Only do it if you also replace the GD rom drive with the SD mod. Otherwise it might run undervolted. Also don't do either if you plan to play some multi disc games. Not sure about others like Shenmue but I had trouble with the game D2 not allowing to swap disc because of the way it's programmed.
But if you do, please keep the original GD drive aside or sell it for people wanting to fix dead DC's. There is only a finite amount of those remaining
@TheSliderW That’s is why unmoded original Dreamcast will be soon worth a lot of money. I got HDMI converter some people just do the HDMI mid to the console itself big mistake!
I'm still hoping for the day when Sega makes a Dreamcast Mini (and a Saturn Mini, to a lesser extent). Reportedly, the reason Sega has been holding back is because they want it to cost under $300.00. At least Hallmark gave us a Sega Dreamcast ornament with a light-up VMU and the Emerald Coast music from Sonic Adventure for this Holiday season.
I dont know. Alot of these sounds like personal preferences. Ive never really had memory card issues. Most games ive played used smaller blocks. As far as the ports blowing out. Ive had that issue one tume because my vmu was corrupt. Once i figured that out, never had that issue again. Never had an issue with burned games either. The space is usually freed up by taking away the online gameplay option. Lastly, the dreamcast controller is the most comfortable controller i have ever played. It feels the most natural for my hands. One correction, playstation 2 didnt kill it, sega killed it. They released too many consecutive systems in the 90s without supporting them and lost the trust of buyers. While nintendo only had super nintendo and n64, sega had genesis, cd, 32x, saturn, and the dreamcast. The ps2 was just the proof that the buyers were no longer trusting sega.
I second this comment. I've played pretty much every DC game ever since it came out and most of the best ones were either ported to other consoles, or have been recently re-released on PC so it's even harder to recomend. Still, there are a lot of hidden gems if you're willing to invest some time modding it to try them out. Some recommendations : Don't use the cable notch on the controller, it's unfortunate that Sega put the cable on the bottom but using the notch slowly damages both the cable where it digs in but also the bent part as you flex the copper wires. Open up the VMU's and desolder the buzzer, I Love the VMU'S functionality in games but having 4 or more of them beep is infuriating. Also, there is a way to expand thw base VMU free space by deleting system files. Done it, never had issues, your mileage may vary. Most hdmi converters start from the component signal, to get the best image, tou want a VGA to HDMI converter. Granted some older games don't output VGA in the first place but that's fine, either patch them if you can or use the other video adapter
Also if you can find a crt monitor you'll get an even better experience as with other older systems. No LCD will deliver the intended visual fidelity a 90's system was made for.
That . . . and people also loved the PS1 and when the PS2 came along it was a no-brainer for most people to get one, especially with the option of DVD playback. Also, when the Dreamcast came out, I remember reading/hearing a lot of people ask "why hasn't it got a second control stick?".
Great video! The Dreamcast was one of my favorite consoles growing up, and I spent many late nights delving into futuristic dungeons with strangers on Phantasy Star Online.
What a great video! Usually people just praise their retro consoles but this is very important information. Would love to see a similar video about other „troublesome“ consoles like the Saturn or the N64.
The main problem with the saturn is the laser as well and the need to change capacitors in case you see video flickering on the TV. it's also a good idea to replace the PSU with a new one as you should do to a Dreamcast. Throw in an ODE if you don't want to deal with the possibility of CD's failing on you and worrying about the laser (same applies to Dreamcast, oh and even the metal pins connection to the PSU can be a problem with the old PSU of both these consoles).
This video is absolutely amazing!! So informative, I am obsessed with retro gaming, but I haven't actually played on a Dreamcast since 2001! I've been toying with the idea of buying one!
I just made the jump into the DC a day ago. Paralysis of choice hit me and I just kinda bought Sonic Adventure (again), but that’s not stopping me from having the time of my life with it: the transparency looks genuinely lovely on Chaos Looks like I got lucky in getting a 4x card to start with: I didn’t even know what the cycling did before this video, but that’s a huge bonus, being able to have 800 blocks instead of 200 (or I guess 1000 instead of 400, since I bought a VMU as well)
Pirated games don't use extra compression beyond downgrading audio and/or video quality (except Skies of Arcadia). If the full game can't fit, audio will be excluded or dummied out with empty track. Videos can also be dummied out with blank files.
7:18 Grand Theft Auto 2 is on Dreamcast, and I have to say it's a superior port as opposed to the PlayStation version. In fact, many multiplatform games that came out on Dreamcast tend to be the best versions presentation and quality-wise.
I had a dreamcast in 1999, the only thing I didn't like about it was how loud the fan was the noises the GD-ROM made, got over it all once the games started. I still got one thats modded and still love it and my kids who are 12 and 15 love it...
Have had more DC for 2 years now on my old TV. My internal battery went to I need to replace it. Doesn't ruin the system but you have to set the date and time everytime you turn it on. I still love the system, one of my favorites.
Awesome video man. Dreamcast is one of my favorite game systems of all time. I owned one when it first came out back in 1999 and it felt like such a graphical leap at the time compared to the n64 and ps1. Didnt realize it had so many issues with the laser and all that. So thanks for pointing that out.
