Nintendo trying to right the Dreamcast's failure?

[dakranii]

I'm not saying that Nintendo is following Sega's path towards failure like with the Dreamcast, but I'm wondering if they are taking some inspiration here. Or I'm wondering if some Sega people involved with the Dreamcast might be working for Nintendo now?

Just came across this today and found it interesting. http://www.racketboy.com/retro/dreamcas ... -insipires

Prototype Dreamcast controller, looks a lot like Wii Remote:


And now the Upad is being compared to the actual Dreamcast controller



An interesting coincidence at the least, a retry at the most?

[KingBroly]

I don't think it's directly that. I think Nintendo sees the tablet as something new to serve as a proper gimmick to their system to make it stand out from the rest.

[chris_the_wing]

Does that DC controller have any motion sensing function? The link didn't have any info what so ever. From the looks of it the thing is just a funky shaped controller, one that was so unusable it never got produced.

The VMU and the screen on the Wii U controller are not very similar at all. The VMU is more like a Tamagotchi while the Wii U pad functions more like a tablet computer. The Wii U pad is also used in gameplay, the VMU was something you'd put in your pocket to show off to your friends that you have a Dreamcast at home.

[AtomicBean]

The U-Pad looks a lot more similar to the bottom half of a DS/3DS than the final Dreamcast controller. I'd say it's more of a matter of them building on what's already been successful than trying to 1-up anything Sega attempted.

That prototype doesn't really look anything like the Wii Remote either, aside from the button layout. It's more like weird Zapper.

[Jerome]

Well, there's also another similarity in Wii U releasing well before the next round of consoles from other manufacturers, kinda like Dreamcast did.

Seriously, though, I don't think Nintendo is thinking "let's copy Dreamcast". That system was Sega's attempt to save their console business after failures like SegaCD, 32X, and Saturn, while Wii U is the successor to Nintendo's best-selling system ever. Also, U-pad's display and capabilities are much more like an update of the Game Boy Advance connectivity of Gamecube than a copy of Dreamcast's VMU, and Nintendo's been experimenting with dual screens since the days of Game & Watch. Sony released a motion-sensing control system for PS2 (EyeToy), but I don't think the Wiimote was a copy of that idea, especially since Nintendo had developed the Power Glove a couple decades before.

[chris_the_wing]

Well, there's also another similarity in Wii U releasing well before the next round of consoles from other manufacturers, kinda like Dreamcast did.

More like the Playstation 1, which released almost 2 years before the N64, or the 360 which released a year before the Wii & PS3. And we know how those systems played out in the long run.

[Jerome]

Well, there's also another similarity in Wii U releasing well before the next round of consoles from other manufacturers, kinda like Dreamcast did.

More like the Playstation 1, which released almost 2 years before the N64, or the 360 which released a year before the Wii & PS3.

I was just reaching there, to prove the point that you can find similarities if you look for them. Just take a look at the following article from a few years back, listing characteristics shared by Dreamcast and Xbox 360.

http://www.1up.com/features/dreamcast-20

The superficial similarities are kinda suprising, but I don't think anyone's going to seriously compare the two at this point.

[gtt]

This controller is the spritual successor to the dreamcast controller.

[chris_the_wing]

@Jerome
The Dreamcast was a great system, the reason it flopped after 2 years was because it was easy to hack and rip games, meaning people weren't buying games, also a lack of confidence in the company after Sega abandoned their previous two consoles, the 32X & Saturn, left fans feeling cold towards anything they could have put on shelves.

[gtt]

@Jerome
The Dreamcast was a great system, the reason it flopped after 2 years was because it was easy to hack and rip games, meaning people weren't buying games, also a lack of confidence in the company after Sega abandoned their previous two consoles, the 32X & Saturn, left fans feeling cold towards anything they could have put on shelves.

and the ps2 came out and was a dvd player. that was huge.

[player value]

Dreamcast can only means one thing...Shenmue 3 on WiiU? i'm in at day1 and i buy more than one! Oh and a great online support too!

[Wonks]

Dreamcast can only means one thing...Shenmue 3 on WiiU? i'm in at day1 and i buy more than one! Oh and a great online support too!

I can't even imagine the type of unparalleled glee we would experience if that happened... Oh, wait... Yes I can:
Wonks & Player Value

Another interesting similarity between Dreamcast and Nintendo systems is that one of the names Sega was kicking around was actually "Game Cube," before they settled on the "Dreamcast."

