The Sega Dreamcast Controller is Getting a Second Analog Stick — Dream Color Plus Mod Update

The Sega Dreamcast was the only console of the sixth generation to have a controller with a single analog stick. (Yes, the GameCube did technically have a second analog stick, you’ve just got to squint a bit.) This lack of a second stick is a criticism often directed at the Dreamcast’s controller, and is even sometimes erroneously cited as a reason for the console’s downfall. Sure, having two sticks might have greatly improved a few first-person shooter games, but the dual-analog control scheme that is now standard in modern gaming wasn’t really popularised until Halo: Combat Evolved came out on the Xbox (I know it came earlier with Alien Resurrection, but may I add that reviewers hated the way that game controlled upon release?)

Quake III Arena. Credit: Dreamcast Live

For those who want to play games like Quake III Arena with a regular pad the modern way, methods have existed for years to connect and remap dual-analog controllers to the Sega Dreamcast. But what about a standard Dreamcast controller with dual sticks? A few months back, we reported on an upcoming mod for the Dreamcast’s controller called Dream Color Plus, which not only makes it wireless but also allows it to display Visual Memory Unit graphics in colour, simply by replacing the existing PCB with a new one. While chatting with one of the fine gents involved in the project, Nai Adventure, he gave us a full rundown of the features the DC+ would include, so check out that interview to learn more about the specifics of all these. One thing he did mention during that conversation was the possibility of the DC+ accommodating dual sticks. Well, the developers revealed their prototype build demonstrating exactly that. Thanks to Rapaz in our Discord for bringing it to our attention.

The Dream Color Plus prototype controller board with a second stick. 

During a livestream last night, Angelo Pontes, designer of the DC+ PCB, showed off a revised prototype version that includes a second analog stick. Of course, to accommodate this brand new (ahem) appendage, a new front shell for the controller would need to be created, and so this was 3D printed. You can see the 3D printed shell below. From what I understand, the print model will be open-source, meaning it will be available to the masses to print themselves, although backers of this project’s upcoming crowdfunding campaign will get the option to request one.

Dream Color Plus plus second stick plus 3D printed shell (plus, plus)

Most importantly, the team confirmed they’ve got the second stick working. The Dreamcast's maple protocol actually supported two analog sticks officially, it's just that the console never had a controller that had them! Believe it or not, both Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament were actually programmed to natively support two analog sticks, and will reportedly work with the DC+'s dual-stick setup straight out of the box. For games that don't have this compatibility, some button remapping will need to be done by the player in-game, or changed on the Dream Color Plus’ VMU display. The DC+'s dual sticks will also work with games that support the Dreamcast Twin Stick peripheral, like Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram, and even indies like Xeno Crisis and Postal.

I did wonder if the placement of the stick so close to the face buttons could pose a usability issue, but Nai Adventure has said the final version won’t have the analog stick so close. He also confirmed that for those just wanting to get a Dream Color Plus with a single analog stick, the option will also be available. Additionally, he let me know that the final version will include a built-in microphone, so the list of features just keeps on growing.

Here's a close-up of the modded controller (prototype):

Dev Game Show is coming!

We’ll bring demos, projects and some surprises.

DreamColor Plus with dual analog (optional) is real, not just button mapping.

More details on the live & at the event (Mar 14).https://t.co/itqGVnsbBq pic.twitter.com/yT7SUvRVtl

— Nai Adventure (@YTNaiAdventure) March 6, 2026

It really seems like the Dream Color Plus is looking to course-correct some of the limitations of the original Dreamcast controller. Dual-analog controls, colour VMU graphics, wireless connectivity, on-board memory, built-in rumble, a microphone, and with no soldering? That all sounds great on paper. It’ll be interesting to see how everything works once we get our hands on it. Nai Adventure has confirmed a crowdfunding campaign will launch for Dream Color Plus this Saturday.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is being ported to Sega Dreamcast

Over the last year we've seen a veritable glut of Nintendo 64 titles ported to the Dreamcast, and as someone who owned Nintendo's 64-bit console back in the day (and still has a soft spot for the console's particular brand of soft-filtered visuals), it brings a certain warmth to my cockles to see some of these titles running on Sega's swansong. 

Thus far, mainly via the magic weaved by one jnmartin84, we've been treated to stellar ports of DOOM 64, Mario Kart 64, Super Mario 64 and Star Fox 64 (or Lylat Wars, if you grew up in a PAL territory). Looks like we're about to get another one of the N64's blockbuster titles gracing the Dreamcast in the near future though, as an anonymous developer has recently released a preview build of a port of none other than The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Feast your eyes on The Sega Guru's exclusive first look at this witchcraft below:

The Legend of Zelda series, and more specifically Ocarina of Time, holds a dear place in my heart as it was actually the first Zelda game I became totally and utterly obsessed with when I picked it up during the first half of 1999 (hey, the Dreamcast hadn't launched in the UK yet so I needed to fill my time with something!).

As you can see from the video above, this very early release isn't simply the full game playable from start to finish, instead requiring players to select certain maps/areas to play from a menu. Further, some of the textures, especially on the item select and map screens are a bit glitched. However, as stated this is super early, and from the footage posted by Alex (aka The Sega Guru), the basics all look to be there.

The music is present and correct, the game appears to run with a fairly consistent frame rate and at a higher resolution than the Nintendo 64 original, and the familiar locations you'll have spent hours traversing are all recreated...but this time on Dreamcast. Of course, Ocarina of time has been released on other Nintendo platforms since 1998, all of which boast cleaner visuals and other enhancements, but I'm sure you'll agree it's something of a marvel to see it now running so well on Sega's hardware.