It was a fairly common fault. I think playing copied games made it more likely to die as they apparently put more strain on the laser. On the issue of disks scratching, that's true because of the higher density of the disks. It was a big issue with blu-rays in development, which they overcame by using a special protective layer. One way to avoid disks getting scratched is by pressing the open button when finishing playing rather than the power button. This stops the disk from spinning and potentially getting stratched.
From my experience, earlier Dreamcast models(Rev 0s mainly) have more reliable GD rom drives called the Yamaha which are made in Japan, while later ones have the Samsung GD rom drives which are cheaply made since they are made in China and is known to have issues like it’s harder to read backups. So that statement about Dreamcast having cheaply made lasers is partially true.
I have a Japanese and Pal version of the consol. Japanese version is great as a number of fighting games are super cheap on the Japanese version and I have the pal version for RPGs etc. When I first played the Japanese version in particular I couldn’t believe how fast games felt. Compared to an Xbox one s games such as street fighter are soo much more responsive and fun. Wayyy less input lag especially compare to playing an Xbox port. A great consol. Japanese version feels faster than pal as well not sure why.
Depending on what TV and output your playing each one so there will be differences PAL and NTSC same as PS1 NTSC played at 60 and PAL at 50 but it had better colours.
Im no hardcore shoot 'em upper, but the sole reason for me own a DC for many years must be 'under defeat' ...my alltime fave vertical scrolling shooter...its the best out there
Im a 40 year old life long sega fan. I baught the dreamcast 3 times over (twice during its heyday). It is an excellent console that WAS VERY MUCH ahead of its time. First console to have built in internet connection hardware with an original network service. Fun fact: it was supposed to feature everything the PS2 had (yes a dvd drive) but at the time of development sega was too far in financial debt to move forward with that feature due to the failures of the sega saturn, sega 32x, & sega cd.also, there was a change in OS software development mid cycle as well.
My favorite console of all time (I own 4, 1 is modded w/ a GDEMU among other fixes such as the controller port fuse) still play it somewhat regularly and online too. That's one thing you failed to mention in your vid, it was the first mainstream home console to go online. :-)
Back in the day I remember feeling very sad due to my Dreamcast developing a strange fault, while using a SCART lead to hook it up to my TV there was a purple/pink tint to the screen. Everything looked pink and purple. When I used an RF lead the colours on the screen displayed correctly but the picture quality was far inferior to SCART. Due to me living in England the RF output was not only poorer picture quality but was also restricted to the PAL systems 50fps refresh rate too. An unfortunate fault with my particular Dreamcast.
It's not the laser, it's the motor and shy of figuring out how to damp the system, you're likely stuck with it. Personally, I just use my Dreamcast to dump my games so that I can play it on my computer. Those GDROMs are not going to be around forever and getting a replacement is going to require a different unit going bad.
Very informative, I was planning to buy a dreamcast to burn disc for personal use. its already in my shopping cart but 3:28 these are the cons for using burned disc. Change plan going to buy the modded dreamcast using sd card
Moded Dreamcast is a bad move the untouched ones will go up in price also I had used burnt copies in the past and games played just fine some had compressed sound but it wasn’t bad not all games have capacity over 1 gb also Dreamcast doesn’t have that many games and you can buy original versions.
There hasn't been a system since the SuperGrafx that got to show less of its potential. You say that the PS2 killed it off the bat, but it was also EA not wanting to compete with Sega Sports, negotiating exclusive licenses and throwing their muscle behind the PS2. With equivalent RAM the Dreamcast could have hosted the GTA series in greater graphical fidelity than the PS2. Microsoft encouraged Sega to pick a fight with an enemy they weren't ready to take on themselves, and later launched the X-Box thinking they knew exactly where Sega had failed. And while they may not have repeated many mistakes Sega made with the Dreamcast they went to one to make several bad choices on their own with the original X-Box. Easy to see how it could have all went another way.
Bit late but the Dreamcast Controller's Joystick is incredible for 1 reason. Almost 2 decades before other companies started looking into it, it used Magnets to trigger the inputs. Meaning, stick drift is nearly impossible on the Dreamcast.
If your DC is resetting check internal psu fork connector, clean it from black spots an add little chips of plastic to push connectors close. Also check underside of motherboard there is two elements covered with thermal pads, if pads ruined from temperature cut them in half and reverse halves on the chip, then assemble it back and tighten the screws. Your resetting should be gone. Idl why anyone could recommend VGA box cuz its not VGA in the end lol. I used SCART RGB cable that natively supported and use 480 progressive video. In the reality of HDTVs maybe investment in OSSC is a good idea. PS. DC controller is the best one i got a hold on. Many hours of gaming straight and no hand issues
That's what that long beep means. I plugged in a second controller the other day just to have more memory card room. I didn't associate the beep with the dead batteries in the VMU. I simply thought the Dreamcast console itself was developing a fault. I put in new batteries. No more beep. Thanks.
4:49 Unfortunately 4x Memory Cards don't work on some controllers and adapters like the EMS Total Control Plus. Also, you can bump up the block count to 241 using Speud's Dream Explorer VMU Tool software.
