and instead attach to a sensor bar which in turn connects to the Dreamcast. An ultrasonic transmitter on each maraca's cord communicates with the sensor bar so that its position above the sensor bar can be detected.

It was possible to unlock bonus songs by taking your Dreamcast online but the games weren't actually downloaded and instead were just unlocked so it's possible to use software, such as VMUTool, to unlock them in the modern age. The bonus music is from After Burner, Burning Rangers, Fantasy Zone, Nights, Outrun and Sonic.

While Samba de Amigo and the Ver. 2000 later release (Japan only) are the only games to officially support the maracas, they can actually be used with Mr. Driller and Cool Cool Toon.

This video gives an overview of the Samba de Amigo game set:

There were third party versions of the maracas, such as Cha Cha Amigo:

Twin stick controller

The Twin stick controller is a peripheral for the Dreamcast released only in Japan, in 1999, that provides 2 grey joysticks with 2 orange trigger buttons on each stick, but has fewer buttons that the standard controller. Its overall shape is similar to the Dreamcast arcade stick and is close in size too, and like the arcade stick it has a slot for a VMU but unlike the arcade stick which has a single start/pause button the Twin stick controller has separate start and pause buttons, both grey, but the start button is much larger This is because the only game to officially support the Twin stick controller is Cyber Troopers Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram (released in Japan in 1999 and North America in 2000) and it interprets start to both start the game and run special commands and thus, pause actually pauses the game.

There are other games that unofficially support the Twin stick controller:

Frame Gride

Heavy Metal: Geomatrix

Ikaruga

Outtrigger

Quake III: Arena

Rez

Rush Rush Rally Racing

Sega Rally 2

Soul Calibur

Virtua Tennis

Thanks to the following site for the above information:

http://www.thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk/2017/01/a-quick-look-at-dreamcast-twin-stick.html

I did some tests myself using the Twin stick on my PAL Dreamcast and was able to play Soul Calibur and Virtua tennis although I wanted so much for the right stick to work especially as the buttons of the right stick behave like those on a standard controller. From playing Soul Calibur and Outtrigger I deduced that (Twin stick = standard controller):

Left stick = primary d-pad.

Right stick = secondary d-pad.

Pause = X+Y+B? Does Soul charge in Soul Calibur. When playing Outtrigger, pauses/unpauses game.

Stick 1 trigger = X.

Stick 1 top button = Y.

Stick 2 trigger = A.

Stick 2 top button = B.

Start = start.

It's somewhat odd that even the PAL version of Outtrigger can make uses of both of the Twin stick's two sticks, considering the controller wasn't released outside Japan but of course there were probably plans for international release, although Outtrigger being a late Dreamcast game perhaps it was more of just leaving the necessary code in. Outtrigger controls quite well with the Twin stick, with the left stick moving the player character forward/back/left right and the right stick looking up/down and turning left/tight. It is also possible to setup the game so that you can use the Twin stick and a mouse for better control but then the right stick is unused.

The model number of a boxed Twin stick controller is HKT-7500 (and the Twin stick itself has the same model number) and just like with the Broadband adapter, the box declares 'Dreamcast will take you to a brand new world more than just a TV game. A new level of entertainment awaits you.'.

VMU

The Visual Memory Unit (VMU), also known as the VMS (Visual Memory System), was one type of Dreamcast memory card, and featured 128KB of storage, divided in 200 blocks, which was the limit for a Dreamast memory card. In addition to saving game progress, a VMU inserted into a controller could show animations and information in real time on its display as a Dreamcast game is being played (for e.g., Resident Evil 2 displays remaining health, etc.). The VMU could also be used independently from the Dreamcast (provided it was fitted with two CR2032 batteries) to play games that had been downloaded on it, view the internal clock and manage game saves. Save data could be transferred between 2 VMU devices by connecting them to each other, and in addition, while 2 VMUs are connected 2-player VMU games could be played. Fortunately the save memory of the VMU does not require batteries to retain the information but if when you turn on a Dreamcast and hear a loud, fairly long bleep then you know that the connected VMUs' batteries need changing.

VS Link Cables

Two Dreamcast consoles could be linked together via their serial ports using a link cable called the Dreamcast Taisen, released in Japan only, in 1999. Only a few games supported the link cable and most likely only works with the Japanses version of the games that support the cable: Ferrari 355, and Japan only games Aero Dancing F, Aero Dancing I, Sega Tetris, and Virtual-On: Oratario Tangram.

There was also a link cable for the Dreamcast to connect to the Neo Geo Pocket Color compatible, the Setsuzoku cable, released only in Japan in 1999. It was compatible with these games (NGPC/Dreamcast):

Bikkuriman 2000 Viva! Pocket Festival! (JP only) to Bikkuriman 2000 Viva! Festival! (JP only).

Capcom vs. SNK 2 (JP only) to SVC: Card Fighters' Clash (JP only)/SVC: Card Fighters 2 Expand Edition (JP only).

Cool Cool Jam (JP only) to Cool Cool Toon (JP only).

The King of Fighters: Battle de Paradise (JP only) to The King of Fighters: Evolution (JP only & NA only).

The King of Fighters R-2 (JP and America only) to The King of Fighters Dream Match '99 (JP & NA only).

