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Dreamcast

routeburn

By routeburn
in Retro & Arcade Gaming

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routeburn

routeburn

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I don't like calling the Dreamcast retro, but seeing as though they don't make them any more, I suppose it must fall in to this category.

Anyway. Having looked around for somewhere to pick up a cheap DC unit (PAL), I scoured Ebay and other online places. In the end Gamestation came up tops. £25 for a boxed, clean, PAL unit with SCART cable, controller, VMU and all cables.

Great price.

Also had a good conversation with the counter staff about the merits of Radiant Silvergun over Ikaruga.

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Halo

Halo

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Seeing as we're here, where would be the best place to get hold of a JPN DC? I've not had much luck in tracking down a supplier, other than places charging £150 - 200 which is quite frankly, absurd.

A brand new one? No idea... good luck. Sega Direct are still selling them though, IIRC, if you can get someone in Japan to be a middle-man you might save a bit of cash.

Second hand, scour eBay, here and NTSC-UK forum. You should be able to get one for £50 or so. Japanese DCs are relatively uncommon in comparison to Asian ones though (since the Asian ones have an English option in the bios yet still read Japanese games. They didn't come with a modem though).

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Halo

Halo

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I think there's a Jap DC on Ebay UK at the moment (or at least an Asian DC).

Wouldn't an idea be to mod a PAL DC? The chips are a cheap as ... chips these days.

I'll get me coat.

Modchipping a PAL DC means it defaults to 50hz even when playing a Jap/US game which isn't great unless you love huge borders.

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routeburn

routeburn

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Action Replay or some other boot disk would work I guess, but it's just hassle++.

A modchip on DC takes about 20 mins from start to finish and then it's done. Dead easy, only a few wires in easy to access places. The chips are as cheap as deep fried potato too.

I'll call a cab.

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Manmonkey

Manmonkey

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It's the 50Hz evilness I'm trying to get away from, and although I have CD-X it always seems a bit hit and miss in booting things, more often than not, after doing the swap it just reverts to the DC menu screen. And as someone has already pointed out Disc swaping is a pain in the ass. I had a look round the Sega Direct website, but couldn't make head nor tale of it! Although I'm not necissarily looking for a new unit, a tidy second hand one would do, although the one on eBay at the moment looks a little dodgy, the fact it's being sold as untested is a little odd.

Chiping I guess is an option, I assume if I chip a JPN or even US (?) console it will output pretty much everything I throw at it in 60Hz? Even PAL games with no 60Hz option?

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Yobo Ahoy

Yobo Ahoy

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My local CEX (Watford) has Japanese Dreamcasts for £30 boxed.

Have to say, I've really gone off my DC lately. Crazy Taxi and ChuChu Rocket are all I play anymore. Maybe it's just me, but for a console so many people rave about, it never really captivated me in the same way the N64 did, for example.

Well, PSO as an exception.

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Manmonkey

Manmonkey

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I know CEX will move games betwwen branches if you ask nicely, so maybe I'll see if they'll do it with consoles too, cos the London branch never has any in. In fact what used to be a mecca for import and retro has turned into a second hand DVD emporium with a few PC Engine games and not much else!

For me the DC alongside my Cube gets all my love, I'm a Shump whore really which is why it appeals (I like the feeling of being 0wn3d. Ahem) along with greats like Rez, Bangi-O and all manner of 2D fighters. :D

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DJ Sack

DJ Sack

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If you dont mind using the utopia boot disc or iso's then you can just place the disc in your machine and enjoy it in ntsc mode perfect frame rate and screen. And if your lazy to use a bootdisc then you have a problem, it takes 10 seconds and means you stand next to your machine for ten seconds longer. Not much of a hassel.

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routeburn

routeburn

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If you dont mind using the utopia boot disc or iso's then you can just place the disc in your machine and enjoy it in ntsc mode perfect frame rate and screen. And if your lazy to use a bootdisc then you have a problem, it takes 10 seconds and means you stand next to your machine for ten seconds longer. Not much of a hassel.

I use Freeloader on GC to play imports. However, if every game I owned was an import, or I was using Freeloader to make the GC display in 60Hz (for example) because that's how I wanted ALL my games to look... then I'd get a 60Hz machine or a chipped import box.

Using a boot disc for a small number of titles is fine. Using one for ALL your titles is a pain in the ass.

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random_bs

random_bs

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hey hey hey. hold yer horses

The DC doesnt default to PAL50 - it just doesn't always switch to PAL60. It's fussy just like PAL XBoxes.

The ideal solution is a JAP or US DC with a mod chip and the PAL modification. The PAL mod is just joining a jumper with solder and it makes the DC output in PAL60 while retaining RGB compatibility (unlike the PS2. boo!).