23 year Dreamcast owner here 16x cards also exist and a SD card based vmu is coming. The quality of the CD-r for burns goes a long way. Don't burn to cheap discs. S-video is the way to go for Dreamcast, pair it with a retrotink. A lot of the good games don't work with vga. Region mod it there are a few ways to do this
The dreamcast turned into a last dream for sega,because as of late march 2001 things would never gonna be the same again for sega,and so my self included because at that time my love with a girlfriend back then,in fact i consider 2001 as a horrible time with things to happen to be never the same again,not only per se for me and sega but in general as well😟
GTA 1 -2, and Sarges Heroes are some of the classics that’s worth playing. Btw. I recommend getting a Cable called antenna RF RFU switch adapter if you want something cheap and don’t have the composite ports/ AV ports/ color cords that are red, yellow, and white. In case anyone didn’t know what the terms means that is the color ports on the tv. Now there is more of an expensive route by using component in case you that I recommend doing that if you have that to go old schooled but want better graphics that’s the way to go, but it is still cheaper than getting an HDMI adapter. The component cord colors are green, blue, red, red, and white.
First thing you must know before buying, is that disk drives are already 25yr old. Expect to spend some money on an optical drive simulator or any other method to load games other than gdroma.
i can confirm that those vga cables they make for dreamcast output at the correct aspect ratio. i just hooked mine up to my lagless monitor and it looks great.
Just found one with 4 controllers and a cheap memory card, the guy at the counter was like, oh wait theres a big cd case with lots of games 😀 it was a goodwill type place
In general most is true. Cannot agree about being 5th generation at all. Console was more than 10x more powerfull than ps1 which was a model 3d platform of 5th generation. It could displayed more than 3mln poligons vs 300K of PS1 in a higher resolution 480p vs 240p. Agree that ports were there around to be also moved to DC (even PS2 received these), but it didn't push the hardware to it'slimits. Games like Shenmue2, Dead or Alive2, Sonic Adventure2, MSR, Sport 2K2 have great graphics, nice physics and were complex (especially S2) which fight with the best PS2 games on par until 2002 when last official games were released outside Japan market. Obviously it was less powerfull than PS2, and there were a huge gap between XBOX (PS2 vs XBOX performance was also a pretty big gap), but DC was a console release in 1998 vs 2000 ps2 and 2002 xbox. It worth mentioning that DC video output was cleanest from competition out of the box as it used same GPU as arcade Naomi board enabling true 480p for almost all games, where PS2 have little of them (or upscaled 480p) which looks blurry on modern TV.
my dreamcast was modded i remember the "Self Boot CD" some game must use it to play, and also Sonic Adventure 2 turn it to Japanese to pass the escape the jungle zone, Headhunter you will be stuck in the safe room forever and many more
I have a Japanese DC and Region 1 DC as well. I plan to get GDEMU for my Region 1 or rather Version 1 DC. I'm worried about some of my titles. Lot of my store bought copies have bit the dust. My original DC discs still working tho. I was using PS and Saturn controllers for my DC. Since I wssn't too keen on the original Sega DC controller. Tho now..I might have to budget for a Retro Fighters STriker DC controller maybe 2 when I have company over. Too bad my Japanese DC doesn't support a GDEMU, at least from what I have been told. I had extra cooling and air flow done to a blue transparent case for that DC. My North American version 1 is completely stock. I came from arcades, so the DC is a perfect fit for me. I haven't touched any of the console generation after the OG Xbox. Since PC gaming is getting crazily priced on parts now and CPUs and GPUs are drinking crazy on electricity for the current gen...I've been going back to my consoles.
It was dying before the PS2 came out. 1. Most of those things are very rare and not super known. The laser isn't what makes the noise it's the motor and there is actually nothing wrong with it. It's just the way it's made(not cheap). 2. Most of what you said isn't true outside of the amount a GD-Rom can store. Everything else about burning games, compression of burned games and how hard the laser works is false. 3. VMU batteries are a pain but you can change them out for rechargeable ones. 4. Video output is fine
5:32 Just use a VGA-based HDMI adapter that outputs a pure 480p signal, or use an RF adapter into the TV's VHF/UHF port, and set the channel to 3 (or 4 according to the channel output dipswitch settings). I bring these options up since they have the least processing lag, compared to using a cheap 720p/1080p-upscaling composite to HDMI adapter.
Uncle from Another World manga author needs to have the Dreamcast mentioned at some point in the storyline. Hope there is a chapter towards the end where Uncle eventually finds a SEGA Dreamcast and play all the SEGA games he missed out on.
I coveted the Dreamcast as a kid. Always liked bigger controllers like the one the Dreamcast had, as well as the Xbox's Duke controller. I think the hardware flaws of the Dreamcast (its loud grinding noise, the fragility of the GD-Rom format) mean that this console is better emulated than played in physical format....but damn do I love how games on this thing look. So much smoother than PS1 and more pleasant to look at than most PS2 games in my experience.
Played Dreamcast on release at a friends, I was heavy into fighting games like marvel and power stone. one year after release mom bought me one and I was in power stone heaven! No more playing marvel at the local arcade lol who would of thought younger me would trade it for a useless cd player in middle school.
