SEGA Dreamcast

[craigix]

I believe Crazy Taxi to be one of the best games ever made. It is pure perfection. I can play it forever (I feel the same about left4dead, another clever random based game).


Hated Crazy Taxi2 though, an example of how to ruin perfection

 

[gruso]

I picked up a Dreamcast from a Chinese modder (on taobao.com) with VGA & RCA ports, custom BIOS, and SD slot.


What I didn't realise was that it was 110V, and came with no accessories. Finally I scraped together a stepdown transformer, controller etc, but I really have no idea how to use it. There is some linuxy terminal type thing so I guess I need a keyboard now.

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

I picked up a Dreamcast from a Chinese modder (on taobao.com) with VGA & RCA ports, custom BIOS, and SD slot.


What I didn't realise was that it was 110V, and came with no accessories. Finally I scraped together a stepdown transformer, controller etc, but I really have no idea how to use it. There is some linuxy terminal type thing so I guess I need a keyboard now.

Yeah you can plug a keyboard into it anyways.Pal dreamcasts are cheap and easy to get too.Its an awesome machine.

 

[Halcyon]

I believe Crazy Taxi to be one of the best games ever made. It is pure perfection. I can play it forever (I feel the same about left4dead, another clever random based game).


Hated Crazy Taxi2 though, an example of how to ruin perfection

The only difference I remember between the two was being able to jump in the second game and having a bigger world map to drive around it. I liked them both but haven't played them in a while, what were the reasons you thought the second one was ruined, I guess i didn't notice a big enough difference to think much about it? Also did you play 3? how was that? (I never played it)

 

[Halcyon]

Quick question, reliving the glory days of the Dreamcast sometimes means i get lazy and dont have the time/skill to fill out a save file the way i should or want. In 2003 it was hard to find a dial up internet connection in the US and now in 2011 i think they have hall been killed (or at least I cant find them) I guess my question is, I think i need to get a broad band adaptor to get the save files i need but that is $$$$$$$ <_< So is there a cheaper option out there? anyone ever heard of a USB to memory card or anything like that?


The remake of Green Hill Zone 1 on Sonic adventure 2 is calling but man no way I will ever be as through as I was with that game again. Hopefully there is a cheap option.

 

[Thorium]

anyone ever heard of a USB to memory card or anything like that?

There is a SD card reader mod, dont know if it helps in your case:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/qh6SxdUk_Xk?feature=oembed

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

Incidentally Gunspike on the dreamcast by capcom was really good fun.Wonder if prometheus knows megaman is a playable character.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/5fjIQ2DMPR0?feature=oembed

 

[Orion4874]

Question..... What was the largest memory unit made for the Dreamcast? I've found 4mb and smaller, anything bigger than that? The VMU's are 200 blocks but I don't know how much that is exactly.

 

[Halcyon]

Im not sure what the blocks translate into in terms of mega or kilo bites. It seems to me that the Dreamcast could only read 200 blocks at a time. There were first as well as third party memory cards that would have 4 groups of 200 blocks as near as i know.

 

[Orion4874]

Actually, I found a 1200 block memory card on ebay but the seller wants $50 for it. Besides that they seem to be most common in 200 or 800 blocks it seems. I'm confused about the 3rd party cards that advertise in megs or kilos though. Thanks for the help Halcyon.

 

[Thorium]

Actually, I found a 1200 block memory card on ebay but the seller wants $50 for it. Besides that they seem to be most common in 200 or 800 blocks it seems. I'm confused about the 3rd party cards that advertise in megs or kilos though. Thanks for the help Halcyon.

Thats what Wikipedia writes, dont know if it's true. I didnt know ther is so little memory on the VMU.

Memory: 128KB flash memory. 28KB is reserved for system use leaving 100KB for data storage, which is divided into 200 'blocks' - 1 block equaling 512 bytes.

 

[Halcyon]

hmmmm 1200 blocks eh, well i don't know why that wouldn't be possible. I was a dreamcast nut back in the day and the 800 block cards were really 4 200 block cards in one housing. They didn't have the VMU screen or the buttons. The first party dreamcast one had a blue button that you would press it would move an Orange LED (got to love that into a new position and then the Dream cast could read from that group of 200. The third party (i'm pretty sure it was mad catz) had basically a mechanical switch on the back that would change what group of 200 you read from. So in the end if you had one of these "multi cards" if you started a save file on group 1 and group 2 you would normally have to take the card out flip the switch (or in the first party device hit the blue button until the LED lined up with what you needed) to access the other save file. I don't know for sure but it seems the 1200 block card is probably really just 6 cards in one housing. not sure what the price of 6 normal cards go for but $50 seems like a bit of scratch to put all your eggs in a single memory card basket.


Anyone play any star lancer? I think that game is still online actually! Awww damn you dreamcast you were too beautiful for this world.

 

[NoeleyC]

i would really like to see a Typing of the Dead update (based on House of the Dead IV or whatever) for PC/modern consoles/etc, but i don't think that's going to happen anytime soon

There's always Texting of the Bread on iOS devices, that's good fun! (and damned tricky, at least for me anyway!! )

 

[Halcyon]

Had to boot into some Cannon Spike (at least that is the version i "got" the label seemed to have fallen off the disk some how... h34r: )


That really was a fun game, the damn thing didn't even take it's self serious for 5 seconds, beautiful! Such classic levels like Unholy dwelling and occupied town.