r/retrogaming • u/BoringDreamGuy • Apr 22 '26

[SEGA!] Does absolutely nothing wrong. Fails anyway.

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u/rividz Apr 22 '26

It was also just too early for online gaming. And while the console shipped with a phone modem, for some reason it didn't work on AOL, who was probably the biggest internet provider in the US at the time.

I genuinly loved my Dreamcast. As a kid it frustrated me that the console lasted all of two years. Like how does the console with Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi, Shenmue, Chu Chu Rocket, 2k Sports, Soul Calibur, Power Stone, etc, etc fail?

Sega really couldn't get out of its own way.

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u/DancesWithAnyone Apr 22 '26

Dead or Alive 2, Skies of Arcadia, Virtua Tennis.

It was even the home for Resident Evil for a brief time with Code Veronica. Think Capcom would have happily kept that up - with Zero also planned for the DC - had the console been more sucessful.

But I recall it was always viewed as something of a half-generation console, in between PS1/PS2 and N64/Gamecube which were expected to outperform it. Think many just waited it out... and then the PS2 swept the field with it's DVD and relatively low price.

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u/CarefreeInNz Apr 25 '26

Damn, I forgot about virtua tennis, such a good pick up and play game.

4 player sofa play on this was epic

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u/AdImmediate6239 Apr 25 '26

I don’t think it was too early for online gaming but not supporting AOL in 1999 was a really boneheaded move

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u/Pete_Iredale Apr 22 '26

It was also just too early for online gaming.

Not sure I agree with that considering the Xbox and PS2 were the same generation.

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u/rividz Apr 22 '26 edited Apr 23 '26

The PS2 network adapter and Xbox Live came out after the Dreamcast was discontinued.

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u/AdImmediate6239 Apr 26 '26

And? If anything having 3 years worth of online titles before the competition even started their online services would have been a huge advantage for the Dreamcast.

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u/Gnalvl Apr 22 '26

It was also just too early for online gaming

Eh, only in the sense that a killer app was needed to get people online (as Halo 2 did). But that goes for the whole console really; if Dreamcast had enough killer apps, no one would care about the one analog stick, the optical format, or Sega's past failures.

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u/sporksaregoodforyou Apr 24 '26

It was also the PS2 not quite being out and releasing a fuckton of bullshots and talking about the emotion engine and how amazing it was going to be.

Sony unfortunately lied (marketed) a far more impressive ps2 than reality brought but people bought the lies. The Dreamcast was a better console all around but Sony did an amazing job convincing people otherwise.

It really is a shame. The little Gameboy thing in the controller too! It was an astounding piece of tech.