Sega Dreamcast

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Image:Sega Dreamcast_thumblogo.png Sega Dreamcast

Sega Dreamcast
Manufacturer: Sega
Alternate Names: DC (nickname)
Announced: 7/September/1997
Release date: JP: 25/November/1998
NA: 9/September/1999
EU: 14/October/1999
AU: 30/November/1999
Initial Price: JP: ¥29,800
NA: $199.99
EU: £199.99
AU: {{{auprice}}}
Discontinued: February 2001


Other games available (temporary link)

Contents

Sega Dreamcast Technical Specification

  • CPU: SH-4 RISC CPU with 128 bit graphic computational engine built-in (operating frequency: 206 MHz 360 MIPS/1.4 GFLOPS)
  • SH4:
    • 128 bit CPU
    • 200 MHz
    • 360 interger MIPS (Dhrystone 1.1 benchmark)
    • 32-bit integer unit
    • 2-way superscalar
    • 5 stage pipeline
    • 8 KByte instruction cache
    • 16 KByte data cache
    • 64-bit floating point unit
    • 1.4 GFLOPS (0.9 GFLOPS sustained), 5-million polygon capability
    • 64-bit external bus(256 pin package)
    • 800 MBytes/second bus bandwidth with 100 MHz SDRAM
    • Glueless bus memory interface to SGRAM, and SDRAM
    • Internal power of 1.8 V / 3.3 V (I/O)
    • 1.5 W (typ.) heat dissipation (at 200 MHz)
    • 0.25 µm, four-layer metal CMOS process
    • 42.25 mm² die size - 256-pin ball grid array (BGA) package
  • Graphics Chip: NEC PowerVR2 (rendering capacity: over 3 million polygons per second)
  • Sound Processor: 45 MHz Yamaha ASIC with ARM7 processor core supporting 64 channels of 48 KHz, 16-bit sound
  • Operating System: Customized OS using Windows CE as its base (Supports Direct X) supported by Microsoft Visual Studio development System Version 5.0 and refined Visual C++.
  • Memory: 16 MBytes or 8 MBytes of 100 MHz SDRAM main memory
    • 8 MBytes of 100 MHz SGRAM graphics memory
    • 2 MBytes of 45 MHz DRAM or EDO RAM
  • Modem: Removable; Original Asia/Japan model had a 33.6 Kbytes/s; models released after 9 September 1999 had a 56 Kbytes/s modem (PAL model - 33.3Kbps)
  • Broadband: these adapters are available separately and replace the removable modem
  • HIT-400: "Broadband Adapter", the more common model, this used a Realtek 8139 chip and supported 10/100 Mbit
  • HIT-300: "Lan Adapter", this version used a Fujitsu MB86967 chip and supported only 10 Mbit
  • Color Output: Approx. 16.77 million simultaneous colors (24 bit)
  • Controllers: Analog and digital directional control. 4 buttons. 2 analog triggers.
  • Ports: Four controller ports standard.
  • Visual Memory Unit (VMU): A liquid-crystal display PDA for game data backup and data exchange.
  • Console Dimensions: 7 7/16" X 7 11/16" X 3", 190 mm (W) x 195 mm (H) x 78 mm (D)
  • Weight: 4.4lb, 2.0 kg
  • Media: GD-ROM (approx 1GB), MIL-CD (support reportedly removed in a handful of later units)
  • Available Colours: White (main colour), many special editions (list?)


Visual Memory Unit (VMU) Technical Specification

  • CPU: 8-bit
  • Memory: 128 KB
  • Display: 48 dot (W) x 32 dot (H) Monochrome
  • Display size: 37 mm (W) x 26 mm (H)
  • Case dimensions: 47 mm (W) x 80 mm (H) x 16 mm (D)
  • Power source: 2 x button batteries, w. auto-off function (at least two technical variations exist; VMUs manufactured until sometime after the North American launch used their internal battery power while they were inserted into a controller port while the Dreamcast was on; this led to very short VMU battery lifespan. This continued through at least the initial North American release of the yellow VMUs, but was corrected by the North American launch of the red, green, and black VMUs).
  • Sound: 1-channel PWM sound source
  • Weight: 45g

Trivia

  • The Dreamcast sold 101,490 units in its first weekend after launch in Japan. It was the first 128-bit console and the first console capable of a worldwide internet connection. It also featured the first cel-shaded videogames, Wacky Races and Jet Set Radio.
  • The last commercial game released for the Dreamcast was released in early 2006 and was a scrolling shooter.

The Games

A full list of Dreamcast games documented on GamerWiki can be found at the Sega Dreamcast category.

Alternatively, a manually created list is also available - this is to be deprecated, so please add any further games to the games to be added page.

Useful Websites

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