Thinking of getting a Dreamcast - any advice?

[cyfaws]

Hi all,
I'm thinking of getting a Dreamcast (pretty sure I won't be able to resist much longer), perhaps there are any old folks around who knows a thing or two about the DC?

I'm having my eye on either a (modded) PAL, or (modded) NTSC console - I'll be getting either one for the same price - is there any reason I should go for one over the other? Do games from any region work equally well on either system in your experience? Is there anything that would suggest that overall build quality is better from one region over the other?

I also heard some talk of that the GD-ROM's (the drives) have a tendency to die over time, but I have no idea if this is just rumors or not - anyone knows if this is true, or can dispell this as just a rumor?
Also, I know that back in the good old days DC original discs were undumpable without special cables/adapters and stuff - is this still the case, or are there programs resolving this issue nowadays so I can make backups directly on a pc?
Any other system specific quirks you wish you had known when you first got your DC that you wished you had known before hand?

Thnx for your time,
Cy

 

[DinohScene]

You can install a SDcard mod on a DC so that it'll run ISO's from the SD card.

Putting backup CD's in the DC puts just as much strain on the laser as normal discs would (maybe a bit more)

I'm pretty sure all regions will work on a modded DC

 

[finkmac]

GD-ROMs are GD-ROMs, as far as I know, you aren't going to be able to dump them with a standard DVD drive…

 

[jalaneme]

one of my dreamcast's drives don't work anymore i can only play GD rom disc in it now (maybe too much cdr use idk), i do have another one that works fine though.

because of your region you are best of just getting the pal version, less hassle for you, there is no point getting the ntsc version as you can make the console region free anyway.

i don't think you can dump dreamcast discs still, i don't know if that has changed since i was active in the DC scene.

when you get the console make sure the battery in the console is replaced, it uses a cell battery for the clock, you will know if the battery needs replacing because when you turn on the console it will keep on prompting you to set the time and date, the vmu needs batteries too and will beep when it's battery is dead when you turn the console on.

you can get vga cables for the dreamcast but i am not sure if you can buy them anymore, i use rgb cables for my dreamcast and they are just as good.

if you want good nes emulation get NesterDC, it's a great emulator for nes games i played it a lot before i discovered my xbox 1 heh

 

[wildsnail]

Some of the late-manufactured DCs won't read CDs which will stop you playing backups or the indie released originals but AFAIK this was only late Japanese consoles. The vast majority of DCs are fine with games on CD and you don't need a modchip as most rips will self-boot and there are bootdiscs for the few that won't. finkmac is right about the ripping of GD-Roms so you won't be able to dump your own original discs.

I've got both a PAL and NTSC-U console and there's not much difference as many PAL games had 50/60Hz options anyway. There may be one or two titles that have issues on the wrong region machine but I'm struggling to remember any out of the 60 or 70 I've got (one of the Tokyo Highway Challenge PAL games doesn't like my NTSC machine/Skies Of Arcadia NTSC won't work via RGB Scart so I had to use composite). The official Sega lightgun doesn't work on US DCs but the US console comes with a 56k modem rather than the 33.6k on the PAL which might make a difference if you want to try one of the handful of online games which are still playable multiplayer.

That's about all I can say except that I still use my Dreamcast fairly regularly and it's plugged into my TV right now even though I've owned one since launch day. Also looking forward to Gunlord and Sturmwind.

Long live the Dreamcast!

 

[cyfaws]

Alright, thanks guys. Looks like it'll be the easy route with a PAL console then
And yeah, Gunlord is a major reason as to why I have to get one
I was unaware of Sturmwind, but that looks unbelievably good too.

 

[finkmac]

Some of the late-manufactured DCs won't read CDs which will stop you playing backups or the indie released originals but AFAIK this was only late Japanese consoles. The vast majority of DCs are fine with games on CD and you don't need a modchip as most rips will self-boot and there are bootdiscs for the few that won't. finkmac is right about the ripping of GD-Roms so you won't be able to dump your own original discs.

This again. Most of this chunk of text is incorrect.

If the Dreamcast was manufactured after October 2000, it's likely that the Dreamcast is "MIL-CD Incompatible", Which means it can't read burned games that are in AUDIO/DATA format... However, If the ISO is in DATA/DATA format instead of AUDIO/DATA, It will work in a "non-mil" Dreamcast.

 

[jalaneme]

This again. Most of this chunk of text is incorrect.

If the Dreamcast was manufactured after October 2000, it's likely that the Dreamcast is "MIL-CD Incompatible", Which means it can't read burned games that are in AUDIO/DATA format... However, If the ISO is in DATA/DATA format instead of AUDIO/DATA, It will work in a "non-mil" Dreamcast.

i thought that rumor is a load of old rubbish, most dreamcast consoles play cdrs, it's only the hello kitty models that won't read cdrs, i don't think much dc owners would have that certain model anyway, also wildsnail there is no real point in mentioning about the light guns, they don't work on lcd screens anyway, i still have mine but i can't use it as my tv is a lcd still will keep the lightgun just for collectors sake lol

if anyone wants to seek out any use of hardware for the dc, you can get the Microphone, there is 3 games that supports it and that's Planet Ring, Alien Front Online, and Seaman.

 

[finkmac]

Another good accessory is this thing… http://www.amazon.com/Sega-Dreamcast-4x-Memory-Card/dp/B004EBXS3C…
It's like 4 VMUs stuck together without a screen and buttons…

 

[Mijo562]

this as to be one of my favorite consoles of all times, love every game i played on it. I think it was wayyyyyy ahead of its time.