If you play it for a long time, then turn it off and turn it back on, it won’t turn on because it needs to cool down. I wish I knew that because I thought my Dreamcast was dead for a long time
The emulator itself isn't laggy. It's the games. Nintendo made N64 games almost impossible to make. That was the reason they lost alot of 3rd party support. So not only were they hard to make, it makes it difficult to duplicate too.
Your laser is way too loud, probably needs lubrication on the guides. Mine is loud but not like this. I been throuh two EU DCs and never had problems even with very scratched discs. Mine is now old enough it has trouble reading on cold boots, which seem to be from bad capacitors (it goes away after it heats up). I plan on replacing them, since I already found 5 or 6 that are off spec on the controller board. If 2nd hand, your sample may also have had the laser tweaked for CDROMs, in which case GDROMs will have the issues you describe. You need to adjust the pot to lower power to factory spec and it will read GDs much better. The best test I've found for this is tweak until Soulcalibur runs the music in game continuously, without fail. Other games it may just retry until it loads content and it may not drop to OS like you describe. The controller is mostly great, even though it sorely lacked the second thumbstick. While one may point one or two things not being top notch, this had the first proper analog triggers, which were massive for racing games. Try playing one on the PS2, where you are supposed to accelerate with the analog buttons. Many many times, you are not pushing hard enough for 100% to register... PS3 is mostly the same, with much worse thumbstick placement. Well, unless you get a 3rd party controller. They are also really durable controllers. Mine took a beating to the point the face buttons are now very soft but they still work without missed inputs.
Nice video but I don't know why you don't mention a single word about modding your Dreamcast. This solves so many problems and makes the console 10x better to play. If a person doesn't understand it and watches the video, they will think they're stuck with default settings and physical media. This may discourage people from trying the console. keep going, thank you
I had the sticker DC. I sold it as soon as I got it. Great idea but poorly executed. The controller looks great and the joystick feels amazing but the action on the pads (silicone) is cheap and makes a LOUD click noise. It feels very light, like a 99 cent store item. I've bought almost every 3rd party controller there is for the DC and I still go back to the authentic controllers unfortunately.
omg, u dont understand a thing about a dreamcast, so you know, the analog stick is STILL the best a gamepad can have, no drift whatsoever and it will never have because of the tech thats inside. and its one of the best ergonomic gamepads ever
Dreamcast exists in ps1 n64 era and kick ass that consoles at all and any game version wich exists in dreamcast and in other console (whateaver, any console you wish) the dreamcast version are better.. the console have a few problems i know but i never feel again that magic with ant console
![Secrets of the Dreamcast VMU | Punching Weight [SSFF]](/img/n.gif)
Nah, the dreamcast controller has always been one of my all time favorites
I'm digging up my old yellow nasty smoke colour dreamcast, replace the power adapter, put in the sdcard reader thing and give it a second life.
Power Adapter? It come with a standard power cable. Do you mean the port? I own 3 Dreamcasts and have never had an issue.
@@dextersbeard3472 google for Dreamcast power replacement. It's a nice mod
Only do it if you also replace the GD rom drive with the SD mod. Otherwise it might run undervolted.
Also don't do either if you plan to play some multi disc games. Not sure about others like Shenmue but I had trouble with the game D2 not allowing to swap disc because of the way it's programmed.
But if you do, please keep the original GD drive aside or sell it for people wanting to fix dead DC's. There is only a finite amount of those remaining
@TheSliderW That’s is why unmoded original Dreamcast will be soon worth a lot of money. I got HDMI converter some people just do the HDMI mid to the console itself big mistake!
I'm still hoping for the day when Sega makes a Dreamcast Mini (and a Saturn Mini, to a lesser extent). Reportedly, the reason Sega has been holding back is because they want it to cost under $300.00.
At least Hallmark gave us a Sega Dreamcast ornament with a light-up VMU and the Emerald Coast music from Sonic Adventure for this Holiday season.
I dont know. Alot of these sounds like personal preferences. Ive never really had memory card issues. Most games ive played used smaller blocks. As far as the ports blowing out. Ive had that issue one tume because my vmu was corrupt. Once i figured that out, never had that issue again. Never had an issue with burned games either. The space is usually freed up by taking away the online gameplay option. Lastly, the dreamcast controller is the most comfortable controller i have ever played. It feels the most natural for my hands. One correction, playstation 2 didnt kill it, sega killed it. They released too many consecutive systems in the 90s without supporting them and lost the trust of buyers. While nintendo only had super nintendo and n64, sega had genesis, cd, 32x, saturn, and the dreamcast. The ps2 was just the proof that the buyers were no longer trusting sega.
I second this comment.
I've played pretty much every DC game ever since it came out and most of the best ones were either ported to other consoles, or have been recently re-released on PC so it's even harder to recomend. Still, there are a lot of hidden gems if you're willing to invest some time modding it to try them out.
Some recommendations :
Don't use the cable notch on the controller, it's unfortunate that Sega put the cable on the bottom but using the notch slowly damages both the cable where it digs in but also the bent part as you flex the copper wires.
Open up the VMU's and desolder the buzzer, I Love the VMU'S functionality in games but having 4 or more of them beep is infuriating.
