Sega may stop GD-ROM production as early as February
- Thread starter 62t
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The Naomi is dead man, it's time to let it go.
Even Sega has now moved on to the Lindbergh hardware (After Burner Climax, Outrun2 Special Tours, House of the Dead 4, Virtua Fighter 5).
The Taito Type-X2 will be the new hotness for smaller developers. It's basically a mid-range Windows XP machine. The kit is fairly cheap too.
PROTIP: Dreamcasts can also boot CD-Rs if someone really wants to publish to Dreamcast
Even Sega has now moved on to the Lindbergh hardware (After Burner Climax, Outrun2 Special Tours, House of the Dead 4, Virtua Fighter 5).
The Taito Type-X2 will be the new hotness for smaller developers. It's basically a mid-range Windows XP machine. The kit is fairly cheap too.
PROTIP: Dreamcasts can also boot CD-Rs if someone really wants to publish to Dreamcast
Dr Mario Kart
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All those poor schmup devs trying desperately to become the last DC game
guyver2077
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tis a sad day!!
VanillaGorilla
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My Dreamcast has been running CD-R's for more than 2 years, and it's still kicking. Honestly, does anyone even know what the Dreamcast equivalent of the "Disc Read Error" is, becuase I've never seen one.
[quote name='VanillaGorilla']My Dreamcast has been running CD-R's for more than 2 years, and it's still kicking. Honestly, does anyone even know what the Dreamcast equivalent of the "Disc Read Error" is, becuase I've never seen one.[/QUOTE]
dead controller port, but thats not hard to fix
dead controller port, but thats not hard to fix
GuilewasNK
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[quote name='cyrix`']yah but booting from cd-r's ive read messes up the laser and eventually ruins it.[/quote]
I wonder how that is possible?
I wonder how that is possible?
Demolition Man
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[quote name='VanillaGorilla']My Dreamcast has been running CD-R's for more than 2 years, and it's still kicking. Honestly, does anyone even know what the Dreamcast equivalent of the "Disc Read Error" is, becuase I've never seen one.[/QUOTE]
And for post 5,500......
"Disc Unreadable" or something like that.
The Dreamcast was one
ing solid system. Its too bad Joe Q. Gamer didn't give the Dreamcast the love it deserved. Not that I'm surprised either given how Sega did it to themselves. 
And for post 5,500......
"Disc Unreadable" or something like that.
The Dreamcast was one
ing solid system. Its too bad Joe Q. Gamer didn't give the Dreamcast the love it deserved. Not that I'm surprised either given how Sega did it to themselves. Friend of Sonic
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I think GDROM will be around until the new Naomi board comes out. There's still Naomi based games in development.
[quote name='Friend of Sonic']I think GDROM will be around until the new Naomi board comes out. There's still Naomi based games in development.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, that's why I don't think Sega will pull the plug just yet. I do think that any upcoming games will be extremely difficult to get ahold of though simply because companies might not think it's that worthwhile to make new GDROMs so they'll print like... 2000 copies.
I really want to play Under Defeat now... what a great game.
Yeah, that's why I don't think Sega will pull the plug just yet. I do think that any upcoming games will be extremely difficult to get ahold of though simply because companies might not think it's that worthwhile to make new GDROMs so they'll print like... 2000 copies.
I really want to play Under Defeat now... what a great game.
Photomotoz
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This will suck when it happens but honestly it is really about time. I expected this way earlier.
And all those games like Radilgy and Under Defeat are just too expensive for me. I just wish the price on them would go down to around $30 or so just so I could get them. If anyone knows where to buy them for less then on play-asia please tell me.
And all those games like Radilgy and Under Defeat are just too expensive for me. I just wish the price on them would go down to around $30 or so just so I could get them. If anyone knows where to buy them for less then on play-asia please tell me.
[quote name='dtarasev']This will suck when it happens but honestly it is really about time. I expected this way earlier.
And all those games like Radilgy and Under Defeat are just too expensive for me. I just wish the price on them would go down to around $30 or so just so I could get them. If anyone knows where to buy them for less then on play-asia please tell me.[/QUOTE]
Those prices never go down since supply is extremely limited. The asking price will only increase over time. And they're imports on top of that. You already can't get some titles for love or money.
And all those games like Radilgy and Under Defeat are just too expensive for me. I just wish the price on them would go down to around $30 or so just so I could get them. If anyone knows where to buy them for less then on play-asia please tell me.[/QUOTE]
Those prices never go down since supply is extremely limited. The asking price will only increase over time. And they're imports on top of that. You already can't get some titles for love or money.
[quote name='dafoomie']Those prices never go down since supply is extremely limited. The asking price will only increase over time. And they're imports on top of that. You already can't get some titles for love or money.[/QUOTE]
The only way that someone can expect to get these games below retail price is through Play-Asia's summer sale... and even then, I paid like $60 for the LE of Under Defeat.
The only way that someone can expect to get these games below retail price is through Play-Asia's summer sale... and even then, I paid like $60 for the LE of Under Defeat.
[quote name='Pijaibros']I've had my system since 12/98. It still plays any discs with no problem.
The only thing I've had to replace was the internal battery that keeps track of the date[/QUOTE]
I thought the DC launch was 9.9.99.
Guess the DC isn't the only one that needs a new internal battery.
The only thing I've had to replace was the internal battery that keeps track of the date[/QUOTE]
I thought the DC launch was 9.9.99.
Guess the DC isn't the only one that needs a new internal battery.
Dreamcast hardware (for a non cartridge based system) was pretty rock solid. MUCH better than original XBOX/PS2 hardware (disc read error issues/etc.). There are typically 4 things that can go wrong with a Dreamcast.
