The Rise And Fall Of Dreamcast, But Its Legacy Lives

 

The only dream that will never die is Dreamcast. Dreamcast is the pioneer of modern gaming consoles as it is the first console in the sixth generation of gaming consoles. It debuted in the gaming market on November 27, 1998, in Japan. Right after its release, it received a remarkable boom. Within two weeks, SEGA was able to sell more than 500,000 Dreamcast units. After a huge success in the United States, SEGA was able to sell more than 1.2 million units by the end of 1999. Unexpectedly, it disappeared from the market within 2 years. This was misfortunate for SEGA, the company which released the Dreamcast console.

Dreamcast appeared in the market with a bang. Its simple and top-notch attributes made people go crazy about it. The graphics and sound of the console raised a new bar for the competitors. It offered downloadable content, internet connectivity, and triple-A games. It is therefore known to be way much ahead of its time. It attracted all types of video gamers as it was launched with 20 titles, covering almost all the game genres. It ultimately attracted the game developers because it was an easy console to develop for. But, within two years the last gaming console of SEGA, took a nosedive. No matter how quickly it disappeared, it still remains in some way or the other among the gamers. If you are a retrogamer, you can still enjoy its perks. You should just have Dreamcast and AV cable to connect it to modern screens.

The Downfall of Dreamcast

Many people say that Dreamcast rendered in the hands of the War of consoles. But there are many other reasons, due to which Dreamcast had to experience a downfall.

Lack of Third-Party Support

Lack of third party support was one of the major reasons for the failure of the Dreamcast video gaming console. Third-party support is very significant for boosting sales and attracting more customers. SEGA was unable to attract top game developers hence had no popular games on its charts. It was obvious that, if popular games are available on all other consoles except Dreamcast, the consumers will not prefer buying it.

Advertising

The advertising techniques also caused a doom in its impact on the gamers. Though SEGA ran so many television ads on the Dreamcast, it majorly missed on its main selling points. Amid the skyrocketing popularity of Play Station, it was unable to draw peoples’ eyeballs towards it. Its impact-less slogan is also one major evidence of weak advertising tactics. It said, ‘It is thinking’ which had no relevance with its powerful and innovative features.

Piracy Issues

One another serious issue with the Dreamcast was that it provided the space for copying its games. Therefore, people were able to play copied and downloaded games easily. They preferred playing them this way rather than spending lots on buying the console.

Overhype of PS2

In 1999, when Dreamcast debuted in America, Play station one had already strengthened its roots in the ground. In 1999. Play station one was the most popular and number one selling gaming consoles. Therefore, there was a huge hype about the upcoming addition- Playstation 2. The hype of PS2 closed the doors for Dreamcast completely.

Last Words

All the factors joined to make Dreamcast fell off on its knees forever. It was then in 2001, SEGA announced to discontinue its manufacturing. The president of SEGA, America once said, Dreamcast was groundbreaking but we broke the ground for someone else.