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UnofficialDreamcastFAQ

version2.1Lastupdate23February2000.

MaintainedbyRichardHarris(richardh@is.co.zaorrichardh@icon.co.za)

Sources:PleaseseeMiscellaneoussection4.5below.

Contributors:PleaseseeMiscellaneoussection4.6below.Pleasehelpbysendinganyinformationyoumighthave.(I'dreallylikemoreinfoonotherDreamcastmagazines-thepaperkind-fromaroundtheworld.Seesection4.1)

SummarisedTableofContents----------------------------1.0Introduction2.0DreamcastHardware3.0DreamcastSoftware4.0MiscellaneousQuestionsandInformation5.0Index/CompleteTableofContents

1.0Introduction----------------

WelcometotheUnofficialDreamcastFAQ!ThisFAQismainlyforquestionspeoplehaveormighthaveabouttheNorthAmericanandPALDreamcastconsoles.ItisnotintendedtoreplacethevariousexistingFAQ'swhichprimarilycovertheJapaneseandAsianDreamcastmachines.SeetheMiscellaneoussectionforinfoonwheretofindotherDreamcastrelatedFAQ's.

DISCLAIMER

Ican'ttakeanyresponsibilityforinaccurateinformationcontainedinthis

FAQ.Allquestionsareansweredtothebestofmyknowledge,butmistakeswillprobablycreepin.PleasemailmeifyouseeanythingthatupsetsyouandI'llattempttocorrectit.IaminnowayresponsibleforanydamageanythinginthisFAQmaycauseyouoryourequipment.

ThisFAQisinnowayendorsedbySegaoranyofitsaffiliates.Allcopyrightsandtrademarksrecognised.

COPYRIGHT

ThisFAQandalltextcontainedhereinisCopyright(C)1999RichardHarris.OnlydistributethisFAQinit'sentireform,withnothingremovedoradded.Pleasecontactme(emailaddressabove)ifyouhaveaquestionorifyouwant

toincludetheFAQonyourwebsite,onaCD-ROMorinapublicationofanykind.

1.1WhatisDreamcast?

-TheSegaDreamcastisapowerfulconsolesystemdesignedprimarilyforfast,arcadequalitygames.Itwasthefirstmachinereleasedinanewgenerationofgameconsoles.TheDreamcast'snext-generationconsolepeersaretheSonyPlaystation2,theNintendo'Dolphin'(developmentname)andtheMicrosoftX-Box(developmentname).It'scurrentcompetitionistheSony

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PlaystationandtheNintendo64.

OneofthemainfeaturesoftheDreamcast,otherthanthefantasticfluidgraphicsandgreatgames,isthebuilt-inmodem.Thisgivesusersaccesstotheinternetforwebbrowsing,chat,emailand(perhapsmostimportantly)onlinegaming.

TheDreamcastisalsoupgradable.Itisnotclearinwhatwayitwillbeupgradedinthefuture,butSegahavealreadyannouncedaZipdrivewithafront-mountedUSBportincluded,forpossiblereleaseinearly2000.

1.2WhoisSega?

-Segaisatruemulti-nationalcompany.OriginallyfoundedinApril1951,Sega'sgoalisto'taketheleadinentertainmentinthe21stcentury'.AlargeresearchanddevelopmentdepartmentinJapanisbackedupbyahugepresenceinthearcadeandamusementmachineindustry,thehomeentertainment/multimediasector,thetoybusinessandother,new-agearenas.SegaEnterprisesLimitedcurrentlylistover40companiesasmajorsubsidiaries,includingSegaofAmericaandvariouscompaniesinEurope.

SegawasfoundedbyanAmerican,DavidRosen.HewasinJapanintheearly1950'sandstartedacompanywiththenameof'ServiceGameIncorporated'toexportmechanicalgamestotheUS(Segaisacontractionof'Service

Game').Inthe'60'sheboughtafactorytoproducejukeboxes,pinballandairhockeytablesandothersimilargames.

SegaisperhapsmostfamousinthewestforitsMegaDrive(GenesisinNorthAmerica)console,whichhassoldover35millionunitssinceitwasreleasedin1989.OthersuccessfulconsolereleasesincludedtheMasterSystem(MkIIIinJapan)in1986,theGameGearportableconsolesystemin1988andthewidelylovedSaturnin1995.LesssuccessfulweretheMegaDrive/Genesisadd-onstheMega/SegaCDin1991,(whichstillmanagedtosellover5millionunits),andthe32X(anadd-onfortheMegaDrive/Genesis)in1994.

1.3CouldIhavesomeinformationonthehistoryoftheDreamcast?

-In1996,rumoursofanextgenerationSegagameconsolestartedsurfacing.Accordingtotherumours,themachine'sdevelopmenttitlewas'Dural',namedafteracharacterfromtheSegaarcadeandGenesisgame,VirtuaFighter2.Inearly1997,insiderstoldoftwonewdevelopments-SegaandMicrosoftwereindiscussionsandNEC/Videologichadbeenapproachedwithregardtothegraphicschipset.

Soonafter,3DFX,thegraphicstechnologycompany,revealedadealwithSegatoprovidetechnologyforanewmachinecodenamed'BlackBelt'.Atthetime,3DFXmadeapopulargraphicsacceleratorchipsetforthePCcalledVoodoo,anditwasthischipsetthatwasallegedlygoingtobeusedinSega'snewmachine.

NowitbecameclearthatSegaactuallyhadtwodifferentmachinesindevelopment,oneinJapan(developmentnamesDural/Katana),andoneinAmerica(developmentnameBlackBelt).AtonestagetheBlackBelt,jointlydevelopedbySegaSoft,Microsoftand3DFX,wasshowntoalimitednumberofdevelopersandwasapparentlyverywellreceived.TheOSwasdesignedtomakethemachineeasytodevelopforandallowedforquickconversionsofgamestoandfromPC.AtthetimeSega'spolicyseemedtobethatrawprocessingpowerwasn'tasimportantasaneasytodevelopforoperatingsystem.TheJapanese'Katana'generallyoutperformedthe'BlackBelt'inhardwareterms,buthadamoreintricateanddifficultoperatingsystem.

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InJuly,Segacancelledthe3DFXdealanditbecameapparentthatthe'Blackbelt'hadbeendroppedtoo.ItisunknownexactlywhytheBlackBeltwasdroppedinfavouroftheJapanesedesign,butthemostlikelyreasonisthattheproductioncostwouldhavebeenhigherandultimatelywouldhaveleadtoamoreexpensivefinalstreetprice.Anotherpossibilityisthatthe'BlackBelt'justwasn'tpowerfulenoughtocompeteinamarketwithothernextgenerationmachinesfromcompanieslikeSonyandNintendo.

AtthisstageitwasreportedthatthenowJapanese-developedconsolewasbeingcalledthe'Katana'(akatanaisatypeofsword).ItwasofficiallyannouncedthatHitachiwouldbemakingtheCPUforthemachine.Inearly1998,NEC/Videologicwasfinallyconfirmedtobeprovidingthenewgraphicschipset,thePowerVRSeriesII.Theoperatingsystemwastweakedtomakeitaseasytouseanddevelopforas'BlackBelt'wasgoingtobe,andMicrosoftwroteanotherdevelopmentsystem,basedonitsWindowsCEtechnologies.InMay1998theDreamcastwasofficiallyannouncedbyBernieStolar,thenCEOofSegaofAmerica.

1.4WhenwastheDreamcastreleased?

-TheDreamcastwasfirstreleasedonthe27thofNovember1998inJapan.TheUShadtowaitnearlyafullyearfortheirs-Segaexecutedamassivelaunchonthe9thofSeptember1999.(9/9/99).TheEuropeanreleasedate

wasthe14thofOctober1999,andtheAustralian/NewZealandreleasedatewasthe30thofNovember.

TheDreamcasttookinoverUS$97MilliononthefirstdayoflaunchinNorthAmerica,andsoldover500,000machinesinthefirsttwoweeks.Segawerequicktopointoutthat$97,000,000ismorethanevenStarWars:PhantomMenacebroughtinonitsfirstdayofrelease,butIdon'tseehowwecancompareamovietoagamesconsole.BettercomparisonscanbemadewiththePlaystationandtheN64,duringtheirrespectivelaunches.

ForTheNorthAmericanRegion:

Console Timeittooktosellover500,000units

Dreamcast2weeksNintendoN642monthsSonyPlaystation4months

Over1MillionmachinesweresoldinNorthAmericainjustover2andahalfmonths,makingtheDreamcastthefastestsellingvideogamesmachineinthatregion,ever!

InitialEuropeansalesfigureslookhealthy.Over100,000machinesweresoldinEuropeonlaunchdayaloneandover185,000inthefirstweekend.

Unfortunately,intheAustralianregionthelaunchwaslabelledadisaster

bySegafans.TheofficialSegadistributorthere,Ozisoft,onlymanaged9launchtitles,nonofwhichwerefirstpartyproducts-apparentlySegadevelopedsoftwarehadbeenheldincustoms.Also,VMSunitsandotherperipheralsweren'tavailableatall.Afterwhatseemedlikeinfinitedelays,Australianfansdeservedbetter.Salesinformationtofollowshortly.

1.5Whatgameswereavailableatlaunch?

-ArecordnumberofgamesforanewsystemwereavailableatlaunchinNorth

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AmericaandinEurope.ThiswasmainlybecausethemachinehadbeenoutinJapanforquiteawhile,anddevelopershadhadquiteabitoftimetogetgamesreadyforthelaunch.

