# What killed the dreamcast? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 28, 2003, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279 "2003-09-28T10:31:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/1 "2003-09-28T10:31:18Z")
I was at a games store the other night and saw a dreamcast with accessories for $30, so I picked it up. Got a few games. Seems like a pretty cool little system, especially considering it came out a few years ahead of the current generation. But it obviously died pretty quickly. Why? ---
**Author:** ![nevermore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@nevermore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevermore)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/2 "2003-09-28T11:58:33Z")
XBox and Playstation 2. ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/3 "2003-09-28T12:16:59Z")
Plugging it into european wall socket. Oh sorry, I thought you meant what killed _my_ dreamcast. Was pretty cool actually, smoke came out the side in two cartoon-like vents. Am open to ideas on what to do with it’s dead hulking shell. So far candy-box for my desk or building a mini-puter into it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/4 "2003-09-28T18:56:21Z")
It just didn’t have enough good games. There were only three real reason to own a dreamcast. 1. Soul Calibur 2. Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Zombie Revenge Other systems simply had more choices and better graphics. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/5 "2003-09-28T19:49:14Z")
I don’t know, PS and PSO were pretty good, and Sega makes better sports games (in my opinion, of course), than 989 or EA. And the Dreamcast has some really innovative games, if you’re willing to give them a shot. Seaman, for example, or Jet Set Radio. Space Channel 5 is fun if you like music games. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/6 "2003-09-28T21:30:05Z")
The vga adaper was great for the DC cause you could play it in vga… Maybe what did it was that silly controller with the power cord ? ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/7 "2003-09-28T21:33:21Z")
What set Dreamcast above the other systems that were currently out, was its online capability. Its games were all right, I really liked Soul Calibur, all its _2k_ games, and Powerstone, but the only thing it had going for it was the online thing. When PS2 and Xbox came out with way better online games and capability, the Dreamcast had little else to do but sell under $50. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/8 "2003-09-28T21:38:10Z")
Who the frig knows. Seriously, the decline began long before about 95% of the country even SAW an actual Playstation 2 unit anywhere. And then it’d be about another year before the PS2’s library consisted of more than Tekken Tag Tournament and about a hundred generic sports titles. I’ve owned a PS2 since November '01, (a little over a year after it was the must-have system that everyone had to have and absolutely freaking nobody could have). I’ve played over 30 games for it, some of them great. I see no graphical improvement whatsoever. I see no sound improvement whatsoever. The current library is not a vast improvement. The variety is not a vast improvement. The speed improvement is at most marginal. I do not see a whole lot of non-gigahyped, non-magazine cover appearing, non-super-mega-awesome games that form the vast majority of any successful system’s real library and bring a wide variety of players in. (There are some…CART Fury, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil, Ready 2 Rumble Round 2, etc…but certainly not more than I remember for DC.) In short, there’s no sound explanation, whihc is pretty much par for the course as far as this loopy industry is concerned. (Still fuming at how quickly the SNES went into the tank, BTW.) ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/9 "2003-09-28T22:06:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny Bravo \* > \*\*There were only three real reason to own a dreamcast. > > 1. Soul Calibur > 2. Marvel vs. Capcom > 3. Zombie Revenge > > Other systems simply had more choices and better graphics. \*\* _Zombie Revenge_?Can’t say I’ve heard that one referenced as a reason to own Dreamcast before. Dreamcast has loads of excellent games - Space Channel 5, Jet Grind Radio, Sonic Adventure, Soul Calibur, Shen Mue, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, not to mention that it’s a virtual treasure trove of 2D (and even 3D) fighting games - Marvel Vs. Capcom 1 and 2, Capcom Vs. SNK (and 2 if you imported/pirated), 2 (maybe 3, I can’t remember) King of Fighters titles, Last Blade 2, Mark of the Wolves, Virtua Fighter 3, and probably some I’m not thinking of. I maintain that Dreamcast ultimately failed because Sega made it, and because of the ungodly presence Sony had made in the industry since the last time they attempted a system. A lot of people were just plain wary about buying another Sega console, and after Sega CD, 32X, and Saturn, I don’t blame them. I’m a big Saturn apologist, actually, and I still don’t blame them. No matter what Sega did, a lot of what I heard around that time was just “I’m going to wait for PS2.” People didn’t even know anything about PS2, but just the fact that there was going to be one at some point was enough to skip out on the Dreamcast. It’s sad, really, because I love the console and I’m a Sega loyalist, but it was pretty much doomed before it started. