8 Reasons Why Xbox 360 Was Basically The Dreamcast 2

7. The Peripherals

Ever heard of the Dreameye? No? It was a small webcam-like device that was available only in Japan in 2000. Its main function was for taking and emailing pictures to other Dreamcast users. But the additional trappings included a headset microphone and the ability to connect to the VMU; the Dreamcast's unique memory card come handheld computer. It's just another example of where the console was heading: beyond its competitors. Back in September 2000, some journalists seemed baffled at the implementation of a digital camera to transform the humble home console into something of a multimedia machine and questioned the price point against digital cameras.

Fast-forward to 2006 and hey, presto, the Xbox Live Vision camera. Designed for taking and sending picture and video messages to other users and offering more advanced features like avatar creation and video calls, it was more warmly received all round. The Xbox 360 already came with a headset microphone for voice chat in games - although if there's one thing gamers have learned over the years from headset-enabled online gaming, it's finding the mute button. Joking aside, with the new camera technology, games like Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 allowed players to scan in their own faces for a truly unique online experience. When you consider the fact both machines were designed for online gaming and offered the same camera/headset combo, the gap between the SEGA Dreamcast and Xbox 360 narrows significantly.