Sturmwind Throwback Edition Will Feature Exclusive T-Shirt

We revealed the Sturmwind Throwback Edition a few weeks ago, and until now further information has been a bit thin on the ground. Happily though, we can now announce that the special edition available exclusively through US indie game retailer The Bit Station will also include a bespoke Sturmwind T-shirt. The Bit Station assure us that the reason for the lack of further info has been down to the overwhelming demand for the standard issue version, but the Throwback Edition (which also includes the highly sought-after Kraken plushie and exclusive Sturmwind stickers) will be available from late February 2017.

The good news is that the shirt will also be available as a standalone item, so keep checking The Bit Station's site for your chance to secure one of these awesome-looking shirts. Note that the artwork has not yet been finalised; but if it's anything like the cool distressed design shown above, then we're totally behind them.

The Bit Station are selling a host of other Dreamcast indie titles too, so be sure to check them out.

Life, the Universe and Silver

I think it's pretty safe to say that the Dreamcast's library isn't exactly bursting with legendary role playing games. Naturally, there are some well regarded titles like Skies of Arcadia, Time Stalkers and Grandia II but in the grand scheme of major console releases, the Dreamcast's meagre selection pales in comparison to contemporary systems like the PlayStation; and even more so when pitched against the might of the Super Nintendo. To be brutally honest, this doesn't really bother me because my affinity with RPGs is negligible. I'm not overly enamoured with the genre and much prefer to spend my game time playing racers, shooters and the occasional soccer game.

In recent times though, the vast majority of my free time has been spent guiding one Geralt of Rivia through the trials and tribulations of The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, and so my hard and fast opinion of role players has softened somewhat. And while I realise that The Witcher III is probably more of an action RPG than a hardcore, turn-based affair, I think it is testament to the quality of CD Projekt Red's game that someone who doesn't generally dabble in that type of experience has become fully absorbed in the adventure. Also, according to this Eurogamer article, the voice of Geralt lives just up the road from me so the experience is now extra special. I must also stress at this juncture, that the rumours of me camping outside his house and digging through his bins for discarded banana peels and samples of hair and/or skin are wholly unsubstantiated.

"Get away from my bins!"

So yeah, the point I'm failing to make here is that the Dreamcast doesn't have many traditional RPGs. The ones I have mentioned are considered as the cream of the crop, and then there's Shenmue...but is that really an RPG? I guess it does have all the hallmarks of an RPG, and I'd personally be inclined to class it as such but I already get enough grief about these articles from the folk who just see the titles on social media, let alone the ones who actually take the time to click through and read the shite I write; so I'm just going to hold my hands up and say that I both agree and disagree that Shenmue is an RPG. It's both. It neither is nor isn't an RPG, at the same time. It's Shroedingermue. There's also Record of Lodoss War...which is alright I guess. But I've played that one for about 20 minutes in total and that was back in 2006 if memory serves, so I'm hardly qualified to say just how shit it is. Come at me, internet pettifoggers.

Let's get back on track though. You came here because you saw some bollocks on Twitter or Facebook about Silver, and that is what I'm going to give you. Silver, is an action-RPG developed by Spiral House and published by Infogrames in both Europe and the United States (but not Japan) which represents something of an oddity on the Dreamcast; what with its real-time combat and profanity-ridden script. Not that that's a bad thing when coupled with the glorious accents and intonation of northern England - a sacred part of the world from which the author of this piece hails. A land of milk and honey, a rich tapestry of dialects, patchwork fields and dark satanic mills that would put Tolkien's image of Middle Earth to shame. And by 'milk and honey' I mean 'late trains and broken gas mains,' by the way. Oh, and wider social decay and misery than has ever been described in a George Orwell penned, semi-biographical tome...but you get the idea.

Akura HDMI Box Now Available For Pre-order

We recently reported on the Akura VGA to HDMI converter box here at the Junkyard, and true to form the fine gentlemen over at Beharbros have now opened pre-orders for the unit. Weighing in at $85 with free shipping, the unit isn't exactly what we'd call cheap, but for the asking price you do get the typical outstanding build quality and lifetime guarantee that the other display boxes from Beharbros have been privy to.

Personally, I think this unit looks the dog's bollocks. I've seen various comments on social media about it being expensive or there being other alternatives for a lower price...but lets be honest here. The Akura doesn't need an external power supply or any additional cables in order for the user to connect a Dreamcast - an system knocking on the the door of 20 years old - to a HDMI-equipped display.

Simply plug the Akura into a Dreamcast, and then plug a HDMI cable into the Akura. I'm not going to argue with that. The Akura is more than just a converter though - it also adds scan lines and some other lovely features:

• 480p video output via HDMI
• RGB/VGA switch to select the 15khz RGB mode or the 31khz VGA mode
• HDMI connector for plugging to your TV/monitor
• Headphone audio output jack for plugging to a Hi-Fi or TV
• Scanliner ON/OFF switch to turn it on or off
• Scanliner Even/Odd switch for selecting even or odd scan lines
• Scanliner Width switch for selecting thin or thick scan lines
• Luminosity adjustment as a bonus feature
• High quality custom made Dreamcast audio/video cable

For the record, I do own a VGA to HMDI converter (see above), it cost me a grand total of £7 off eBay...and I must say that it works just fine. That said, I'm still totally behind the introduction of the Akura because I know that it will still be working in another 8 to 10 years, and beyond. The converter I have already has a weird buzzing noise coming out of it, the connectors are constantly falling out, and the stench of burning flesh emanates from the thing whenever I plug it in. And then there are the demonic apparitions that appear in the mirror whenever electricity is pulsing through the tiny device...but I've learned to live with them. Joking aside, the Akura looks like a decent bit of kit and the addition of the scan line generator should help people decide if its a device they'd like to own.

