The ultimate Dreamcast?

[Spyke]

I'm revisiting the Sega Dreamcast console.

This will be my third DC console, having owned two previously (obviously)!

First one was just basic, many years ago, PAL with DC-X bootdisc for imports. Played all sorts of games on it.

Second was another PAL machine with DC-X, this time set up with VGA box and I played only shmups on it. But I sold it on - got bored with the titles I had, which were kind of minor league hits.

This time I'm going to get the big hitters (Sturmwind, Zero Gunner 2, Border Down, Last Hope, Fast Striker, Triggerheart Exelica, etc) and have gone for a "special" console. I'm getting a PAL console with region-free Link83 BIOS and a built-in switchable VGA socket mod. A built-in 3.5mm jack carries stereo sound out. I'm sure I won't have to deal with non-VGA compatible game issues, but if I ever do I can always use DC-X to force them to play in VGA mode.

The VGA out will go through my SLG3000 and give nice scanline-equipped VGA visuals on my LCD TV

Please tell me about your "ultimate Dreamcast" setups, and I'd like to hear of any other mods that are out there and what they do for the system.

I'll be receiving mine next week, and hopefully my Sturmwind will be only a few days later (from Play Asia).

Ant

[shmuppyLove]

I'm sure I won't have to deal with non-VGA compatible game issues, but if I ever do I can always use DC-X to force them to play in VGA mode.

I think you can also trick the DC by booting in normal video mode, and then switching to VGA after the game has booted?

[Spyke]

Clever!

[Fudoh]

but if I ever do I can always use DC-X to force them to play in VGA mode.

neither this nor the video boot up trick work on all games. Bangaioh for example simply can't be played in VGA.

[ShinerBock]

Very nice setup! Mine is not as cool or custom as yours, but I enjoy it. Here's mine:

- Same stock NTSC Dreamcast I've owned since 1999
- VGA Box from Racketboy connected to a 24" Dell Ultrasharp monitor
- My favorite part: audio runs through a Presonus HP4 (I record music on the side) connected to KRK monitors
- X-arcade for 2D games...I'd love to get the official Dreamcast stick, but hard to justify.

I'd love to add the SLG3000 at some point...let me know how it works out for you!

Stephen

[antron]

(Sturmwind, Zero Gunner 2, Border Down, ... Triggerheart Exelica, etc)

The VGA out will go through my SLG3000 and give nice scanline-equipped VGA visuals on my LCD TV

Those 4 games at least are high-res games and will look more original in unadulterated VGA.

[Spyke]

(Sturmwind, Zero Gunner 2, Border Down, ... Triggerheart Exelica, etc)

The VGA out will go through my SLG3000 and give nice scanline-equipped VGA visuals on my LCD TV

Those 4 games at least are high-res games and will look more original in unadulterated VGA.

That's true and a good point. I will experiment and see which way I prefer. It's good to have options.

[beharius]

The ultimate Dreamcast is the one with Hanzo. Absolutely the best investment for your DC.

[Spyke]

I read about the Hanzo and would have ordered one if I did not already own the SLG. And as the console is coming with a built-in vga mod... no need. But I
I atill think the Hanzo looks like a great accessory.

On the subject of scanlines and hi-res games, I often see Mushi Futari and Espgaluda videos with scanlines on, and play them that way myself. Do they count as "hi res" games? IMO they look better with scanlines. Even Akai Katana does (to my eyes anyway...)

Ant

[antron]

^I believe all three of those games appeared in the arcade as low-res 240p games. Futari and Akai Katana received high-res xbox 360 ports, so it's a bit of a trick question.

[HydrogLox]

I read about the Hanzo and would have ordered one if I did not already own the SLG. And as the console is coming with a built-in vga mod... no need.

• Kuro/Hanzo gives you access to 15 kHz RGB - should the (gaming) need arise.
• Kuro/Hanzo can be used on any stock Dreamcast. So it can be easily switched to the next one when the current DC "gives up the ghost".

[kamiboy]

The ultimate Dreamcast is, according to this crazy article I read a long time ago, is the one Dreamcast in the last batch that SEGA produced which had a gold part in it.

I swear I read that SEGA put actual gold randomly in one of the last Dreamcasts to roll off of the assembly line.

I didnt dream this right, anyone else hear of this? If so then the hunt is on.

[ninn]

... a golden ticket?

[kamiboy]

Okay, so after searching around I found the IGN article in question. It was an interview with some SEGA guy who said that they were going to put something very special in the very last Dreamcast made.


The interviewer asked whether it was gold or something but the SEGA guy responded it was more valueable than that.

The current theory is that it is autographs by all the makers abd voucher for every first party game made for the system.

It is just a theory because so far as is known no one has ended up with that particular unit or announced it publicly.

Come to think of it I have a NIB Dreamcast in the closet, maybe I should take a peek.

[gct]

For functionality, almost any old Dreamcast system with a few mods done to it will work well (needs to be able to boot CD-R, manufacture date before August 2000 IIRC).

Booting region and PAL/NTSC video output can be independently switched with a simple mod although if you plan on frequently playing games from different regions then I would still suggest owning multiple systems.

My own personal system is a basic NTSC-U/C unit, modified to NTSC-J with built-in RGB/VGA/S-video/composite and stereo output. It's clean and doesn't need a whole lot of external gadgetry or proprietary cables either.

[papa_november]

You can take the drive out of a non-CDR Dreamcast and use it to replace a dead drive in a CDR-capable Dreamcast, right?

[Spyke]

My "Ultimate" DC arrived today and I've spent some time playing around with it.

VGA pic is sharp and vibrant. The VGA out goes into the SLG-in-a-box then to the TV VGA and the image is sharp, vibrant and beautiful! (The only game I have at the moment is Soul Calibur). Sound quality is great too and comes from a built-in 3.5mm jack socket.

