what's your opinion on owning a japanese dreamcast?

[ac_90]

i had an american snes for a while, but decided to trade it in to start a sfc collection, simply because i thought the cartridges, packaging, & console looked better. there were also a lot of sfc games that weren't released in the us, and a lot of games that had poor translations from their original japanese versions.

does anyone who has a dreamcast collection think this mentality can apply to dreamcast as well? keep in mind the alternative could be to purchase an american dreamcast & apply a region free mod. im just looking for things that would be relevant from a collection perspective (ie. packaging, appearance, exclusives, etc).

thanks.

[pakopako]

Hm. Well, the first thing that pops into my mind is that a mod of an NTSC-U system is cheaper and more convenient (even if it is just using the DC-X disc).

Also the Japanese systems (the early ones) were quieter (used a different GDROM layout was that I remember hearing) -- though the Japanese first-wave VMUs were louder than a bat out of hell.

I can't think of many Japanese exclusives to the DC outside of fighters and shooters. The PAL DC did get games like Headhunter and a subtitled Shenmue II.

And one more thing -- when choosing a Japanese system, there were several variants released. From Bright Blue systems to the sleek R7 to Hello Kitty models (I remember I had a link a fellow GF user posted from a forum collector who had all the variants). Plus case mods if you're interested in that sort of thing.

[dunpeal2064]

For me, the console's looks would determain it. I'd snag a jap Saturn if I ever saw one.

For the DC, I prefer to just stick to the US one. I just burned some utopia disc swap thingy, and playing imports has been cake.

What games are you going for? I recently started heavy on my DC collection as well. Its so wonderful

[ac_90]

yeah man dc's great! there's nothing in my collection as of now that wouldn't be in a typical one though; still a work in progress for sure.

from what i've gathered anyways it seems the only advantage i'd gain from getting a japanese console would be to just have a special edition system that wasn't available in america. that seems enticing, but does anyone know if there's mods or boot discs that would operate in reverse in that case? i'd hate to get my hands on a japanese console and have all my american discs unplayable!

[dunpeal2064]

Yeah, plus, its kind of a end-of-collection thing.

Instead of the jap console, you could get some more useful accessories like an Agetek arcade stick, RGB/S-Vid cables, and more games

[jinn]

I have a JPN system with a region free modchip.
It's great being able to play all games without swap disc.
If you need a chip let me know.

[Breetai]

The ONLY advantage I think think of that the Japanese DC has is that you can use the official Sega lightgun with it. The gun wasn't released in N.America and the Japanese gun is one of the few accessories that will not work on an NTSC-US system.

[scarper]

I own a NTSC-U Dreamcast and burn all the games I play, using self-boot CDI's from theisozone.com

All the Japanese imports I have played work perfectly, although I wouldn't be too sure about Japanese commercial releases.

[jinn]

While it's great you can download every game you want from DCzone, I like to use original games as much as possible. Most DC rips are not optimized and will wear out the DC laser faster.
Just like me, there are lots of collectors that will only use originals and never burned CD-Rs.

[Bradtemple87]

While it's great you can download every game you want from DCzone, I like to use original games as much as possible. Most DC rips are not optimized and will wear out the DC laser faster.
Just like me, there are lots of collectors that will only use originals and never burned CD-Rs.

Correct and big ditto