4 ms·

They made one big bugaboo that doomed them for sure. They didn't make the Dreamcast black. You think I'm joking? You should read about consumer testing studies

They made one big bugaboo that doomed them for sure. They didn't make the Dreamcast black. You think I'm joking? You should read about consumer testing studies.

coldpie 10y ago
But the PlayStation wasn't black either...
- ssharp 10y ago
  Wasn't the Dreamcast the same gen as the PS2, not PS1?
  - emodendroket 10y ago
    It is kind of a weird in-between.
    - ZenoArrow 10y ago
      Many people see it as the start of the 6th gen. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_generation_of_video_game_consoles https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_generation_of_video_ga...
- astronautjones 10y ago
  ... and the Saturn was (and the 32x...)
- ZenoArrow 10y ago
  Aside from the Net Yaroze and a couple of other special editions. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_Yaroze https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_Yaroze http://www.consolecolors.com/sony.html http://www.consolecolors.com/sony.html
JohnBooty 10y ago
I agree with you. I loved the look of the Dreamcast: clean, modern, friendly. But much of the gaming public in the USA wants dark, aggressive-looking devices. Another unfortunate strike against Dreamcast? The "supports Windows CE" thing. There were only like two Windows CE games on Dreamcast. But a lot of people thought that the Dreamcast "ran on Windows" -- at a time when everybody was dealing with Windows 98 and Windows ME computers that uh, well, didn't exactly thrill anybody.
- amyjess 10y ago
  > But much of the gaming public in the USA wants dark, aggressive-looking devices. People didn't want "dark and aggressive" so much as they wanted "understated and blends in". When the PS2 launched, reviews frequently mentioned that it looked like just another piece of A/V equipment on your shelf, no different from your VCR or your cable box, while older game consoles (except the original NES, see below) unmistakably look like game consoles. Given the reputation of video games at the time, "looks like a game console" was synonymous with "looks like a children's toy". Also, remember that a lot of the PS2's sales were driven by people buying it for use as a DVD player. For that to happen, it was important that the PS2 look like any other DVD player on the market. This was the same reason why the original NES looks the way it did, by the way. The reputation of video games in the US was in the toilet after the crash of '83, so Nintendo was very careful to make the US version of the Famicom not look like a video game system. The front-loading apparatus, the dark gray color scheme, the box shape, and even the name "Nintendo Entertainment System" all came together to make the NES look like a fancy VCR and not an Atari competitor. In fact, Nintendo's marketing went out of their way to not use the phrase "video game" so as not to scare away people who were burned by the crash of '83.

They made one big bugaboo that doomed them for sure. They didn't make the Dreamcast black. You think I'm joking? You should read about consumer testing studies.

coldpie 10y ago

But the PlayStation wasn't black either...

ssharp 10y ago
Wasn't the Dreamcast the same gen as the PS2, not PS1?
- emodendroket 10y ago
  It is kind of a weird in-between.
  - ZenoArrow 10y ago
    Many people see it as the start of the 6th gen. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_generation_of_video_game_consoles https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_generation_of_video_ga...
astronautjones 10y ago
... and the Saturn was (and the 32x...)
ZenoArrow 10y ago
Aside from the Net Yaroze and a couple of other special editions. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_Yaroze https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_Yaroze http://www.consolecolors.com/sony.html http://www.consolecolors.com/sony.html

JohnBooty 10y ago

I agree with you. I loved the look of the Dreamcast: clean, modern, friendly. But much of the gaming public in the USA wants dark, aggressive-looking devices. Another unfortunate strike against Dreamcast? The "supports Windows CE" thing. There were only like two Windows CE games on Dreamcast. But a lot of people thought that the Dreamcast "ran on Windows" -- at a time when everybody was dealing with Windows 98 and Windows ME computers that uh, well, didn't exactly thrill anybody.

amyjess 10y ago
> But much of the gaming public in the USA wants dark, aggressive-looking devices. People didn't want "dark and aggressive" so much as they wanted "understated and blends in". When the PS2 launched, reviews frequently mentioned that it looked like just another piece of A/V equipment on your shelf, no different from your VCR or your cable box, while older game consoles (except the original NES, see below) unmistakably look like game consoles. Given the reputation of video games at the time, "looks like a game console" was synonymous with "looks like a children's toy". Also, remember that a lot of the PS2's sales were driven by people buying it for use as a DVD player. For that to happen, it was important that the PS2 look like any other DVD player on the market. This was the same reason why the original NES looks the way it did, by the way. The reputation of video games in the US was in the toilet after the crash of '83, so Nintendo was very careful to make the US version of the Famicom not look like a video game system. The front-loading apparatus, the dark gray color scheme, the box shape, and even the name "Nintendo Entertainment System" all came together to make the NES look like a fancy VCR and not an Atari competitor. In fact, Nintendo's marketing went out of their way to not use the phrase "video game" so as not to scare away people who were burned by the crash of '83.