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/10 "2003-09-28T22:36:41Z")
what **shy guy** said. Anyone who says the Dreamcast lacked good games hasn’t played one fully. To this day the Dreamcast still stands as arguably a better console than the PS2 (certainly in the PS2’s early days). What killed the console was the impending coming of the PS2. People looked at Sega’s previous consoles and didn’t see anything worth shouting about so were reluctant to buy one - especially when they knew that the PS2 was coming and that if it was even _half_ as good as the PS1 was then it would be the console to own. So effectively the Dreamcast was killed by the percieved failure of the Saturn and the success of the original Playstation. The irony is that - aside from killing sales - the failure of the Saturn actually ensured that the Dreamcast was so damn good. Sega had picked up on everything they’d done wrong previously and corrected for it. Sega also knew they were gambling from the start - they had to release the Dreamcast before the PS2 and hope that they could secure a significant enough portion of the “bleeding edge” gaming market to make the console’s existence viable. Unfortunately they failed. It was a sad, sad day for gaming when the Dreamcast died. ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/11 "2003-09-28T22:38:20Z")
[ActsofGord.com](http://ActsofGord.com) (which chronicles the frustrated life of a video game store owner) includes in its [Book of Proclamations](http://www.actsofgord.com/Proclamations/) a couple articles on this subject. ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/12 "2003-09-28T22:41:22Z")
The controllers sucked too. ---
**Author:** ![Nightime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Nightime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightime)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/13 "2003-09-28T22:59:03Z")
Dreamcast had pretty much the best lineup of any system ever in fighting games. Just the ones I have are: Soul Calibur Marvel vs Capcom 1 & 2 Capcom vs SNK 2 Project Justice Virtua Fighter 3 Dead or Alive 2 LE Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Power Stone 1 & 2 Guilty Gear X Last Blade 2 Mark of the Wolves Tech Romancer Vampire Chronicles It also had a lot of other awesome games. Again, just what I have: Jet Grind Radio Headhunter Shenmue 1 & 2 Space Channel 5 Space Channel 5 Part 2 (_still_ not out on ps2) Tennis 2K2 NBA 2K2 Crazy Taxi Bangai-O Chu Chu Rocket Grandia II Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 Skies of Arcadia Resident Evil: Code Veronica Ikaruga Virtual On House of the Dead 2 The games were great, it was online, the graphics were on par with ps2 (actually, of the games that are on both usually the Dreamcast version looks better). The reason it failed is because people expected it to fail, given the failure of Sega’s last few systems, and decided to wait for the ps2 which was considered guaranteed not to fail. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/14 "2003-09-29T18:40:19Z")
I’d be inclined to say “the controllers” too, but then the X-box goes ahead and contradicts that theory. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/15 "2003-09-29T19:26:35Z")
I found nothing ergonomically horrible about the controllers (I’ve used much, much, much worse)–I’m not sure what everyone’s gripe is with the controllers. _Except_, and I think **handy** may have hit on it earlier, they transmitted power through the controller cord, and if the cord ever came unplugged or was plugged in while the system was on, you’d likely blow a resistor in the unit, thus effectively killing the whole system. Once my dad discovered ebay, one of his first halfway successful online endeavors of which I am aware was to buy dreamcasts at extremely low prices described as broken (which almost _always, always_ involved a description of controller failure), and learned how to identify and replace the resistor in question. He then sold the fully operational units for a bit more than the broken ones he bought, and probably ended up making a little chunk of change for essentially a 3-minute process per unit. It was a pretty stupid idea to release something so delicate. I _think_ they at least eventually fixed it though. I like my Dreamcast. My World Series Baseball 2K2 is getting _way_ too far out of date on the rosters, though, and it won’t let me move players around with reckless abandon (stupid rules, grumble grumble). I’ll probably be getting a PS2 soon, you know, so I can finally have Scott Rolen, and the announcers will know Albert Pujols’ name instead of just his number (“Coming to bat, Number 5!”, ugh), and Darryl Kile can finally rest in peace instead of being forced to trot to the mound every 5th start, even in death. ---