Also, there is a way to expand thw base VMU free space by deleting system files. Done it, never had issues, your mileage may vary.
Most hdmi converters start from the component signal, to get the best image, tou want a VGA to HDMI converter. Granted some older games don't output VGA in the first place but that's fine, either patch them if you can or use the other video adapter
Also if you can find a crt monitor you'll get an even better experience as with other older systems. No LCD will deliver the intended visual fidelity a 90's system was made for.
That . . . and people also loved the PS1 and when the PS2 came along it was a no-brainer for most people to get one, especially with the option of DVD playback.
Also, when the Dreamcast came out, I remember reading/hearing a lot of people ask "why hasn't it got a second control stick?".
Great video! The Dreamcast was one of my favorite consoles growing up, and I spent many late nights delving into futuristic dungeons with strangers on Phantasy Star Online.
Lmao who cares about a boomer old console
Same The main menu music in phantasy Star online I still brings a small tear to my all these years later
Bet your parents loved the phone bill.
Saw this in my recommended. This deserves more views. Keep up the good work!
Cringe
What a great video! Usually people just praise their retro consoles but this is very important information. Would love to see a similar video about other „troublesome“ consoles like the Saturn or the N64.
The main problem with the saturn is the laser as well and the need to change capacitors in case you see video flickering on the TV. it's also a good idea to replace the PSU with a new one as you should do to a Dreamcast. Throw in an ODE if you don't want to deal with the possibility of CD's failing on you and worrying about the laser (same applies to Dreamcast, oh and even the metal pins connection to the PSU can be a problem with the old PSU of both these consoles).
Glad I checked the comments regarding the large size of some games and with how they will fit on blank discs. Thanks!
This video is absolutely amazing!! So informative, I am obsessed with retro gaming, but I haven't actually played on a Dreamcast since 2001! I've been toying with the idea of buying one!
I just made the jump into the DC a day ago. Paralysis of choice hit me and I just kinda bought Sonic Adventure (again), but that’s not stopping me from having the time of my life with it: the transparency looks genuinely lovely on Chaos
Looks like I got lucky in getting a 4x card to start with: I didn’t even know what the cycling did before this video, but that’s a huge bonus, being able to have 800 blocks instead of 200 (or I guess 1000 instead of 400, since I bought a VMU as well)
1.its great
2.its great
3.its great
4.its great
5.its perfect
Pirated games don't use extra compression beyond downgrading audio and/or video quality (except Skies of Arcadia). If the full game can't fit, audio will be excluded or dummied out with empty track. Videos can also be dummied out with blank files.
I always use to plug controllers in, after I booted up the game and forgot to do it.. never had a problem so far with it
Same.
I've had a few problems but none that destroyed the console.
@hipsterelephant2660 the only thing that blew my controller ports was a corrupt vmu.
7:18 Grand Theft Auto 2 is on Dreamcast, and I have to say it's a superior port as opposed to the PlayStation version. In fact, many multiplatform games that came out on Dreamcast tend to be the best versions presentation and quality-wise.
Cool video dude, im just looking to buy one and alrhough i knew mist if these stuff its very well put together and easy to watch video.
at some point I want to start collecting for the Dreamcast but this video has helped me decide that Im gonna go for the original Xbox first
I had a dreamcast in 1999, the only thing I didn't like about it was how loud the fan was the noises the GD-ROM made, got over it all once the games started. I still got one thats modded and still love it and my kids who are 12 and 15 love it...
That was a pretty great to the point video. You just earned a Subcriber.
Have had more DC for 2 years now on my old TV. My internal battery went to I need to replace it. Doesn't ruin the system but you have to set the date and time everytime you turn it on. I still love the system, one of my favorites.
Awesome video man. Dreamcast is one of my favorite game systems of all time. I owned one when it first came out back in 1999 and it felt like such a graphical leap at the time compared to the n64 and ps1. Didnt realize it had so many issues with the laser and all that. So thanks for pointing that out.
It was a fairly common fault. I think playing copied games made it more likely to die as they apparently put more strain on the laser. On the issue of disks scratching, that's true because of the higher density of the disks. It was a big issue with blu-rays in development, which they overcame by using a special protective layer. One way to avoid disks getting scratched is by pressing the open button when finishing playing rather than the power button. This stops the disk from spinning and potentially getting stratched.
What's weird is, the Saturn is known for having an amazing disc drive; why they cheaped out on the Dreamcast's I will never understand.
From my experience, earlier Dreamcast models(Rev 0s mainly) have more reliable GD rom drives called the Yamaha which are made in Japan, while later ones have the Samsung GD rom drives which are cheaply made since they are made in China and is known to have issues like it’s harder to read backups. So that statement about Dreamcast having cheaply made lasers is partially true.
New sub with notifications on 😮. Great video
I still have my original model... I installed a terronion MODE.... super easy...
All of these points are solved once you mod your DC, which is what every DC owner should be doing today.
No!
I have a Japanese and Pal version of the consol. Japanese version is great as a number of fighting games are super cheap on the Japanese version and I have the pal version for RPGs etc. When I first played the Japanese version in particular I couldn’t believe how fast games felt. Compared to an Xbox one s games such as street fighter are soo much more responsive and fun. Wayyy less input lag especially compare to playing an Xbox port. A great consol. Japanese version feels faster than pal as well not sure why.