No doubt Nintendo will already be aware of this port and be getting ready to drop the hammer on it from a great height, hence why the mysterious developer wishes to remain anonymous at this point. That said, the other Nintendo 64 to Dreamcast ports we've been treated to previously seem to have (so far) evaded the attention of the ninjas in Nintendo's legal team...so who knows where this could lead. We're sure you'll agree thought that this is exciting stuff, either way. 

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments, and of course feel free to go and drop a like (or a follow or whatever the kids call it) on Alex's channel.

Now you can explore the world of Crazy Taxi...in your browser

First up, props go to PC Gamer for bringing this cool little news snippet to my attention. What am I talking about? Well, it appears that a very talented computer programmer (and fairly accomplished writer, I might add) named Will has shoehorned the Original and Arcade city maps from Crazy Taxi into the level viewing portal at noclip.website (scroll down to the 'Experimental' heading under the 'Games' list and you'll find Crazy Taxi). 

Noclip is a self described 'digital museum of videogame levels,' and a quick browse around the site will reveal a host of environments and stages ripped from a wide range of games which have been uploaded in their entirety; and they're all freely explorable using the mouse to look and the keyboard to move. I remember a long time ago I wrote about a similar project for (sadly defunct) retrogaming site RetroCollect, where some genius had managed to make the circuits from WipEout fully explorable via a disembodied camera. Well, thanks to Will and his work at (the sublimely titled) wretched.computer, the same is now possible in both of the playable environments from Crazy Taxi.

The blurb over at wretched.computer goes into extreme detail as to how this sorcery was achieved, and reveals that the stages uploaded to noclip are actually from the Nintendo Gamecube port of Crazy Taxi, as opposed to the original Dreamcast port. Following the link to noclip will allow you to enter the sun drenched environs of Crazy Taxi's pseudo California-esque landscape and gawp at all those polygonal landmarks you probably only ever caught a glimpse of as you tried to deliver Father White to the eerily empty church, or the heavily pregnant Maria to Boarder's Paradise before she dropped her sprog in the back seat of Gus's cab. Or the timer ran out...whichever came first.

Interestingly, there are also fully explorable recreations of Jet Set Radio's Tokyo-To districts at noclip, which are fascinating to whizz around. Personally I'd love to see Metropolis Street Racer one day appear as a fully explorable destination, but for the time being we'll have to make do with that game's unlockable free roam mode to sample the delights hidden within.

Have you messed about with noclip's awesomeness? And which Dreamcast game environments would you like to be able to freely explore? Let us know in the comments.

8BitMods' BitLink DC Kit Promises to Make Wireless Dreamcast Gaming a Breeze

With Sega never providing a wireless control solution for the Dreamcast themselves, the task of creating one has fallen on aftermarket companies and fans alike. There's a load of options out there: you've got controller options like Chris Daioglou's DreamConn — arguably the best solution overall, though it comes at a higher price point. Chris even created a wireless Dreamcast keyboard, in the form of the KeyConn. A more affordable alternative controller-wise is the StrikerDC Wireless from Retro Fighters, which has had been praised by those who have used it, but has compatibility issues with Dreamcast games that utilise Windows CE, and potentially corrupts saves when used with the VMUPro. If you’d prefer to use a different wireless controller altogether, or maybe a keyboard you have lying around, several adapters are available. These include the now hard-to-find Brook Wingman SD, BlueRetro adapters, and plenty of others, giving players more flexibility when it comes to wireless control methods for the Dreamcast (we know you lot love to tell everyone how much you hate the Dreamcast's original controller!)

8BitMods, the creators of the VMUPro, are throwing their collective hats into the ring with the BitLink, a new method that looks to give Dreamcast gamers the best of both worlds: not only by turning your existing stock Dreamcast controller into a wireless wonder through some easy modification, but also giving the option of allowing other controllers —both wired and wireless— to connect to the console.

The BitLink comes in two colours, classic white and smoke black, and consists of two parts. The larger piece, the "adapter," resembles a Dreamcast rumble pack, and slots into the second slot of your Dreamcast controller. To install it, you need to disassemble your controller and connect it via the "included cable to the controller's internal JST port," with no soldering required. There has been some confusion about how the controller will look once modded, with many asking whether the unused cable will just be dangling out the bottom of the controller, or if there will just be a hole where it once was. Hopefully 8BitMods will clear up some of the confusion soon.

Once done, your controller becomes wireless, with rumble, on-board storage (four virtual flash memory cards worth), and a battery that will also charge your VMUPro if you insert into slot one. It supposedly will also have "motion control", and we're intrigued to see how that can be utilised...

The thing that makes this adapter talk with the system is the dongle (pictured below), which can also use Bluetooth and 2.4gHz to link up other wireless controllers, keyboards, and computer mice. To charge, simply plug a USB-C cable from the dongle into the adapter in your controller. The dongle’s USB-C port can also be used to connect up wired controllers and keyboards. It will also apparently connect to some kind of built-in web interface via Bluetooth, which will allow for controller customisation (some second stick action in Quake III Arena, maybe?)

8BitMods' product page suggests that this too will have its own built-in storage, which would make sense, as they are offering the dongle on its own at a cheaper price of £26.99, while the "kit" —which will include both the adapter and the dongle— is priced at £69.98.

If you want to learn more, check out the product pages by clicking here. Pre-orders go live this Friday at 6PM GMT / 1PM EST.

Segagaga has Finally Been Translated into English — Here's How to Play It (and How it was Achieved!)

The headline you see above is not some form of freaky clickbait, nor is it a two-month-early April Fool’s prank. It is, however, signalling one of the biggest pieces of Sega Dreamcast news that we will probably ever report here on this website. Some thought it would never happen, but the day has finally arrived: Segagaga is now playable in English, thanks to the work of a team of dedicated fans led by Exxistance. If you just want to know how to play the translation, skip to the end of this article, where you will find a link to a download and instructions on how to apply the patch to your existing disc image of Segagaga. But we felt it was important to document the technical feats which made this holy-grail translation possible — and to ensure that those responsible receive the recognition they deserve. So read on if you want to learn more!

