Of the established game consoles, Nintendo 64 has the better processor but it's no match for Dreamcast. Compared to Nintendo 64's 64-bit, 90-megahertz processor, Dreamcast's Hitachi 200-megahertz SH4 RISC chip really is "next generation" technology. Dreamcast also has a 128-bit graphic engine that includes the NEC Power VR2 chip.
All that processing power translates into more realistically rendered objects and great water, mist and lighting effects. It can also power games with very fast action.
PlayStation's biggest hardware advantage has been its CD-ROM storage. Basic CDs hold 640 megabytes of information, 20 times more storage capacity than the largest Nintendo cartridge. Dreamcast has this beat, however, with a proprietary double-density CD-ROM technology called GD-ROM. GD-ROM disks hold 1.2 gigabytes of information, and Dreamcast includes a 12-speed GD-ROM drive.
As anyone can tell you, hardware systems are only as good as the games they play, and the jury is still out on Dreamcast's line-up. Of the five games that will be available in Japan at launch, only two are known to be headed to America, "Sega Rally 2" and "Virtua Fighter 3tb" (Team Battle).
Diversity among the fighters
"Virtua Fighter 3tb" is based on an arcade game called
"Virtua Fighter 3" that was extremely successful in Japan. It
is a somewhat realistic fighting game in which players
control such diverse fighters as a grappler from Canada, a
Jamaican fisherman, a female master of Aikido and a Sumo
wrestler.
Part of the the attraction of the arcade version of "Virtua Fighter 3" comes from its amazing graphics, and most of the details that made the game look great in the arcade have made it into the Dreamcast version. The fighters have changing expressions, and their clothing has different fabrics that react in different ways to their movements.
At a recent press conference, Sega allowed reporters to play "Virtua Fighter 3tb." The look and feel of the game was right out of the arcades.
Sega did not demonstrate "Sega Rally 2," nor were reporters allowed to play any of the other games shown. Several levels of "Sonic Adventure" were demonstrated, and the game looks magnificent.
"Sonic Adventure" shows off power
According to the specifications Sega released earlier
this year, Dreamcast's graphic engine can generate 3 million
polygons per second. At no time has this power been more
apparent than when playing "Sonic." While the
environments in "Sonic Adventure" are not photorealistic,
the objects within them are crisp, three-dimensional and
very clear.
The levels shown during the demonstration included a 2-D level in which Sonic, Sega's blue hedgehog-in-tennis-shoes mascot, runs through a city at night, a level in which Sonic's pal Knuckles flies around in a three-dimensional canyon, and a level in which another Sonic-buddy runs through a factory. It's difficult to judge a game without playing it, but at this demonstration the only technological glitch was some pop-in. (Pop-in is a name given to background objects that seem to appear out of nowhere. On racing games, for instance, the scenery along the track may appear on the screen as you drive past it. This is generally the result of the processor's being overwhelmed by the amount of data it is handling. The Saturn was notorious for pop-in problems.)
Considering the amount of detailed graphics being rendered in the game, the speed of the game and the fact that it is still unfinished, some pop-in should be expected.
Other games shown at the press conference included "Blue Stinger," a very interesting-looking adventure game in which players control a mercenary trying to protect a city from mutant dinosaur creatures, and "Climax Landers," a traditional role-playing game. These demonstrations were too brief to make a judgment.
