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Isao Okawa wanted the Xbox to be backwards compatible with the Dreamcast

S

Salvor.Hardin

Banned
Just caught this on reddit. I've always maintained that the Xbox was the Dreamcast 2, from having great original Sega games to building on the online capabilities and having the same controller layout. This just further confirms it.

While there are many fond memories of gaming that I often reflect back on, the Dreamcast has a special place in my mind and heart. Besides it being Sega's last hurrah as a platform holder, the console was truly ahead of its time with connected gaming perhaps the most widespread use of PowerVR's time rendering scheme.

Sadly, rampant piracy, brilliant competitive efforts from Sony, and market forces snuffed out Dreamcast before its time was truly up. But one little known fact was that Sega was pushing for Xbox to be fully compatible with Dreamcast software.

There wasn't any secret that Microsoft was looking to buy Sega, but what we're finding out just now is that then Sega Chairman Isao Okawa offered the Dreamcast assets for Microsoft it include in the Xbox, hoping that to give the Sega platform a chance to live on, if not a second wind.

"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."

As sweet as that would have been, negotiations fell apart when Microsoft refused to include internet connectivity function in with Dreamcast games.

All this, if indeed true, will remain just a piece of video game lore, but it's still interesting nonetheless to think of what might have happened if Microsoft made the Xbox backwards compatible with the Dreamcast.
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Source
 
That would have been delicious. The original Xbox was a seriously underrated console, and it had many hidden gems.
 
Knew of this, but not why it didn't happen, wow.

Was online (outside of PSO) that big on DC? Kind of an odd reason for MS but also one you'd think be small enough for Sega to accept. I dunno.
 
Would have been nice to be able to play the best version of Grandia II without needing a dead system. PC and PS2 ports were bad.
 
I remember reading about this before. It would have been awesome.

I wonder why they couldn't just lump all the DC services in with Xbox Live touting the both of best worlds.

I basically bought a Xbox for Halo and Sega games.
 
Mechazawa said:
Same. The reason they shot it down actually doesn't make any sense to me.
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I cant see there being any way that the Dreamcast online service would be allowed to run with Xbox Live just starting up. Also, the Dreamcast didn't require broadband like the Xbox.
 
Sega and Microsoft have an interesting history around that time. Many Dreamcast games for example even used a version of Windows CE with elements of DirectX; I guess in theory one possible step was for the Xbox to actually be the Dreamcast 2 as either a collaboration between MS and Sega, or after a possible MS takeover of Sega. If we go down that line, then perhaps we'd currently see Sega branded consoles in place of the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Or some other weird alternate history.
 
Hero of Legend said:
Knew of this, but not why it didn't happen, wow.

Was online (outside of PSO) that big on DC? Kind of an odd reason for MS but also one you'd think be small enough for Sega to accept. I dunno.
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Of course, almost every 2001 game had online.

Sega even started charging $10 a month for their online service
 
Hero of Legend said:
I think it's best MS didn't buy Sega, if only using Rare as a precedent.
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I disagree. Sega would've been a good match at the time, what with their push for hardware and software innovation, their talented staff, and their wealth of IPs. They would've made a huge difference, especially in Japan.
 
Would have been pointless. The systems success was partly due to it having it's own identity.

The Dreamcast had like 12 good games on it anyway.
 
Xav said:
Don't insult Dreamcast like that.
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I'm not sure what this means? The Xbox is actually very underrated. It was the most powerful console of that generation, leaving the Dreamcast and PS2 in the dust and outpacing the Gamecube by a good bit. It had a solid library of big games and niche titles, including Halo 1 & 2, Otogi 1 & 2, Panzer Dragoon Orta, GunValkyrie, JSRF, Forza Motorsport, Crimson Skies, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Ninja Gaiden Black, Fable, Jade Empire, KotOR 1 & 2, Conker, and of course the best versions of numerous multiplat titles. I don't think it's insulting to put it up with the Dreamcast.
 
Xav said:
Don't insult Dreamcast like that.
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Get this shit outta here

XBox was an awesome system, and early on had some great Japanese games. DoA 3 and Shenmue 2 were two other titles to add to Green Slime's list. And then the first Splinter Cell (which was a good game).

OG Xbox was fantastic. I'll never forget that christmas when I got mine.
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Yeah, the original Xbox was indeed an awesome system. I'm still shocked that there's such negativity attached to that system over a decade later, despite Dreamcast and Gamecube getting much more love after their demises. I think all three systems are wonderful, and actually think all of them offer up a lot that the PS2, despite it's large library, simply can't.
 
Kinda sad that the deal feel apart just because they didn't want to implement internet connectivity in Dreamcast games. I doubt this would have made that much of a difference in the market though.
 
Waylon Drums said:
I hadn't thought of that but you're right. I was just glad that MS didn't get Sega because I need (not want, need) Nintendo to buy them.
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Microsoft wanted to get Nintendo, as well.

Imagine how different history would've been if, in 2001, Microsoft had managed to purchase not only Rare but also Nintendo and Sega.
 
Yeah the Xbox and pre Kinect Xbox 360 really was like a first cousin to the DC/SAT with all the SEGA exclusives and arcade games including shmups on both the DC and 360

MS really did a 180 when the Kinect released though, almost like they were using gamers as a trojan horse to get a Xbox under every living room TV.

Shame that other than Netflix the Xbone functions are more like a spare wheel or a toy (or a toy car's spare wheel)
 
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