Sega Kills Off The Dreamcast 184
Rurik writes: "Over at MCV, a UK based site, they have a front page article about the death of the DreamCast. It seems Sega is losing too much money off the DreamCast, and are halting all production." An unnamed reader also points out this feature on cex.co.uk on same. Patrick Lewis writes of the move: "... and this time they mean it. Yahoo/Reuters says so." And of course, there's also coverage at Daily Radar, too. Update: 01/23 10:21 PM by T : Note that many of these stories prominently feature the denial by Sega representatives of the quitting-hardware reports; according to both the Nikkei news service and the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, though, sales will halt once the current inventory is gone. Sure sounds like quitting to me.
PS2 (Score:1)
OTOH (Score:5)
--
Re:PS2 (Score:1)
--
Question: game development? (Score:1)
One question: how will game development for it go. I know they plan to develop software for the PS2 and everything, but what about my other, little white box baby?
-
-Be a man. Insult me without using an AC.
Hardly surprising (Score:1)
Dreamcast go bye-bye? (Score:2)
Great... (Score:1)
Why does the idea of paying a monthly fee to access the Microsoft Games and Entertainment network rankle my hide?
Rumor or not (Score:1)
Re:burnable games was the cause (Score:2)
Piracy might have had a -small- impact, but the complexity of acquiring and burning the games is barrier to entry for the majority of the population.
The real problem with the Dreamcast has always been marketing. Hardly anyone knows about how good the software for the DC really is. Right now, with the DC being 2 years old, it still offers the best console experience on the market (PS2 included), but if you go to the local arcade and ask around, the impression the kids in there have is that the DC is on par with the original Playstation.
Nobody really knows the scoop.
Re:Sound (Score:1)
Enough with the "rumors" already! (Score:2)
The press really needs some more integrity here, even if it is true, but esp. if it turns out to be false... again. These rumors hurt real people, you know, which is sad when they have no basis in reality.
(On the other hand, if the console did go down at this point, I think it would be kinda cool in a way... I'd love to pick up all the excellent Dreamcast games at bargain bin prices! Probably still couldn't afford them all before they'd disappear, there's too many good ones.)
Re:OTOH (Score:3)
Don't groan. It's not the first time something like that has been done by them!
--
Re:Enough with the "rumors" already! (Score:2)
--
Something's rotten in Slashdot... (Score:2)
"Sega of America has denied reports that the company is to pull out of the hardware market and cease production of Dreamcast." That's a pretty far strech from "Sega Kills Off The Dreamcast" I know all about that first amendment, free speech thingie that Slashdot believes in, but could we PLEASE get a little editorial accuracy?
If it's true... (Score:5)
A shame -- I would've loved seeing sendmail running on a DreamCast.
Thus sprach DrQu+xum.
Dreamcast was good, but Sega Software is better (Score:2)
Re:burnable games was the cause (Score:2)
Download ISO from any site.
Place CD-R in drive (The tricky part: make sure it's 80 minutes).
Click "Start recording"
Every console maker's profits are nearly all in software sales. Hardware has traditionally been a loss of money.
I don't mind emultation for old games. It gives you a chance to relive some old favorites (particularly when the hardware is old and sometimes prone to failure) but enough is enough.
I don't think Sega lost the battle entirely due to pirate games, but I'm sure it created a good dent.
-
-Be a man. Insult me without using an AC.
C|net Reports Otherwise (Score:1)
 
Re:OTOH (Score:1)
Re:Great... (Score:1)
Why exactly are we ruling out Nintendo as a serious competitor? Even if the Game Cube isn't as whiz-bang fast as other consoles (I really don't the specs, maybe it is) you can bet 3rd party developers will jump behind the GC,just like they have every other Nintendo console (except the VB), and there is an incredibly large, incredibly loyal fan base in place.
Why does the idea of paying a monthly fee to access the Microsoft Games and Entertainment network rankle my hide?
Honestly, I don't know. No one if forcing you to pay the fee. Get your games elsewhere, no one is stopping you.
I would not be all that suprised... (Score:1)
Economic losses on the unit and marketing,notgames (Score:1)
Read a couple of the articles, and you'll notice that the 'experts' seem to belive that it's the console it's self and the marketing efforts that go with it that are producing the drain on Sega's resources. Thus, Sega kills the console, and continues to produce what is profitable for them: Games. As for 1000's of people burning games and never paying for them, I think you don't realize exactly how little money each title ends up resulting in when all is said and done. 1000 games worth of lost revenue would be piddly compaired to Sega's cash flow (for me, however, 1000 units would be a big deal! It's all a matter of scale and what precise market you are in...)