Dreamcast Online

Considering online was a big thing when it came to the Dreamcast it's a shame that the same experience cannot be enjoyed in modern day, especially for people like myself that missed the opportunity to take the Dreamcast online back in the day. As mentioned in the 'Modem and Broadband Adapter' section somewhat above, the two main ways to get a Dreamcast online was, and still is, with either a modem (the cheapest option) or a broadband adapter (a very expensive option). The problem with the dial-up modem that came with every Dreamcast is that you need a dial-up service provider, which is much rarer nowadays as the world has switched to broadband. If you did happen to have dial-up you could use a Dream passport or Dreamkey disc to input your ISP settings into the Dreamcast and then surf the net. Playing games online with the Dreamcast is an additional issue as that relies on servers that Sega or other companies maintained, which were taken away when the Dreamcast was discontinued. Fortunately, fans have set up their own servers for some of the games so we can relive the classic online gaming days of the Dreamcast.

Even if you don't have dial-up through your phone line you can still take your Dreamcast online using the standard modem by bridging the connection from your broadband Internet to the Dreamcast modem by using a device such as a Raspberry Pi. This is not ideal and you may find playing some games online is not an enjoyable experience but it could be something to at least try. The project is called DreamPi and you can watch a video to learn more about it:

If you happen to have the broadband adapter (BBA) for the Dreamcast then you should just be able to connect the BBA to your router using a patch cable and run suitable software to access the Internet on your Dreamcast (Dream passport or Dreamkey/online game). Less games support the BBA, however, so that is something to bear in mind.

Here is a video showing how to get a Dreamcast online using a BBA and XDP software:

XDP browser software can be downloaded from:

http://www.psilocybindreams.com/pc/download/

I connected the BBA in my Dreamcast to my router using a patch cable but under Network info/BBA (please see video above) for 'IP address' I set it to auto rather than use manual settings as shown in the video. I had no problem going to Google (actual screen capture from Dreamcast, upscaled):

Of course the Internet has changed greatly in 20 years and as odd as the Google homepage looks (the logo only half loads for one thing) at least it loads and you can do searches such as:

There's nothing more appropriate than searching for 'dreamcast' on a Dreamcast. Unfortunately, Google was the only page I could load, even Wikipedia was a no-go.

Dreamcast Game Programming

For making your own games for the Dreamcast be sure to check out my page at:

Dreamcast Game Programming

Dreamcast in Other Forms

The Dreamcast effectively lived on in the arcade hardware that was based on it, such as the NAOMI 1 and 2 which you can read about by following this link:

https://sites.google.com/site/jamesskingdom/Home/video-games-by-james-s/arcade-systems

Sega certainly had plans to sell even more hardware based on the Dreamcast as the August 2000 issue of Game developer magazine reports that Sega had teamed up with Motorola to produce a Dreamcast-based cell phone. I couldn't find any information online about the Sega/Motorola phone although the Wikipedia page mentions it as well as the planned ability to make phone calls using the Dreamcast. That product did indeed exist and is known as the Dreamphone, which you can read about by following these links:

http://www.thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk/2016/04/the-dreamcast-dreamphone.html

https://segaretro.org/Dreamphone

Dreamcast Dream On Demo Discs

The Dream On demo discs, available from 1999 to 2001, were included with a number of official European Dreamcast magazines and would typically include both playable demos and movies of upcoming games and are an interesting look at various games before they were released. For more details about the Dream On demo discs please check out this link:

https://segaretro.org/Dream_On

The demo discs have been archived at (along with other 'samples') and can be used with an emulator:

https://archive.org/details/tosecdcsamples20190822

Most of the demo discs have been uploaded to YouTube and you can find them included in this playlist:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvwW8wOSuUB7hVcF92dm9IMNa7kyg993Q

I have also started uploading those which (at the time of making) weren't available on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLujUolFWv4BFrYV5ZM3NJUm2hM_axJQzd

Troubleshooting

Controller ports not working

If you find that your controller doesn't work in any of the Dreamcast's four ports (test at the boot screen without a game inserted) and you've confirmed that other controllers are also not detected by the Dreamcast, then it's possible a fuse has blown. Please see this site for more details and how to replace the fuse:

http://blog.kazade.co.uk/p/dreamcast-controller-board-fix-right-way.html

Date and time setting forgotten whenever power on

To retain settings, such as date and time, the Dreamcast features a rechargeable battery (type ML3032) which lasts for 20 days once fully charged (by keeping the Dreamcast on for a number of hours). If you find that every time you power on your Dreamcast it asks you to set the date and time even though you've used your Dreamcast for a long period of time then likely you will need to replace the battery which must be a like-for-like replacement to avoid damaging the Dreamcast. For a guide on replacing the battery please see this video:

Dreamcast randomly resets

If your Dreamcast suddenly resets itself while you are using it then it's possible that there's an issue with the power supply and you can fix it by opening up the Dreamcast and reseating the power supply but only attempt if you are experienced with working with mains powered devices. Please see this video for how to tackle the issue:

Here is another video, which gives a more long term solution:

Game won't work

Perhaps you find playing a game no longer works even though it did before and the disc isn't scratched (or not more scratched than before). If possible test the game on another Dreamcast to see if your Dreamcast is actually at fault. If the game does work on a different Dreamcast then it's possible the laser is weakening on your Dreamcast or there could be some other hardware fault. Please see this video for help with fixing disc reading issues:

If you bought a Dreamcast game second hand and the Dreamcast refuses to play it and you've checked that it doesn't work in another Dreamcast or the disc isn't scratched, it's possible it may be a manufacturing fault. For the initial batch of some Dreamcast games - Blue Stinger, Hydro Thunder, Ready to Rumble and Sonic Adventure - they were pressed incorrectly and will not work in a Dreamcast but it's very unlikely you would come across one of them.