Console Wars: Sega Dreamcast vs. PlayStation 2
Video gaming, for lack of better words, is nothing short of a competitive industry, which is less than what can be said about video game consoles. Consoles love to usurp one another; one just needs to look at the early 1990s with the fierce battles between Nintendo and Sega. Both the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, respectively, extensively advertised their power. That is, the SNES was a more graphically advanced system, while the Sega Genesis was simply a more powerful system. By the late 1990s, both Nintendo and especially Sega were faltering due to the unexpected success that was Sony's PlayStation video game console.
Nintendo, for their part, barely got their act together with the Nintendo 64 and GameCube. As for Sega, they faltered hard with the Sega Saturn, which had neither the PlayStation's large library nor the graphical power of the N64. In the late 1990s, Sega came out with the Dreamcast, an advanced and beloved video game system remembered for encapsulating the millennium's video gaming scene. However, Sony followed up their enormously successful PlayStation with the monstrously successful PlayStation 2. Comparing the Dreamcast and PS2, it becomes easy to understand why the former never had the chance to compete with the GameCube.
Hardware: Dreamcast vs. PlayStation 2
Or: Gigabyte Discs vs. Digital Versatile Discs
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The Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 had significant hardware differences that played a crucial role in determining which console would beat out the other. The Dreamcast was essentially an upgraded version of Sega's struggling Saturn, with newer 32-bit Hitachi processors and over four times the memory. However, these upgrades only tell part of the story. The Dreamcast was almost like a gaming computer for its time, with a graphics processor closely related to the high-end Voodoo graphics cards used in PCs and built-in online gaming capabilities.
Interestingly, Microsoft, which would later create the Xbox, developed the Dreamcast's internet connectivity. Some games even ran a stripped-down version of Windows. To accommodate games on this advanced hardware, Sega developed the Gigabyte Disc (GD), which had twice the storage capacity of a standard CD, allowing for more complex and detailed games.
Console
Launched
Discontinued
Memory
Processor
Graphics
Disc (GB)
Sega Dreamcast
Nov. 27, 1998
March 31, 2001
16 megabytes
Hitachi SH-4
NEC PowerVR2
GD (1 GB)
Sony PlayStation 2
March 4, 2000
Jan. 4, 2013
32 megabytes
Emotion Engine
Graphics Synthesizer
DVD (4.7-17.08 GB)
Sega equipped the Dreamcast with impressive hardware for its time, but Sony raised the stakes with the PlayStation 2. The most significant advantage of the PlayStation 2's hardware was its use of Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs). At a time when DVDs were becoming increasingly popular for home video, the PlayStation 2 helped solidify their role as a medium for video game storage, offering far greater capacity than Dreamcast's GDs or standard CDs.
In addition to its storage advantages, the PlayStation 2 featured a powerful 64-bit MIPS processor known as the Emotion Engine, paired with an equally advanced Graphics Synthesizer that delivered superior graphical performance. The system also offered more video output and sound options than the Dreamcast. Even without native internet functionality, the PS2's hardware was considerably more powerful than the Dreamcast's, which itself was a step ahead of earlier consoles like the Nintendo 64.
Games: Dreamcast vs. PlayStation 2
Or: Big Games vs. Bigger Games
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In terms of game libraries, the PS2 was the clear winner, releasing over 4,000 titles compared to just over 600 from the Dreamcast. This disparity wasn't due to a lack of effort on Sega's part but rather the Dreamcast's unusually short lifespan, which limited its game output. Some notable titles, like Grand Theft Auto III and Half-Life, were even in development for the Dreamcast but were canceled as the PlayStation 2 dominated the market; at least Grand Theft Auto 2 did see a release on the system.
Despite its smaller library, the Dreamcast's games are nothing short of legendary. From platforming romps like Sonic Adventure, racers like Crazy Taxi, and revolutionary RPGs like Shenmue, the Dreamcast certainly made dreams come true.
