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[Rocksteady33]

Hope this wasn't posted. I know Kotaku is on thin ice here, but thought this was pretty interesting.

There have been rumors for years that Microsoft planned to buy Japanese game maker SEGA. But did you know SEGA hoped to make the original Xbox compatible with Dreamcast games?

The SEGA Dreamcast was launched in late 1998 to great fanfare. The console — featuring dial-up online — was years ahead of its time. Then the Sony's PlayStation 2 launched, and the SEGA console never recovered.

SEGA Chairman Isao Okawa was not willing to go down without a fight. "Before Mr. Okawa passed away," tweets former Microsoft exec Sam Furukawa, "he visited Gates several times, to see if it would be possible to add Dreamcast compatibility into the Xbox." According to Furukawa, Okawa was offering the SEGA assets to Xbox, it seems, which would create a path for Dreamcast customers to migrate to the Xbox.

Even if the Dreamcast was dying, this move would keep the platform alive and maybe even give it a second wind.

Okawa insisted that internet was indispensable for the Dreamcast games, it seems, but Microsoft didn't want an internet connection for the Dreamcast titles and negotiations fell apart.

(Of course, Microsoft pushed online gaming for its own Xbox titles; however, one has to wonder what expenses it would incur by not only making its Xbox play DC games, but play them online.)

Furukawa says that Okawa negotiated with Gates himself, but he was unable to work out a deal to pass on the Dreamcast customers. Before Okawa, Furukawa adds, he gave over roughly US$ 900 million from his personal fortune to SEGA in order to keep the company afloat.

Okawa passed away in Tokyo on March 16, 2001 due to heart failure. He was 74. The Dreamcast went out of production later that year. The chairman who followed Okawa decided that SEGA should focus on software production.

SEGA of America exec Peter Moore, the man who has admitted to making the decision to stop producing the Dreamcast, joined Microsoft in 2003.

CSK Holdings, the company Okawa created, owned the major stock share in SEGA until 2004 when CSK's shares were bought by Sammy, a pachinko company. And Microsoft continues to struggle in the Japanese market.

Furukawa is currently a professor at Japan's Keio University.

http://kotaku.com/5447897/how-xbox-could-have-helped-the-dreamcast-survive

I wonder how the landscape would have been in Japan had Microsoft had a decent Japanese presence with the Dreamcast library.

 

[OverHeat]

Damn that would have been great.

 

[Diablohead]

Heard of this before, forget where. It would have been a lol moment back then but I kind of wish it happened somehow.

 

[Kibs]

That would have been amazing ...

 

[CrunchinJelly]

Sega clinging on to a piece of hardware they shat on themselves.

Pathetic.

 

[hednik4am]

and think of the "dark sonic brother halo wars rings of fate 2" rpgs that could have been made...

witha big red swirl

...but seriously how things "may" have been different

 

[Grecco]

I kind of was sure i read that it was the other way around that Xbox wanted Dreamcast capability but that lead to stuff like Gunvalkary

i would have bought an Xbox at launch if this was true tho

 

[Gospel]

ew

Although I would have liked to use my Jet Set Radio Future machine to play older Dreamcast games, I'm kinda glad it fell through. Assuming it's true.

 

[Castor Krieg]

Furukawa says that Okawa negotiated with Gates himself, but he was unable to work out a deal to pass on the Dreamcast customers. Before Okawa, Furukawa adds, he gave over roughly US$ 900 million from his personal fortune to SEGA in order to keep the company afloat.

I liked the article, their CEO really appeared like great and dedicated man, too bad Dreamcast didn't get that deal. The guy tried to salvage what he could for his company.

 

[Anerythristic]

I was sure this was old news. We knew about this right?

 

[Why For?]

Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update Please be a firmware update

 

[Lagspike_exe]

How wealthy was Mr. Okawa when he could just GIVE $900 FREAKING MILLIONS to SEGA?

 

[K.Jack]

Damn he was that bitter with Sony?

 

[hednik4am]

That would have been amazing ...

in all honesty i think it wouldve actually fint inside too... quick tear open your old xbox'es and see :lol

 

[gofreak]

Sounds like they disagreed over having free online play for DC titles...

What is it about MS and internet policies that lead them to f-ing up golden opportunities?

On the other hand, given DC's image at the time, maybe the above was a polite excuse for turning them down. DC compatability would have been golden for some users, but might have been a whiff of death for others.

 

[Threi]

Imagine if it had transitioned to 360...

Red swirl of death

 

[Cruzader]

Damn he was that bitter with Sony?

Image the outcome though? Dreamcast comes back from the dead via Xbox! Round 2 for DCvsPS2! Epic moment in gaming fell through.:lol

I think Sega could make so much $$ if the put their games on PSN/XBLA/Wiiware.

 

[ultim8p00]

Damn he was that bitter with Sony?

