Can SEGA Dreamcast Play Saturn Games?

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Do you own a Dreamcast and wonder if it will play all of your Saturn games? Maybe you are looking at buying a Dreamcast, but don’t want to buy all new games for it. No matter what question you have, we are here to help. 

So can the Sega Dreamcast play Saturn games? 

Although many people have tried to play Saturn games on the Dreamcast, it simply doesn’t work. The system will begin to read the discs, but nothing will load. Some people are lucky enough to even get the music from the Saturn discs, but no matter what you try, it will not fully work. 

Want to learn all about the Dreamcast? Check out the video below.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xdBVHSrdzg

History of the Dreamcast. 

The SEGA Dreamcast was what SEGA hoped its Saturn console would have been. Since both consoles were from the same manufacturing company, there were codes that were  written on each disc by SEGA to protect their games and force consumers to purchase the games developed for each console. 

While the Dreamcast was still on the mainstream market, gamers found a loophole that allowed them to play burned games on the SEGA Dreamcast. 

First, they would load a genuine SEGA Dreamcast game, then switch it out for a burned copied after the console read the protection codes of the genuine game. 

Second, they would use a discarded Japanese invention called MIL-CDs to create the burned copies. This type of CD could save and play both audio and visual content, which was perfect for its intended purpose. 

Despite SEGA’s efforts, the consoles would play the burned copies without realizing what had happened. These two methods were beneficial to gamers but added to SEGA’s overall financial loss.

Dreamcast Launched

The 1990s saw a surge of video games and consoles to match in the home entertainment industry. Console makers SEGA, Sony, and Nintendo pushed gaming technology to new heights to outperform each other and preserve top shares in the market.

Even though SEGA would launch it’s console products before it’s competitors, they were still unable to hold the customers’ attention for long. Critics say that SEGA’s consoles we’re innovative and durable, but mismanagement and poor marketing led to its demise. The last video game console made by SEGA was considered it’s best yet, with proper media marketing to pique customers interest.

The SEGA Dreamcast launched on November 27, 1998, in Japan, September 9, 1999, in North America and October 14, 1999, in Europe. Retailers and consumers eagerly awaited the consoles release after SEGA publicized its intention to improve on its last console, the SEGA Saturn. This console was the predecessor to the Dreamcast console, which was poorly marketed and designed. The early release date, low inventory and difficult design made consumers, partners, and retailers more faith in SEGA’s capabilities. The company suffered a huge financial loss due to the combination of low sales, expensive manufacturing, and design costs for the SEGA Saturn.

While the management of SEGA Enterprises put everything they learned from the loss into this new console, its competitors dominated the market with their own video game consoles and featured games.

The SEGA Dreamcast had many firsts in video game console designing. It had the first built-in modem which allowed users to have access to the internet and online gaming. SEGA created Dreamarena (European title) also known as SEGANet or SEGANetlink for Dreamcast and Saturn users to meet and play with or against each other online. The short-lived dial-up internet connection launched in 1996 for Saturn and 2000 for Dreamcast. It had 1.55 million consoles registered worldwide, online a month after its 2000 launch. The internet service also gave users access to internet game support when needed.

The console itself had GD-ROM and CD-ROM drives to read the games. The GD-ROM drive was better than the CD-ROM drive and more affordable than the other. This choice was to help alleviate the total cost of the console while giving improved game quality to the gamers. SEGA also opted to use computer hardware materials instead of commonly used video game hardware materials. Sega did this to keep the final cost of the console at a reasonable price.

The final price advertised in America, the East, and Europe was the equivalent of US $200. This was two hundred dollars less than the previous console and very attractive to customers. It is alleged that SEGA Enterprises did not agree with this final price, stating that it was too low to make a fair profit. The console was released, and consumers flocked to the stores to buy the system. As the Japanese SEGA management predicted though, it was not enough. Especially with the companies limited resources and limited third support from game developers, who refused to design games for Dreamcast. SEGA made several price cuts to the Dreamcast after Sony announced the launch of the PlayStation 2 the year after the Dreamcast was released.

SEGA ended up selling a total of 9.13 million Dreamcast video game consoles across the world between 1998 and 2001. It was an admirable finish despite the many challenges the company faced.

Dreamcast Games

Even though sega lost some games to nintendo and Sony, SEGA Enterprises created its own games and relied on its catalog of popular arcade game titles. Shenmue, Crazy Taxi, and Jet Set Radio were among the top games offered and played on the SEGA Dreamcast. Sonic Adventure was the number one game for this console, with 2.5 million copies sold at the time.

It had the first three-dimensional gaming platform in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, which was an incredible addition to the Dreamcast game library. Sonic Adventure was dubbed “the centerpiece of the Dreamcast launch” by some and praised for its beautiful visuals, intricate environments, and well-established set pieces. The game design had a few glitches and other technical problems, but overall it stood out from the rest. Unfortunately, Sonic was not as widely accepted and loved as Nintendo’s game Mario,  but over time, it has grown into a favorite.

Dreamcast’s sports titles included NFL 2K football series and NBA 2K basketball series developed by Visual Concepts. There was also ESPN NFL 2K5, a groundbreaking alternative to EA Madden’s pro-football game. Metropolis Street Racer was created from this union which featured sights from London, Tokyo, and San Francisco. This racing game was released to the public in November 2000 and became a successful addition to the 620 worldwide games in SEGA’s video game library.

The end of en era

As sad as it was to see SEGA go, they were pioneers for what is known as the sixth generation of video game consoles. The Dreamcast was the most durable and innovative console of its time. The sleek design attracted and pleased a wide variety of players. Although there were a few limited edition models made in collaboration with companies like Hello Kitty to appeal to a subset of SEGA’s consumers and boost sales, it just didn’t work. 

SEGA also created a few accessories to complement the Dreamcast like the VMU. The Visual Memory Card or Visual Memory System as it was called in Japan. THis accessory was the main memory card made by SEGA for the Dreamcast. It allowed users to raise virtual pets in Sonic, had multiplayer gaming capabilities and other features. While these were a good marketing strategies, Dreamcast sales steadily decreased after the announcement of PlayStation 2.

Conclusion

Although the Dreamcast cannot play the Saturn games, it is still a great console, and loved by people all over the world,Not everyone has had a chance to play the Genesis yet, so here is a link where you can purchase your very own console!