-Japan(4titles):

GodzillaGenerations(GeneralEntertainment)(action)July(Sega)(rpg)PenPenTriIcelon(Infogrames)(racer)VirtuaFighter3tb(Sega)(fighter)

-NorthAmerica(18titles):

Aerowings(CraveEntertainment)(simulation)AirForceDelta(Konami)(shooter)BlueStinger(Activision)(action)Cart-FlagtoFlag(Sega)(racer)HouseoftheDead2(Sega)(gunshooter)HydroThunder(Midway)(racer)MonacoGrandPrix2(UbiSoft)(racer)MortalKombatGold(Midway)(fighter)NFL2K(Sega)(sports)NFLBlitz2000(Midway)(sports)PenPenTriIcelon(Infogrames)(racer)

Powerstone(Capcom)(fighter)ReadytoRumble(Midway)(sports)SonicAdventure(Sega)(platformer)SoulCalibur(Namco)(fighter)TNNMotorsportsHardcoreHeat(ASCGames)(racer)TokyoXtremeRacer(CraveEntertainment)(racer)Trickstyle(Criterion)(racer)

-PALRegion-Europe(12titles):

BlueStinger(Activision)(action)DynamiteCop(Sega)(action)Expendable(Infogrames)(shooter)

Incoming(Interplay)(action)MonacoGrandPrix2(UbiSoft)(racer)Powerstone(Capcom)(fighter)ReadytoRumble(Midway)(sports)SegaRally2(Sega)(racer)SonicAdventure(Sega)(platformer)TokyoHighwayChallenge(Crave)(racer)Trickstyle(Criterion)(racer)VirtuaFighter3tb(Sega)(fighter)

TheAustralian/NZlaunchlistwasdifferentasSegadevelopedgamesweren'treleasedatlaunch;otherwisetheywerethesameastheEuropeanregionabove.

2.0DreamcastHardware----------------------

2.0.1What'sinthebox?

-Youwillnormallyfindthefollowinginyourbox,alongwithabunchofadvertising-basedandwarningpamphletstogetherwithrecycledandrecyclablepackagingmaterials.(GoodSega!Theyevenprovide

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instructionsonhowtoproperlydisposeoftheDreamcastitself).

TheDreamcastconsoleModem(attachedtotheconsole,butdetachable-tryit!)*OnejoypadcontrollerDemoGD-ROMDiscWebbrowserDiscAlong(30foot)phonecableforthemodem*PowercablewiththeappropriateplugforyourregionCompositevideolead(alsoknownasanAVcable)**Manual(asimpleblackandwhiteaffair)*IfyourmachineisimportedfromAsia,orifyoulivethere,youwon'tgetamodem,justalumpofplasticsothatyoudon'thaveagapingholeinthesideofyourmachine.

**IntheUK,aRFUnitwasincludedinsteadoftheAVcabletoensurethattheDreamcastwascompatiblewithallTV's.Idon'thaveanyinfoyetonwhichTVleadswereincludedinotherEuropeanregions,butitispossiblethatanRGB/SCARTcablewasincluded.

ThereisnoVMSinthestandardDreamcastpackagesinanyofthe4regions.(seebelow)

ThereisnoRFunitinthestandardNorthAmericanDreamcastpackage.ForolderTV's,you'llhavetopurchasethisseparately.Also,ifyouhaveaS-VideoorSCARTcapableTV,youshouldbuytherelevantcableforthattoo.Seetheaccessoriessectionformoreinfoonallofthese.

2.0.2WhatversionsoftheDreamcasthavebeenreleased?

-TherehavebeenmanyDreamcastvariations,thecolouroftheboxbeingtheonlydifferencebetweenthem.AllthecolourfulversionsarefromJapansofar.

InJapan,theoriginalwhiteandlightgreyDreamcastwasreleasedfirst,withanorangeswirllogoonthecaseandtheaccessories.Quiteafew

specialeditionshavealsobeenreleased.Hereisalistinchronologicalorder:

Mazyora:Thefirstspecialeditionwasthe'Mazyora'whichwasdarkpurpleandcamecompletewithapurplecontroller.

Seaman1:Thesecondspecialeditionwasawhiteskeletonversion(ietransparentplastic)releasedwiththegame'Seaman',themicrophoneperipheral,atransparentVMSandamusicCD.

HelloKitty1and2:Onetransparentpink,theothertransparentblue,theseeditionsincludeapinkorpurplecontroller,VMS,keyboardandtheHelloKittyDreamPassportsoftware.

Seaman2:TheChristmasSeamanDreamcastisentirelyred,andcomeswithaVMSandcontroller,boththesamecolourastheconsole.Includedisaspecialcommunicationpackagewhichallowsyoutosendvoicemessages(usingtheDreamcastmicrophone)overthenet.There'sasilhouettepictureofSeamanonthedrivelidtoo.

CodeVeronica1and2:TocelebratetheJapanesereleaseofCapcom'ssuccessfulseries'ResidentEvil'ontheDreamcast,twospecialsmachineswerereleased.Oneistransparentdarkpurple,withaS.T.A.R.Slogoonthe

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lid,theotheristransparentdarkred(The'Claire-edition').BothhavematchingcontrollersandalightpurplishgreyVMS.Ofcoursebotharebundledwiththegame.(Onlythetopplasticcoveriscoloured,thebottompieceisstandardgrey).

FujiTelevision'Devers2000SeriesCX-1':AcombinationTV/Dreamcastwithacooldesign-lotsofcurvesandcolours(it'sdesignedtolooklikeaMorolienfromthegame'SpaceChannelFive').Itslightbluewithlittleantennaeonthetopandthe4Dreamcastcontrollerportsunderthescreen.

WithnewspecialeditionsreleasedallthetimeinJapan,thisisbecomingthemostupdatedareaofthisFAQ!Hopefullytherewillbeafewspecialeditionsreleasedelsewhere.

TheAsianDreamcastitselfisexactlythesameastheoriginalJapaneseversion;italsoonlyplaysJapanesesoftware.Nomodemisincludedinthisedition,andthemanualisinEnglishinsteadofJapanese.

TheNorthAmericanversionisthesamewhitecolourastheoriginalJapanese/Asianedition,withoneminordifference,thelittletriangleontheGD-ROMlidisinsolidlight-greyplastic(TheJapaneseversionhadatransparentplastictrianglethere)withtheendofthetriangleonthebodyofthemachinetransparentforthepowerlighttoshinethrough.ThereareatleasttwointernallydifferentmachinesintheUS.Thechangeshavetodo

withthecoolingsystemsanddon'taffectoperationofthemachineinanyway.TheDreamcastlogoonthecaseandtheaccessoriesisalsoorangeliketheJapaneseversionintheUS.

ThePALversion(Europe,Australia,NewZealand,includingtheUnitedKingdom)isidenticalincasingcolourtotheoriginalJapaneseandUSversions,butinallPALregionstheDreamcastswirllogohasbeenchangedtoabluecolour.EventheperipheralsandaccessorieshavethebluelogoinPALareas.

2.0.3HowdoItellthedifferencebetweenDreamcastsfromdifferentregions?

-LookatthelittletriangleofplasticabovethepowerlightontheGD-ROM

lid.Ifitsclear,that'saJapaneseDreamcast,ifitssolidgreyitseitheraUSoraPALDreamcast(IfitsPALtheDreamcastswirllogowillbeinblue,theUSswirlisorangeliketheJapaneselogo.)Ifitsred,thenyourmachineisCanadian(CanadianconsolesareotherwiseidenticaltotheUSones).

Iftheconsoleisn'tawhiteandlightgreycolour,thenitsaspecialeditionJapanesemachine.(orsomeonehaspaintedit;)

2.0.4CanIuseaccessoriesmadeforoneareaonmyDreamcastfromanotherregion?

-No,andYes.Unfortunately,Segawanteachregiontobeisolatedintermsof

softwareandhardware.Segabasicallydon'twantyoutouseaccessoriesfromotherregions,andincludeawarningoneachboxandinthemanualforeachdevicethatstatesthattheaccessorywillNOTworkonmachinesfromotherareas.However,inpractice,foreignaccessoriesDOworkonothermachines,withafewexceptions.

InNorthAmerica,Segadidnotreleaseit'sownlightgunasitdidinJapan.Thiswasdonetoshowsympathyforchild-relatedgunaccidentsandincidentsintheUS,andalso(somemightsay)sothatSegacan'tbeblamedforputtinggunsinthehandsofUSchildren.SoSegalefttheUSgunmarket

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openfor3rdpartymanufacturers.Tomakethingsworse,theydisabledsupportfortheirownguninthefirstGungame,'HouseoftheDead2'.ThisdoesnotmeantheJapanesegun(whichisofahigherqualityandlooksbetterthenthe3rdpartyones)willnotworkwithotherUSgamesinthefuture,butdon'tcountonit.EuropeandotherPALregionswillgettheSegaguntoo.

Asforotherperipherals,theyallseemtoworkonanymachine.JapaneseVMScardsworkontheUSDreamcast,asdotheOfficialcontrollersandarcadesticks.Bottomline:TobesafeandtokeepSegahappy,trytouseonlythoseaccessoriesdesignedforyourspecificregion.BUT,ifyoureallyneedthatsilverarcadestickoranemergencylatenightcontrollergoaheadandget'em.

2.0.5Whatareit'stechnicalspecifications?

-There'snotmuchtoaddtothisdata,itsjustfiguresafterall.

AnoverviewoftheDreamcastChipset:

PrimaryCPU:HitachiSuperH4RISCCPU(200MHz-360Mips-800MB's/seconddatathroughput)

Graphics:NECPowerVRSeriesII(100MHz-rendersupto3.5millionpolygonspersecond)

Sound:YamahaAICASoundProcessor(45Mhz-40Mips-64voices-16bit,48Khz-3Daudiosupport)

Memory:16MBRAMmain,8MBRAMvideo,2MBRAMsound.Total,26MB.