I'm guessing I'm just feeding a troll here, but, I replied just in case it was someone who honestly believed what they were saying ;-)
Killed by the PS2 (Score:1)
Well, it has become a self-fullfilling prophecy. Nobody buys the DreamCast because they are worried that the console won't make it, and since nobody buys it, it doesn't make it.
It's just rumour, but (Score:5)
Anyway, remember that it's all just a rumour at the moment, although we all know Sega's been having serious problems.
It would seem rather odd for this to come on a day when Sega's share price has increased by 200 Yen a share [theregister.co.uk] though.. dirty tactics perhaps?
--
welcome to capitalism... (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:burnable games was the cause (Score:1)
The first day of release I saw PS2 games ripped and ready for downloading...
Repeat?
Re:OTOH (Score:3)
It's almost as if the Slashdot crew was just trying to generate page hits. Oh wait...
--
Daily Radar Sucks (Score:4)
Sega rumors which have already been shown to be false...
And then, last time it was the "Nintendo is suing us for screenshots" story which as it turns out, they were actually suing the media conglomerate Imagine that owns their site because they were apparently publishing books with trademarked and copyrighted Pokemon drawings all over it.
There is a really funny
Penny-Arcade comic strip [penny-arcade.com] that covers the issue pretty well in my mind.
MCV denying people (Score:1)
Re:Something's rotten in Slashdot... (Score:1)
The golden days of losing tons of money are over for
I don't trust the link (Score:1)
That is waaay too close to goatse.cx for me! Ick!
I work in the same building as Sega... (Score:1)
So there that is.
Re:Uh... no (Score:2)
--
NOT -- already denied (Score:4)
very sloppy, bad jounralism.
And SEGA has already denied it. This link
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/cn/20010123/tc/seg
is useful for the denial though the rest of the article is filled with similar sloppy/bad reporting as Yahoo tries to cover their first error...
Uhh... (Score:1)
Real quality reporting here.
What is it with all the bad press Sega has lately? (Score:2)
Then a Japanese newspaper places Sega, fiscal-wise, ahead of a company that sold tainted milk to children which was in last place.
Then Sega "announces" that they would stop manufacturing Dreamcasts; this is denied.
Is this FUD generated by Sony or what?
Can't trust Technology (Score:1)
typical! (Score:1)
Another One Bites the Dust (Score:1)
Im not sure which is worse... (Score:1)
or
... yet again watching all the people jump and post from reading the subject line of the "news" item who agree with it without even bothering to read the link. God bless you slashdot for giving the truly stupid a place to call home.
Yahoo both comfirms AND DENIES (Score:1)
This should have happened 4 years ago. (Score:1)
Hardware is hardly profitable, given the competitiveness of the market. The Dreamcast is a great machine (hey, it's hackable and it can run Linux), but it was released by a non-player in the market.
If it weren't for the p*ssing matches between the major players in the industry (it's a major bruise to a company's ego if it gets killed by an industry newcomer, like Sony), Sega would have waken up and smelled the profits in being a pure software company. Sega is responsible some of the greatest arcade games ever created. Think of the money they could make if they sold their wares on N64, Playstation, Playstation 2 and PC. That's a whole lot of cash.
Piracy had nothing to do with it. Public apathy had more to do with it. Sega should take Capcom's approach and write game emulators for each of the platform they want to sell on.
If this story is for real, expect to see Sega in the black within 18 months. This is great news for Sega, not-so-great news for Dreamcast fans.
Not. (Score:3)
Not that I wouldn't mind seeing the Dreamcast die. I bought one of those worthless Playstation 2's in October the day they came out, and there still hasn't been a good game released for the system yet. All my friends have Dreamcast systems with a large library of impressive and fun games. I can totally see why Sega would want to kill their machine - they've got too many good games - and online support that lets 4 people play a First Person Shooter through one console, ONLINE!! Someday the PS2 will be that cool, but not yet.
Joseph Elwell.
Credible Sources (Score:1)
Ahem... Assumptions are stupid... (Score:2)
The Yahoo link also states that they are focusing on software development. I already have a Dreamcast and I don't give a crap if they keep producing the boxes. It would thrill me to death that they realize their investment would be better spent making some more games.