If you’ve spent more than ten minutes in Dreamcast fan circles, you’ll undoubtedly be aware of Segagaga, a 2001 Japan-exclusive RPG that tasks players with running Sega as it tries to regain market share against its main competitor, DOGMA (Sony, basically). Developed by Hitmaker and published by Sega, the game is well known for its wacky humour (much of it at Sega’s own expense) as well as its abundance of references to the company’s past IPs. Because of this, Segagaga has retained an almost mythical quality among Western Dreamcast fans, and from the moment it became clear the game wouldn’t be released outside of Japan, it has without a doubt been the most anticipated English translation of any game in the console’s library.

But as I'm sure you're aware, Segagaga's translation journey has been wrought with roadblocks. Many projects have started up over the years, only to inevitably fizzle out. But as we previously mentioned at the top of our interview with Segagaga’s creator, Tez Okano, the reason for the game’s multiple-decade stint in translation hell wasn’t due to a shortage of skilled translators capable of handling its distinctly Japanese humour, but rather a series of daunting technical hurdles.

The primary challenge stemmed from Segagaga's use of the Dreamcast’s BIOS font, as editing it was thought to be impossible for the longest time. What's more, the game only supported Shift-JIS encoding for text, a common two-byte format for Japanese language that was widely used in video games of the era (and still is today, though typically alongside ASCII or UTF support). Without changing the game to retrieve narrower Latin alphabet characters from the BIOS instead, the original Shift-JIS would leave the in-game text looking horrible, and too big to fit in numerous places.

Demonstration of Shift-JIS encoding, provided by Derek Pascarella.

By contrast, many other Japanese Dreamcast titles rely on their own internal font sheets, unique to each game, meaning that savvy hackers can go in and swap a Japanese font sheet for an English one, adjusting spacing between characters, along with other necessary tweaks. Because of this, these games were able to see successful translations much sooner, and form the majority of past fan translations we've seen for the console over the years. 

After two decades of unsuccessful attempts at translating Segagaga, it was time to bring in the big guns. Cracking a technical nut this tough required a meeting of some of the most talented minds the Dreamcast scene has to offer, including megavolt85, mr.nobody, VincentNL, Derek Pascarella, and madsheep. If it weren’t for them, I can only imagine how much longer it would have taken for us to see this translation become a reality… perhaps another decade?

In steps megavolt85, hacker extraordinaire, who was one of two previously responsible for making it possible for Atomiswave games to be ported to Dreamcast. On megavolt's input, Derek Pascarella explains:

"megavolt85 modified Segagaga to interpret ASCII, the single-byte encoding commonly used for the Latin alphabet. Not only that, but he modified the game to read from the ASCII section of the BIOS font, rather than the Shift-JIS section."

The next step was to make it so that ASCII from the BIOS could be edited. This was where Derek worked his magic, and shares how he made it happen:

"Segagaga speaks directly to the Dreamcast’s BIOS when it comes time to render text on screen. After megavolt85 did all of the assembly hacking to force the game to interpret ASCII-encoded text and then pull from the ASCII section of the BIOS font (rather than Shift-JIS), I started poking around a bit to see how it all worked. What I discovered is that the game actually copies the entirety of the BIOS font into RAM pretty near the location where the game executable ends! So, I disabled the assembly code that performed this copy, then also disabled the code that null’d out that portion of RAM before doing the copy. I then appended the BIOS font to the end of the game executable, and just like that, the font data was precisely where the game expected it to be, and it could be modified! This came in handy a number of times as font glyphs needed tweaking for optimal appearance."

See how much better ASCII looks in comparison:

Demonstration of ASCII encoding, provided by Derek Pascarella.

It appeared that the first-documented Segagaga translation patch project —which began in 2006— did manage to make progress in this regard, but unfortunately wouldn't see an update past 2013. While nothing technical from that previous project would make it into this one, project lead and texture artist Exxistance reveals that he was still able to utilise a wealth of other archived community resources.

"What was helpful [...] were the various artefacts people left on the internet, including the FAQs on GameFAQs that were created back in the mid-00s. Those were especially useful in helping me get my bearings as I initially worked through the game. Other helpful resources included The1Ross’ Open Source Translation Project, as well as various YouTube videos like Korone’s full playthrough of the game."

It was actually on a Dreamcast-Talk forum thread initially created to share The1Ross' project, where Exxistance would post his English-translated edits of Segagaga's textures. From there, mr.nobody —who previously worked on the English fan translation of Dreamcast horror title Seven Mansions— would get in contact with Exxistance.

Project Justice's Japanese-Exclusive Board Game Mode Has Been Translated into English

Despite Capcom's Project Justice: Rival Schools 2 being one of the pricier Sega Dreamcast games, that hasn’t stopped fans from finding other ways to experience its 3D brawling action. These days, it can be enjoyed for a far more reasonable price by picking up Capcom Fighting Collection 2. For those who want to keep it strictly Dreamcast, the much cheaper Japanese version (known as Moero! Justice Gakuen) is an option.

Players who did pick up that Japanese release for their Dreamcasts will have encountered an exclusive “board game” mode that was stripped from Western versions, likely due to the extensive work it would have required to localise. This mode lets players create their own character and explore a giant game board, occasionally getting into bouts determined by their character's stats.

Recently, a fan translator known as Billy Monks announced he was working on translating this unique mode into English, and has released the first version of his patch today. Some text and textures are still to be worked on, but he says the mode has been translated to a state that is easy enough to play through for those who want to finally give it a try. Of course, this is the only part of the game Billy has translated into English, but if you want to play any of the other modes, you can simply switch to the US or PAL version.

