The PlayTape Conspiracy

We're big fans of fanciful and completely false conspiracy theories here at the 'Yard...especially ones we fabricated ourselves. Who can forget the time Sony implanted PlayStation logos in a Dreamcast game? Or when Southend Museums stole the Dreamcast's logo and used it to their own nefarious ends? Of course, this is all just a bit of fun, but there's a chance we've unearthed another (completely tenuous) Dreamcast conspiracy. Have a look at this video from YouTube channel Techmoan:

If you can't be bothered to watch it, allow me to explain. PlayTape is a fabulously obsolete music format that was apparently quite popular for a brief period in the late 1960s. That is, until the magnificence of the 8-Track swept it aside with the swagger of a pre-digital iPod in platform shoes and a flowery shirt. I know that doesn't actually make a lot of sense, but I'm sure you get the (extremely weak) analogy. Anyway, as I was watching the video above I noticed that the PlayTape logo shares a particular aesthetic with the Dreamcast logo: swirls.

NTSC-J - Blue

PAL - Orange

Not only that, the swirls on the packaging of the audio player are white and orange. Coincidence? I searched Google for a better image and lo - I found a single image of the Japanese version of the PlayTape...with blue swirls! See?! Orange swirls for the English version; blue swirls for the Japanese one? It's the tragic Dreamcast story played out, only in reverse...in the 1960s! The never ending snake eating its own tail...or something.

OK, so this is the most tenuous Dreamcast link you've probably ever read, but I found it interesting and I doubt you'd find anything as hard-hitting as this on Kotaku or Polygon. Cough. If you'd like to know more about PlayTape, The Museum Of Obsolete Media has an entry for the defunct format here. They also have an entry for GD-Rom, which is nice.