But, looking at the Nintendo GameBoy, Color GameBoy, Pocket GameBoy, Bassackwards GameBoy, Mint-Flavored GameBoy, and Limited Edition Anti-Matter GameBoy, it hardly seems that ceasing production of the clunky, gray, original GameBoy was a sign that the company was giving up on their line. Anyone see the new, smaller Playstation 1? They stopped production of the original, right?
Re:burnable games was the cause (Score:2)
Come on, install a mod-chip, or have one installed, then rent game from video shop, copy to CD, add to personal library.
No lengthy downloads, no dependence on broadband connection, cheaper console, easier copying process.
There is the necessity to modify the hardware, but the proliferation of people offering to do this is quite amazing.
Just look at how badly piracy has hit Sony's bottom line.
Re:Enough with the "rumors" already! (Score:1)
Microsoft's Fault? (Score:1)
THIS IS FUD!!! (Score:2)
Sega insiders refute PS2, don't deny DC dropped. (Score:1)
Friend showed me this article [fgnonline.com] which quotes Sega insiders as denying a link to the PS2 or development of PS2 games, but won't deny there are big changes coming.
Ben^3Re:burnable games was the cause (Score:1)
There are two places that you can get DC ISO's from with any kind of reliability: Usenet and IRC.
So, DC piracy is done by:
People on broadband with the know how to use IRC and/or Usenet, and the time to spend hunting down the ISOs (not negligible).
Furthermore, DC ISO's are the -most- difficult to burn of any of the ISO types that are commonly released in the piracy scene. About 1 in 5 burners can't even do it, and about 1/3 of the users that can burn the ISO's that have to do so by tearing the ISO apart and changing some offset values (has to do with some Burners burning 2 extra sectors to the end of audio tracks) and rebuilding it.
I'm pretty sure that of all the warzing that goes on in all of the other scenes, DC warzing has the SMALLEST impact on it's market.
Sega -Of America- denied the report (Score:5)
I wonder if the story should be read as 'Sega of Japan is going to stop producing Dreamcasts, Sega of America instead will keep producing consoles and software'.
OT: personally I bought a dreamcast for basically three games: House of the dead, Crazy taxi and Dance dance revolution. At work instead we mostly played Virtua Tennis (*awesome* game) and Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Re:OTOH (Score:2)
- In an effort to confirm this story, SegaWeb immediately contacted Sega of America's Heather Hawkins. Her response to the news was, and I quote, "Yeah, I'll have more for you on the story as soon as Microsoft buys us out and we begin distributing GameCube games to small Scandinavian countries." When pressed for clarification, she responded, "Well, the story was just like all the other ones out there. OK?," and terminated the conversation.
http://boards.ign.com/message.asp?topic=2267626&r--
Clearing up some misconceptions (Score:2)
SEGA loses money on the Dreamcast
SONY loses monry on the PS/2
MS will certainly lsoe money on the X-Box.
The console is what is referredto in busiens sas a "loss leader". They sell it at a loss to gain incremental revenue. What is this revenue you ask?
Game liscensing. For every copy of every game sold for one of these boxes, the console manufacturer gets a license fee from the game publisher.
THATS why you want the market and give awya your hardware to get it. The revenues from license fees for the most successful game console are enormous.
shilling for sony (Score:1)
There's a Rule for this sorta thing (Score:1)
"I'll believe it when I see it."
I'd love to freak out and panic and go postal and all sorts of things just because I won't be able to get a console and play CHU CHU ROCKET or stare at Ulala's butt or whatever. But y'know, panic like that does no one any good.
Hell, for all it's worth, this could be little more than a marketing ploy. Create a little synthentic supply shortage, and watch demand go flying.
Worked nicely for the PS2.
Re:Nah. This is just normal for Sega. (Score:1)
Re:I would not be all that suprised... (Score:2)
1) It's the only next-gen console out with a library of good games
2) the games are new and different, not yet-another-FPS
--
Re:OTOH (Score:1)
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,41370
Damn! (Score:3)
Then I had to find out it was just slashdot being slashdot and posting rumors.
Damn.. there goes my 500% return.
Re:This should have happened 4 years ago. (Score:2)
That's a stretch. And when you consider that Sega is a player in the arcade machine market, and several of those machines used the same chip as the Dreamcast, it makes it a long stretch.