Depending on what TV and output your playing each one so there will be differences PAL and NTSC same as PS1 NTSC played at 60 and PAL at 50 but it had better colours.
Im no hardcore shoot 'em upper, but the sole reason for me own a DC for many years must be 'under defeat' ...my alltime fave vertical scrolling shooter...its the best out there
Im a 40 year old life long sega fan. I baught the dreamcast 3 times over (twice during its heyday). It is an excellent console that WAS VERY MUCH ahead of its time. First console to have built in internet connection hardware with an original network service. Fun fact: it was supposed to feature everything the PS2 had (yes a dvd drive) but at the time of development sega was too far in financial debt to move forward with that feature due to the failures of the sega saturn, sega 32x, & sega cd.also, there was a change in OS software development mid cycle as well.
i loved this video, will you be doing more for other consoles? perhaps n64?
My favorite console of all time (I own 4, 1 is modded w/ a GDEMU among other fixes such as the controller port fuse) still play it somewhat regularly and online too. That's one thing you failed to mention in your vid, it was the first mainstream home console to go online. :-)
Back in the day I remember feeling very sad due to my Dreamcast developing a strange fault, while using a SCART lead to hook it up to my TV there was a purple/pink tint to the screen. Everything looked pink and purple. When I used an RF lead the colours on the screen displayed correctly but the picture quality was far inferior to SCART. Due to me living in England the RF output was not only poorer picture quality but was also restricted to the PAL systems 50fps refresh rate too. An unfortunate fault with my particular Dreamcast.
If you're gonna burn your games and have your ISOs already for it. You gotta burn it at 2x, thats also why its so loud on that lazer. Its old.....
It's not the laser, it's the motor and shy of figuring out how to damp the system, you're likely stuck with it. Personally, I just use my Dreamcast to dump my games so that I can play it on my computer. Those GDROMs are not going to be around forever and getting a replacement is going to require a different unit going bad.
Very informative, I was planning to buy a dreamcast to burn disc for personal use. its already in my shopping cart but 3:28 these are the cons for using burned disc.
Change plan going to buy the modded dreamcast using sd card
Moded Dreamcast is a bad move the untouched ones will go up in price also I had used burnt copies in the past and games played just fine some had compressed sound but it wasn’t bad not all games have capacity over 1 gb also Dreamcast doesn’t have that many games and you can buy original versions.
Didn't have "That guy from Command Zone giving me advice on the Dreamcast" on my Bingo card for today. Thanks for the tips!
I just like making videos of any of my interests tbh. Thanks for watching!
There hasn't been a system since the SuperGrafx that got to show less of its potential. You say that the PS2 killed it off the bat, but it was also EA not wanting to compete with Sega Sports, negotiating exclusive licenses and throwing their muscle behind the PS2. With equivalent RAM the Dreamcast could have hosted the GTA series in greater graphical fidelity than the PS2.
Microsoft encouraged Sega to pick a fight with an enemy they weren't ready to take on themselves, and later launched the X-Box thinking they knew exactly where Sega had failed. And while they may not have repeated many mistakes Sega made with the Dreamcast they went to one to make several bad choices on their own with the original X-Box.
Easy to see how it could have all went another way.
I love my Dreamcast but you make some valid point
I had two still want another
Bit late but the Dreamcast Controller's Joystick is incredible for 1 reason. Almost 2 decades before other companies started looking into it, it used Magnets to trigger the inputs. Meaning, stick drift is nearly impossible on the Dreamcast.
If your DC is resetting check internal psu fork connector, clean it from black spots an add little chips of plastic to push connectors close.
Also check underside of motherboard there is two elements covered with thermal pads, if pads ruined from temperature cut them in half and reverse halves on the chip, then assemble it back and tighten the screws.
Your resetting should be gone.
Idl why anyone could recommend VGA box cuz its not VGA in the end lol.
I used SCART RGB cable that natively supported and use 480 progressive video.
In the reality of HDTVs maybe investment in OSSC is a good idea.
PS. DC controller is the best one i got a hold on. Many hours of gaming straight and no hand issues
The LG flatscreen has av connection and allowes you use the ratio aspect
I'm in the UK so I just use a RGB SCART for good results on a CRT plus RGB SCART looks pretty good on a LCD TV.
"Video output is a nightmare"..VGA was years ahead.
That's what that long beep means. I plugged in a second controller the other day just to have more memory card room. I didn't associate the beep with the dead batteries in the VMU. I simply thought the Dreamcast console itself was developing a fault. I put in new batteries. No more beep. Thanks.
The first nba2k was on DC. It was great. Shenmue was great
The performance products controller is the most comfortable I’ve found
4:49 Unfortunately 4x Memory Cards don't work on some controllers and adapters like the EMS Total Control Plus. Also, you can bump up the block count to 241 using Speud's Dream Explorer VMU Tool software.
You owned the console for two years! lol, I have had mine since 2000
23 year Dreamcast owner here
16x cards also exist and a SD card based vmu is coming.
