midnightguy
Member
Microsoft, Sega Collaborate on Dreamcast: The Ultimate Home Video Game
System
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Microsoft Corp.
sigh. I miss those days. the days of Xbox 0.5 ....I mean Dreamcast :lol
System
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Microsoft Corp.
Inclusion of Windows CE Operating System Creates Platform That Will
Deliver Innovations in Next-Generation Games and Entertainment
REDMOND, Wash., May 21 / 1998 / PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. today
announced it will collaborate with Sega
Enterprises Ltd. on Sega's new Dreamcast home video game system,
slated for release in Japan on Nov. 20, 1998, and in the rest of the
world in 1999. As a result of the collaboration, Microsoft will
provide an optimized version of the Microsoft(R) Windows(R) CE
operating system with integrated DirectX(R) services as the operating
system for use with Dreamcast.
The Microsoft and Sega collaboration marks a leap forward in game
console technology. Dreamcast will include advanced hardware
technology in 3-D graphics, sound and input devices, as well as an
on-board modem to support Internet access and network gaming. The
inclusion of Windows CE with DirectX provides a flexible, versatile
development environment, supported by Microsoft development tools,
that eases title development and makes possible true cross-platform
title compatibility with Windows-based PCs. The result is a powerful
platform that enables creative and technical advances in video games
to reach entirely new levels.
``We have worked very closely with Sega for nearly two years to
optimize Windows CE to provide the services and level of performance
necessary for the exacting development requirements of video games,''
said Harel Kodesh, general manager, consumer appliances group at
Microsoft. ``We are tremendously excited by the opportunities the
Dreamcast system offers to traditional video game developers and the
PC gaming community.''
``Sega is excited to announce that Dreamcast is the first home
entertainment system to be designed for use with Windows CE,'' said
Shoichiro Irimajiri, president of Sega Enterprises Ltd. ``We are
confident that our collaboration with Microsoft will create an
unequalled environment for developers that will lead to the greatest
selection of high-quality game titles ever seen on a home video game
system.''
Windows CE and DirectX
With the inclusion of Windows CE, Dreamcast will bring the benefits of
an advanced Windows-based development environment to the world of
console game development for the first time. Using Windows CE,
developers will be able to create cross-platform titles more
efficiently by taking advantage of well-established Win32(R) and
DirectX APIs that are source-code-compatible with the Windows
operating system on the PC. Incorporation of DirectX will also allow
the Dreamcast system to capitalize on the momentum toward PC gaming
and the ever-increasing body of developers creating games for the
Windows platform.
The Windows CE environment has been minimized in terms of memory
requirements and optimized in terms of game performance, giving
developers the confidence that software developed for Dreamcast will
take full advantage of every hardware capability in the system.
An additional benefit of this new software platform will be the key
services provided by the operating system and DirectX-based game
libraries, including support for input devices, sound, 3-D graphics,
and memory and CD file management. Support in Windows CE for standard
Internet protocols, Winsock and the DirectPlay(R) API will allow
developers to take advantage of the Dreamcast system's modem
capabilities. In addition, the modular architecture of Windows CE
means operating system components and DirectX-based services can be
eliminated if not required, or replaced by the developer's own custom
libraries.
Development Tools
The development tools provided with the Dreamcast system's Windows CE
Software Development Kit (SDK) are built around the Microsoft Visual
Studio(R) development system version 5.0 with well-tested and refined
Visual C++(R) development system-based tools. The tools enable video
game developers to develop Dreamcast games on Windows-based PCs,
taking advantage of the productivity and convenience features of the
same advanced integrated development environment (IDE) used by
developers for the Windows desktop. The initial SDKs are expected to
be available to Sega-licensed developers by the end of May 1998.
Microsoft Windows CE is a 32-bit, Windows-compatible operating system
designed to fill the need for a small, flexible, scalable operating
system that works in a broad selection of products, including mobile
computers, embedded products and home digital information and
entertainment appliances.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software for
personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and
services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission
of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of
the full power of personal computing every day.
The information contained in this release relates to prerelease
software product that may be substantially modified before its first
commercial release. Accordingly, the information may not accurately
describe or reflect the software product when first commercially
released. The release is provided for informational purposes only, and
Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the
release or the information contained in it.
``We believe the Dreamcast system represents a significant advancement in
console-based entertainment,'' -Bill Gates, Microsoft chairman and CEO,
said in a statement.
SEGA UNVEILS SUPER CONSOLE;
"DREAMCAST" SENDS WAKE-UP CALL TO VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY
Sega Partners With Microsoft, Hitachi, NEC,
Videologic, Yamaha, on Powerful New Console
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- May 21, 1998 --
Sega of Americas parent company, Sega Enterprises, Ltd., today revealed
its new ultimate video game machine with the power to outperform all
in-home gaming platforms and most arcade systems. That power, driven by
Segas revolutionary system design, will deliver gaming experiences
previously impossible on any home entertainment platform. The super
console, christened today as Dreamcast in Japan, launches November 20, 1998,
in Japan and in the fall of 1999 in North America.