To play this translation, simply head to the project's GitHub page, download the patch, and use Derek Pascarella's Universal Dreamcast Patcher to apply it to your existing Japanese disc image of Project Justice.

You can play Virtua Tennis online?!

We are not even at the end of January 2026, and we have already seen two online Dreamcast games resurrected for enjoyment via DreamPi. First we had Hundred Swords on New Year’s Day, and then as of the other day, Sega’s Power Smash Tennis is back online.

Those of us in the West will be more familiar with Virtua Tennis than the Japan-released Power Smash, but rest assured they are the same game, just released under two different titles. Chances are though, you probably didn’t realise there was actually an online multiplayer mode in Virtua Tennis; but you won’t be alone as it was exclusively available in the Japanese version.

Incidentally, Virtua Tennis is a rare example of a game in that era coming out in the West before Japan, with the Japanese release arriving a full four months later. Presumably this was because an online mode was being added to the game.

Having updated my DreamPi to the latest version 2.0, I couldn’t wait to try out Power Smash online. As luck would have it, the DreamcasticChannel was planning a livestream for the community that very same day, so I knew there would be a few players online. 

Navigating the Japanese menus can be daunting at first, but once you remember it is 2026 and we have Google Translate in our pocket, getting connected, setting up your username and waiting in the lobby for other players to arrive is an absolute breeze.

Around eight of us were online and we spent the evening chatting in the lobby, playing each other over and over again, and it certainly seemed like nobody could get enough of the tennis action. 

Amazingly, there is hardly any lag to speak of and the game runs as smooth as silk. Most of us will be familiar with Virtua Tennis' gameplay and I’m delighted to say that it feels identical when you play Power Smash online. 

Once you’re in the lobby, challenging other players can be done with a few clicks of the A button, and once they accept, you’re almost immediately into a match. You select your preferred player, court type and match options beforehand (which are stored server side), so there’s no messing about when you get into a game. 

Matches tend to last between four and eight minutes each which makes it perfect for an online gaming night on Dreamcast, especially if there are a few players online. 

Each player has their win/loss statistics saved on the server, and the team at Dreamcast Live have set up a leaderboard page on the website so you can see who’s in the running to become the next Wimbledon champion. 

It was one of the most enjoyable evenings I’ve had playing Dreamcast online and I have no doubt that Power Smash will quickly become a community favourite, with regular online matches being scheduled. It’s certainly become one of my favourite games to play online because of how much action there is, how smooth the game plays, and how little waiting around there is. 

If you’d like you find out more about how to get your Dreamcast setup for online gaming, be sure to check out the excellent connection guides over at Dreamcast Live.

See you on the court soon!

20 Years of The Dreamcast Junkyard — New Merch!

We thought we'd give you a couple weeks break from beating you over the head with the news of the Junkyard website's 20th anniversary milestone. Well, enough time has passed, so it's time to formally announce that we have collaborated with some incredible artists to bring you four new t-shirt designs.

As mentioned during our previous merch drop back in 2024, 100% of the profits made by us from the sale of merch items will go exclusively towards assisting with website and podcast hosting, with any excess going towards funding further website-related projects. Let's check out the designs!

Design 1: "Web 2K5" by Animated AF! (aka Aaron Foster)

The first of four exclusive merch designs created to celebrate The Junkyard's 20th anniversary on the web. This one was illustrated by OG Dreamcast Junkyard contributor Aaron Foster, aka Animated AF, and pays tribute to the earliest layout of the site, referencing the original banner design, the first post that founder Tom made, and more. You will also have seen part of Aaron's design adorning our current header.

Design 2: "JunkyardGaGa" by Tetsu "Tez" Okano

We’re honoured to reveal that Segagaga creator Tetsu “Tez” Okano illustrated this design, which features two familiar characters sat atop a giant junked console. How did I manage to wrangle Mr. Okano to design a t-shirt for us? Well, I proof-read some English promotional copy for his newest game "THE GIRL FROM GUNMA Kai", and he offered to illustrate something for us in return. Nice guy.

This design is also available as a sticker.

Design 3: "20 Years Logo" by From Ashes to Fire (aka Kopke)

Returning once again is From Ashes to Fire (aka Kopke), who is providing a 20 year anniversary rendition of the Dreamcast Junkyard logo he created for us back in 2024. It's sleek. It's Powerful. And you've probably seen it already doing the rounds on our socials and the website itself.

This design is also available on hats and stickers.

Design 4: "Junk Grind Radio" by Uncle Clutch

The fourth and final exclusive merch design, our friend and illustrator Uncle Clutch is taking it to the streets of Tokyo-To with this absolutely killer JSR tribute logo.

This design is also available as a sticker. Be careful with where you stick it though. Remember: Sticker is art. However, sticker as an act of vandalism is a crime.

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We hope you enjoy these four exclusive DCJY 20th anniversary designs. If you are interested in picking something up for yourself, follow this link to our merch store.

New Dreamcast Fan Translations: Macross M3 and Hello Kitty Games Now Playable in English

A few new English fan translations of Japanese Sega Dreamcast games slid across my desk over the Christmas/New Year period. I acknowledged them, nodded my head. “That’s cool,” I thought, then went back to tucking into leftover turkey sandwiches and tubs of Celebrations (I swear they've made those tubs smaller, the cheap bastards). Now I'm nicely rested up, let's take a look at them.

Macross M3

First up, we had a patch for Macross M3 drop on Christmas Eve from NetsuiAya. I know little about Macross, really, but I do know that the fans are very passionate. The beauty of fan communities like Macross's, is that in their efforts to consume every piece of media associated with it, they’ll work their arses off to bring translation projects like this one to life — even if they don’t necessarily have much interest in the Dreamcast to begin with.

