Late last year, in a gratuitous act of procrastination, I authored a piece for the Junkyard that surveyed the hefty range of Dreamcast websites that had sprung up in the console’s “post-Sega” era but which had sadly since bit the dust. In reality that piece was an excuse to indulge in some nostalgic daydreaming about the period when I first came across the console as a nerdy teen: a bizarre time when the burgeoning unofficial world (Goat Store, Beats of Rage, Treamcasts) sat alongside the last vestiges of Sega’s official involvement (idiosyncratic Japan-only shmups and surprisingly resilient online game servers).
As this list of deceased Dreamcast websites was pretty lengthy—and could have been even lengthier if not for a couple of oversights—readers could be forgiven for assuming that the hobby of maintaining websites dedicated to a 25-year old console was fading away. Fortunately though, they would be badly mistaken, and therein lies the purpose of this follow-up: to shine a light on the plethora of websites that are alive, kicking, and proudly serving the Dreamcast scene in 2024.
In no particular order, I present to you the Junkyard’s comrades-in-arms:
Dreamcast-talk (https://www.dreamcast-talk.com)
Founded in 2004, and thereby pre-dating the Dreamcast Junkyard by a year, Dreamcast-talk is undoubtedly the lodestar of the scene. The website’s founders set out to establish a forum where DC-heads of various stripes could converge to chew the fat, sans what was perceived to be the overly restrictive administrative practices of certain prior forums. Dreamcast-talk quickly achieved that goal, and has continued to do so persistently and reliably for two decades now. Theoretically it's a fairly easy gig: set out a bunch of themed boards where relevant topics can be discussed, weed out spam or egregious flaming, and undertake technical maintenance from time to time. In practice though, maintaining a forum can be a bloody nightmare, and the fact that a day rarely goes by without fresh posts being made or a new member signing up is a testament to how important Dreamcast-Talk remains. 165,348 posts made and not out: as solid an innings as you are likely to see from an internet forum. When the gold anniversary hits in 2054 I promise I’ll deliver a better present than a couple of paragraphs in a rambling blog post…DCEmulation (https://dcemulation.org)
DCEmulation is another of the scene’s OGs that is still trucking in 2024. Actually, screw that. Given that it was founded in September 2000 (!), and is by my estimation the oldest Dreamcast-focused website to grace the worldwide web today, it would only be fair to say that DCEmulation is the OG of the scene. When the historians finally turn their academic gaze to our beloved little white box, DCEmulation will probably be mentioned in every other footnote.As the name suggests, DCEmulation’s initial focus was on documenting and discussing the development of emulators designed to run on the Dreamcast. Naturally, due to the type of audience and contributors that flocked to it, this focus quite quickly broadened out to cover Dreamcast homebrew development in its entirety. A few years in, spats between admins resulted in some splitting (which is succinctly summarised by our German brethren at Sega-DC.de), but thankfully this behaviour wasn’t endemic. In fact, efforts turned from splitting to amalgamation in 2010, when DCEmulation incorporated the forum for the unofficial Phantasy Star Online server, Sylverant.
Although the DCEmulation Wiki has now been mothballed, the forum, which alongside the Simulant Discord server is home to some of the most knowledgeable Dreamcast coders out there, is still in active service after 729,068 posts. Props to [darc], Bluecrab, and the whole DCEmulation community for keeping the show on the road all these years.Dreamcast Forever (https://dreamcastforever.com)
An ad-free, easily navigable website that sticks neatly to its brief always brings me joy. |
Perhaps it's time for the Yard to co-opt a hip young photographer into our editorial collective... |
I don't speak a word of Polish, but have nevertheless had to pitch a massive battle against my hoarding tendencies to avoid buying this majestic publication. |
Launched in 2016 by scene-stalwart PC Wizard, Dreamcast Live has been synonymous with this new golden era of online play, acting as a central resource for both newbies and old hands alike (or even mediumly-aged hands). The website hosts guides on how to connect your Dreamcast to the internet, methods of troubleshooting, a directory of available online games, leaderboards, and a heap of relevant downloads. A one stop-shop for the delights of playing your DC online in the contemporary era, and all completely free (that is unless you choose to join the Patreon or buy goods from the shop). Other active rallying points for organising games (such as the Sega Online Discord server) have now sprung up, but the role Dreamcast Live plays still continues to be of vital importance.
Of course, if you don't have a Dreamcast with an online connection, then you can still vicariously experience the joys of 33.3k online multiplayer by tuning in to PC's weekly streams.
Starting out as a Facebook page in 2010, the Dreamcast Today website was re-launched as a fully formed blog in 2013. The title does was it should: clearly informs the reader about what they can expect (Junkyard? What the hell does that mean?). For much of its lifespan Dreamcast Today was going like the clappers, reporting news around the clock, but over the last couple of years things have slowed down considerably - perhaps understandably so given that site founder Forbes Longden became a father. Fortunately there is still a pulse though. A new blog post was made in May 2024 and the Twitter account is regularly sharing all kinds of Dreamcast goodness.
Lovingly curated by a crew of talented volunteers (a common theme in our scene, right?), Dreampipe gives you a reason to browse the internet via your Dreamcast in 2024. Intended to be your go to homepage, Dreampipe features a load of useful goodies including leaderboards, VMU file downloads, a message board, IRC (real-time chat), and links out to all the official Dreamcast game websites that have been revived in recent years (big-up Xiden for his work on these).
Thanks go to DR TEAMCAST for getting Dreampipe off the ground back in 2015.
Great round-up, Lozz! And a big shout out to our Dreamcast comrades in arms!
ReplyDeleteGreat sites, great round-up!
ReplyDelete