The quality of the CD-r for burns goes a long way. Don't burn to cheap discs.
S-video is the way to go for Dreamcast, pair it with a retrotink. A lot of the good games don't work with vga.
Region mod it there are a few ways to do this
Then go for rgb , S-video is horrible
@@Adultlexicon not with that Mike Chi Voodoo
Didn’t know the beep meant old batteries, thanks 🙏
The dreamcast turned into a last dream for sega,because as of late march 2001 things would never gonna be the same again for sega,and so my self included because at that time my love with a girlfriend back then,in fact i consider 2001 as a horrible time with things to happen to be never the same again,not only per se for me and sega but in general as well😟
I'd love to hear ya talk more about video games. You should do more videos like these!
GTA 1 -2, and Sarges Heroes are some of the classics that’s worth playing. Btw. I recommend getting a Cable called antenna RF RFU switch adapter if you want something cheap and don’t have the composite ports/ AV ports/ color cords that are red, yellow, and white. In case anyone didn’t know what the terms means that is the color ports on the tv. Now there is more of an expensive route by using component in case you that I recommend doing that if you have that to go old schooled but want better graphics that’s the way to go, but it is still cheaper than getting an HDMI adapter. The component cord colors are green, blue, red, red, and white.
I got HDMI adapter very cheap.
this sounds like somone who was not Alive while this was out back in the day. lol
Xbox 1? Never heard of her. This controller here was awesome
I think red, white, yellow is rca. 5 wire being composite.
RCA is composite. You're thinking of component.
@@HornHeaDDt is so confusing... 🙂
It always seemed to me that the starting “beep” is a normal state. And yes, I have never changed the VMU battery.
plus, DO NOT unplug AV cable while power is plugged. it may damage video output.
First thing you must know before buying, is that disk drives are already 25yr old. Expect to spend some money on an optical drive simulator or any other method to load games other than gdroma.
i can confirm that those vga cables they make for dreamcast output at the correct aspect ratio. i just hooked mine up to my lagless monitor and it looks great.
Just found one with 4 controllers and a cheap memory card, the guy at the counter was like, oh wait theres a big cd case with lots of games 😀 it was a goodwill type place
In general most is true. Cannot agree about being 5th generation at all. Console was more than 10x more powerfull than ps1 which was a model 3d platform of 5th generation. It could displayed more than 3mln poligons vs 300K of PS1 in a higher resolution 480p vs 240p. Agree that ports were there around to be also moved to DC (even PS2 received these), but it didn't push the hardware to it'slimits. Games like Shenmue2, Dead or Alive2, Sonic Adventure2, MSR, Sport 2K2 have great graphics, nice physics and were complex (especially S2) which fight with the best PS2 games on par until 2002 when last official games were released outside Japan market. Obviously it was less powerfull than PS2, and there were a huge gap between XBOX (PS2 vs XBOX performance was also a pretty big gap), but DC was a console release in 1998 vs 2000 ps2 and 2002 xbox.
It worth mentioning that DC video output was cleanest from competition out of the box as it used same GPU as arcade Naomi board enabling true 480p for almost all games, where PS2 have little of them (or upscaled 480p) which looks blurry on modern TV.
Sega could have thrived in the 6th generation, in hindsight.
Exactly. Dreamcast is the first 6th generation console.
my dreamcast was modded i remember the "Self Boot CD" some game must use it to play, and also Sonic Adventure 2 turn it to Japanese to pass the escape the jungle zone, Headhunter you will be stuck in the safe room forever and many more
I have a Japanese DC and Region 1 DC as well. I plan to get GDEMU for my Region 1 or rather Version 1 DC. I'm worried about some of my titles. Lot of my store bought copies have bit the dust. My original DC discs still working tho. I was using PS and Saturn controllers for my DC. Since I wssn't too keen on the original Sega DC controller. Tho now..I might have to budget for a Retro Fighters STriker DC controller maybe 2 when I have company over. Too bad my Japanese DC doesn't support a GDEMU, at least from what I have been told. I had extra cooling and air flow done to a blue transparent case for that DC. My North American version 1 is completely stock. I came from arcades, so the DC is a perfect fit for me. I haven't touched any of the console generation after the OG Xbox. Since PC gaming is getting crazily priced on parts now and CPUs and GPUs are drinking crazy on electricity for the current gen...I've been going back to my consoles.
Can you do one for the Sega Saturn?
I’ve taken controller out of the ports since owning it back in 2000 never had any issues
My Dreamcast is full moded ( pico , dchdmi, silent fan, usbgdrom, Bluetooth controller and a rechargeable battery)
This videogame is soooo beaultiful 😮
what's the name of the game with the guy running around through the snowy town? 2:38
2:45 are you sure its a disc issue and not the console itself?
It was dying before the PS2 came out.
1. Most of those things are very rare and not super known. The laser isn't what makes the noise it's the motor and there is actually nothing wrong with it. It's just the way it's made(not cheap).
2. Most of what you said isn't true outside of the amount a GD-Rom can store. Everything else about burning games, compression of burned games and how hard the laser works is false.
