Friday Discussion: Dreamcast Price Drop

Written by Ryan Smotherman on July 13, 2001

Friday Discussion: Dreamcast Price Drop: Sleek, beautiful, and now cheap. Just how I like my women.

So it's official, after weeks of speculation and rumor the Dreamcast price has finally been slashed $20, you can now buy one of the greatest systems ever created for the low, low price of only $79.95. This now places Sega's 128-bit monster cheaper than the five-year-old Nintendo 64 and the six-year-old PSOne console. Coup that with the fact that most games range in-between $10 and $30, and you can begin to get an idea of how good this deal actually is. Additionally, the Dreamcast arguably has a more quality library than any system out on the market today, well, the most original by far. Today the Sega Target staff (plus Adam and Ben) give their personal opinions on the price drop, how this will change the industry, if any, and what exactly do we think of these so called УgamersФ that don't own the Sega Dreamcast gaming console? They suckЕ err, I mean read on to find out.

Ryan's Opinion
Holy cow! and Wowsers! are a couple of expressions that I'd use to describe the recent Dreamcast price drop, and I don't use those very often, so this is the deal of the century baby! In all honesty though, I'm a little torn on this matter. For one I'm really happy because this will bring new people to the Dreamcast world, freshly squeezed Sega fans are always good thing, and believe it or not, us УhardcoreФ Sega fans are a dying breed, so we need it. On the other hand I'm a bit pissed at these people. How they can get their hands on something that I loveЕ yes I love my Dreamcast, just stay away from my room between the hours of 10 and 11 p.m. Okay, back to the pointЕ something that I love and cherish so much for so cheaply, where were these people at a freakin' year ago when Sega actually needed them?! Damn posers.

Anyways, if just one Sony or Nintendo fan boy buys a Dreamcast and likes Sega because of this price drop, I'll be happy. It'll just guarantee future sales for Sega when they're kicking EA's ass in the 3rd party market, haha, EA's going down (yes, more EA bashing). On a final note, get a system while you can, I have a feeling they are going to all be gone sooner rather than later.

Daniel's Opinion
Good. Now maybe people will actually pick one up and find out just how good of a platform it is.

Ryan: Um, Daniel, you need to talk a bit more about the topicЕ

Oh. Well, my initial reaction is disbelief when people tell me they don't have a Dreamcast. How can you be a УgamerФ and not have Sega's machine of love? There are some amazing games that Sega has released. Crazy Taxi, Shenmue, Ecco, Jet Grind, Skies of Arcadia, to only name a few. There are other third party games that you won't find on any platform either. Tell me Soul Calibur is on PS2. You can't. Power Stone 1 & 2 may not be as УdeepФ as some other fighting games, but you know some of the best 3D fighting can be found within.

There are games upon games, and why people don't see that is beyond me. I despise УfanboyФ mentality. I have all major platforms, and enjoy each of them. I can see the merits of the PS2, even though I own only 3 games for the system. I have had my Dreamcast twice as long as my N64, and already have as many games. Isn't that what it's supposed to be about? Games. Go out and get yourself a Dreamcast already.

Adam's Opinion
If there's an upside to the ending of the shelf life of Dreamcast, this is it Ц being able to get your hands on Sega's final (and in my opinion, best) console for a measly 80 dollars. Along with that, you have access to one of the top libraries ever for gaming Ц a lot of them for really low prices. Want to see where the online revolution really began? Get NFL 2K1 for 20 bucks. The basketball equivalent is also a mere 20 bones as well. Or you can go all out and get the Sega Sports pack, with both those previously mentioned games, as well as World Series Baseball 2K1, for only $99. But the main point is here, at this price, it's almost impossible to pass up on this system in terms of sheer quality. I might be a Sony fan, but I know a good system when I see one, and Dreamcast is definitely a good if not great game console. The library is strong, the price is right, and the quality is there. Sure there might not be a lot of shelf life left for DC, but a gaming console is never really dead until you box it up and put it away. And in that case, Dreamcast will keep you occupied for quite some time, when considering the vast library of games available. For 80 bones, you just can't pass it up.

Ben's Opinion
It's clear that Sega wants to get rid of all their remaining Dreamcasts, and we're here to collect all the benefits. The Dreamcast's death is unlike any other. While the system had dozens of triple A titles, that ranged from Jet Grind Radio to Shenmue, it died a bitter death that no other console has ever faced.

Now that the Dreamcast is only eighty bucks, no seasoned gamer has an excuse to not buy one of the most overlooked systems of all time. I know I'm going to be attacked by saying this, but you shouldn't even call yourself and true gamer if you pass up on this deal.

Do I sound a little cranky? Being the fact I'm a hardcore Sega fan, I had to witness several gamers hold out on the Dreamcast to see how it does. No matter how much I voiced my opinion, just about everyone played the Уwait and seeФ approach. Imagine, what would've happened if all of you gamers took the glorious dive and purchased the DC?