**Author:** ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/16 "2003-09-29T20:50:09Z")
It was a neat piece of hardware; developers could choose to create games with Sega’s Dreamcast SDK or in the Windows CE environment. There are a lot of third-party apps, ranging from SNES emulators to Linux, out there for the system. The VMS was another neat idea that programmers caught onto; I remember playing Tetris on mine (of course, the thing was more often than not pretty annoying because it’d beep on start-up when the batteries died). And the controllers looked worse than they actually were. I don’t think it’s fair to say that it died because its games sucked. Someone here even said that Sony and Microsoft had better online games than Sega (when both companies took an exceptionally long time to get any online games at all; neither had anything until long after the Dreamcast was dead and very long after Sega’s first online game, _ChuChu Rocket_). During the short lifespan of the system, critics on both sides seemed to acknowledge that Sega was definitely running on all cylinders and that they were releasing consistently some of the finest, funnest, and most original games anyone had seen in a while ( **Nightime** has a good list, although I’m surprised no one has mentioned _Phantasy Star Online_). It failed because people expected it to fail and no number of highly rated games could move a substantial number of systems. What is also unfortunate is that Sega hasn’t been nearly as interesting since the death of the system, preferring mostly to port over old classics (many of them Dreamcast games that were ignored on that platform) instead of creating new ones. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/17 "2003-09-29T21:05:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ElwoodCuse \* > I’d be inclined to say “the controllers” too, but then the X-box goes ahead and contradicts that theory. I dunno, I don’t think the X-Box is any big success either. IMO, it’s currently a corpse that’s propped up solely by Microsoft’s Bags O’ Money™. And to add to the “Dreamcast died becase Sega made it” theory, I think a big part of the problem was Sega pissing off earlier console buyers with the Saturn and the 32X (ugh). As a former Saturn owner, I thought it was a nice machine, but clearly not as versatile as Sega claimed, and reportedly a bear to work with. That experience made me reluctant to get a Dreamcast when those were on the market. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/18 "2003-09-30T19:51:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\*I dunno, I don’t think the X-Box is any big success either. IMO, it’s currently a corpse that’s propped up solely by Microsoft’s Bags O’ Money™. > \*\* I suppose you could say that the X-box is to Microsoft as the WNBA is to the NBA. And it is true that Sony by far has the largest share of the console market right now. But I don’t think the X-box will suffer the fate of the Dreamcast. It does beat the PS2 in terms of online gaming and sheer graphic power. Plus, the stuff you can do to it if you hack it (like install 16-bit emulators and such) make it attractive to a certain market. ---
**Author:** ![Nekosoft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c2a13f/32.png) [@Nekosoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nekosoft)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/19 "2003-09-30T20:24:40Z")
What, no one has mentioned the greated (albeit most expensive to play it correctly) game for the Dreamcast? I speak, of course, of Samba de Amigo! Music! Maracas! Monkeys! ---
**Author:** ![Nekosoft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c2a13f/32.png) [@Nekosoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nekosoft)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279/20 "2003-09-30T20:28:39Z")
What, no one has mentioned the greatest (albeit most expensive to play it correctly) game for the Dreamcast? I speak, of course, of Samba de Amigo! Music! Maracas! Monkeys! Money! ($50 for the game, then $80-$100 dollars for each set of controllers…) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-killed-the-dreamcast/204279.md?page=2)