Gone too soon.
A decade after SEGA wowed on 9.9.99 with a system that proved the company’s apology for the disastrous 32X and the ill-fated Saturn, the Dreamcast still brings back bittersweet memories to the those that decided to give SEGA a second (or third or fourth) shot. The popularity of the system, due to many innovative features and a deep library that contained stellar games in each genre, has caused SEGA-devotees to gather together in remembrance of a dear friend cut down before its time, much like St. Elmos Fire.
The Dreamcast started out with a handful of quality launch titles (such as Power Stone, Sonic Adventure, Soul Calibur), which only picked up steam over the course of the next 1.5 years. I can say without hyperbole that the system had one of the broadest libraries to ever grace gaming. Fighting was represented in the aforementioned Soul Calibur, as well as Capcom vs. SNK 2, King of Fighters Dream Match ’98, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and Street Fighter III: Third Strike; shooters ran deep with Borderdown, GigaWing, GigaWing2, Ikaruga, and Mars Matrix; Grandia 2, Shenmue, and Skies of Arcadia held down RPGs; action RPG fans had Phantasy Star Zero. The well was quite deep, so where did SEGA go wrong?
Certainly, like Hendrix, Joplin, and Morrison, the Dreamcast is remembered equally for its early exit as its body of work. The optimistic contend that if the system was able to display such brilliance in a such a short amount of time it was to be destined for even greater heights; the pessimistic insist that SEGA simply didn’t have enough time to “fuck up.” Both views are valid.
“The Dreamcast was a fantastic piece of hardware that had great launch titles and used the internet for gaming,” said Scott Steinberg, publisher Digitaltrends.com. “What killed it was a legacy of crap upgrades.”
SEGA diehards who stuck with the system through the dark post-Genesis years felt the sting of quickly crafted and abandoned hardware (the 32X), and promising hardware that was home to some of the lamest games ever produced (SEGA CD). When SEGA finally updated to new standalone hardware (Saturn) it was more cobbled together than created. It had hardware issues (a confusing dual CPU set up and a lack of RAM), but its library of 2D titles were quite deep in retrospect. Still, SEGA managed to drop the ball, furthering souring ties with fans and businesses alike.
“The Saturn wasn’t a bad system, but SEGA put it out months ahead of schedule,” said Steinberg. “That’s great for the consumer, but pissed off retailers and developers. There’s a legacy of burning every end of the food chain.” This scorching eventually transformed the house-that-Sonic-built into a damaged brand that few, other than the most hardcore, had any faith in purchasing.
Surprisingly, SEGA looked to be on the road to redemption with the $199 Dreamcast; its 9.9.99 launch was quite the success thanks to an excellent “It’s thinking” marketing blitz and one of the best launch titles in gaming history.
The following year’s price cut, according to Manjiro Works News, helped the system surge past the Nintendo 64, but its mad rush to the top was blocked by Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 2. The news that a sequel to Sony’s wildly popular PlayStation was enough for a number of gamers (and some developers) to hold out for the PS2. After running insane promotions such as giving away consoles to anyone that signed up to SEGANet for a year, SEGA did what scoffers knew that the company would do – - once again pull out of the market prematurely. In March 2001, the Dreamcast gave up the ghost.
A decade later the Dreamcast still remains a cult favorite for its rich catalog and SEGA’s cutting edge reach. It ran on Windows CE (which fosters the Dreamcast development scene to this day) and contained a Web browser that allowed you to download content to the VMU (perhaps best used with Fire Pro D). Any lines drawn between it and the Xbox 360 would not be out of left field.
SEGA, obviously, got it right with the Dreamcast; the company’s bad history is what truly brought it down. So should SEGA get back into the console market and give it a go one more time?
“Not if they’re sane”, said Steinberg. “Hardware has razor-thin margins. Look at Microsoft and Sony; it’s well known that they lose money on evey console sold.”
Even if SEGA were to go the Wii route and release an underpowered system, it still would be difficult for the company to gain a foothold in a market dominated not just by Nintendo and Sony, but also Microsoft.
“SEGA’s forte has always been software,” said Steinberg. “SEGA should play to its strength.”
At this point in time, the dream of a new SEGA console may just be that, but we can take comfort in the memories of the first system that really took the “next gen” label and ran with it. So this 9.9.99, as the little-system-that-almost-could turns 10, fire up your favorite Dreamcast title, or better yet, get together with some friends and relive the magic.
Keep thinking.