3. VMU batteries are a pain but you can change them out for rechargeable ones.
4. Video output is fine
you wish you knew before buying a dreamcast that it didn't have hdmi? You actually expected a system from 1999 to natively output hdmi?!?!?!
Those Dreamcast memory card units are getting expensive 💸 I've seen the for around $30🤑
Dreamcast is 6th gen system. It's last official game came out in 2007. It's a 6th gen system, comfortably.
I had one as a kid but I must have given it away because I can't find it anywhere. 😔
The only thing I regret about my DC is not getting more games when they went on closeout.
Same here.
What a high quality and actually useful video wow! Props
Woooooo Yeah, Sega Forever 🤘
5:32 Just use a VGA-based HDMI adapter that outputs a pure 480p signal, or use an RF adapter into the TV's VHF/UHF port, and set the channel to 3 (or 4 according to the channel output dipswitch settings). I bring these options up since they have the least processing lag, compared to using a cheap 720p/1080p-upscaling composite to HDMI adapter.
Uncle from Another World manga author needs to have the Dreamcast mentioned at some point in the storyline.
Hope there is a chapter towards the end where Uncle eventually finds a SEGA Dreamcast and play all the SEGA games he missed out on.
I coveted the Dreamcast as a kid. Always liked bigger controllers like the one the Dreamcast had, as well as the Xbox's Duke controller. I think the hardware flaws of the Dreamcast (its loud grinding noise, the fragility of the GD-Rom format) mean that this console is better emulated than played in physical format....but damn do I love how games on this thing look. So much smoother than PS1 and more pleasant to look at than most PS2 games in my experience.
Played Dreamcast on release at a friends, I was heavy into fighting games like marvel and power stone. one year after release mom bought me one and I was in power stone heaven! No more playing marvel at the local arcade lol who would of thought younger me would trade it for a useless cd player in middle school.
Where can I buy that vmu?
If you do franchise in 2k it takes up the whole memory card
If you play it for a long time, then turn it off and turn it back on, it won’t turn on because it needs to cool down. I wish I knew that because I thought my Dreamcast was dead for a long time
Would love a “mini”, probably never get one. It’s the only way I would try it. I’ve emulated this system and it’s too laggy. Same with N64.
The emulator itself isn't laggy. It's the games. Nintendo made N64 games almost impossible to make. That was the reason they lost alot of 3rd party support. So not only were they hard to make, it makes it difficult to duplicate too.
I burned sonic adventure onto a cd and it works just fine
Your laser is way too loud, probably needs lubrication on the guides. Mine is loud but not like this.
I been throuh two EU DCs and never had problems even with very scratched discs. Mine is now old enough it has trouble reading on cold boots, which seem to be from bad capacitors (it goes away after it heats up). I plan on replacing them, since I already found 5 or 6 that are off spec on the controller board.
If 2nd hand, your sample may also have had the laser tweaked for CDROMs, in which case GDROMs will have the issues you describe. You need to adjust the pot to lower power to factory spec and it will read GDs much better. The best test I've found for this is tweak until Soulcalibur runs the music in game continuously, without fail. Other games it may just retry until it loads content and it may not drop to OS like you describe.
The controller is mostly great, even though it sorely lacked the second thumbstick. While one may point one or two things not being top notch, this had the first proper analog triggers, which were massive for racing games. Try playing one on the PS2, where you are supposed to accelerate with the analog buttons. Many many times, you are not pushing hard enough for 100% to register...
PS3 is mostly the same, with much worse thumbstick placement. Well, unless you get a 3rd party controller.
They are also really durable controllers. Mine took a beating to the point the face buttons are now very soft but they still work without missed inputs.
Nice video but I don't know why you don't mention a single word about modding your Dreamcast. This solves so many problems and makes the console 10x better to play. If a person doesn't understand it and watches the video, they will think they're stuck with default settings and physical media. This may discourage people from trying the console. keep going, thank you
I bought Sonic adventure THREE TIMES and none of them worked. the 3rd one was in good condition too!
It was killed by Sega themselves
wheres best place to buy one?
Great 5 facts! I wish I knew about these as well haha thank you.
After doing the math a PS2 memory card is actually 64 times bigger in size than the one for the Dreamcast
🐐
You only need to know one thing it is the best console. If you just want to have fun playing games.
I had the sticker DC. I sold it as soon as I got it. Great idea but poorly executed. The controller looks great and the joystick feels amazing but the action on the pads (silicone) is cheap and makes a LOUD click noise. It feels very light, like a 99 cent store item. I've bought almost every 3rd party controller there is for the DC and I still go back to the authentic controllers unfortunately.
omg, u dont understand a thing about a dreamcast, so you know, the analog stick is STILL the best a gamepad can have, no drift whatsoever and it will never have because of the tech thats inside. and its one of the best ergonomic gamepads ever
Exactly!!!!
the laser is so ass. had a shit ton of burned games tho. shit was fun
Failing disc drives in 2023
Dreamcast exists in ps1 n64 era and kick ass that consoles at all and any game version wich exists in dreamcast and in other console (whateaver, any console you wish)
the dreamcast version are better..
the console have a few problems i know but i never feel again that magic with ant console
yes people overrated the dreamcast,but it s stil a good retro system .