--
Re:OTOH (Score:2)
Usually a denial just means that they're not ready to talk about it. They don't have an official press release ready, they haven't notified all the key people, legal isn't prepared for the media onslaught, etc. etc.
My bet is that within 5-7 days this news will be confirmed. I don't know anything, of course, but that's usually the case with these sorts of news items.
They really didn't deny it did they.... (Score:3)
Nothing denying that Sega of Japan is stopping unit production.
Vermifax
The console killed by FUD (Score:5)
If you've never spent a fair amount of time with this system, ignore these so-called game magazines FUD for a moment, and spend a weekend with one playing Shenmue, Soul Calibur, Jet Grind Radio or Samba De Amigo (friends & maracas are a necessity). These are easily some of the most fun, innovative games I've ever played, and marginally better than anything Sony or Nintendo or anyone else is offering at the moment.
Now try to contrast your Dreamcast experiences with the PS2: even if you can get your hands on a PS2 (months after the ps2 "launch", most people still can't buy them through regular retail channels due to Sony's "parts shortages"), you'll find that the PS2 is nothing more than a upgraded PS1 with a crappy dvd player. Sony has beaten Sega not through producing a solid product, but through press releases and media control (something with which Slashdot readers are familiar).
If Sega really is leaving the console business, I would strongly recommend buying one of these Dreamcast systems while they're still in stores. It is an extremely quality product with some of the greatest games on the planet.
Did I mention it boots linux?
Brandon
I'm a cuddly, white blob. I will avenge my father. (Score:1)
Then a friend had to ruin it for me by saying I'd misheard the title the whole time; it was "Shenmue" or some such nonsense. Now where's the fun in that...?
----------
Enough is enough! (Score:1)
But as usual, another week goes by, another "Sega is going under" story. Not just on Slashdot, but everywhere. Us real DieHards know to just sit back
Open Source it (Score:1)
They could still require their licensing for games that are sold/distributed.. But, release all the hardware/software specs and development tools so that maybe an Open Source type community could grow around the DC.
Also, they could license the technology to other vendors (as has been rumored in the past). I'm sure they could find some manufacturer of DVD players that would like to include DC functionality as a feature of their product. Or, license it to MS or Nintendo to kick start their new consoles.
Re:The console killed by FUD (Score:1)
Yah but this is Sega of AMERICA... (Score:1)
I'll wait till Sega of Japan has something to say. I mean I can't remember the last time SOJ said something then SOA denied it only to have SOJ re-affirm it later...
Oh yah, they did that with the demise of the saturn didn't they.
Vermifax
Re:OTOH (Score:2)
--
Microsoft will buy Sega (Score:1)
I wonder if one can buy Sega ADRs? I wonder what'll happen to Sega's share prices when this is finally announced.
What do I care? (Score:4)
I think I'll take up reading by candelight for recreation....
Re:MCV denying people (Score:2)
Re:OTOH (Score:2)
--
No it doesn't two totally separate messages... (Score:1)
The second says that they will still continue to develop games for it.
Vermifax
Re:hahahaha where are u now (Score:1)
News item here: http://www.fgnonline.com/pc/news/17176.html
and here:
http://www.fgnonline.com/pc/news/17147.html
Plus the clipping off of BluesNews
No PS2 Unreal 2
A post called Unreal 2 Dated on FGN tries to clarify some Unreal-related release dates as well as they can based on available info, while quoting Epic's Mark Rein refuting Unreal 2 PS2 rumors, saying "Unreal 2 could not run on PlayStation 2."
Release date for Unreal2? Sometime in first quarter 2002.. next year.
Most advanced video game machine? Run along now kiddies, be good and you can have your Barney candy.
-since when did 'MTV' stand for Real World Television instead of MUSIC television?
Enough! (Score:1)
Sega ain't going anywhere, this all has to do with media newshounds looking for any rumour to post as a killer story in order to get attention in an oversaturated market.
How many times in the past 10 years have we heard that Apple was going on sale? It's the exact same thing... The media WANTS Sega to fail. Any little rumour that leaks out of somewhere is going to get blown way out of proportion.
...and you know what? If Sega does fail, it will be partially BECAUSE of the media. All these constant stories on Sega's failure scare people away. Life imitating the news.
They only denied that they officially anounced it. (Score:2)
Not surprising.. (Score:1)
Topping it off, Sega had a large spike in Dreamcast sales this year, coinciding with the release of pirated Dreamcast games. Not surprisingly, game sales did not reflect the rise in console sales.