The Akura is due to ship from March 2017, and you can go here to pre-order. Or simply head to our Facebook group or Twitter to comment on how much you hate the fact that the Akura exists! You can also find a video discussing the Akura by Sega Scream here.

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories Depicts Harsh Truth of Dreamcast Ownership

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories is a series I'd never heard of before being alerted to its existence by Twitter user Decider-VT. After a little bit of research (via a mysterious and arcane tool known as Google), I deduced that Tokyo Diner is a well-regarded but still fairly obscure Netflix exclusive series that focuses on the neon-soaked, nocturnal eating habits of the denizens of the Japanese capital.

Episode 7 of Midnight Diner is of particular interest here though, not least because it paints an unforgiving image of the destiny of a person who is just the right age to have been a gamer at the launch of the Dreamcast, but who's life has spiralled out of control. The scenes in question unfold in the following manner:

I can identify with this unknown and unnamed bum. I'm almost 40 myself. I was there at the launch of the Dreamcast and my life is a bit of a car crash. I'm certainly not a bum living in my auntie's house, freeloading and falling asleep in my own squalor; but I'm definitely living from shit paycheque to shit paycheque writing utter bollocks about a console that's about as dead as my zest for life.

I'm pretty sure that one day I'll wake up in a dumpster/mold-ridden bedsit, surrounded by broken Dreamcasts and empty beer cans. Until then though, I'm quite happy to look upon the mystery Dreamcast bum and offer my support and respect. This legend might be in his 40s and jobless, but he has impeccable taste in retro video game consoles. Also, he should probably change the aspect ratio on that screen before the internet finds out...

The Official Sega Dreamcast EU Service Manual

Look, I'm not going to pretend this will interest everyone who stumbles across this hallowed repository of Dreamcast-related guff. We take the rough with the smooth here, as part of our service-level agreement with nobody in particular. So for every amazing escapade though the neon-hued worlds of our favourite Dreamcast games, equilibrium must be restored with a fairly mundane trip through the pages of a Dreamcast service manual. I don't make the rules - I merely enforce them. So with that said, allow me to present...the official Sega Dreamcast EU service manual! Huzzah!

This document was uploaded to the internet by fellow Dreamcast enthusiast Comby Laurent - the same guy without whom we would never have sampled the delights of the recently discovered official Dreamcast Megadrive emulator. While I'm sure this document won't be new to many people who were (and still are) involved in the service of Dreamcasts back in the day, I certainly hadn't seen an official service manual before so I thought it was worth sharing.

Nonsensical Dreamcast Shirts Now Available At Urban Outfitters

I really don't know where to begin with this. I started seeing these long-sleeved pullovers popping up on eBay several years ago, and I thought they looked awful. The thin, cheaply made material and the garish screen-printed (nonsensical) decal featuring a PAL Dreamcast swirl with a load of Japanese text just turned me off. I noted that the same sellers were also listing similar Sega Saturn, N64 and PlayStation-branded shirts, and various other items of apparel with console logos all over them. Back then, they were on sale for around £10 each if memory serves. Personally, I thought they looked a bit shit so didn't even bother entertaining the idea of buying one.

Photo credit: Jan Swidan

In the intervening years, it appears that someone has tapped up Sega Europe, acquired official licensing and now these dreadful garments have found their way onto the racks of high street fashion outlet Urban Outfitters. Several people on Twitter have asked me if I'd seen these shirts and so I thought I'd write this article to say that yes, I have seen them. Yes, I saw them years ago on eBay. I thought they looked shit in 2015 and I still think they look shit now - even more so because they now cost £35.

Dreamcast On The Go With PlayStation Vita

The PlayStation Vita is quite easily one of my favourite handheld systems. I've owned plenty of other portable gaming devices - and still do - but for me the PS Vita blends console-quality gaming with the types of games you'd expect on a handheld. Currently in my collection I have an Atari Lynx, Neo Geo Pocket, Nintendo DS, Game Gear, PSP Go, Gameboy Micro and Gameboy Pocket. I appreciate them all, but not as much as the Vita. I wouldn't go as far as saying it is my all time favourite pocket-sized gaming device, for that title would undoubtedly go the the Gameboy Advance SP AGS 101 (the one with the sexy backlit screen), but it is definitely up there at the top of the pile.

Regardless of the way Sony has handled the business side of things when it comes to the PS Vita, the fact remains that it is a great bit of gaming tech and a worthy successor to the PSP in terms of features and technology. Much like the Dreamcast with Sega, the PS Vita does represent something of a missed opportunity for Sony as there are so many things that could have been done with the hardware; but ultimatley the system is now being kept alive by third parties and indie devs. Now, you'd be forgiven for asking yourself why the hell I'm praising the Vita on a Dreamcast site? This is The Dreamcast Junkyard, not The Vita Lounge dammit!

Calm down, dear - I'll tell you for why. But before I do, let me just say that after having more than a passing interest in the Dreamcast for the best part of 20 years, I'm well aware of actual portable Dreamcasts. Oh, and Treamcasts. Now that's out of the way, on with the show...!