Many times I have found that the PAL version of a game is just as easy or easier to obtain than the NTSC version. Knowing this, I would be tempted to just get the PAL version, but I am not sure that is the best choice, so I will ask here.
I have three situations I would like to ask about:
Playing on an NTSC Dreamcast with Codebreaker
Playing on a PAL Dreamcast
Playing on a modchipped NTSC Dreamcast
If there are any miscellaneous or general things that don't fit into these categories, feel free to share them.
Any information or advice will be appreciated.
[Note] I have monitors that can accept PAL, NTSC, and VGA inputs.
CD AGES wrote:Keep in mind that key titles of the PAL library don't support VGA. -_-
Those PAL misery blues.
I don't know if it works the other way around, but I have a small Japanese Dreamcast collection that works on my PAL DC using an Action Replay CDX.
It should also be noted that a lot of Dreamcast games let you play in 60hz, which is considered luxury in PAL land for older consoles.
Most PAL games that don't offer a 60hz option can be forced to boot in 60hz anyways. I think the only issue with some PAL games, is a small minority (Skies of Arcadia being the worst offence [and it's more expensive in its PAL form anyway]) don't support VGA when their NTSC counterparts do.
Own: Mega Drive, Saturn, Dreamcast, Playstation 1, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, PS Vita, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Wii U, Game Boy Advance, DS, 3DS, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox, Xbox 360
Use a bootdisc to force 60hz in the games that don't have the option. All games can be forced into 60hz mode. Certain gains you can use with a VGA cable by disconnecting the VGA cable and then connecting it again once the game has booted. This will NOT work with Skies of Arcadia PAL though.
Edit: One caveat to the above statement is that some games need to be patched to enable 60hz support, others can be forced using DC-X bootdisc. Utopia simply won't cut it.
Thanks for all the advice. I do have one additional question though: can forcing games into 60Hz cause any issues with scripted sequences that were designed to run at the slower rate? (I have had an issue with this on PSX where the game rendered properly, but the subtitles ran faster than the dialogue when a 50Hz game was set to 60Hz).
50hz vs 60hz will affect games where timing is critical (ie Fighting games) but I've not really noticed any issues in all my experience with the Dreamcast. Most games work just as well in either mode. It's simply whether you want the increased resolution the PAL format gives you or the fast refresh and 480i resolution NTSC gives you.
Im not sure about the rest but i play Headhunter using Utopia boot and see no problems. Never did pass that game but i just happen to revisit it yesterday and saw this thread.
