Is there anything you DIDN'T like about the DC?

[Skynet]

yeah, i agree with everyone on the saturn control pad!

the Xbox Controller S (the small one, not the big one) is perfect in my mind. The plastic is nice and thick, sturdy, it'll last a long time (especially since i throw my controllers a lot). The analogue sticks have a nice rubber coating and little bumps for friction, my thumbs don't slip off of them. The face buttons feel really nice and look awesome too. the triggers have a good feel to them too. My only complaint would be the placing of the black and white buttons, but thats minor seeing as how they aren't really important when playing games (they're usually used for changing camera angles, songs, etc.)

the GC has a rubber on top of the analogue stick... doesnt it?
anyway, the S controller IS BETTER, yes! i totally agree with you.
if i had an xbox, thats the control pad im getting!

oh yeah, and when i upgrade my pc ill be getter an adaptor for my GC conrol pad. coz i like it

but, we cant say that any 1 person is right/wrong on the subject now, can we? it's all personal preference

[Hobbes T Tiger]

Hang on... this didn't start off as a controller discussion...

Anyway, the DC controllers aren't great. The D-pad is too rigid and feels unresponsive (although I don't think it really is).
I also suffered the painful trigger finger problem with Crazy Taxi. It's all those crazy dashes you have to do in the mini games that do it.
And the cord out the bottom is a pain, it pops out of the notch too easily.

The best controller I ever used was the N64 one. Holding it in the analogue configuration with the Z button underneath was just amazing.

But in answer to the original question, those VMU's were a great idea but badly designed.

[Lord_Ball]

And the cord out the bottom is a pain, it pops out of the notch too easily.

If it's really that big of a problem for you tape works miracles

I guess my hands are just the right size because the DC controller is PERFECT for me, the GC controller I don't like the button layout the funny sizes and shapes are just wierd and make it cramped so I hit the wrong button at times (which really sucks for games like PSO!) .

[Orange_Ribbon]

This isn't a problem with the DC, but more with a game.

Space Channel 5. I would have liked a bar tthat repeats what you are supose to hit. I know this sounds stupid but sometimes my timing is Slighty off, so I lose some ratings. Did anyone else have this problem?

[Phantom]

Space Channel 5. I would have liked a bar tthat repeats what you are supose to hit. I know this sounds stupid but sometimes my timing is Slighty off, so I lose some ratings.

That would be like playing a lightgun game with auto-aim.

[MrSiggler]

What do I not like?

I don't like the fact one needs a million VMUs for saves.. and the VMUs very short battery life.
The noise doesn't bother me at all.. well, except that one DC of mine.. which likes to LAUGH at me.. as it decides not to load a game..

And since ye've all been rambling about controllers..
I like the DC pad a lot.. it's quite confortable.. my only gripe, is the directional pad.. if it had more rounded edges, and didn't come up so high, it would be much better.. after a few hours of Street Fighter, my thumb tends to get sore. I've not used any gamepad yet I didn't like.. the SNES pad was great.. PSX is fine, (altho the analogs are horribly useless... too far from the thumbs), and the N64.. as long as you were using it with the analog, was great.. using the N64 pad with the directional pad felt rather awkward.. I have yet to actually play any of the newer system.. lol.. so can't complain about thier pads...

Actually, no.. there is one pad I dislike.. the NES pad, too... square..
But back when the NES was out.. there wasn't much better to compare with.. so couldn't complain.

[lucaspiller]

The controller is one of the best things of the DC to me, it is just brilliant! It is the perfect size for my hands and feels great , it is sort of like a GBA but with more stuff. The analog controller and analog triggers are brilliant! The fact that the VMUs slot into the controller is a bit of a downside though as it makes it bulky, and the lack of built in vibration system.

The VMUs are also a bit of a downside, the battery life is next to none and the space on them is minimal. If Sega had of released another memory unit without a screen that was a lot smaller then it would be better. The fact that you can trade games between VMUs without a DC is good though and that it has a screen. Another problem is that the string I put on it is currently being chewed by the cat

The size of the DC is also a bit of a let down, the PS One was released a little while after and is a LOT smaller. Overheating has not been a problem for me, I do not use my DC 24/7 though. The noise is a bit of a problem but if you turn your speakers up loud then you can't here it

The games did not seem to much of a problem to me as most of the games on DC are the types of games I like, not too much violence but enough to keep you entertained.

Probably the biggest thing that I don't like about the DC is Sega. The way that they charged so much for accessories and just let it die without a fight I would have liked to see Crazy Taxi especially continued on DC. The Playstation (well PS One) has been going for years and is still going strong, why could the same have not been done for the Dreamcast?).

[Lunchbox]

Playstation (well PS One) has been going for years and is still going strong, why could the same have not been done for the Dreamcast?).

they were losing money, what did you expect them to do?

[Rand Linden]

IMHO,

PS1 had the good fortune of a massive installed based before people could pirate titles.

