Let's not beat around the bush: Sony kind of killed the Dreamcast. Sure, years of atrocious decisions ultimately saw SEGA pull out of the hardware race, but few could deny that the looming juggernaut otherwise known as the PlayStation 2 put the final nail in the underappreciated console's coffin. But with the announcement of Shenmue III at E3 2015, the Japanese giant may have saved the system, too. Sort of.
MCV reports that second-hand retailers have seen a real spike in Dreamcast sales since the reveal of the long awaited sequel for the PlayStation 4, while the first two entries in the series have been flying off store shelves as well. "We sold 20 Dreamcasts in the last week alone," explained Alex Bowness of Canterbury's Level Up Games. "All of a sudden, people are asking where they can play the original two Shenmue games. The announcement of Shenmue III really piqued everyone's interest."
Of course, this all means that the market is gagging for a high-definition re-release of Yu Suzuki's pioneering titles, but so far SEGA's been hesitant to comply. "I've had more customers hyped about Shenmue III than Call of Duty, and I am glad that there are gamers out there like this, because it proves that gaming is not as disposable as other forms of entertainment," added David James-Turvey of Llanelli's Retrobution. "Indie [retailers] should be confident in their physical stock."
Apparently, the brilliant Final Fantasy VII – which was also announced for the PS4 during Sony's jaw-dropping E3 2015 press conference – is also selling well, which further confirms that there's still demand for physical goods. After all, this game can already be purchased for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita from the PlayStation Store – but it seems that people want the physical disc. Did you expect Sony's show to have this kind of impact? Cheer in the comments section below.
[source mcvuk.com]
Comments 27
Wow selling more than the Xbox one
I'll be shocked if we don't get a Shenmue 1 & 2 remaster announcement at PSX, just seems more of a safe bet now.
come on all you eBay entrepeneurs
I certainly didn't expect something like this. Even if you want to, most people don't shell for an older system, I think. Though I would still like to see HD ports for the sake of convenience.
I got a dirty dreamcast for €20 last Feb. Cleaned it up, good as new. I could play shemnue 1&2 but I'm really holding out for a HD port onto the ps4. I'll wait till next year and if no word of a port then I'll give them a good play through.
Doesn't surprise me really. I have two Dreamcasts myself, and I it alot. It's a great system just a shame that Sega pulled the plug early.
Please Sega, don't be dumb and remaster these games. All those sales are money that you are not getting.
I miss my Dreamcast. Best game...Seaman FTW!
@sinalefa How are they not getting money for a remaster? If anything they are not getting any money for these used Dreamcast and Shenmue sales.
@Tasuki
Exactly my point. If they remastered it, a lot of people would not be buying those used systems, the "All those sales" in my initial comment. Sorry if it was confusing.
@sinalefa I think the way you phrased your first comment can be taken 2 ways. You said "don't be dumb and remaster these games". I think you meant "don't be dumb and not remaster these games".
@Mikau94
Yes, or "don't be dumb, remaster these games already". I guess I took it for granted since this is not the first time I ask Sega to remaster/remake Shenmue 1 and 2, so I thought it would be easier to understand.
@sinalefa I had to read it twice, but I understood what you meant.
I reckon this is probably a weird one for SEGA. On the one hand they're leaving money on the table by not putting out a remaster. On the other, putting these out would basically be an admission that they've mishandled this brand for over a decade. After all, let's not forget that SEGA's got nothing to do with Shenmue III - they're just letting Yu Suzuki 'borrow' the license.
@get2sammyb
Sammy, which brand hasn't been mishandled by Sega? Only highlight for me is Yakuza and the 3DS remastered classics.
And glad that someone understood. Guess I am not too good with words lol.
Physical is and will be forever better than digital
@readyletsgo now nab all those tasty dciso's
@sinalefa
I knew what you meant. I think they should at least rerelease these but I'd like to see these remastered instead of some game that's already HD.
Dreamcast is selling better in North America than Xboxone is in Japan, that's pretty hilarious.
Wow. Wooow. That's certainly new. Who knows maybe we will see 11 million Dreamcast sales, it's certainly ahead of the 10.6 it had.
And the Dreamcast didn't die a horrible death. SEGA cocked up, the PS2 ran everything into the ground because it was the only system ever to launch with a decent range of games (Every system has a bad launch selection, it happens) and hell, the Dreamcast isn't even the lowest selling home console: That honour goes to the Wii U. 10.01 million in near 3 years, vs the Dreamcast at 10.6 million when discontinued after 2 years 4 months. It wasn't as bad as everyone thinks.
@Cyber-BLP-- I always wondered what if it stay in the market what would have happened.
@andrew20 Grand Theft Auto 3 was supposed to be a Dreamcast exclusive... Let that sink in.
@DerMeister Speak for yourself. Old consoles are more memorable with a diverse & unique library of games that hold sentimental value as well as incredible gaming experiences. Same can't be said for the current generation of systems and--to a lesser extent--the previous generation of consoles.
It's time to move on from Halo & Call of Duty. There's so more to experience.
@readyletsgo Are you using VGA cables with your Sega Dreamcast? The system is capable of putting out a 480p signal & most of the games support it. While technically not "HD" it's pretty damn close. Heck even the Wii & GameCube didn't support 480p on a lot of their games.
@Cyber-BLP-- Most of what you're saying makes sense. However, the Dreamcast had an incredible launch in the U.S. and is probably one of the few (if not only) good launch lineups in the history of video games.
@Frank90 Amen.
@Frank90 Amen.
@SegaCat91 I know some things about old consoles. Believe me, I'm not a kid who only grew up on seventh gen online shooters. I said what I said because I personally don't know too many people both online and real life who shelled out for old systems, especially for just one game. Most people I've met who have their SNES, Dreamcast etc. kept them from their childhood. I've only really seen people who didn't get to do so buy the older systems (which is probably why you brought up the sentimental value).
Obviously, that is just from my bubble and it could be different for others. Maybe I'm the odd guy for being legitimately surprised (In a good way I should add), but I've got my thoughts, you've got yours, let just sit and get brunch.
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