CD-ROMDrive:12speedProprietaryYamahaGD-ROM(GigabyteDisc).Storesupto1.2Gigabytes.(seesection2.1,'GD-ROM'sandCD's'below)

Dimensions:77/16"x711/16"x3"(189mmx195mmx76mm)

Weight:4.4lbs(1.9kg's)

Forlinkstomoretechnicaldata,seesection4.4.4,'DreamcastTechnicalInformation'.

2.1GD-ROM'sandCD's---------------------

2.1.1WhatisaGD-ROM?

-GD-ROMstandsforGigabyteDiscReadOnlyMemory.Segadecidedtouseaproprietarycompactdiscsystem,fortwomainreasons.

Onewastofitmoreonthedisc;standardCD-ROMshaveamaximumcapacityofbetween650to690Megabytes,whileSega'sGD-ROM'shaveamaximumcapacityofupto1.2Gigabyteofdata.Thesecondreasonwastodiscouragethecasualpirate,astheGD-ROMsarenotcopyableinastandardCDorDVDwriter.(noraretheyentirelyreadableinaCD-ROMorDVD-ROMdrive.)OnepartofaGD-ROMcanbemadereadableonastandardCD-ROM,andSegaand3rdpartydevelopersoftenusethissectionoftheGD-ROMtoincludesomepicturesforcomputerbackdropsorotheritemsrelatedtothegame,asanextra.ItisalsopossibletoincludeaudioCDtracksthatplayinastandardCDplayer,andmostGD'shaveatleastoneaudiotrackwarningthe

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usernottoplaytheGD-ROMinastandardCDAudioplayer.Tryit!Thevoiceisusuallycornyandfairlyamusing:)

TofitmoredataontheGD-ROMdisc,thedataiswritteninaslightlydifferentformattoregularCDs.ThismaymeanthattheGDdiscisactuallymoresensitivetoscratchesanddefectsthanregularCDstoo.

2.1.2HowisDreamcastsoftwarepackaged?

-Hatersoflargeboxesrejoice!SegadecidedtousestandardCDjewelcasesinJapanandNorthAmerica.ThisisgreatbecausethelargeplasticboxesthatSegausedfortheSegaCDandtheSaturnintheUSaregenerallyconsidereduglyanddifficulttostore.Theoldboxesarealsofairlyfragile.NowyoucanreplaceanybrokencaseswithstandardCDjewelcases.

Unfortunately,inPALregions,Segachosecasesthatarealmostthesamesizeasdouble-cd's,similartotheboxesofPlaystationsoftware.Thereseemstobenoreasonwhy,exceptthatperhapsEuropeanconsumersexpectalargerboxandwouldn'tattachthesamevaluetoaCDsizedcase.

2.1.3HowshouldIchangegamesontheDreamcast?

-SegarecommendsthatafteryouhavefinishedplayingagameyouopenthelidwiththeDreamcaststillon.Thisforcesthedisctoastop,asthehardware

brakeisappliedautomatically.Atthesametime,theDreamcastresetsbacktothestartuputilityscreensoyoucanedittheVMSorothersettings,orsimplyreplacethegamediscandloadanothergame.

Itmaybeabadideatoturnthemachineoffandthenopenthelid,asnobrakewillbeappliedandtheGDdisccouldspinoutofthemachineandgetscratchedortakeyourearofforsomething.Inpracticethelittleclipstendtoholdthediscinplaceanyway,butwe'retalkingworst-casescenarioshere.

2.1.4Aretherelongloadingtimes?

-Nope.Generallythe12speedGD-ROMdrivegetsthedataintotheDreamcast

reallyquickly,althoughthisissoftwaredependent.AllthegamesI'veseenloadquickly,withminimalwaitsbetweentitlesandlevelstoo.Itsreallyuptothedevelopertogettheloadingtimesdownthroughcleverprogrammingthough.

2.1.5AreGD-ROM'smorefragilethanCD-ROM'sorDVD's?

-Apparentlyso,yes.Unfortunatelywithnewtechnology(newishtechnologyIshouldsay)comesafewteethingproblems.Manypeoplehavereportedasmallscratchorfingerprintstopsthegamefromworkingorcausesintermittentglitchesinthegamesgraphics,functioningorsound.

Basically,you'llhavetohandleyourdiscswithextremecare,nevertouch

thediscs(toporbottom)withanything,andholdthembytheedgesandmiddlehole.

Isuspectthatasthemediummatures,developerswillfindwaysofmakingbackupareasonthediscsincaseofanerror,andalsothatSegawillusevariousnewtechnologiesthatwillprovidestrongerscratchresistantmaterialsinthemanufactureoftheGD-ROMs.

2.1.6CanIbackupmyGD-ROMS?

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-No.Pleaseseesection3.6,'CanImakebackupsofmyDreamcastgames?'.

2.1.7What'sthebestwaytocleanaGD-ROM?

-UseaCDcleaningkit.Don'tuseaT-shirtoratissueoranythingelsetocleanaCDorGD.Cleanthetopandbottomofthediscifyou'reseeingglitches;aswithCDsthelabelsideactuallyhasthinnerplasticthanthebottomside,andismoresusceptibletodirt,fingerprintsorscratches.Itispossibletobuyascratchremoverkit,thesehavebeenusedonGDdiscstovaryingdegreesofsuccess.Ifthegamereallywon'tloadandyou'vecleanedit,youhavenothingtolosereally,sogoaheadandtrythescratchremover.Otherthanthat,it'sprobablydead,Jim.Sorry!TheoriginalsupplierorSegathemselvesmaybeabletoreplaceit.Ifitsfairlynew,theplaceyouboughtitmayreplaceittoo,unlessyou'vereallyabusedthepoordisc.

2.1.8WilltheDreamcastplaynormalaudioCD's?

-Yes!NoimpressivelittlegraphicshowsliketheSaturnorsomePlaystations,though.JustasimpleplayersimilartoearlyNTSCPlaystations.AlsotryselectingtheaudioCDplayerfromthetitleutilityscreenandthenputtingagamediscin!Apleasantlittlesurpriseawaitsyou!(notallgamessupportthis)

Thereisa'screensaver'thatwillkickinafter20minutesofjustlisteningtotheAudiodisc,orleavingtheDreamcastdoingnothing.Asimplebutcolourfulsetofspotlightsmoveoverthescreen,combiningtomakenewcoloursandthendissolvingawayagain.

2.1.9WilltheDreamcastplayDVD's?

-Notyet.SegaclaimtheywillmakeanannouncementconcerningDVDandtheDreamcastinMarch2000.TheSonyPlaystation2'sabilitytoplayDVDmoviesisoneofSega'smaincompetitiveproblems.ItsnotclearyetiftheDVDupgradewillbeanotherboxtositunderneaththeDreamcast(addingtothetoweroftheconsoleandthezipdrive),orifDVDcompatibilitywillbe

implementedinsomeotherway.PerhapsanewDreamcastwillbemadeavailablethatwillbeabletoreadDVDdiscs.Another(vague)chanceisthatthecurrentmachinescanbesentinformodification.Allwillberevealedsoon,hopefully!

2.2ResettingandMemoryIssues-------------------------------

2.2.1There'snoresetswitch!HowdoIresettheDreamcast?

-Ifagameisrunningandyouopenthelid,themachinewillreset.Also,mostsoftwarewillletyoudoasoftresetbyholdingallthebuttonstogether(excludingthetriggerbuttonsunderneath).Obviously,gamesthat

comeonmorethanonediscwillbeprogrammedsothattheydon'tresetonopeningbetweendiscs!

2.2.2SometimesIturnthemachineonanditdoesn'tdotheswirlybouncylogothing!DidIbreakit?

-TheSwirlyBouncylogothingonlyhappensifyouhaveagamediscinthemachinewhenyouturniton.Ifthereisnothinginthedrive,orifthedrivelidisopen,yougetasimpleSegaDreamcastlogoandthenthestartuputilityscreen.

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2.2.3TheSwirlyBouncylogothingirritatesme!CanIkillit?

-Why?Itsnice!Butyoucanskipitbypressingstartonthecontroller.

2.2.4What'stheinternalmemoryfor?

-Theinternalmemoryisonlytokeepsystemsettingssuchaslanguagepreference,stereoormonoselection,andmoreimportantly,yourinternetsettings.ThefirsttimeyouuseyourbrowserGD,youwillbeaskedforinternetinformation.Onceyouhaveenteredthis,itissavedintheinternalmemory,soanygamecanaccesstheinfoifrequired.Thisalsomeansyoudon'tneedaVMStosaveinternetsettingson.

2.2.5What'saVMS/VMU?

-ThereisagoodFAQthatgoesintogreatdetailabouttheVMS,mainlyfortheJapaneseversion-howtouseitandrungamesonit.Checkmylinkssectionin4.0forthat.

TheVMSisbasicallyamemorycard,similartothememorycardfortheSonyPlaystationorNintendo64,infact.Themaindifferencebetweenthiscardandyournormalmemorycardforanothersystem,isthattheVMShasalittleLCD(liquidcrystal,likeadigitalwatch)screenandacontrolinput

padwithbuttons.Thescreen'sresolutionis48x32pixels,andithasasmallspeakerforonechannelmusicandsoundeffects.Thesefeatures,alongwiththebatterymeanyoucanusethecardawayfromyourDreamcasttorunmini-gamesandothersoftwareonit.

ThestandardVMShasonly128kofmemory.(Thisisnotverymuch).

