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  • Sega Enterprises Unveils Dreamcast Video Game Machine
  • 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.
    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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    Updated: Tue May 26 18:12:07 1998