Xbox 360 != Dreamcast 2.0
First off, "!=" is computer terminology for "does not equal." I remember some of my schooling...and I'm a nerd.
So, 1UP thought they'd be cool and run this story, basically trying to get people to compare the Xbox 360 to the Dreamcast. Did Sony pay for this, or what? Trying to undermine the launch before it even happens...that's what's familiar to the Dreamcast. And the way people say "I'll wait and see" on the Sony console offering, even if it isn't offering anything of value at launch. But hey, let's go all fanboy-on-a-forum and start picking nits: the "23 eerie parallels between the Xbox 360 and the Sega Dreamcast."
1. Launched a year before the competition.Ok? The Genesis came out a year or two before the SNES, and I think the jury is still out on who won there in raw sales.
2. Facing a "far superior" next-generation PlayStation console that wowed gamers with fancy tech demos.What kind of fancy tech demos? Ducks in a sink? I think the MGS2 trailer wow'd me more than the MGS4 trailer did. It didn't have the music or the storyline that drew me in with that MGS2 trailer that was very well produced. And too many of these tech demos spawn all these stories later about them being pre-rendered.
3. Sleek white console following in footsteps of bulky, black console.Sleek, absolutely. Hopefully that makes it sell even better because people won't use size as a selling factor like back in the days of "XBOX IS HUGE LOOOL". What about Sony? How many versions of the PS2 are there now? Seems like they're taking pages from the Game Boy design timeline. And everyone's seen the images of the PS3 comparing it to a George Forman grill. If the Dreamcast were in a black case like it's predecessor, it'd lead to even more comparisions to the Saturn than there already were! Hey, rock! Hey, hard place!
4. Made its American debut on MTV.I don't really remember the Dreamcast making its debut on MTV, I remember it being a sponsor of a few big MTV events to try and get the name out there, but I dunno if there was an infomercial like what the Xbox 360 event was.
5. Runs on a Windows-derived OS.So do most of the computers in, oh, THE WORLD. Hopefully makes it leaps and bounds easier to program for. And/or hack for those so inclined.
6. Dreamcast: "It's thinking" Xbox 360: "A living entertainment experience."This is the one that bugs me. They say they're comparing the "marketing mantra" of each console. While I do remember the Dreamcast commercials using "It's thinking" as a motto/tagline and in ads and such, I don't see the other phrase being attached to any media around the Xbox 360. Instead, I see nike-like commercials with people playing in urban settings, I think this one is just way off.
7. "Dreamcast will evolve much more into a network environment rather than a standalone system. It's not about you and the machine any more. It's about you competing against your friends, your enemies." - Charles Belfield, Sega's VP of Marketing "Xbox 360 is driven by the passion of a worldwide community. It's a product that will bridge vast distances through shared stories and experiences...It's about the ability to connect with your communities." - J Allard, Corporate VP and Chief XNA ArchitectAnother one comparing quotes. What? I'm sure there have been similar quotes made by both Nintendo and Sony talking about how their online plans are about bringing together friends and creating communities.
8. Big selling point: Online for all with packed-in modem and SegaNet. Big selling point: Online for all with built-in Ethernet port and Xbox Live Silver.The Dreamcast was the first console that really utilized online access because the modem was built into every console. Ethernet in the Xbox was a similar idea, and it paid of handsomly with the way Xbox has been integrated with it. Having built-in internet access will allow the Xbox 360 to continue to dominate online gaming.
9. The LogosOrange swirl (blue in Europe), versus "rings of light" in green tones. So...the link is circles? Circle..like... things? It's a logo. How about that PS3, the text uses the same font used on the Spiderman 2 poster. Way to spend all that R&D money, there. Maybe they'll come out with a real logo later.
10. Dreamcast: Unable to play the latest in cutting edge movie media (DVD). Xbox 360: Unable to play the latest in cutting edge movie media (HD-DVD/Blu-Ray).Sure, not playing DVD's hurt the Dreamcast, since the whole "PS2 PLAYZ MOVIESS!!11" craze helped people validate the reason for dropping all that money on a PS2 with a subpar launch lineup. Then they could watch DVD's till the real games came out. Launching right when people were picking up DVD players didn't hurt either. Of course, how many Blu-Ray/HD-DVD players are there? Wait, there isn't even a consensus on which format to even USE! Hardly a good comparison. Most games fit fine on DVD's, and production costs are low.
11. Big selling point: Hi-def monitor output.I don't think it was a big selling point for the Dreamcast. Sure, the VGA adapter was awesome, since the PS2 didn't offer it (you could get one if you got the Linux kit though, but I don't think games supported it like on the DC). Back when the Dreamcast was released, there wasn't nearly as much buzz about HD as there is now, and people who actually have HD-capable televisions.
12. Big proponent of customization.Here, they try to compare the Dreamcast's Visual Memory Unit to the interchangable faceplates of the Xbox 360. Uh, no, not even discussion-worthy.
13. Peter Moore spearheading the marketing.Got me there, hopefully he doesn't suck this time.
14. Plays previous generation games under emulation.Comparing Bleem!cast to the ability of the Xbox 360 to play Xbox games? No. Bleem!cast gave the Dreamcast the ability to play TWO Playstation games (after originally trying to offer Bleem!paks that would allow playability wit h tons of games per disc), and that was from a third-party company. If this were to be a good comparison, the Dreamcast would have to play Saturn games.
15. Tetsuya Mizuguchi working on highly anticipated First Party title (Space Channel 5 and Ninety-Nine Nights).I'm sure there's always some highly anticipated First Party titles with EVERY console launch. That's what most companies bet on. Good games, to make money. That's kind of how the industry works.
Well, that's the first 15, and it goes up to 23. So I'll hit those on the next post.
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