At the end of 2000, Sega was reported to be the least profitable company in Japan. The Dreamcast itself is still likely to be entirely unprofitable (As most game consoles are early on.) due to the cost of manufacturing the extremely proprietary hardware.
With game companies throwing fits over the GD-ROM copy protection method having been broken, Sega had no choice but to release new Dreamcasts incapable of playing anything on a CD-ROM, rendering the newer machines useless to pirates.
This really isn't a surprising move, given the facts. My only surprise was that it didn't come sooner, which it most likely would have had it not come from a country where corporation do not like admitting failure, especially in an area so hard to save face.
Even so, it doesn't mean a thing (Score:2)
Why Sega of America denied the rumors is a much simpler question to answer (fortunately). Sega of Japan is not in America, so why would Americans care what they think? Much better to have the Americans spoken to by their local mouthpiece, SoA.
-EOF-
Re:NOT -- already denied (Score:1)
Of course if SEGA denies it then it must be false.
Sega's PR people are very special you know, they always tell the truth
Re:Microsoft will buy Sega (Score:2)
But...Maybe they'll buy the "Dreamcast" division.
Makes me wonder if the XBox will play Dreamcast games (either natively or perhaps after you buy a $100 add-on...)
(As an aside - does anybody else wonder about that "XBox" name? Until Microsoft trademarked it, an "X Box", to me, was a terminal machine for X-windows...)
---
"They have strategic air commands, nuclear submarines, and John Wayne. We have this"
I don't remember when or where it was announced, (Score:2)
Re:This should have happened 4 years ago. (Score:1)
Being in the coin-op market doesn't legitimize your presence in the consumer market. Both of the consumer market leaders aren't in the coin-op market. The nature of competition is different between both markets. Presence in both markets allows you to take advantage of some economies of scale, but that's about it.
From a consumer hardware perspective, Sega is rapidly becoming a non-player. It's been on the decline since the Saturn was released. Dreamcast is a worthy last hurrah, but I think Sega's days are numbered as a consumer gaming hardware provider.
Sega's core business strength isn't in their ability to develop hardware. Even XBox has proven that it can compete on that level using what are basically commodity parts. Sega is a kick-ass software company, and if they develop on multiple platforms, they'll do a bang up job and restore the glory of their past.
Re:burnable games was the cause (Score:1)
No, I think you're wrong
The console market is a mass market, only a fraction of console owners have access to broadband, only a fraction of these are able to burn a Dreamcast ISO...
I think that Sony's PS2 hype has done more harm to the Dreamcast than piracy. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Dreamcast piracy only 6-8 months old?
the ORIGINAL japanese article (Score:1)
shellac.
Re:Nah. This is just normal for Sega. (Score:1)
Yes, Sega did issue a press release reinstating their support of the Dreamcast. This doesn't change the fact that they will be supporting the system solely through software sales, and won't make anymore systems after some time this March.
On the bright side, Sega makes some very cool games (Shenmue, PSO, etc), and I would just love to see them on other console systems.
Re:The console killed by FUD (Score:2)
Oh, puh-leeze. The graphics of the PS2 are so far ahead of the PS1 that there's no comparison. Take a peek at the opening video for Tekken Tag Team. Then look at it twice more, and look at the detail... hair, lips, water, lens flare, etc.
Does the Dreamcast have component video out? I don't think so. My PS2 is hooked up to my 36" XBR Wega via the component inputs, and the DVDs and games look absolutely stunning. I have a Sony DVP-S7000 reference-grade ($1,500) DVD player, and it's nearly as good as that.
Speak not from whence you know not. Look at the unit on quality equipment, and there's no going back.
--
Recent Update (Score:2)
- A source inside Sega has categorically confirmed the continuing manufacture of Dreamcast-enabled products, although it is unlikely that they will take the form of the current white Dreamcast box. This ties in neatly with rumors that Dreamcast-enabled set-top boxes, DVD players and even a PC add-in card are in the works. So it seems that for the moment, the fate of the Dreamcast format is far from sealed.
Bizarre. It's hard for me to imagine that a low-volume PC-Dreamcast card could be more profitable than the dreamcast console. Especially because the console is already designed and has ramped up its production.--
Re:The console killed by FUD (Score:2)
Riiiiight. Take a peek at a 36" XBR Wega with a decent signal going into it (like one of the Sony demonstration DVDs with super-low compression to really show off what the TV can do). As far as I'm concerned, with the right stuff going into it, it's a 36" monitor. Obviously, no TV will make standard cable TV look any better than it already is...
