Before the end of next year, Sega will be introducing their newest system on the market, a 128-bit dream machine called the "Dreamcast".
This of course is Sega's attempt to regain a foothold in the home console wars that they lost face in due to the success of the Sony Playstation and the moderate success of the Nitendo 64. Due to the Saturn's short life span on the market, are we really ready to invest another $250 to $300 dollars on a new system, especially given Sega's past record (Can U say "Sega-CD" or "32-X"?). I, myself, was a Genesis owner before the 32-bit revolution began. I LOVED my Genesis and I had quite a collection of games for it. Then Sega introduced the "Sega-CD" add-on and soon after that the "32-X", both of which promised to take gamers "to the next level" and failed to do so. Sega-CD games suffered from the fact that 1) they used "Full Motion Video" which was often grainy and served no real purpose, 2) Most of the games for the Sega-CD were rehashed versions of their cartridge counter-part; which featured only a CD quality soundtrack and maybe one or two extra levels, 3) Sega had problems with simultaneous releases of their games (for example: when the game "Earthworm Jim" was released on cartridge, Sega-CD owners didn't see their version for about another six months! By that time they could've played and finished the cartridge version. So when the CD version of the game was finally released, there was no longer a demand for it 'cause everyone had already played it!).
Then came along the Sega's newest add-on, the "32-X", which was suppose to double the power of your Genesis and Sega-CD! Yet, strangely enough the games still looked and played like 16-bit games. In fact, the "32-X" games didn't look or play any better than the SNES games that Nitendo was producing at the time, and with lack of support of not only their 3rd Party companies but Sega also (due to the fact that everyone was working on having their "true" 32-bit games ready for the launch of the Sega "Saturn") the Genesis and it's add-on's quickly died off the market. Should we then be THAT excited about the upcoming, and I repeat, 128-bit system, Sega's "Dreamcast". I wouldn't be one to jump on the band wagon that fast.
First off, there are a couple of things Sega needs to do to insure that the "Dreamcast" does a lot better than the "Saturn" did.
1) Design a machine that is "developer friendly" like the PlayStation. That was another problem the Saturn had, it architecture was so that developer's had to spend sometimes twice as much time programming games for the Saturn than the PlayStation. Hence to say, that's why Sony would get the better games first. Sega should, if their third party companies are having difficulties with it, lend a hand in tutoring these companies on how to program for their system. This can only benefit Sega in the long run if they are willing to invest the time.
2) Have anywhere from 10 to 20 games ready for release. Even if you have to push back your original release date. When I first went out to purchase a new system, I didn't plan on buying either a Sega or a Sony I went to see which system had the types of games I wanted too play. I saw that Sony had more of a selection of games than Sega did, though they had a three month head start on Sony. Also make sure you give the consumer some variety by releasing different types of games (sports, action/adventure, fighting...etc.) upon it's release and well afterwards. People like to be able to chose from a wide selection of games. While some people say this is bad, it doesn't appear to have hurt any of Sony's sales.
3) If your system uses a 128-bits, make sure the games that you're releasing for it "look" like their 128-bit games. Let's admit it, a lot of the 64-bit games made for the N64 don't look or play like 64-bit games granted I liked "Mario 64" and "WaveRacer", but "Killer Instinct" and "Doom" were ho-hum to me. And please, no more "updates" of older titles like a "Sonic". The last thing we need to see is 16-bit platform games updated to 128-bits! Sega as to concentrate on producing games for the people will actually buy the system! Sure, "cute" games are okay, but how many times can we play "Mario-64", "Donkey Kong Racing" or "Sonic" and "Crash". With 128-bits, I expect to see truly amazing games that not only play well but look fantastic! I expect that if "Tekken 4" is released on the "DreamCast" it will look just as good as "Virtual Fighter 3" did in the arcades (and will look on the Sega's new system!).
4) Lastly, no more bullshit add-on's! The one true bright spot of the "DreamCast" capabilities is the fact that it will be ready for network play cause of it's built-in modem. True, Sega tried this feature with the Saturn and the Sega "NetLink" (which failed) but considering the line up of games they've offered (Duke Nuke'em, Bomberman, Virtual On and two Racing games) it's no wonder no one was interested in playing on-line. If Sega would've added more sports titles to that line-up, the "NetLink" would've been as popular as the "X-Band" modem was for the Genesis and Super Nitendo. Making the "Dreamcast" DVD compatible so we could view DVD movies (with all the DVD features!) would also be a big plus.
If Sega commits to these standards the "Dreamcast" may be the next big "super system". If Sega continues it usual business practices, they it might be a long year for Sega...and even a longer Millennium. So, by about this same time next year, the "DreamCast" will be upon us and if Sega can keep it affordable, and keep supplying it with some great titles (especially the one's that will be "network ready") we could be in for some great gaming in the near future. Or if Sega continues it's usual practices we could be in for a major disappointment. Only time will tell.