Developed by Shoeisha, Macross M3 is a flight/mech combat game that has players assume the roles of various pilots from across the franchise's vast timeline, gunning down enemies across eight different episodes. All of this is interspersed with plenty of character dialogue, which is the main reason why you'll be wanting to get NetsuiAya's patch, as the flying sections are completely playable without having to know Japanese.

Anyway, if you want to give this translation a go, you can download the patch here. Use the Universal Dreamcast Patcher tool to apply it to an existing disc image of the game. There is also a "colour accuracy mod" available for the true Macross heads, which swaps the colours of two of the mechs that for some reason were incorrect in the original release.

A Trio of Hello Kitty games

If you’re a raging fan of Japan’s favourite mouthless feline, then you’re in luck: not one, not two, but three Hello Kitty Dreamcast games are now playable in English. All three were developed by Sega themselves, and while they may be basic puzzlers, they're bloody charming. They are Lovely Fruit Park, Magical Block, and Waku Waku Cookies. Thanks to blashy101 for the translations.

Lovely Fruit Park is an adaptation of Colony, a puzzle game created by Midnight Synergy, that was later reskinned for older audiences into Get!! Colonies. Magical Block draws inspiration from the arcade classic Pengo, and sees Hello Kitty flinging blocks at ghosts. Finally, Waku Waku Cookies doesn't seem to be based on any specific puzzle game, but focuses on Hello Kitty stacking up and matching cookies.

She ain't afraid of no ghost.

To grab these translations, just head to their respective repositories (Lovely Fruit Park, Magical Block, Waku Waku Cookies) and follow the instructions to patch each one. There is an issue with playing Magical Block on real hardware using the current main download, so look for Derek Pascarella's fix in the issues section.

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What a lovely way to shake off those January blues. Thanks go out to our pal Derek for making us aware of all of these translations. Credit to CDRomance for all the screenshots.

Sega Dreamcast Visual Novel "Di Gi Charat Fantasy" has been Translated into English!

Hey kids! Do you like visual novels? …What’s a visual novel, you ask? Honestly, I don’t blame you for not knowing. When it comes to video game genres, these things are nicher than even the Sega Dreamcast itself. Well, Di Gi Charat Fantasy is a visual novel, and it's the latest English fan translation project to come our way from hacker extraordinaire —and good friend of the Junkyard— Derek Pascarella, along with a team of other talented individuals. 

Di Gi Charat Fantasy will be the the second officially released Dreamcast visual novel to receive an English fan translation patch, the first being Nakoruru: The Gift She Gave Me (also released by Derek et al) which received its updated 1.3 patch back in June.

Originally released exclusively in Japan on PC in early 2001, with a Dreamcast port following later that year, Di Gi Charat Fantasy presents an alternate storyline to Di Gi Charat, an anime and manga series I remember being fairly prevalent in the late-90s to early 2000s. The game was then ported to PlayStation 2 with some additional content as Di Gi Charat Fantasy Excellent. This PS2 port received an English fan translation back in October from Gopicolo, and serves as the basis for Derek's patch for Dreamcast.

Here's a little background provided by Derek on Di Gi Charat, and what you can expect from the plot of the game...

"The early anime [of Di Gi Charat] is set inside Gamers, a real retail chain in Japan that sells character goods and pop-culture media, with the main store in Akihabara. Dejiko, Puchiko, and their floating companion Gema work at Gamers, trade barbs with rival idol La Vie en Rose, and lean into running gags like Dejiko’s signature eye beam attack.

"In 'Di Gi Charat Fantasy' on Dreamcast, players will find themselves pulled from the familiar Gamers setting into Etatia, a separate fantasy world. During a spat at Gamers, Dejiko fires her eye beam, a portal opens, and the whole group is swept away. The player character wakes in a forest with Dejiko, who now has amnesia and a gentler demeanor. From there the story follows a visual novel structure with voiced scenes, character banter, and route-shaping choices as the cast explores Etatia, meets new allies and foes, and works toward restoring Dejiko’s memories and returning home."

Di Gi Charat Fantasy is a pretty standard visual novel. Lots of cutesy anime characters and text to read, with a wide variety of choices to be made that effect the direction of the narrative — with eight different character routes in total. There are also plenty of anime cutscenes in this one, so it's definitely good for existing fans of the series. Despite this, it is still accessible enough for those who haven't engaged with the franchise before.

If you fancy giving Di Gi Charat Fantasy a try, you can head over to its GitHub repository to download the patch. Instructions can be found in there on how to patch an existing GDI of the game. Another handy download that can be found in the repository is a fully completed VMU save. The game locks its "Extras" section until the player has completed all eight story routes, so this downloadable save file will give players immediate access to a cutscene gallery, a video gallery, and a music jukebox. Again, instructions can be found in the GitHub on how to transfer the save to a VMU.

Download Patch (1.0)

I always love to see Japanese Dreamcast games get translated for English-speakers, making them accessible to a whole new audience. Let us know if you'll be giving this one a go in the comments...

20 Years of The Dreamcast Junkyard

I was just going to ask ChatGPT to write me a post about this and add some fuel to the ever-churning AI slop engine that now both powers the internet and pushes RAM prices to cataclysmic levels; but as I was about to click 'generate,' I was visited by a ghastly apparition. The spectre that appeared before my very eyes was a scruffy, hungover urchin uttering barely coherent gibberish about GD-Rom drive emulation, hi-tech VMUs with colour screens, countless new independently developed games, wireless Dreamcast controllers and revitalised online servers. Disgusted by its unkempt appearance, I tried to waft the unspeakable phantom's form away with a swipe of my hand. It was then that I realised that I was actually seeing my own image reflected in my monitor.

