TR Fight Stick Opens 'Dreamcase' Metal Shell Pre-Orders

Cast your mind back to November 2018 and you may recall an article here at the Junkyard about a custom Dreamcast shell being designed by TR Fight Stick. Fast forward to February 2020 and you can now pre-order said custom shell. Named Dreamcase, the case allows you to take the innards from your favourite console and plonk them inside a metal prison that claims to keep the contents at a perfect operating temperature courtesy of a silent fan.
It's worth bearing in mind that your Dreamcast needs to have been modded with a GDEMU or similar device before stuffing it inside the Dreamcase, as there's no way to play GDs once the shell replacement has been completed. Well, without taking the lid off again...which defeats the object somewhat.
The design will probably divide opinion as it makes the Dreamcast look more like a small form PC than an actual Dreamcast, but for those who want to give their console the ultimate visual makeover, this could be just what you are looking for. Some of the info listed on the TR Fight Stick website includes:

  • Blue Backlight (Homogeneous)
  • Compatible with GDEMU and DCHDMI
  • New Technology DC 12V Mini Power Supply
  • Extender PCB for SD-Card 
  • Game Swap Button for GDEMU
  • Compatible with 56K Modem and DreamPÄ°
  • 40MM Silent Fan ( Noctua Supported ) 
  • Not Supporting original GD-ROM nor USB-GDROM 
  • Metal Sticker with Serial Number for Each Case
It looks as though TR Fight Stick will need pre-order numbers to reach 100 units before they can go ahead with mass production (each unit costs $149.99 plus shipping and comes without a power supply), so time will tell if there is enough demand for the Dreamcase to become a reality. Check out the Dreamcase at the TR Fight Stick website.
Credit for this news snippet goes to my DCJY colleague Martin, who discovered this while Googling for Fight Stick parts. So what do you think? Will you be taking the plunge and splashing out 150 big ones? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter.

9 comments:

Martin said...

I think it looks good, and I generally encourage this kind of activity, but I feel it misses the beautiful curves of the original; everything is square these days!

I also wish it were symmetrical. Considering it doesn't take disks, I don't see a huge benefit over doing something like a RaspPi/NVidia thingy... but still, it's nice to have options!

And, for anyone interested, I'm modding a Sega Virtua Stick High Grade to work on a variety of consoles.

pcwzrd13 said...

Blech! Blech I say! I don't want my Dreamcast to look like a generic mini PC. Also, the front panel with the "DreamCase" logo looks horrible. It looks 3D-printed which is not something I would expect from a $150 product.

Shiggidy said...

Fine for a niche of a niche, but sacrificing non-modders seems questionable. I'm sure it'll hit its 100 person goal, I almost considered preordering one just own one (but not use).

Mark said...

Looks overpriced especially for what is essentially just a metal box with a plastic back and front

Miles Prower said...

Seems like quite a lot for what is simply a case. I'd understand if it came with more than just a the SD card extension but you literally supply everything else yourself from my understanding.

LenM said...

Since you have to go the emu route for this, I see no reason whatsoever for the existence of it. Even though the various DCEMUs aren't at 100% yet (to my knowledge),I'm sure they will be in time and dropping an SBC into a 3d printed case will give you access to 10s of thousands of other games as well. As far as DC gaming is concerned, my original console is still running as well as the day I purchased it and I not once had an issue with overheating.

OneStar said...

yea PCwizard hit the nail on the head. That front panel looks like some terrible 3D printed plastic. Yet they want $150 for that. I like the idea of a microcase, but not like this.

Anonymous said...

I considered getting one, but after pondering on it for a while I've decided it's not for me. It's kind of ugly, and I dont have the time to be taking apart a dreamcast for this. Plus pretty expensive for what you got and what you need to do. I can understand if it was a service. Send your dreamcast in and they do the mods for you. Not this though.

Unknown said...

I like it.
It is personal taste ofcourse.
I did a pre-order.
My Dreamcast is equiped with a USB-GDROM with internal USB drive and that should be compatible. :)