--
Re:Clarification. (Score:2)
The only modern platform machine claiming to make a protfit at retail is the upcoming Nintendo box.
Don't believe me, read the trades.
Re:Doesn't mean it's true,... (Score:2)
They usually report things first. If they report it, its because Sega Japan told them so.
I expect Sega America (run by Americans) are in denial. Sega in Japan is nowhere with the dreamcast. They're turning themselves into a software/games company.
Timothy.. hardware! (Score:2)
word use (Score:2)
I think your using the word "marginally" incorrectly here. I belive you mean to say that the games are greatly better then what's available on the n64 and psx, but "marginally better" means only slightly better.
Amber Yuan 2k A.D
Re:The console killed by FUD (Score:2)
It's "Vega" not "Wega"
Amber Yuan 2k A.D
Re:The console killed by FUD (Score:2)
Yeah, looks great
Does the Dreamcast have component video out? I don't think so. My PS2 is hooked up to my 36" XBR Wega via the component inputs, and the DVDs and games look absolutely stunning. I have a Sony DVP-S7000 reference-grade ($1,500) DVD player, and it's nearly as good as that
Yes it has component out. Mine is hooked up to the tv using S-video connectors, and in work my monitor.
If your PS2 looks as good playing DVDs as your *ahem* Sony "reference-grade" model then either your Sony is a stinking pile of crap, or your DVDs have been burned from their VHS equivalents. If you can't see the difference in quality then you sir are a fool for buying high-end equipment when your eyesight/perception is too low to use it. Not that I would ever class sony kit as high-end".
Speak not from whence you know not. Look at the unit on quality equipment, and there's no going back You sound like an spoiled 5 year old. *sigh*
c|net also reports set top box replacement (Score:2)
"Sega's continual commitment to Dreamcast involves incorporating the Dreamcast technology with set-top boxes," Sega of America spokesman Charles Bellfield told CNET News.com. Bellfield said Sega would probably look to partner with other companies that would make the set-top boxes and that announcements would be coming shortly. . . . "Both dedicated game consoles and convergence devices play a part in the future of digital entertainment," Bellfield said. "The console is not going away and the Dreamcast technology is not going away."
Nothing specific on whether such a device would enable high-speed connection to the Internet, but I can't see building a new device that didn't.
Re:The console killed by FUD (Score:2)
Argh. RGB is not the same. Over there, I think the SCART cable has RGB pins on it which the TV can use. SCART totally doesn't exist in North America or Japan. On higher-end TVs, there are the normal composite (single RCA connector) input, S-video (single mini-DIN connector) input, and component (three RCA connectors) input which supply Y (luminance), Cb (Blue chrominance), and Cr (Red chrominance) signals completely separate for better colour purity and reproduction.
I'm not familiar with the PS2, but the quality of output from my DC on RF is pretty impressive - not got a scart cable yet. I have a normal 25" TV, and a cheap DVD player, which obviously makes my opinion worthless, but there you go.
Eww, RF. Just wait until you pick up the SCART cable. You think it looks good now? You're in for a VERY pleasant surprise...
--
Slashdot sucks! (Score:2)
For people who like "multimedia boxes" with limited game playing ability, I'm sure that Sony's box is just fine. Of course, in buying it and its games you are giving money to the MPAA directly, stifling Linux and helping to buy new laws like the DMCA. This is not true with Sega, though they aren't saintly they have never had that kind of influence.
Sega basically has decided to allow Sega Dreamcast clones. Think about this, why does x86 own the PC market? Clones. This is a huge advantage for Dreamcast owners, which has skillfully been turned into FUD by the hype machine at Sony (yes, maybe Micros~1 too, I wouldn't put it past them.)
Sega decides to try something innovative and open up their hardware, and Slashdot slams them in favor of Sony, one of the nastiest companies in the entertainment business.
But then, Slashdot's editorial bias against Sega has shown in the past, I can remember a snide little comment from one of the editors, "They've sold like what, 3 of them," referring to Dreamcasts in a previous story hyping the PS2.
This level of bias makes me wonder if Slashdot, which used to give short shrift to software tyrants like Sony (or is it only bad when Micros~1 does it), is recieving money from Sony.