Isikhathi se- I-Mega Drive kukhunjulwa ngabaningi njengephuzu eliphakeme le- Sega, owaphula ubuso bakhe nge omkhulu uN ngenxa yokubusa kwemakethe engama-16-bit kuleyo minyaka yama-90s abaningi bethu ababehlala kumuntu wokuqala futhi izinkumbulo zethu esizigcina njengamagugu angempela.
Kodwa-ke, ngemuva nje kwalokho, Sega bangabanjwa izinkampani ezingenzi nzuzo, njengodumo I-CD yeMega, igajethi ye- I-32 X noma okuyinhlekelele kwezohwebo Saturn -okugubuzele ingxenye yesithathu yemithombo yenkampani-. Sega Kubonakale kucwila njengetshe elisindayo phakathi kwechibi elijulile lokwehluleka, kepha-ke owesifazane waseJapan uphinde wantanta nalokho obekungaba esinye seziduduzo zakhe azithandayo: I-Dreamcast.
USega saturn, owandulela i- I-Dreamcast, kwakuyireferensi eyayizothathwa yinkampani yengungumbane eluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka lapho kwakhiwa izingcezwana eziyi-128: zazifuna ukugwema ukuthi ikhonsoli entsha yayingumshini oyinkimbinkimbi lapho ihlela - okuthile okwaba nomthelela omubi Saturn ngamachweba athathe unomphela ukuthuthukisa noma ukwesulwa kwamaphrojekthi amaningi-, ukuvuselela ukuzethemba kumdlali futhi uvimbele ikhonsoli ekukhumbuleni izingcezu ezingama-32 zangaphambilini (ukwenza umhlophe ithoni eyisisekelo I-Dreamcast kuzo zonke izimakethe, ngisho nokuklama iphedi elijwayelekile elisukile kulelo le- Saturn, okwaba ngcono kuyo I-Mega Drive)
Ukwehluleka kwe- Saturn Wawumkhulu umsindo: umshini uthengise izinduduzo eziyizigidi eziyi-9 kuphela emhlabeni wonke, yize eJapan wawuthandwa kakhulu (kulabo abayizigidi, abayisithupha bahambelana nezwe laseJapan), kepha behlukile kunezigidi ezingama-6 ezivunwe I-Nintendo 64 futhi uqaphele ukuthi i-big N ibheke le khonsoli njengokwehluleka ukuhweba- nokuthi ungathini kwabangaphezu kuka-100 abakutholile Sony ukuphikisana nekhonsoli yakhe yokuqala, PlayStation.
Umklamo we I-Dreamcast Yenziwe ngezindlela ezimbili: Sega Melika ubeneqembu lakhe elisebenza ngasese kuhlobo olwaziwa ngokuthi dural, ngenkathi iJapan isathuthuka Katana. Ekugcineni, kube yiphrojekthi yaseJapan eyaqhubeka ngemuva kokungabaza okuthile Sega Melika y Umag -ubani owashicilela idatha eyimfihlo yekhonsoli ngayo yonke injabulo emhlabeni, into eyathukuthela, futhi kancane, ukuyenza Sega-.
Ekugcineni, I-Dreamcast Iqhubeke nokuthengiswa eJapan ekupheleni kukaNovemba 1998, kwaveza ukulindelwa okukhulu komkhiqizo odlula impumelelo. Yize njengombhalo we-anecdotal, amaJapan amaningi abuyela emakhaya engenalutho ekunikezelweni kwama-consoles ezitolo ezahluleka ngenxa yezinkinga zokukhiqiza zezinto zemishini. Kuze kube sekupheleni kuka-1999 ikhonsoli ayizange ifike emakethe ebaluleke kunazo zonke, i-US, ne-Europe, eqhubeka nokuthengiswa eSpain ngentengo enconyiwe engama-39.990 pesetas -okungaba manje, ngaphandle kokulungisa, cishe ama-euro angama-240.
I-Dreamcast Kuza nesiphetho esimhlophe esimhlophe, amachweba amane wesilawuli, imodemu engu-56k yokudlala ku-inthanethi, nephedi yokulawula eyaphula amakhanda eyajika amakhanda. Lo mshini wawuyipulatifomu okwakulula ukuhlelela yona, wawunenguqulo ye- I-Windows CE futhi lalinamandla kakhulu kunalawo akudala PlayStation y I-Nintendo 64, yize ikhonsoli Sony kwakusathandwa kakhulu.
I knob yokulawula kwakuwukuvela kwe Iphedi ye-3D de Saturn lokho kwethulwe nge Izinkanyezi. Inezimbangela ezimbili - into ebingaba yindinganiso edluliselwe kuzilawuli zamanje- futhi ivumele ukuxhuma okokufaka okufana negajethi yokudlidliza, imakrofoni kanye nememori khadi, phakathi kwayo i-VMU ye- Sega, kufakwe isikrini futhi kwavumela ubuncane bokuxhumana nokunye okungeziwe okungadingekile. Akunasidingo sokusho, umyalo wokuqala Xbox liphefumulelwe kakhulu yilokho kwe I-Dreamcast, ikhonsoli ebiphethe ikhibhodi, igundane nesibhamu esincane, phakathi kwezinye izinto.
