From SEGA Dreamcast to SEGA Dreamhack, the console of the late 90’s is making a surprising comeback.
[dropcap size=small]I[/dropcap]f you are a 90’s kid then you undoubtedly had to have gotten your hands on the ambitious but un-fortuitous SEGA Dreamcast. Released back in September of 1999, the console landed on the market and while impressing many gamers the console’s low sale rate caused the console to be discontinued after just two years. But unlike many consoles that were incredibly popular but eventually became obsolete with new and improved next generation consoles like the PS2, and Gamecube, the SEGA Dreamcast has somehow stayed relevant more so today than both the PlayStation and the N64.
What makes the SEGA Dreamcast so unique is the console’s ability to play a surprising amount of games that were released years after it’s discontinuation. We’re not talking about SEGA Dreamcast games, we’re talking about games that were released for consoles like PS2, Xbox, and even Pokemon Go for the VMU peripheral. How is this possible you might ask? The answer lies in homebrewing and the console’s ability to play games that were homebrewed onto retro CD-ROM’s that we all used to use way back in the day. That’s right, those silver blank discs that came in packs of twenty or more for $15 at Wal-Mart have finally served a purpose beyond wiping them at your friends like ninja stars.
According to Polygon, “Since 2003, more than 40 games have launched or been announced for the Dreamcast” and of those forty games, ten of them were released last year. Thanks to homebrewing and Kickstarter, games specifically made for the SEGA Dreamcast have been developed. Even games that were originally created for up to twenty-six different platforms have been released as well, giving a whole new meaning to backwards compatibility.
Long live the SEGA Dreamcast.