Shocked and appalled by what I had witnessed, I promptly closed ChatGPT (other shite slop generators are available) and came to my senses. The 'this' I mention in the opening sentence of this post — and alluded to by the title — is the realisation that yes, we have indeed been here for twenty years. Two decades of Dreamcast-related nonsense here at The Dreamcast Junkyard. And lo, I thought that was worth waffling on about for a bit. Well, waffling in text form. You get the idea.

Before I continue though, just for shits and gigs, I did actually ask a popular AI thing what it knew about this very blog. I know this is super cringe, and the modern day equivalent of Googling yourself or putting yourself on Hot or Not to see if your face does indeed look like a three week old jack-o'-lantern that's been left in the sun...but let's just have a bit of fun here. So, what does...er...Gemini think The Dreamcast Junkyard is? 

Here's what it projectile vomited:

That's a great question! The Dreamcast Junkyard is a well-known, independent, and passionate online collective dedicated to the Sega Dreamcast console.

Here is a breakdown of what they do:

• Online Hub for Fans: It's considered a leading source for news, reviews, retrospectives, and everything else related to Sega's final console, which was discontinued in 2001 but still enjoys a dedicated fan base.
• Content Focus: They produce a variety of content, including:
• Reviews and Articles: Deep dives into both classic Dreamcast games and new, commercially released indie/homebrew titles.
• The DreamPod Podcast: A podcast that focuses on Dreamcast culture, collecting, the community, and general retro gaming topics.
• Hardware Coverage: They often look into Dreamcast peripherals, different console variations, and preservation efforts.
• Passion Project: The site started as a personal blog in 2005 by a fan named Tom Charnock and has grown into a collaborative, not-for-profit effort run by a team of dedicated enthusiasts.

In short, it's a thriving online community that keeps the spirit and excitement for the Sega Dreamcast alive and well!

As if to demonstrate how utterly unhinged these AI models are, and to further illustrate why we absolutely do not need this bullshit, the gushing nature of this response actually makes me feel a bit embarrassed. Also, I'm aware that copying and pasting that garbage back into this blog is only going to add to the ever-decreasing circle of content scraping depravity that these LLMs engage in...but at this point the internet is so far removed from the one that existsed back in 2005 when I started this blog, that its a bit of a moot point.

You can probably tell from this opening gambit that I'm no fan of AI, and I apologise for even using it to try and be funny (I'm not). Interesting that the whole 'It's Thinking' US Dreamcast campaign leaned so hard into the whole 'Dreamcast is so advanced it knows what you're going to do' thing. But I've digressed again...so let's get back on track. It's been twenty years since my first post here at the 'Yard — a blog I started because I was insufferably bored. I'd recently got back into the Dreamcast, and I'd been engrossed by resources such as Dreamcast Scene et al and thought I might take a stab at just making a personal blog about buying all the Dreamcast games I could find now (then) that had become super cheap.

2005 was a very different time in the world of Dreamcast. The console was essentially in the bin; the Xbox and PS2 and GameCube were the stars of the show and Dreamcast games, consoles and peripherals were on sale —at least here in the UK— for literal pence. Nobody wanted or gave a shit about the Dreamcast, outside of those spaces on the internet such as the aforementioned DCS and similar hotspots of the fandom. When I first started this blog, I never intended it to be any more than a personal diary where I recounted buying up all the old games I'd previously owned, while casting an eye over the ones I'd never had the opportunity to experience the first time around. I didn't set out for anyone to read it, I had no expectations at all. It was simply a thing for me to exercise my limited creativity, try to replicate the actual games journalists I'd grown up reading in magazines, and just have a bit of fun. I never for one moment thought I'd be here, twenty years hence, writing this drivel on a blog that has — as surprised as I am to realise it — become something of a cornerstone of the very community I looked up to in the first place. For that, I am truly grateful.

But it was not, and never has been a solo endeavour (well, apart from those first few months where I simply amused myself by writing slightly unhinged posts about stuff only tangentially related to the Dreamcast). Many talented individuals have graced the pages of this blog and not only served the memory of the Dreamcast, but have gone on to be highly successful in other fields. There have been events held in person, I've somehow been invited to write for esteemed magazines and books and launched a podcast (and been a guest on other podcasts) even though I can barely string a coherent sentence together.

What I guess I'm trying to say here, is that this whole thing isn't about me. It's about you — the ones here reading this right now. You, the people with the skills and knowledge and knowhow and enduring curiosity and love for the Dreamcast. The hardware, the software, the endless possibilities when it comes to engineering new limitless solutions which keep this platform alive. The ones who buy the indie games, post online, make YouTube videos, chat about recently discovering the Dreamcast and asking which games you should buy. To you I take my hat off — you keep the dream alive. I have done nothing really, but report on what you do while simultaneously being a spectator and a commentator on what awesome people can achieve with awesome ideas and awesome hardware. I'm just a fan, as it were. 

I've not been alone in keeping The Dreamcast Junkyard going for the last couple of decades; there have been many people who have exhibited their talents on the pages of this blog, on the podcast, on the YouTube channel and on our social media accounts. I'm not going to list them all, but they know who they are. So yeah, here we are, in 2025 still keeping the fires burning and below are some nice comments from people who have either consumed the content produced by the team here over the years, produced the content themselves, or are friends we met along the way. And I might add, if you want to skip the following messages, you might want to scroll down to the bottom to see what we have planned to celebrate this milestone outside of this simple blog post.

Some nice words from real people who are definitely not AI

James Harvey (DCJY): "As someone who read the Junkyard from the very beginning, it was a surreal honour to finally meet Tom and become a part of this wonderful team. Twenty years covering the greatest console ever, and we still have new things to talk about every month!"

Laurence Goodchild (DCJY): "The fact that the Junkyard has been kicking out articles for two decades on a strictly independent and non-profit basis is a huge achievement. No grifting, no clickbait, no shilling, and a messy website that actually maintains some character in a sea of monotony. I bloody love it. Hopefully the DIY ethos and community spirit can be sustained by future generations of volunteers."