OMG THE FANBOIS IT ALL MAKES SENSE NAO SEGA A SPRAYED MAGIC FANBOY JUICE OKAWA MEETING WAS SECRET SPY MISSION TO SPRAY FANBOY JUICE IN MS MACHINES TO TAKE DOWN SONY

 

[Struct09]

Please be a firmware update

A firmware update to the original Xbox?

 

[Deleted member 22576]

That's weird.
I know in some weird way the Xbox totally carried the Dreamcast's torch.
Or at least it feels like it.

It's also interesting it wasn't mentioned in that book "opening the xbox."

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Sounds like they disagreed over having free online play for DC titles...

What is it about MS and internet policies that lead them to f-ing up golden opportunities?

On the other hand, given DC's image at the time, maybe the above was a polite excuse for turning them down. DC compatability would have been golden for some users, but might have been a whiff of death for others.

I agree it was a golden opportunity for them as far as a way to automatically appeal to the Japanese market is concerned, but it may have been something in the way of getting the rest of the market to adopt a new brand MS owned in XBOX. Personally, I would have loved for it to happen. Too bad Okawa and Gates couldn't come to an agreement.

 

[Why For?]

A firmware update to the original Xbox?

FOR 360 NOW!!!

I know it's apipedream, but still. It would be fucking AMAZING.

 

[CrunchinJelly]

I agree it was a golden opportunity for them as far as a way to automatically appeal to the Japanese market is concerned,

Why?

The Dreamcast was a failure in Japan, just like it was everywhere else in the world. There was a lot of buzz for the console when it first released, but that quickly died down and everyone moved on to the PS2.

 

[Shrennin]

Man, that would have been awesome. I do wonder how SEGA would have turned out if this deal went through, not to mention the possibility of Microsoft in Japan....and

Spoiler

Shenmue.

 

[Aaron Strife]

Would have been sick, yos. The Dreamcast was the first system I ever bought, I saved up money from my paper route for eight months and got it at launch.

Sega working closely with Microsoft on the original Xbox might have kept them in the game a little longer, instead of being reduced to what they are now, whoring out Sonic sequels and publishing a niche gem every now and then.

 

[Castor Krieg]

I agree it was a golden opportunity for them as far as a way to automatically appeal to the Japanese market is concerned, but it may have been something in the way of getting the rest of the market to adopt a new brand MS owned in XBOX. I would personally loved for it to happen. Too bad Okawa and Gates couldn't come to an agreement.

The guy died before Xbox launched. I bet Microsoft was cocky and nobody in the company thought that things will be so disastrous as they are now for the 8th consecutive year in Japan.

 

[sphinx]

xbox would have had a chance in Japan if they had used the "dreamcast" name,

wouldn't have been that bad a decision to use another brand there.

 

[K.Jack]

OMG THE FANBOIS IT ALL MAKES SENSE NAO SEGA A SPRAYED MAGIC FANBOY JUICE OKAWA MEETING WAS SECRET SPY MISSION TO SPRAY FANBOY JUICE IN MS MACHINES TO TAKE DOWN SONY

The master race does not speak your silly moon language.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Why?

The Dreamcast was a failure in Japan, just like it was everywhere else in the world. There was a lot of buzz for the console when it first released, but that quickly died down and everyone moved on to the PS2.

Well, as possibly bright as the future may have been for XBOX back then before release in Japan, it seems clear in retrospect that an official tie up between Sega and MS would've been beneficial to their acceptance if you believe that domestic software appeal is important. Anyway, DC was not a failure there and it might have meant that Sega's software teams could have kept their software output fresh and interesting by retaining the safety of focusing on one powerful platform...something that's largely gone away as soon as they went third party.

 

[diffusionx]

FOR 360 NOW!!!

I know it's apipedream, but still. It would be fucking AMAZING.

I don't think the 360 could read GD-ROMs.

 

[bdouble]

FOR 360 NOW!!!

I know it's apipedream, but still. It would be fucking AMAZING.

Yeah its even more unlikely then them supporting original Xbox stuff and we know how that is going. There would be zero reasons for them to do this. They don't gain anything out of it.

 

[Kintaro]

Damn. That would be been sweet. I would have actually bought an xbox assuming all that happened. After Dreamcast, Sega just isn't the same. Much more shit from them now. =(

 

[gofreak]

Anyway, remember, it sounds like some sort of DC 'support' may be in the HD console's futures anyway, in the form of downloadable titles:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=17695529

So, may be a case of better late than never. And better limited support than no support.

 

[CrunchinJelly]

Anyway, remember, it sounds like some sort of DC 'support' may be in the HD console's futures anyway, in the form of downloadable titles:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=17695529

So, may be a case of better late than never. And better limited support than no support.

Those are Sega PC titles. The fact they were Dreamcast titles as well is pure coincidence.

