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Okawa Talks Dreamcast Future Tonight at a special ceremony for the Okawa Foundation (a nonprofit organization that contributes to the growth and development of technology), CSK and Sega Enterprises chairman Isao Okawa revealed the Dreamcast's future. A future that goes beyond just games - Sega is moving online, and in a big way. Okawa addressed members of the Okawa Foundation and honored individuals of the foundation, Sega members, and the press with a speech about the Internet. He stressed how the 21st century will be the century of the networked society. CSK is attempting to poise itself on the cutting edge of the Internet revolution, and the Dreamcast will play a big part. With strategic alliances with Internet services and future peripherals like the Dreamcast digital camera and zip drive, he sees the console as a very powerful online component. The Dreamcast zip drive was finally displayed at the Okawa Foundation event. Resting underneath the Dreamcast unit itself, the two connected hardware components gave off a great aura - they looked perfect together. The possibilities the zip drive will allow for are wonderful - new downloads for games including characters and stages, not to mention the ability to create material and store it on the drive (which Sega claims will read and write much faster than current zip drive units employed in PC configurations). Sega of America did not reveal a US release date for the device, but GameSpot News had previously learned that it will be launched in Japan in February. Okawa also showed off an early demonstration unit of the Dreamcast Digital Camera. The device, resting atop a TV monitor, will be able to display your face on a second player's monitor while playing a video-enabled game. A demonstration held at the event showcased two Dreamcast units networked as video was being transferred between the two. Players could also chat in real time via the Dreamcast microphone device. Following the Okawa Foundation speeches and other ceremonial events, Mr. Okawa took questions from the press. This is where it got very interesting. One question was in regard to how Sega's Dreamcast will be able to compete with upcoming consoles like the Sony PlayStation2 and the next Nintendo platform (currently code-named Dolphin). Okawa responded that he feels that the Dreamcast price is very competitive, especially compared with the PlayStation2. As well, he feels that the Dreamcast's online elements, such as the inclusion of a modem right out of the box (the PlayStation2 will ship without a modem), are its real strength. Future online network elements, such as connectivity with watches and cellular phones, are also planned. However, the greatest revelation during our discussions came as a huge shock to many of us seated next to Mr. Okawa. While this has been hinted at by the media and even members of Sega in the past, hearing the chairman of Sega Enterprises officially state it was very surreal: Sega is moving out of the hardware business. The Dreamcast will likely be the company's final console. Even when asked what Sega's plans will be if the Dreamcast proves to be a major success, Okawa reaffirmed that the company is moving away from the hardware market. He stated that the future of Sega rests in the Internet and its software lines. Previous discussions as to the expandable nature of the Dreamcast may come into play sooner than previously expected. If this is Sega's last major "console," we may begin to see more add-on devices early next year (the DVD drive and the cable modem interface). In fact, on display, behind a glass case, was an ethernet cable designed to replace the Dreamcast's 56K modem. While there were no concrete revelations regarding the future configurations of the hardware, successful or not, the Dreamcast appears to be Sega's final hardware effort. The subject of Sega Enterprises spinning off a new Internet company (to handle e-business and online gaming for the Dreamcast) was once again brought up. Okawa stated that current plans are for such a company to be launched in the US sometime in the near future. About the Isao Okawa Foundation for Information and Telecommunications: Established in 1986, the Okawa Foundation is a nonprofit organization that contributes to the growth and development of technology by offering financial aid and grants to faculty researchers and children's programs. The foundation offers one annual Okawa Prize. Mr. Okawa oversees 90 companies, with a total annual turnover of approximately US$7.5 billion. By Sam Kennedy and James Mielke, videogames.com Suzuki Alstare Racing Arrives Ahead of Schedule Originally scheduled for release on November 17th, Ubi Soft's Suzuki Alstare Racing has arrived to store shelves ahead of schedule. The game joins joins Monaco Grand Prix and Speed Devils to form a racing trio for Ubi Soft. The company also has a promotion that if you buy any two of the games, you'll get the third for free. dreamcast.net La Legende des Nibelungen The popular PC action adventure title Ring ~ La Legende des Nibelungen is coming to Dreamcast. The game is scheduled to release in Japan in spring 2000. dreamcast.net SFA3 Delayed Major game retailers have stated that Street Fighter Alpha 3 has been delayed until January of next year. Although disappointing, the reason for the delay has been said to allow time for some more features to be added to the game. dreamcast.net STAY TUNED FOR MORE NEWS! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FEATURE OF THE WEEK | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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WILL DREAMCAST SURVIVE Alot of people are saying dreamcast will flop once the playstation2 comes out and some people say that it will survive and crush the playstation2. I for one think that the dreamcast is going to do well. It won't destroy the playstation2 nor will it flop. With all the things that are coming to the Dreamcast, fans have a whole bunch to look foward to such as digital cameras that will alow you to see your opponent and talk to him/her when you are playng on-line, a zip drive which will let you download whole new levels and character to your game and a cable modem that will speed up on-line play a whole bunch. So for all you guys out there who are scared that the dreamcast will fail better think again. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Game preview of the week | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
