10 Ways The Sega Dreamcast Was Ahead Of Its Time
5. The Idea Of A Console Dashboard
Gamers used to have a relatively simple life. Stick the cartridge in the slot, press the power button, and away you go: instant gaming gratification.
Before CD-based consoles, starting your machine up sans-cartridge would produce nothing more than a black screen. Consoles had just one function: to play games, and nothing more. It was an easier time. Some would argue it was also a better time.
Much as the PS2 would later serve as an adequate budget DVD player, its predecessor acted as a surprisingly high-spec CD player. This, combined with the necessity to manage external memory cards, meant the console was one of the first to come equipped with a pre-game menu (listeners could even apply equaliser effects to their music).
Despite the PlayStation's blocky-grey menu being crucial, it was well-hidden - perhaps to force people to buy more memory cards. The Dreamcast took the idea to another level; its own start-up screen acted as the system's hub, where owners could manage save files, load games, play music, and adjust system settings such as the in-built clock (another first). It was even possible to change the background with a little VMU trickery-pokery
It was no coincidence that Microsoft's first entrant into the console market, the Xbox, was also the next to use the concept of a pre-game home screen; the company had played a key role in developing Sega's last effort.
As systems gradually evolved into multimedia platforms rather than mere games-mules, sophisticated menu screens became the norm - and they can trace their origins back to the Dreamcast's endearingly bouncy icons.