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Sega Dreamcast - Appreciation and Emulation Thread
- Thread starter Seik
- Start date
GlenChivas
Member
I tried getting this to run earlier but kept getting an "fsca-table.bin is missing" error. Google wasn't much help in finding a solution. Anyone have any suggestions?
I think that's part of the bios and i don't think we can link to it.
GlenChivas
Member
Ah, screw it then. This thing has been a pain in the ass anyways. Took forever just to get it to stop crashing on start up.
kunonabi
Member
It was this piece of crap:
(not my picture)
Even those blue handles were sticky as hell!
I sincerely suggest not using these. They blew the controller boards on several of my DCs. They just aren't worth the risk.
baphomet
Member
Since my Dreamcast is stuck in Tennessee keeping my Master System and Street Fighter 2 arcade cabinet company, I decided to pick up another. Went to a game store out here I frequent a lot and they hooked me up with one in mint condition with a Sega brand VMU for about $30.
I have a very real question though. I'm not sure how I want to connect it. I'm considering doing the internal VGA mod, BUT I play everything on my Sony PVM which doesn't accept VGA. I'm not sure if RGB or VGA is going to give me the better quality. I'm mostly going to be playing shmups so I really don't know which will be better. I would even do a VGA to scart thing if something like that is even possible. My PVM is a 20m4u so it has 800 lines.
Anyone able to give me some info or suggestions?
I have a very real question though. I'm not sure how I want to connect it. I'm considering doing the internal VGA mod, BUT I play everything on my Sony PVM which doesn't accept VGA. I'm not sure if RGB or VGA is going to give me the better quality. I'm mostly going to be playing shmups so I really don't know which will be better. I would even do a VGA to scart thing if something like that is even possible. My PVM is a 20m4u so it has 800 lines.
Anyone able to give me some info or suggestions?
Genesis Knight
Member
If you can't use VGA directly then you can't have progressive scan and you might as well go with the SCART.
baphomet
Member
Gotcha, well that makes it a pretty easy choice then. I think I'll still do the internal VGA mod just in case I ever play it on my main rig. Thanks for the answer.
Genesis Knight
Member
Well the other thing is that not all games support VGA correctly so if you convert VGA to SCART you will lose compatibility for a few games vs. vanilla SCART.
IrishNinja
Member
wait, how? that's crazy
Dark Octave
Banned
I suggest just getting a wired 360 controller. Ease of use, it just works and either my d-pad is a fluke or they fixed it because I can throw fireballs no problem with it.
kunonabi
Member
I had 6 DCs and now I only have one left. I actually had to switch a controller board in from another console after it fried the rest of them. I only use official Sega stuff now and just use the arcade sticks for arcade games. It wasn't till I read that it was a known issue with madcatz stuff that I realized it was the controller.
dreamcastmaster
Banned
Pull too much power through the controller port.
IrishNinja
Member
holy shit, didn't even know that was possible...if DC'dve lived longer, that surely would've been a recall of some sort? damn
O_O whoa. Thanks for the heads up. Will definitely avoid.
Any word on if using any other peripherals like different rumble packs could cause the same problem? I actually just found out today that controller port #4 is a bit finicky on my console. It works... sorta. You just have to make sure it's wiggled in properly so it isn't constantly cutting out.
It was this piece of crap:
(not my picture)
Even those blue handles were sticky as hell!
I have a clear green one of those. That turbo button is terribly placed and yes it is a shit controller.
For God's sake, that d-pad.It was this piece of crap:
(not my picture)
Even those blue handles were sticky as hell!
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
It was this piece of crap:
(not my picture)
Even those blue handles were sticky as hell!
Those need to be burned and forgotten.
You can likely fix all those boards. Sega put a resistor on the board that is kind of needless and functions as a fuse and it often blows. It looks like it's F1.. you can look it up on the Internet. All you have to do is twist the wires together and bingo, working Dreamcast controller ports again.
It's not going to burn your house down or anything. It's just kinda bad design that was there to prevent a surge I guess, but the tolerance is way too low so it tends to blow.
I had a DC controller with a cord that got kinda frayed and the kids used it one time without me knowing. I had a blown board. That's when I looked up whether it was fixable or not and found out about this particular quirk of the hardware. It happens to a lot of people, apparently. I have done it myself to fix that system affected (which was my launch Dreamcast) and it is in use today.
Here's a replacement explanation for the resistor...
http://everything2.com/title/Sega+Dreamcast+controller+port+repair
baphomet
Member
So about 3 hours later and I have an internal VGA and stereo output on my dreamcast. Looks pretty damn good for most everything. My RGB cables will be arriving tomorrow so depending on what I'm playing all I have to do is flip the switch I installed on the back and it'll go from RGB to VGA.
Well worth it!
Well worth it!
kunonabi
Member
Sadly, this info is a little late since I got rid of my dreamcast graveyard awhile back. I'd be playing pso right now had I still owned my original DC.
On a brighter note I've been playing Giant Gram 2000 now that my backlog is done. Game is just heaven on an arcade stick.
baphomet
Member
Yup, about 3 hours and a bunch of wires. My girlfriend saw this and made sure I said she helped.
Tricky I Shadow
Banned
As glad as I am for you, I can't help but notice...