In a lot of ways, I've always likened the Wii to a spiritual successor of sorts to the Dreamcast. It was a bit off the beaten path, it was white, and it could have been the last console entry for a game-dedicated company. Primarily, I guess due to a lot of Dreamcast ports that found their way to the system in Samba de Amigo, the House of the Dead, and Sonic Dreamcast titles (that were ported to the GCN). I was really glad to experience these games again. If only that Jet Set Radio Wii game ever came to fruition...

[Mirr0rR3flection]

LOL so Nintendo copies SEGA just like how Sony copies Nintendo? I am SHOCKED!

But seriously I think Nintendo is just doing their own thing as usual and not trying to right anything. When I think of the Wii"U" I'm reminded more of the DS. The Dreamcast for some reason never came to mind even though I owned one once.

[joshb1983]

Seeing as how the Dreamcast was awesome, is it such a bad thing? I hope the Wii U is awsome AND a success though...

[chris_the_wing]

@Jerome
The Dreamcast was a great system, the reason it flopped after 2 years was because it was easy to hack and rip games, meaning people weren't buying games, also a lack of confidence in the company after Sega abandoned their previous two consoles, the 32X & Saturn, left fans feeling cold towards anything they could have put on shelves.

and the ps2 came out and was a dvd player. that was huge.

That was a selling point for the PS2 for sure, but if a platform that had a two year advantage was killed by a dvd player, then you'd have to admit that it had prior issues.

[gtt]

@Jerome
The Dreamcast was a great system, the reason it flopped after 2 years was because it was easy to hack and rip games, meaning people weren't buying games, also a lack of confidence in the company after Sega abandoned their previous two consoles, the 32X & Saturn, left fans feeling cold towards anything they could have put on shelves.

and the ps2 came out and was a dvd player. that was huge.

That was a selling point for the PS2 for sure, but if a platform that had a two year advantage was killed by a dvd player, then you'd have to admit that it had prior issues.

it wasn't a 2 year advantage, not in the states anyway. it was only a year. sega was in pretty bad finical shape after the saturn, then they went and dropped a boat load of money on shenmue(I think at the time everyone who had a dc would have had to buy 3 copies for that game to break even). and on top of all that Sony was teasing the PS2 release from basically the moment the dreamcast came out, getting a lot of people to hold off and stick with their current systems. I think if sega had held back a year, upgraded to a dvd drive, it would have been a different story.

[player value]

sega was in pretty bad finical shape after the saturn, then they went and dropped a boat load of money on shenmue(I think at the time everyone who had a dc would have had to buy 3 copies for that game to break even).

This is exactly why the WiiU is not going to follow the same path as the Dreamcast. SEGA had no money while big N 's consoles print money. They can afford some huge marketing campaigns, SEGA could not.
And if it's the Dreamcast again, it's means THE BEST CAPCOM SUPPORT EVER (i'm shure you're going to love this one): Power Stone 3, Justice League 3, all the sequels to their glorious shoot them up, an exclusive Resident Evil, ect...

[gtt]

sega was in pretty bad finical shape after the saturn, then they went and dropped a boat load of money on shenmue(I think at the time everyone who had a dc would have had to buy 3 copies for that game to break even).

This is exactly why the WiiU is not going to follow the same path as the Dreamcast. SEGA had no money while big N 's consoles print money. They can afford some huge marketing campaigns, SEGA could not.
And if it's the Dreamcast again, it's means THE BEST CAPCOM SUPPORT EVER (i'm shure you're going to love this one): Power Stone 3, Justice League 3, all the sequels to their glorious shoot them up, an exclusive Resident Evil, ect...

oh yea, for sure, the wiiu could sell zero units and nintendo would still be in a better position than sega was in 1998.

and dem 2d fighters!

[bunny-cow]

Looks like a prototype controller for Sega Bass Fishing.

[player value]

oh yea, for sure, the wiiu could sell zero units and nintendo would still be in a better position than sega was in 1998.

and dem 2d fighters!

And if Nintendo goes Dreamcast, it also means a big come back to the arcade. The arcade is pretty not moving that much anymore but with a new Dreamcast it should be huge again! I can't wait to see all the glorious fighters and other ports made in 3 months again thanks to the WiiUAC for WiiU Acarde Card!
Capcom, Cave, SNK, SEGA, Namco, Nintendo and many others with a lot of exclusives from this card!
And so we've got a confirmation that the best shooters (they are not going to be the best looking versions but only look like if they were running on a 1.000$ pc, like Quake 3 for DC did at the time - yeah i know this is soooooooo disappointing ) and Phantasy Star Online 2 is coming if it goes Dreamcast, isn't it? I just hope Virtua Fighter 7 stays as an exclusive, like 6, coming to WiiU, not to Sony land.
And if Nintendo goes Dreamcast is also mean a new BleemU to run some titles from PS360 on the WiiU with some enhanced graphics and a better frame rate! What titles are coming? GT5, FF13, Hallo4, Metal Gear 4? Such a mystery with the WiiU going Dreamcast!

