"Dreamcast Expectations"

Dreamcast Expectations Part I

-------Sega has an upcoming console called the Dreamcast, with an expected release date of Fall 1999 in North America. Dreamcast is a 128 bit system with specs to die for. The visuals that it will create will far surpass anything seen on N64 or PSX. Dreamcast is rumored to be more powerful than a PC armed with a good 3D chip, and it will offer N64 and PSX some good competition, perhaps more than they can handle; that remains to be seen. Sega wishes to regain the public's trust here in the US after the failure of the Saturn, and with the Dreamcast, they should be able to do it. In this editorial I will outline my expectations of Sega's upcoming console.

-------The Dreamcast has specifications to fit its name; they are a dream come true. The CPU is a Hitachi 128 bit graphics engine with an onboard RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) processor. It uses an SH 4 with an operating frequency of 200 MHz with 360 MIPS (Millions of Instructions Per Second)/1.4 FLOPS. Dreamcast has an NEC VR2 graphics chip that is capable of rendering over 3 million polygons per second. The sound processor is a Yamaha Super Intelligent Sound Processor that can simultaneously articulate 64 sounds. Dreamcast uses a customized OS (Operating System) using Windows CE as its base, and it supports Direct X. Dreamcast has a 12 speed CD-ROM drive. The main memory is 16 MByte with 64 Mbit SD-RAM x2. It also has a 33.6 modem included. (Specs courtesy of IGN Dreamcast: http://dreamcast.ign.com).

-------These are the graphical capabilities of the Dreamcast. It is obviously a powerful system that will be able to produce far more realistic graphics than any other console available. Realistic graphics can help further draw the gamer into the game. Dreamcast will also be able to make use of extra graphical effects, like lighting and weather conditions. Something many gamers may forget about is Dreamcast's 2D abilities, which are exciting indeed. It could produce cartoon like graphics that look exactly the same as your favorite cartoon show. I expect that Dreamcast games will look awesome, however I hope that developers will not focus too much on graphics. I'm not too worried about that, though, because Sega has always been able to provide good games (the trouble they've had has been more so with marketing the quality of their games).

-------Dreamcast's graphics certainly sound exciting, but I can only imagine what games will sound like. It has 64 sound channels compared to the Playstation's 24. This could simulate having a full orchestra playing for you while you sit back and enjoy the game. Music has the power to produce a nostalgic effect on its listeners. Imagine playing an RPG with full score from musical geniuses like Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart. RPGs will begin to flow with emotions, and the music will help you to know and love the characters. The other side is also exciting, which is fast and hyper sounding music, that will make you excited and feel adrenaline. Sound effects on the Dreamcast will be like never before. Every little sound will exist within the game. You will hear thunder as lighting strikes a tree, then you will hear the sound of the tree falling through the air, followed by a loud crash. You will even hear the birds chirping! Dreamcast has the potential to create music and sound effects that will leave you in awe, so I can only hope that Sega will take the time and effort make full use of these groundbreaking sound capabilities.

-------The Dreamcast's controller has undergone some criticism because it has less buttons than the controllers of the PSX, N64, or Saturn. Before you criticize the controller, consider the following. It does only have four buttons on the top, but it has two on the bottom. Banjo-Kazooie for the N64 has 24 total moves, simply by using the Z button. Since Dreamcast has two buttons on the bottom, I'm sure Sega will devise clever ways to make use of them. Do you really think that Sega would make a bad controller for such a mind blowing system? Sega must have been aware of this controller's apparent problems, and I'm sure they have already taken care of them.

-------Dreamcast has all the elements it needs to be successful: 3rd party support, good games, and a wide user base. There are already 84 confirmed titles for Dreamcast (far more than N64 had at this point in its life) from a wide variety of developers. Dreamcast has Sega, GT Interactive Software, Acclaim, and Midway, and these are all big names in the industry. Good games are on their way. Sonic Adventures and Virtua Fighter 3, the follow up to the best fighter ever, have been released in Japan (they should be ready to release with the system), and this is six months before the release. More games are currently under development, like Turok 2, Sega Rally 2, and Half Life. With so much 3rd party support and so many good games, a wide user base will be built up in no time at all.

-------There are still doubters who say, "if it's from Sega then it must suck." Anyone who say this is uninformed and too biased. The US has somewhat of a bad memory of Sega because of the Saturn, which gives people the impression that the developers at Sega are incapable of making a decent game, which is simply not true. Sega's arcade games are phenomenal. Virtua Fighter 2 is undoubtedly the best Fighter of all time. Sega Rally is another top notch game. The list goes on and on, but just play the games and there can be no arguing that Sega can produce great games. Sega has made many mistakes, but each time Sega has learned from its mistakes. The Master System was good, just as powerful as the NES if not more, but it couldn't match up to the widespread success of the NES. Sega learned from this, they realized that to compete with the NES, they would need a new system that could outperform it, so they released the Genesis. The Genesis is by far Sega's best accomplishment. It has at least as many 'A' titles as does Super Nintendo, and if you want to play the best of the 16 bit games, you'll need to have a Genesis as well as a SNES. Sega's next failure was the Game Gear. It was a good system, but it could not compete with Nintendo's Game Boy. It then dawned on Sega that they didn't need to compete in the portable game market, they had the arcades. Next was the Saturn, which was less of a failure. Saturn failed only here in the US, not in Japan, and although it has not been as succesful as the PSX, it has faired much better than the N64. Sega has made many mistakes, but they haven't ever repeated one, each time they have learned and moved on. Sega is ready for the Dreamcast. They know all the pitfalls of their past, and now they now what to do next.

-------The Sega Dreamcast has wondrous specifications. It will be able to outperform even a PC graphically and soundwise. The controller is a gem, it will be easy to use and have numerous possibilities. New graphics will allow players to further enjoy their gaming experience, and new sound will evoke emotions never before felt on a console. I am very excited about the Dreamcast, it has a lot of potential. Sega has done an excellent job thus far, I just hope they will be able to keep it up.

Stay tuned for Part II

~Matt Ely

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