OneofthefeaturesoftheVMSisthatsmallgamescanberunonit.CertainDreamcastgameshaveminigamesthatcanbedownloadedintotheVMSandusedonthemoveorawayfromtheDreamcast.I'msureyou'llthinkofadozendifferentthingsthatcouldbedoneontheVMS,andmostofthemareprobablyindevelopmentsomewhere!Mostgameshowevertakeupquiteabitofspacewhichinturnmeansgameshavelessroomforsavedpositions,etc.

TheVMShastwobatteries,whichallowyoutoplaygamesandmanagedataawayfromtheDreamcast.Ifthebatteriesrunflat,youdon'tloseanysaveddata,andyoucanstillusetheVMSasamemorycardintheDreamcastitself-youjustcan'tplayanygamesyoumayhavesavedonit.

TheVMSisavailableinstandardDreamcastgreyinstores,butyoucanordertransparentcolours(blue,red,greenandyellow)attheonlineSegastore.

ThirdpartyhardwaredevelopershavereleasedhighercapacitymemorycardunitsthathavemoreRAMthanthestandardVMS.Noneofthesethirdpartydeviceshavethescreenorcontrollerthough,they'rejustmemorycards.

2.2.6HowdoIreplacethebatteryintheVMS?

-There'salittlescrewonthebackoftheVMS,soyou'llneedascrewdriver.ItsthenasimplematterofgettingtworeplacementCR2032orequivalentbatteriesandpoppingthemin.Thesearecommonbatteries-youcanusuallybuythemfromdrugstores,electronicsupermarkets,electronicstoresandsimilar.

2.2.7WillIlosemysavedgameswhenIchangethebatteries?

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-No.SeetheVMSdescriptionabovein2.2.5

2.2.8CanIdownloadVMSminigamesfromtheinternet?

-Yes.Segahaveofferedonlyonegamesofar,VMSFootball.YoucangetitbyloggingintotheDreamcastnetworkusingyourDreamcast.Youcan'tdownloaditwithaPC,youhavetousetheDreamcastbrowser.Ithasn'texactlyreceivedravereviews,butitsagoodstart!

ItispossibleothersitesmayhaveVMSsavesanddownloadablegamesinthenearfuture.

2.2.9MygamechangedmyVMS'sicon!HowdoIgetmyoriginaliconback?

-WhenformattingyourVMS,youcanchoosefromavarietyoficonssothatyoucanidentifyoneVMSfromanother.Somegames(notablyCapcomgames)changethisicontoalogooracharacterfromthegame.Togobacktoyouroriginalicon,justdeletethefile'VM_sav'fromyourVMSusingtheVMSmanagerfromtheDreamcastutilitytitlescreen,orusingtheVMS'sownfilemanager.

2.2.10DoIneedaVMSifthereisinternalmemory?

-TheinternalmemoryismerelyforsystemsettingssuchasAudiosettingsand

alsoforsavingyourinternetserviceprovidersettings.Youcan'tuseittosavegames.TheVMSisentirelyforthesavingofgamedata,savedgamesandperhapssmallapplicationswhicharesoftwaredependent(thatmeansitsuptothegameorprogramyourunontheDreamcasttousetheVMS).Ifyoudon'thaveaVMSyou'renotgoingtobeabletosaveyourpositioninmostgames,andyou'llhavetorestarteverytimeyouplay.

2.2.11HowdoIresettheinternalmemory?

-Plugacontrollerintoportb,thenputtheSegawebbrowserintothemachine.TurnonthesystemwhileholdingdownbuttonsBandX.ContinuetoholdthemuntiltheWebBrowser'sloginscreenappears.

Thiserasesallinternetsettings.

IfyouleaveyourDreamcastoffforafewweeksthememorylosesit'schargeandyouwillhavetoenterthedateandinternetsettingsagain.

2.3OnlineIssues-----------------

2.3.1Whatspeedismymodem?

-IfyouboughtalocalDreamcastsysteminNorthAmericaitisa56kmodem.Everywhereelseitisa33.6kmodem,andifyouboughtanAsianDreamcastorimportedonefromthere,youdon'thaveamodematall.

2.3.2IsthereaDreamcastcablemodem,Ethernet,ISDNadapterorotherhighspeedadapter?

-Notavailableyet.SegahavepromisedhighbandwidthconnectionsinthefuturethoughandhaveshowntheEthernetadaptorbehindglassataconference.CablemodemwillprobablyhappeninNorthAmerica,perhapsEthernetorothersinotherregions.

2.3.3CanIplaymygamesonline?

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-Notyet.(NorthAmericanandPALregionsanswer).SegawillhavetheirSegaNetworksetupbythemiddleof2000intheUS,andhopefullysoonerinEurope.InJapan,thenetworkisupandrunningalready-youcanplayvariousgameson-linealready.NoNorthAmericangameshavebeenreleasedthatsupportthenetwork,Segaiswaitingforthenetworktobeabletosupportalargeamountofgamersatoncebeforereleasingthesegames.Also,developershaven'tbeencompletelyfilledinonhowtoimplementthenetworkfortheseregions.

2.3.4CanIuseaFreeISPwithmyDreamcast?

-Probablynot.That'stheeasyanswer,butitmightjustbepossibletodoitifyouknowwhatyou'redoingnetwork-wise,youhaveaPCtodotheinitialnetworksettingupandyouknowhowtofiddlewithsettingunderWindowsorwhateveroperatingsystemyouuse.TherearenohardandfastrulesinsettingupthefreeISPaseachservicewilldifferinsomeway.

Ontheotherhand,ifyourfreeISPforcesyoutousespecificsoftwarethatreallycan'tbeworkedaround,oriftheyforceyoutoleaveanadvertisingwindowopenatalltimes,chancesareyou'llnevergetittoworkinthecurrenteditionoftheDreamcastwebbrowsersoftware.

2.3.5CanIuploadanddownloadsavegames?

-YoucanifyouliveinJapanorboughtaJapaneseimport.InNorthAmerica,youcandownloadsavegames,butyoucan'tuploadthemorsendthemviaemailinanyway.Segahavestatedthatoneoftheforthcomingbrowserupdateswillfixthis.NoinfoavailableaboutthePALbrowseryet.

2.3.6CanIusethemodemandtheinternetinanothercountry?

-Yes,toalimiteddegreeperhaps.IfyouhaveaNorthAmericanDreamcastandifyourcountrysupportsAmericanstyleDTMFmodemsthenyoucanuseyourDreamcasttogetonlinewithnohassles.YoumayneedtobeanadaptorsoyourphonesystemunderstandstheAmericanstyletonesyourDreamcastoutputstodialanumber.

Itremainsunclearifyou'llbeabletouseitforonlinegaminginadifferentterritory.I'lladdmoredetailsasIlearnmoreandasSegarollsoutthenetworkineachregion.

IfyouhaveaJapaneseDreamcastandyouliveoutsideofJapan,youcangetonline,butyouneedtocallaJapanesenumberoncetoregisterthesoftware.DetailsonhowtodothisareprovidedintheimportDreamcastFAQ,linkstoitareprovidedintheMiscellaneoussectionbelow.Europeisanotherquestionaltogether,withnonstandardphonesystemsalloverandreallyreallyoldexchangesincertainpartsofsomecountries.Chancesare,amodeminaDreamcastboughtelsewherewon'tworkinEurope

withoutsomefiddling.TherehavebeensomepeoplethathavesuccessfullymanagedtogettheirUSDreamcastworkinginEurope-mailmefordetailsuntilIsortitoutenoughtoputitinthisFAQ.

2.4Accessories---------------

2.4.1WhataccessoriesareavailablefortheDreamcast?

-Someofthefollowingaccessoriesmaynotbeavailableinyourregion.See

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thesection2.0.4above,'CanIuseaccessoriesmadeforoneareaonmyDreamcastfromanotherregion?'.Somemayalsonotbereleasedyet.

-1stParty(Sega)Accessories

A/VCable-SameastheoneincludedintheDreamcastpackage.

DigitalCamera(Dreameye)-Segahaveadigitalcameraindevelopmentthatwillbereleasedlaterin2000.Thecamera,whichconnectsthroughacontrollerexpansionport,willallowuserstointeractwitheachotherovertheInternetorwithadirectphoneconnection,aswellasallowingtheusualtasksliketakingpicturesandmakingphoto-albums.Thesephotoscanthenbeeditedandstoredorsentviaemailtootherpeople.Itsalsopossiblethatsomegamescouldusethecamera-asacontrollerinputdevice(bymovingaround,userscouldperhapsinteractwithobjectson-screen)orasavideocapturingdevice(toputyourownfaceonacharacterforexample).Thecameraincludesamicrophoneandtheabilitytomakeshortmovieclipsthatyoucansendtoyourfriendsoropponentsinagame.AnewsectionofthisFAQwithinformationspeciallyfortheDreameyewillappearonceitsreleased.

DreamcastController-ThestandardjoypadthatcomeswiththeDreamcast.Hasananalogdirectionpad,aordinaryNintendo-typeD-Pad,4frontfacebuttonsand2rearanalogtriggerbuttons.Thereisalargegapintheback

ofthecontrollerwithtwoslotsforanyexpansionsorperipheralsliketheVMSortheJumpPack.AholeinthefrontfaceallowsthescreenofanordinaryVMStoshowthrough.AvailableeverywhereinstandardWhite/Grey,newtransparentcoloursareavailableinJapanandAmerica.Transparentcoloursreleasedsofarareturquoise,pink,limegreen,brownandblue.AtransparentorangecontrollerwasreleasedwiththeJapaneseversionof'ChuChuRocket'.OutsideofJapantheD-Padhasbeenmodifiedtostickoutfurtherfromthecontroller'sfacetomakeiteasiertogetthediagonals.Segaalsosaidthattheanalogtriggerbuttonsweremadestrongerforoverseasmarkets,butitseemsunlikelythatthiswasdone.

