Video game console:Sega Dreamcast Console

Released in Japan in 1998 and the United States in 1999, the Dreamcast became Sega's last home video game console. It came packed with innovative, cutting-edge technology considerably ahead of its time, a trait common to most Sega systems. Cancelled in 2001, Sega continued to produce games for the Dreamcast through 2004, with some independent games released as late as 2005. Named by Popular Science magazine as one of the most important and innovative products of 1999, the Dreamcast continues to have a cult following today.

The Dreamcast included several notable firsts. It became the first home console to include a built-in modem. It supported VGA output to computer monitors and HDTV two years before any other system. It possessed the first processor to break the giga-barrier for floating operations per second. It also utilized a proprietary Giga-CD for both improved content and copy protection. Its US launch broke sales records by selling over 225 thousand units in 24 hours, earning Sega over $98 million.

Unfortunately, the Dreamcast?s success did not last long. Sega?s reputation still suffered from the commercial failure of its predecessor, the Sega Saturn, which especially hurt its sales in Japan. And despite the Dreamcast?s impressive launch, Sony still held a monopoly on the electronic gaming market with its PlayStation. When Sony?s successor, the PlayStation 2, launched in 2000, its sales buried the Dreamcast, netting $250 million on the first day. With the release of the Microsoft Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube in 2001, Sega closed production of the Dreamcast. However, the console still enjoys a dedicated circle of fans who continue to program free "home-brew" games.