Dream cast can also describe Segas platform partners all global leaders in
business and technology. Sega worked closely with Microsoft, Hitachi, NEC
and Videologic, and Yamaha to customize each partners Dreamcast
contribution for unmatched 3D gaming performance.
With 128-bit performance from a reduced instruction set computing (RISC)
central processor, an independent 3D graphics engine and a dedicated 3D
sound chip, Dreamcast achieves a level of total system performance
unrivaled by any consumer entertainment product. Dreamcast is also the first
video game console to offer standard networking features for multiplayer
gaming, bringing the best features of console, PC and online gaming together
on one system.
"Dreamcast is Segas bridge to worldwide market leadership for the 21st
century," said Bernard Stolar, president and chief operating officer, Sega of
America. "The Sega you see today is driven by two important goals:
delivering the best new gaming experiences this industry has ever seen, and
winning back the No. 1 position in the console category. Well do whatever it
takes to get there."
Dreamcast was designed to appeal to the hard core gamer, as well as the
casual gamer and people who have never enjoyed interactive entertainment.
Polygon counts topping three million per second leave players staring at the
whites of their opponents blood-shot eyes. A dedicated real-time 3D sound
processor surrounds players with 64 channels of music, voices and gameplay
sound effects at a quality rivaling professional audio equipment. Dreamcasts
online capabilities will unite Sega fans around the globe with a range of
intense action gaming that only a video game console can offer.
Dreamcast can display revolutionary new types of realistic and engrossing 3D
graphics. Human movements, fog, water effects, light and shading appear
ultra-realistic. With this level of graphic performance, effects such as the
passage of time from day to night can be portrayed in real-time.
Another revolutionary feature of Dreamcast is the Visual Memory System
(VMS), which is a memory card and the worlds smallest portable game card with
built-in LCD screen. Plugged into the Dreamcast controller, the LCD screen
lets players set up secret moves against their opponents, such as killer
plays in sports games, for which the defensive player will not be able to
plan, thus adding an even more realistic feel to the game. Pull out the VMS
card and it becomes a portable electronic game card no bigger than a business
card. In addition, users will be able to save game features, such as
user-created special players or teams, and share them with friends simply by
linking two VMS cards together.
In designing Dreamcast, Sega accomplished its two key design goals:
1) a seamless integration of high-performance components, each
optimized for a specific game processing and display task.
2) a scaleable system architecture to take advantage of future
technical enhancements and new gaming concepts hidden in the
minds of the industrys most creative game developers.
Segas Partners
Microsoft
Microsoft will provide a customized version of its Windows CE operating
system with DirectX services that has been optimized for console-style
gaming. Windows CE provides Dreamcast developers a flexible, versatile
development environment supported by Microsoft Visual C++ 5.0 that makes title
development more efficient. Windows CE with DirectX has been hand-tuned to be
small and fast to provide superior performance specifically targeted at the
Sega Dreamcast hardware architecture, giving developers the confidence that
software developed for Dreamcast will take full advantage of every hardware
capability in the system.
Hitachi
The central processor in Dreamcast is the video game-customized Hitachi
SH4 reduced instruction set chip (RISC). Sega and Hitachi retooled the chip
to enhance its floating point operations capabilities the key ingredient for
high-output 3D gaming applications. The Dreamcast processor canperform
floating point operations four times faster than the Pentium II chip.
NEC
The ion set computing met computing (RIuscle behind Dreamcasts high-end
graphics engine is a custom-designed version of the PowerVR Second-generation
technology developed jointly by NEC and Videologic. With a peak performance
of over 3 million polygons per second and customized anti-aliasing
technology, the PowerVR Second-generation technology chip in Dreamcast
outperforms all other graphics chips today or proposed for use in upcoming
PCs. NEC has a proven track record in the chip industry and is a global
leader with expertise in chip design and fabrication.
Yamaha
Yamaha is contributing a dedicated, real-time 3D audio chip with more power
than some next generation consoles offer in total. Sega also worked with
Yamaha to develop a high-speed CD-ROM drive for the platform, which speeds up
access time and allows for much bigger games and larger playing fields.
Sega of America is the arm of Tokyo, Japan-based Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
responsible for the development, marketing and distribution of Sega
video game systems and video games in the Americas. Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
is a nearly $3.0 billion company recognized as the industry leader in
interactive digital entertainment media, and is the only company that offers
interactive entertainment experiences both inside and outside the home. Sega
of America's World Wide Web site is located at:
http://www.sega.com/
sigh. I miss those days. the days of Xbox 0.5 ....I mean Dreamcast :lol
just a bit of fun.