FishingController-Amotionsensorandavibrationfunctionarebuiltin.Itcurrentlyonlyworkswithonegamesofar,SegaBassFishing.

JumpPack(NorthAmerica),PuruPuruPack(inJapan),VibrationPack(inPALregions)-SimilartoNintendo's'RumblePack'fortheN64,addingthispacktothelowerslotinyourcontrollerwillturnthecontrollerintoaforcefeedbackdevicethatshakesandwrigglesdependingongamefunction.ItlookssimilartoaVMS,butslightlybiggerandwithnoscreenorcontrols.

Keyboard-MainlyforusewiththeDreamcastbrowser,thismaybeusedinsomeforthcominggamestoo.ItsbasicallyexactlylikeaPCkeyboard.InJapanthekeyboardisshorterthannormal,withnonumericpad(muchlikealaptopkeyboard).IntheUSandPALregions,it'sreallylikeastandardPCkeyboardwithanumericpad,butwiththeDreamcastblueswirllogowherePC'swouldhavethecaps/num/scrolllocklights.

Lightgun-ReleasedonlyinJapanandthePALregions,thisgunhasthebeststyling(inmyopinion).IthasaslotfortheVMSortheJumpPack,andadirectionalcontrolontheback.Itfeelsgoodtoholdtoo.Microphone-OnlyreleasedinJapansofar,firstpackedinwiththegame'Seaman'andsoonavailableseparately.ItfitsintoaconnectorthatisaboutthesamesizeastheJumpPackandthensticksoutthebackofthestandardcontroller.

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RGBCable-OnlyreleasedinEurope,thiscableconnectsyourDreamcasttoyourTVwiththetopqualitySCARTstandard.(Seesection2.5.4below)

RFUnit-AllowsuserstoconnectolderTV'swithnoComposite/AVconnectors.Beforeyoubuyone,tryconnectingyourDreamcastthroughyourVCR,almostallVCR'shaveComposite/AVinputs,andyoucanthensetyourTVtotheVCRchanneltoplaytheDreamcast.

S-VideoCable-IfyourTVsupportS-Video,usethiscabletohookupyourDreamcast.ThiswillgiveyoumuchbetterpicturequalitythanthestandardComposite/AVcable.AnS-VideoinputlooksalotlikeaPCkeyboardinput,itsasmallroundadapterwithanoddshapededgeand4smallholesinside.

VGABox-Seesection2.5.1belowfordetailedinformation.

VMS-TheVMSisbasicallyamemorycardwithalittlescreenandacontrolinputpadandbuttons.VMSstandsforVisualMemorySystem.Formoreinfo,seetheVMSsectionabove(2.2.5).AlsoknownastheVMU(VisualMemoryUnit)orjustthe'VisualMemory'.

VMS,MP3Version-SegahavemadevagueannouncementsaboutanewadvancedVMSthathasmuchmorememoryandcanalsoplayMP3files(MpegAudio)throughaheadphonesocket.Moreinfowillfollowwhenitarrives.

ZipDrive-Unreleasedasyet,thisdevicefitsundertheDreamcast,usingtheslotthemodemplugsintoonyourconsole.ThemodemthenplugsintothesideoftheZipdrive.OrdinaryZipdisksholdupto100Megabytesofdata,althougha250Megabyteversionisavailableforcomputerusers.TheZipDrivealsoincludesafront-mountedUSBport,whichshouldallowtheconnectionofallkindsofnewperipherals.Thezipdrivehasbeenshownrecently,andatentativereleasedateofthesecondquarterhasbeensetforJapan.Itslikelythezipdrivewillseeareleaseinotherterritoriesaswell.

-3rdParty(Othermanufacturers)Accessories

4xRAMCard(Various)-Amemorycardthathas512kofRAMandnoscreenor

controllerbuttons.OnebrandalsoincludesaninterfacesoyoucanuploadanddownloadsavefilesandgamesusingyourPC.

8xRAMCard(Various)-Amemorycardthathas1MegabyteofRAMbuthasnoscreenorcontrollerbuttons.

ArcadeStick(Agetec)-Alargearcadequalityjoystick.Onlyhasadigitaljoystickandthereforecan'tbeusedwithgamesthatrequireanalogcontrol.Mostpeoplepurchasethearcadestickjustforfightinggames.Ithas6firebuttonsontheface,andoneslotfortheVMSorperhapsanotherperipheral(nottheJumpPack).

AlloyArcadeStick(Interact)-Alargearcadejoystickwithametal

cabinet,and8frontfirebuttons.It'sprogrammableandhasauto-firetoo,alongwithrubberwristpads.Onlyhasadigitaljoystickandthereforecan'tbeusedwithgamesthatrequireanalogcontrol.

ASCIIPad(ASCII)-VerysimilarlookingtotheSaturncontrolpad.Has6buttonsinthefamiliarSaturn/GenesislayoutandoneVMSslot.Noanalogcontrol.Possiblythepadofchoiceforfightinggamesifyoudon'thave,don'twantorcan'taffordanArcadeStick.

AstroPad(Interact)-Alarger-than-Sega'sstandardcontroller.Onlyhas

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oneVMSslot,butisavailablein4colours.

Concept4RacingWheel(Interact)-Thiswheelhasastick-control,pedalstableclampsandabuiltinvibrationfunction.

DreamBlaster(MadCatz)-Alightgunwithauto-fireandauto-reload.AlsohasaslotfortheVMSortheJumpPack.Thedirectionalcontrolisonthesideofthegun,unliketheSegagunwhichisontheback.ThisgunisapparentlybuilttoSega'sownspecifications;thinkofitastheofficialUSlightgun.Itsquitesmallifyou'reusedtoaGunConthough.

DreamPad(MadCatz)-6firebuttonsonthefacebutnoanalogtriggerbuttonsattheback.TheD-Padisslightlytiltedtoo,whichtakesquiteabitofgettingusedto...Ifyoupresswhereupusuallyis,you'reactuallyhittingadiagonal.

QuantumFighterPad(Interact)-Controllerwith6firebuttonsontheface,andtwotriggerbuttonstoo.Itsalsoprogrammableandhasauto-fire.

MC2RacingWheel(MadCatz)-Hasashift-stickandseparatepedals.

MissionStick(ASCII)-Abeautifullydesignedcontrollerespeciallyforflightsims.ItfeaturesergonomichandleswithdozensofbuttonsandoneVMSslot.

NykoController(Nyko)-6firebuttonsandauto-fire/turbo.Noanalogtriggers.

PStoDCControllerAdapter(Various)-AsiandevicesthatletyouuseSonyPlaystationcontrollersintheDreamcast.SupportstheDual-Shockcontrollerforanalogcontrolandforce-feedback.SomeversionsallowtheuseofPlaystationsteeringwheelsalso.

RadiusRacingPad(Interact)-Acontroller/steering-wheelhybrid.Hasa60degreeturningangleandrubbergrips.

RallyWheel(Agetec)-NiceheavybasewithaVMSslotbuiltin.

StarFireLightBlaster(Interact)-Alightgunwithauto-fireandauto-reload.AlsohasaslotfortheVMSortheJumpPack.Thedirectionalcontrolisonthesideofthegun,unliketheSegagunwhichisontheback.

Various-ManymanufacturershavemadeVMSreplacements,withandwithoutscreens,andalsomanyJumpPackreplacements.Ihaven'tlistedthemallbecausetherearetoomanyandtheyallhavebasicallythesamefeatures.Inthepast,peoplehavebecomewaryofusing3rdpartymemorycards-frequentlossofdatabeingthereason.Itsuptoyouthough,3rdpartyproductsaren'talwaysinferiorandsomeareactuallybetterthanSega'sofficialofferings.

2.4.2IsthereaDreamcastmouse?

-Notyet.Segahavehintedatone,anditcertainlywouldbebetterthanusingthecontrollerforwebbrowsing.SegamadeamousefortheirNetlinkadapterfortheSegaSaturn,sothey'vedoneitbefore.Amouseisalsothepreferredcontrollerforsomestrategygamesandfirst-personshooterslike'Quake','Halflife'andothers.Note:TheZipdrive(see2.4.1above)hasaUSBportandtheiraredozensofPC/MACmousesavailablewithUSBconnectors.Thewon'tjustworkthough-specificdriverswillhavetobewrittentosupportgenericmouses.

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2.4.3IsthereaDreamcastcablemodem,Ethernet,ISDNadapterorotherhighspeedadapter?

-Notavailableyet.Seequestion2.3.2above

2.5VideoConsiderations------------------------

2.5.1What'stheVGAboxfor?

-TheVGAboxallowsyoutoconnecttheDreamcasttoastandardVGA(PC)monitor.ThisiscoolbecausetheVGAmonitorwillalwaysgiveabetterpicturethanaTV,anditsusefulforpeoplewhodon'thaveaccesstoaTVatalltimes.ThepicturequalityissoamazingthatsomepeoplewhohavetriedtheirDreamcastontheVGAmonitorhaven'tbeenabletogobacktoTVquality.ObviouslyifyourVGAmonitorisreallysmall,theTVmaystillbepreferable,evenwithitslossofquality.

ThedisadvantageoftheVGAboxorcableisthatonlygamesthatactivelysupportthebox/cablecanbeusedonthemonitor.Theotherswillsimplynotwork.MostnewergamesdoseemtosupporttheVGAboxthough.

2.5.2IsaVGAcablethesameastheVGAbox?

