Dreamcast: Any issues I should know about?

rogerscameron95rogerscameron95
in Collector's Corner
Same as many other retro gamers, I have decided to abandon all current and next gen consoles because I am one of the ones sick and tired of the same game coming out, or sequel after sequel of games with no significant changes.



I am going to get a dreamcast, but I heard there are some issues.

Is there any I should be aware of?

Comments

  • rsa2000rsa2000
    I have owned many DC's with no issues ever. Some have had a "reset" issue where the console randomly reboots during use. This is easily fixed by bending the pins the power supply connects to (requires removing the top case but this is pretty easy). I have never had a bad laser or any other issues with any units. It is built well and has been one of the most reliable consoles I have ever owned. (I currently own 3 b/c I am nuts) Get one and play with no worries! It is a great system with lots of fun and unique titles.
  • rogerscameron95rogerscameron95
    Do you recommend any specific titles?
  • FightingVipersFightingVipers
    They are a very tough little console, ive just rescued a beat up one from ebay i paid £4.50, it has a crack in its lid and looks a little

    sad for its self.

    I plugged it in and it works perfectly, so im now on the look out for a spare drive lid.

    But other than whats been mentioned they dont really go wrong.
  • Slightly LividSlightly Livid
    I had one that I was convinced was broken and I stupidly bought a new AV cable even though I knew it wouldn't work. And what do you know? It worked with the new AV cable after I blew some air into it to get some dust out of it. It wound up in my shelf for a while because I didn't have any games for it. Then I bought one to test if it worked, and it didn't. So I bought a second Dreamcast from a friend of mine. Then I accidentally hooked up my broken one and it worked. It turns out that the game I bought to test it out was the defective item.



    It does seem to be a pretty durable console. Normally, that wouldn't annoy me, but I just bought a replacement for something that was in working condition already.



    As for specific titles to recommend, I don't really have any, but I intend to go on eBay and to my local used game store and buy a few cheap, no name games that look interesting. I've found some real gems for other consoles by doing that.
  • dballindballin
    Whatever you do, don't forcibly stop a spinning disc. I don't even know what damage it caused, but I had to pretty much tear the whole thing apart, reseat the power supply and all the cables, and it magically started working again. The good news is that the console comes apart very easily. Another source of annoyance is that if you don't play it at least once a week for an hour or so the clock battery runs out and it asks you to reset the time when you start it.
  • derekellisderekellis
    The only thing I have had with my DC is that the clock battery will die on you. If you don't play it for at least an hour or so, the charge will drain after about a week. The internal battery is rechargeable.



    So, either play your DC once a week, or turn it on for at least an hour to charge it. That's of course if you don't care about the clock, if not then you can just ignore it
  • rogerscameron95rogerscameron95

    Originally posted by: dballin



    Whatever you do, don't forcibly stop a spinning disc. I don't even know what damage it caused, but I had to pretty much tear the whole thing apart, reseat the power supply and all the cables, and it magically started working again. The good news is that the console comes apart very easily. Another source of annoyance is that if you don't play it at least once a week for an hour or so the clock battery runs out and it asks you to reset the time when you start it.

    You put too much force on it I think. That is also common with Swap magic on the PS1/2. You can sometimes damage the internal hardware.




  • TotallyTerrificPantsTotallyTerrificPants
    My DC suffers from the reset error but it happens maybe once every 6 months to a year and this sounds fake but I turn my system upside down and smack the bottom of my console with my hand a few times and it fixes it. I don't know how it works but it does.
  • Paul FPaul F
    If you leave them in the sun they turn yellow (also, technically I haven't seen this but, apparently if you get water on them they'll transform into gremlins).



    In terms of titles my most played were shenmue and soul calibur. If you like RPGs Skies of Arcadia is brilliant (although the GameCube versions a bit better).
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