Seems to boot up perfectly and quickly. Nice and clean too. I tested the composite signal and that works too, though obviously not as attractive to look at. There is a noticeable difference in sharpness and definition.

Despite the VGA thrupass allowing scanlines on my Xbox 360, with the DC in the same configuration (cable and socket-wise) I can't get scanlines to display. I'll test it again with other games as and when they arrive. It looks like a Hanzo may still be on the cards...

Funnily enough, after securing this console, I also found a second console that looked good as a "backup system" for me. I got it along with two controllers, two rumble pads and two VMU's for 99pence! It was advertised as not working as the seller couldn't find the TV cable. That may or may not be true. It may work fine with my composite cable, or it may not. But for the price I thought it worth the gamble to have it handy. It'll be here to test in a few days.

(Edit - it arrived and worked perfectly! )

Great to be back in DC-land again!

Ant

[Daigohji]

but if I ever do I can always use DC-X to force them to play in VGA mode.

neither this nor the video boot up trick work on all games. Bangaioh for example simply can't be played in VGA.

I've had trouble with several games via VGA (these are all PAL versions), even when forcing them with a boot disc. Resident Evil: Code Veronica and Skies of Arcadia won't work at all. Gunbird 2 suffers increasing slowdown the longer you play, becoming a slideshow pretty quickly. Dino Crisis works for gameplay, but won't show FMVs. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure suffers a vertically stretched picture.

[speedlolita]

Funnily enough, after securing this console, I also found a second console that looked good as a "backup system" for me. I got it along with two controllers, two rumble pads and two VMU's for 99pence! It was advertised as not working as the seller couldn't find the TV cable. That may or may not be true. It may work fine with my composite cable, or it may not. But for the price I thought it worth the gamble to have it handy. It'll be here to test in a few days.

Great to be back in DC-land again!

Ant

Your backup machine is my main machine, essentially. All I've done is region changed mine to NTSC-J, 50Hz fix and bought an official RGB cable for it. Looks great on my Sony KX-14CP1 and because DC look the same, sans the swirl colour, across the regions I don't really care that much that it isn't Japanese. Different story altogether with the Saturn though..

[gct]

Somehow I missed this on my last read through.

I am interested about the link83 region-free BIOS. Is it actually region-free, like I can boot up an original NTSC-U game, then shut it down and boot up a NTSC-J game without having to take any additional steps in between?

I read a webpage with installation instructions, and it goes on to say something like "instructions for changing the region are here" and points to the same lyris lite mod which involves booting a disc and running some code to change the region, which I consider to be a region-changing mod but not a region-free mod.

[speedlolita]

With the region free BIOS you don't even have to turn the machine off.

Open the disc tray and it'll go to the main menu and then insert a different region of disc and it'll boot.

Personally I don't care for owning anything but JP games (living in PAL land, US stuff isn't easily accessible to me) so I decided against installing a region free BIOS eventually but it's a real nice discovery.

[RegalSin]

I am so jealous, I only have two NTSC consoles, one for US, and one for JP. I am soooo embarrassed....

If you wanted the Ultimate Dreamcast, you need to upgrade it, so it can read games off a flash-mod, as well as not even care about the region, but that would be a hack of the bios itself. Just to make things square you could take advantage of it's underbelly external, and give the Dreamcast a boost in graphic proccessing power, maybe even add a slot for a hard drive ( since that is what is really missing from a dreamcast. ), or better yet a USB hub.

No wait I got it, you make a slot for 32X/Mega Drive games, and feature the missing hardware from the Sega Saturn, and change the Bios to allow disc change. Finally implement Kalleria, and a built in explorer, that does not load Java crap, not including Java games, and keep the flash games offline.

Their we go the perfect Dreamcast combo. I call it the combo-cast.

[evil_ash_xero]

I just got a region free Bios put in my DC. I doubt that's "Ultimate", but it's pretty cool.

[emphatic]

There's work being done on an FPGA/ARM powered GD rom emulator that you put into your DC instead of the GD ROM-drive. Load games from memory card or hard drive. That'll be my ultimate DC for sure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW652QY50lc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNVRyBKrygs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4DMXghW2fo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IpuJR2-jSQ

[Fudoh]

ultimately I hope that we get something like this for all the CD based systems. DC shouldn't be too hard after all, since CF replacement units for Naomi systems already exist and work just fine.

[Ed Oscuro]

There's work being done on an FPGA/ARM powered GD rom emulator that you put into your DC instead of the GD ROM-drive. Load games from memory card or hard drive. That'll be my ultimate DC for sure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW652QY50lc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNVRyBKrygs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4DMXghW2fo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IpuJR2-jSQ

Now THAT is something I would like to see. It's been a little while since I used my Dreamcast, but isn't the reading also one of the major sources of noise? I just remember the thing being a noisy little box...wasn't first-gen for sure.

[Lord of Pirates]

Now THAT is something I would like to see. It's been a little while since I used my Dreamcast, but isn't the reading also one of the major sources of noise? I just remember the thing being a noisy little box...wasn't first-gen for sure.

I always know when a battle is coming in SoA because of it, rrrhh, rrrhhh, time for a battle .

[speedlolita]

ultimately I hope that we get something like this for all the CD based systems. DC shouldn't be too hard after all, since CF replacement units for Naomi systems already exist and work just fine.

I don't know if you've seen but people on ASSEMblergames are working on something for PS1 games from an SD card via the serial port. Pretty cool.

[Fudoh]

I know. PSIO it's called.

[emphatic]

I know. PSIO it's called.

Same guy is involved in the DC stuff.