-TheVGAboxincludesthingslikeaudiooutputs(headphonejackorRCA'sonsome3rdpartyboxes)andS-Videoand/orcomposite(AV)output.ThismakesitmoreflexibleinanenvironmentwhereyouwanttousetheDreamcastonyourmonitorsometimesandonyourTVatothertimes.AVGAcable(3rdpartyonly)isonlythebasicleadyouneedtoconnecttheDreamcasttothePCmonitorandyourspeakers/hi-fi,withnootherextras.Ifyoudon'tneedtheextrafeaturesofafullVGAbox,getthecable.Thepicturequalityisthesame.

2.5.3Isthereawaytoforceanon-VGAcompatiblegameintoVGAmode?

-Formostgames,yes.Therearetwowaystodothis.Theeasiestwayisto

leavetheVGAswitchintheS-Videoorcompositemodewhenthegamestartstoboot,thenwhenthegameloadspasttheboottrack(theVMSbeepsafewsecondsintothebootsequence)justflicktheswitchovertoVGAmode.

IfyouhaveaVGAcableorforsomereasontheabovetrickdoesn'twork,youcanleavethecablepartiallyunpluggedwhenthegamestartstoboot,andthenpushitinwhenthegamegetspasttheboottrack.Boththesetricksmaybealittledangerousasastaticchargecoulddamageyourmachineormonitor(ithastobesaidthisishighlyunlikelythough).

Neitherofthesetricksworkwithallgames,however.Somegamesseemto

resetthegraphicsdisplayatcertainpointsanddetectthatthevideosystemhaschangedandthenrefusetorun.

ThereisnoreasonnottosupporttheVGAboxasdefault,sohopefullymostifnotallgamesinthefuturewillsupportitwithouthavingtousetheVGAtricks.

2.5.4CanIgetaSCARTcableforDreamcast?

-Yes.IfyouliveinaPALregion,thereisanofficialSegaRGB/SCARTcable.

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Many3rdpartyonesarealsoavailable,andtheyworkbeautifully.TheonlyproblemisthatthegamemustsupporttheSCARTgraphicsmodetowork(15KHz,RGB).Mostnewgamesdo,however.GenerallyspeakingthegamesthatsupportVGAmodesupport15KHzRGBtoo,butthat'sjustageneralisation,notallVGAcompatiblegameswillworkonaSCARTcable.

ThequalityofaSCARTconnectionissuperb,itrivalstheVGAboxonagoodTV,andasmostTV'sarebiggerthanamonitor,itisthepreferablewayofconnectingyourDreamcastsystem(providedyouhavetheSCARTconnectoronyourTVofcourse).SCARTcablesareusuallyfairlyinexpensivetoo-quiteabitcheaperthantheVGAbox.

2.5.5CanImakemyowncabletoconnectmyDreamcasttomyS-Video/SCART/RGB/VGA/RF/Composite/ComponentTVorMonitor?

-Mostly,yes!IdoubtanyonewillwanttomakeanRFunitormakeaComposite/AVcable,(asoneofthesecomeswiththemachine)soyoumayhavetroublefindinginformationtomakethem.

Basicallywhatyouhavetodoisgetapinoutforyourcustomconnector,thenit'sasimplematterofconnectingthecorrectpinsfromtheDreamcasttothecorrespondingpinsontheotherside.TheproblemsyouwillrunintoaregettingaconnectorfortheDreamcastsideandactuallyputtingthethingtogether.ForSCART/RGB/Componenttypeconnections,youcouldtry

startingwithacheap3rdpartySCARTleadandcuttingitupifnecessary.Agoodplacetostartlookingforinstructionsisthe'DreamcastTechnicalPages'(seelinkssectionin4.4.4belowforaddress).AnothergoodplacetolookisGames-X(again,seethelinkssectionbelow).

2.6OtherHardwareQuestions----------------------------

2.6.1WhatistheNaomi?

-TheNaomiisahighpoweredarcademotherboarddevelopedbySega.ItusessimilartechnologytotheDreamcasthomeconsolethusmakingports(game

conversions)betweensystemsrelativelysimpletodo.TheonlymajordifferencebetweenthehardwareoftheNaomiandtheDreamcastisthattheNaomihasroomforbanksofROMchipstostorethearcadegamecode,andalsocomeswithmoresystem,soundandgraphicsmemory.

TherearemanyadvantagesoftheNaomisystemoverotherarcadeboards.Oneoftheseiscost-theNaomiusesinexpensiveoff-the-shelfcomponentsandisrelativelycheaptomanufacture(anddistributebecauseofit'ssmallsize).Also,onceanarcadeoperatorhaspurchasedaNaomigamesystem,tochangegameshewillonlyneedtobuythenewgameandexchangeROMcartridgesonthemotherboard.AnotherbigadvantageisthattheNaomiarchitectureoptionallyallowsforanythingupto16motherboardstoruninparallel,boostinggameperformancemanytimes.

2.6.2MyDreamcastmakesalotofnoise,isthatnormal?

-TheDreamcastisthefirstgamesconsoletoincludeafaninside-muchlikeaPC.TheblowinghummingnoiseyouhearwhenyouturnyourDreamcastonisthisfan.Youcanfeelairblowingouttheairventsifyouputyourhandnearthem.Thisfanistocoolthevariouschipsinsidethemachinebykeepingaflowofairrunningthroughthemachine.

TheGD-ROMdrivealsomakesafairbitofnoise,whichisalsoentirely

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normal.SimilarsoundingtoPCCD-ROM's,youshouldheartherotationofthespindlethatspinsthediscaswellasthemovementofthelaserheadsoverthesurfaceoftheGD.Ifyouarestillworriedaboutthesoundscomingfromyourmachine,seeifthey'relouderthanafriend'smachine,oramachineatthestorebeforeyoupanic.Onethingworthmentioning,ifyoudon'tclickthediscdownontothespindleproperly,itwillspinoffandyouwillhearaveryloudanddisturbingsoundasthespindleoftheGDdrivetriestomakeaholeinyourdisc!Somakesureyouclickitdownproperly.

2.6.3IsitnormalformyDreamcasttogetthiswarm?

-TheDreamcastgetsquitewarmduringoperation,butshouldn'tgetanyhotterthanitgetsafterahalf-hourofplay.Ifyounoticethemachinegettingwarmerandwarmerafterafewhoursofbeingon,perhapsthereissomethingwrongwithit.Givethemachinelotsofspaceoneachsideandbehind,andmakesureyou'vegotitonaflatnon-coveredsurface.(Carpetsarebad!Naughty!)

2.6.4Somegames(SoulCalibur)makeaclickingsoundwhileplayingmusictracks.Isthatnormal?

-Thisisperfectlynormal.Sofar,allversionsofSoulCaliburmakeasmallchirpingsoundacoupleoftimesasecond.Withthesoundturnedon,youshouldn'treallynoticeit.Thishassomethingtodowiththewaytheheads

oftheGD-ROMaresteppedormovedduringmusicaccess.

3.0DreamcastSoftware----------------------

3.1Iheardthattherewasaproblemwithsomeofthelaunchgames.Aretherestillproblems?

-MuchtoSega'shorror(I'dguess!),someinitiallaunchgamesintheNorthAmericanmarketswerefaulty.Segaidentifiedthisasasoftwareonlyproblem,thatonecertainmassGDcopierdevicehadgoneoutofcalibrationandroughly10%ofcertaingameswouldn'tworkonallDreamcasts.

Thediscsaffectedwere:BlueStinger,HydroThunder,SonicAdventureandtheSegaWebBrowser.

Thismadesomepeoplesuspiciousasthesamediscscouldoccasionallybebooted,andalsosometimestheyworkedperfectlyinafriendsmachine.Noofficialexplanationforthishascomeout,butitmaybethatcertainDreamcastmachinesmadeincertainfactorieshaveslightlydifferentcomponentswhichthroughaccidentordesignplaydiscsthatotherDreamcastscan'tread.ItispossibletoidentifyacorruptGD-ROMbylookingunderneath.Ifthereisaflowerypatternclosetotheouteredge,thatdiscisprobablyoneoftheinitialdefectiveones.

Segathemselvessetupahotlineandofferedhelpthroughtheirwebsite.A3rdpartycompanythatwasalsoaffectedhadasimilarstrategy,andalldamageddiscswererecalledorreturnedandnewcopiesofthegameswereshippedoutwithinaweekoflaunch.

Oneexceptionwas'ReadytoRumble'whichhadaprogrammingglitchwhichcausedthemusictoskipabouthalfwaythrougheachmusictrack.Thistooklongertofix,perhapsunderstandably,andeachfaultycopycouldbereplacedattheplaceofpurchaseforanewonethathasnoproblems.

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InPALregions,thereisapossibilitythatsomecopiesofSonicAdventurewereproblematic,withsomecrashesoracompletefailuretoboot.ThisproblemiscertainlyonasmallerscalethantheproblemSegaofAmericaexperiencedintheUS,however.

3.2CanIplayUS/JAPANESE/PALgamesonmyUS/JAPANESE/PAL/ASIANDreamcast?

-Yes.Therearevarious'ModChips'thatwillallowthis.(Seesection3.3below)

SomecompaniessellaDreamcastthathasaswitchableBIOS-thesemachineshaveacopyofboththeJapaneseandtheNorthAmericanBIOSinside.Thisallowsyoutorungamesforeithersystemafterselectingtheregionyourequirebeforebooting.Thesecompanies,allinAsia,won'tadaptyourexistingDreamcast,youhavetobuythemachinewiththemodificationalreadydone.

Ifyouarepreparedtoopenyourmachineandmakeinternalmodificationslikepullingupthelegsofachipandsolderingatsurface-mounteddimensions,thenyoucanbuyaModChipandinsertityourself.

3.3IsthereamodchipavailableforDreamcast?

-Yes.ThereareafewcompaniesthathavemadeaModChipandmanyotherwith

plansforproducingone.