[misswliu81]

i don't agree with people saying the Wii U will bomb in the same way as a the dreamcast and that nintendo is doomed that they exit the hardware market.

the wii U, as a successor to the wii, will try to rewrite some of the mistakes and problems of the wii. for example, sufficient third party support.

also, the dreamcast may have been a financial flop, but it still had lots of great games. space channel 5, jet grind radio, capcom vs tatsunoko, power stone, virtua fighter 3, crazy taxi to name. from a games aspect, the dreamcast was pretty good.

but i don't fully agree with the comparison made between the wii and the dreamcast.

[player value]

the wii U, as a successor to the wii, will try to rewrite some of the mistakes and problems of the wii. for example, sufficient third party support.

The DC sold more than the SegaSaturn, so since the WiiU is going Dreamcast, it also means the WiiU is going to sell a little more than the Wii... And what we know now is that even in this situation, the WiiU is doom before the start!
And Iwata is going to die from an heart attack in two years just a few days after giving his fortune to Nintendo! Is that what people who say that Nintendo going DC really hope without telling us? I think some ananlysts really does not realise what they say and should simply shut up! The rise and fall of the DC ended with one dead, is that what they want, a tragedy, again?

[MrWu]

Had the DC been launched by Nintendo instead of Sega, we might be talking about, at least, a generation where Sony and Nintendo were in parity saleswise.

The DC was a very progressive console with a year's headstart. What it was missing were big franchises to capitalize on that, something Nintendo could provide and staying power to see the console through to the end, something Nintendo could also do with their cash reserves.

Sega's gambit with the DC was to go big or go out of business. It needed to sell enough units before the PS2 launched to sustain an ecosystem and generate cashflows for the heavily indebted company. Everyone knew this, which made Sony's job extremely easy. All they had to do was hype up the PS2 to deny Sega sales.

And one last point. Sega in 2000 was a tarnished brand. While many hardcore players loved them, this was a company that spent the last several years of the late 90s out of mind and out of sight when Saturn was prematurely discontinued. So many casual players probably were hesitant to support them again.

[player value]

The DC was a very progressive console with a year's headstart. What it was missing were big franchises to capitalize on that, something Nintendo could provide and staying power to see the console through to the end, something Nintendo could also do with their cash reserves.


And one last point. Sega in 2000 was a tarnished brand. While many hardcore players loved them, this was a company that spent the last several years of the late 90s out of mind and out of sight when Saturn was prematurely discontinued. So many casual players probably were hesitant to support them again.

It had Quake 3 Arena online, Unreal online, Tomb Raider, Sonic, Soul Calibur, GTA, Bomber Man online, Gigawings, an exclusive and great Resident Evil plus great ports of 2 and 3, Marvel VS Capcom, WWF games, Railroad Tycoon II, Magic: The Gathering, many Mobile Suit Gundam games, Street Fighter 2 online and 3 and zero 3, Miss Pacman, V Rally 2, Gantlet legends, Rainbow Cotton, Sakura Taisen, King of Fighters, Rayman 2, Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA, Grandia II, Star Wars games, Worms, House of the Dead, Virtua Cop, Sega Rally 2, Le man 24, Army Men, Bangai-O, Capcom VS SKN, Dino Crisis, Garou.

All these games were coming from the last gen and were big names at the time when the DC came out. And keep in mind the cycle last 2 years, only!

Remember Sony lies? The PS2 is so powerfull that it can't send to Irack? The PS2 is war weapon? ect ect... The press did believe, and wanted it to be real, 100/100 in this and when the 1st PS2 games "shovel" games were realesed, it was already to late. People thought they were so awesome... the power of persuation when it comes to the mass is still huge, that was a great exemple!

[Darc Requiem]

@Player Value

Unfortunately, the Dreamcast was dead on arrival. Sega was 2 billion in debt at it's launch. US Retailers and 3rd parties were still steamed over early May 95 launch of the Saturn. Japanese retailers and 3rd parties were upset with Sega killing the profitable and well performing Japanese Saturn. Most North American consumers were still weary of Sega after the successive failures of the Sega CD, 32X, and Saturn. Sega, outside of the Saturn, never really had a successful console in Japan. The odds were stacked against the DC. Sega was always poorly managed company. We all assumed that, because the made epic games like Nintendo, that they were successful. They never really were.