Ifomethi ekhethelwe ikhonsoli, i I-GD-ROM ka-1,20 GB, yenziwa ngomqondo wokwenza kube nzima ukuphanga ikhonsoli, kepha amaphutha amabi ekwakhiweni kwayo avumela abaphangi ukuba bakwazi ukulahla imidlalo ngaphandle kwenkinga. Ekuqaleni, kwakwanele ukufaka i-modchip kwikhonsoli ukuze sifunde amakhophi, bese sishintshela ekushintsheni safinyelela ezingeni lapho ukulanda isithombe esiqhekekile somdlalo ku-CD bekuyikho konke obekudingeka ukuze sikwazi ukwenza amakhophi angekho emthethweni ku I-Dreamcast. Ubugebengu bobugebengu benza umonakalo omkhulu ku- I-Dreamcast, nakakhulu lapho Sega Ubenenhloso yokubuyisa olunye utshalomali kukhonsoli ngokuthengisa isoftware, ebingasebenzi ngendlela efanele. Ukukunikeza umbono, oyinganekwane Shenmue, okwabiza amaRandi ayizigidi ezingama-70 ukwenza, kwathengiswa amakhophi ayizigidi eziyi-1.20 kuphela emhlabeni wonke. I-Dreamcast ibingewona umshini othengisa isoftware ngejubane elihle.
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, i-console nayo ibingenakho ukuxhaswa yizinkampani ezifana ne- Ubuciko Electronic o Square ENIX, ngenkathi ezinye izinkampani ezinkulu kulo mkhakha zingabandakanyekanga ngaphezu kokwethulwa kwamatayitela omugqa wesibili noma wesithathu, njengoba bekwenzeka kanjalo Konami, Ukusekelwa kwakhe kwekhonsoli yeSega kubonakaliswe ngobucwebe bekhwalithi ye Ububanzi bokuthula. Kodwa-ke, i-Dreamcast yayinekhathalogi enamandla egcwele okuhlukahlukene: Sonic Adventure, Soul Calibur, House of the Dead 2, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Power Stone, Street Fighter III, Quake III, Phantasy Star Online, Rayman 2, Seaman, Grandia, Shenmue, Shenmue II, Resident Evil Code Veronica, IMetropolis Street Racer, iJet Set Radio, Space Channel 5, Crazy Taxi, Skies of Arcadia, Amamba's Samba, Chu Chu Rocket, Virtua Tennis...
Naphezu kwakho konke, Sega Bengiphila ngephupho naye I-Dreamcast, kuze kube Sony Wamxosha embhedeni. Ukumenyezelwa kwe- PlayStation 2, umshini onamandla amakhulu namandla wezindaba womkhiqizo PlayStation zazanele ngentshisekelo ku I-Dreamcast kwehle kakhulu. Kusukela ngalowo mzuzu kuqhubeke, ukuthengisa kwehlile futhi amehlo wabadlali bamageyimu agxila kuwo PS2.
Lapho ikhonsoli wakhefuthi yathengiswa, ngehlazo lama-69.990 pesetas -420 euros-, Sega Wayengenakho okunye angakwenza ngaphandle kokwehlisa umshini wakhe, futhi yize wayenekhathalogu ecebile - okuthile lokho PS2 Ayizange ibe nesiqalo sayo- futhi ngentengo eshibhile, impi yalahleka ngendlela ebabazekayo. Hhayi ngezizathu ezishiwo kuphela, Sony Iphinde yazuza nomphumela we-carom ngokufaka i-DVD kukhonsoli yayo, ngokuba umdlali oshibhile kulo lonke elaseJapane. Sega uzame ukulwa nomdlali wakhe I-Dreamcast, kukhombisa isibonelo ku-E3 2000 esingakaze sikhishwe.
Ubugebengu bobugebengu babulimaza, isoftware yayingathengisi kahle, kwakungekho ukuxhaswa okuvela kwezinye izinkampani ezinkulu zonjiniyela, futhi Sony ibinekhonsoli onqenqemeni lokungqongqoza. Endalini, bekukhona ukududuza okuningi esitokisini kunalokho okuthengisiwe, ngakho-ke Sega wayeka ukukhiqiza Ama-Dreamcast. Kungakapheli amasonto ambalwa, bamemezela ukuthi bazoyeka ukukhiqiza i-Hardware ukuze babe ngabathuthukisi besoftware abavela eceleni.
I-Dreamcast Kwakungaphambi kwesikhathi sayo, kucatshangwa njengohlelo olulula lokuluhlela nokudlala online, kepha noma ngabe yayiqhubekile emakethe, nayo yonke imithwalo yayo, kwakuwumshini ongenza abantu baphaphatheke PSX y N64, kepha angikwazanga ukubhekana nawe ezingeni lobuchwepheshe ngokuzayo PS2, GameCube y Xbox (owokugcina ubhekwa ngohlobo oluthile lomlandeli ongokomoya ku I-Dreamcast), ngaphezu kwalesi senzakalo PlayStation wephule amarekhodi futhi nalabo abangaphezu kwezigidi eziyi-157 PS2 ezithengisiwe emhlabeni wonke.
Imfishane kepha ishubile, impilo ka I-Dreamcast Bekuyiphupho elihehe abalandeli be Sega vele lokhu. Ngaphandle kokungabaza, kungenye yezinhlelo ezithandwa kakhulu yinkampani ye-blue hedgehog, kanye ne I-Mega Drive (o Genesise ngaphesheya kwechibi), futhi vele into yomqoqi engeke ilahleke phakathi kwalabo abathanda umlando nemboni yemidlalo yevidiyo.