Thecurrentbatchofchipsrequireopeningofthemachineand_very_goodsolderingskills.Thechipsthatmustbealteredaresurface-mountedandareverytiny.Therearequiteafewwirestoattachandachiplegtopullup!

AfutureModChippossibilitythathasbeentalkedaboutinthepastisaVMUsizedcartridgethatinsertsintoanyofyourcontrollersandbypassesthesecurityaccesscodes.Noopeningofthesystemwouldberequiredwiththisversion.(Sincethisisn'tanactualmodification,theterm'ModChip'isn'treallyaccuratehere!)

3.4WhatdoesaModChipdo?

-ThemodchipallowsyoutorungamesfromanyregiononanyDreamcastconsole.That'sthetheoryanyway!

3.5WhatisPAL60hz?Whyisitagoodthing?

-SegahavestatedthatalltheirgameswillsupportPAL60hz.ThismeansthatpeopleinPALregionswon'thavetoputupwithslowdowncausedbytheirTVsystem.Itsahugetopic,fartoobigforthisFAQ,soI'lltrysummarisehereonly.

PAL(Europe,Australia,etc)isslowerthanNTSC(NorthAmericaandJapan,

wherealargeproportionofDreamcasttitlesaredeveloped)becausePALusesmorelinestomakeapictureandbecausegamesnormallyonlyupdatethescreen50timesasecond(50Hz).NTSCoperateswithlesslinesonthescreentofillupandat60hz.

PAL60hzmeansthatyourgamewillbejustasfastonaPALsystemasonanNTSCsystembecausewhenyouselectthatoptionthegamewillswitchyourTVintoNTSCmode.It'sonlyanoptionandnotdefaultinPALgamesbecauseolderTV'sinEuropewillnotsupportthe60Hzmode.(andlotsofpeopleinEuropehaveoldTV's).They'llhavetoputupwithslightlyslowergames

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untiltheygetanewTVorusetheVGAbox.

VGAmonitorswilluse60HzmodeonPALsystems,sogameswillalwaysrunatfullspeedonaVGAboxinPALregions.

3.6CanImakebackupsofmyDreamcastgames?

-No.Firstly,noknownCDorDVDwriterssupporttheGD-ROMformat.Secondly,specificsoftwareforthePCthatallowedthatwouldhavetobedeveloped.Thirdly,onlySegamakethediscsinthefirstplace,andalthoughblankGD-ROM'sareavailablefordevelopmentusage,they'retightlycontrolledbySegaandaremoreexpensivethanregularblankCDRmedia.

3.7DoestheDreamcastplayGenesis/Saturn/Playstation/Othergames?

-AtthemomenttherearenoemulatorsavailableforDreamcast,butalreadytherehasbeenanannouncementthattherewillbeadiscthatallowsyoutodownloadandplayPCEnginegamesonyourDreamcast.Unfortunately,theywillbelostwhenyoupoweroffyoursystem.EarliersystemslikeGameboy,NES,MastersystemandevenGenesisandSNESarerelativelyeasytoemulateatfullspeedandareallcertainlypossibleontheDreamcast.

Perhapsinthefuture3rdpartycompanieswillwritesoftwarethatwillbeabletoemulatemoremodernsystemslikePlaystationorNintendo64.

Thelegalitiesofemulationareabithazyhowever,sodon'texpectanycompanylikeSega,SonyorNintendogivingtheirblessingtosuchaproject(justyet,anyway).

3.8WherecanIfindreviewsofDreamcastgamesonline?

-HavealookatmylinkssectionunderMiscellaneousQuestionsbelow.

3.9WherecanIfindhintsorcheatsforagame?

-Pleaselookatsection4.4.6belowforlinkstowebsitesthatprovidegamehints,cheats,codes,walkthroughsandFAQ's.IfyouliveintheUSorEuropeyoucanalsophoneSega'shelplinenumber(you'llfindthenumberin

apamphletthatshipswitheachgame).

3.10OperatingSystems

3.10.1WhatisSegaOS?

-ThisistheunofficialnameofthesetoflibrariesanddevelopmenttoolswrittenbySegaforDreamcastdevelopment.Acommonsetoflibrariesmeanthatanyimprovedcodeissharedamongstalldevelopers.SegaOShasaverysmallmemoryfootprint.ThatmeansthattheactualcodetakesupverylittleoftheDreamcast'sinternalmemory,allowingmorespaceforotherprogrammingsuchasAI,graphicsorwhateverelsea

pieceofsoftwareuses.

3.10.2WhatisMicrosoftWindowsCE?

-MicrosoftprovidesaanotherdevelopmentenvironmentfortheDreamcast,withasimpleWindowsbasedsetupandtheVisualStudiointerface.Thismeansthatdeveloperscanuseafamiliaruserinterface.ThishelpsmakeiteasierandquickertodevelopsoftwarebycomparisontousingSegaOSordirect-to-hardwaremethods.

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However,thiseaseofusecomesataprice-becauseofanextra'layer'betweenthecodeandthemachine'shardware,gamesusingWinCEasthedevelopmentOSwillmostlikelybeslowerthantheirequivalentsrunningusingamoredirecthardwareaccessmethod.TheuseoftheWinCEdevelopmentenvironmentcertainlydoesnotguaranteeaslowgame,however.SegaRally2isanexampleofafastgamewrittenusingit.

3.10.3DoesthismeanmyDreamcasthasWindowsinside?

-No!WindowsCEisanoptionalenvironmentforprogrammingontheDreamcast.IfagameisprogrammedusingWindowsCEdevelopmenttools,theWinCEcoreisprovidedontheactualgamediscitself.Microsofthaven'tgotanythinginsideyourDreamcast,sodon'tworry.

4.0MiscellaneousQuestionsandInformation-------------------------------------------

4.1What(print)magazinesaretherethatsupporttheDreamcast?

I'veincludedthewebsitesofthepublisherswherepossiblesoyoucansubscribeonline.

-NorthAmerica

TheOfficialSegaDreamcastMagazine(includesDemoGD-ROM)(monthly,publishedbyImagineMedia-www.imaginemedia.com)

-UnitedKingdom

OfficialDreamcastMagazine(includesDemoGD-ROM)(monthly,publishedbyDennisPublishing-www.dreamcastmag.co.uk)DC-UK(monthly,publishedbyFuturePublishing-www.dc-uk.co.uk)

-Japan

FamitsuDC(monthly,publishedbyFamitsu/Ascii-www.f-dc.com)

DreamcastMagazine(occasionallyincludesDemoGD-ROM)(weekly,SoftbankPublishing-www.zdnet.co.jp/gamespot/dreamcastmagazine/)

DreamcastFan(weekly,UnknownPublisher)

4.2What(online)magazinesaretherethatsupporttheDreamcast?

-Thereareliterallydozens.Checkmyresourcesandlinkssection4.4below.

4.3DreamcastEmulation

4.3.1IsthereaDreamcastemulatorforPCorMAC?

-No.Notyet,anyway.TheDreamcastisacomplexmachine,andtoaddtothat,itisalsoaveryfastmachine.AnotherconsiderationisthatnoPCCD-ROMdrivescanreadtheentireGD-ROMdisc.Thereisnodoubtthatemulationispossible,itsjustamatteroftimeuntilcomputersarefastenoughtodoso,andsomeonewiththerelevantknowledgehasthetimetotryit.

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4.3.2WherecanIdownloadDreamcastROMS?

-Ifyou'retalkingaboutthecodestoredintheDreamcast'sBIOSorotherchips,itispossibletofindsomeofthedumpedromsonline,butit'sillegaltodistributethemandyou'llhavetofindthemyourself.Ican'treallythinkofareasonforhavingthemanyway.Ifyou'retalkingaboutROMSinthesenseofpiratedgames,likeGenesisorSNESROMS,thenyouneedhelpinsomanywaysthatthisFAQjustcan'tcoverthemallrightnow.

4.3.3IsthereanywaytoplaySaturngamesontheDreamcast?

-No.TherehavebeenmanyrumoursthatSegahavedevelopedoraredevelopinganofficialSaturnemulatorfortheDreamcast,butnoconfirmations.Inreality,it'shighlyunlikelythatSegawouldmakeoneforafewreasons-themaintwobeingthatSegaprobablywanttoputtheSaturnbehindthemandalsothattheSaturnisadifficultmachinetoemulateduetoitscomplicatedhardwarestructure.

4.4Resources&Links

4.4.1Sega'scommercialsites

SegaEnterprisesLimited(www.sega.co.jp)

SegaofAmerica(www.sega.com)SegaofEurope(www.sega-europe.com)

4.4.2DreamcastSpecificNewsandInformation

-Thesesitesareagreatsourceofup-to-the-minutenewsandinterestingDreamcastandSegarelatedinformation.

Officialnewssites-TheIGNnetworkistheofficialonlinenewssourceofSegaofAmericaandothersitesbelowarealsoaffiliatedtoIGN.Ifyou'renewtoDreamcastorjustappreciatereallygoodFlashorgoodwebsites,tryDreamcastEurope-it'sgreat!Ifyou'rebrowsingthroughtheDreamcastitself,usewww.dreamcast.com,itsdesignedtobecompatible

withtheDCbrowser.

IGN-DC(dreamcast.ign.com)DreamcastNetwork(www.dreamcast.com)DreamcastEurope(www.dreamcast-europe.com)DreamcastAustralia/NewZealand(www.dreamcast.com.au)DreamcastBrazil(www.dreamcast.com.br)DreamcastJapan(www.dricas.com)

Othernewssites.SomeofthesesitesareaffiliatedtoIGN,theofficialSeganewsnetworkforNorthAmerica.