DC wasn't nearly as lucky, and had the extra problems of an inept marketing group, and the lack of certain key developers' support.

When you add in the marketing, hype and BS from the other consoles, any remaining chance died swiftly.

It's easy to carry on a product line when your installed base is massive -- think GBA -- but it's hard when you're trying to start a new one.

Rand.

[ian]

I think the Dreamcast controller is better than any other controller I've used so far.

yeah its even better than the n64 one! i cant believe that their a so many complaints i think it was the best part of it their was only 2 things i hated
1>the way the vms beep when you turn it on and
2>i paid $500 for it to die a year later grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr but i suppose i have saved heaps on the software and i also like the fact that it souns like a "power tool"

[Rand Linden]

I liked the DC's controller -- except, as some people have also noted, for the weird way the cable tucks underneath it -- too wobbly that way.

The size was a bit on the large side, but you get used to it, and it's nice to have slots for the VMUs right there -- maybe not two were necessary, but that's a minor gripe.

Shame few titles really used the VMU screens for multi-player stuff well -- but that's more of an issue related to "lowest common denominator" than anything else.

I also wasn't really a big fan of their vibration units -- the huge variety of effects that were based on each different manufacturer, and the lack of tight standards made the vibration effect poor at best -- regardless of whose unit you had.

IMHO, they should have used rechargables in the VMUs -- so that when your DC was on, it charged the VMU while you played -- that would have been nice.

Rand.

[BaldMonk]

Yup, I thought the same thing about rechargables... that woulda been awesome. But I don't have to worry about beeping... I don't have any official VMUs... New Zealand was sold out when I tried to get some.. and our distibutor sucked so much ass they never got any more in.

Yeah, if they had builtin Vibration it woulda been better. Also, one thing I hate is that most games only support the VM in controller 1, port 1... why the hell? Its so annoying.

[Calavera]

I The size was a bit on the large side, but you get used to it, and it's nice to have slots for the VMUs right there -- maybe not two were necessary, but that's a minor gripe.

One for the VMU and one for the Rumble Pak.

[az_bont]

But then Rand said that he was never happy with the rumble packs anyway. If they were built in with a toggle on/off option that would be nice, or even better if you could get VMUs and rumble packs combined.

[Rand Linden]

I understand that they needed two for the devices, but as az_bont picked up on, it should have been "all-in-one", or at the least, vibration support should have been in the controllers themselves.

That would have avoided the problems with rumble units -- no matter which one you buy, the effect is different and no two are the same. Very difficult to get a good "feel" from the vibration units IMHO.

Some third-parties started to make Memcard+Rumble, but because Sega never released the specs (and chip designs) for the VMUs, no one ever made a cheaper VMU model.

IIRC, there were also some weird issues with rumble and memcard access simultaneously, but I don't recall the details.

Rand.

[ian]

i keep both my vms in my pad i have two pads i only use the second one when i absolutly have to

[CyberMick]

I fell we have all been let down by Sega one way or another, i owned the MegaDrive (Genesis in the U.S) and i loved that at the time then i bought the Sega Saturn which i loved to bits and then i got my DC.

Unfortunately because Sega tried to con us all by releasing buckloads of unnecessary upgrades by the time it came to the DC most ppl have had it with Sega and the same went for the developers who not all supported the DC.

I think it was the Mega-CD (Sega CD in the U.s) add-on for the Megadrive and then just b4 releasing the Saturn Sega thought they would squeeze more money out of us by releasing that mushroom namely the 32X which was a poor man's Saturn.

Then they released the Saturn which i loved but was underpowered compared to the PSX and it had bad transparencies so by the time it came to the Dreamcast the poor machine didnt stand a chance and only had a short lifespan which is a shame as i still love my DC and think its an amazing machine and think graphically its still upt there with the PS2.

I like the DC pads also i think they are ace i agree about those VMU batteries as well they are a joke and dont last long at all.

[ps2emufordc]

The lack of a hard reset button sucks.

[ssjx]

Things i dont like about the DC (most have already been brought up):

1. The turbine on the side. On the plus side and least their is good air flow.

2. The lack of space on the the vmu. I also use a vmu which has a switch to
select which (of 4) memory page you want to use, why didn't they just make larger
memory cards?

3. Not enough controller ports, i have a controller,keyboard,mouse and IR dongle. I
would prefer not to have to unplug. A multitap or switchbox would be useful.

4. I don't mind the pad but having six buttons would have been better for fighting games, i find the trigger buttons work really well though, better than those on the xbox 's' controller.

One of the best things about the dreamcast though has got to be the vga output, it makes most games look stunning and i am really surprised that the newer consoles
did not come with vga out as standard.

[gamedudex]

my biggest gripe is that the harddrive zip addon and the dvd addon never came out..

and they shouls have relased with a comboe bba dial up modem..


and needed more online games.


thats it.. other than that i love dc as much as my xbox and gamecube.. maybe a little more.....


also dc had no wireless controller that i know of... if they did i would want one