from ign.comFinally, Sega has given the official word regarding the American fate of the Dreamcast's premier racing title out of Japan, Sega Rally 2. So when will we be playing this game stateside? Sooner than expected, it turns out, with the promised release date of November 23rd being just around the corner (two weeks is considered just around the corner, right?). We won't be getting online competitive play in any form, unfortunately, and this is a feature of the Japanese version that will be sorely missed, but at least we'll be able to drive, drive, drive our way across the mud, pavement, and snow, rally style. | Framerate, framerate, everyone's been wondering about the game's framerate. The Japanese version of the title debuted in January of this year in terrific form, although there was a major problem. The game's framerate was, to put it nicely, jumpy. Things would start off at 60 frames per second - a glorious experience, second only to the time when you first heard voice and true orchestrated music coming from your game system. But when you took that first turn, oh horror of horrors, things got ugly as the frame rate suddenly dipped for a second or two down to the single digits. The game would continue along this path throughout the race, a moment of inflation as objects moved by at sixty frames per second, followed by a moment of deflation as the game stuttered. Sega has improved the title notably for the US version. It's generally a touchy issue, pinning a framerate down to an exact number, but the general consensus from those around the office who know Rally 2 like their own behind is that the framerate problems have been reduced to a minimum of what they were before. It's not perfect, though, not by a long shot. Gamers who haven't seen the Japanese version, may still find themselves complaining like madmen when going through a race, as the framerate still stutters, and often. Furthermore, it seems as though in order to clean things up to their present state, Sega had to do away with any instances of the game moving at sixty frames per second, as it's hard to pinpoint any of those brilliant moments of inflation where things become smooth as silk. Regardless of these changes, the game's a lot easier to come to grips with compared to its Japanese counterpart; in fact, it should be said that the Japanese version itself became manageable after a few hours of play, making this a (somewhat) moot point. Rally 2, framerate problems aside, is certain to be one of the most sought after titles on the Dreamcast later this year, as it takes a title born of Sega's long standing arcade pedigree, and adds all the icing required of the home racer. Available to the discerning home gamer are 17 fully 3D tracks, selectible as multiple routes through the game's six graphical themes. Each theme requires players to adapt to particular effects - you'll have to drive differently in the snow themed tracks when compared to the muddy tracks, for instance. The tracks themselves are filled with different surface types, and you'll find yourself racing across pavement, through dirt, and through the mud. The developers have also included various weather modifications, so you'll see the same track with and without rain, as well as nightime driving, where your car's headlights will light up and you'll have to use caution. Driving games are all about cars, of course, and although this is no Sega GT, Sega's seen fit to include a full nineteen car types. You'll find the original Sega Rally cars, as well as a host of new puppies, from manufacturers like Subaru, Mitsubishi, and Lancia. The game includes presentations for all these cars, narrated by some old English guy, detailing the vehicle's history. If you get tired of the nineteen, you're given the option of making modifications in a variety of ways, from suspension to tires, to steering. You're going to have to make use of the modifications in order to adjust your vehicle to the weather condition in the upcoming race. The novice racers out there (not everyone can claim to be a regular Jaz Rignal, afterall) will appreciate that Sega has made the modification system simple and easy to understand. The modifications can be saved to the VMU for future use. Also on tap for the Dreamcast Rally 2 experience is a variety of play modes. You have, of course, the standard arcade mode, which mirrors the arcade version exactly, in addition to a time attack mode, where you can race a number of laps or go for a free run (hallelujah!). What's more intriguing, though, is the so-called 10-Year Championship mode, where you go through ten years of racing, with each year consisting of four races. This is where the weather conditions and car modifications come into play, as you don't get to choose the conditions for the coming race, and you'll have to customize your car or face an untimely death (well, face elimination from the season - probably the racing equivalent of death). The opponents become smarter as the years go by, making anything above the sixth year inaccessible for all but the best Rally player out there (even former SaturnWorld editor-in-chief Jeff Chen had his share of difficulties in the latter years). These home-exclusive features, combined with a split screen two player mode should make Sega Rally 2 a good experience for Dreamcast owners later this month. Of course, there is the problem of the missing internet mode, and the problem that the split screen is full of pop-up and fog, even in this final version. And about those framerate drops . . .. We'll be reviewing Rally 2 closer to its release. Find out then just how the game stacks up compared to some of the more recent DC titles.
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