10 Ways The Sega Dreamcast Was Ahead Of Its Time
2. Motion Controls
The overriding theme from this list seems to be that, for all the Dreamcast was a thing of beauty, it nevertheless has a lot to answer for.
Nintendo's Wii was met with a widespread febrility hitherto unseen in the industry, but it courted much criticism from the 'hardcore' section of the video game audience, who accused the company of betraying their roots by focusing on universally accessible, 'casual' titles. Of course, the complaint was utter BS; Nintendo had carved out a vaunted reputation as the industry's innovators, and they weren't averse to taking a risk on a potentially divisive product.
Unfortunately for the frothing-fanboys, their misplaced rage was also misdirected; the motion-control gravy train had left the station long before Nintendo devised the Wii.
Eight years prior, Sega unleashed just what the gaming world had been waiting for: the Dreamcast fishing controller. As the name suggests, the peripheral was conceived largely with bass-bothering in mind, and the console had no shortage of angling action; no fewer than six (six!) fishing titles called the Dreamcast their home.
The applications of the controller were seemingly limited, but it harboured a hidden secret: primitive motion sensing capabilities. Aside from being used to fine-tune cast-offs, the secret sensors were also compatible with Soul Calibur's sword-swinging, as well as top-class racquet-riot Virtua Tennis - essentially turning the latter into a prototype Wii Tennis.
Playing tennis with a fishing rod. How can that not be considered avant garde?