(Japanese Site)
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| Sega Enterprises Unveils Dreamcast Video Game Machine
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May 27, 1998 (TOKYO) -- Sega Enterprises Ltd. unveiled a video
game machine called Dreamcast, which is equipped with a high-
performance graphics engine for drawing as many as 3 million
polygons per second.
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The game machine runs on a customized version of Microsoft
Corp.�s Windows CE, an operating system specially developed for
the device. Game software for the machine can be developed on a
Windows-based personal computer.
Sega said that the software will not be compatible with that for
Sega Saturn, an existing game machine sold by the company.
The Dreamcast product will be marketed in Japan from Nov. 20. It
will be released overseas in 1999. Five software titles for the
machine are slated to be released at the time of its
introduction. The price of the machine will be decided later,
Sega said.
Users can attach a modem to the new game machine to play games
over the Internet.
Visual Memory System, a portable model of the product with a
liquid crystal display, also will be available. Users will be
able to download software from a main Dreamcast machine to the
portable unit. They can also exchange data between two linked
portable devices. Game characters made on each machine can be
exchanged between two combined machines, as is the case with
Digital Monster, a portable game machine from Bandai Co., Ltd.
The game machine features the SH-4 central processing unit
developed and sold by Hitachi Ltd. The 32-bit RISC chip has a
128bit graphics engine.
In addition to the graphics engine built into the SH-4, the
machine is equipped with NEC Corp.�s PowerVR II.
Sega�s machine has a sound processor produced by Yamaha Corp. It
features 16MB of main memory, two 64Mb synchronous DRAMs, a 33.6
kbps modem and a 12x CD-ROM drive.
Because the product runs on a customized version of Windows CE
that supports DirectX capabilities, game developers will be able
to build game software with a source code compatible with
software for Windows-based PCs, such as Win32 and DirectX API.
Microsoft Co., Ltd. of Japan will provide a software development
kit for Dreamcast by the end of June.
Sega�s English press release is available at: http://www.sega.com/central/press_releases/may98/newcon
sole_pr.html
Microsoft�s press release is available at: http://www.microsoft.com/corpinfo/press/1998/May98/Segagmpr
.htm
NEC�s press release is available at:
http://www.nec.co.jp/english/today/newsrel/9805/2101.html
(Hi-Tech News Center)
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