Original 1999 Xbox Controller Designs Show VMU Device

So you might have seen these images by now, as Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley tweeted them two days ago on Saturday night. As soon as I saw them I was intrigued and asked how 'genuine' they were...and my question simply received a 'favourite.' I'll be honest - I didn't actually know who Seamus was at the time so I was a bit sceptical, but it turns out these images are indeed real.

Dating from November 1999 according to Blackley, the drawings depict several prototype Xbox controllers and they all feature a VMU style memory unit very similar to the Dreamcast design. The most interesting thing here is the date - it confirms that Microsoft was planning a console as early as 1999, and was already looking at the Dreamcast as a blueprint for the Xbox.

Forbidden Planet Now Stocking Dreamcast Merchandise

Thanks to author of the DCJY Ultimate Guide/DreamPod co-host/intrepid reporter Mike Phelan for this news. Today he braved the incessant rain of the British summer and ventured to his local branch of comic book/sci-fi emporium Forbidden Planet, and was met with an awesome selection of Dreamcast-related merchandise. We knew about the Megadrive branded stuff they were selling previously, but this Dreamcast range was news to us!

Mike's Nokia 7560 camera coming to the rescue once again

T-shirts, mugs, wallets, coasters, greetings cards, travel pass and passport holders - all emblazoned with Dreamcast, Jet Set Radio and Shenmue II designs are all now available to purchase from the popular retailer. Not only are they available in store - you can also find them online. Mike went a bit overboard and literally purchased everything he could find so we'll get a full update soon on the quality of the merchandise, but if you'd like to check these out for yourself follow the links below.

Dreamcast range

Jet Set Radio range

Shenmue II range

A Short Film About Life, Love and the Dreamcast

Waiting For A Star (The Last Word - Strength To Dream) is a slightly surreal comedy short created by amateur film maker Daniel Price, and tells the story of a despondent young man who finds meaning through a love of the Dreamcast. I think. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what it's about, but there are some pretty funny monologue sections inter cut with the protagonist's piss-poor attempts at playing Sega Rally 2. It's all very arty in an 'angsty student' type of way, and I do actually know the creator in real life...so I suppose I could ask him what the fuck all this random chaos means...but I'm far, far too lazy. Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to be confused and amused by Waiting For A Star (The Last Word - Strength To Dream)...

If anyone knows who the German guy in the video is, please let me know. I can't be arsed doing a Google image search. I've got more important things to do, like whiten yet another yellow Dreamcast I recently picked up. Cheers. (Edit - I've been informed that it's Alex Wright, a former professional wrestler. Make perfect sense now. Um...)

Dream Trance Rez Vibrator Video Review

The PlayStation 2 famously received a small and slightly odd peripheral in the form of the Rez Trance Vibrator, which was a small USB-powered block that would pulse and shake in time with the music while playing Tetsuya Mizuguchi's psychedelic masterpiece. Sadly, the DC was already in a body bag by the time the Trance Vibrator hit, so nothing of the sort was ever released for it.

Until now, that is. Fellow DCJY member Scott Marley (aka Sega Retro's Doc Eggfan) has created the world's first - and only - Dreamcast Rez vibration unit, Dream Trance...and he sent it to me to review. Please note that the Dream Trance only really mimics the functions of a standard Dreamcast rumble pack and doesn't vibrate in time with the game music, but it's a cool little device and demonstrates what can be achieved with a little imagination and technical know-how. Here's the video:

1080p is available from the video options menu

As stated, there's only one Dream Trance unit in existence at the moment - the one in the video. However, if people wish to own their own Dream Trance, please let us know in the comments and we'll see what we can do with regards to making them a reality for other Rez fans.

You can also find Ross's Rez Infinite first look mentioned in the video above by visiting this link.

DreamPod - Episode 34: FightPod

[iTunes][Stitcher][Buzzsprout][UK Podcast Directory][YouTube]

Music in this episode comes from Last Blade 2, Marvel Vs Capcom 2 and Soul Calibur. You can follow Spencer on Twitter here, and find his extensive articles on various games at Hardcore Gaming 101 by tapping/clicking the links below:

Akai Katana

Dodonpachi

Ibara / Pink Sweets

Mushihime-sama

If you’d like to contribute to our Patreon then please go here, and if you’d like to submit a review or subscribe then feel free to check DreamPod out on iTunes.

Event: Revival Solstice 2016

The time has come for The Dreamcast Junkyard to once again mobilise its fleet of consoles, monitors, peripherals and games for the betterment of Humankind. This time, we have our sights set on the UK's biggest retro-gaming event, Revival Solstice 2016. The event takes place at Banks's Stadium in Walsall over the weekend of the 30-31 July and promises to be an extravaganza of retro-gaming awesomeness - and not just because we'll be there. Those attending Revival Solstice can expect over 50 arcade and pinball machines to play, over 100 retro consoles to sample, traders selling all kinds of game-related merchandise (and games, naturally) and a host of competitions and tournaments. There are also some really great guest Q & A sessions including Paul Rose (aka Mr Biffo of Digitiser/Digitiser 2000 fame) and veteran games developer Jim Bagley.


Revival 2013

The Junkyard will be providing a total of 6 Dreamcast systems, each with a range of peripherals such as light guns and arcade sticks; and of course a wide selection of games for event goers to experience. Rather helpfully we'll also be situated very close to the fully-licensed bar inside the event hall, so feel free to grab a beer (or a coke) and come and have a chat or a game of Soul Calibur with us. Mike Phelan will be in attendance on both days, so if you want your copy of the Ultimate Guide defacing with his autograph (and having it's value reduced to minus figures), bring that along; while Tom will be charging a mere £85 for photographs and £75 for a handshake.

Tickets for Revival Solstice 2016 are available now and entry costs £12 per day for adults and £6 per day for under 12s (family/weekend tickets are also available). For further information and directions to the event, visit the official Revival Retro Events website or the Revival Facebook page.

Signed Ozzfest 2000 Dreamcast Surfaces on eBay

Another remnant from those strange days of early 2000s Dreamcast marketing has come to the fore. It's not widely discussed anymore, but Sega apparently sponsored the 2000 Ozzfest music festival, slapped Dreamcast logos all over the place and kitted out a load of trucks under the Mobile Assault Tour brand in order to raise awareness amongst the angsty youth of the day. $135 million well spent.

One of the more interesting aspects of this endeavour was roping in stars like Ozzy Osbourne to play Dreamcast games against festival goers, so they could win signed merchandise and consoles...and one of these signed systems has once again surfaced on eBay. It's not known how many of these signed Ozzy Osbourne Dreamcasts there are out in the wild, but at least one other has come up for auction in the past, as detailed by this TSSZ article from 2011. The article up for grabs here though appears to be completely unopened and unused (apart from when the Prince of Darkness graffitied it with a sharpie, obviously), and the owner claims to be the original recipient back at Ozzfest 2000.

The asking price is just shy of $1000 (£700) and is out of financial reach for many, but as a piece of Dreamcast and music history, it will probably only increase in value (unlike those autographed Fred Durst Dreamcasts that people will actually pay you to take away). Check out the auction here.