Social Question

Buttonstc's avatar

I know it's 15 yrs. ago, but I wonder how many others had a Sega Dreamcast?

Asked by Buttonstc (27605points) November 21st, 2014 from iPhone

Mine is sitting in storage somewhere, but I recently took a little stroll down memory lane with fond recollections of my DC, a system ahead of its time.

I used it daily because it was, in truth, my first computer. When I first read in a computer mag about the fact that even tho it was a gaming console, a custom developed browser disc enabled Internet access, I knew I had to get one.

Of course, other gamibg systems with the same capability eventually followed, but Dreamcast was the first and considering that it was 1999, it had pretty impressive capabilities.

So, I’m curious about how many Flutherites had a DC and wonder if any others also used it the way we use smartphones or tablets nowadays, as an alternative to a computer for web browsing.

It’s a shame that it was Sega’s last hardware attempt and prompted their limitation to a software only company.

I was a bit surprised that it never caught on with am underserved portion of the market back then; namely senior citizens who wanted to get online and stay in touch with family but found computers much too daunting.

This was the easiest thing in the world to use, affordable at $100.00 and goof-proof because it could not pick up viruses or malware.

I always found it a bit puzzling that no one in the company ever thought of a marketing campaign for this part of the market. I wonder if it might have made a significant difference in its success or failure.

Anyhow, your thoughts ?

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10 Answers

johnpowell's avatar

Keep in mind this was when TVs were CRTs at 640X480. WebTv met the same fate. Browsing was total shit.

ragingloli's avatar

I had an SNES.
My favourite game on that console was and is Terranigma.

ucme's avatar

I remember my Sega Master System, uh huh, oh yeah!
Operation Wolf was fucking awesome, okay, it was shite compared to Call of Duty, but it was fun shite.

Berserker's avatar

I never owned one but my friend’s boyfriend had one, we always played it. Mainly we played Dead or Alive, forget which one, but I always used that drunken Kung Fu guy. He was awesome. Played Power Stone too, that was a cool game. Never made use of its internet capabilities though.
I don’t quite recall the reason for the system’s downfall, other than it coming in too late during that gaming generation. Sony and Nintendo owned most of the gaming ground by then. It also didn’t have enough games, although what there was was impressive. Unfortunately, the same happened with the Sega Saturn, which was an excellent console too.

@ucme Oeration Wolf fuckin kicked ass, I had that on the 8 bit nes.

ucme's avatar

@Symbeline Aye, bang that cartridge in, aim ya laser gun at the screen & blow shit away.
Got mine in 93, played on it for a couple of years & it vanished, no idea where :D

Buttonstc's avatar

@Symbeline

From what I’ve read, apparently the Saturn was a fail because of lots of operational problems. So it was a hardware problem mainly but it soured many people on Sega for awhile.

The DC apparently was a much more solid machine.

Buttonstc's avatar

@johnpowell

How well I remember the limitations of the resolution on CRT TVs. I had it hooked up to a 13 incher a few feet from my nose.

And the browsing may have been shit compared to computer monitors but for those of us without computers it was way better than the alternative, namely NOTHING :)

And computers back then (even used ones) were certainly not as affordable as they are today. The DC was a bargain at $99 bundled with a keyboard, browser disc and 3–4 games.

For a computer phobic (like I was then) this was heaven. It was amazing how much I could get done. (even in the days of dial-up).

ucme's avatar

@Symbeline I loved Blade Eagle 3D & Moonwalker, Michael Jackson kicking Dobermans in the head while dancing to Smooth Criminal…epic :D

Mimishu1995's avatar

I have a Dreamcast emulator, does it count?

Buttonstc's avatar

It counts for games, of course, but presumably cannot be used for Internet access so you get half a gold star :)

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