Lewis Cox (DCJY): "The Junkyard is a pillar of the Dreamcast community, and I think I speak for many fans when I say it's a pivotal stop on anyone's Dreamcast fanboy journey. I was absolutely stoked when Tom asked me to join the site in 2018. Fast-forward a few years and I’m deep into writing deep dives and recording the podcast — and loving every minute of it. I’m honoured to be one of the people helping to keep this wonderful website alive, and grateful to Tom for allowing me to take on more of an administrative role as he roams the rain-soaked country roads of the United Kingdom on his motorbike. I can’t believe it’s been 20 years, let's make it 20 more!"

Mike Phelan (DCJY Alumni): "Longevity is a rare commodity nowadays. Fads rise and fall, what is ‘hot’ and indeed what is ‘not’ changes on a near daily basis in a world where information bounces around at light speed and ‘trending’ and ‘viral’ have become bywords for our collective inability for things to keep our interest. Against that, a little blog started 20 years ago has stood the test of time. Outlasting Sega’s own time in the home console market, one site has kept the fires burning for a machine that has proven to be a true gaming underdog. What started as one man’s Dreamcast journey has morphed into a hub of information, a community of like-minded nostalgic gamers passionate both about the past and shining a light on a niche, underground scene still brimming with life. In doing so, it differentiated itself from ‘other’ gaming sites — a very British sense of humour, never afraid to tell it how it is and a self-deprecating ability to never take itself too seriously.

"There’s been ups and downs; a podcast listened to by thousands, panels at gaming conventions, exclusive, exciting ‘breaking news’, interviews with DC legends; many have passed through the hallowed halls of the Junkyard, some continue the fight for recognition of the swirl, others now content with the occasional re-emergence and more still faded into the midsts of time. Friends have been made, enemies too I’m sure (the Wild West days of the DCJY Facebook Group certainly were interesting!) but the Junkyard perseveres.

"My own favourite memories of the Junkyard start before I even came on board. It was a site that I discovered not long after getting back into the machine (2007-ish? My memory, unlike the DCJY, has faded with the years); Tom and the early apostles of the DCJY scripture were beacons of a shared love for the little machine of dreams. I watched as it morphed into something bigger than Tom surely ever imagined. I remember recording a podcast dockside in Bristol, interrupted intermittently by the sounds of a train; representing the ‘Yard in the Vegas of the North, myself and Tom sharing a panel with Dreamcast luminaries in a moment that still feels slightly surreal. The chaos of podcast recording, the joy of reading articles ranging from ultra informative to downright anarchic, and of course the infamous Dreamcast Junkyard Ultimate Collectors Guide. I will forever be grateful to Tom for helping to get the first version of the guide out into a physical form; it started with a random email to a site I held as the epitome of the Dreamcast scene and ended with a cease and desist from SEGA.

"Today the Junkyard remains as strong as ever. The captain may have changed — now steered through treacherous waters by Lewis with a fresh crew of Dreamcast zealots (Lewis and the Dreamcastanauts? Would make a great name for a pop-punk band), it continues to present insightful commentary and news in its own way. Here's to 20 years more —and beyond— of The Dreamcast Junkyard!”

Aaron 'Animated AF!' Foster (DCJY Alumni): "Surely it's not been 20 years, right? Now I think about it, it does feel like quite a while ago since I was walking down to my nearest GameStation to nab a few more two for a fiver Dreamcast games! My memory is pretty fuzzy about how exactly I stumbled upon the Dreamcast Junkyard back then, but when I did I was enamoured to find Tom doing the same GameStation trek and documenting it, so much so that I wanted to join in! This was in a point of my life where I was really starting to find my voice online and the wonders of tech like YouTube meant I could start even showing people silly stuff like playing Virtua Tennis with a fishing controller and talking about how blowy-shitty-uppy Bangai-O was! The Dreamcast console still holds a special place in my heart and most of that is due of the wonderful community that grew from this at-the-time humble little blog! Cheers! *clink*"

James Brown (Shenmue Dojo): "The Dreamcast Junkyard has been my go to retro gaming website and podcast for as long as I can remember now, consistently keeping me connected to the wonderful world that was SEGA’s swan song console. It’s been my main source of news and allows me to keep in touch with all of the inner workings of the Dreamcast community, who are all as passionate (and just as mad) as myself. The Dreamcast has literally shaped my life, and continues to do so, with Shenmue my biggest inspiration. The Junkyard has stood by our side through thick and thin and ‘I await whilst praying’ for many more moons to come!"

Patrick Traynor (Sega Saturn, SHIRO!): "I first encountered the Junkyard back in the Spring of 2015. I just started getting back into Dreamcast collecting after a couple year break, and followed a few retro podcasts prior. Looking for Dreamcast content, I found the DreamPod and fell in love. The podcast had everything I was looking for: an early 2000s aesthetic, an amazing knowledgeable staff, great guests, and recommendations for Dreamcast titles I've missed or overlooked. 

"The podcast was so amazing, it eventually inspired me to start my own about the SEGA Saturn with a few friends, which became SEGA Saturn, SHIRO! Years later, I've gotten to collaborate with the Junkyard, and proud to call many of you involved with the Junkyard friends. Just saying thanks would not even be close to what I owe the Junkyard. Congratulations on 20 years everyone, definitely looking forward to the next 20!"

Derek Pascarella (Hacker/Fan Translator): "Wow... 20 years of The Dreamcast Junkyard! It's hard to put into words just how significant the Junkyard is, and has been, for the Dreamcast scene. For me personally, the DreamPod remains one of my biggest comfort listens. Whenever I hear that "This is a Dreamcast disc, and is for use only in a Dreamcast unit" soundbite play, a warm blanket of SEGA goodness envelopes me from head to toe. I must also say that I adore how strongly The Junkyard supports so many personas in the Dreamcast scene: indie developers, content creators, and even romhackers (like me). 