Got a good chuckle out of this. Also LOL at 'demondog' being in the image URL!
Dorimukyasuto
Member
Got a copy of Soul Calibur coming my way. What game should I get next? I'm building my collection from ground zero.
IrishNinja
Member
finally hoping to break in these maracas tongiht
that's some clean work, man...congrats! you both did a bang-up job
oh man i didn't even catch that...hahaha Shadow Hog knows what's up
that's some clean work, man...congrats! you both did a bang-up job
oh man i didn't even catch that...hahaha Shadow Hog knows what's up
Are collect games just to collect, or collecting games to play?
Dorimukyasuto
Member
Play, I'd say.
RpgN
Junior Member
So guys, Rent a Hero no.1 came through the mail yesterday. It has one huge scratch that is deep. Normally you can see scratches if you hold them in a certain way or when pointing towards a light. This one though you can see all the time, no matter how dark it is. I tried the game out and it worked fine, but what's the chance of this giving me a problem later on? How bad is this scratch? I don't really have much knowledge on that.
sixteen-bit
Member
Mars Matrix
dreamcastfan
Member
Go to a place on the net that has Sturmwind (a homebrew game) that looks as good as many xbox live/psn games.
Dorimukyasuto
Member
I'm open to anything. I enjoy all genres. Platformers tend to be my favorite, though. I also love a good shmup.
kunonabi
Member
As far as platformers go I would suggest the Sonic adventure games, Super magnetic neo, rayman 2
shumps are in great supply but can get kind of pricey. I'm a fan of Gunbird 2 and Cannon Spike myself.
If I were to make some quick suggestions
Dynamite Cop
Chu Chu Rocket
Crazy Taxi
D2
Illbleed
Elemental Gimmick Gear
Skies of Arcadia
Heavy Metal Geomatrix
Jet Grind Radio
Space Channel 5
Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver
Shadowman
Power Stone
Psychic Force 2012
Shenmue
Sword of the Berserk: Gut's Rage
Tech Romancer
Tennis 2k2
Tokyo Extreme Racer 2
Zombie Revenge
Tons more stuff if you're open to importing. Some of these are pretty cheap and some might be a little more but you should find a couple of things to get you started. I didn't most of the fighting games since they aren't arcade perfect but if that doesn't bother you there is a wealth of options for those as well.
Dorimukyasuto
Member
Looks like a great list here.
I currently only have Jet Grind Radio, Crazy Taxi 1, and now Soul Calibur. I'd love to get Techromancer, Skies of Arcadia, and the Powerstones but they're quite expensive for NTSC. I've always been a Rayman fan, so Rayman 2 looks like a buy and of course I'll need to look out for Shenmue. I'll look into everything else you've listed.
I may need to research flea markets outside of the city because GoodWill has nothing, I'm kind of fed-up with buying used stuff online.
I got my Soul Calibur in the mail today in pretty bad condition. The case is cracked everywhere and the disc is really scratched. The seller had it listed in very good condition, bullshit of course. How do surface scratches effect GD-Roms?
polyh3dron
Banned
Yeah I sold my mint Dreamcast Arcade Stick a couple years back when I was in dire need of cash 
A Black Falcon
Member
Because GD-ROMs are essentially high-density CDs, they have less error correction than a usual CD, so they're more prone to damage from scratching than regular CDs, unfortunately.
Picked up a Dreamcast, VMU, and controller at a yardsale for a fiver today. It has a phone adapter, but I don't know if it is the broadband adapter. It has no cables, so I need to pick some up, and a few games. I'm thinking Typing of the Dead, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, and Cannon Spike.
What type of AV cables are available? I don't think that my CRT has a VGA input, so I'm hoping for S-video or component.
What type of AV cables are available? I don't think that my CRT has a VGA input, so I'm hoping for S-video or component.
Svideo then.
kunonabi
Member
Half price books used to have a decent amount of DC games.
If you do end up having to buy online i suggest not going with Amazon. Every DC game I've bought from there has not worked. ebay for all the issues people have with it has yet to send me a busted disc.
That's a pretty sweet list to start out with. I picked up a keyboard from Game Over for fairly cheap. Their prices are mostly reasonable although occasionally higher than ebay but not by much usually. Well, aside from Napple Tale anyway.
IrishNinja
Member
that's weird...i have to use separate plugs for audio over VGA of course, but SCART should handle both...what are you plugging it into? also out of curiosity, was this a cheaper option than VGA?
baphomet
Member
Well, that's the thing. I installed the audio out along with the vga on the back so I can run the audio out no problem. I'm just pretty sure I should be getting sound as I do on literally every other one of my scart cables. I just want to be able to turn the console and monitor on and have everything working correctly. With this ill have to run an extra cable over every time I want to play dc. Not a huge deal, I just want to know what's wrong.
As far as why I went with both, guy earlier in the thread said some games don't supper VGA so I wanted to make sure I could still play them in the best quality possible.
IrishNinja
Member
ah, makes sense...i need to see that list though, ever since i put the VGA to HDMI adapter no games have had any problems for me
baphomet
Member
Now that I mess with it more its doing even more strange stuff. GigaWing for example will restart after display the Sega logo while trying to run it in rgb. Works perfectly fine in VGA. Really strange...I've already contacted the seller to send a replacement so hopefully it'll work better.