Today is 14 October 2019, making it twenty years since the Dreamcast's launch in Europe and the United Kingdom during 14 October 1999. There was much rejoicing as the 128-bit console finally made its official debut across the Atlantic. But for those intrepid souls that couldn't wait, a Dreamcast was often imported from America or Japan.
Europe had its fair share of Dreamcast quirkiness. Remember Dreamarena and how the launch of that went? How about how the Dreamcasts in the UK & Europe used 33.6 kbit/s modems instead of 56 kbit/s? And of course all of those regional differences among Germany, Britain, Spain, France, etc.?
Europe saw its fair share of exclusive Dreamcast magazines and demo discs with their own unique personalities and styles. A wealth of European-exclusive Dreamcast games as well as those which were only in English in Europe were released. There were certain games that only had online editions released in Europe such as Monaco Grand Prix Racing Simulation 2 Online. The final days of the Dreamcast were filled with many a foreigner importing the likes of European Dreamcast games such as Headhunter or Shenmue II or Evil Twin to play on their NTSC consoles!
What are your memories of the Dreamcast, its launch, and/or its first year in Europe?
See you all on 30 November 2019 for the 20th anniversary of the Dreamcast in Australia / Oceania!