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Sega Dreamcast: Games, Downloads And Emulator
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Published: March 5, 2007
When it was released in 1998, the Sega Dreamcast was a revelation in video game technology. Its graphical capabilities and diverse gaming choices were head and shoulders above its competition at the time. Unfortunately for aficionados of the Sega Dreamcast, the Sony Playstation completely overwhelmed the Dreamcast at retail, and won that generation's video games war. Still, Sega Dreamcast games remain extremely popular among its fans, long after the system is no longer around.
The history of the Sega Dreamcast is a unique one in video games history. After the failure of the Sega CD system, Sega turned its attention to massively overhauling its technology. The result of that effort, the Dreamcast, was a technological revolution. It was the first system with integrated Internet and downloads capabilities, had a cutting edge graphical engine, and had some of the greatest games on the market. Unfortunately, internal politics ensured that it was marketed poorly, and it fell to the Sony machine.
It's somewhat amusing then, that after Sega's hardware division fell apart in 2001, Sega Dreamcast games maintain almost a higher level of interest than when the system was launched. In fact, at this moment there are several companies and individuals working on creating a viable Dreamcast emulator to play downloads of Sega Dreamcast games.
The first and most stable Dreamcast emulator available online is Chankast. Chankast was made available first in May of 2004, and has since seen several successful revisions. Chankast was the first Dreamcast emulator to successfully run downloads of commercial Sega Dreamcast games. Another popular Sega Dreamcast emulator is DEmul, which is also free and runs downloads of many different video games.
That said, there is some lingering questions about the legality of emulation. While it is widely used and supported by Dreamcast emulator and downloads communities, video games manufacturers and hardware producers see it as a violation of their copyrights. It's true that the Sega Dreamcast is no longer supported by any company and is considered abandonware, but the games released on it are still produced for other systems, and the copyrights on most of them are still active.
The only true answer to the legality issue for Sega Dreamcast games is that owners of physical copies of the games are allowed to download emulations of those video games. While Sega hasn't exactly been vigorous in its chase of Dreamcast emulator users, any potential users should understand the situation before deciding to seek out any video games or downloads. Just like MP3s, downloading video games is illegal and is a serious risk to take.
Of course, that isn't going to stop the Dreamcast emulator community. The Sega Dreamcast was an amazing achievement for its time that most people didn't get to experience when it was still in production. There are plenty of great Sega Dreamcast games out there that most people haven't ever played, and a Dreamcast emulator is their only chance to see them. Depending on the gamer, it may or may not be worth the risk to experience one of the most surprisingly enjoyable corners in gaming history.
Sources:
Sega History. Planet Dreamcast. 1996-2006. IGN Entertainment, Inc. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://www.planetdreamcast.com/about/sega/#5&g t;.
Chancast. Wikipedia. 28 Feb. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chankast>.
Conley, James et al. “Use of a Game Over: Emulation and Video game Industry.” 4 July 2004. Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://www.law.northwestern.edu/journals/njtip /v2/n2/3/>.
Pettus, Sam. "Emulation: Right or Wrong." EmuFAQ. 16 March 2000. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://www.worldofspectrum.org/EmuFAQ2000/> .
The history of the Sega Dreamcast is a unique one in video games history. After the failure of the Sega CD system, Sega turned its attention to massively overhauling its technology. The result of that effort, the Dreamcast, was a technological revolution. It was the first system with integrated Internet and downloads capabilities, had a cutting edge graphical engine, and had some of the greatest games on the market. Unfortunately, internal politics ensured that it was marketed poorly, and it fell to the Sony machine.
It's somewhat amusing then, that after Sega's hardware division fell apart in 2001, Sega Dreamcast games maintain almost a higher level of interest than when the system was launched. In fact, at this moment there are several companies and individuals working on creating a viable Dreamcast emulator to play downloads of Sega Dreamcast games.
The first and most stable Dreamcast emulator available online is Chankast. Chankast was made available first in May of 2004, and has since seen several successful revisions. Chankast was the first Dreamcast emulator to successfully run downloads of commercial Sega Dreamcast games. Another popular Sega Dreamcast emulator is DEmul, which is also free and runs downloads of many different video games.
That said, there is some lingering questions about the legality of emulation. While it is widely used and supported by Dreamcast emulator and downloads communities, video games manufacturers and hardware producers see it as a violation of their copyrights. It's true that the Sega Dreamcast is no longer supported by any company and is considered abandonware, but the games released on it are still produced for other systems, and the copyrights on most of them are still active.
The only true answer to the legality issue for Sega Dreamcast games is that owners of physical copies of the games are allowed to download emulations of those video games. While Sega hasn't exactly been vigorous in its chase of Dreamcast emulator users, any potential users should understand the situation before deciding to seek out any video games or downloads. Just like MP3s, downloading video games is illegal and is a serious risk to take.
Of course, that isn't going to stop the Dreamcast emulator community. The Sega Dreamcast was an amazing achievement for its time that most people didn't get to experience when it was still in production. There are plenty of great Sega Dreamcast games out there that most people haven't ever played, and a Dreamcast emulator is their only chance to see them. Depending on the gamer, it may or may not be worth the risk to experience one of the most surprisingly enjoyable corners in gaming history.
Sources:
Sega History. Planet Dreamcast. 1996-2006. IGN Entertainment, Inc. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://www.planetdreamcast.com/about/sega/#5&g t;.
Chancast. Wikipedia. 28 Feb. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chankast>.
Conley, James et al. “Use of a Game Over: Emulation and Video game Industry.” 4 July 2004. Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://www.law.northwestern.edu/journals/njtip /v2/n2/3/>.
Pettus, Sam. "Emulation: Right or Wrong." EmuFAQ. 16 March 2000. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://www.worldofspectrum.org/EmuFAQ2000/> .
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