DCSwirl(www.dcswirl.com)

DCUnited(www.dc-united.com)DimensionS(www.dimension-s.com)DreamcastHQ(www.dreamcast-hq.net)PlanetDreamcast(www.planetdreamcast.com)SegaDojo(www.segadojo.com)SegaOtaku(www.sega-otaku.com)SegaWeb(www.segaweb.com)

4.4.3GeneralvideogamenewsandinfoincludingDreamcastnews

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-Thesesitesarealsoagreatsourceofnewsandinformation,butthey'renotDreamcastorSegaspecific,rathertheycaterforallconsoles-includingtheDreamcast.

DailyRadar(www.dailyradar.com)FastestGameNewsOnline(www.fgnonline.com)GameFanOnline(www.gamefan.com)GamingAge(www.gaming-age.com)VideogameSpot(www.videogamespot.com)

4.4.4DreamcastTechnicalInformation

-Forfurthertechnicaldocumentationorindepthinformationontechnicalaspects,trythesesites.The'DreamcastTechnicalPages'evenhavepicturesoftheinsidesoftheDreamcastinminutedetail.AlsoincludedarelinkstothecompaniesthatproducecertainDreamcastcomponents.

DreamcastTechnicalPages(www.canadawired.com/~gvink/Sega/)GamesStation-X(www.gamesx.com)HitachiSemiconductor(semiconductor.hitachi.com)NEC(www.nec.com)PowerVRTechnology(www.powervr.com)

4.4.5OtherFAQ's

-ThereareotherFAQ'sfeaturingtheDreamcastanditsperipherals.Allofthesecanbefoundonwww.gamefaqs.com.

DreamPassportFAQbyGogeta(gogeta@goplay.com)DreamcastSystemFAQ(MainlyusingaJapanese/AsianDreamcastintheUS)bySpaceAce(frankblack@prodigy.net)TheVMSMiniFAQbyBrianRobinette(swingbin@aol.com)SegaDreamcastVGABoxFAQbySteveCutting(scutting@vic.bigpond.net.au)

4.4.6CheatCodes,GameFAQ'sandWalkthroughs

-LotsofgoodcodeandgameFAQsitessupporttheDreamcast.Thesearetwo

ofthemostpopular:

CheatCodeCentral(www.cheatcc.com)GameFAQs(www.gamefaqs.com)4.5OthersourcesIusedincompilingthisdocument

-Iamaregularatalltheabovesites,butafewofmyfavouriteDreamcastresourcesdon'tfitintoanyofthosecategories.YoucanfindthelatestversionofthisFAQatGamefaqs.comorCheatCodeCentral.

BlastCityBulletinBoard(nurb.com/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi)CheatCodeCentral(www.cheatcc.com)

GameFAQs(www.gamefaqs.com)

4.6Contributors

-...withoutwhomthiswouldn'tbepossible.Abigthanks!

AdamRoseintheUKJ.T.KauffmaninJapanSteveCuttinginAustralia

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Thanksalsotoallthepeoplewhowritewithinformation,suggestions,criticismsandkindwords.Pleasekeepalltheemailscoming.

4.7Changes/History

-October05th,1999.Version0.9,previewversion.-October13th,1999.Version1.0,firstreleaseversion.-October15th,1999.Version1.01,smallfixes.-October22th,1999.Version1.1,someerrorsfixedandlotsofPALinfoupdatedthankstoAdam.-November2nd,1999.Version1.2,smallfixes.UpdatednewDreamcastversioninformationandsomenewperipheralsadded.-November3rd,1999.Version1.3.Changestomanysections,updatedsomeVMSandmodchipstuff.-November8th,1999.Version1.4.NewquestionsaboutDreamcastheat+oddnoisesandmoreemulationinformation.-November16th,1999.Version1.5.SomeJapaneseinfothankstoJ.T.Magazinessectionupdated.Zip,Camera&someDVDinfoadded.-December2nd,1999.Version1.6.Moredigitalcamerainfo.Australianreleaseinfo.NewDreamcasteditioninJapan.NewVMScoloursavailable.-January25th,2000.Version2.0.JumpedsomeversionstomakeitY2Kfriendly;)UpdatedSCARTinfo,afewchangestoDC

versionsinformation.SomemoreDreamcastCamerainfoadded.-February23rd,2000.Version2.1.Finallydidaspell-check.Re-wroteJapan-eseDCversioninformation,addednewversions.Somenewdigitalcamerainformation.Manymanylittleupdates.UpdatedZipinfoandaddednewVMSinfo.Addedsomenewonlineandpapersourcesincludingcheatcodes.

5.0Index/CompleteTableofContents------------------------------------

1.0Introduction1.1WhatisDreamcast?1.2WhoisSega?1.3CouldIhavesomeinformationonthehistoryoftheDreamcast?1.4WhenwastheDreamcastreleased?1.5Whatgameswereavailableatlaunch?

2.0DreamcastHardware2.0.1What'sinthebox?2.0.2WhatversionsoftheDreamcasthavebeenreleased?2.0.3HowdoItellthedifferencebetweenDreamcastsfromdifferentregions?2.0.4CanIuseaccessoriesmadeforoneareaonmyDreamcastfromanother

region?2.0.5Whatareit'stechnicalspecifications?2.1GD-ROM'sandCD's2.1.1WhatisaGD-ROM?2.1.2HowisDreamcastsoftwarepackaged?2.1.3HowshouldIchangegamesontheDreamcast?2.1.4Aretherelongloadingtimes?2.1.5AreGD-ROM'smorefragilethanCD-ROM'sorDVD's?2.1.6CanIbackupmyGD-ROMS?2.1.7What'sthebestwaytocleanaGD-ROM?

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2.1.8WilltheDreamcastplaynormalaudioCD's?2.1.9WilltheDreamcastplayDVD's?2.2ResettingandMemoryIssues2.2.1There'snoresetswitch!HowdoIresettheDreamcast?2.2.2SometimesIturnthemachineonanditdoesn'tdotheswirlybouncylogothing!DidIbreakit?2.2.3TheSwirlyBouncylogothingirritatesme!CanIkillit?2.2.4What'stheinternalmemoryfor?2.2.5What'saVMS/VMU?2.2.6HowdoIreplacethebatteryintheVMS?2.2.7WillIlosemysavedgameswhenIchangethebatteries?2.2.8CanIdownloadVMSminigamesfromtheinternet?2.2.9MygamechangedmyVMS'sicon!HowdoIgetmyoriginaliconback?2.2.10DoIneedaVMSifthereisinternalmemory?2.2.11HowdoIresettheinternalmemory?2.3OnlineIssues2.3.1Whatspeedismymodem?2.3.2IsthereaDreamcastcablemodem,Ethernet,ISDNadapterorotherhighspeedadapter?2.3.3CanIplaymygamesonline?2.3.4CanIuseaFreeISPwithmyDreamcast?2.3.5CanIuploadanddownloadsavegames?2.3.6CanIusethemodemandtheinternetinanothercountry?2.4Accessories

2.4.1WhataccessoriesareavailablefortheDreamcast?2.4.2IsthereaDreamcastmouse?2.4.3IsthereaDreamcastcablemodem,Ethernet,ISDNadapterorotherhighspeedadapter?2.5VideoConsiderations2.5.1What'stheVGAboxfor?2.5.2IsaVGAcablethesameastheVGAbox?2.5.3Isthereawaytoforceanon-VGAcompatiblegameintoVGAmode?2.5.4CanIgetaSCARTcableforDreamcast?2.5.5CanImakemyowncabletoconnectmyDreamcasttomyS-Video/SCART/RGB/VGA/RF/Composite/ComponentTVorMonitor?2.6OtherHardwareQuestions2.6.1WhatistheNaomi?

2.6.2MyDreamcastmakesalotofnoise,isthatnormal?2.6.3IsitnormalformyDreamcasttogetthiswarm?2.6.4Somegames(SoulCalibur)makeaclickingsoundwhileplayingmusictracks.Isthatnormal?

3.0DreamcastSoftware3.1Iheardthattherewasaproblemwithsomeofthelaunchgames.Aretherestillproblems?3.2CanIplayUS/JAPANESE/PALgamesonmyUS/JAPANESE/PAL/ASIANDreamcast?3.3IsthereamodchipavailableforDreamcast?3.4WhatdoesaModChipdo?3.5WhatisPAL60hz?Whyisitagoodthing?3.6CanImakebackupsofmyDreamcastgames?

3.7DoestheDreamcastplayGenesis/Saturn/Playstation/Othergames?3.8WherecanIfindreviewsofDreamcastgamesonline?3.9WherecanIfindhintsorcheatsforagame?3.10OperatingSystems3.10.1WhatisSegaOS?3.10.2WhatisMicrosoftWindowsCE?3.10.3DoesthismeanmyDreamcasthasWindowsinside?

4.0MiscellaneousQuestionsandInformation4.1What(print)magazinesaretherethatsupporttheDreamcast?

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4.2What(online)magazinesaretherethatsupporttheDreamcast?4.3DreamcastEmulation4.3.1IsthereaDreamcastemulatorforPCorMAC?4.3.2WherecanIdownloadDreamcastROMS?4.3.3IsthereanywaytoplaySaturngamesontheDreamcast?4.4Resources&Links4.4.1Sega'scommercialsites4.4.2DreamcastSpecificNewsandInformation4.4.3GeneralvideogamenewsandinfoincludingDreamcastnews4.4.4DreamcastTechnicalInformation4.4.5OtherFAQ's4.4.6CheatCodes,GameFAQ'sandWalkthroughs4.5OthersourcesIusedincompilingthisdocument4.6Contributors4.7Changes/History

5.0Index/CompleteTableofContents

(c)1999,2000RichardHarris,JNB,SouthAfrica.

--eof