"The finger is truly on the pulse, and you can always count on The Junkyard being at the forefront of posting about new games, new devices/mods, as well as new patches and hacks. Hell, you can even find amazing retrospective posts on Dreamcast games we've all been playing for over two decades, full of details and insights that somehow manage to make those old games feel like green fields with so much to discover and enjoy. We love you, Junkyard. Thank you for two incredible decades! My life is, without a doubt, better because of Tom's little pick-ups blog that grew into the world's best one-stop-shop for Dreamcast fans.”

KC (The Sega Lounge): "It’s crazy when everyone’s celebrating these big milestone anniversaries and you’re forced to face the fact that you, yourself, are getting older. However, as much as it’s weird that The Dreamcast Junkyard is already 20, it’s also strange that it isn’t older. To me, it feels like it has always been a part of my online life, if that makes sense. The Dreamcast is still, to this day, a big part of my life, and whether I want to be informed or entertained, I know DCJY is the place to be for all my (blue) swirl needs. I can always count on the Junkyard team to stay on top of the happenings around the Dreamcast scene, share their love for a new and promising indie darling coming to SEGA’s box of dreams, or even just find a barber!

"The DreamPod is also a permanent part of my podcast listening rotation and a very enjoyable show that never fails to leave me smiling after each episode. I’ve been fortunate enough to be on the show and privileged to have some of the guys on my own podcast. A delight. 

"When the topic of relevant websites comes up in conversations with friends, DCJY is always mentioned. Frankly, it’s not just a relevant SEGA or video game resource, but also a prime example of how to keep a community alive and well. So here’s to the Junkyard’s 20th anniversary! May you keep us all dreaming for many more years."

Freakdave (Developer): "I’d come across DCJY before, but things really took off when Luke Benstead (Kazade) and I (Freakdave) released our Tunnels demo into the wild. We ended up with a mention on the DCJY site and a nod in one of their countless Dreampod episodes. Now here we are in 2025, and I’m raising a mug of coffee in my Dreamcast Junkyard cup to wish you a very Happy 20th Anniversary!"

Ross Kilgariff (Developer): "I was contacted by Tom from The Dreamcast Junkyard 8 years ago (!) for an interview on my work-in-progress game project, at the time called "Dungeon Ross". I had no previous experience promoting my games and getting a message from "the press" was a really big deal to me. I told my family members and proudly shared the link to the article and video. The interest that DCJY showed back then gave me confidence and made me want to stick around on the platform. So thanks DCJY for 20 years of service, and here's to 20 more :)"

Dreamcast Enjoyer (YouTube): "Raising a Hassy to celebrate 20 years of the Dreamcast Junkyard — a wonderful community and still my internet homepage to this day. Thanks for keeping the dream alive, lads!"

Adam Koralik (YouTube): "20 years of talking about the Dreamcast, at least you still make me look like the young one. Next year, come to the US for a bit and you'll be old enough for me to get you a beer, that I guess by my own logic I'm not old enough for. Keep dreaming!"

Video Game Esoterica (YouTube): "DCJY is turning 20? One more year and it can legally drink High Life! But seriously...how has it been 20 years? I still remember finding the site forever ago looking up some Dreamcast info and it's been a part of my "Sega Life" since then! I love that a console that had approximately a three year lifespan can make 20 years of engaging content and still not feel old! Here's to another 20 years so we can buy DCJY a '40th birthday' balloon like I got this year!"

Daniel Ibbertson aka DJ Slope (YouTube): "The Dreamcast Junkyard has not only been one of the most valuable sources for all things Dreamcast (and beyond) but the team behind it have personally helped the channel multiple times too with their invaluable knowledge. It's always a pleasure to remember to open up a browser and binge on what the site offers and as a hardcore Sega fan. I'm chuffed that the site is still going strong 20 years later."

PC Wizard (YouTube): "A 20-year accumulation of Dreamcast-related words and phrases that come together in a wonderful tapestry of articles to celebrate the world's best video game console. It brings tears to my eyes! Or maybe that's just the onion I'm cutting as I write this... Either way, happy 20th to the greatest junkyard on the web!"

Adrian O’Neil (DCJY Superfan): "Congratulations on the 20th anniversary of the Junkyard! Genuinely the Junkyard/DreamPod is my favourite Blog site and podcast. All contributors to the Junkyard are amazing. A special thanks has to be reserved for Tom.. Here’s to another 20 years!"

Uncle Clutch (also a DCJY Superfan): "I got caught in the Dreamcast spiral back in ’99, and the Junkyard has kept it spinning in my head ever since. Nostalgia pulled me in at first, but new games, projects, and the friendly community have kept me in its orbit. Congratulations on 20 years!"

What a lovely collection of messages, I'm sure you'll agree. Brings a tear to th'eye, I tell thi.

But wait, there's more!

It would be rather remiss of us to simply post a blog about reaching such a milestone. Back when we reached our 10th anniversary in 2015 we ran a competition in collaboration with SEGA Europe where they gave us a load of Dreamcast Collection limited edition vinyl records to give away. Hands up if you remember that? But I digress (again). This year we have something equally as cool, and we'll be announcing the details in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out!

Look up to see Aaron (Animated AF!)'s amazing tribute to the Junkyard's earliest header design!

For now though, I just wanted to once again thank everyone who comes here to read our articles, listens to our podcast and who just generally has a passion for keeping the Dream alive. To the people who continue to churn out the podcasts and the articles and the social media content. Without all of you out there keeping the Dreamcast relevant, there'd be no point in any of this. So thank you.

With that, I'm off to watch some AI-generated videos of Will Smith eating a Pot Noodle through a fence. Ciao for now!