It's great because NTSC and PAL60 games all run fine (most PAL60 games don't even ask you - they'll skip the 50/60hz selection menu and just get right into the game). The odd PAL50-only game (eg. code veronica) will run in PAL50 and there are no problems.

Basically, performing the two mods ensures 100% compatibility with ALL games from ALL regions, PAL50, PAL60 or NTSC

Another thing you may want to do would be to swap the JAP PSU for a UK one then you wouldn't need a stepdown (i did this). You could get one really cheap or just buy a broken DC and use the one from that...

As for freeloader, tyagi, I use it as it's much cheaper than buying a US/JAP machine with one of those souped-up RGB scarts. At least the PAL GC uses RGB from the off...

Maybe I'll change my tune once I start buying more import GC games (only have Waverace JAP and Animal Crossing US so far)

Obviously, if there was a modchip for the GC I'd get that, and I'm sure most others would too, but so far there isn't one although I read there's one in the making but am unsure of what it actually does (or will do)

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routeburn

routeburn

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Don't tempt me to buy a DC, I only just got rid of one!

*shame*Exactly what I did. I sold my DC and then realised how much I loved Border Down and the great 2-D fighters on this platform. So I bought another.*shame*

But now I have an arcade stick, so life is good.

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Altabani

Altabani

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hey hey hey. hold yer horses

The DC doesnt default to PAL50 - it just doesn't always switch to PAL60. It's fussy just like PAL XBoxes.

The ideal solution is a JAP or US DC with a mod chip and the PAL modification. The PAL mod is just joining a jumper with solder and it makes the DC output in PAL60 while retaining RGB compatibility (unlike the PS2. boo!).

It's great because NTSC and PAL60 games all run fine (most PAL60 games don't even ask you - they'll skip the 50/60hz selection menu and just get right into the game). The odd PAL50-only game (eg. code veronica) will run in PAL50 and there are no problems.

Basically, performing the two mods ensures 100% compatibility with ALL games from ALL regions, PAL50, PAL60 or NTSC

Another thing you may want to do would be to swap the JAP PSU for a UK one then you wouldn't need a stepdown (i did this). You could get one really cheap or just buy a broken DC and use the one from that...

As for freeloader, tyagi, I use it as it's much cheaper than buying a US/JAP machine with one of those souped-up RGB scarts. At least the PAL GC uses RGB from the off...

Maybe I'll change my tune once I start buying more import GC games (only have Waverace JAP and Animal Crossing US so far)

Obviously, if there was a modchip for the GC I'd get that, and I'm sure most others would too, but so far there isn't one although I read there's one in the making but am unsure of what it actually does (or will do)

I now have a US DC with a chip so i just put games in and they play. How do i know if its had the RGB mod? I am running it through the same official scart lead i ran my PAL one through.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Papercut

Guest Papercut

Posted
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It's great because NTSC and PAL60 games all run fine (most PAL60 games don't even ask you - they'll skip the 50/60hz selection menu and just get right into the game). The odd PAL50-only game (eg. code veronica) will run in PAL50 and there are no problems.

That isn't actually true.

Some Pal games run at 60Hz without realising it (thinking they are actually running at 50Hz) and screw up, normally with streamed video. I'm thinking about the Tomb Raider games. It's less of a problem than ntsc games running 50Hz on a pal DC without DC-X, however.

You are looking at a 95% pal success rate on pal modded ntsc DCs. Even games like Sega Rally 2 pal run properly at 60Hz (doesn't normally have a refresh rate option).

So... ntsc DC + mod chip + pal mod + pal DC (for those few awkward games) is the best set up.

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bplus

bplus

Posted
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theres an excellent way of modifying dc iso images so they boot in 60hz no matter what. It doesnt work on all of them though.

Just need to open them up with a hex editor and change some string, cant recall of hand what it is though, but it worked a treat for ikaruga, which is a hell of alot harder in 60hz, i ve done it to about ten games so far.

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merge

merge

Posted
Posted

i make a topic about a problem i have with dc and ntsc games but no one answer.so i ll try again here.i use Action Replay cdx as a

alternative to the DC-X,and every time when the game boot and after the sega logo i get in the screen a very big black border in the upper side of the screen and the result is i only see the half game.i have pal DC and 100hz pal tv. what can i do for this,is there a solution beside chip?

thanx

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Mr Spew

Mr Spew

Posted
Posted
i make a topic about a problem i have with dc and ntsc games but no one answer.so i ll try again here.i use Action Replay cdx as a

alternative to the DC-X,and every time when the game boot and after the sega logo i get in the screen a very big black border in the upper side of the screen and the result is i only see the half game.i have pal DC and 100hz pal tv. what can i do for this,is there a solution beside chip?

thanx

Use a Utopia disc?

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