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Still, the Dreamcast's strong video game library was no match for the PlayStation 2's towering lineup of titles across various genres and niches. This isn't just about the PlayStation 2's robust first-party library, which included great platformers like Ratchet & Clank and racing simulators like Gran Turismo 4. What was more significant was the PlayStation 2's massive third-party library, which is almost too vast to quantify.
The biggest highlight of the PS2's third-party offerings was undoubtedly its Grand Theft Auto series, starting with Grand Theft Auto III. Ironically, what began as a Dreamcast follow-up to a mediocre duology soon became a defining feature of the PlayStation 2, establishing it as an edgy powerhouse. Each subsequent Grand Theft Auto release grew more popular, and the series' monumental success helped the PlayStation 2's library expand to its enormous size, ensuring new games continued to be released for over a decade.
Controllers and Accessories: Dreamcast vs. PlayStation 2
Or: VMUs vs. DualShock 2
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Controllers and accessories are important to a video game console in that they help give the system more functionality and personality. The Dreamcast's controller, inspired by the Saturn's 3D controller, bears a striking resemblance to modern Xbox controllers, though it lacks bumper buttons and a right analog stick. A unique feature of this controller is its memory card slot, which can either insert a standard memory card or the bundled Visual Memory Unit. The VMU, beyond serving as a memory card, displays in-game information and allows players to enjoy mini-games downloaded from certain titles.
As for accessories for the Dreamcast, they helped to emphasize the many innovative gimmicks Sega was pushing with the system. Many of them centered around the uses of the controller, including a microphone for games like Seaman or even a whole keyboard and mouse that can be used with Phantasy Star Online, which also ties with the system's internet capabilities.
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The PlayStation 2's controller, the DualShock 2, is nearly identical in functionality to the original DualShock controller from the PlayStation, with only minor quality-of-life improvements. Sony placed less emphasis on the PlayStation 2's controller, focusing instead on the high-tech accessories designed to be used with its Expansion Bay. These included a hard drive that not only allowed certain games to be installed but also unlocked additional features, as well as a network adapter and even a special version of Linux that came with a keyboard and mouse.
On the player-focused side, notable accessories included the EyeToy, which was also compatible with some computers, and the original Guitar Hero controller for the first Guitar Hero game. Both the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 had their own unique and great add-ons, but the latter, by virtue of having a longer market life, had more interesting and fun peripherals that players could toy with.
Verdict: Dreamcast vs. PlayStation 2
Or: PlayStation 2's Curb-stomp vs. Dreamcast's Death
At the time of its release, the Dreamcast was believed by many to be a Hail Mary for Sega following years of commercially failed hardware like the Sega Saturn, CD, and 32X. However, it ended up proving to be the final nail in Sega's coffin as a major player in the video game console business, with the Dreamcast being quickly overshadowed by the PlayStation 2. It didn't help that what hype was left for the Dreamcast was also usurped by Nintendo's upcoming GameCube and Microsoft's upcoming Xbox video game consoles, leaving Sega with no room to compete.
The Dreamcast had loads of great games available for it, but the PlayStation 2 just had more compelling video games and features that made it enticing to consumers. For their part, Sega tried to negotiate with Microsoft to allow the latter's Xbox to play Dreamcast games, but ultimately, the latter system's legacy died with itself.
Console
Sales (Units)
Sega Dreamcast
9.13 million
Sony PlayStation 2
160 million
By contrast, Sony's PlayStation 2 beat out what little odds there were and became the best-selling video game console, a title it still holds today. Other than having a treasure trove of great video games, it helped that the PlayStation 2's DVD functionality and relatively low price point meant that, for many consumers, it had a peripheral purpose as an inexpensive DVD player. The PlayStation 2 was so strong as a video game console as far as sales were concerned that neither of its more powerful competitors, Nintendo's GameCube and Microsoft's Xbox, stood a chance against it.
Humorously, the PS2 outsold its direct successor, the PlayStation 3, at various points. Even long after the PlayStation 3's release, the PS2 continued to receive new games until 2013, the same year the system was discontinued. Incidentally, the PlayStation 2 was discontinued the same year the PlayStation 4 was launched, making the former a bridge from classic gaming to modern gaming.