The first is the controller ports going out. Or, more specifically, the F1 resistor of the controller port going out which shuts down all 4 of the ports at once. The F1 resistor was put it to make sure there was not too much power running thru the ports (a type of stop gap fuse to protect the rest of the internal components). Based upon what I've seen/read/etc., you want to stay away from using Performance brand controllers as they were built with less strict tollerances and could cause the F1 resistor to blow out faster. Another controller to stay FAR away from are those X-Arcade real arcade type joystick conrollers. Almost every person I've heard using one has had the ports go out.
There are 2 fixes for the F1 resistor going out. One is to replace the resistor. The other is a bit of a hack, but has been found to work. Twist the F1 resistor until the leads touch, basically shorting it out and removing it from the equation. Since most people use regular (or well built) Dreamcast controllers, the issue of hurting something internal to the system (which the F1 resistor was used to protect) isn't much of an issue.
The second thing that can go wrong with a DC is the battery (as previously mentioned). The quickest way for a DC battery to go bad is to keep the system unplugged (like sitting in a closet). The battery obtains some of it's charge from being plugged in. Located on the controller port, and soldered into place, it takes a little tech knowledge/work to replace it, but can be done fairly easily. Or, you can simply reset the time/date each time you use the DC and keep on keepin on.
The third problem that typically occurs with a DC is not getting power. As long as the power supply has not burned out for some reason, there can be a very easy fix. Open up the Dreamcast, remove the power board, and clean the contacts. Over time, dust/etc. can cause them to get dirty/slightly corroded (oxidized rather than rusted) and lose contact. Simply cleaning them and replacing the power board usually fixes this problem.
The forth problem is the most serious. It involves the DC laser getting out of alignment. Most of the time this can be fixed but takes a good it of trial and error. Here are some links to how to adjust the DC laser...
http://www.whoneedsoxygen.net/index.php/2004/04/23/dreamcast-laser-calibration-trick/
http://www.consolevision.com/?Dreamcast:Tutorials:Fix_to_GD-ROM_calibration
The main thing to do when tweaking the laser is to LISTEN to the sounds of it trying to read the disc. The disc spins up, the laser gets into place (close to the center of the disc) then it raises and lowers (focusing the beam on the disc). If there is a problem the disc just seems to spin while you hear a sort of zip zip sound (laser assembly moving to try and grab hold of some data on the disc) but the disc will stop spinning and the game doesn't load. If the laser is able to obtain what it's looking for on the disc there is a VERY slight beep and the disc will start to spin faster (to load game data/etc.). THAT is what you are looking/listening for. You sort of have to work "towards" those results sometimes while tweaking the laser.
As for CD-Rs hurting the DC laser. I can sort of see where this could be seen as an issue as the games were originally on GD-ROMs. But, the DC was designed to be able to play music CDs and can even play VCDs. These are different formats than the GD-ROMs anyway. So, it's probably like anything tech related, simply using it as it was intended wears it down over time.
The first is the controller ports going out. Or, more specifically, the F1 resistor of the controller port going out which shuts down all 4 of the ports at once. The F1 resistor was put it to make sure there was not too much power running thru the ports (a type of stop gap fuse to protect the rest of the internal components). Based upon what I've seen/read/etc., you want to stay away from using Performance brand controllers as they were built with less strict tollerances and could cause the F1 resistor to blow out faster. Another controller to stay FAR away from are those X-Arcade real arcade type joystick conrollers. Almost every person I've heard using one has had the ports go out.
There are 2 fixes for the F1 resistor going out. One is to replace the resistor. The other is a bit of a hack, but has been found to work. Twist the F1 resistor until the leads touch, basically shorting it out and removing it from the equation. Since most people use regular (or well built) Dreamcast controllers, the issue of hurting something internal to the system (which the F1 resistor was used to protect) isn't much of an issue.
The second thing that can go wrong with a DC is the battery (as previously mentioned). The quickest way for a DC battery to go bad is to keep the system unplugged (like sitting in a closet). The battery obtains some of it's charge from being plugged in. Located on the controller port, and soldered into place, it takes a little tech knowledge/work to replace it, but can be done fairly easily. Or, you can simply reset the time/date each time you use the DC and keep on keepin on.
The third problem that typically occurs with a DC is not getting power. As long as the power supply has not burned out for some reason, there can be a very easy fix. Open up the Dreamcast, remove the power board, and clean the contacts. Over time, dust/etc. can cause them to get dirty/slightly corroded (oxidized rather than rusted) and lose contact. Simply cleaning them and replacing the power board usually fixes this problem.
The forth problem is the most serious. It involves the DC laser getting out of alignment. Most of the time this can be fixed but takes a good it of trial and error. Here are some links to how to adjust the DC laser...
http://www.whoneedsoxygen.net/index.php/2004/04/23/dreamcast-laser-calibration-trick/
http://www.consolevision.com/?Dreamcast:Tutorials:Fix_to_GD-ROM_calibration
The main thing to do when tweaking the laser is to LISTEN to the sounds of it trying to read the disc. The disc spins up, the laser gets into place (close to the center of the disc) then it raises and lowers (focusing the beam on the disc). If there is a problem the disc just seems to spin while you hear a sort of zip zip sound (laser assembly moving to try and grab hold of some data on the disc) but the disc will stop spinning and the game doesn't load. If the laser is able to obtain what it's looking for on the disc there is a VERY slight beep and the disc will start to spin faster (to load game data/etc.). THAT is what you are looking/listening for. You sort of have to work "towards" those results sometimes while tweaking the laser.
As for CD-Rs hurting the DC laser. I can sort of see where this could be seen as an issue as the games were originally on GD-ROMs. But, the DC was designed to be able to play music CDs and can even play VCDs. These are different formats than the GD-ROMs anyway. So, it's probably like anything tech related, simply using it as it was intended wears it down over time.
bread's done