 

[nincompoop]

How would that even have been implemented? It would have been too expensive to include extra DC-compatible hardware into the Xbox and it probably wasn't powerful enough to handle perfect DC emulation through software (although the 360 shows that MS isn't averse to using shoddy emulation for backwards compatibility).

 

[Fox the Sly]

Like a shotgun to a zombie's head, my mind is blown.

 

[Stinkles]

I still use my cream-colored prototype Xbox/DC hybrid to play VF and Sonic. GD ROMs are way noisier than DVD ROMs though, for some reason.

 

[duk]

that was have been utterly amazing

no wonder they said the xbox was the DC successor

 

[gofreak]

Those are Sega PC titles. The fact they were Dreamcast titles as well is pure coincidence.

I'm a bit confused. Is there a link between 'DC Digital' titles and their PC games?

I took from that they were considering putting DC titles out on the digital stores...not sure if or how the PC ones are any more likely to come.

 

[Prine]

Microsoft, you could have had it all.

 

[Chao]

It was pretty obvious that Sega and Microsoft were business pals before this

 

[SecretBonusPoint]

An incredibly stupid move on Microsoft's part. An entire wealth of Sega properties, a proper foothold in Japan and all because Gates was less forward thinking about THE INTERNET than SEGA. Thats some dumb shit right there.

 

[jamesinclair]

Sounds like they disagreed over having free online play for DC titles...

What is it about MS and internet policies that lead them to f-ing up golden opportunities?

On the other hand, given DC's image at the time, maybe the above was a polite excuse for turning them down. DC compatability would have been golden for some users, but might have been a whiff of death for others.

In 2001, Sega charged for DC online play

 

[Nemo]

Oh man, what could've been. GAF would be more awesome anyway

Shit would be like playing minesweeper

 

[Oracle Dragon]

I remember reading about this prior to Xbox launch and thinking "well why the heck WOULDN'T they? Right now PS2 blows, but one of it's biggest strengths is it had a back catalog of PS1 games. This would give the brand new Xbox a back catalog of great games to!". Then it didn't happen.

I don't recall where I read this at the time, but I could never find evidence of it afterwards, leading me to believe in my own insanity.

Then I recall something about the Dreamcast stuff going into DVD players? I don't think that happened either.

 

[ShinobiFist]

Heard of this before, forget where. It would have been a lol moment back then but I kind of wish it happened somehow.

Same here, I think I read it at Phuckign back in the day.

 

[SonOfABeep]

Dean Takahashi's book "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked" has quotes from MS execs that state that versions of the original Xbox ran both PSOne and Dreamcast games at one point.

That book, and Opening the Xbox by him are fantastic reads and very insightful into MS's blind, stumbling entrance into the console gaming market.

 

[Zen]

I might be reading this wrong, was the Xbox Broadband only? Would DC games only work with 56k? Microsoft didn't want to include 56k support? Is that why negotiations fell apart?

An incredibly stupid move on Microsoft's part. An entire wealth of Sega properties, a proper foothold in Japan and all because Gates was less forward thinking about THE INTERNET than SEGA. Thats some dumb shit right there.

Very true. Although, honestly speaking, if the deal breaker was because Microsoft didn't want to include online support for pre existing online DC titles, than... shit, that's pretty silly IF it was Sega that walked away from the table. It's not ideal by any means, but the benefits to Sega as a company would have been huge and worth far far more than breaking legacy DC games online ability with the new box.

 

[akilshohen]

that would of been CRAZY if XBOX came out running PSOne and DC games. XBOX felt like a DC anyway at the begining

 

[SecretBonusPoint]

Very true. Although, honestly speaking, if the deal breaker was because Microsoft didn't want to include online support for pre existing online DC titles, than... shit, that's pretty silly IF it was Sega that walked away from the table. It's not ideal by any means, but the benefits to Sega as a company would have been huge and worth far far more than breaking legacy DC games online ability with the new box.

For Sega though, maybe it seemed a lot bigger. The Dreamcast was so ahead of its time, that even some launch titles had internet ready stuff. Without any way to work around that, theres lots of content that would be missing from them. Oh and btw the DC had a Broadband adaptor, so I think it would have been fine.

Imagine as well the scenario with Phantasy Star Online. They'd certainly want that to continue, to a forward thinking Sega exec (death takes all the good ones :/), that would seem like the future of games, and here we are with WoW being the biggest moneymaker of all time and a PSU that had to limp into existence with the PS2's online charade a distant memory. I'd also argue that Microsoft should have been after Sega with a lot more vigor. Halo stuck, and bigtime, but not much else has, and they have had to rely on a skeleton Rare crew to supply those "missing games" and Mistwalker's failures in Japan. Sega in from the off would have given them so much to work with its unreal, and utterly disappointing it didnt occur.

I guess this also explains why such great Sega games were well into development for the Xbox by the time it hit, mostly from Smilebit. God, what I wouldnt have given for a cohesive follow on catch-all console for Sega. What a tragedy.